"Ah, I see!" Zhicheng scratched his ears and cheeks excitedly, "Originally, although I always wanted to use meditation to subdue my delusions, the more I tried to subdue, the more delusions I had. Even if we forcibly meditate on the mind, we can temporarily eliminate delusions, but it is like holding a weed with a stone and not uprooting it, and when we don't meditate, it will come out again. ”

Huineng chanted: Draw a knife to cut the water and the water will flow more, and raise a glass to eliminate sorrow and sorrow. The fallen leaves have their own breeze to sweep, and the weather is cool and the moon is bright in autumn.

Zhicheng said: "We have already understood these things by doing what we want, letting go of nature, and not sticking to the form of practice, but why do you say that opening up the wasteland is zazen? ”

Huineng replied: "To keep the mind pure, so that it is not affected by the concept of right and wrong, is 'meditation' – the meditation of the mind; When the mind is purified and self-knowledge of one's own nature is attached, one enters the realm of Zen. Isn't this zazen? Moreover, which is more suitable for the work of moving on the outside and being quiet on the inside, or the practice of sitting quietly on the surface all day long? You know, when I was in Dongchan Temple, I didn't meditate, but walked on the mill for eight months, scooped rice for eight months, and realized the true meaning of Buddhism in my daily life. That's why the Fifth Ancestor handed over the mantle to me! ”

Huineng was afraid that they wouldn't remember it well, so he said a popular one:

The Dharma is in the world, and it is not separated from the world.

Leaving the world to find Bodhi is just like asking for a rabbit's horns.

Under the teaching of the six ancestors Hui Neng, these Zen monks have been exposed to the ears and eyes, and have formed a Zen style that is not informal, and everywhere is attentive. As a result, many monks who abandoned their homes and careers to study Buddhism and Zen meditation were pushed into the fields by Huineng to serve the crops. And one by one, they willingly feel at ease with productive labor. Under the training of Huineng, in the daily labor, they gradually got the nourishment of Zen Yue and experienced the subtlety of Zen.

Clear mind, enlightenment and Buddhahood, this is the foundation.

Three months after Zhicheng came to Caoxi, one night, he wandered in front of Huineng's door. He was very conflicted, and tried to knock on the door several times, but then retreated.

Finally, he stepped aside, bowed silently to the northern starry sky, and said to himself, "Master, forgive the disciple for not being able to complete the task you have given him. I think I am sincere, and the purpose of becoming a monk is to seek the Dharma. The Zen style of the six ancestors is clear on the outside and on the inside, and it is imprinted with my heart. Only by worshipping him as a teacher and being nurtured by his old man can he see his ...... mind."

Zhicheng no longer hesitated and pushed open the door of the abbot's room. As soon as he stepped into the room, he heard Huineng's voice inside: "It's Zhicheng, right?" Come on in. ”

Zhicheng was shocked: The sixth ancestor sat on the futon and didn't open his eyes, how do you know that it's me?

He walked up to Hui Neng, knelt down and said, "The Sixth Ancestor is merciful, the disciple originally studied Buddhism from Master Shenxiu of Yuquan Temple in Dangyang Mountain, but failed to become enlightened. Now that I have listened to what you said a few times, my heart has brightened up a lot, and it is really in line with my heart! I hope you don't dislike me, give me more advice, and enlighten me. ”

Huineng and Fahai, who was standing on the side, looked at each other and smiled: "I already knew that you were here to eavesdrop on my Zen method." ”

Fahai said: "The eyes of the six ancestors are open to the sky, and the wisdom is like a mirror. Before you entered the Baoling Temple, his old man already knew where you came from. ”

Zhicheng said with trepidation: "It turns out that the master has long known Zhicheng's intentions, but he still teaches the Fa as usual, his mind is really as vast as the void, and his heart is as clear as the sun and the moon. ”

Huineng pretended to be serious and said, "You are from Yuquan Temple, and you have a special mission, you should be regarded as a spy!" ”

Zhicheng said: "I am not a spy. ”

"Why not?"

"Before it is stated, it can be said that it is; Now that I've made it clear to you, it's not. Zhicheng replied quite alertly, and after speaking, he bowed and sat down with peace of mind. Such a question and answer is not only wonderful, but also contains infinite Zen opportunities.

The six ancestors have a stick to drink, enlightenment, enlightenment and non-understanding, and what they have realized, such as people drinking water, knowing themselves whether they are warm or cold.

Zhicheng kowtowed to Huineng three more times, which can be regarded as an official visit. Huineng asked him to sit beside him, first asked some about Shenxiu's body and daily life, and then cut to the chase and asked, "Zhicheng, your master, Senior Brother Shenxiu, how do you usually teach you?" ”

Zhicheng replied, "Master has always taught us that we should stay in one place and contemplate the state of tranquility. He urged us to meditate every day and asked everyone to practice the kung fu of 'not falling into order'. ”

When Huineng heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head and said, "Forcibly stopping one's mind in one place in order to attain a state of tranquility is a kind of meditation disease, not a real meditation experience." Sitting day and night without lying down not only has nothing to do with the realization of Zen, but also damages the body! ”

After speaking, Huineng was afraid that he would not understand, so he recited a poem:

Born to sit and not to sit, and dead to lie and not to sit. A stinky bone, what is a homework?

Yes, the practice of Zen is about the mind, so why can't you get along with the body?

