Water is water, no matter where it is. Whether a dew drop or an ocean, it is still water. Buddha-nature is in your body and in mine, in a dog, a pig, the grass. Buddha-nature is everywhere the same. Dog shit has the same Buddha-nature as did Sakyamuni Buddha. There is no difference. If you look closely enough, you will see in all things the same thing, and everything. There is no difference between a grain of sand and King Solomon's treasures.

Of course, if you preached this idea on the street, people would think you were crazy. These verses explain an ultimate principle, not everyday phenomena. If you think it is okay to go to the bathroom and bow to the toilet instead of to the Buddha, think again.

A disciple of Master Hsuan-hua in California heard the master make a similar statement, so at dinnertime he put a piece of shit on the dinner table. Master Hsuan-hua asked, "What are you doing?"