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The grave of Bodhidharma is situated in Henan Province of China and a student monk vowed to guard and take care of it. One day, a Chan master travelling from afar arrived at the site. The student monk welcomed the Chan master and said to him respectfully, “Master, would you like to pay respect to the Buddha first or to Bodhidharma?"
The Chan master replied, “I will do neither.”
Feeling unhappy with the response of the Chan master, the student monk changed his attitude and asked impolitely, “What did the Buddha and Bodhidharma do to you that made you resent them?”
The Chan master calmly asked him, "What benefit did the Buddha and Bodhidharma give you that made you speak on behalf of them this way?"
The student monk was stunned by the Chan master’s reply and (sensed that his words contained profound wisdom). Thus, he resumed his respectful attitude and asked the latter: “May I know how I should (control my speech and thoughts)?"
The Chan master said, “The Buddha and all sentient beings are equal. We must eliminate our resentment and grievances towards all sentient beings, and not harbour any enmity. Only when you are able to do so can you find peace in your heart.”
The student monk further asked, “How can we treat everyone equally, regardless of whether they are (our friend or foe)?”
The Chan master replied, “The Great Way is not difficult (for those who do not make preferences). But only when we free ourselves from hate and love will it become clear and undisguised.”
After hearing these verses, the student monk was suddenly enlightened.
The overall meaning of the verses is: the Great Way is found within our daily lives. It is not difficult to realise the Truth if we are mindful about it, (because the Dharma is found in our daily lives and all our actions can be manifestations of the Way).
What we should be concerned about is having a discriminating mind. Such a mind may, for example, differentiate between what kind of jobs are more prominent and what jobs are lowly and insignificant. In fact, there is no such thing as a high-level or low-level job. We must do every task without discrimination and faithfully abide by our duties!
The verse, "Only when we free ourselves from hate and love will it (the Way) become clear and undisguised" tells us that what is most important is not to bear resentment or dislike towards others and not to have greedy desires as well.
If we can see all jobs as equal and do not differentiate between what we love to do and what we don’t, we will be able to clearly understand every external phenomenon and condition. Then, we will naturally understand that the Buddha’s teachings are not separated from worldly Dharma and they are found within our lives and surroundings.
In learning Buddhism, the most important thing is to cultivate an impartial mind that treats all equally, i.e. a mind that does not harbour anger or aversion towards others and does not love anyone especially dearly. The love that we give should not be selfish love, but rather Great Love that is boundless. We must not be trapped in our selfish, limited love and be confused as a result. And we should not become unhappy or upset all the time just because of a little resentment.
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