Kanji Press

Sometimes a person thinks his story is interesting, but others find it boring.

Once in my youth, I went to a courtier's¹ mansion where many noblemen were discussing songs and poems. Everyone thought highly of poetry. After a while, they began to have a party and happily enjoyed food and drink.

When it had quieted down for a moment, I began, "Please, everyone. Let me tell you an interesting story I heard lately. A young novice in the service of the abbot of Tōfukuji Temple² went to a certain place. The master there jokingly said to him, 'I have seen many monks and priests, but none so handsome as you. I believe nobody in the secular world can match you either. Your parents must also be very good-looking. Now tell me, are you the child of your father or of your mother? I would like to know more about you.'

"The novice replied, 'Certainly. I am from a humble family and that is my fate. I don't know if I should feel honored or embarrassed by your compliments. I also don't know how to answer your question. But let me ask you a question first, and then I will give you my answer.' At that, the novice clapped his hands and asked, 'Please tell me which of my hands made the sound? The right one, or the left one?'

"'The sound came from both, neither from the right one alone nor the left alone,' answered the master.

"'Exactly. My reply to your question is the same. I come from both of my parents. I am neither the child of my father, nor of my mother alone. And as for my looks, you should ask my parents.'

"The master was much impressed. 'Splendid! Your answer is most reasonable,' and he treated the novice very well."

When I finished my story, many people at the party were pleased and said to me, "Your story is most amusing."

But a man sitting near me commented, "Your story is just fine for young people. But such stories are quite common and are like those in India where Shakamuni Buddha was born and preached. At one time, many gedō and madō³ heretics gathered and talked about the Buddha, saying, 'What the Buddha does is most hateful. We should ask him a question which he cannot answer and in this way ridicule his teachings.'

"A clever heretic among them agreed, 'A good idea. Leave it to me.' He took a small bird in his hand and went to see the Buddha. Holding out the bird, he asked the Buddha, 'Is this bird alive or dead? If you make a mistake, you will have a difficult problem.'

"Ignoring the question, the Buddha looked at the bird carefully and simply walked to the gateway, stepped over the threshold, and asked the heretic, 'Am I going in or out? Answer me when you have thought about it carefully. If you make a mistake, great misfortune will befall you.' The clever heretic could not answer and immediately ran away.

"In the case of the bird, if the Buddha answered it was alive, the heretic would have squeezed it to death in his hand, and shown him the dead bird. And if the Buddha said it was dead, then he would have shown him the live bird. It was a clever trick, but with his superior knowledge of the three ages of past, present and future the Buddha was not going to be beaten by the heretic, no matter how clever he was. If the heretic had answered that the Buddha was going out, then he would have put both his feet inside the threshold and asked the heretic, 'Am I going out?' And if the heretic answered the Buddha was going in, then stepping out of the threshold, he would have asked, 'Am I coming in?' The heretic who ran away was no fool as he had seen the Buddha's intention.

"There are many stories like this in the Buddhist teachings, and the one of the young novice must have been compiled from fragments of similar tales. Those who heard this at the party were all very impressed, and admired the speaker."

Being young, I felt ashamed of my simple story, although I thought it interesting. But it was good that I benefited from my embarrassing experience.