The woman replied, "Since my daughter was born, various things that have happened to her have steered me to Buddhism. Therefore, I say my daughter is a bodhisattva who has saved me."

What do you think? Is the daughter a bodhisattva? As far as the mother is concerned, she is. Perhaps, though, she is an enlightened being at the tenth stage who has taken the form of the daughter in this life.

Have you come in contact with any bodhisattvas or Ch'an masters like this? If not, how come you're here studying Ch'an? We should look upon anybody who helps us in the practice or who leads us to the path as being a tenth stage enlightened person.

A disciple asked Master Nan-ch'uan (the one who cut the cat in half), "Where are you going after you die?"

He said, "I'm going to the foot of the hill to be reborn as a cow."

The disciple looked puzzled and said, "If you're going to become a cow, then what am I going to become?"

The master said, "You can become a cow too, but if you do, it will be for the sake of eating grass."

Nothing was said after that. It's up to you to figure out what Master Nan-ch'uan meant.