Huineng grinned and said, "In this way, when I meet you in this life, it can be regarded as a meeting in the mountains and rivers?"

"Exactly, exactly. The two of us are a natural match," the fifth ancestor patted the wooden oar, and said, "I have been coming and going in the river since I was a child, and you can't count on my back for water kung fu such as paddling and rocking." ”

Huineng insisted: "Even if my kung fu is not as good as yours, it stands to reason that I should still be the one who will swing you across the row." ”

The fifth ancestor also insisted: "Huineng apprentice, as the ancestor, I should cross you to the other side, how can there be a reason for you to cross me?" ”

Huineng whispered: "Master, this time you are wrong again. ”

The fifth ancestor shook the oars and said, "August ago, you just arrived at Dongchan Temple, and as soon as you met me, you said that I was wrong. Now, it seems that it is the last time we will meet in our lives, why do you say that I am wrong?"

Huineng said solemnly: "When I am mistaken, the master will save me; Now, when I'm enlightened, I'm going to take care of myself. ”

When Huineng speaks the word "degree", his voice is particularly heavy.

Fifth Ancestor: "Ah, do you spend it yourself?"

Huineng explained: "Although the name of the 'degree' I am talking about is the same, the meaning it contains is different. I was born in the South, grew up in a remote and isolated mountainous area, and I spoke incorrectly. Thanks to the Master for teaching the mind. Now I'm enlightened. You shouldn't just rely on the Master, but you should live for yourself. You have often taught us that life is a sea of suffering, and there are eight sufferings. All living beings. It's hard to help yourself. You have told us again and again that the Buddha saves all sentient beings, and all sentient beings save themselves!"

"That's right, that's right!" The five ancestors saw the mystery of Huineng's Zen language. Hidden ambition is far-reaching. Knowing that his meditation had reached the highest level, a rare smile appeared on his face. frequently bowed his head and took the initiative to hand over the wooden oar to Huineng.

Huineng had never shaken the oar, but just now he saw the action of the five ancestors shaking the oar, and he remembered it in his heart. He is younger than the Fifth Ancestor and has great strength, so he is no worse than the Fifth Ancestor when he shakes the oar.

The boat carried the five and six ancestors of Zen Buddhism, facing the wind of the hunting river. Cut through the turbulent waves, and shoot towards the south bank of the Yangtze River.

The flickering lights in Jiujiang City on the other side are getting closer and closer.

The Fifth Ancestor praised: "Ah, your oars are also shaking well. ”

Huineng said bluntly: "I have learned your rocking movements in my heart just now." ”

The Fifth Ancestor sneered and said, "I didn't expect you to shake the oar. The boat went forward as if it were flying. ”

Huineng made a pun: "Take the oar from your hand." I took on the task of cutting through the waves and moving the boat forward. ”

The Five Patriarchs are full of heartfelt feelings: "Indeed, it is the important task of promoting Buddhism and Zen Buddhism in the future. It's up to you. Notice. The wind and clouds on the road to propagate the Dharma are changing, and the waves are fierce!"

Huineng: "The apprentice understands the responsibility on his shoulders. ”

The boat broke the waves, and the five ancestors thought of something, and teased: "In the past, the ancestors of Bodhidharma crossed the river with a reed. Tonight, two ancestors crossed the river. ”

Huineng: "Two ancestors crossing the river?"

"I am the Fifth Ancestor, and you are the Sixth Ancestor. The boat is carrying the two of us, what is it if this is not the two ancestors crossing the river?" After the fifth ancestor finished speaking, he laughed.

Huineng had never seen the Fifth Ancestor have such a bright smile.

Indeed, when a satisfactory virtuous person was selected to inherit the Buddha's initiation lamp, the big stone in his heart was finally put down, how could he not make the five ancestors laugh openly?

Between the master and the apprentice, the boat has reached the other side.

After going ashore, Huineng knelt on the ground and thanked the five ancestors repeatedly.

The fifth ancestor solemnly said: "I have a premonition that I will pass away soon after we are separated by this riverside. You're now heading south, and you're going well. But there's one thing you must remember. ”

Huineng: "Which point?"

