"It's exciting. But Poor Dao always felt that something was missing...... "Shi Ru listened to the example of Zhang Khan's move "The Legend of Yingying" to try to overturn the fact that "the sixth ancestor Huineng is illiterate" again. He believes that there is still a lack of strong evidence to prove that the Sixth Patriarch Huineng is literate, and it is a bit off-topic.

Zhang Cambodia's sharp eyes looked at Shi Ru: "Digress thousands of miles, bring back a sentence." Then he said: "Indeed, it is worth mentioning that in the past and even now, there are many people who think that Huineng is a woodcutter, an illiterate person, and that after listening to the Diamond Sutra 'should have no place to live and give birth to his heart', Huineng has an understanding in his heart, and goes to Huangmei to seek the Dharma under the seat of the five ancestors, and obtains the heart and mantle of the five ancestors and becomes the six ancestors of Zen Buddhism." ”

"A woodcutter who can't read a word, just because he listened to a Diamond Sutra, he has become a knowledgeable and thoughtful six ancestors, do you believe it or not? Zhang Cambodia's torch-like gaze swept at Shi Ru and Dingyi.

Dingyi met Zhang Cambodia's torch-like gaze and replied, "I don't believe it." ”

Seeing that Shi Ru was silent, Zhang Cambodia said: "Anyway, I don't believe it." The old man believed that the correct thinking of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng did not fall from the sky, nor was it inherent in the mind. His correct thinking must have been obtained from studying hard and studying hard. ”

Ding Yi nodded frequently, blinked his cloudy eyes, and recalled: Wu Zetian once sent someone to ask the Sixth Ancestor Huineng what is the most subtle Buddhist principle? The Sixth Patriarch Huineng replied: "It is not constant, it does not come and go, it is not in the middle, and it is not inside and outside, it is not born and does not perish." ”

Zhang Cambodia took over the topic: "This statement is learned from Nagarjuna's idea of 'neither being born nor perishing, not being constant nor continuous, not being one nor different, not coming and not going'. ”

Zhang Cambodia went from the surface to the inside, and talked eloquently: We can't quote "I, Huineng is illiterate" in the "Six Ancestors Altar Sutra" as evidence. Lao Yu believes that this sentence cannot be used as a criterion for evaluation. For example, some great writers travel to various places and meet fellow practitioners, sometimes when talking about poetry, they will also say politely: "I don't know how to learn, I haven't read a book......" like this, it doesn't mean that they really don't have knowledge, really haven't read, or really don't know how to read, this is just a kind of self-humility, a kind of polite words. Therefore, we must have wisdom and understanding in reading, don't be persistent, we can't just read dead books, and we can't just rely on one sentence to treat the six ancestors Huineng as illiterate. If Sixth Ancestor Hui could not read, could he understand righteousness so clearly? If the Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng was illiterate, how could he have an understanding as soon as he heard the "Diamond Sutra"? And when he arrived at the Fifth Ancestor Hongnin's Sect, he realized it so quickly? How can we make such a profound enlightenment that "Bodhi has no tree, the mirror is not a platform, there is nothing in the original, where can it cause dust"? It can be seen that he has a good understanding of the scriptures. Therefore, for such a generation of patriarchs, we should not blind our eyes with some kind words and humble words to him.

Lao Yu confessed that he then explained the great meaning of the "Great Nirvana Sutra" to the endless Tibetan bhikshuni from the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, discussed "the mind is the Buddha" with Zen Master Fahai, expounded the "Lotus Sutra" for Venerable Fada, discussed the essence of consciousness with Monk Zhitong, and discussed the views of "Knowing as Coming to See" with Zen Master Monk Zhizhi; The Sixth Patriarch Huineng answered the question of the "Nirvana Samadhi" of the Zhidao Zen Master, and so on; And judging from the content of quoting Buddhist scriptures to teach and enlighten disciples everywhere in the "Altar Sutra", can we still say that the six ancestors can not know words?

It can be seen that the six ancestors can be literate. To be literate is to have books to read, and if the six ancestors are literate, they must have a collection of books. "Five Lantern Huiyuan" records that Zen Master Heze once read the "Tripitaka Sutra" in Caoxi Baolin Temple. This is evident from this.