The Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng excused Empress Wu Zetian on the grounds that he was old and his body had been unsafe, and he issued a decree to invite him to enter Beijing for his explanation, which won the respect of the people. However, when the Sixth Ancestor Huineng learned from Shaozhou Thorn Shi Weiju that more than 1,000 monks and laymen from all over the country gathered in the Shaozhou Dafan Temple to wait for him to go to the Dharma, the Sixth Ancestor Huineng did not say a word, and immediately rushed to it overnight.

On this day, Liu Zhiluo, who has entered the age of antiquity, and Cao Shuliang, a ninety-year-old man, were talking about the past with several young descendants under the big banyan tree at the entrance of Caohou Village.

After Liu Zhiluo finished telling the poignant story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, which expresses love, he stood up and stretched his hands and feet, and just wanted to sit down, he suddenly saw Shaozhou Thorn Shi Weiju, sitting in a sedan chair, followed by dozens of entourage officials, walking on the main road.

Liu Zhiluo said: "Another dignitary has come to find the Sixth Ancestor Master. ”

Cao Shuliang glanced at it and said, "Oh, this is the sedan chair of our Shaozhou Thorn Shiwei." Master Wei is a good official, especially sympathetic to the people. ”

Liu Zhiluo said: "Oh, it's the parents! However, the Sixth Patriarch Master did not even accept the emperor's invitation, let alone slap these magnates. ”

They watched Wei Ju and his entourage walk towards Baolin Temple. Wei Ju, surrounded by his entourage, came to the guest hall of Baolin Temple.

God will hurry to the abbot and ask the master to come forward to greet the parents.

After a while, Fada and Fahai walked in serving Huineng.

Wei Ju stood up and bowed: "Master." ”

Huineng returned the salute and said: "Lord Wei came to our temple, and he was not welcomed. ”

Wei Ju said: "The lower officials didn't dare to alarm the master's law driver, so they took the liberty to come without notification. ”

Huineng motioned and said, "Lord Wei, please take a seat." God will, look at the tea. ”

After taking a seat, Huineng said, "Lord Wei is busy with official business, how can he have the leisure to come to Caoxi?" ”

"Don't hide it from the master, the disciple came today to pay a visit to you, the living Bodhisattva, and listen to the sound of the Dharma; Second, I want to invite the six ancestors to go down the mountain and go to the Dafan Temple in Shaozhou City to teach Buddhism. ”

Fahai interjected: "Master Wei doesn't know, my master is very old, and he has been unwell recently, and I am afraid that the saddle horse will be tired and difficult, which will hinder the Dharma body. ”

"This ......," Wei Ju looked at Hui Neng, and then said, "The master is not in good health, and the matter of refusing the emperor's edict has also been heard by the lower officials. But ......"

Huineng said, "Master Wei, you don't have to be embarrassed, if you have any doubts about the Dharma, please bring it up, and the poor monks will do their best to discuss it with the adults." ”

Wei Ju said: "If the lower official is alone, how dare he disturb the master's Qing cultivation? It was the monks of Dafan Temple and the people of Shaozhou who entrusted the officials to come...... Forget it, the master's body matters. I'll wait for another date ......."

Huineng interrupted him: "Lord Wei, what's wrong with the monks of Dafan Temple and the people of Shaozhou?" ”

Wei Ju said: "Xiaguan was entrusted by the believers inside and outside Shaozhou City to ask the master to explain the law. In the Dafan Temple, more than 1,000 monks and laymen from all over the world have gathered. ”

Huineng immediately said: "Why didn't you say it earlier!" Fada, you can pack for me, and ...... tomorrow morning No, not tomorrow, but now! Let's go, go to Shaozhou right away! ”

Wei Ju hurriedly stopped: "Rushing overnight, it's too tiring master." Morning and evening are not bad for this half a day. ”

Huineng said: "Life lies between breaths, and we still grasp the moment." Besides, one day of 1,000 believers is equivalent to three years for one person! Say no more, let's go! ”

When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng arrived at Shaozhou Dafan Temple that day, it was already nightfall. In the Dafan Temple, there are many monks and laymen, and they are crowded. In front of the main hall, a high altar of preaching was erected.

