A Zen master on Mount Wutai once took on a disciple who was only three years old at the time. Mount Wutai is extremely high, and the master and disciple practiced on the summit, never descending the mountain. After more than ten years, the master and the disciple descended the mountain together. The young monk saw cows, horses, chickens, and dogs but didn’t know what they were.
The master pointed and told him, “This is a cow, used for plowing fields. This is a horse, used for riding. These are chickens and dogs, used for crowing, and guarding doors.” The young monk listened respectfully.
After a while, a young girl walked by, and the young monk asked in amazement, “And what is this?” The master, to prevent him from being tempted, solemnly told him, “This is a tiger. If a person approaches her, they will definitely be bitten to death, and not even their bones will remain.” The young monk listened respectfully.
Returning to the mountain in the evening, the master asked, ‘Of all the things you saw today at the foot of the mountain, was there anything that still lingered in your mind?’
The young monk replied, ‘I don’t think about anything else; I only think of that man-eating tiger. It’s always on my mind and I can’t forget it.'”
Translated from《沙彌思老虎》in 《子不語》:
五台山某禪師收一沙彌，年甫三歲。五台山最高，師徒在山頂修行，從不一下山。後十餘年，禪師同弟子下山，沙彌見牛馬雞犬，皆不識也，師因指而告之曰：「此牛也，可以耕田；此馬也，可以騎；此雞、犬也，可以報曉，可以守門。」沙彌唯唯。少頃，一少年女子走過，沙彌驚問：「此又是何物？」師慮其動心，正色告之曰：「此名老虎，人近之者，必遭咬死，尸骨無存。」沙彌唯唯。
晚間上山，師問：「汝今日在山下所見之物，可有心上思想他的否？」曰：「一切物我都不想，只想那吃人的老虎，心上總覺捨他不得。」