The Hermit

There was a hermit from the assembly of Zen Master Xuefeng who left the monastery and built a grass hut near the mountain and lived there. Years passed but he did not shave or cut his hair. He fashioned a wooden dipper from which he drank the water from the nearby valley stream.

One day, another monk came by and asked him, "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?" The hermit replied, "When the valley stream is deep, the handle of the dipper is long." The monk had no idea of what this meant, and without even bowing in respect or asking for instruction, he hastened back to the mountain to report the incident to Xuefeng. Hearing the incident Xuefeng said, "Wonderful! But be that as it may, I think this old monk will have to go there and have a look for himself."

So one day, Xuefeng suddenly handed his attendant a razor and they made their way to the hermit's dwelling. Upon seeing the hermit he said, "If you can speak a word of Zen, I won't shave your head."

At that, the hermit washed his hair in the stream. Xuefeng then shaved his head.