B ZEN TILE MIRROR STORY

There is a well-known story from eighth century China that I would like to introduce. One day, a monk named Baso Doitsu was sitting wholeheartedly in zazen. His master, Nangaku Ejo Zenji, saw him and asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ Baso answered, ‘I’m sitting in zazen because I would like to become a Buddha.’ Ejo Zenji picked up a piece of tile that was lying nearby and began to vigorously scrape the tile with a rock as if he were polishing it. Seeing this, Baso asked ‘Master, what is your intention in polishing that piece of tile?’ Ejo Zenji said, ‘I’m polishing this piece of tile in order to make it into a mirror.’ Baso was as­tonished and said, ‘Is it really possible to make a piece of tile into a mirror?’ Ejo Zenji replied, ‘Is it possible to become a Buddha by sitting in zazen?’ Hearing these words, Baso suddenly realised that he had been using zazen as a means or method to attain something. From then on, he was able to diligently sit in zazen without using it as a means to try to achieve a certain goal.