Phenomena is a Reflection of the Mind 境由心生

Phenomena is a Reflection of the Mind

境由心生

Su Dong Po, a famous scholar in Sung dynasty was closely associated with Zen Master Fo Yin.  They often discussed Buddhism together.  One day,  Su Dong Po asked Zen Master Fo Yin : "What am I in your eyes ?" Zen Master replied, "I see you as a Buddha !" Su Dong Po was very pleased, and Zen Master Fo Yin asked : "Then what do you think of me ?" Su Dong Po wanted to tease him and said : "I see you as a pile of dung." Master Fo Yin smiled and did not answer back.  Su Dong Po felt that he had taken advantage of Fo Yin and went home to tell his sister about the incident. But his sister laughed at him and said : “Brother, you are such a loser !  What you see is a direct reflection of your mind.  Zen Master Fo Yin has a mindset of a Buddha, thus he sees you as a Buddha; and if you perceives him as a pile of dung, it means that your mind is filled with dung !"

宋朝大文豪蘇東坡,與佛印禪師是很好的朋友,兩人有一次鬥禪機,蘇東坡問佛印禪師:“在你眼中我是什麼?”佛印禪師說:“我看你是一尊佛!”蘇東坡很高興,佛印禪師問:“那你看我呢?”蘇東坡說:“我看你是一堆糞。”蘇東坡覺得自己贏了,回家高興地講給自己妹妹聽,誰知他的妹妹卻告訴他說:“哥哥你輸啦!你心裡是什麼,你就會看到什麼,佛印禪師心中是佛,他看你就是佛;而你看他是一堆糞,就說明你心中是一堆糞呀!”

If we have Buddha in our mind, we see everyone as Buddha.  Through practising Buddhism with meditation, prostration, reading a sutra, chanting a mantra, invocating a single Buddha’s name, practising all good deeds, and embracing all good and bad things around us, we can recover our pure state of mind.  No matter where we are, when or what happens, our mind will be at peace.  This way we will perceive the people we meet, and the circumstances we encounter to be pure, peaceful and beautiful.  Ultimately, we can end our sufferings and attain blissfulness.

所謂「心中有佛,所見皆佛」,我們通過學佛,懂得禪修、禮佛、誦經、念佛、持咒、廣修一切善事,用欣賞的眼光看待萬事萬物,用一顆包容、善良的心去發現別人的美,就能找到我們本有的清淨心。這時候不管我們在什麼地方,什麼時候,遇到什麼事情,我們的心都會是平和的。因為我們的心清淨了,看一切人、事、物,也都是清淨的。找回本有的清淨心,最終才能真正離苦得樂。