Once upon a time, there was a temple called Ankokuji in Kyoto, and there was a wise boy, named Ikyu. The temple’s master loves sweet things and is always licking syrup secretly by. He told a lie to Ikyu that a child would be poisoned if he licked it.The mater does not want Ikyu to eat because the syrup was so sweet and tastes good.
One day, after the temple’s master went out, Ikyu licks all the starch syrup. When Mr. the master came home, Ikyu said, “I tried to die because I broke the master’s precious vase, so I ate poison but I can not die yet,” The master was amazed.
One day Ikyu was invited to go to the master’s house. The master was mean, so he put a notice In front of his house, and the notice says that “Don’t walk across this bridge”. Ikyu pondered, and he went across this bridge. The master asked ikyuu, “Why did you go across the bridge even though the notice says “Don’t do that”? Ikyu answered that I did not walk across the bridge, but I run across the bridge. The master was impressed.
Eventually the intelligence of Ikyu reaches the ears of the general of Edo. The general invited Ikyu to come to a general’s castle. The general said to Ikyu, “During night, a tiger comes out from this picture, and the tiger is really violent, so I want you to tie the tiger up by using this rope”. Ikyu said that OK, I will catch and tie the tiger up by this rope, so please let the tiger pop out from the picture.The general said, “Do you think that a tiger in the picture can be popped out?”. Ikyu replied, “Do you think that a tiger in the picture can be tied up?”. The general was impressed.
Time has passed, Ikyu became a Zen master.