So it's been another busy week of work and projects and settling into the new place. I've been reading and listening to my usual amount of multi-flavored spiritual self help things. My favorite thing I’ve heard all week is the following story. I originally heard it from Tara Brach’s lecture entitled "Taking the Exquisite Risk.” I wanted to quote it so badly that I just googled “buddhist fart story” in order to get the full transcript.
Su Shi (1036-1101), also known as Su Dongpo was an avid student of Buddhist teachings. He was quick-witted and humorous; as a Zen Buddhism follower he was very serious and self-disciplined. He often discussed buddhism with his good friend, Zen Master Foyin. The two lived across the river from one another.
Following is an interesting and famous story about him and Zen Master Foyin.
One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote the following poem:
I bow my head to the heaven within heaven
Hairline rays illuminating the universe
The eight winds cannot move me
Sitting still upon the purple golden lotus
The “eight winds” in the poem referred to praise, ridicule, honor, disgrace, gain, loss, pleasure and misery – interpersonal forces of the material world that drive and influence the hearts of men. Su Dongpo was saying that he has attained a higher level of spirituality, where these forces no longer affect him.
Impressed by himself, Su Dongpo sent a servant to hand-carry this poem to Foyin. He was sure that his friend would be equally impressed. When Foyin read the poem, he immediately saw that it was both a tribute to the Buddha and a declaration of spiritual refinement. Smiling, the Zen Master wrote “fart” on the manuscript and had it returned to Su Dongpo.
Su Dongpo was expecting compliments and a seal of approval. When he saw “fart” written on the manuscript, he was shocked . He burst into anger: “How dare he insult me like this? Why that lousy old monk! He’s got a lot of explaining to do!”Full of indignation, he rushed out of his house and ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. He wanted to find Foyin and demand an apology. However, Foyin’s door closed. On the door was a piece of paper, for Su Dongpo. The paper had following two lines:
The eight winds cannot move me
One fart blows me across the river
This stopped Su Dongpo cold. Foyin had anticipated this hot-headed visit. Su Dongpo’s anger suddenly drained away as he understood his friend’s meaning. If he really was a man of spiritual refinement,
completely unaffected by the eight winds, then how could he be so easily provoked?
With a few strokes of the pen and minimal effort, Foyin showed that Su Dongpo was in fact not as spiritually advanced as he claimed to be. Ashamed but wiser, Su Dongpo departed quietly.
This event proved to be a turning point in Su Dongpo’s spiritual development. From that point on, he became a man of humility, and not merely someone who boasted of possessing the virtue.
http://www.avani-mehta.com/2008/08/08/how-fart-can-make-you-grow-spiritually-su-dongpos-story/
Ever since I heard this story, I've been silently giggling to myself as I observe these "spiritual farts" in life. There’s a whole lot of farts to get caught up in what with work and settling into a new apartment, projects, friends, all the things. The thing I’m realizing too is just like in the story. It’s super easy to go from a place of somewhat righteously having your shit together and feeling like you’re on top and then something can set you off into some weird negativity spiral. A spiritual practice is a practice and I’m a perfectionist and so I pile on the guilt when I’m not being perfect. It’s a lot to unpack. A mantra of “it’s just a fart” helps me get back to myself. Frankly I looove calling these moments farts. I love it so much. Because really the key to learning to work thru mistakes is to laugh it off and figure out what you can do in the future. It’s just reactivity. A natural human reaction. It’s a fart.
I wake up each day with the intention to do all the awesome things and stay present and in the moment. It’s not easy and something will trigger me to my angry grumpy mode undoubtedly. Especially if I’m hungry. But more and more I’m training myself to observe these moments, kindly pause and bring myself to focus, and laugh….because i just farted.
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