Between the master and the apprentice, the boat has reached the other side.

After going ashore, Huineng knelt on the ground and thanked the five ancestors repeatedly.

The fifth ancestor solemnly said: "I have a premonition that I will pass away soon after we are separated by this riverside. You're now heading south, and you're going well. But there's one thing you must remember. ”

Huineng: "Which point?"

The Fifth Patriarch instructed: "You must first find a place to hide, avoid the hustle and bustle, cultivate your nature in the mountains, cultivate your mind and enlightenment, and don't come out too early to preach the Dharma; Because the Dharma arises out of difficulty, and the more difficult it is, the better. Remember, the time for you to make a big difference isn't yet there. ”

Huineng: "Master's golden and jade words should be remembered in your heart." ”

After the two separated, Huineng stood by the river, facing the river breeze, looking at the ferry boat taken by the five ancestors to return to the other side, and his figure was drowned in the thick night.

Only then did Huineng let go of his stride and rushed towards the south.

The road in front of this future Buddha is full of thorns and wind......

It was the darkest time before dawn. At the same time that Master Hongren sent Huineng away, a lone lamp was also lit up in Shenxiu's room. The residual lamp is like a bean, and the light is dim. Shenxiu fumbled and quietly packed his bags.

When he went to hold a Buddha statue on the offering table with both hands, he accidentally touched the vase, and with a "bang", the vase touched the ground and shattered. Little Shami woke up from his dream, looked at Shenxiu in surprise, and asked, "Seat, what are you going to do?" Shenxiu forced a smile: "I want to travel far away." Xiao Shami said in a daze, "You are about to inherit the mantle of the master and become the sixth ancestor, how can you leave?" ”

Shenxiu smiled bitterly and didn't answer. He packed his bags, walked to the little novice's bed, put the Buddha statue at the head of his bed, stroked his hair, and said affectionately: "Little junior brother, the path of Buddhism is boundless, you should work hard." ”

Xiao Shami's eyes were wide with doubt: "Then you won't give us a lecture?" Shenxiu shook his head: "I myself have not yet attained self-nature, and if I preach the scriptures indiscriminately, one will mislead the scholars, and the other will misinterpret the meaning of the scriptures, which is tantamount to the Buddha's head with dung, sins and sins!" The novice asked, "So, where are you going?" Where will I find you in the future? Shenxiu smiled: "A mountain, a water, a pure land, listen to the wind, listen to the rain and listen to the sound of Zen." Where is the green mountain not a dojo, and where is the water wave without a Zen machine? Wherever there are green mountains and clear waters, there is a place where I practice in retreat. Shenxiu was alone and threw herself into the vast darkness of the night.

Master Hongnin went back and forth all night. When he returned to the temple exhausted, it was already nearly noon. He staggered to the abbot, where hundreds of disciples were waiting for him. "Master, where is your old man?" Everyone asked in unison. Master Hongren didn't answer and asked, "You don't do your homework, what are you doing here?" The seven-year-old little novice said with a crying voice: "Patriarch, Shenxiu is seated and gone." Master Hongren was taken aback, and immediately understood something: "Oh? Oh oh......" Hui Ming said anxiously, "Master, I have to get Shenxiu back in the seat!" He is our professor's brother, and when he is gone, who will give us lectures? ”

Master Hongren replied to the question, and was full of emotion: "Shenxiu is worthy of a generation of monks, his morality, his practice, will always be worthy of your emulation." Now, he must have gone into retreat. When his merits are complete, he will naturally go out of the mountain to give you the Saying. Therefore, it is better not to disturb him for now. ”

Master Hongnin walked towards his chamber. Ying Yin asked, "Master, Shenxiu is gone, who will the mantle be passed on?" Master Hongren snorted coldly: "You don't need to worry about this, you have the ability to get it!" Master Hongren entered the courtyard, closed the door, and blocked everyone out. Master Hongren went out inexplicably in the middle of the night, and now he inexplicably turned away his disciples, which puzzled them very much, and everyone gathered in front of the abbot and did not disperse for a long time. Ying Yin muttered to himself: "Those who can get it, and those who can get it...... Capable ...... Capable ...... Yes...... Ah! OMG! He suddenly exclaimed like a pectoris: "The capable, isn't it Huineng?" Oh my God, Master's mantle was actually passed on to Huineng! The little novice said in confusion: "Can the capable be Hui Neng?" He can't even read words, how can he be considered a capable person? He can't even cook rice, can he be the sixth ancestor? ”

