Story #37: Tetsugen's Three Sets of Buddhist Sutras

Tetsugen was a Zen devotee in Japan who wanted to publish ...the sutras ... at the time ... only available in Chinese ...

Tetsugen traveled around collecting donations ... After ten years, Tetsugen had raised enough funds to start.

However ... the Uji River flooded, causing famine. He ... took ... the funds he had raised ... and spent them helping people instead. Tetsugen started his fundraising work again ...

... after collecting donations a second time, an epidemic struck. Once again, Tetsugen gave everything away to help the suffering. A third time, he started from nothing. After twenty years, Tetsugen’s wish was finally fulfilled.

The printing woodblocks ... are still at Obaku Monastery ... Tetsugen’s story is told ... to explain that his first two acts of charity were even greater sutra sets ... surpassing the last.

https://medium.com/@selfhelpchampion4/101-zen-stories-story-37-publishing-the-sutras-tetsugens-three-sutra-sets-ae691518e5ba