Buddhist Wisdom in Idioms (Huiyuan Idioms (I) (Text and Image))

Author: Fan Xiaoqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Concise and profound, (telling life's truths), in a few words, (revealing Buddhist wisdom). The long marginalia and illustrations in this book were created by the renowned Chinese painter Li Zongyi.
Buddhist Wisdom: Like us ordinary mortals, when we hear the Dharma, we rarely feel "joy." Instead, we are very happy when we "get rich"; if we then go around "boasting" and make others "joyful too," it truly seems like "everyone is joyful!" There is a Chinese idiom in this book: "Blind Turtle on a Log." It tells the story: In the vast ocean, a sea turtle blind in both eyes drifts and drifts, unaware of how many years pass. Finally, one day, it happens to encounter a piece of wood that has also been floating in the water for an unknown length of time. And coincidentally, this log has a small but not too small hole. The blind turtle, without missing a beat, sticks its head out through the hole in the log. Think about it—what are the odds of something like the blind turtle on a log happening? The probability must be infinitesimally small! This zero represents "life is rare, and hearing the Dharma is rare."
Nowadays, when we go to bookstores, we can easily see Buddhist books; we can also easily visit temples to pay our respects. Have you ever thought about how many such opportunities there could be in the long river of our lives? If we fail to recognize this, aren't we like the blind turtle, sightless and drifting in the vast ocean, unaware of where our fate will ultimately lead!
This book is a simple introduction to Buddhist idioms. If readers can derive some life lessons from it and, as a result, develop a desire to learn more about Buddhist knowledge, then it has far exceeded the purpose of writing this book.