The little god would not know what kind of medicine was sold in the gourd of the six ancestors, so he accepted the lesson of his own cleverness just now, and nodded truthfully.

The Sixth Ancestor said, "Then, now I ask the waiter to bring a snack, I will eat it myself, and then tell you how it feels to eat a snack, will your stomach be full?" ”

How is this possible! The god swallowed once and shook his little head like a merchant's drum.

"In the same way," Hui Neng smiled, and continued, "Now, you yourself are so confused by ignorance that you don't see your own nature, but instead you ask me if you see nature. I can't see sex, I know it myself, how can I dispel the doubts in your heart? If you have seen sex, you can't replace me! You must know that every man eats and everyone is full, and his own life and death are his own. So, the most important thing for you now is to be clear-minded, not to ask me if I can see sex. ”

Huineng's compassionate teachings moved the little gods to weep bitterly. From then on, he stayed by the Master's side and grew up as quickly as a seedling bathing in rain and dew.

One night, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng took his disciples to take a walk on the bank of Cao Creek outside the temple. The sky bends with a moon, and the ground with a stream of water. The moonlight is bright and the heart is silent, and the stream is noisy and quiet.

After all, the little god will be a child's heart, and suddenly pointed to the crooked half moon and said, "Master, look, we go, and the moon follows, like a small boat, rocking and shaking." ”

"What about the half?" Master Huineng suddenly asked. This is a metaphor for Zen with the moon. "That half" refers to Buddha-nature, our bodies are moving, is that half moving?

As a result, the fresh Zen is like an oncoming breeze, slowly blowing the hearts of the disciples...... Huineng pushed the Great Zen Machine to a higher level, and he asked the gods: "Can you point out this half with your fingers, can you point out the other half?" ”

Yes, how can we recognize Buddha-nature? The little god would answer wonderfully: "If you see this half clearly, you will understand that half." ”

Huineng smiled and said: "Little God Society, theoretically you have understood, the key is to show your 'that half'. Things in the world are often like this: there is more reason, but less action. Zen is not a mystical theory, but the true meaning of life, which should run through every moment of daily life. ”

The little god nodded solemnly, silently thinking about something. After a while, he asked Huineng: "Master, the ancients often used the moon as a metaphor for the Zen mind, what 'Zen moon is lonely', 'Zen moon is clear' and so on. I can feel the wonderful mood. But how can you realize your Zen mind like the bright moon? ”

Huineng didn't answer, but pointed to the moon in the sky and said, "Think about it, how can you catch the moon in the sky?" ”

The little god would giggle: "Master, didn't you mean to be embarrassed?" Just ask the world, who can catch the moon in the sky! ”

Huineng actually said, "I can." ”

The little god will naturally be disbelieving. Huineng didn't explain, walked to Cao Xi, held a pool of clear water in both hands, and let the disciples watch.

Sure enough, he had a bright moon in his hand - the moon reflected in the water!

The brilliant Fahai was inspired, and the poetry and Zen heart moved together, and he couldn't help but chant: "Scoop the water and the moon in your hand, and make the flowers and fragrance full of clothes." ”

The Little God Society also exclaimed excitedly, "Master, I understand! Zen is formless, that is, true; Self-nature has no phase, and it appears as you wish. ”

Huineng nodded and said, "We Zen scholars must fully understand the relationship between 'finger' and 'moon', and we can't favor one over the other. ”

The so-called "finger" and "month" are metaphors for language, teachings, and scriptures, and "moon" for Buddhism and Zen. With the guidance of your fingers, it is easy to see the moon in the sky. Zen Buddhism regards the realm of "there is nothing in itself" as the superior, and "all worries are empty" as the supreme virtue. It is advocated that there is no text, no footnotes, and personal confirmation of the appearance, which is the end. It is believed that all the scriptures of speech and teaching are nothing more than for the convenience of showing the opportunity, such as pointing to the moon, so that people can see the moon because of the finger. Truth is revealed by words and teachings, and words and teachings themselves are not reality. However, he also stressed that we must not despise or abandon the teachings of the classics because of this, because after all, it is a tool for the moon.

