Everyone who has been to Chinatowns in America has seen statues of a brave young man with a sack on his back. Chinese traders call him the Happy Chinese or Laughing Buddha.
This man named Hotei lived during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). He did not want to be called a Zen master, he did not want to gather students around him. Instead, he wandered the streets with a large bag. The bag contained fruits, nuts, and sweets, which he distributed to the children who gathered near him. He set up kindergartens on the streets.
Whenever he met a Zen devotee, he always extended his hand and said, “Give me a coin.” When someone asked him to return to the monastery and teach others, he would again say: “Give me a coin.”
One day, as he was walking around with his merry work, another Zen master passing by asked him, “What is the meaning of Zen?” As a silent answer, Hotei immediately slammed the bag on the ground.
—What then is the realization of Zen? - asked another.
The happy Chinese immediately threw the bag over his shoulders and continued on his way.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru