A young person, on the journey of seeking truth, is attacked and slandered by others, feeling deeply upset. A wise person sees this and discusses the matter with the young one.
Young Person: Some people say I'm a fraud, a devil, and it really hurts. What should I do?
Wise Person: Have you heard the story of Su Dongpo and Foyin?
Su Dongpo, a great literary figure of the Song Dynasty, had a good friend who was a high-ranking monk named Foyin. They often practiced meditation and siting together. One day, Su Shi had a whimsical idea to play a prank on his good friend. He asked Foyin, 'What do I look like in your eyes?' Foyin replied, 'In my eyes, you resemble the Buddha.' Su Shi then asked, 'Do you know what you look like in my eyes?' Foyin replied, 'I don't know.' Su Shi said, 'In my eyes, you look like a pile of cow dung.'
Su Dongpo returned home triumphantly and shared this incident with his talented sister, Su Xiaomei. Upon hearing it, Su Xiaomei frowned and said to her brother, 'A person with Buddha in their heart sees everything as Buddha. If a person has dung in their heart, everything in their eyes looks like dung. The Zen master's heart is pure, but big brother's heart is impure.'
Young Person: Su Xiaomei is right. What's in the heart shapes our perception—Buddha in the heart sees all as Buddha, and love in the heart sees all as love.
Wise Person: On the path to seeking truth, don't even pay attention to the voices in your own head, let alone the words of others.
Young Person: I understand now. Thank you!"
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