The Story of Su Dongpo and Fo Yin Monk

When Su Dongpo met Fo Yin for the first time, he saw that Fo Yin was a fat monk with charming appearance, without the transcendental temperament of a Taoist, so Su Dongpo was dubious about the rumor that Fo Yin was highly cultivated.

When talking with Fo Yin, Su Dongpo talked about the transition from emperors to officials, from governing the country to putting it into practice. Fo Yin just listened quietly without saying a word. Fo Yin's silence made Su Dongpo look down on him more and more. Su Dongpo really thinks that Fo Yin is a monk in name only.

Later, the topic they talked about shifted to Buddhism. Fo Yin asked Su Dongpo what kind of person he was in Su Dongpo's heart. Su Dongpo has always been outspoken and disdained to say anything flattering, so he confessed to Fo Yin that Fo Yin was a liar with no real skill.

After listening to Su Dongpo's evaluation, Fo Yin just smiled and made no answer. Su Dongpo saw that Fo Yin didn't refute, thinking that he acquiesced in his point of view, so he proudly asked Fo Yin, what kind of person did Su Dongpo look like in Fo Yin's eyes? Fo Yin spoke highly of Su Dongpo. He called Su Dongpo a bachelor and thought Su was a very learned and cultivated person. Fo Yin felt ashamed.

Extended data:

Historical background

Yuan You four years (1089), Su Shi holds a bachelor's degree in Longtuge, knowing Hangzhou. Because the West Lake has not been dredged for a long time, it has been silted up for more than half. "The long-term weeds in Taiping Lake and Pinghu Lake have seriously affected agricultural production."

In the second year of Su Shi's arrival in Hangzhou, he dredged the West Lake, mobilized more than 200,000 migrant workers, expelled farmland, restored the old scenery, and erected three towers (now reflecting the moon in three ponds) in the deepest part of the lake as a symbol. He collected the dredged silt and built a long dike running through the West Lake, which was connected by six bridges for pedestrians. Later referred to as "Su Gong Di" or "Su Causeway".

"Dongpo built Su Causeway everywhere", and Su Shi built three long dikes in his life. When Su Shi was demoted to Yingzhou (now Fuyang, Anhui), he also dredged the West Lake and built a levee in Yingzhou.

Baidu encyclopedia-Su Shi