1.Do Not Judge a Person By His Looks

Written by: Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu Translated by: Verona Ting Edited by: Dance Smith Proofread by: Jessie Chapter 1: Do Not Judge a Person By His Looks When I walked past a `Dockers` brand exclusive retail shop, a shirt on display caught my attention. The shirt`s colour was similar to that of my lama outfit, and it was made of a superb material with a lustrous sheen. I walked over to ask the salesgirl, `How much is this shirt?` The salesgirl didn`t answer me. She just gave me a quick glance from head to toe and continued doing her own work arranging things. I was undaunted and asked her again, `How much is this shirt?` She furrowed her eyebrows and rolled her eyes, and then she feebly muttered the figure, which was well within my expectations after I converted it to US dollars: US $1,000. I felt myself looking very nerdy that day. On top I wore a floral print shirt that had only cost me US $6; below I wore a pair of jeans and slippers. With my bald head and my shirt untucked, I looked like a local nerd. I hadn`t shaved my beard, either. I also felt my complexion wasn`t good. My face is etched with more wrinkles now, and patches of black pigment have sprung up. Non-nutritious food has made me look skinnier. I look like a delicate, withered old man, with a poor and no-one-to-depend-on look. I had asked for the price of the shirt looking as I did, so it was no wonder that she ignored me. She thought I was a `street friend`, a homeless wanderer. However, she shouldn`t look down on me! Her judgement on things that can be seen should be based on what is inside, not on what clothes tell. I`ve written many books - a number hardly anyone can reach. I`ve cultivated and entered into the great radiance realm! I am the founder of True Buddha School and I have more than four million disciples! Suddenly, I had this thought: I could ask one of my rich disciples to buy the shop and fire the salesgirl! This thought gave me a chuckle. What I intend to tell everybody is this: `I have become a very ordinary, withered old man. My appearance is that of a homeless person. All people can see is a cowardly, bald old man with a trembling voice and stuttering speech. The only way to understand him is to feel with your heart.`

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