The Peony

Jizo and his two elder monks, Chokei and Hofuku, went to view a famous painting of a peony on a screen. Hofuku said, "Beautiful!" Chokei said to Hofuku, "Don't trust your visual organs too much." Jizo said, "Too bad. The picture is already spoiled."

Hofuku is attached to the picture on the screen. In warning him about this, Chokei becomes attached to the idea of non-attachment. Jizo criticises them both for their discussion. Are these three monks discussing the real flower or the painted flower? If Hofuku is attached to the visual, Chokei is attached to the auditory, and Jizo is attached to their discussion. We should all bloom fully, not talk about it.