A disciple asked a Zen master: "Master, how can I control my emotions and avoid getting angry?" The master replied: "If you believe deeply in karma, you will not be lost in delusion. All grudges are caused by karma; without delusion, there is no anger. To be angry is like drinking poison yourself and expecting others to suffer."
As the saying goes: "Rivers and mountains are easy to change, but human nature is hard to alter." Once habits and flaws are formed, they are difficult to correct, for the greatest difficulty lies in the inability to see one's own shortcomings. The greatest cultivation in a person's life is simply to eliminate these habits."
Having witnessed the bitterness of parting across the world, no one speaks of returning, as flowers wither and fall. Looking at each other beneath the flowers, not a word is said, as spring leaves the green windows to the sky. Let the longing be told under the lamp: a thread of new joy, a thousand threads of old sorrow. Most tragic in this world is that beauty cannot be held, as faces fade before the mirror and flowers fall from the trees.
I want to collect seashells, keeping the most beautiful one tied with a red string around my neck. As I walk, it will dance against my clothes. The others I can turn into wind chimes; if you behave well, I will give you a string, and I will try my best to make them beautiful.
The more sorrowful the world becomes, the happier I will be. The more wicked people become, the kinder I will be. When setbacks come, I will face them head-on. I will be an optimistic, resilient, and undeterred person who does not blame fate, bravely accepting all of life's challenges. One thought leads to heaven, another to hell; happiness is determined by the heart. It is like air—you only realize it when you breathe deeply, but if you breathe too hard to the point of gasping, you fear losing it. To be obsessed with happiness is to lose it.
When I am angry and tell you not to come to me, it is a lie; you must come to me. Do not take my angry words seriously. When I say "good," I mean good; when I say "no," I mean yes; when I say "I don't want to," it means I do. Perfection is a trap in this world. Just as the moon wanes after being full, and fruit falls once it is ripe, things must retain a certain imperfection to endure.
"When a couple is of one heart, even mud turns to gold."
A busy person will only face the trial of one demon, but a lazy person will be tempted by a thousand demons.
