Comments
Loading Dream Comments...
You must be logged in to write a comment - Log In
There are many stories about Tan-hsia, who was a close friend of the Ch'an layman P'ang-yun, telling of his unconventional behavior.
The most famous of these stories tells that once during his wandering years he spent the night in a Ch'an temple. The night being cold, he took a buddha image off the shrine, made a fire with it, and warmed himself. When the temple priest took him to task for having violated a sacred statue, Tan-hsia said: "I was only looking for the `sariira (sacred relic) of the Buddha." "How can you expect to find `sariira in a piece of wood?" said the temple priest. "Well," said Tan-hsia, "then, I am only burning a piece of wood after all."