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After reading the historical records of the Twenty-eighth Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma and seeing his pictures, do you think Bodhidharma is a cold-hearted and harsh person? He was not moved even when Huike waited in snow for a whole night for his teachings; he passed on the Dharma to him only after Huike cut off his own arm to show his determination. This behavior seems to be cold-hearted, but despite all the hardships, Bodhidharma travelled for many years on the sea and reached China. Then he sat facing the wall for nine years, only to wait for the right time to transmit the Dharma. Supreme Master Ching Hai said, "Bodhidharma is truly merciful, incredible and have boundless compassion. He looks cold outside, but is very warm inside. Otherwise, why should he take so much pain to come to China totransmit the Dharma?"
Before getting enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha had been tested and disturbed by a lot of evil spirits. Supreme Master reminds us through a lot of examples that we should know there are a lot of obstructions after one becomes a monk. Laypersons already have so many troubles in spiritual practice, it is even harder for the monks. Some monks fall into a test of leaving or staying as a monk. By telling the story of a Korean Zen master, Supreme Master hopes and encourages the monks to be determined in their practice and not to be bound by the trivial human emotions.
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