釋氏稽古略 3.44

3.44

In the nineteenth year, in the second month, the Emperor personally commanded the campaign against Koguryŏ but was unsuccessful; in the ninth month he withdrew the army. In the third month of the twentieth year, the imperial carriage arrived at Chang'an. The śramaṇa Zhize stayed at Biancai Monastery. His room was utterly bare, and the assembly called him a madman. Zhize said: "Those who call others mad do not know they are mad themselves. Leaving home and abandoning the world, they are only greedy for food and clothing; whether walking or resting they create barriers, locking doors and cupboards, amassing all sorts of goods and toiling restlessly. If this is not madness, there is no madman anywhere!" Thereupon he clapped his hands, laughed heartily, and abruptly departed (Biographies of Monks).