Two Buddhas Seated on One Throne

The evening mist hung thick over Mount Wutai, drifting lightly in the cold wind. Master Wenxi walked alone, his bowl held close, his steps weary on the slippery stone path. Suddenly, an old farmer appeared ahead, back bent, leading a golden ox. The man stopped and looked at him with a gentle smile.

"Where are you going so late? Come, rest for one night at my temple."

Master Wenxi rejoiced and followed the old man into a small monastery. As he crossed the gate, he was stunned to see that every pillar, wall, and roof tile shimmered with pure gold. Inside the main hall sat an elderly man with white hair and beard, leaning on a staff, his eyes bright as stars. The old man asked:

"How is Buddhism doing in the southern regions these days?"

Master Wenxi pressed his palms together and replied:

"The Buddha has been gone for a long time. It is now the age of decline, and few people keep the precepts."

The old man asked again:

"Are there many or few monks in your community?"

"At first there were many, but later there were few."

The old man nodded slowly and said:

"As for our community here, before there were three, and after there were thirty-three."

Master Wenxi did not understand and felt confused. He bowed and asked:

"Please let me think about this for one night."

The old man shook his head, his voice deepening:

"You still have a mind of attachment, so you cannot stay here to reflect."

Master Wenxi’s face grew hot, and he argued:

"I no longer have any attachment!"

The old man looked straight into his eyes:

"Have you received the precepts?"

"Yes, I have."

"If you had no attachment, why would you need to receive the precepts?"

Master Wenxi was silenced, unable to argue further. The old man instructed a young attendant to lead him out of the temple. After walking a short distance, Master Wenxi turned back and asked:

"What is the name of this temple?"

The attendant replied:

"It is Prajna Temple, inside the Diamond Cave."

As soon as the words left his mouth, realization struck him. The old man had been Bodhisattva Manjushri! He turned around, but the temple had vanished. All he saw was a five-colored cloud rising into the sky, upon which sat Bodhisattva Manjushri riding a golden-maned lion. He called out urgently:

"Noble one, what does 'before three, after thirty-three' mean?"

The attendant smiled and recited a verse:

"Purity of body, speech, and mind — this is the best offering."

With those words, everything dissolved. Master Wenxi stood alone in the mountains, his heart trembling with awe. He left Mount Wutai and joined the assembly of Chan Master Yangshan Lingyou, staying to perform menial tasks. One day, it was his turn to cook porridge for the entire community. The large pot boiled vigorously, steam rising in thick clouds. Suddenly, amidst the vapor, Bodhisattva Manjushri appeared again, radiating brilliant light. Master Wenxi saw him but did not bow. Instead, he grabbed the ladle, struck the pot hard, and shouted:

"Manjushri, get lost! Liberation, get lost!"

Bodhisattva Manjushri rose high into the air, laughing loudly, and recited a verse:

"Bitter melons are bitter from root to tip; sweet melons are sweet from stem to end. Having cultivated through three great eons, yet beaten by a monk!"

Then he disappeared. Master Wenxi stood there, smiling, his heart unmoved. He understood that Buddha-nature has no form. The appearance of a bodhisattva is merely an illusion. Anything with form is subject to birth and death, to decay and destruction. Only the formless, the pure, the unborn and undying is the ultimate truth. Because he held firm to this understanding, unswayed by appearances, Bodhisattva Manjushri accepted him and vanished with a smile.

Later, people called Master Wenxi "Manjushri’s Liberation," because he had freed himself from all attachments to form and seen the pure self-nature within himself.

The Meaning of the Story

This story teaches us that the ultimate truth is formless and invisible. In our practice, we rely on temples, teachers, and Buddha statues to accumulate merit and blessings. However, at the final stage of enlightenment, we must let go of all attachment to appearances. Those who cling to form remain far from the Buddha. Only those who trust in the formless, maintain a pure mind, and are not bound by external phenomena walk the true path.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang