Buta No Gotoki |best| Page

He entered the master’s room, carrying a bowl of broth made from muddy yams.

Sesshin wept. He drank the broth. And in that ruined temple, under a roof that no longer kept out the rain, the master became the student. buta no gotoki

The beggar knelt. “Master, a pig does not know it is called a pig. But a man who calls another buta no gotoki — he forgets that even pigs have the Buddha-nature. Mud is not a curse. It is where lotus roots grow.” He entered the master’s room, carrying a bowl

From that day, he never again called any living thing buta no gotoki — except himself, with a smile, when pride whispered in his ear. And in that ruined temple, under a roof

Sesshin stared at him. “Why help me? I called you worse than a pig.”