The fragrance of flowers does not advance against the wind. But the fragrance of virtuous people will go even against the wind - listen to the words of the Buddha
53 The fragrance of flowers does not advance against the wind.Indian sandalwood (Santalum album)The same is true of the flower of the cactus, the flower of the tagara, the jasmine, and all the rest. But the fragrance of virtuous people goes even against the wind. Virtuous people are fragrant in all directions.
Iwanami Shoten, Nakamura Gen's translation of Buddha's Words of Truth and Inspiration, p.17-18
This time, the words are also from the chapter "In Memory of Flowers," a passage that uses flowers as a metaphor to show how a practitioner should be.
The good fragrance of flowers is fragrant in the wind. But you cannot go against the wind.
But the fragrance of a virtuous person, the Buddha says, can go against the wind and spread in all directions.
A virtuous person is imbued with an invisible atmosphere. The Buddha compares this virtue to the fragrance of a flower.
It is exquisite to compare virtue to the fragrance of a flower. Fragrance is invisible to the eye. However, fragrance leaves a strong impression on our mind, doesn't it? Many of you may have had the experience that a scent you suddenly felt leaves an unforgettable memory, or on the other hand, a certain fragrance brings back vivid memories of the past.
Fragrance is invisible to the eye, but it has a strong influence on our mind. I take my hat off to the Buddha for his skillful words in comparing "virtue" to the fragrance of a flower.
The fragrance of flowers can only go in the direction the wind blows, but the fragrance of virtue can go in all directions. In other words, the Buddha states that it will affect all people.
The atmosphere of a virtuous person affects not only one particular direction, but everyone around him or her. With these words, the Buddha is pushing us to practice to be so.
Next Article.
Related Articles
