There is another story about Master Lai-kuo, the young abbot who did not want to teach anymore. He felt he needed more practice, so he fled far into the mountains. Some time later, Lai-kuo's master was dying. The dying monk needed a worthy disciple to take over his temple, so he sent a monk to find Lai-kuo and bring him back.

One day, while Lai-kuo was gathering herbs for his meal, a huge boulder suddenly crashed next to him. Since it missed him, Lai-kuo ignored the incident and returned to his hut. The next day, the same thing happened. Again he ignored it, but when he got back to his hut, he found the monk from his master's temple waiting for him. The monk said, "You are enlightened. You must return to the temple to teach. You cannot shirk your vows."

Lai-kuo said, "I suppose you're right. If I'm enlightened, I ought to teach. And it seems the spirit of the mountain agrees with you, because he's throwing rocks at me." He left his solitary hut and returned to the temple with the monk.

He hid in the mountains because his practice was his personal business. Practice is not something to display to others, or to use to gain recognition. My advice to you is to keep practicing and not bother with anything else.