More than 100 years ago, since the Bodhidharma Patriarch sailed, he passed on the Zen mantle that symbolizes the heart seal of the Buddha Shakyamuni to Hui Ke, who in turn passed it on to the monks. And Master Seng Can's discerning eyes and pearls accepted a small novice from the north as a disciple. With a word of opportunity, heart to heart, the 23-year-old Daoxin took on the responsibility of inheriting the Zen bloodline.

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Master Daoxin, who was originally the abbot of the beautiful scenery and humanities of Lushan Dalin Temple, was disgusted with secular entertainment. He looked north at the top of the five old peaks of Lushan Mountain, and found that the purple gas was rising in the mountains on the north bank of the Yangtze River, and auspicious clouds were shrouded. So, he crossed the river to Qizhou Huangmei, which is separated from the Lushan River.

Huangmei stone strange spring white, the forest is quiet, and the mountains are full of lush pine trees. The wind came, the pine waves gusted, and the green waves rolled like the sea; The wind stopped, the green pine was quiet, and it turned into jasper. What's even more amazing is that two steep peaks rise from the ground in the ten thousand mountains, showing off the group. The two of them are like two giants standing side by side with the sky and the earth, looking up at the stars of the nine heavens, overlooking the smoke of the earth, listening to the changes of the wind and clouds, and smiling at the flow of the rivers......

The ancients are cloudy, and the earth is brilliant and spiritual. Such strange and beautiful mountains and rivers, if there are no sages and saints among people to correspond to them, they will fail the creation of heaven and earth.

Daoxin looked at the two mountain peaks standing side by side, and a knowing smile faintly appeared on the corner of his mouth.

At this time, an old man came down from the mountain with a pickaxe. He told Daoxin that this mountain is called Broken Head Mountain. Daoxin said: "This name is not good. The two peaks of this thing show off the mountains, and they should be called Twin Peaks. ”

"Thank you, Master, for the name." The old man folded his hands and bowed deeply. It turned out that he was a pine planter in the mountains, and the pine trees all over the mountains were planted by him for decades. When the old man saw Daoxin wearing a big red robe, he looked very solemn and sacred, and he was so envious in his heart that he begged: "Master, you must be a high-ranking monk." I will worship you as a teacher. ”

Seeing that his beard was white, Daoxin asked, "Old man, are you old this year?" ”

"Nine out of nine, it's still young." The old man said with a smile.

Daoxin also smiled and said, "It's not too old." However, it's still too late to be my apprentice. If you are reincarnated, it will be almost the same. ”

The old man walked out of the mountain. After a few steps away, he smiled back meaningfully. Soon after, a lay monk (a Buddhist layman) donated a mountain farm at the foot of the Twin Peaks for Master Daoxin to open a dojo. After several years of painstaking management, Master Daoxin became famous, and the Zen monks from all over the world came back when they heard the news. Gradually, more than 800 monks gathered here.

This is the earliest Zen monk group formed in Chinese history, and it also opened a precedent for Zen dojos to become independent from Vinaya temples. The founding of the four patriarchs, Daoxin, who started to build the jungle and set up the Zen monk order, had a far-reaching impact on the development of Zen Buddhism in later generations and the cultivation of the sect style of Zen Buddhism, agriculture and Zen.

One day, on the way back to the mountain, Daoxin met a little boy with a strange appearance. The kid seemed to have known that Daoxin was looking at him, stopped playing, and smiled back - you rushed from the depths of the vast universe, just like a lightning bolt that illuminates your soul, like the glow of the sea bathing in the brilliant and bright world because of you, oh my God, this look, this look, it seems familiar! But he was only a seven-year-old child.

Daoxin bent down, stroked his head and asked, "Little brother, which child of the layman family are you?" I look at you very familiarly, I must know your father. What's your last name? ”

The little boy tilted his head and said, "My surname is not ordinary!" ”

Daoxin asked curiously: "What is your surname?" ”

"It's Buddha nature."

What the? Buddha-nature? Daoxin couldn't help but be surprised. At this time, the friends who were playing together said gossipily: "He has no surname, he has no surname." ”

Daoxin asked him, "You really don't have a surname?" Everyone has it, why don't you have a surname? ”

"Sex (surname) is empty, so there is no surname." After the little boy finished speaking, he smiled at Daoxin again, as bright as the morning glow, bright as lightning.

Everyone has Buddha nature, self-nature is empty, these profound Buddhist teachings, can be said from the mouth of a seven-year-old child, how can Daoxin not be moved? You know, he has been looking for many years to find a successor to the Great Dharma Weapon. Daoxin said to the boy that he would take him as a disciple. The boy said he had to ask his mother.

The child's mother lives in a dilapidated temple. She said to Daoxin: "Master, you can take him away, he is originally a child who came out of nowhere. ”

It turned out that eight years ago, she was washing clothes by the river, and the old man in the mountain, who was as old as a rag, came up to her and said, "Can I stay with you for the night?" ”

She said that she was the youngest daughter of the Zhou family, with a father and brother, and they were in charge of all the affairs of the family.