Zhicheng was convinced, prostrate on the ground, and bowed to the six ancestors again. He was so excited that he was a little stumbling when he spoke: "Brother, disciple, I have followed Master Shenxiu to participate in Zen meditation for nine years, but I have never been able to enter the Zen machine. When I came to Cao Xi, I listened to the teachings of the Six Ancestors, and immediately understood my true heart. The disciple knows that life and death are very important, and the master is compassionate, please explain the Dharma to me in detail. ”

Hui Neng always cleverly ignited according to the foundation of the monk, so that he could enter the pivot in the fastest way. Therefore, he wanted to find out the specific situation of Zhicheng first. He said: "Buddhism is nothing more than the three learnings of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Master Shenxiu, how did you get you to practice precepts, concentration, and wisdom? ”

"Master Shenxiu said that 'do not do all evil' is called 'precept', 'all good practices' are called 'wisdom', and 'self-purification of one's mind' is 'determination'."

This traditional teaching, as early as Hui Neng's prediction, faintly flashed a mysterious smile on his face.

"Do not do all evil, do all good, and purify one's will, which is all Buddhism." This is a poem spoken by the Buddha Shakyamuni himself. It can be said that these few words, 16 words, highly summarize the essence of the whole Dharma. And Master Shenxiu makes it correspond to precepts, concentration, and wisdom, which can also be said to be just right, and is the best expression of traditional Nyorai Zen. If you practice the Dharma, step by step, you can also achieve enlightenment. However, what the Sixth Patriarch Huineng founded and advocated was the epiphany method of "Super Buddha and Yue Zu", so the "South and North Show" of "South and North Show" thus drew a boundary.

Zhicheng was keenly aware that the mysterious smile on the face of the Sixth Ancestor had an extraordinary meaning. He asked shrewdly, "I don't know what method you use to teach your disciples, Sixth Ancestor?" ”

Huineng said, "If I say that there is any special method that I can teach everyone, I am deceiving you. Because, there is no fixed law. I'm just teaching each person flexibly according to his root apparatus and using the corresponding method to release his spiritual shackles. This improvisation method has no name, but borrows a pseudonym for 'samadhi'. What your master said about precepts, concentration, and wisdom is very different from my understanding. ”

Zhicheng was puzzled: "There should be only one kind of precept and wisdom in Buddhism, how can there be a difference?" ”

Hui Neng explained, "The precepts and wisdom that your master said are the people of the Mahayana root nature; When I speak of precept wisdom, I am leading to the best of people. Everyone's comprehension is different, so there is a difference between fast and slow insight. The teachings I preach never leave the nature of human beings, and if I talk about the Dharma without my own nature, it is just empty preaching, and I will not get any practical benefits from it. You must know that all the dharmas arise from their own nature, and this is the true teachings of precept and wisdom. ”

With a soft voice, Hui Neng sang softly: The heart is nothing more than self-nature precepts, the heart is free of foolishness and self-nature wisdom, the heart is free from chaos and self-determination, does not increase or decrease from Vajra, and the body goes to the body to come to the samadhi.

Zhicheng listened to the words, like bathing in the spring breeze, like an initiation, just like nectar moisturizing, and his heart was full of smart emptiness...... Where is that? Is it a mother's true calling? Or is it the baptism of the soul by the creation of heaven and earth......

The voice of the Sixth Ancestor stopped abruptly. Suddenly, Zhicheng's heart suddenly lit up, and years of confusion disappeared - he was completely enlightened! Zhicheng was so excited that he couldn't speak: "I understand, I finally understand!" It's really Cao Xi's words, better than Dangyang for decades! ”

After coming out of the abbot, Zhicheng knelt down facing the north and muttered to the brilliant starry sky: "Master, the disciple has lived up to your expectations, I want to stay with the Sixth Ancestor, stay in Cao Xi, and never return." Do you understand......"

Thousands of miles away in Dangyang Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou, Master Shenxiu suddenly felt a palpitation at this time. He thought for a moment and asked Ying Yin, who was standing on the left, "It's been a few months since Zhicheng left, right?" ”

Shadow Hide calculated and replied, "Yes, it's been three months." Master, where the hell has he gone, and why hasn't he come back? ”

Master Shenxiu shook his head and sighed: "Alas, if you don't come back, you just come back." ”

"Master, I don't understand what you're talking about."

Master Shenxiu still said: "He, although the person did not come back, the reason why he did not come back came back. It seems that my decades of cultivation are still embarrassing! I'm old too......"

Ying Yin looked confused: "Master, why can't I understand a word of your words today?" ”

"Then say something you can understand: go, you can also go to Lingnan Caoxi. After you go, you will be able to jump over the dragon gate and turn into a soaring dragon like Zhicheng......"

Master Shenxiu felt desolate. Originally, Zhicheng was his special envoy, but he was attracted and moved by Huineng's Zen method of "becoming a Buddha by epiphany", and he willingly surrendered. He was like a little carp that went to test the height of the dragon gate, but after jumping on the dragon gate, he turned into a flying dragon and never looked back.

Zhicheng never returned, which made Master Shenxiu feel more deeply that Huineng's Zen method was indeed better than his own. With his encouragement, several more disciples defected to Caoxi in Lingnan.

The mind is as boundless as the whole of space, and it is one of the characteristics of an enlightened Zen master. Because they do not have the clouds of troubles that envelop their minds, and there is no distinction between "love is taken, and hatred is abandoned", so the three ancestors said that the heart of a Zen practitioner is "the same amount as the void, and there is no debt".