740-808
Layman Pang
Tang dynasty Chan practitioner who studied with Shitou and Mazu but never became a monk. Tradition says he sank his fortune in a river and lived by making bamboo goods with his family.
Every line we carry
Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.
- Miracles and magic powers? Carrying water and hauling firewood.
When the master Shitou asked about his daily practice, Pang answered with a verse: nothing special, just what is in front of him, and his supernatural powers are fetching water and carrying wood. Awakening does not lift you out of ordinary work. It shows you the ordinary work was the point.
Jingde Chuandeng Lu (1004), juan 8, Layman Pang's verse to Shitou, our translation from the Chinese