Hsüan-chiao Chêng said to a monk, “What is the point the attendant understands?” Replied the monk, “If he did not understand, he would never have responded.” Hsüan-chiao said, “You seem to understand some.” A monk asked Fa-yen, “What is the idea of the National Teacher’s calling out to his attendant?” Fa-yen said, “You go away now, and come back some other time.” Remarked Yün-chü, “When Fa-yen says this, does he really know what the National Teacher’s idea is? or does he not?” A monk approached Chao-chou with the same question, to which he replied, “It is like writing characters in the dark: while the characters are not properly formed, their outlines are plainly traceable.” [f133] Literally, “A day [of] no work [is] a day [of] no eating.” cf. II. Thessalonians, III., 10: “If any would not work, neither should he eat.” It is noteworthy that St. Francis of Assisi made this the first rule of his Brotherhood. [f134] _Tso ch‘an_ is one of those compound Buddhist terms made of Sanskrit and Chinese. _Tso_ is Chinese meaning “to sit,” while _ch‘an_ stands for _dhyāna_ or _jhāna_. The full transliteration of the term is _ch‘anna_, but for brevity’s sake the first character alone has been in use. The combination of _tso-ch‘an_ comes from the fact that dhyana is always practised by sitting cross-legged. This posture has been considered by the Indians the best way of sitting for a long while in meditation. In it, according to some Japanese physicians, the centre of gravitation rests firmly in the lower regions of the body, and when the head is relieved of an unusual congestion of blood, the whole system will work in perfect order and the mind be put in suitable mood to take in the truth of Zen. [f135] He was the noted Confucian disciple of Baso (Ma-tsu), and his wife and daughter were also devoted Zen followers. When he thought the time had come for him to pass away, he told his daughter to watch the course of the sun and let him know when it was midday. The daughter hurriedly came back and told the father that the sun had already passed the meridian and was about to be eclipsed. Hō came out, and while he was watching the said eclipse, she went in, took her father’s own seat, and passed away in meditation. When the father saw his daughter already in Nirvana, he said, “What a quick-witted girl she is!” Hō himself passed away some days later. [f136] This historical temple was unfortunately destroyed by the earthquake of 1923, with many other buildings. [f137] In those monasteries which are connected in some way with the author of this admonition, it is read or rather chanted before a lecture or _Teisho_ begins.