Zen Talk
Self-Reliance Is Best
One day Su Dongpo was touring Tianzhu Monastery by the West Lake in Hangzhou with Zen Master Foyin. Inside the temple, they saw an image of Bodhisattva Guanyin holding Buddha-recitation beads.
Su Dongpo asked Foying: “Didn’t Bodhisattva Guanyin attain Buddhahood long ago? Why is he holding recitation beads?”
“Reciting,” said Foying.
“But which Buddha’s name?”
“The name of the compassionate Bodhisattva Guanyin.”
Su Dongpo was at a loss. “Why would he be reciting his own name?” he asked.
“Haven’t you heard the saying that it’s better to rely on yourself than on others?”replied Foyin, smiling.
After a moment, he asked Dongpo with another smile: “Householder, do you still know yourself?”
Su Dongpo clapped his hands and exclaimed: “Who doesn’t know himself?!”
To say that it’s better to rely on oneself than on others is to ask that we bolster our own capabilities, and not constantly look to others for help. We should know ourselves and be confident; we should know the extent of our own abilities. Only those who continually strengthen themselves can realize their dreams.