Baizhang Zen Temple

near
Shangfu City, Jiangxi Province, China

A photo of the famous Wild Fox Grotto
location at Baizhang Temple.

    Zen master Baizhang Huaihai (pronounced Hyakujo Ekai in Japanese), lived
    and taught at this high mountain temple in central China.  Bai means "100",
    and zhang is a Chinese unit of measure, about 10 feet. So, Baizhang means
    "1,000 feet", which probably refers to the height of the mountain at the back
    of the temple grounds, though this retreat is actually much, much higher-- a
    mini-bus ride of a few hours on a rocky mountain road.
Osho book relating many stories of Baizhang:
Hyakujo: The Everest of Zen



Baizhang called his monks together as he wished to send one of them to open a
new monastery.                  
Placing a filled water jar on the ground he said,
“Who can say what this is without using its name?”
The chief monk, who expected to get the position, said,
“No one can call it a wooden shoe.”
Another monk said, “It’s not a pond because it can be carried.”
The cooking monk, who was standing nearby, walked out, kicked the jar over, and
then walked away.
Baizhang smiled and said, “The cooking monk becomes the  master
of the new monastery.”
Baizhang Chan Si
Baizhang stories-simplified Chinese
Location maps
for Baizhang
Zen
Temple--click
on icon above
The Strange Story of Huihai and
Huaihai
            oshobob  The Living Workshop                                         
                                                 Zen Temples in China