It's that time again, when stores across Asia shut for ten days and big city streets fall silent. Families travel back home, eat familiar, once-a-year delicacies, grandchildren score $$ in red envelopes from doting grandparents; and everyone renews. Debts are settled, windows have been washed, new threads a-sportin', mother's home a-visitin', hey it's Chinese New Years! Tomorrow people visit temples to light incense and seek good luck, As if the Buddha were a small-town magistrate who with some incense and a dollar tossed in the box could be bribed to fix your luck for a year. No matter, it's good luck for the incense seller -- bad luck for those who have to breathe the smokey air in the temple.
For practicing Buddhists the first day of the lunar new year is the celebration of Maitreya Bodhisattva's anniversary. Maitreya is famous for having subdued his temper through learning "patience under insult." You simply can't upset him. Insults, curses, even blows will not get his goat or shake his equanimity. He has a big belly, not from greed for food but from holding all the chi (qi) that people have thrown at him. Swear at him, cut him off in traffic, insult his mother, he endures it all because he has subdued himself - - his false pride and vanity are long gone. He sees through the surface of relationships and understands that you wouldn't be giving him grief if you had peace of mind. Why increase your afflictions by getting caught up in your unresolved drama? It has nothing to do with him, and he won't waste a second of precious lifetime struggling with hurt feelings or animosity.
Maitreya Bodhisattva has a poem that it's worth repeating at Lunar New Years: The Old Fool.
The Old Fool: Maitreya Bodhisattva
The Old Fool wears tattered clothes,
And fills his belly with tasteless food;
He patches his robe to keep out the cold,
And as things come, so they go,
His belly’s big cause he can hold,
Praise so hot and blame so cold,
He splits his face in a smile so full
At the situations he finds laughable,
The jewel of patience, it’s a pearl so rare.
If someone scolds the Old Fool,
He simply agrees,
If someone hits the Old Fool,
He smiles and falls down on his knees
Spit in his face, he lets it dry - -
He’s not upset, and you save your energy,
If you look elsewhere for the Dao,
Who’s the Old Fool anyhow?
The jewel of patience, it’s a pearl so rare.
His belly’s big cause he can hold,
Praise so hot and blame so cold,
He splits his face in a smile so full
At the situations he finds laughable,
Now you’ve heard of his patience gongfu,
Maitreya wants to share it with you,
If you set this aside and go seeking the Dao - -
Who’s the old fool, anyhow?
Nice translation!
Posted by: Ron | January 23, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Thank you, Rev. Heng Sure!
Who indeed!?
Posted by: Sean Geddes | February 19, 2012 at 08:36 PM