"Listening to the teacher is better than reading for ten years." Fada said repentantly.

Zhang Shaofei smiled and handed Fada a pear. Fada seemed to be really thirsty, and ate all in one go.

Zhang Shaofei asked: "Fada, you have eaten the pear, please express your feelings accurately in concise language, so that others will know that you are eating this pear, not the tea you drank in the morning." ”

Fada was very embarrassed and said, "This, this...... Master, the feeling of eating this pear is indeed different from drinking tea every day, but this subtle difference can only be tasted, not spoken. ”

Zhang Shaofei laughed and said: "Zen, it is unspeakable, like a person drinking water, he knows his own warmth and coldness." The mysteries of the Dharma cannot be expressed in words. All sutras, including the Lotus Sutra, are tools for the Buddha to teach us enlightenment. It's like a finger pointing to the moon, so that we can find the moon smoothly and quickly. And the finger itself is not the bright moon. If you only study the thickness, length, and color of your fingers, you will never find the moon in the sky. Therefore, those who study Buddhism should directly explore the original meaning of the Dharma, rather than clinging to the scriptures. If you recite the Lotus Sutra with such an attitude, all the wonderful dharma will naturally come out of your mouth like a lotus flower! ”

Fada listened to Zhang Shaofei's teachings and suddenly felt relieved, but he still had a trace of doubt in his heart, and said hesitantly: "Master Xie taught, but it's ......."

"If you have any doubts in your heart, say them."

Fada asked, "If this is the case, as long as you understand the teachings of the Buddhist scriptures, you don't need to recite the scriptures?" ”

Zhang Shaofei said: "Your mechanical understanding of 'either/or' has fallen into another dogma. What is wrong with the scriptures that can hinder you from reciting them? If you recite the scriptures in your mouth, you can also practice the practice in your heart, which is 'turning the scriptures', and if you recite the scriptures in your mouth and you have something else in your heart, you are being turned by the scriptures. ”

Zhang Shaofei recited another poem to Fada:

The heart is fascinated by the Lotus and the mind is turned into the Lotus flower. The chanting has been unknown for a long time, and he is an enemy of righteousness. If there is no thought, it is right, and if there is a thought, it becomes evil. Regardless of whether there is or not, the long royal white ox cart.

The white oxcart is a metaphor in the Lotus Sutra that represents the origin of our human nature. When Fada heard this, he suddenly realized. He was full of joy and sorrow, knelt down in front of Zhang Shaofei with tears in his eyes, and sincerely pleaded: "Master, Fada is obsessed and rude to the master, please forgive me." I hope that I will be by your side in this life and this life, and please ask the master for permission! ”

Fada said, touching the ground with his head "knock knock".

Zhang Shaofei said: "If a person is not a virtuous saint, who can be without fault? You want to stay with me, and talk about it later. ”

Fada still kowtowed: "Thank you, Master, thank you, Master......" Le Zhidan patted the back of his head and said, "Get up, junior brother." Did you become a kowtow worm? ”

Fahai said: "Le Zhidan, what nonsense are you talking about? ”

Le Zhidan looked aggrieved: "I didn't talk nonsense, I started earlier than him, so I am naturally a senior sister!" Relying on Master's eccentric eyes, you all started later than me, but in turn you all became my senior brothers. I won't be polite to this Fada, and I will definitely let him be my junior brother. She turned to Fada, "Isn't that right, junior brother?" ”

Fada smiled and said, "You have been calling a junior brother for a long time, shouldn't I do this junior brother?" The crowd laughed.

At sunset on the same day, in Dangyang Mountain, Jingzhou, two Zen monks rushed to the thatched hut in the forest, slammed the door quickly, and shouted: "Uncle, uncle." ”

The door opened. Shenxiu saw that the two monks were very angry, so he asked: "The two are ......" The two Zen monks said in unison: "We are the disciples of Master Faru, see Shibo." The two Zen monks knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Shenxiu returned the salute and said, "Oh, you are Faru's disciples. How is Senior Brother Faru doing now? ”

The two monks knelt down again: "Master, his old man's soul has returned to the West Heaven!" ”

Shenxiu was stunned, and two lines of tears slowly flowed. Zhicheng came out of the house and let the two Zen monks who had come from afar into the room.

Shenxiu and the two teachers and nephews sat down separately, and Zhicheng poured tea. The elder Zen monk said: "Before the master passed away, he instructed the two of us to find you, ask you to go out of the mountain, take care of his protégé, and lead Jiangbei Zen school. ”

Shenxiu said: "Senior Brother Huineng is preaching the Dharma in Shaozhou Baolin Temple, why don't you go to him?" ”

Another Zen monk said, "He? He is illiterate, what is his ability? ”

Shenxiu Zhengse said: "Huineng Senior Brother Huigen is natural, looking at the world, who can compare?" Unfortunately, the distance between the north and the south is long, and I am too old to go and ask him for advice. You young disciples, why don't you hurry up and listen to the teachings! ”

The elder monk said: "My uncle has lived in seclusion for many years, and I don't know anything. Jiangbei Zen Forest, to Master Huineng...... Uncle Shi, the prejudice is very deep. Invite him to lead the Jiangbei monks, I am afraid that it is salt in the oil pot, and it must be fried. ”

Another Zen monk knelt down in front of Shenxiu and begged: "Uncle Shi, except for you, there is no one who is suitable to lead the Jiangbei Zen Forest. For the sake of our master, go out of the mountain to take care of your disciples. ”

Shenxiu shook his head: "I swore many years ago that I would not leave disciples, not teach the Fa, and not write books and speak, so as not to mislead others, so I ......"

The elder Zen monk also knelt down and cried, "Since the death of the Master, we have no one to control us, and we are in danger. Uncle, you have pity on the poor disciples, uncle! ”

The two Zen monks burst into tears and kept kowtowing. Zhicheng was moved to tears, and also knelt down: "Master, your old man is merciful, promise the senior brothers!" ”

Shenxiu burst into tears and nodded helplessly.

The two Zen monks from Zhongyue Songshan invited Master Shenxiu out of Dangyang Mountain from his state of seclusion. Originally, Shenxiu, who had been in retreat and practiced penance for 15 years and had attained enlightenment, had no intention of propagating the Dharma for a long time. He lived in isolation, built a thatched house on the mountain seven miles east of Yuquan Temple, perched in the shade of pines, drank the breeze, and was leisurely. If it weren't for this sudden change, then he would have been hiding in obscurity until he died in the mountains.

After the death of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren Master, his Dongshan Dharma system was inherited by another big disciple, Faru. However, there are unforeseen circumstances, and only three years after the Dongshan Dharma banner was erected in the Central Plains, in the first year of Tang Yongchang (689 AD), Faru, who was only 52 years old, died suddenly. His untimely death not only made it difficult for the traditional lineage to continue, but also many of his disciples who remained in Zhongyue Songshan suddenly became orphans waiting to be fed. In order to continue the Dongshan method, and also for the disciples to have a good home, the Fa Ru deathbed testament: should go to Jingzhou Yuquan Shenxiu Zen Master to consult.