The Boisterous Bonze Thich Xuan
March, 1968
from a Vietnamese folk taleThe Bonze Thich Xuan, who had obtained his appointment to the village pagoda after an undistinguished novitiate at the shrine in the big city, did not seem well versed in the religious practices of the faithful who stopped to worship on their way to and from the fertile rice fields. As a matter of fact, no sooner was he named to his comfortable post by the village council of notables--malicious rumors said it was due to his aunt's amorous relations with the chief notab...