The old man said that he had to ask for her consent first. She nodded. The old man suddenly disappeared. When she returned home, she was inexplicably pregnant. When the girl is big, everyone likes it, and when the girl's belly is big, everyone laughs at it. Pregnancy before marriage is the most embarrassing thing in the countryside.

So, her father and brother kicked her out of the house. The girl herself didn't know what was going on, so she endured the humiliation and secretly gave birth, determined to give birth to the contents of her belly, and see what kind of freak he was! However, it was not a freak who was born, but a smart and clever boy. Because he has no father, he has no surname, and the people in the village call him "no surname".

Daoxin is only counted on his fingers, and the smile of the people who planted Song Dao eight years ago clearly appeared.

Daoxin left some money, settled the child's mother, and led the "surnameless" back to Twin Peaks. This "surnameless" is the fifth-generation patriarch of Zen Buddhism who later created a new situation of Zen Buddhism with Master Daoxin, and is known as the "Dongshan Method" in history - Hongren.

After saying goodbye to Zen Master Zhiyuan, Huineng trekked through mountains and rivers, smeared with a cane, rain or shine, day and night, after more than 20 days of travel, finally crossed the Yangtze River in Jiangzhou and came to Huangmei County. He was in rags, his shoes and socks were tattered, and his expression was tired, but he could not hide his excitement. His trouser legs were covered in mud of all colors, and he had traveled many places, far, long distances, but he still walked like a fly.

The mountains are like daisies, winding and undulating. Two tall peaks emerge from the mountains and plunge into the clouds.

At the foot of the Twin Peaks, the forest is verdant and secluded, and the spring stones are clear. Huineng's spirit was invigorated, and he quickened his pace, climbed a small hill, and stopped to look.

In the distance, at the foot of Fengmao Mountain, an ancient and simple but magnificent temple was held out by the mountains. Patches of white floating clouds, sometimes clustered under the temple - the mountain temple has no door and clouds to cover the road; Sometimes only one corner of the eaves of the temple is exposed - the heavenly palace looks like an illusion; Sometimes it's like a light yarn man dance - the temple is in the void...... Huineng has an indescribable feeling in his heart, if the big temple is like a dream, it makes people feel real and empty, fresh and smart.

At this moment, there was a sudden unhurried sound of the bell. Like an invisible sledgehammer, it broke through the floating clouds over the mountain temple, shattered the diffuse fog, and people's troubles seemed to disappear because of it.

Hearing the bell, the troubles are light, the wisdom is long, the Bodhi increases, and I am willing to become a Buddha and save all sentient beings.

The bells of the Buddha country are fluttering in the wind, sometimes light and sometimes heavy. This intermittent, formless bell makes people reverie endlessly. Like a clear spring bath, the heart and body are pure. The long bell of Qingyuan reverberates in the sky above the Buddha temple, which is particularly solemn and sacred.

Huineng felt an unprecedented spiritual shock, and couldn't help but kneel down in the direction of the temple, crawling on the ground, crying loudly.

He said to himself as if he was confiding in his relatives: "I'm home, I'm finally home!" I've been searching for a thousand years before I find my true home......"

Dongshan Temple is named because it is located on the eastern side of the Twin Peaks Mountain.

At that time, when Master Hongren was 51 years old, he succeeded Master Daoxin Abbot Shuangfeng Mountain Dojo. Because the Zen monks from all over the world come and return, they flock to the temple, and there are as many as 1,000 monks. The original ashram was too small to accommodate. As a result, Master Hongren moved the dojo to Feng Mao Mountain, which was donated by a monk named "Feng Mao", not far from the eastern edge of the Twin Peaks.

In this way, Huineng walked for more than a month, and finally came to the boundary of Huangmei in Qizhou. This time was the sixth year of Tang Gaozong Li Zhixianqing (661 AD).

Walking more than 20 miles north from Huangmei County, a wide river flows with clear waves, horizontally in front of you. On the other side of the river is a mountain with a difference—two towering peaks that reach into the sky, facing each other in danger.

"Ah, Higashiyama has arrived!" This is in line with the Zen master of Jintai Temple in Xinzhou who told him about the topography of Dongshan in Qizhou. Dongshan is also known as Twin Peaks because of its twin peaks. On the two peaks shrouded in mist, there are halls and temples faintly hidden among the white clouds and green trees. The place of pilgrimage is not far away, and the long-awaited Buddha is about to appear in front of you. Huineng felt inexplicably excited, and the fatigue after many days was swept away.

Huineng crossed the river by ferryboat, and after going ashore, he climbed up the stone steps and climbed for a short time, and the "One Day Gate" jumped into people's eyes.

This "day gate" granite stone block is built, across the mountain road, engraved with the seal writing "Dongchan Temple" three big characters.