He had not even a
child to wait upon him, but prepared his food with his own hands. Night
and morning he recited the prayer "Namu Amida Butsu,"[3] intent upon
that alone. Although the fame of his virtue did not reach far, yet his
neighbours respected and revered him, and often brought him food and
raiment; and when his roof or his walls fell out of repair, they would
mend them for him; so for the things of this world he took no thought.
One very cold night, when he little thought any one was outside, he
heard a voice calling, "Your reverence! your reverence!" So he rose and
went out to see who it was, and there he beheld an old badger standing.
Any ordinary man would have been greatly alarmed at the apparition; but
the priest, being such as he has been described above, showed no sign of
fear, but asked the creature its business. Upon this the badger
respectfully bent its knees and said:
"Hitherto, sir, my lair has been in the mountains, and of snow or frost
I have taken no heed; but now I am growing old, and this severe cold is
more than I can bear. I pray you to let me enter and warm myself at the
fire of your cottage, that I may live through this bitter night."
When the priest heard what a helpless state the beast was reduced to, he
was filled with pity and said:
"That's a very slight matter: make haste and come in and warm yourself.
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