Wei Ju and more than 30 other officials also came here and stood solemnly in front of the altar with monks and lay believers. Suddenly, the bells and drums rang out in unison, and the master of the Dafan Temple sang loudly: "Respectfully invite Master Shanghui and Xia Neng!" ”

Huineng was dressed in a red ancestral robe, full of energy, and stepped up to the altar covered with a thick velvet blanket. Everyone under the altar held their breath and clasped their hands, standing respectfully and solemnly, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Seeing that Hui Neng was seated, Vena gently knocked on the chime and led everyone to pray! "Nan Wu Six Ancestor Master!"

Huineng greeted all the monks and laymen in the audience. The robe on his body shimmered with multicolored light. When everyone was surprised, Huineng's morning bell-like voice was already echoing in the audience:

"Good knowledge, human nature is pure and unblemished. As long as this nature can be revealed, one can directly become a Buddha. This pure nature, which all of you have, is simply because you are confused in your hearts and cannot realize yourself, so that you are unable to live and die without liberation. ”

When the audience heard that they all had Buddha nature, and that they could become Buddhas with a clear mind, they felt fresh and excited, and their attention was more concentrated.

Huineng continued, "Now, I will explain to you the Dharma of Mahaprajnaparamita, which is the Dharma of Great Wisdom to the Other Side. ”

The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng paused slightly, and spat out a witty remark: "All the writings in the world, as well as the twelve scriptures of the Great and Small Theravada and the Three Tibets, were created by people and were designed for people. If there is no wisdom of the human heart, there will be no ten thousand laws. Since all the laws come from the heart, why don't we see our true nature from our own hearts? Therefore, all the good dharmas in the world are also in human nature, and there is no need to seek them outside. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no difference between Buddhas and sentient beings, the key is enlightenment and non-enlightenment. If you are deluded by nature, you are sentient beings; If you are self-enlightened, all beings are Buddhas. Therefore, as long as your mind can be free from attachment to everything in the world, and you don't care about taking or giving up, then you will be able to see the nature of your mind and become a Buddha! ”

Everyone had never heard of this kind of Dharma in simple terms and clear to them, and they were both amazed and amazed by their hearts. They bowed with joy and gave thanksgiving.

Huineng went on to say, "Buddha, is not mysterious. It can be said that the compassion of all of you is Guanyin Bodhisattva; Giving up greed and giving generously is the general trend to the Bodhisattva; To be able to purify one's mind is Shakyamuni Buddha; Fairness and integrity are Amitabha. ”

The audience was even more excited. Huineng glanced at the audience and said, "Most of the people who came to listen to the Fa today are lay believers. I would like to solemnly tell you that to study the Dharma, to become enlightened and Zen, you can do it at home, and you don't necessarily have to be a monk. If you practice sincerely at home, you can still see your mind and achieve the Buddha's path. ”

After Wei Ju bowed for ten years, he asked, "Master, I would like you to give me detailed instructions on how to practice at home." ”

Huineng said: "I will say the first "Wuxiang Verse" for everyone, as long as you practice according to this, it is like being with the Buddha every day; If you don't practice in this way, even if you shave your head and become a monk, it won't do you any good. Listen to me. ”

Huineng's voice is like spring breeze and rain, moistening people's hearts:

What is the use of practicing meditation when the mind is peaceful, and what is the use of practicing meditation.

Kindness honors parents, and righteousness brings pity to each other.

Let the humble and harmonious, and endure the evil.

If you can drill wood to make fire, the silt will give birth to red lotus.

The bitter mouth is good medicine, and the bad ear is the good word.

Reform will give birth to wisdom, and protect the short-hearted non-virtuous.

Daily use is often beneficial, and enlightenment is not due to money.

Bodhi only seeks from the heart, and He Lao seeks the mystery from the outside.

I heard that according to this practice, the West is only in the present.

The Divine Society, which has always been inseparable from the master, made an exception and did not follow the master Huineng to Shaozhou Dafan Temple. Because, he was going to a farther place - Xijing Chang'an to be ordained. As the years passed, he had grown from a naughty little novice to a personable young monk.

