Storytelling is one of the most ancient Buddhist traditions, and in fact all of the most revered Buddhist scriptures are collections of stories. This is also a collection of stories: stories that teach, encourage, guide, inspire, and, not least of all, amuse. Gathered into eight groups -stories about the Buddha, about Ch'an masters, about people, devotees, disciples, animals, monastics, and about Master Hsing Yun himself -they hearken back to the earliest origins of Buddhism and are at the same time contemporary and immediate, filled with the hum of the world and the real situations, conflicts and opportunities Buddhists face within it. The tales and anecdotes also offer an introduction to modern Buddhist belief and practice.