The Fifth Patriarch instructed: "You must first find a place to hide, avoid the hustle and bustle, cultivate your nature in the mountains, cultivate your mind and enlightenment, and don't come out too early to preach the Dharma; Because the Dharma arises out of difficulty, and the more difficult it is, the better. Remember, the time for you to make a big difference isn't yet there. ”

Huineng: "Master's golden and jade words should be remembered in your heart." ”

After the two separated, Huineng stood by the river, facing the river breeze, looking at the ferry boat taken by the five ancestors to return to the other side, and his figure was drowned in the thick night.

Only then did Huineng let go of his stride, headed towards the south, and flew to Li.

The road in front of this future Buddha is full of thorns and wind......

24-year-old Lu Huineng never imagined that Master Hongren would pass on the robe that Patriarch Bodhidharma brought from India to symbolize the heart seal of the Buddha Shakyamuni. With tears in his eyes, he fell prostrate on the ground, and said in a choked voice: "Master, when I first came to Dongshan Temple to seek the Dharma, it was because I longed for complete liberation in my heart, not to be the Sixth Patriarch. The reason why I wrote the inscription on the south corridor was because I felt that the people who sat on the throne did not comprehend their own nature, so they expressed their opinions. Therefore, I ......"

Master Hongren picked him up, helped him to sit on the Dharma seat he sat on every day, and then said solemnly: "A Zen person's mind should be as broad and broad as the sky, and his heart should be as bright as the sun and the moon. Huineng, you must know that Zen practitioners pursue the true meaning of life in the universe, not only for their own liberation, but also to enlighten others and go to the great road together. ”

Huineng nodded: "Master, I understand this truth. King Jizo Bodhisattva said, "If I don't go to hell, who will go to hell?" It expresses the mind of those who study Buddhism and practice meditation. However, I am a firewood boy ......"

"What's wrong with the firewood?" Master Hongren stood up, waved his arms majestically and said, "Although you have done firewood fighting, you have already seen your mind, just like holding the Tai'a Sword in your hand, and all the vines will be broken with a wave!" And the wisdom that erupts in the mind of a Zen practitioner after enlightenment is unimaginable to anyone in the world. For example, your song is like the first roar of a lion, and it will be sung through the ages. So, you don't have to be presumptuous. ”

Hearing what the master said, the uneasiness in Huineng's heart was swept away, and he kowtowed to the master again, saying, "The teacher's teachings, Huineng will never forget for the rest of his life. I will do my best to carry forward the teachings of the Don teachings, to purify all sentient beings, and to magnify my Buddha's original desire to help the world and save people. Master Hongren nodded and said, "Sit down and listen to me." ”

Master Hongren slowly recited: "If there is affection to plant, the cause and effect will be reborn." There is no species, no sex, no life. ”

Huineng clasped his hands together: "Thank you, Master, for your teachings." ”

Master Hongren pointed to the robe on Huineng's body and said: "When Patriarch Bodhidharma first came to my Central Plains, in order to prove that Zen Buddhism was passed down by the Buddha Shakya, he used this robe as a token and passed it down from generation to generation. Zen Buddhism is the heart-to-heart exchange, induction, and communication, making good use of opportunities to trigger self-enlightenment among disciples. Since ancient times, the Buddhas have taught only the original mind, the ancestors of the past generations have secretly taught the understanding of self-nature, the real Buddha is formless and formless, this robe is a tangible thing, easy to cause disputes between right and wrong, starting from you, only pass on the mind, no longer pass on the tangible mantle. ”

Huineng nodded: "The disciple remembers." ”

Master Hongren also said: "The ancestors of the past generations have passed on the Dharma, and their lives are like hanging threads, which is very dangerous. Now, the mantle of Zen Buddhism has been passed to you, and you are too young, your practice is short, your qualifications are too shallow, and your status is low, I am afraid that it will be difficult to convince the public. Therefore, leave quickly, lest you be killed. ”

Huineng stood up and asked, "Where should the disciple go?" Master Hongren said: "You go to the riverside post to take a boat across the Yangtze River, all the way to the south, stop when you encounter a place with the word 'Huai', and hide immediately when you encounter a place with the word 'hui'." ”

