The Caribbean(1)
■Book 111 - Roving Over The World
■Written by GrandMaster Sheng-yen Lu
The veil of the sea is always mystical especially the Caribbean sea. It is steady, calm and full of profound implication. Standing on the deck, I felt my soul had soared over the water. The elegance, ability, wit and lifestyle of the ocean are beyond any word.
The movie \`Blue Coral Reefs \` was shot in the Caribbean. The following part of the movie really amazed me:
\`Time has frozen in the island. Everybody does what he pleases. Rich and poor alike, they are enjoying what they have. To them life itself is an art - a natural art - a survival art. Everybody lives in a beautiful world that boasts of no self-ego.\`
Apart from the island life-style, there is an ocean life-style. The sea itself is a never-ending art. It is the best form of life. The wave never seems to stop. The sea is creative, warm and full of treasure. We are very dependent on the sea.
When the sun is up:
The blue sea is like a piece of cloth.
I know that under the water a very interesting show is staging continuously.
While above the water, the storyline will be very simple.
Although its simple, it is very familiar. But strangely, I felt excited, as long as I take a look at the blue sea, I felt very happy, to the extent that I am really drunk.
Its an eternal piece of art!
So real,
So seasoned,
This was a great piece of art work done by a world-renowned master,
I like to stand on the deck and look at the blue sea. And shout at the sea : \`We shall meet again.\`
At night:
Only my eyeballs were beaming, and the sky was full of glittering stars. It is a beautiful night.
In the dark sea, I could only hear its breathing and feel the expansion and contraction of its lungs.
The sea seemed to have a short and urgent breathing. Sometimes when the wind was strong, the sea appeared to be weeping and crying out aloud.
A stranger - a old foreigner walked slowly towards me and stopped beside me. He too looked at the dark ocean.
\`What is that noise?\` I asked myself.
\`It is the spirit of the sea.\` The oldman answered.
\`Spirit?\` I was very curious.
\`Of course, there are many spirits in the sea. Stories about them are many and varied. As there are so many of them, it is difficult to miss them in the sea.\`
\`Don`t you think it is horrifying?\`
\`No, not really.\`
\`Why?\`
\`Because they are emotional too.\`
I did not say a word after that. So was the old man. Both of us looked at the dark sea and listened to the howling of the ocean.
When I was about to leave, I asked the oldman \`Sir, what is your specialty?\`
\`Philosophy\` He answered.
Mi Yan Sutra mentioned that:
\`Just like the sea water being blown by the wind, the wave was unable to stop ..................................\`
This is talking about human the mind.
From the water, we can understand what an ocean is. It is an illusion, it is formless, it is light, it is a shadow, it is a mirage, it is changing all the while!
From the sea, we gain inspiration and enter into samadhi and have an insight of the arising and ceasing of all dharma.
Lao Tze said the following:
\`The best virtuous deed is like water, benefitting all without contention. It positions itself at the most unfavorable spot, and yet its close to the truth. As it never involves itself in any contention, therefore nobody has a grudge against water.\`
