A devotee asked Ch'an Master Chao-chou, "Does the Buddha have
worries?"
Chao-chou exclaimed, "Yes!"
The devotee queried, "Buddha is already enlightened, so why does
he still have worries?"
Chao-chou answered, "That is because you are still not liberated
from suffering."
The devotee inquired, "If
I cultivate myself and become liberated from suffering, will the
Buddha still have worries?"
Chao-chou again exclaimed, "Yes!"
The the devotee questioned again, "If I am already liberated, why does the
Buddha still have worries?"
Chao-chou declared ,"Because many beings still
exist!"
The devotee asked, "But
it is not possible to liberate every being from suffering. Does
this mean that the Buddha will always have worries and can never
transcend them?"
Chao-chou answered, "The Buddha has already transcended and
detached himself from worries."
The devotee questioned, "If all beings have not been freed yet, how
can the Buddha no longer have any worries?"
Chao-chou replied, "Because within the self-nature of the Buddha
all beings have already been freed."
At this point, the devotee seemed to have attained a further
understanding.
