Session 30: the Bodhisattva Guanyin Sold the Treasures - For the Price of Faith and Virtue
- liz zhang
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
In this session, the Bodhisattva Guanyin—disguised as a shabby, barefoot monk—appears in the market, selling a cassock and staff at a high price. While dismissed by a foolish monk, she eventually encounters Minister Xiao Yu, who recognizes the true value of the treasures and suggests they be offered to the virtuous monk Xuanzang.
Session Focus:
We’ll explore the profound symbolism and witty dialogues in Guanyin’s act of "selling" the treasures. What do these artifacts truly represent, and who is deemed worthy of receiving them?
Key Questions for contemplation:
Q1. Why was Guanyin pleased to see the Master of Ceremonies?
What was Guanyin's origination with him?
Q2. What treasures did Guanyin offer for sale, and at what price?
Q3. Why did Guanyin and Moksa disguise themselves as ragged monks?
Q4. How did the foolish monk react to the price, and what does this reveal?
After the Bodhisattva Guanyin and Moksa had been going for quite a long time they found themselves in front of the Donghua Gate of the palace, where the minister Xiao Yu happened to be returning home from morning court. Ignoring the crowd of lictors who were shouting to everyone to get out of the way, the Bodhisattva calmly went into the middle of the road with the cassock in her hands and headed straight for the minister. When the minister reined in his horse to look he saw the cassock gleaming richly and sent an attendant to ask its price.
Q5. Was the encounter with Minister Xiao Yu mere coincidence?
Why could he see the cassock gleaming richly while others could not?
"On the one hand the cassock is good and on the other it isn't," replied the Bodhisattva (to the minister). "On the one hand it has a price and on the other it hasn't."
Q6. Why did Guanyin say the cassock is good and on another isn’t?
Why did she say the cassock both has a price and doesn’t?
Q7. Why did Guanyin refuse Emperor Taizong’s money?
I am Chuan, living in Prague of Czech Republic.
"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."
Yesterday in our reading group, we came across two very interesting characters: one was a foolish monk, the other was the Minister Xiao Yu.
The foolish monk immediately dismissed the value of the cassock when he heard it was being sold for seven thousand ounces of silver—and especially because it was being offered by a bald, scabby monk in tattered clothes. He even said, “Even if this robe could make me a Buddha, it’s still not worth seven thousand ounces of silver.” In other words, to him, money was more important…