Three hundred and fifty years ago, in a temple on Mount Myohyang, there lived a practitioner of magic, Samyong-Dang. It was his firm belief that he was the greatest magician in Korea. One day it came to his ears that a certain noted Buddhist, Sosan-Desa, who lived in the Zang-An Temple on the Diamond Mountain, excelled greatly in the art. Thereupon he set out for the Diamond Mountain to meet this Sosan-Desa, and prove this own superiority.

Now Sosan-Desa knew he was on the way and summoned one of his disciples. ‘I shall be receiving a guest today, from a temple on Mount Myohyang,’ he told him. ‘I want you to go and meet him.’ The disciple looked at him doubtfully, and said, ‘I have never met him, so how shall I recognize him?’ The master answered, ‘You will have no difficulty, for as he comes he will make the water in the river flow upstream.’

The young disciple walked along the river to meet the guest as his master had ordered, though he still doubted very much what he had been told. Before long, however, he saw the water in the river turn and flow back upstream, and then a Buddhist came toward him. Guessing that he must be the guest from Mount Myohyang he bowed and said, ‘I am from the Zang-An Temple on the Diamond Mountain. I have come to meet you.’

Samyong-Dang was astonished to be so unexpectedly greeted, but he concealed his surprise so that his dignity might not be impaired and calmly replied in a soft voice, ‘I am much obliged to you for your kindness in coming to meet me.’ Then they went together to Zang-An Temple.

The moment Samyong-Dang saw Sosan-Desa he stretched out his hand and caught a bird that was flying by. Enclosing it in his hand he asked, ‘Is this bird alive or dead?’ Sosan-Desa had his foot across the threshold as he came to greet Samyong-Dang, and immediately countered with another question, ‘Am I coming out of the room, or going in?’ So they greeted one another smilingly.

When they sat down, Sosan-Desa had a bowl of water brought in, with fish swimming in it. He said to Samyong-Dang, ‘We are both Buddhists, and it is not lawful for us to eat fish. We may, however, swallow them once, providing we immediately vomit them out again alive.’ He immediately began to eat the fish, and Samyong-Dang followed his example. Then Sosan-Desa vomited the fish out and placed them in the bowl, where they immediately revived. But the fish eaten by Samyong-Dang all died, despite all his efforts not to pass the trial.

Then they began to pile up heaps of eggs. Samyong-Dang began piling the eggs up from the ground, while Sosan-Desa began his pile in mid-air, and built it down to the ground. For lunch he offered his guest a bowl of needles, saying ‘Do have some of my delicious noodle soup.’ Then he began eating ravenously, but Samyong-Dang could not eat it at all.