One day Hotei was walking along the road and a priest was walking in front of him. Hotei tapped the priest on the shoulder and asked him for a coin. The priest said he would gladly make such a donation if Hotei could expound the teachings of the Buddha. Without saying a word, Hotei placed his bag on the ground, let go of it, and stood still. The priest then realized that he had just witnessed a silent sermon delivered through action on the Buddhist teaching of detachment, a truth that is itself detached from words. Hotei's bag thus represents a dual lesson: it is important to possess the necessities of life, but one should nevertheless be ready to let go of them.