The old woman has found
a young friend, molded from ashes
gathered from the slopes of a volcano;
he points to the earth, his witness
This
Buddha statue is of the historic Shakyamuni (Gautama Buddha) and
recalls the occasion of his great enlightenment. Pressed by Mara, the
king of the delusion demons, to prove his enlightenment, he points to
the earth and calls it to witness. Acquired from a merchant somewhere,
somewhen, she found his rough vagueness of appearance answered to her
own vagueness of aspiration and effort, while his uncompromising posture
and gesture provided her with a "way in."
Q: What is the Way and how must it be followed?
A: What sort of THING do you suppose the Way to be, that you should wish to FOLLOW it?
-- Zen Teaching of Huang-Po 52 (tr. Blofeld)