The sixth ancestor Huineng and his childhood friend Chen Ah Si finally reunited, and after saying goodbye, he returned to the abbot and fell seriously ill.

In the abbot of Baolin Temple, he leaned on the quilt on the bed, listening to Fahai, who had just returned from Lechang, tell about the disaster relief:

The 300,000 taels of treasury money allocated by the imperial court for the construction of the temple have all been purchased with grain, together with the food and clothing donated by the monks of the temples, and have been transported to the disaster area......

After the heavy rains, the drought has been lifted and the victims are rushing to plant crops. This natural disaster has finally been resisted.

After listening to Fahai's account of the disaster relief situation, Sixth Ancestor Huineng's brows just stretched for a moment, and suddenly, he shivered, was stunned for a while, and two lines of clear tears flowed down.

Fahai said, "Master, are you still sad for Uncle Yingyin? O sad God, Master! Since you got seriously ill, your health has not been as good as before, but you have to mourn. ”

Huineng said: "I'm crying for your Shenxiu uncle." You are a beautiful uncle, and you are lonely in the capital. ”

Fahai was stunned: "Master, when did you receive the murderous news?" ”

"Just now. I was in a trance just now, and I already felt it. Between heaven and earth, all living beings migrate, you come and go, life and death are impermanent! Fahai, you go and summon Fada and them to the Mahavira Temple. ”

In the Daxiong Treasure Hall, the ten disciples of Fahai, Fada, Zhicheng, Zhiche, Zhidao, Zhichang, Zhitong, Fazhen, Faru, and Shenhui were arranged in two rows, and Huineng passed through the middle of them and sat on the Dharma seat.

Huineng looked at the disciples one by one, and said slowly: "Just now, we sacrificed to Master Shenxiu. I know that the Northern Chan sects think that I am a deviant and a heresy. There are also many of you who look down on your Shenxiu Master's Northern Zen. As the teacher of the three emperors, your master Shenxiu is a sect in both capitals, how can you be in vain? It's just that his theory of gradual enlightenment and my epiphany teachings have their own emphasis. The most commendable thing is that you are humble, open-minded, and morally lofty, and you can be a model for our monks! ”

Huineng took a breath and continued: "Your ten disciples, unlike the other disciples, in the future, you will be the same as Xingsi and Huai to let them, each abbot the dojo and promote one side. I want you to remember that those who study Buddhism and practice meditation should eliminate all good and evil thoughts, and only the innate and sufficient self-nature is the unique essence. Disciples of Buddhism should preach the scriptures and teachings on the basis of their true nature, and then establish all sects and sects. What I have said is up to you to know and understand. ”

Fahaidai's disciples replied, "Master, please rest assured, we will definitely follow it in the future." ”

Huineng nodded. Fada took half a step forward, as if something was wrong, and found that Huineng was closing his eyes and meditating, and quietly retreated.

Huineng closed his eyes and said, "Fada, is there anything wrong with you?" ”

Fada said: "My disciples have heard that some people accuse us of heresy in Zen Buddhism, which says that 'no writing is established, and no teaching is passed on outside the teaching'. How does Master explain this accusation? ”

Huineng opened his eyes and said: "If you don't set up words, you don't want to stick to the classics, not that you don't want the classics. Zen Buddhism focuses on going straight to the heart and emphasizing the wisdom of prajna, and in this sense, the entire Mahayana scriptures are the basis for the establishment of the Zen school. The reason why people accuse us is that some people are clinging to the emptiness of Buddha-nature, and even say that Buddha-nature does not need words. Since there is no need for words, then these people do not need words, because language is also audible words. You know, the word 'not standing' is also a text, or it hasn't left the text! ”

Fada nodded yes. Huineng continued: "Nothing can go to extremes, let alone cling to the superficial phenomena of things. You have to practice according to what I have said, and you must not be oblivious to all things and get in the way of clear mind. If you just listen to the Dharma or recite the Sutras, but don't practice according to the Dharma, it will give rise to more prejudices and evil thoughts. Therefore, you have to practice according to the Dharma and not cling to the superficial appearance of things. If you understand these principles and do and apply them accordingly, you will not depart from the purpose of this door. ”

The mountains and forests are green and yellow, yellow and green, the peach blossoms in the orchard on the side of Baolin Temple bloom and thank, thank you and open, and in the blink of an eye it is the autumn harvest season, and Baolin Temple is full of fruits everywhere. Huineng looked at the ripe fruit of the branch and smiled from the bottom of her heart.

