Let the heart bloom first, and only then will the orchid be fragrant

Promote Chinese orchid culture, spread orchid knowledge

Bending over my desk flipping through books at random, I am often struck with admiration by the exquisite writings of those who came before. Recently I read an article that carries a profound sense of communion between the Buddha's realm and the state of mind, a harmony of Buddhist chanting and bell tones. The article tells the story of the famous Tang Dynasty Zen Master Huizong. Zen Master Huizong was passionately fond of orchids. Once, when he was about to go out to preach the Dharma and expound sutras, he instructed his disciples before departing to take good care of the several dozen pots of orchids he had carefully cultivated.

The disciples knew well that the Zen master loved orchids as his own life. After the hours of dim lamps and yellowed scrolls, and beyond the morning bells and evening drums, they always tended the orchids with great care. One day late at night, a fierce wind rose and rain poured down in torrents, and it was on that very night that the young monks happened to leave the orchids forgotten outdoors. The next morning, when the disciples went out to look, they saw a scene of utter disarray before them: shattered flower pots, toppled flower stands, and scattered orchids. Several days later, Zen Master Huizong returned to the temple. The disciples, uneasy and anxious, came forward to welcome him, preparing to receive their master's punishment.

Upon learning the whole story, Zen Master Huizong's expression was calm and serene, and he remained wholly at ease throughout. In the end, he consoled his disciples, saying: "In the beginning, I did not plant orchids in order to get angry." Such a plain sentence left the disciples present utterly won over by their master's magnanimity, and their minds were as if cleansed by the finest butter, achieving great enlightenment and deep awakening.

Great philosophy is simply great plain truth, and true Buddha's words are like ordinary speech. This sentence seems plain to the point of being unremarkable, and mild to the point of being tasteless. But on careful reflection, one feels deeply that within it lies the form of the great elephant, that it is full of the flavor of the great broth, that it reveals profound Buddhist mysteries and contains the wisdom of life, possessing all the wonder of "let the heart bloom first, and only then will the orchid be fragrant"!

Growing orchids should be an elegant and refined pursuit. Cultivating orchids can temper one toward an open-minded outlook and bring one peace of mind. "The moonlight at the window is the same as ever, but with orchid grass before it, it is different" - this is a kind of elegance and noble purity. Among the hundred flowers of the world, most sprout in spring: "A thousand reds and ten thousand purples are all arranged, waiting only for the first peal of spring thunder." Only the orchid is in no hurry and takes its time, blooming in all four seasons. It needs no spring thunder to urge it forth, and no gazing across the autumn waters in longing; in summer it remains vigorous, and in winter it moves toward profundity. From this we can see that one who grows orchids must be upright in conduct, worthy and loyal, broad-minded, and undisturbed by favor or disgrace. A person of great spirit plants the grass of great generosity; a person of broad heart plants flowers of the highest grade. Only with such a "heart blooming first" can orchid fragrance fill the room and be carried far and long. If one is always calculating every little gain and loss, wanting everything, brooding over every word and deed, flying into a rage over the slightest discrepancy, then would not one's words and actions make even the flowers secretly laugh? Many enlightened sages of old regarded "reading books and doing good brings a joyful heart; planting flowers and tending grass is the way of peace and happiness" as a matter of cultivating the self and nurturing one's character. Therefore, in matters of hobbies and interests, one must first create a healthy and good-hearted state of mind, and only then can one have an open-minded and cheerful mood. Such a "heart in full bloom" will then forever dwell in the heart, and its fragrance will drift into the hearts of others.

Of all the hundred kinds of tonics, the five grains and miscellaneous cereals come first; of all the ten thousand ways to longevity, cultivating one's character is best. Not planting orchids in order to get angry is truly a high realm, a great breadth of mind. In fact, happiness is more often a mood, a feeling. To be calm in success and composed in failure is a high realm of happiness and a kind of transcendence in life. Happiness is also a capability, a wisdom, and at many times also a kind of bearing, a kind of magnanimity. Let go of some things, tolerate a little of others' mistakes - "letting go is solid ground" - and one can also find the happy side of life. Yet the reason some people in life often cannot feel happiness lies in their excessive pursuit of the satisfaction of desire; their minds are constantly enslaved by things, and they worry over gains and losses in the pursuit of material things. Especially when desires cannot be satisfied, when hopes are shattered, when cherished things are damaged, or when others unintentionally hurt them, they feel pessimistic, disappointed, depressed, and furious. These emotions, who knows how many measures of happiness and indexes of well-being they have caused them to lose.

People often say: Of life's affairs, eight or nine out of ten do not go as one wishes. Thus, only one or two out of ten do. A sugarcane is not sweet at both ends, and a flower will not remain unfading forever. Not planting orchids in order to get angry can let one see through some things and understand some matters. One who grows orchids should have a little of the realm in which wealth and honor are to me as floating clouds, and should have a little of the pursuit in which the five desires have faded and all thoughts have ceased. Only thus can one attain a body free of illness and a mind free of worry, which is the refined delight of the greatest happiness in life.

Many things in life we cannot foresee, but the helm of life's voyage we can grasp. When difficulties and misfortunes suddenly arrive, rather than secretly fuming, grieving alone, hurriedly fleeing, and resentfully blaming others, it is better to plant a happy orchid in the field of the heart and use tenacity and openness to dissolve the troubles within. When there is a flourishing orchid in the heart, happiness will accompany you, and fragrance will stay by your side.