80. The Real Miracle

When Ban-Kei was preaching at Ryu-Mon temple, a Shin-Shu priest, who believed in salva-tion through the repetition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him.

Ban-Kei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared, but the fellow made such a dis-turbance that he stopped his discourse and asked about the noise.

"The founder of our sect," boasted the priest, "had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, and his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, while the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?"

Ban-Kei replied lightly, "Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink."

Prev | Next