Fahai and Likai (one of Huineng's disciples in his later years) walked over and stood behind him and saluted: "Master." ”

Huineng turned around and shouted happily: "Fahai, Likai, have you returned from Xinzhou?" ”

"Yes, Master. The disciples have just returned to Baoling Monastery. ”

"How's it going?"

Fahai replied: "Fortunately, he did not disgrace his master's life. The pagoda you ordered to be built at Koonji Temple was completed last month. ”

Huineng nodded: "Okay, okay." Fahai, Likai, this year, you supervised the construction of the tower in Xinzhou, and it was hard to complete it early. ”

"The disciple is as it should be." Huineng picked two peaches, carefully wiped off the peach hairs, and handed them to Fahai and Likai.

"Thank you, Master." The two of them gulped.

Huineng looked at them eating peaches, smiled happily, and asked, "Is it sweet?" ”

Fahai said: "Sweet, very sweet. Master, you taste. ”

Huineng smiled, shook his head and said, "Fahai, you said, what makes him happiest about the people who work hard to plant peach trees?" Before Fahai could answer, Huineng had already drifted away.

Dangdangdang...... The bell of Baoling Temple struck the silence of the mountains, and the monks hurriedly gathered in the Daxiong Treasure Hall.

This day is the first day of July in the second year of Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (713 AD). In the main hall, Huineng sat upright on the throne, and hundreds of monks sat quietly. Huineng looked around for a week and said, "I summoned all of you today because I have something important to say. ”

Huineng paused for a moment before continuing: "In July last year, I instructed Fahai and Likai to go to Xinzhou Guoen Temple to build a pagoda, and urged them to complete it by July this year, but many people did not understand. I can tell you now. That pagoda was built by me to repay the kindness of my parents, because the poor monk will die in the next month, that is, in August. ”

All the monks were startled, stunned, as if they had misheard.

Huineng smiled and said, "You don't have to be surprised, while the poor monk is still alive for a month, if you have any questions about your cultivation, hurry up and ask them, and I will answer your questions." ”

The monks could not care to ask questions, and after the shock, there was great sorrow, and they all began to cry bitterly.

Only God will remain silent and will not weep as if nothing had happened.

Zhicheng, who was next to the Shenhui, saw that he was indifferent, and he was angry, punched him hard, and scolded in a low voice: "You conscienceless thing! Usually, Master loves you the most, but now ......"

God would have grinned in pain, but he still didn't cry. Zhicheng just wanted to hit him again, when he heard Master Huineng shouting, "Zhicheng, what are you doing!" What are you all doing? ”

Huineng's majestic gaze patrolled the hall, and the monks' weeping turned into silent sobs.

Huineng said: "Especially Zhicheng, why do you fight the gods?" Although the Divine Society is young, it has already attained the true meaning of Buddhism, which is neither good nor bad, indifferent in the face of life, death, glory and destruction, and neither sad nor happy. None of you have reached that level. I don't know what you have cultivated for many years in the mountains? For whom are you grieving and weeping now? I ask you, did you cry when the Buddha died? When I died again a hundred years later, did you cry? ”

The monks were stunned, and Fahai said, "Master, when the Buddha died more than a thousand years ago, there was no us; And a hundred years from now, there will be no more of you! ”

Huineng said: "Isn't that right! Without you in the past, there will be no me in the future. The world is impermanent, there is life and death, even if it is as expensive as Shakyamuni Buddha, isn't it also perishable? ”

