One day Shih-t'ou said, "I've come to visit you. What have you been doing?"
The Layman said, "If you're asking what I do every day, there's nothing to say about it."
Shih-t'ou said, "What did you think you were doing before I asked you about it?"
The Layman made up this verse:
What I do every day
Is nothing special:
I simply stumble around.
What I do is not thought out,
where I go is unplanned.
No matter who tries to leave their mark,
The hills and dales are not impressed.
Collecting firewood and carrying water
are prayers that reach the gods.
Shih-t'ou approved, saying, "So, are you going to wear black or white?" [black robes were worn by monks, white robes by laypeople].
The Layman said, "I will do whatever is best."
It came to pass that he never shaved his head to join the sangha.
.
ewk ? note:
Oh, so that's what praying is all about. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, right?
Submitted February 18, 2018 at 10:14PM by ewk http://ift.tt/2ByKENr
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