Yanguan replied by requesting of
his visitor, “Would you please pass me that water-pitcher.”
The inquirer looked around, saw
the pitcher, and passed it to the master.
Yanguan poured himself a cup of water and then asked the visitor to
replace the pitcher. The visitor did so,
then, thinking that perhaps Yanguan had not heard his original question, put it
again: “About the Buddha—who was he?”
“Oh, yes,” Yanguan said. “Well, you know, he’s been dead a long time
now.”
[Yanguan
Qian – Zen Masters of China: 19, 140,149; The Story of Zen: 19]
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