afflicted by depression, anxiety, and delusional disorders? Why do they sleep badly at night and lose interest in food? The reason is simple. Their hearts are fatigued and they persist too firmly in their pursuit of material gain. They feel jealous at others’ achievements, wishing to grab whatever they like for themselves. They are reluctant to give up smaller benefits, but never fail to chase after and compete for bigger benefits. They are highly emotional, allowing no mistakes on the part of their subordinates. Blinded by anger, they can hardly see their own true nature. According to the traditional Chinese medicine, anger impairs the liver, causing diseases.
Most of the people in this world have lost their true nature, abandoning themselves to the pursuit of fame and material gain. Some, even after converting to Buddhism for many years, remain sallow and emaciated, lacking in strength from a young age. This shows that their worldly nature has remained unchanged. What they worship and pursue are position, wealth, and fame, which are precisely the sources of disease. Only when they find their true selves and live a natural, clean life can they gain physical health.
3. Being Yourself
Su Shi (1037–1101), an important literary figure in the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), once held a post in Guazhou on the north bank of the Yangtze River, which stood across from the Jinshan Temple, where his friend, the erudite Buddhist monk Foyin lived. One day, having achieved some new understanding of Buddhism through meditation, he composed the following verse to express what he felt:
I bow in worship to the mightiest of the mighty,
Whose light shines over the whole universe.
Against the winds from eight directions,
I sit undisturbed on the purple lotus.
Joyfully, he asked his servant to send the verse to his friend, expecting some praise from him.
Bold and unrestrained, the verse is indeed well-written. The first two lines indicate that one prostrates himself in worship to the Buddha, the most powerful existence in the universe, whose radiance is felt by all. “Winds from eight directions,” in the third line refers to the winds of praise, of ridicule, of slander, of extolment, of material gains, of poverty, of suffering, and of satisfaction, which can disturb the state of mind of Buddhist practitioners. The last two lines, therefore, indicate that one sits on the purple lotus like the Buddha, calm and composed, undisturbed by either praise or ridicule.
After reading the verse, the monk wrote only two words on the same piece of paper, then asked the servant to bring it back. Confident of receiving high praise from the monk, Su Shi hastily read the comment. He flew into a rage when he saw the two words “break wind.”
Furious, he took a boat to the other side of the river to reason with his friend, who was waiting for him at the riverside. The moment he saw the monk, Su asked indignantly, “Master, we are good friends. Why did you insult me?”
The monk laughed and answered, “You say you are undisturbed by the eight winds. Why have you been driven to this side of the river by my ‘wind’?” Ashamed, Su was speechless.
After some time, Su went to visit the monk again. When they met each other, he asked, “Master, what do I look like?”
“You look like a Buddha,” the monk answered. Then the monk asked Su, “What do you think I look like?”
“You look like a pile of shit,” replied Su.
Thinking that he had avenged himself, Su was walking on air as he left. Back at home, he lost no time telling this story to his younger sister Su Xiaomei, who after some thought, said that he had lost again this time. Confused, he asked for an explanation. “You’re what you think,” said his sister. “Since you thought of a pile of shit, you are that shit.”
This story indicates that we should not be led by others or affected by what others think of us. We should not feel elated when others praise us, complacent when they flatter us, or irritated when they insult us. We should follow our hearts and not be troubled by external things.
In our daily life, it is not difficult to notice that when we talk about others, we are composed and cheerful, but much less so when we hear others talk about us. This shows that many of us are too mindful of others’ opinions and worry that others might laugh at us. We do not know, however, that this can only trouble our minds, which can lead to disease.
But who on earth hasn’t done anything laughable, and who on earth is not ridiculous? When have you seen the merciful Buddha laugh at all living things? Then why don’t we treat others with mercy and accept them with kindness? Only in this way can we be our true selves, not the self reflected in others’ eyes. When our state of mind does not fluctuate with external circumstances, we can rid ourselves of trouble and disease.
4. Prevention Is the Best Cure
I often give lectures in the Temple, sometimes on Buddhism, and other times on disease prevention. The lectures are heartily welcomed. Many of the people who attended my lectures are seriously ill. They arrive on wheelchairs or supported by their families, seeking for comfort. They often asked me directly, “Master, why did I get this disease?”
I usually tell them that the Bodhisattva fears the cause, but not the result, while man fears the result, but not the cause. Knowing that doing evil is the cause of retribution, the Bodhisattva does her best to avoid wrongdoings, however small they might be. By contrast, we consider wrongdoings, especially smaller ones, nothing important, often committing them at will. If we are not fearful of the cause, we must then bear the result when it comes. However, when the result does come, many of us do not choose to bear it, instead complaining and pretending not to know the cause. For instance, to satisfy our appetites, we choose food that is spicy and salty, or meaty and greasy. When we do this, how can we avoid falling ill? It is important, then, to learn to fear the cause. When we find it hard to control our appetites or emotions, we should try to think of its result, which might make us more watchful in the future.
On the other hand, there is no need for us to be so pessimistic when we do fall ill. We should also fear no result, because when we suffer, it means that suffering will soon be over. When we enjoy happiness, it means our happiness is reduced overall. Therefore, we must realize that being ill is a threshold. We are agonized now only because we are trying to cross the threshold. When we do cross it, we are blessed.
5. Keeping Fit through Exercise
Laziness is the source of all disease. When we are in motion, no disease will catch up with us, but when we are lazy, many “diseases of the rich” will find us, such as high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Lü’s Commentaries of History, a Taoist masterpiece from China’s Warring States period (475–221 BC) contains such the famous saying, “Being in constant motion, running water is never stale, and a door hinge is never worm-eaten.” If a person does not exercise often, his vital energy and blood will not circulate well, and his health will be at risk.
Why are there so many diseases of the rich in modern society? In the final analysis, it is because of the lack of exercise and the comfortable life to common today. We have sofas to rest on at home and cars to drive when we are out, but our muscles don’t get enough exercise. Like grass at the foot of the wall that is kept from sunshine, our bodies are soft and weak, lacking reactiveness and a healthy immune system. And disease is sure to take this opportunity to attack. Therefore, people who are reluctant to exercise or who exercise very little are unlikely to enjoy good health. To keep fit and healthy, we need to formulate an exercise plan as early as possible and stick to it every day, making exercising a habit.
