Ep. 141: The Legend of Emon Saburo
A rich man is humbled and becomes a pilgrim
Once, in the province of Iyo on Japan's island of Shikoku, there lived a rich and powerful overlord named Emon Saburo. To be rich and powerful is no sin, but Emon Saburo was also stone-hearted, utterly lacking compassion. The peasants who toiled on his land could count on one thing only: no matter how much they gave Emon Saburo, he wanted more.
And so, when a wandering monk came to the gate of his mansion one day and requested food for his begging bowl, no one was surprised that Emon Saburo turned him away. But the monk came again the next day, and this time Emon Saburo flung into the bowl a "donation"--of human filth. The next day and the next, the monk was rebuffed, until finally, on the eighth day, Emon Saburo attacked him with a cudgel, knocking his begging bowl to the ground and splintering it into eight pieces . . .