Excerpt from: The Lotus Sutra of Mahayana Wonderful Method-the 25th popular product of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
◎ 1968, Master Xuanhua told the story.
Buddhist lecture hall in San Francisco, California, USA
China Lao Tzu said: "Good is like water, water is the good of all things and does not dispute, and water is the evil of all things." Good is the highest good, it is like water. Good talent is like water! Be good at benefiting everything without arguing. Things are things that fly, dive, move, plant and fly in the air; Diving, something hidden in the water; All the animals move; Planting is all plants and all trees. All embryos, eggs, wet, chemical, flying, diving, animals and species need water to cultivate irrigation. Water itself has no heart, saying that you all need me to benefit you, to grow you and to help you. That's why we say, "Water is good for everything, but it doesn't matter." Don't argue about what? He doesn't take credit or argue with others. Some people will say, I did this good thing, I achieved this merit, I built that temple and that bridge. This is an argument. Without water, there is no such heart! Water is neither selfish nor self-serving, so I compare water to goodness and should learn from it-no credit, no fame, no profit.
"The land where people are evil", where water lives, is below, not above. Someone said, "Why is there no water on it? When it rains, water flows down from above! " Yes, you do have a point. Rain flows down from above, but how can water flow up again? Because water flows from bottom to top, not from top. Water will fall from the top to the ground, then flow into the sea, rivers, rivers, or flow down, only temporarily at the top. Below, where no one wants to live, water will live. Why don't monks always live in beautiful houses and caves? This is the feeling of learning water and living in that lowland. Because this water is hated by all and conforms to the Tao.
If you want to be supreme, it is the same. You should go up from the bottom. I didn't fall from above, nor did I get the supreme enlightenment from life. Do you want to become a Buddha? We must first do a good job of this sentient being; That is, no matter what you do, you should do it in a good way, not in a bad way. The so-called "choose good and follow, change if you are not good", and good deeds must be done; If you have a bad road, you must change it. To turn over a new leaf, we must "advance if it is the Tao, not retreat if it is not the Tao"; Go ahead if you conform to the Tao, and go backwards if you don't, so that you can get supreme righteousness.