A priest from a rival sect once challenged Bankei
Yotaku saying, “The founder of our sect had such powers that if an attendant
held up a sheet of paper on one side of the river, he could write the name of
the Buddha in the air on the other side of the river, and it would appear on
the paper. What do you think of that?”
“Not much. Stage magicians are capable of much
more spectacular feats,” Bankei scoffed. “But that isn’t the way of Zen.”
“No? What ‘feats’ are you capable of?”
“When I’m hungry, I eat; when I’m thirsty, I drink;
when tired, I sleep.”
Zen Masters of Japan: 194-208
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