And as for Hakuin, wadhal says that when he was still in his 20s and sitting in that mountain hermitage. News reached him that his father had fallen critically ill and wanted him to return and reside in shoinji, which was now vacant and in need of a priest, Hakuin somewhat reluctant, agreed. His years of pilgrimage were now at an end. The temple Hakuin had inherited was not only small and insignificant, it was also penniless. Its buildings neglected and in an advanced stage of decay, a religious biography of Hakuin compiled by his disciple, Tou, gives some idea of what it was like at the time, and here's what tou wrote. Sheng, shoinji had fallen into an almost indescribable state of ruin. Stars shone through the roofs at night, the floors were constantly saturated by rain and dew. It was necessary for the master to wear a straw raincoat as he moved about the temple attending to his duties, he needed sandals inside the main hall when he went there to conduct ceremonies, Temple assets had passed into the hands of creditors. The Temple equipment had all been pawned.