Chapter 31 Under the kapok tree, I understand what a "heart of a hero" is (29)

In the chilly spring, the kapok on Roosevelt Road bloomed again. Looking from a distance, all the leaves of the kapok had fallen, and the straight, tall, dark trunk was facing the sky. "Several trees are red like fire for half a day", burning the whole street.Blossoming bright red kapoks are like huge chest cups, full of pride, waiting to drink with the sky.No wonder the kapok tree is also known as the "hero tree". It exudes a masculine and determined beauty, which drives away the hesitation in early spring when it is warm and cold. On this kapok road, for ten years, I came to Taipei like a migratory bird, and published each quarterly magazine. to the monastery in the south.

This year, I left the flight track of migratory birds and came to Taipei during the falling season of kapok, but unexpectedly saw the fiery red kapok falling from the branches like a shooting star, making a loud noise!The image of the whole ground is bright red, with the momentum of heroic generosity and righteousness. The falling kapok means that the warm summer is coming, doesn't it?It's just that the circumstances of life are unpredictable, who can always be a "hero"?How many people always stick to their ideals? Kapok lags behind, and the oval-shaped capsules are all over the branches. When the capsules are mature, the pods will split open, and countless white cotton wool will be scattered in the noisy streets with the wind.The poet said: "Every ball of kapok is a cloud with broken wings in the sky." I picked up a broken capsule to see if I could hold the "cloud with broken wings".

I saw the cotton wool inside that hadn't been scattered, so light and soft!The moment I looked carefully, a gust of wind blew.Quickly blown away the white cotton wool in my hand... Suddenly remembered a passage in the "Sutra": "Just as water puts out a burning house, a firm, wise, and understanding wise man can quickly dispel the surging sorrow, just like the wind dispels cotton wool." This is what the Buddha taught his disciples more than two thousand years ago. In this ancient classic, there are such life-like metaphors.In contrast to the situation in life, the Buddha told the world that when sadness arises in the heart, it should be driven away as quickly as the wind disperses cotton wool, and this requires constant vigilance and contemplation!Only in this way can the heart not be trapped in a state of worry and distress and unable to extricate itself.

Said: "The benevolent man does not worry, the brave man does not fear, and the wise man does not confuse." I think the real brave man should also be the real wise man and the benevolent man. Confused; transcend with wisdom, and treat yourself and others with compassion. Walking through the kapok road, I understand that to become a real "hero", one must start from managing one's own heart. (This picture is provided by Wu Xiaodan)