The Great Buddha and the Little Immortal

Clouds drifted across the sky, and immortal music lingered in the air.

At the Peach Banquet in the Immortal Realm, a lively little fairy looked at the man before her, nervous yet full of hope. He wore a golden kasaya, his stern face utterly expressionless, as if he had long since seen through the mortal world and left all attachment behind. Yet his eyes were utterly still, like a precious pearl shrouded in darkness.

Under the little fairy's hopeful gaze, the man calmly said, "I am the Great Buddha of the Western Heaven. I have long since seen through the mortal world. You and I were never meant to be, so why cling to this?"

"But you went to the Western Heaven only to practice as a lay Buddhist. Why can't we be together?" Tears welled in the fairy's eyes.

"Now my heart is devoted only to Buddha. Stop this nonsense and go back." The man drifted away.

The little fairy burst into tears on the spot.