Time is like an arrow, the sun and the moon are good, Hui Neng preaches in Baolin Temple, and does not feel that spring goes to autumn. On this day, Huineng and Cao Shuliang were drinking tea along a small coffee table in the abbot's gallery.

Cao Shuliang asked, "Master, you talked about Bodhi and epiphany yesterday. Is Bodhi wisdom of any use in the daily lives of our people, other than the practice of birth? ”

Huineng said: "In fact, Buddhism is everywhere, and Zen should be available all the time. It is related to everything in our daily life, which exists in walking, living, sitting, and lying, in chopping wood and carrying water, and in farming. Those insights in our lives, those things that are regular, are the Dharma! Working wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly is practice; To comprehend the truth of life, to perceive truth, goodness, and beauty, that is enlightenment. ”

Cao Shuliang said: "Some time ago, I went to Shaozhou City to do business, and I met a scholar, who said that our Buddhist practice, cultivation and cultivation to the point of emptiness, is too pessimistic and negative. ”

"What's wrong with empty? To put it simply, if there is no space between the carriages and pedestrians on the road, if the room is full of solid, if there are twelve hours a day...... So, what will be the result? ”

Cao Shuliang smiled. Huineng continued: "Only the empty depression can merge into a vast lake, the empty suona can emit a beautiful sound, the empty universe can contain the sun, the moon, and the stars, and the empty heart can flicker with the spark of wisdom...... What we call Prajna in Buddhism is emptiness, that is, the wisdom of realizing emptiness. If you can cultivate your soul to be empty and down, not even attached to life, and selflessly dedicate yourself to sentient beings, then you can truly be the fearless spirit of actively saving the world! How can some scholars in the world completely forget themselves if they only talk about what is public and forget selfishness in theory, but they cannot see through themselves in essence? ”

At this time, the infant jumped up and down, and said:

The lying wheel has tricks and can break hundreds of thoughts. I can't afford to be in the realm, Bodhi is getting longer!

Huineng beckoned, called Ying Xing to him and asked, "Is this the one you came up with?" ”

The baby unceremoniously grabbed Bai Huineng and said: "It is said in the side that 'the lying wheel has a trick', which is naturally what the lying wheel thinks." If I had written it, wouldn't it have become a 'trick for babies'? You're still six ancestors, you're just a stupid one! ”

Fakong glared at him fiercely, but Huineng smiled: "Okay, I'm stupid. However, this man did not see his own nature. I'm going to have a stupid song with him. ”

Huineng didn't think about it, and said casually:

Huineng has no tricks and constantly thinks about it. Count the mind, how long is Bodhi!

The baby shouted: "Sure enough, a stupid person is a stupid man!" I worship you as a teacher, and I am fooled! ”

Huineng was not annoyed at all, looked at Ying Xing with a smile and said, "So, you can be a master for me, see where I am stupid?" ”

Ying Xing looked like a master and said: "If Prajna is the wisdom of emptiness, it should be not thinking about good, not thinking about evil, the heart is empty, a piece is empty, a piece is nothing, there is nothing. And you say, 'Keep thinking a hundred times' and 'count the minds,' can this be Prajna? ”

Hui Neng deliberately teased the baby: "Then please tell me, what is the real Prajna 'emptiness'?" ”

Infant Xing began to sell the half-understood theory of "emptiness" that he heard in his daily life: "Prajna emptiness is the emptiness of the mind, the emptiness of the Buddha, the emptiness of all beings, and the emptiness of the three folds; Phenomenal emptiness, essential emptiness, self-vacuum. Because everything is empty, there is no affliction to break, no bodhi to prove, no confusion and no enlightenment, no extraordinary, no holy, no giving and no ......"

Huineng listened quietly. Just when the "emptiness" theory of infant walking was like a mountain waterfall, pouring down, Huineng picked up the dust and knocked it on his forehead. Ying Xing was naturally very angry: "You old monk, you can't argue with others, so you start beating people, what is the reason?!" ”

Huineng smiled and said slowly: "Since everything is empty, may I ask, baby Xing, where does your anger come from?" Why? Since there is no giving and no suffering, that is, I didn't beat you, and you didn't get beaten, what are you calling? ”

The baby was stunned on the spot.

