The Halo of Yakushi-Buddha

Ep. 3 One winter day, a masterless samurai came to eisai's temple and made an appeal: 'i'm poor and sick,' he said, 'and my family is dying of hunger. Please help us, master.' dependent as he was on widows' mites, eisai's life was very austere, and he had nothing to give. He was about to send the samurai off when he remembered the image of yakushi-buddha in the hall. Going up to it he tore off its halo and gave it to the samurai. 'sell this,' said eisai, 'it should tide you over.' the bewildered but desperate samurai took the halo and left. 'master!' cried one of eisai's disciples, 'that's sacrilege! How could you do such a thing?' 'sacrilege? Bah! I have merely put the buddha's mind, which is full of love and mercy, to use, so to speak. Indeed, if he himself had heard that poor samurai he'd have cut off a limb for him.' Season 3 Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.