The first one is from "The Theory of Great Wisdom", which says that when a beautiful woman is present, if she is a lewd man, she will think she is wonderful;If it is a woman, you will be jealous of her and will find her annoying;If you are a practitioner, you will see all kinds of shortcomings in her and become enlightened through impure contemplationIf it's a gay man (which I made up), he will be indifferent, as if he were just looking at a piece of dirt or wood. A beautiful woman is that beauty, but in different people, there will be completely different reactions. The interesting thing about "The Theory of Great Wisdom" is that the final assumption is that if the heart of that beautiful woman is pure, then the four kinds of people mentioned above, when they see her, they will have no different thoughts, they are all just pure. It seems to tell us here that if you are completely detached, let go, and completely pure, you will not become the object of others. Beauty is not just an object, she can also be a subject. Perhaps the deeper meaning is that if you let go completely, there will be no more distinction between subject and object.
The second is from Chinese Zen Buddhism, which says that an old lady offered a Zen master, and a year later, she let her young and beautiful daughter go naked to deliver food, wanting to investigate the Zen master's skills, but the Zen master had no interest in her daughter, as if she had not seen it. It stands to reason that this Zen master's cultivation should be rewarded. But unexpectedly, the old lady scolded: she only raised a layman in a year. So he drove the Zen master away. So, what should this Zen master do?I thought about it for a long time, but there was no answer, as if I understood, but there was no way to say it. It's as if it's not right to do, and it's not right not to do it. It's a matter of degree, and it's delicate. It is neither ascetic asceticism nor indulgent rambling. It seems that you may be driven away by the old lady no matter what.
Look at the third one, also from Chinese Zen Buddhism, which is widely spread, about a pair of masters and apprentices who arrived at the river and met a woman who couldn't cross the river, so they carried her across the river. The disciple was very puzzled, how could a cultivator touch a woman's body?After walking for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask **Why did he carry that woman. The answer is: I have already put it down, why haven't you put it down yet?
These three stories have different meanings, but they all show a vivid side of Buddhism, and at least they all send a strong message: Buddhism is not a religion of asceticism, and of course, it is not a religion of indulgence.