There is always great power to realize something when you are chanting Buddha and participating in meditation. This has brought us endless spiritual wealth.
after thousands of years, reading Zen poems and feeling the state of mind of monks seem to be able to realize that the breeze was bright and the moon was bright, and the air was faint with fragrance.
when you understand Zen, it's like communicating with heaven and earth, as if everything in the universe can be mastered, and the past is like a blink of an eye.
In the world, many great truths are contained in a short Zen poem, waiting for you to learn.
This Zen poem written by a monk in a cloth bag is like this. There are only four short sentences in the whole poem, which can be seen at the end of the poem and can be seen infinitely far-reaching
Time goes back to the Five Dynasties. There was a monk named Qiben who traveled around all the year round with a cloth bag on his back. Therefore, people call him a "cloth bag monk".
once, he traveled to a place, and four families asked him to help transplant rice seedlings. After transplanting, he was invited to dinner. He agreed to everything, and afterwards, people discovered that he had magical powers.
He can plant rice at once, or attend the dinner at once. Legend has it that he was reincarnated as the Buddha, so that he could separate four members and help four families at the same time.
someone asked him how he felt about helping four families transplant rice seedlings at the same time.
immediately, he casually recited a poem.
The song of transplanting rice seedlings
Hold the young crop Futian in your hand, and bow your head to see the sky in the water.
Six clean paths are the way, and backward is forward.
don't look at this poem, which is simple and only has four short sentences. The truth contained in it, how many chicken soups for the soul are not as good as flattery.
The first two sentences, "Hold the young crops in Fukuda's hand, and you will see the water in the sky when you bow your head", refer to the action of the farmers transplanting rice. Holding the seedlings in his hand, he bent down and bowed his head. In the rice field, the blue sky and white clouds were reflected.
after reading this, maybe you haven't found anything strange.
when people read this sentence, they just think that the next sentence is about turning the corner, talking about the hardship and tiredness of transplanting rice seedlings, or sighing that although life is busy, there is plain happiness.
However, the treatment of monks in cloth bags is different. He believes that every move of transplanting rice seedlings contains profound philosophy, which can guide us how to be a man.
Simply bow your head and plant seedlings, get rid of the distractions in your heart, and work hard. It seems hard, but there is still a blue sky.
It is reflected in the water, so that you can see a different world when you bow your head, and you can examine your heart.
"Six clean ways are the Tao", which means that when our body and mind are no longer constrained by material desires, it is the time to really set foot on spiritual practice.
In the eyes of Buddhist people, after the six roots are clean, sitting and lying is the Tao, and transplanting is also the Tao. You can find your Tao everywhere.
The last sentence, "Back is forward", completely sublimates the whole poem.
When transplanting rice seedlings, it seems that you are retreating at the same time, but it is through this step-by-step retreat that people can transplant all the rice fields.
this is the so-called "backward is forward", and every step you take back is not necessarily every step you take to reach the other side.
Being human is just like transplanting rice seedlings. Sometimes, retrogression does not necessarily mean escape and failure, but it is an opportunity to help you examine your heart, adjust your direction and forge ahead bravely.
As the saying goes, "Take a step back and broaden the horizon". The road of life is so long, why rush forward without looking back, and let the noise of the world muddy your heart.
however, blindly giving in is not the right way. At an appropriate time, take a step back, stick to your original heart and stick to your own principles. This is the true meaning of "backward is forward".