After he went north to Xijing to receive full ordination, on the way back to Caoxi, he came to the Qingyuan Mountain Jingju Temple in Jizhou, Jiangxi Province, where the elder brother Xingsi was abbot.

At this time, Qingyuan Xingsi's "Luling Rice Price" public case had already caused a sensation in the Zen forest, and countless monks were vying to investigate. In the history of Zen Buddhism, this public case had a great influence, and it is still often studied by Zen scholars today.

With his profound understanding and exquisite Zen method, Xingsi eventually became a great master. Therefore, there were people in history who made him the Seven Patriarchs of Zen Buddhism.

Back then, when the Little God Society arrived at Cao Xi, Xingsi had already left, so he didn't know him. Xing Si asked, "Where are you from?" ”

God would proudly reply, "I'm from Cao Xi." ”

Cao Xi is the place where Xingsi has been tempered by Master Huineng, who has escaped from life and death, become holy, and become enlightened; Caoxi is a holy place in the hearts of Zen monks all over the world! Xingsi couldn't help but raise his head and glance at the young monk.

Caoxi is the hometown of Zen and the source of Zen. The Zen monks who came from there must have been soaked in the nourishment of Zen, right? Therefore, Xingsi asked, "What did you bring with you?" ”

Of course, the Divine Society knew that the senior brother was not asking for gifts, but just like the Sixth Patriarch had asked him at the beginning. Like seeing your own nature? The original comes from nature, and there is no form and no phase, how to express it? Then God would stand up and shake his body to show that there was nothing.

However, Xingsi did not approve and said with a smile: "Still with bricks and rubble!" ”

It comes from sex, and there is nothing. The reason why God shakes his body is because he also thinks that there is a self-nature. And this, in Xingsi's view, is rags, garbage, bricks and tiles!

The god was clever enough to immediately understand that he was a spirit turtle dragging its tail—and although it covered up its crawling tracks, it left the marks of its tail sweeping back and forth. After all, he is young and temperamental, and he never forgets to be competitive. So, he immediately asked, "Could it be that the great monk has real gold here for people to give here?" ”

The Divine Society is using real gold as a metaphor for the Dharma. However, it would be a mistake to think of the Dharma as a fixed, concrete, tangible thing.

Because the teachings of the Buddha are spiritual, lively, and random—they are convenient to teach according to the root of sentient beings, so there are infinite methods.

The Buddha is a great physician and will prescribe different medicines according to the different conditions and constitutions of each patient. At the same time, there is no distinction between the Dharma and the Dharma, let alone the noble and the lowly. Buddhism is to administer medicine according to illness, as long as the symptoms are right, a piece of grass is the best medicine.

Therefore, Xing Si lifted his weight lightly and said softly: "If there is, where do you want to put it?" ”

Yes, although the gold dust is expensive, it is eye-catching; Although the Dharma is wonderful, persistence becomes a disease.

From this, the gods will know the depth and mystery of the Zen Sea, and the waves are magnificent. After he returned to Cao Xi, he carefully read the Tripitaka and asked Master for advice on six major questions. Under the enlightenment of the Sixth Ancestor Huineng, he finally understood it and became completely enlightened.

Later, in order to establish the style and orthodoxy of the Southern Sect, the Shenhui directly stated that "the Northern Sect Master is the side, the Dharma is gradual, the Shenxiu is the side, the descendant is the sixth ancestor Huineng, and the Dharma is Dun".

From his forties to his eighties, the Shenhui continued to confront Master Shenxiu's disciple Pu Shan, and it can be said that for the sake of his master, he had long put life and death aside.

There is a poem cloud:

Looking for monks occasionally goes into the mountains, and the green chime and red fish are not in love.

The green bamboo also follows people's meanings, and the wind comes to accompany the sound of reading the scriptures.

It has been unfatal, and the affection is only owed to the ancestor Zen.

Thousands of Buddhas in the Great Compassion Hall are empty to the world.

The deep affection of the Shenhui is only to repay the six ancestors Huineng, and his wish is only to promote the Dun sect of the Southern Sect. Therefore, the life of the Shenhui was until Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty established Nanzong as orthodox, and finally fulfilled his wish. Therefore, when we read the history of Zen Buddhism now, we can't help but have a high respect for the Shinkai, a generation of eminent monks.