Tetsugen, a student of Zen, resolved on a mighty undertaking: the printing of seven thousand copies of the sutras, which till the were available only in Chinese.
He traveled the length and breadth of Japan to collect funds for this project. Some wealthy people offered him as much as a hundred pieces of gold, but mostly he received small coins from peasants. Tetsugen expressed equal gratitude to each donor, regardless of the sum of money given.
After ten long years of travel, he finally collected the funds necessary for the task. Just then the river Uji overflowed and thousands were left without food and shelter. Tetsugen spent all the money he had collected for his cherished project on these poor people.
The he began the work of raising funds again. Again it was several years before he got the money he needed. Then as epidemic spread all over the country, so Tetsugen gave away all he had collected to help the suffering.
Once again he set out on his travels and, twenty years later, his dream of having the scriptures in the Japanese language finally came true.
The Printing block that produced this first edition of the sutras is on display at the Obaku Monastery in Kyoto. The Japanese tell their children that Tetsugen got out three editions of the sutras in all; and that the first two are invisible and far superior to the third.
Anthony de Mello
He traveled the length and breadth of Japan to collect funds for this project. Some wealthy people offered him as much as a hundred pieces of gold, but mostly he received small coins from peasants. Tetsugen expressed equal gratitude to each donor, regardless of the sum of money given.
After ten long years of travel, he finally collected the funds necessary for the task. Just then the river Uji overflowed and thousands were left without food and shelter. Tetsugen spent all the money he had collected for his cherished project on these poor people.
The he began the work of raising funds again. Again it was several years before he got the money he needed. Then as epidemic spread all over the country, so Tetsugen gave away all he had collected to help the suffering.
Once again he set out on his travels and, twenty years later, his dream of having the scriptures in the Japanese language finally came true.
The Printing block that produced this first edition of the sutras is on display at the Obaku Monastery in Kyoto. The Japanese tell their children that Tetsugen got out three editions of the sutras in all; and that the first two are invisible and far superior to the third.
Anthony de Mello
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