Grow orchids, first cultivate your mind; only by keeping a calm mind can you grow orchids well.

The Sixth Patriarch Huineng's enlightenment verse: Bodhi is fundamentally no tree, the bright mirror is also not a stand; originally there is not a single thing, where could dust ever cling? Orchids originally grew in mountain valleys and forests; humans created orchid culture centered on petal-type theory, endowing them with profound cultural attributes, and how many timeless lines have been passed down using flowers to express noble aspirations. Although we may not possess the Buddhist root of wisdom, we can absolutely manage to maintain a calm mind as much as possible and let growing orchids become our own process of Zen meditation and seeking the Way.

Treat the turbulence of the orchid market with equanimity. Everyone calls themselves an orchid grower, everyone aims to cultivate themselves through growing orchids, and no one wants to keep talking all day about getting rich from orchids. Yet little do they realize, how many people at the beginning of growing orchids were not only drawn by hobby but also attracted by the orchid's economic value, it is just that some dare to admit it and some do not. When the orchid market went wild, everyone rushed in, and a large group of people made a fortune; when the orchid market crashed, an even larger group suffered heavy losses, and some even lost their entire fortunes, so the whole society cursed orchids far and wide. Everyone might as well look back and think: was anyone holding a gun to your head forcing you to buy flowers and grow orchids? It was all voluntary, only the starting point and original intention differed from person to person. So please put down these arguments over gains and losses, and look back at your own original intention for growing orchids; I believe everyone will feel much more relieved. It can be said that it is not the orchids that are moving, nor the orchid market that is moving, but our minds that are moving. I will not make a living by selling orchids; it is just a hobby for me. Let the orchid market surge and storm as it will, what does it have to do with me?

Treat success and failure in growing orchids with equanimity. Who among orchid growers can guarantee they have never killed an orchid, that every leaf tip on every pot is intact, and that every root has a crystal head? So do not be too confident and complacent about your own skill level. Cultivating orchids is a field of learning, a mystery each orchid lover comprehends over a lifetime. Where there is success, there is bound to be failure; growing one pot well does not mean you grow every pot well. When I post online, I also pick the ones I consider well grown to show off, and basically keep the poorly grown ones hidden from view. At the same time, when you encounter failure in growing orchids, you must never see through the vanity of the world, cry out that growing orchids is hard, or even abandon orchids and walk away. Instead, you should make a comprehensive analysis considering your own growing environment, the source of your seedlings, your growing habits, and whether you have been one-sided in listening or stubbornly biased, and correct one problem each time you find one. When next year this problem is truly solved, and you look at your beloved orchid producing new shoots and flowers, you will find how intensely your sense of achievement and happiness arrives.

Treat exchanges with orchid friends with equanimity. When people number a hundred, they come in all sorts; when people number a thousand, every type is present. Even a dragon's nine sons each have their own gifts, let alone this great army of orchid friends from all corners of the world, different regions, and different backgrounds. The internet is a double-edged sword: it builds a platform for orchid friends to exchange and learn, constantly adds fresh blood to the ranks of orchid lovers, and promotes the flourishing of orchid culture. But precisely because of the internet's illusory nature, some remarks people normally dare not speak or say will naturally pop out; it may be human nature, or it may be a momentary impulse like words spoken after drinking (I have done this myself). Thus arguments over differing views are unavoidable, and in the end they turn into a smoke-filled war of words. If everyone could understand that we are all like-minded people who share a common hobby of growing and cultivating orchids, that gathering together is a kind of fate, and that everyone maintains a bit of grace and restraint, how harmonious the forum would be. Mencius said: "There are things one does not do, and thereby one can do things." My understanding of "not doing" can mean being able to let go, to be willing to part with things, and to dare to yield. But if some scoundrels who do not love orchids at all and care only for money stir up trouble and sow discord among us, then that is no longer an internal contradiction among orchid friends, but has risen to the level of a major matter of principle. I believe everyone will "do what should be done," rise up together to attack them, and take delight in driving them down to the eighteenth level of hell.

Treat growing orchids and life with equanimity. In this world, with parents above, children below, and a spouse and relatives and friends in between, I must always keep firmly in mind my social attribute: responsibility. Whether one lives in primitive society, feudal society, capitalist society, socialist society, or the future communist society, this is an eternal basic moral requirement of what makes a person human, and one must find a balance between life and growing orchids. Therefore, we may treat growing orchids as a lifelong hobby and a way of cultivating ourselves, but we must never invest in orchids and speculate on orchids to the point of losing our entire fortunes; there are many such lessons, so there is no need to say more.

Always harbor a calm and ordinary heart. Whether you are a magnate of the orchid world or a novice like me, if you can be an ordinary person, handle ordinary matters, and speak ordinary words, then you possess a healthy mindset. Otherwise, with too much on your mind and without a calm mindset for viewing things, burdened by fame and deluded by desire, you will live very tiredly. I post orchid knowledge and pictures every day to take you deeper into understanding orchids and teach you to grow orchids easily. If there is anything about orchids you do not understand, you can ask me anytime or leave a message below. If my knowledge has helped you, I hope you can give me a like or share it to help more people!