The Contest Between Su Dongpo and Chan Master Foyin

During the Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo and Chan Master Foyin Liaoyuan were good friends who often discussed the Dharma together. One day, Chan Master Foyin suggested, "Let us compare our understanding of the Dharma. The loser shall forfeit a personal belonging." Su Dongpo agreed. The Chan Master spoke first: "I see you as a Buddha." Su Dongpo replied: "I see you as a pile of manure." Thereupon, Chan Master Foyin declared, "You have lost. Forfeit the jade belt around your waist." He then untied Su Dongpo's jade belt and kept it for himself. Everyone, please judge: why did Su Dongpo lose?

Because Chan Master Foyin had attained realization, he could perceive the existence and functioning of his own Tathagatagarbha and also knew the Tathagatagarbha within all sentient beings. Seeing that all sentient beings manifest the Tathagatagarbha, which in the future will enable them to become Buddhas, he regarded all sentient beings as Buddhas. Su Dongpo, lacking realization, did not understand the Tathagatagarbha and Buddha-nature within himself and others. Thus, he became attached to appearances, seeing sentient beings only as their superficial, false forms. By perceiving Chan Master Foyin’s external form as a dung heap, Su Dongpo revealed that his own mind was impure and failed to perceive the true reality of all phenomena.

Chan Master Foyin possessed wisdom; he transformed the other’s appearance into that of a Buddha. A mind capable of transforming appearances into Buddha-forms can become a Buddha, draw near to the Buddha, abide relying on the Buddha, and swiftly attain Buddhahood. Su Dongpo, a literary giant of his generation, excelled in writing and debate, skilled with the pen and eloquent in speech. Regrettably, he engaged in much empty talk and little genuine practice; in that lifetime, he did not attain realization. In the Ming Dynasty, he was reborn as a renowned Chan Master, still possessing great literary talent and poetic flair, composing many works on the Dharma. It is said he attained enlightenment, though this remains unclear. Nevertheless, his wisdom was still not particularly high. The reason lies in the habitual tendencies from his past life as a literary figure, which carried over into his subsequent existence, and his practice was not yet deep or thorough enough.

Su Dongpo’s manas (mind faculty) clung to the Chan Master’s appearance as a bad form, and his conscious mind discriminated it as a bad form. Thus, both Su Dongpo’s manas and conscious mind were defiled. The seeds projected by his eighth consciousness for these two minds were defiled, indicating that Su Dongpo had not cultivated these two consciousnesses well. His mind-consciousness had not transformed; his inner mind remained impure. The more the manas clings to others’ faults, the more defiled it becomes, needlessly polluting one’s own mind. Why bother? Once defiled, the defiled seeds are stored in the eighth consciousness. In the future, the seeds projected by the eighth consciousness will all be defiled and impure. When, then, will purity be restored? Having defiled oneself, one must cleanse it oneself—not only troublesome but also brings much suffering. One must not constantly cling to others’ faults. By seeing others’ virtues, the appearances within one’s mind will all be good forms. One’s mind will then be influenced by good appearances, enabling the mind to transform for the better. What is stored in the eighth consciousness will all be good seeds, wholesome seeds. The mind-consciousness will then be wholesome. Cultivating in this way is beneficial; the more wholesome one becomes, the closer one draws to Buddhahood.