Huineng and his disciples stopped talking, and sat quietly on the bank of Cao River, admiring the dream-like, real and illusory bright moon in the sky, listening to the real stream flowing, and savoring the wonderful and magical realm......

The artistic conception of Zen can only be understood, not spoken; And the nature of comprehending this realm is even more formless. Therefore, on the way back to the monastery, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng said to his disciples: "I have a thing, it has no head or tail, no name or character, no back and no front, can you all understand what it is?" ”

The Divine Society reacted most intelligently and preemptively said, "This is the origin of all Buddhas, and it is the Buddha nature of the Divine Society. ”

Huineng shouted: "I have already told you that it has no name and no words, why do you still say what origin, what Buddha nature?!" You, you, even if you have a small temple abbot in the future, you will just be a disciple who chews words and seeks understanding in name! ”

Huineng's teachings are so flexible, correcting the biases of his disciples all the time.

God will bow his head and be silent.

Contrary to the direction in which Shenhui originally came to Lingnan, more than a dozen royal treasures carved with dragons and phoenixes, carrying Shenxiu and several important disciples who accompanied him, traveled all the way north from Xiangyang to Luoyang, the eastern capital.

Xu is taboo Li royal family ancestors and ancestors, since ten years ago, Emperor Zetian ascended the throne, has been living in the eastern capital of Luoyang, the original capital Chang'an, as if it has become a companion capital.

Bao Yuan drove all the way into the resplendent palace. Shenxiu got out of the car and was shocked to find that the empress Wu Zetian, who was wearing a golden crown and a python robe, was actually standing outside the Hall of Eternal Life to greet him in person!

After he was stunned for a moment, he just wanted to go forward to meet him, when a two-person sedan chair dedicated to the palace stopped in front of him. Needless to say, he was helped into a small sedan chair and carried straight to the small dojo in the palace. The Empress of Heaven held the sedan chair pole in her hand, led the prince and hundreds of civil and military officials, gathered around the sedan chair of Shenxiu, and walked up the high steps step by step......

Although Shenxiu, who is in his nineties, is well-informed, he still has tears in his eyes and blurs his vision......

Perhaps because she became a nun in her early years, or perhaps because she was influenced by her mother, who believed in Buddhism since childhood, Wu Zetian, the only empress in Chinese history, not only sincerely believed in Buddhism, but also practiced it herself. Even, in a sense, the Huayan Sect, one of the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism, was born with her strong support.

Master Fazang, the founder of Huayan Sect, was inspired by her to write the glorious masterpiece "Golden Lion Chapter".

In the dojo in the palace, Shenxiu was sent to a high throne.

Wu Zetian had already changed into civilian clothes, clasped his hands with the crown prince and other palace guests, and stood solemnly in front of Shenxiu.

Silence, extreme silence. Not only has the noise of the outside world stopped, but even the inner turmoil of the people has completely subsided. And this kind of stillness is not dead silence, not sluggishness, not condensation, but full of vitality. At this time, your heart can clearly feel that there is an undercurrent quietly running......

Suddenly, a sound of heaven came through the sky - it was her, Wu Zetian! As the emperor, she actually sang her improvised verses in person:

The supreme and profound subtle method has been encountered by millions of calamities.

I have seen and heard it now, and I am willing to interpret it as it comes.

From that day on, this poem made by Wu Zetian became the "Opening Sutra", which was printed in front of every scripture, and it was sung before chanting or preaching......

More startling things are yet to come. After the chanting was finished, the Emperor Zetian poured the golden mountain, poured the jade pillar, threw his five bodies to the ground, and knelt under the Shenxiu seat......

Emperor Zetian's piety touched Shenxiu; And Shenxiu's modesty also made Emperor Zetian feel incredible.

Because, Shenxiu said that he was not the most outstanding disciple of the Five Patriarchs Hongren, and the mantle of Zen Buddhism was in Caoxi, Lingnan. He sincerely recommended Master Lao An to the emperor, and also strongly recommended Huineng.

You must know that at the beginning, it was Huineng who snatched the position of the six ancestors that originally belonged to him! You must know that Huineng lives in a remote and remote corner of the southern sky, if it wasn't for Shenxiu's recommendation, the official would not have heard of him at all!