The Eight Winds Cannot Move Me

Su Dongpo (蘇東坡) was a talented and famous author and poet during the Song Dynasty (about a thousand years ago) in China's history. He had a friend who was a high accomplished monk named Master Fo Yin (佛印). One time, while he was in Huangzhou, Su Dongpo had a burst of inspiration and wrote the following poem:

I bow to the Buddha,

Whose light of wisdom,

Shines on us all.

Sitting on my golden lotus,

Even the eight winds,

Cannot move me at all.

(Original text: 稽首天中天，毫光照大千；八風吹不動，端坐紫金蓮。The original text is a poem, so I did my best to make the translation poetic.)

After writing it, Su Dongpo felt quite pleased. Not only did he praise the Buddha poetically, he also subtly hinted at his own transcendence, saying that the "eight winds" cannot move him.

Su Dongpo then sealed the poem in an envelope and had a messenger send it to Master Foyin across the river at Jinshan Temple. He believed Master Foyin would surely praise his poem greatly.

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However, when Master Foyin read the poem, he wrote “Fart” at the bottom of it and sent it back with the messenger.

When Su Dongpo saw the word “Fart,” he immediately became furious and shouted, “How outrageous!” He stormed off to Jinshan Temple to confront Master Foyin, but when he arrived, he found that Master Foyin had already ordered that no guests would be seen today.

Su Dongpo, even angrier, ignored this and was about to push open the door when he saw a note on the door, which read:

The eight winds cannot move you,

Yet one fart blew you across the river?

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Upon reading this, Su Dongpo realized his mistake and was deeply humbled.

Commentary

In Buddhism, the "eight winds" refer to four common favorable and unfavorable circumstances: gains and losses, praise and insult, good and bad reputation, joy and suffering. Buddhism teaches us to cultivate the mind so that whenever we encounter any of these eight winds, our mind and emotions remain unmoved and undisturbed. This is what Su Dongpo meant by "the eight winds cannot move me."

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This story teaches us to be vigilant in guarding against pride. Obviously, no one likes people who are arrogant and full of themselves. People who are overconfident in themselves are also more likely to take risks that they really shouldn't because they overestimate themselves, thereby attracting danger.

Moreover, when we think highly of ourselves, we might boast about ourselves towards others, as was the case with Su Dongpo. This is also very dangerous. Why? Because people will have extremely high expectations towards us. Later, when people observe us, they'll notice that we can't actually walk our talk, and then slander will come. Thus, a person with true cultivation and wisdom wouldn't boast about oneself to others.

As Ezra Taft Benson said,

"With pride, there are many curses. With humility, there come many blessings."

My mentor also said to me before,

"If you think you're really something, then you're really nothing."

In other words, if you think you're really good, then you're no longer good. If you think you're worthy, then you're not really worthy. Those who become proud and conceited after success and gains will soon meet their downfall. Only those who remain humble and cautious in the face of success and gains can avoid danger and maintain their success.

Su Dongpo is actually quite fortunate to have a great and wise friend like Master Foyin who not only saw his problem but was also willing to point it out and nip it in the bud before his pride developed further. This also shows that Su Dongpo must have had a sufficient amount of humility, as well as trust and respect for Master Foyin, or else Master Foyin wouldn't have bothered to criticize him.

Even more admirable was Master Foyin's skillful way of guiding Su Dongpo to realize his own mistake without even needing to tell him in person. Advising others on their shortcomings is something we all need to do in life, so we should all learn from Master Foyin's spirit.

Finally, to attain the level of being unaffected by the eight winds is no easy task, but it is a worthwhile pursuit. Currently, I'm helping some students prepare for their IELTS test (an English proficiency test), and some of them are rather frustrated. Emotions are contagious, so either their negativity will overcome my calm, or my calm will overcome their negativity. It's a daily battle.

Moreover, whether or not they pass their test will inevitably be linked to me, and I mustn't become proud if they pass or dejected if they don't. If they pass, that's mainly due to their abilities and hard work; I'm merely a supporting factor. For the same reason, if they don't pass, I mustn't lose self-confidence, but I should encourage them to keep on studying and try again in the future.

Conclusion

The eight winds are not to be underestimated, and if we want to maintain success, we must be vigilant against pride and be thankful for those who point out our faults.

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Weekly Wisdom #340