Master Dao Lin (735 – 833 CE), also known as the Chan Master in Bird’s Nest, was a unique and notable figure in the history of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Known for his unconventional lifestyle and profound teachings, he earned his nickname “Bird’s Nest” due to his habit of residing in an abandoned bird’s nest high up in trees, symbolizing his detachment from worldly affairs.
During the Tang Dynasty’s Yuanhe era (806–820 CE), Bai Juyi, governor of Hangzhou, visited Chan Master Daolin in the mountains. Noting the master perched on ancient pine branches, Bai remarked:
“Venerable Master, your dwelling is perilous!”
Daolin countered:
“Your peril is greater, Governor!”
Bai Juyi protested:
“I govern this land — what peril exists?”
The master replied:
“Karmic entanglements consume you; afflictions never cease — is this not peril?”
Bai then asked: “What is the essence of Buddhism?”
Daolin answered:
“Refrain from all evil, practice every good.”
Bai scoffed: “Even a three-year-old knows that!”
Daolin delivered the final blow:
“A three-year-old can say it — but an eighty-year-old cannot do it.”
Bai Juyi bowed and withdrew.
Philosophical Notes:
The True Peril of Worldly Power:
While Daolin’s tree-dwelling seemed physically dangerous, Bai Juyi’s governorship carried spiritual peril: entanglement in politics, ego, and karmic burdens.
Knowing vs. Doing:
The exchange “even a child knows it” vs. “an elder cannot do it” exposes Buddhism’s core challenge: Wisdom lies not in reciting truths but embodying them daily.
Simplicity as Profound Truth:
Daolin’s childlike teaching (“refrain evil, do good”) was deliberately simple — to reveal Bai Juyi’s attachment to intellectual complexity over practical virtue.
Daolin’s pine branch was safer than Bai’s gubernatorial seat —
Because the master’s “peril” was freedom, while the governor’s “safety” was a golden cage.
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