Budai Monk of the Tang Dynasty
Planting green rice seedlings all over the field with his hands, he lowered his head and saw the sky in the water
Only when the heart is pure can we follow the path. To retreat is to move forward
Planting green rice seedlings all over the field with hands": It describes how farmers insert rice seedlings one by one. "When you lower your head, you can see the sky in the water.": When you lower your head, you see the sky reflected in the paddy field. "Heartland Only when we are pure can we be in harmony with the Tao. Only when our body and mind are no longer contaminated by external material desires can we be in harmony with the Tao. "Regressing turns out to be moving forward": A farmer is planting rice while retreating, precisely because he can retreat. , so he can plant all the rice seedlings, so his "step back" when planting the rice seedlings is the progress of his work.
This poem tells us: from the near, we can see the distance. Retrogression can also be regarded as progress. Ordinary people have a tendency to look down on the high and look for the far away. For example, if someone is more knowledgeable than me, I will respect him; if someone is richer than me, I will flatter him. If people are in worse condition than me, I will ignore them. Little do they know the truth: "When you climb high, you will feel inferior, and when you travel far, you will feel inferior." Zen masters see the world differently from ordinary people. For example, the poem says: "You will see when you lower your head." "The sky in the water" means that we have to be humble and lower our heads, so that we can truly understand ourselves and the world.
A Zen master once said with an analogy: "How big and tall is the universe?" The universe is only five feet high! And if we want to survive in the universe with our six-foot tall bodies, we have no choice but to lower our heads! "When we look at ripe rice, our heads are prostrated on the ground. If we want to know the truth, we must be humble and keep our heads down.
Most people always think that moving forward in life is the scenery of progress. , but this poem tells us that retreat is also forward, and those who retreat are even more prosperous. The ancients said: "To retreat is to advance", and also said: "Nothing is better than retreating." How comfortable it is to take a step back before fame and wealth! How comfortable it is to be patient before the right and wrong of others! This kind of patience in humility is the real progress. This kind of always taking care of your feet and moving forward in a down-to-earth manner. It's so precious. You can't just rush forward in life. Sometimes, if you can take a step back and think about it, you can often have a brighter future when you are engaged in your career. You can't just go in the right direction. You must have the courage to turn back.
It is said that during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, a famous monk came out of Fenghua. Well, people call him Budai monk.