[chimprich]

My un-Zen-trained take on it is that Tõzan represents you/me/the student. The teacher stays punishment because the student has not actually done anything wrong, but the threat of punishment is mentioned in the abstract in order to concentrate the student's mind.

The teacher then gets angry because the student tries too hard to understand by questioning the teacher rather than trying to work out their own answer or accepting the state of things.

The correct "answer" to the question then (so far as there is one) is to place yourself in the story and either accept it as it is, or come up with an interpretation of the story (like this).

The wrong answer is to ask what the answer is.

[diegoperini]

> The wrong answer is to ask what the answer is.

Then I definitely lost this one myself.

[mikekchar]

Asking to explain the question is different from asking to explain the answer. Because you asked your question, I could go back and think about why the OP posted that particular story. Thank you.

[chimprich]

Only if my interpretation is correct and if you consider your comment a request for an answer :)