Buta No - Gotoki

Sesshin stared at him. “Why help me? I called you worse than a pig.”

The beggar knelt. “Master, a pig does not know it is called a pig. But a man who calls another buta no gotoki — he forgets that even pigs have the Buddha-nature. Mud is not a curse. It is where lotus roots grow.”

That night, a terrible storm swept the valley. Lightning struck the temple’s grain stores. Famine clawed at the village. The disciples, once proud, grew thin and desperate. But the beggar — who had taken shelter in an old pigsty — did not starve. He ate wild roots, knew which mushrooms were safe, and slept warm in the straw. buta no gotoki

One autumn, a wandering beggar came to the temple gates. His clothes were rags, his face weathered, but his eyes were calm as still water. The disciples, eager to prove their worth, mocked him. “Even pigs know better than to beg here,” one sneered.

He entered the master’s room, carrying a bowl of broth made from muddy yams. Sesshin stared at him

The beggar only smiled.

Once, in a crumbling temple at the edge of a forgotten village, there lived a monk named Sesshin. He was known for his harsh discipline and his even harsher tongue. To his disciples, he often said, “You are buta no gotoki — like pigs. Rooting in mud, blind to the sky.” “Master, a pig does not know it is called a pig

Sesshin fell ill. His body, weakened by fasting, could no longer rise. The disciples scattered, each looking for their own survival. Only the beggar remained.