Day 2 Dropping Theories and Experiences

Speak without fear,
As the lion roars,
All animals hearing it cringe in fright.
Losing his composure, the fragrant elephant gallops;
With quiet joy, the heavenly dragon listens.


Yung-chia often uses animal analogies to describe different types of people who come in contact with Buddhadharma. Demons and evil spirits tremble in fear when they hear the Dharma. Philosophical scholars and teachers of great religions become confused. But people who accept Buddhadharma feel joy when hearing it. Such people follow and protect Buddhadharma.

I heard about a Christian minister who was puzzled after reading about Ch'an practice. He read stories about practitioners who yelled at the Buddha and defiled the patriarchs. In one story, a group of monks was discussing Buddhism. One monk said, "If I were to say the Buddha's name even once. I'd wash out my mouth for three days." Another monk said, "Go get Buddha. When I see him, I'll beat him to death and feed his corpse to the dogs."