Huineng laughed: "You, you, little baby, the 'emptiness' that Prajna proves is not the 'stubborn emptiness' of nothingness!" Besides, a person, as long as he lives, can't think of nothing in his heart! Therefore, not thinking about good and evil does not mean cutting off the mind, making good and evil indistinguishable, and not knowing right and wrong, but in distinguishing between good and evil, without any greed and attachment. ”

Ying Xing patted his head: "Oh, by the way, you said that you should observe things as they are with an equal and undifferentiated heart, empty and undifferentiated. Right? ”

Huineng nodded: "Yes, very right." Bodhi is not in the unreachable kingdom of heaven, but in the world in which we live, it is the most ordinary thing. ”

A bright moon hung in the sky, and Cao Xi tinkled in the moonlight, carrying the sparkling moonlight, and wrapped around the temple like a ribbon. The main hall of Baoling Temple was brightly lit, and the monks who had worked all day were listening attentively to the Master's teachings.

Huineng coughed lightly and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the method taught by the poor monk is straightforward, directly pointing to the Buddha nature, with no stages and no circuits!" In this method of Dunjiao, as long as you have the wisdom of equality and non-difference, you can see the inherent Buddha nature at the moment and become a Buddha on the spot! ”

Speaking of which, Huineng, who was dressed in a robe, shone all around under the light of the lamp, like a solemn and sacred statue. At this time, a Zen monk sitting in the front row seemed to have a clear mind, and his face was filled with a divine luster.

He is a Zen monk who came all the way from Luling, Jiangxi. It is said that because he was thinking about the issue of life and death even when he walked, he was called Xingsi.

Xing Si realized something, knelt down in front of Hui Neng, and said, "Master, you just said that the method you taught directly points to Buddha nature. So, how do you practice to get into this method? ”

Huineng smiled and stretched out his right hand, touched the top of Xingsi's head and said, "Xingsi, you tell me first, how did you practice before you came to Baolin Temple?" ”

A magical warm current flowed from Huineng's palm into Xingsi's heart. He closed his eyes in great comfort and smiled happily. After a moment, he remembered to answer Master's question, folded his hands and replied, "Master, I have always hated cumbersome names and mystical theories, so I have not even practiced the Four Noble Truths, and I have even disdainful of those classic teachings. ”

Huineng made an exception and laughed: "You, then think about it, what stage does this kind of cultivation have to go through?" ”

From the master's bland questioning, Xingsi felt the rolling Zen machine: since he didn't even care about the classical teachings, how could there be a stage? So, he replied, "I haven't even practiced the Four Noble Truths, so how can I talk about what stage I have passed!" ”

Hui Neng further exalted him: "In that case, are you still afraid of falling into the staged, circuitous method? ”

Xing Si laughed heartily: "Haha...... Yes, yes, I don't even practice the Four Noble Truths, so I'm certainly not afraid of falling into a circuitous way! ”

Huineng high-fived and said, "Great, great!" From now on, you will be the head of all the monks, and help me educate the disciples here. ”

The infant suddenly jumped up from the futon, circled around Xingsi three times, and said, "Are you happy to have a dog?" What laugh at what laughs? ”

Huineng said solemnly: "Baby, you must not be rude!" Xingsi is the first from now on, and you should listen to his guidance more. ”

Ying Xing said very aggrievedly: "He started later than me, but he ...... Oh, by the way, what did you just say, why can't I understand a single word? ”

Fakong said: "So, you have changed from a senior brother to a junior brother!" According to my suspicion, Senior Brother Xingsi is telling us that we should pursue enlightenment with the wisdom of Prajna and abandon the Dharma, rather than really disdain the scriptures. ”

Huineng smiled and said, "Yes, Fakong is right. The law is empty, the law is empty, all the laws are empty; The law is empty, the law is empty, and the law should also be empty. A diligent monk may not be able to covet the riches and sexes of the world, but it is difficult for him to break his attachment to the Dharma and the scriptures. This is also greed, and it must be eradicated! Bodhisattvas should comprehend the path of the Buddha and the true meaning of life in the universe with an empty and unattained mind. ”

At noon, Baoling Temple was quiet. The baby is sleeping in the living room. A middle-aged monk in a hurry walked in and said to Ying Xing, "Senior brother, I ...... it."

