UH Meditation class 4‏ - Cultivating the mind

Su Dongpo (1036-1101) is one of the few figures in Chinese history who were masters of multiple artistic and literary disciplines. He was a great writer, artist and calligrapher. In addition, he was also a cultivator of Zen Buddhism. There were many interesting stories about him and his good friend Zen Buddhist Master Foyin. I shared with you this one today.

One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote this poem:

I bow to the heaven within heaven

I shower within the brightness of great wisdom

The eight winds cannot move me

For I always sit and stand still on the golden lotus


The "eight winds" in the poem refer to praise, ridicule, honor, disgrace, gain, loss, pleasure and misery - interpersonal forces of the material world that drive and influence all of us. Su Dongpo was saying that he had attained a higher level of enlightenment, where these forces no longer affected him. Can you imagine attaining this state of mind? It is very difficult to say the least.

Impressed by himself, Su Dongpo sent a servant to hand-carry this poem to Zen Master Foyin. He felt certain that his friend would be just as impressed. When Foyin read the poem, he only wrote one word on the manuscript and had it returned to Su Dongpo.

Su Dongpo was shocked when he saw what the Zen master had written. He became very angry. "How dare he insult me like this? He's got a lot of explaining to do!" Su Dongpo ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. Once there, he jumped off and charged into the temple. He wanted to find Foyin and demand an apology. He found Foyin's door closed. On the door was a piece of paper, with the following two lines:

The eight winds cannot move you

One fart blows you across the river

It turned out Zen Master Foyin had written the word "fart" on the manuscript. Evidently Foyin had anticipated Su Dongpo's visit too. Su Dongpo's anger suddenly drained away as he understood his friend's meaning. If he really was a man of spiritual refinement, completely unaffected by the eight winds, then how could he be so easily provoked?

How about you? Are you easily distracted by your emotions, things others said to you, things others did to you, expectations, desires, etc? Meditation helps us calm our mind down so we have the ability to examine ourselves. Am I really as calm as I thought I was? Am I really as compassion as I thought I was? Am I really who I thought I was? Look inwards and find the treasure within.

Continue the practice, patiently and persistently. Practice makes perfect!