The Master of Toho Hermitage Roars Like a Tiger

The Case

A monk cam' to visit the zen master of Toho hermitage and said to him, "If, on this mountain, you were suddenly to meet a tiger, what would you do?" The Master roared like a tiger. The monk pretended to be frightened. The master roared with laughter. The monk said, "You old robber!" The master said, "Try as you may, you cannot do anything to me." The monk stopped short.

[Setcho says, "They were both veteran robbers, but they stopped their ears and tried to steal the bell."]

Engo's Introduction

Controlling the world, he allows not the least speck of dust to escape; and all men on earth give up their weapons and still their tongues. This is the enforcement of the monk's ordinance. The beams from his forehead pierce the four directions. This is the activity of the monk's diamond eye.

He turns iron into gold and gold into iron, and both holds fast and lets go. This is the action of the monk's staff. He stops the mouths of all people under the sun, making them silent and as if driven three thousand miles away. This is the force of the monk's spirit. But what would you say when one falls short of these abilities?

Verse

A chance, and if you fail to seize it, You miss by a thousand miles. The tiger had fine stripes but no fangs and claws. Remember the battle on Mount Taiyu. Their words and actions shook the earth. If you have eyes to see, you see They caught both head and tail of it.