20. A Mother's Advice

     Ji-Un1, A Shingon2 master, was a well-known Sanscrit3 scholar of the Tokugawa4 era. When he was young, he used to deliver lectures to his brother students.

    His mother heard about this, and wrote him a letter:

    "Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others. There is no end to information and commentation, glory and honor. I wish you would stop this lecture business. Shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part of the mountain. Devote your time to meditation and hi this way attain true realization."


Notes:

1. Ji-Un

2. Shingon

3. Sanscrit

4. Tokugawa