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.
6. Avoiding Anger
A woman in her sixties had often listened to my lectures at the Temple, but it had been some time I had seen her. When I did see her again, she was wheelchair bound, pushed to the Temple by her daughter. She did not look well. It turned out that she had just recovered from a serious illness. One day when she was buying vegetables, she had been given a fake 50-yuan note. After discovering that it was a fake, she rushed to find the peddler in the vegetable market, but he had left without a trace. Furious, the woman began to feel dizzy. She had a stroke and was hospitalized. What she ultimately lost was not only 50 yuan, but more than 10,000 yuan in medical charges.
Anger is the source of many diseases. No one likes getting angry, but living in today’s complicated society, it is inevitable that we become irritated, resentful, or even hostile because of the unpleasant things we come across.
Anger is not a good thing. Throughout history, many people have died of anger. According to the teaching of traditional Chinese medicine, anger impairs the liver, because it causes liver yang hyperactivity and makes the patient feel dizzy or even spit up blood. Sadly, many patients with heart disease or high blood pressure become angry over trivial things and finally die in an uncontrollable fury.
In fact, to get angry is to get sick. We often say that it is anger that causes illness. If we are so angry, we lose our appetite, we may have stomach troubles. If we feel fidgety or suffer from insomnia, we may develop mental anxiety. If we feel like throwing things, insulting others, or even dying, it may be a sign of liver-related liver depression. If our blood pressure rises and our heartbeat increases, we may develop high blood pressure, heart disease, or cerebrovascular diseases. If a woman gets angry easily, she may develop gynecological diseases such as mastitis and breast lumps.
What’s worse, anger also destroys our interpersonal relationship. Once, an older woman came to me saying that her husband had said very ugly things to her. I asked, “Why didn’t you answer?”
She said, “If I did, he would have become even angrier. Then both of us would be angry. Why bother doing that? Instead, I come to the Temple to relax.”
“You’ve made the right choice,” I said, “because getting angry only makes things more difficult for yourself. If you don’t get angry, anger will not find you. If you are angry with your colleagues, you won’t be able to do your work. If you get angry with your family, your life will become a mess. The Buddha teaches us several methods of self-adjustment. The first is to step away for a moment, and the second to tell ourselves that if we get angry with others, we are trapped. Finally, we should try to think of what we look like when we get angry. You have instinctively used the first method, so you’re quite enlightened.”
She was elated when she heard these words, which, though few, had filled her with joy.