Huineng said embarrassedly: "I am from Lingnan, I have just been here for more than eight months, I have never been out of the mountain gate, and I am not familiar with the mountain roads here, how can I get to Jiujiangyi?" ”

Master Hongren smiled and said, "You are my beloved disciple, how can I be willing to leave you alone?" Don't worry, I'll give you a ride myself. Master Hongren led Huineng to quietly leave Dongshan Temple at night. The master and apprentice ran together, went down the Shuangfeng Mountain under the cover of night, and saw the streamer-like water of the Yangtze River in the distance. The moon shines on the river white, and the waves carry a thousand miles of light. In the bleak night, the two of them walked quickly and went straight to the bank of the Yangtze River.

The stars hang down and the plains are wide, and the moon swells and the rivers flow. The Yangtze River shrouded in hazy moonlight is becoming more and more magnificent, with surging undercurrents and rolling turbid waves, an unknown mystery and an unknown vastness.

The fifth ancestor Hongren master took Huineng to the riverside, the lively and bustling ferry port during the day, at the moment it was cold and lonely, and they were greeted only by the sound of the river tide hitting the embankment.

The sound of the waves murmured that the night was quiet, and the wild ferry was unmanned and self-sufficient. In a reed bush on the shore, they found an ownerless boat. Master Hongren went to untie the ship's cable, and Huineng smiled inexplicably.

Master Hongren didn't look up and said, "Untie the cable, what's so ridiculous?" ”

Huineng said with a smile: "Untie the cable, there is nothing to laugh about, but the monk untying the cable makes people laugh." Because you are a high-ranking monk and a generation of patriarchs, you even steal other people's boats. ”

Master Hongren also smiled: "You, poor mouth, violated the precepts, you should be beaten." The tense air that originally shrouded the minds and bodies of the two of them was much more relaxed.

Huineng pulled the boat to the shore and asked the master to get on the boat, and he pushed the boat into the water. Master Hongren said meaningfully: "The boat is the convenience of ferrying people, after people cross the river, pedestrians go by themselves, and the boat naturally stays on the riverside." ”

Huineng bowed and said, "Master Xie for your guidance." ”

Master Hongren pretended to be confused: "What did I point out to you?" Huineng said, "Master is telling me that the Dharma is a boat that ferries people, and you can't cling to the boat before the transition, and after the transition, you can't be burdened by the boat and carry the boat ashore." So, the Dharma is the ferry that helps us to cross the river of birth and death and reach the other side of enlightenment. We must not cling to it, we must not cling to it, we must know how to get rid of it in time and abandon it. ”

The fifth ancestor nodded, took out the oar from the cabin, and was just about to row, when Huineng grabbed it: "Master, you led me on a long mountain road, I'm tired, please rest for a while, disciple come to row." ”

Master Hongren smiled mysteriously: "I am the master, and I should be the one who will save you." Hui Neng also smiled heartily: "When I was confused, it was the master who saved me." Now that the disciple is enlightened, it is time to save himself. ”

Master Hongnin sat down with a smile. While paddling, Hui Neng said meaningfully: "It is the same degree, but the role of the master to save the disciple and the disciple to save himself is different. Huineng grew up in the uncivilized Lingnan, with an improper accent, and thanks to the teachings of the Master, he has now become enlightened and realized the nature of his own nature, so he should live by himself. ”

Master Hongren laughed heartily and frequently bowed his head and said, "Extremely, extremely." Their own troubles are cut off by themselves, and their own life and death are their own. Participating in meditation is like eating and drinking, and no one can replace each other. The so-called master can only point out the direction for people to move forward, and whether they can reach the other side of immortality can only depend on each person's own self-determination. In the future, it is up to you for Zen Buddhism to flourish. ”

The boat is leisurely, the fishing fire is lit, the big river goes east, and the moonlit night is long. The waves are rolling like clouds, and the moon is sparkling like a boat. Huineng shook the pulp quickly, and the little boat shot like an arrow towards the other side - Jiangzhou - ......