According to a popular tale, the Emperor Go-Kameyama
believed his palace was haunted, so he called upon various priests to exorcise
the ghosts. When none were successful, his advisors suggested he seek the
assistance of the Zen Master, Mukan Fumon. Called to the court, Fumon told the
Emperor, “The honored Confucius wrote that demons and ghosts are helpless
before men of virtue. My monks and I can dispose of them without difficulty.”
Then Fumon and several of his disciples took up residence in the palace. Unlike
the earlier priests who had tried to rid the palace of its unwanted occupants
by magic rites and religious ceremonies, Fumon did not perform any particular
rituals; he did not even chant the sutras, as was common for Buddhists. He and
his monks simply sat quietly and persistently in zazen. The ghosts did not
disturb them. The Emperor was so impressed that he declared the palace a
monastery and appointed Fumon its abbot.
Zen Masters of Japan: 82-83
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