The monks stopped sobbing. Huineng breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "Now I will tell you again that Buddha nature has no birth or death; Didn't come and didn't go. My physical body has changed, but my Buddha-nature body is still the same, essentially lifeless, deadless, non-coming and going. ”

After bowing to the top, Fahai asked, "After Master passes away, who will the mantle be handed over?" ”

The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said: "Since I preached Buddhism in Dafan Temple, the content of what I said has been widely copied by the world, and it is called the "Dharma Treasure Altar Sutra". Fahai, don't you have an exhaustive record? You will teach the Altar Sutra to each other, and the breadth will reach the public. As long as the Dharma is taught according to the Tantra, it is the correct Dharma. As for the mantle, according to the instructions of my master's five ancestors and the meaning of Patriarch Bodhidharma's son, it will no longer be passed on. ”

In order to explain his own basis, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng recited the verses of the Bodhidharma Patriarch:

I was originally in the soil, preaching the Dharma to save the fascination.

A flower passes on five leaves, and the fruit comes naturally.

One flower and five leaves, representing Zen Buddhism in China has been passed on for five generations, to the sixth ancestor Hui Neng, Zen law is flourishing, blooming everywhere, and the fruit is self-contained, so there is no need to pass on the sect with a mantle. When everyone heard this, they all hung their heads silently. In the huge Buddha hall, a layer of silence as fragile as a cicada's wings condensed......

"Wow......" Suddenly, a heart-rending sound suddenly sounded. It was him, a little novice, a little novice named Xiqian.

He is the last little novice to serve the six ancestors after the infant and the divine meeting.

He sat down on the ground and wept.

Fahai came over to coax him: "Xiqian, don't cry." Didn't you hear what the Six Ancestors said? If you cry any more, Master will be unhappy. ”

Xiao Xiqian didn't care about it, and still cried sadly. Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng stepped down from the throne, picked him up, and said while wiping his tears: "Xiao Xiqian, Xiao Xiqian, you see that everyone is not sad anymore, why are you crying?" ”

Xiao Xiqian's head rested on the shoulder of the Sixth Ancestor Huineng, and he whimpered and said, "Master, you can't die!" What will I do if you die? Who will I study with in the future? ”

Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng put Xi Qian down, held his little face with both hands and said, "Xi Qian, Xi Qian, isn't your name 'Xi Qian'?" ”

Although Xi Qian heard the meaning of Master's words, he was too young to know the meaning, and said in confusion: "Master, this Dharma name of mine was given to me by you yourself when you shaved me a few years ago!" ”

Sixth Ancestor Huineng nodded. Xiao Xiqian reluctantly tugged at the placket of the Sixth Ancestor Huineng's clothes and said, "Master, after you pass away, who should I rely on and who should I follow to practice meditation?" ”

Sixth Ancestor Huineng smiled slightly, and replied with three of the most concise words: "Think about it!" ”

Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng let go of Xi Qian and said to Fahai: "Fahai, you go to Shaozhou to prepare a ship." I'm going home. ”

The next morning, when the sun had just risen in the east, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng carried the water and took a small monk to plant a plum tree on the small hill as a mark.

Zen Master Xuanqing led all the monks of Xiaonneng to the Xijiang River and saw them off to the six ancestors Huineng.

The light boat they took crossed the Xijiang River and went up the Xinxing River.

Clear green water, dotted white sails, veins and green mountains, bright wildflowers, deep blue sky, patches of white clouds...... Everything is so natural, so beautiful. Even the old figure of Huineng, who is on the bow of Zhuoli's boat, also melts into this harmonious nature.

On both sides of the way, the mountains are stacked in the distance, and the clouds come out of Xiu; Nearby, phoenix bamboos are swaying, and flowers are clustered.

The sixth ancestor Hui Neng stood on the bow of the boat, but he had no intention of watching the beautiful scenery, but he just returned to his heart like an arrow, looking forward to his hometown under the white clouds.

Two days later, the sixth ancestor Huineng returned to his hometown of Xinzhou.