Su Dongpo, the famed poet, shared a close yet playful rivalry with the Buddhist monk Foyin, often trading barbs—though Su usually lost.
One day, Su Dongpo asked Foyin:
“What do I look like to you?”
“You look like a Buddha,” Foyin replied.
Su Dongpo, secretly pleased, countered:
“Do you know what you look like to me?”
“What?”
“A pile of dung!”
Foyin fell silent. Su Dongpo laughed triumphantly.
Returning home, Su hummed cheerfully. His yonger sister, Su Xiaomei, noticed and asked:
“Brother, why so happy?”
“Ha! I finally outwitted Foyin!” he boasted, recounting the exchange.
After hearing the story, Su Xiaomei exclaimed:
“Brother, you lost even worse this time!”
“Why?!” Su gasped.
Su Xiaomei explained: “What’s inside the heart is what we see outside. Foyin saw a Buddha because he carries Buddha-nature. You saw dung because that’s what fills your mind!”
Philosophical Notes
Projection of the Inner World:
The story illustrates the Buddhist concept that our external reality reflects our inner state (“mind-made world”). Foyin’s purity perceives purity; Su’s spite perceives filth.
Lesson: As the Buddhist teaching goes “The mind shapes the world,” or “All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Buddha-Nature and Karma:
Foyin’s reply reveals his awakened insight (Buddha-nature), while Su’s insult exposes his unrefined mind, bound by ego and duality.
Lesson: What we perceive in others is a mirror of our own karma and spiritual maturity.
The Humility of Wisdom:
Su Xiaomei’s rebuke underscores that true wisdom lies not in cleverness but in self-awareness. Her role as the “enlightened” critic contrasts with Su’s intellectual pride.
Lesson: Chan often uses paradox and humor to humble the ego, as seen in Foyin’s silent victory.
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