Mumon, The Gateless Gate — 40. Tipping Over a Water Vase (1934)
“ Hyakujo wished to send a monk to open a new monastery. He told his pupils that whoever answered a question most ably would be appointed. Placing a water vase on the ground, he asked: "Who can say what this is without calling its name?"The chief monk said: "No one can call it a wooden shoe."Isan, the cooking monk, tipped over the vase with his foot and went out.Hyakujo smiled and said: "The chief monk loses." And Isan became the master of the new monastery.Mumon’s comment: Isan was brave enough, but he could not escape Hyakujo's trick. ”
