Go Contemplate Amidst the Stench of Urine

During the Song Dynasty, when Chan Master Congyue of Jiangxi went to call on Chan Master Yungai Shouzhi, they had barely exchanged a few words before Shouzhi reproved him:

"You may be the head monk at Mount Daowu in Changsha, but you talk like a drunken man!"

Congyue, flushed and flustered, replied:

"I beg you, Venerable — have compassion, and don't withhold your instruction."

Master Shouzhi asked, "Have you ever visited Master Fachang?"

"I've read his recorded sayings and already taken them to heart, so I didn't go to see him."

Shouzhi pressed further: "And have you visited Master Dongshan Kewen?"

Congyue replied with a scoff: "Dongshan Kewen? He spends his days acting the fool, dragging around a cloth skirt that reeks of urine — he hardly qualifies as a great Chan master."

Master Shouzhi spoke with solemn gravity: "Where is Chan? Go practice right there, in the stench of urine."

Seeing that Shouzhi was in earnest, Congyue took his advice and went to visit Master Dongshan Kewen. There he deeply grasped the profound essence, and returned to thank Master Shouzhi.

Master Shouzhi asked, "How was your visit with Master Kewen?"

Congyue reported with sincere reverence: "Had it not been for your guidance, this whole life would have been wasted. I've come to offer my thanks."

Master Shouzhi said, "Thanks for what? You might as well thank the stench of urine."

Judging people by their appearance is a common failing in this world, and judging them by their clothes is something the naked eye does all the time. Where is Chan? Chan isn't necessarily found in dignified, handsome features or in fine attire. A cloth skirt reeking of urine — this is the realm of Chan as seen through the eye of wisdom. After all, the lotus blooms from the mud, and gold and jade lie hidden within earth and stone.