The infant was drowsy, waved his hands impatiently, and said without opening his eyes: "Go,

Go, I'm not a big brother anymore, I have something to find Xingsi. ”

"Who is Xingsi?"

"Of course Xingsi is Xingsi, you fight with me?"

"Senior brother, I really don't know which one Xingsi is."

Ying Xing yawned and said, "Why don't you even know who Xingsi is?" ”

When he opened his eyes, he found that it was a strange monk, so he hurriedly sat up straight and asked, "Where did you come from to place orders here?" ”

"Disciple Fahai, from Qujiang, wants to see Master Huineng."

The baby pretended to say, "My master is very busy, you ......"

It just so happened that Huineng and Xingsi passed by the door, and when they saw this scene, Huineng said, "Baby, are you in charge of me again?" ”

Ying Xing quickly slipped down from his seat and said, "Master, please." ”

Fahai knew that the person who came was the Sixth Ancestor, so he hurriedly kowtowed and saluted, saying, "Disciple Fahai, see the Sixth Ancestor Master." ”

Huineng asked him to get up and sit on a meditation bench beside him. Before Fahai sat down, he asked eagerly, "May I ask the master, what is the Buddha?" ”

Huineng said: "The first thought is not born is the heart, and the second thought is not extinguished is the Buddha; Becoming all is the mind, and leaving everything is the Buddha. ”

Fahai frowned, and said reverently: "The disciple is ignorant and can't comprehend the master's subtle artistic conception, and I hope that the sixth ancestor will explain it in detail." ”

Huineng said, "All sentient beings have Buddha nature, so the nature of all sentient beings is a bright, kind, pure mind. It is only because of greed, hatred, foolishness, and other afflictions that this heart cannot show its true, good, and beautiful side. If you can see your heart directly, you can become a Buddha! Well, listen to me. ”

Huineng chanted:

That is, the heart is famous and wise, that is, the Buddha is fixed. Dinghui waits for it, and the intention is pure. To understand this method, by your habits. There is no life with the original, and double cultivation is positive.

Fahai was shocked when he heard it, his body and mind suddenly realized, and the mystery in his heart suddenly dissipated. He couldn't help but be ecstatic, and the five bodies fell to the ground and said, "Thank you, master, thank you, master!" Subsequently, he also said: That is, the mind is originally a Buddha, and it is self-bent without enlightenment. I know that the cause of wisdom is to double cultivate and separate from all things.

Huineng smiled and said: "If it is, if it is, the heart is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the heart." Because, the heart is pure and unstained, and the heart can give birth to all things. Every grass, tree, mountain, water, person, or ant in the universe is the manifestation of a pure heart! The original mind is pure, kind, and a Buddha. Therefore, plants, landscapes, humans, and animals are all kind, natural, and Buddha! ”

The infant on the side jumped up and shouted, "Master, you are a man!" According to what you say, then, even the little ants and insects are Buddhas? ”

Huineng said categorically: "Yes, the Buddha sees the world with his eyes, and all living beings are Buddhas, regardless of the thatch, fragrant flowers, they are all manifestations of the pure Buddha body!" The mountains and rivers are full of wonderful dojos. ”

Xingsi said: "Zhuangzi said that 'the Tao is drowning in', which is the truth. ”

"Not bad." Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng said, "The difference is only the choice of people's hearts." There was a pile of cow on the road, and passers-by covered their noses and frowned to avoid it, for fear of contaminating themselves; And the old farmer who collects dung will have his eyes lit up when he sees the cow dung, for fear of being robbed by others. Therefore, the peak has the steepness of the peak, the mound has the ease of the mound, where is the green mountain not the dojo? The creek is clear, the river is rushing, the blue pool is deep, the ocean is vast, which side of the water wave has no Zen machine? ”