Chan Master Danxia Tianran is a renowned monk in Tang dynasty. He was the founder of Danxia Temple on Mount Danxia in Nanzhao County, Henan.
On a bitterly cold winter night, he arrived at Huilin Temple in Luoyang. He was unable to sleep due to the extreme cold. Desperate for warmth, he began chopping up a wooden Buddha statue for firewood.
The horrified temple master shouted: “How dare you desecrate the Buddha!”
Danxia calmly poked the embers with his staff, replying: “I am trying to seek sacred relics (sarira) in the ashes.”
The master sputtered: “How could a wooden statue produce relics?!”
Danxia said: “Since it contains no relics, why not burn it? If this is not the true Buddha, what offense is there?”
The temple master stood dumbfounded. As the fire blazed, Danxia added: “When the mind is attached, even wood becomes an idol to worship. When the mind is free, even Buddha is just firewood.”
Cultural & Philosophical Notes
Shattering Form Worship:
Burning the statue exposes emptiness (śūnyatā): Buddha-nature transcends physical forms. Clinging to idols (“wooden Buddhas”) obscures true awakening.
Relics as Metaphor:
Danxia’s “search for relics” satirizes the futility of seeking enlightenment externally. Sacredness arises from direct realization, not objects.
The Fire of Wisdom:
The flames symbolize wisdom burning delusion. Cold (ignorance) is dispelled not by worship but by incinerating false concepts.
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