Ying Yin said in a strange tone: "Those of us who have been monks and cultivators for many years, let's find a place where no one is hanged, so as not to be embarrassed in the world!" It was originally a monk's mantle, but it was taken away by a layman! ”

Hui Ming shouted loudly: "He's a dog mongrel, don't think about it!" Let's go, let's go find him, beat him away first, and see if he still fights for the mantle! The monks walked to the backyard in confusion. In the backyard room, where is there still the shadow of Huineng. Shadow shouted anxiously, "Everyone go and look for it." If you can't find it, you have to come back and report it immediately! After a while, a young monk reported to him: "There is no Huineng in the wood shed. The little novice also came back and said, "He is not in the vegetable field." "They searched all the places in Dongshan Temple, but naturally they still couldn't find Huineng. Hui Ming frowned and said, "This damn thing, if you don't stay in the mill honestly, where did you go?" Ying Yin pondered for a while, let out a cry of pain, sat down on the ground, and cried out with regret and hatred: "It's over, it's over, it's all over now!" ”

Hui Ming was puzzled, stared at him and asked, "What's over?" "The mantle passed down from generation to generation by the ancestors of Zen Buddhism will definitely let Hui Neng go!" Hui Ming shook his head and said, "Won't it?" It's really passed on to him, why doesn't Master say it? Ying Yin slapped his leg and scolded: "Stupid, you are such a stupid person! Do you have pig brains? You don't want to think about it, why is Huineng gone? Why did Master go out overnight and not come back until now? He sent Hui Neng away! Gone with the mantle of Zen! Fa Ru said to herself thoughtfully, "Why does Master teach the Fa like this? How do you think about it? ”

An elderly monk said, "Could it be that Master is really old and confused? At present, there are 700 monks gathered in Dongshan Temple, and there are many people who are practicing and learning. Even if the son of Shenxiu is not to his liking, he can't pass over the others and pass the mantle to a walker who is a rice cook! How can this Hui Neng inherit the mantle of a monk if he has not yet been ordained, has not become a monk, and has not been ordained? If this news spreads, there will be no place for our faces to rest! ”

Ying Yin said, "Our master, don't think about us at all! If we get such a southern barbarian as Huineng to be our ancestor, what can we do in the future? Is it impossible for all of us to follow him? ”

"Giving a family member as an ancestor in the family is not in line with the Buddhist system at all!" "yes, yes!" Almost all the monks feel the same way. Ying Yin instigated again: "In the Buddhist precepts, monks do not need to bow down when they see the emperor. In the future, what will we do when we meet Huineng? The bald one kneels to the long-haired one! Oh my God, this joke is too big! There was a lot of discussion, and most of them were indignant that Master Hongnin had taught the mantle of Zen Buddhism to an uneducated woodcutter.

Hui Ming slapped the wall with a "snap", and everyone's humming stopped abruptly. Hui Ming then spoke: "What's the use of you complaining here? What is needed now is action! He's gone, aren't we going to chase him back? Let's go, go after the dog, snatch the mantle back, and give it to Shenxiu to take a seat. ”

A monk said, "Yes, only Shenxiu is qualified to be our Sixth Patriarch!" The monks shouted indiscriminately: "Go wow, chase the southern barbarians." "Come on, he'll run away when it's too late!" ……

"Stop!" Suddenly, Fa Ru shouted, "You are shouting and screaming like this in the temple, and there is chaos, what kind of system have you become!" The master passed on the mantle to Huineng, and there must be a reason for his old man. So ......"

Before he could finish speaking, Ying Yin hurriedly interjected and said, "Master is also a human being, and it is inevitable that there will be times when he is confused. Besides, that Hui Neng knows how to demons. It must have been him who used demon magic to confuse the master and deceived him out of the mantle. ”

"yes, yes!" Hui Ming said with deep feelings: "I beat him with an incense board, and he can actually fall asleep, it's really evil!" "But ......" Fa Ru's words were interrupted by Ying Yin again: "Think about it, if Hui Neng gets the mantle inheritance of the master openly, what a glorious thing it should be!" How could he sneak away in the middle of the night? It can be seen that he must have done something unseemly, so he did not dare to face us all. ”