The Chan teacher Yaoshan was well known in the province of Jiangxi, although he rarely left his monastery. The governor of the province, a neo-Confucian called Li Ao, had heard that perhaps the Chan people knew something. He decided to visit.
So he changed out of his official garments and made his way to the monastery on foot. Despite his precautions, all along the route the mayor of each city and village headmen would come out personally to greet him with an entourage to welcome the arrival of this important official.
Finally Li Ao made his way up the mountain and was shown into Yaoshan’s room.
The master was facing away from him, reading a classic text by the light of the window. Li Ao could see the Yaoshan was tall and thin, almost emaciated from his vegetarian diet. Li Ao stood silently behind him, but the master did not turn. Finally the young monk attendant cleared his throat and said ‘Master, the provincial governor is here.’
‘Unh,’ Yaoshan said, appearing both to hear, and not hear, what had been said.
Li Ao’s ire rose, and turning away, he said ‘Hearing the reputation is not as good as seeing for oneself.’
Yaoshan let him walk a few steps, and then said ‘Governor, why do you slight the eye in favor of the ear?’
Li Ao got a shock, and turning back begged forgiveness. Then he asked ‘Can you tell me about the Dao?’
Yaoshan looked at him, then pointed once upward and once downward.
He paused, then asked ‘Do you get it?’
Li Ao, realising the master was the real thing, shook his head.
Yaoshan pointed upward again and said ‘Clouds in a clear sky.’
He pointed downward and said ‘Water in glass.’
Li Ao later wrote a famous poem enshrining the incident:
练得身形似鹤形，千株松下两函经；
我来问道无余说，云在青天水在瓶。
Practice made him resemble a crane;
Two classics held in a forest of pines.
I asked the Dao, and he wasted no words:
‘Clouds in a clear sky, water in glass.’
The Fat Monk 