Untangled Zen: To Be Happy, One Must Learn Non-Attachment; To Be Blessed, One Must Learn to Let Go

Only when there are no traces can one know how short time is; with a dream, one does not feel the coldness of life.

Suffering in life is not arranged by God, but caused by one's own ignorance; happiness in life is not a gift from God, but created by one's own wisdom.

▪ **A Conversation Under the Covers**

"Since the quilt cannot give us warmth, and we have to rely on ourselves to warm it, why do we still cover ourselves with it?"

Shi Xing had never thought about this question. He thought seriously for a moment and replied: "Although the quilt cannot give us warmth, it can preserve our body temperature."

Hearing Shi Xing's answer, Shi Ran smiled knowingly in the dark.

"Our daily chanting and Buddha-worship is like a person lying under a quilt, and those pilgrims who come to the temple every day to worship Buddha are like the quilt covering us. As long as we maintain a burning Buddhist heart, the quilt representing all living beings covering us will eventually be warmed by us, won't it?"

▪ **The Angler**

Shi Ran watched for a while and saw the man catch a large fish; however, to his surprise, after the angler removed the hook from the fish's mouth, he casually threw the fish back into the pond.

Later, the angler caught a small fish, and actually put this fish, which was less than half a foot long, into the creel next to him, packed up his fishing rod, and prepared to leave. Shi Ran caught up with the angler.

"Since the benefactor is not enjoying the fun of the fishing process, why discard the big and take the small?"

Upon hearing this, the angler laughed and replied:

"If I took the big fish back, my family's plates wouldn't fit it. Besides, there are only my wife and me at home. It's not wasteful and we can eat our fill, isn't that just right?"

▪ **The Difference Between Humans and Wild Boars**

"Why build a fence?" Uncle Jie Yan didn't seem enthusiastic about Shi Ran's proposal, forming a sharp contrast with the others.

"To prevent wild boars," Shi Ran was a bit surprised. How could Uncle Jie Yan not know?

"Then let me ask you, why do I grow vegetables?" Uncle Jie Yan asked Shi Ran back.

"For everyone to eat."

"Then why do wild boars dig up the vegetables?"

"Also to eat."

"What's the difference between humans and wild boars? Both need to eat. I grow vegetables to be eaten, so what's the difference if humans eat them or wild boars eat them?"

| Book Features |

From the perspective of a young monk practicing in a temple, this book tells the Zen meaning of life through a series of short philosophical Q&As, allowing readers to gain wisdom while warming their weary souls.