How Can High Mountains Hinder the Flight of Wild Clouds?

At 27, the monk Shan Jing left his official post to ordain as a monk. He made his way to Mount Lepu to train under Chan Master Yuan An, who put him in charge of the monastery’s vegetable garden, having him ground his practice in the simple, steady work of tending the crops.

One day, a monk at the monastery felt he had finished his spiritual training and was ready to set out wandering, so he went to Chan Master Yuan An to say goodbye and ask to leave the mountain.

When Chan Master Yuan An heard his request, he decided to put him to the test, smiling as he said, “Mountains surround you on all sides—where will you go?”

The monk couldn’t see the Chan principle at the heart of the question, was left speechless, and could only turn and walk back.

As he walked, he stumbled into the monastery’s vegetable garden without meaning to.

Shan Jing was weeding at the time, and when he saw the monk’s troubled, furrowed brow, he asked, “Senior brother, what’s weighing on you?”

The monk explained the whole situation to him, from beginning to end.

Shan Jing immediately understood that the surrounding mountains were a metaphor for the countless difficulties and obstacles on the spiritual path. Chan Master Yuan An was testing the monk’s faith and resolve, but the monk couldn’t pick up on his teacher’s intention. So Shan Jing smiled and said to the monk:

How can dense bamboo hinder the flowing stream? How can high mountains hinder the flight of wild clouds? He went on to explain what the lines meant: even the thickest bamboo grove can’t stop water from flowing through, and the tallest peaks can’t keep clouds from drifting across the sky.

Overjoyed, as if he’d stumbled on a priceless treasure, the monk hurried back to Chan Master Yuan An and repeated the lines to him:

How can dense bamboo hinder the flowing stream? How can high mountains hinder the flight of wild clouds?

The monk was certain the master would beam with delight and immediately grant him permission to leave the mountain. But to his surprise, Chan Master Yuan An paused briefly after hearing the lines, then frowned and looked straight at him. “That is not an answer you could have come up with on your own,” he said. “Who gave it to you?”

Seeing that his teacher had seen right through him, the monk had no choice but to name Shan Jing.

Chan Master Yuan An turned to the monk and said, “Shan Jing, the monk who tends the vegetable garden, is bound to accomplish great things! Learn from him. He hasn’t even bowed and asked to leave the mountain—what makes you think you can bow your way out?”

Chan Reflection

To walk this path, we must first see ourselves clearly, without self-deception. The small, unremarkable trials we face often carry a purpose we cannot yet grasp. There are no insurmountable difficulties in this world, no obstacle that cannot be overcome. The key lies in your own resolve: once you commit fully, every challenge will fall away.