One day, Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty wrote a poem and ordered his page to send the poem across the river to Chan Master Foyin of Jinshan Temple for approval.
The poem said,
Bowing, Heaven within Heaven,
A light that illuminates the boundless universe,
The Eight Winds cannot move me,
Sitting mindfully upon the purple golden lotus.
The Chan Master looked at the poem, wrote “fangpi” (fart – meaning nonsense) on the paper, and asked the page boy to bring it back. When Su Dongpo saw the comment, he became very angry, and immediately crossed the river to interrogate Chan Master Foyin. Chan Master told him “Just by looking at the poem would, you would seem to have great cultivation. If the Eight Winds cannot move you, why have you been blown cross the river by a single “fart”?” Having heard it, Dongpo remained silent. He was ashamed that his cultivation was inferior to that of the Chan Master.
What are the Eight Winds?
1. Praise●: This includes the various kinds of praises and compliments, where you find joy in people praising, and complimenting you in every moment and every place.
●1---Praise:稱〈讚〉