Once, while the late Sōjō (Archbishop) Eisai was at Kenninji, a poor man came and said, 'My family is so destitute that we have had nothing to eat for several days. My wife and children are about to die of starvation. Please have compassion on us.'

At the time, there was no clothing, food, or other possessions in the temple. Although Eisai contemplated what to do, he was at a loss. There was a little bit of thin copper allocated for making the halo for the Yakushi-Buddha which was under construction. The abbot took it and broke it apart, rolled it up, and gave it to the poor man, telling him to exchange it for food to relieve his family's hunger.

The man was very delighted and left.

Eisai's disciples, however, reproached him [Eisai] saying, 'That is nothing other than the halo for the statue of the Buddha. You gave it away to the layman. Is it not a sin to use the Buddha's property for personal use?'

The Sōjō replied, 'Yes, it is. Yet think of the Buddha's will. The Buddha cut off his flesh and limbs and offered them to living beings [according to the Jātaka tales]. Even if we gave the whole body of the Buddha to people who are actually about to die of starvation, such an action would certainly be in accordance with the Buddha's will.'

He went on, 'Even if I fall into hell because of this sin, I have just saved living beings from starvation.'

Students today should also consider the innermost heart of this venerable predecessor. Do not forget it."