When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, pupils from many
parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings a pupil
was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request
that the culprit be expelled. Bankei ignored the case.
Later
the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the
matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for
the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a
body.
When Bankei had read the
petition he called everyone before him. “You are wise brothers,” he
told them. “You know what is right and what is not right. You may go
somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even
know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to
keep him here even if all the rest of you leave.”
A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.
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