Monday, July 2, 2007

Bull Shit

Su Dong Po 蘇東坡 had a bossom friend Fo Yin 佛印 who was a Buddhist monk. One day, they meditated in the monastery where Fo Yin was based. When they came back to this world, Su asked Fo Yin, "what do you see in front of you?"

"A great scholar!" Fo Yin smiled, "and what do you see?"

"A pile of bull shit!" Su Dong Po was making fun of Fo Yin.

The monk smiled with more elegance when he heard Su's remark.

Su Dong Po went home with a light heart. At the door, he met his little sister. She asked why her brother looked so happy.

"Because I won this time." Every time Su was defeated by Fo Yin when they argued over Buddhism and philosophy.

"How?" his little sister asked.

Su Dong Po told her the whole story in high spirits. His sister commented,

"My dear brother, you lost again."

"What?" he protested.

"Fo Yin has knowledge and wisdom in his heart and that is why he saw a scholar in front of him. On the other hand, you had nothing but bull shit in your heart. Who won?"

JY

4 comments:

Marianna Halassy said...

Dear Joseph,


You are right on spot, as always! :-)

Warm regards
Marianna

Stephen said...

Dear Joseph,

A friend once explained to me how to detect bull-shit.

I am walking in a field of cattle and I find a pile of dung. If I say that I kicked it 20 feet into the air, it fell to the ground and splattered. Then that is cow shit.

If I say that I kicked it 20 feet into the air, and it stayed there suspended. Then that is bull shit.

BTW I had no bull shit in my heart when I wrote this, I just wanted to amuse.

Best regards, Stephen

Jeannie said...

Dear Master Yu and all,

I think Su's sister should also become a "scholar", bull shit in the heart or not :)

Stephen, I like your joke :)

Best wishes,
Jeannie

Mary Catherine Bax said...

Dear Joseph,

Two men sit in the same temple for the same amount of time in meditation. When finished, one sees the Divinity in himself in the other, while the other sees the bullshit in himself in his friend.

How differently did they meditate? Could it be the focus was different? Perhaps one understand his focus in life, knew his useful god or goddess;-) better than the other.

You always make me wonder, Shifu.

Mary