Pai-chang (720-814) had a disciple who learned under another master, but became enlightened under Pai-chang. Once, when visiting his former master, this monk saw him reading sutras. At that moment, there was a bee trapped inside the house, dashing itself against the paper window. The monk said, "There is a wide road out there, yet all you can do is fly into old paper." Seeing the monk looking at the bee, the old master assumed the remark was directed at the bee. Later, the master was bathing and asked the monk to scrub his back. The monk said, "What a pity, in such a beautiful Buddhist temple not to have a Buddha." This surprised the old master, who wanted to know the meaning of such a strange remark. The monk said, "Master, at Pai-chang's place I found a place of entry. Now I have returned to repay my debt to you."

The master ordered a feast to be prepared, and invited the monk to speak at the main hall. Again, the monk said, "What a pity, in such a beautiful Buddhist temple not to have a Buddha." When the old master heard this, he had an enlightenment experience. Was the monk saying the old master was not enlightened to begin with? Nobody knows, except the two people involved. But we can say that when masters recognize that they can learn from disciples, they should do so, without necessarily reversing positions. This is another one of those stories that have a humorous or witty aspect.