佛祖統紀 41.24

41.24

In the third year, Yuwen Xuan, Mayor of Jingzhao, presented a memorial requesting to use the materials of abandoned village temples to build school buildings. An edict declared: 'Transforming halls for venerating the Buddha into Confucian academies is the beginning of encroaching upon and destroying the Three Jewels. The offense is unforgivable.' Xuan felt ashamed and fearful, and on the same day resigned and returned home. Li Mi was appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat and Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery. Earlier, Chan Master Mingzan lived on Mount Shangfeng in Nanyue, and people called him Lazy Zan. When Mi went to pay respects to him, he heard the sound of chanting sūtras; it was mournful at first and joyful afterward. Knowing he was a recluse, Mi waited for him for a long time. Zan poked the fire, pulled out a taro, ate it, and said, 'Take this, you will be prime minister for ten years.' Coming to this point, Mi, now in power, spoke to the emperor of Zan's lofty conduct. An imperial edict summoned him. When the envoy arrived at the stone grotto to proclaim the imperial appointment, Zan had cold snot hanging down to his chin, sitting unmoved without taking heed of it. The envoy returned and reported this, and the emperor sighed in even greater respect.