There was once a Zen practitioner named Ling Xu who was learning the Dharma and Zen meditation for 13 years in the Gui Zhong temple which was situated on top of Lu Mountain. The name Gui Zhong means return to school.

Ling Xu was getting nowhere in his cultivation. One day, he suddenly developed the urge to leave the mountain. He started to pack his bags and prepare his journey to descend from Lu Mountain.

Gui Zhong Zen Master asked him, "Where are you going?"

Ling Xu replied, "I am leaving the mountain."

Master Gui Zhong was concerned. With compassion, he said, "Everywhere you go in the samsara will be the same. You have been practicing Zen in this place for the past 13 years and now you decided to leave. I should convey a bit of my understanding of Buddha Dharma to you. When you have finished packing your bags come and look for me."

After packing, Ling Xu went and put his bags outside the door of the temple's hall. Conforming to the regulations of the temple, he wore his monk's robe and precept cape and went to bid farewell to Master Gui Zhong.

Master Gui Zhong said to Ling Xu, "The essence of Buddha dharma is: Today you are leaving the mountain. It is very cold outside. The swirling red earth is at the bottom of the mountain. Take good care of yourself in the journey."

Upon hearing these sentences, Ling Xu was instantly enlightened.

This Zen koan has aroused a lot of interest, simply, because these sentences are made up of simple words.

How can one attain enlightenment upon hearing these sentences?

In fact, the sentence 'take care of yourself in the journey' is not words of concern as seen by ordinary people. It is Zen and it is filled with dharma wisdom.

Journey = one's life.
Yourself = know oneself well.
Take care = perform meaningful acts.  

This is the essence of the Buddha's teachings.

The affairs of this mundane world are strange. Zen is spoken of daily. Emptiness is spoken of daily. Every day the Buddha's words and Buddha's heart is being touched on and yet we are moving further and further away from it.

Just from a simple and most ordinary word of concern, one can be enlightened even though one is not talking about Zen or Buddha nature.

Thus, enlightenment is:

While cooking rice, if the water is not boiled, do not open the cooker. When the egg is not ripe, do not hatch it with a peck.

Looking at this Zen koan, my thoughts are:
Everywhere is the same in the samsara.  
Everywhere lays the swirling red earth.
On top of the mountain.
At the foot of the moutain.

Take care of yourself means to know yourself completely and to always carry out good deeds. To put it more simply, it means that one has to perform meaningful acts. As I have said before, do every little thing in each day well.

This is Zen.
This is Buddha.
This is life.

Many people think that the red earth in this human world is noisy, filthy, ugly and full of terror. So one wants to leave this swirling red earth.

However, are you aware that:
The samsara is a huge red earth.
The temple on top of the mountain is a small red earth.
They are the same.

Cultivators who are practicing the way of the Buddha must put themselves through hundreds and thousands of tests in this swirling red earth if they were to be enlightened and gain great wisdom.

If we did not go deep into the dusty samsara, how could we surpass it?

In my life, if I took good care of myself. I would not follow others to do foolish things nor would I be controlled by the desires of the ordinary world. I would be in a peaceful state in this swirling red earth and be able to cultivate the pure thoughts by seeing the illusions of the samsara.

In the samsara,  if I could perform a good deed everyday in my life then I would have attained the greatest patience and determination. This was bestowed upon me by the human world.

Thus is the reason of the lotus flower.

The root is anchored deep inside the dirty and muddy soil.
Yet, in the swirling muddy water, the lotus flower grows tall.

Vimalakirti said, "Arhats are divided among the Heaven and Earth realms. The Bodhisattvas walk in between the Heaven and the Earth. As for Buddha, both the Heaven and Earth are the same."

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