Kako je menih Džie dal zgraditi posvetitveno ploščad

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Kako je menih Džie dal zgraditi posvetitveno ploščad

This, too, happened long ago. Bishop Jie was a native of Asai District in Omi Province. At a time when work on the ordination platform on Mount Hiei had stalled for want of laborers, the governor of Asai District invited the bishop to conduct a Buddhist service. The governor was not only a close friend but also a devoted patron of his. As soybeans were being roasted before the bishop for his meal, vinegar was poured over them. “Why do you put vinegar on them?” he asked. The governor replied, “If you pour vinegar over them while they are hot, they become what we call sumutsukari: they grow tacky and are easy to pick up with chopsticks. Otherwise, they slip away and you cannot get hold of them.” The bishop said, “Whatever they are like, why should I not be able to pick them up? Even if you throw them to me, I shall catch them with my chopsticks and eat them.” “How could anyone possibly do such a thing?” the governor protested. “If I win,” said the bishop, “I ask nothing else of you: have the ordination platform built.” “That is easily done,” replied the governor, and began tossing roasted beans to him. The bishop sat about six feet away and caught every one with his chopsticks, never letting a single bean fall. Everyone watching was astonished. Then a freshly squeezed yuzu seed was mixed in with the beans and tossed to him. He caught it, but it slipped from his chopsticks; before it could fall, however, he caught it again. The governor belonged to a large and influential family, so he sent a force of laborers, and the ordination platform was completed in a matter of days—or so the story goes.