There was a master called Sakito. He was also called Stonehead – partly because of his smoothly shaven head, and partly because he loved to sit in meditation on a large rock on the side of a mountain.

One day, a disciple came to Ma Tsu, another master, and said, “I shall go and challenge master Sakito.”

Ma Tsu replied, “Be careful. The path of the Stonehead is slippery.”

But the disciple waved a staff and said, “I carry the stick of an acrobat.”

The disciple made it to Sakito who was, as usual, sitting on his rock. He stood in front of Sakito, waved his stick in the air and gave a loud shout. Then he addressed Sakito, “Now tell me, what is the essence of what I have done?”

Sakito, who had barely moved or changed his expression, just said, “How sad, how sad.”

The disciple had no answer for this, so he left and went back to Ma Tsu and reported the entire incident.

Ma Tsu told the disciple, “Go back and do the same thing. Then, when he says, ‘how sad, how sad’, you start crying.”

So the disciple went back and did the exact same thing. But when he asked the question, Sakito put both hands on his face and started to cry.

The disciple was again left with no response, so he went back to Ma Tsu to report.

Ma Tsu smiled and said, “I told you. The path of the Stonehead is slippery.”

The disciple approached the master and said, “Master, I think I am ready to leave you and begin teaching others.”

The master said, “Very well, prepare a discourse that you will deliver 3 days from now. I will invite all the villagers to come and listen. Afterwards, I shall decide whether or not you are really ready.”

So the disciple prepared for the discourse and chose to highlight all the important lessons he had learned. After 3 days, he delivered his talk in the village square. Immediately after he had spoken, the audience applauded him warmly as the talk was well-prepared and well-spoken. Then, a beggar rose from his seat and approached the disciple, who was still on the stage. The disciple immediately came down, removed his cloak, and put it around the tattered rags of the beggar. He also removed his purse and gave it to the beggar. The audience greeted him with another round of applause.

Afterwards, the master called the disciple for a private talk.

“Your words were well-crafted and you seem to have perfected the artful delivery of them,” said the master, “but you are not yet ready.”

“But why?” said the disciple.

“For two reasons. First, you did not give the beggar a chance to voice his need, choosing instead to assume that he wanted your cloak and coins. And second, you are not yet above impressing others with your own piety.”

The master wanted to have a special suit made for his daughter’s wedding. He went to the village tailor, who measured him up and said, “If God wills it, we’ll have your suit ready in one week.”

The master was glad to hear this as the wedding was still two weeks away. After a week, he sent one of his disciples to collect the suit. But the tailor met the disciple with an apologetic look and said, “Sorry, but there was a problem with the cloth and we had to make several adjustments. But we will rush our work and if God wills it, your master will have his suit in 3 days.”

After 3 days, another disciple came to claim the suit, but still the tailor came out empty-handed and said, “Sorry again, but this time, if God wills it, the suit will be ready by tomorrow.”

When the disciple reported this back to the master, he said, “Go back and ask him how long it will take if he keeps God out of it.”

The master sits by the river, doing nothing.

And the wind blows.

And the grass grows.

A young woman in a small village was discovered to be pregnant. The family members demanded to know who the father was. The young girl confessed that it was the old master who lived alone in the woods a short distance from the village.

The angry mob of family and relatives went to the master’s house and they gave them a piece of their mind, how dare he pretend to be a holy man and do such a thing, and so on until they demanded that he take the child and care for it when it was born, that he shouldn’t saddle the poor innocent girl with such a responsibility.

All throughout the ranting and raving, the old master just listened with a calm expression on his face. After they had made their demands, he said, “Is that so? Very well, very well,” and accepted all their conditions.

When the baby came out, it was a young boy, and the villagers took him to the master and made an additional demand that he should go to the village square and acknowledge that this was his son and publicly apologize before everyone for taking advantage of the girl. The master said, “Is that so? Very well, very well,” and did as they demanded of him.

After around 5 years had passed, the girl broke down and confessed that it wasn’t the master who fathered her child but another boy from the village. She had been so guilt-ridden the past 5 years and could not live another day if she didn’t confess the truth and unburden the poor innocent master, she said.

The villagers then went to the master and profusely apologized, acknowledging his infinite compassion and patience, and offering to take back the child and remove from him the burden of raising him up.

The master said, “Is that so? Very well, very well.”