Chapter 27 "Success" is like a coconut tree standing firm and unwavering (25)

"Dad! How long has this coconut grove been growing?" I asked. "I started planting it the year you became a monk. This coconut tree has been around for as long as you have been a monk." My father stood in front of the coconut tree and said to me. My father, who teaches in elementary school, has always lent this field to neighbors unconditionally and never took it back. Why was it full of coconut trees in the year I became a monk?To commemorate a major change in each other's lives?Still full of reluctance, can only throw myself into a coconut grove? I didn't ask.But I know this is a decision of my father.

The coconut trees are already full of shade and fruity.Every year when my father visits me in the temple, he will bring coconut juice with him; when I return home, he will happily pick it from the coconut tree immediately and ask me to drink it. The taste is always dripping in my heart, because it is my father’s Another kind of waiting.Just like my decision to become a monk, my father also made a decision—to guard me with another kind of persistence. Every time I go back, I must go to see those coconut trees with the same seniority as my monk.The coconut is already very tall, and the trunk is even thicker, standing firmly on the ground, as if it is difficult to shake.There are indeed many things in the world that are hard to shake, one of which is the love of parents for their children.

The breeze blows, the coconut trees rustle, and how many days my father spends here when I am not at home!It is a firm love that makes him give to his children forever without regret.This kind of love that does not ask for anything in return can only be achieved by the Bodhisattva's great compassion for all living beings, apart from parents for their children. A firm and unwavering decision can be for family affection or Buddhism.The most important treatise on Theravada Buddhism, "On the Pure Way", once mentioned that practitioners' confidence in the Dharma should be like the stone pillar of Indra (the god of storm in ancient India), standing firmly on the earth, that is, to Convincing in Buddhism without hesitation, deciding to uphold it, is called: "Superior Solution".

The coconut trees standing firmly on the ground in front of me seem to be telling my father's decision, and they seem to be asking me: Have I "understand" Buddhism? "Pure Path" says: "Great solution" has the meaning of "letting go of the mind and letting it enter the target".For the things you choose, let go of your heart and devote yourself fully, which is the real "winning solution".Therefore, no matter what decision you make, in addition to having strong confidence and determination, you must also put it into practice and persevere.

The coconut trees and fruit trees in my hometown have grown into a forest, commemorating my father and my decision.It's just that during the years when I became a monk, did I really work hard?I don't know, I can only encourage myself to make persistent efforts and not disappoint the original decision. (This picture is provided by Wu Xiaodan)