法苑珠林 27.46

27.46

Xiongqu of Chu was walking at night and saw a recumbent stone, mistaking it for a crouching tiger. Drawing his bow, he shot it; the metal arrowpoint sank in up to the feathers. Looking down, he realized it was a stone. He shot it again, but the arrow shattered without leaving a mark. In the Han dynasty, there was also Li Guang, who served as the Grand Administrator of Youbeiping; shooting a tiger, he likewise hit a stone. Liu Xiang said: "When sincerity reaches its peak, even metal and stone open to it; how much more so with humans! Indeed, if one calls and none harmonizes, or acts and none follows, there must be an imperfection within. He who rectifies the world without descending from his mat seeks it within himself."