Village Chief Wang and the owner of Lezhai learned that Zhu Fugui donated mountain land to Zhang Shaofei to build a temple, and they all donated money to help.

After the completion of the temple, it was collectively called Zen Hui Garden. Because of Zhang Shaofei's virtue and inspiration, his reputation spread far and wide, and the monks returned to their hearts, gathering more and more, and the grand occasion was unprecedented, calling it "the miracle of Lingnan, the head of a hundred more and more". In Lingnan, an uncivilized and uncivilized wilderness, Zen Hui Garden is not only the center of Zen Hui, but also the place of literary education. Because of Zhang Shaofei's Honghua, the primitive and backward folk customs and folk customs here have gradually changed. The remote Tianlu Mountain has become the cultural center of Lingnan in the Central Plains.

Zhang Shaofei and Shenxiu, although they inherited the Zen method of the five ancestors, each has a distinct Zen style. Zhang Shaofei held high the banner of the sixth ancestor Huineng who had an epiphany and became a Buddha, advocating a single knife and straight insight.

He believes that it is not necessary to meditate and contemplate the mind, but to directly comprehend and realize the wonderful use of Buddha-nature in daily life, such as carrying water and chopping wood, plowing fields, and cultivating land.

Shenxiu also advocates the traditional method of gradual cultivation, expounding the gradual meditation of "always wiping diligently, don't make dust", and its practice method is mainly to sit cross-legged meditation and concentrate on meditation.

Zhang Shaofei taught his disciples: "Originally, the Dharma had only one purpose, but there were regional differences between the north and the south of the people who studied the Fa. There is only one kind of Zen, but there is a difference between fast and slow understanding. Zen, there is no pause, why is it called pause? It's just that because people have different natural endowments and different ways of comprehension, they have the titles of epiphany and gradual cultivation. All roads lead to Chang'an, and every house leads to Chang'an. No matter which way you go, no matter how fast or slow, the final destination you reach is the same Chang'an City. ”

Shenxiu's disciples, because they don't know much about Zhang Shaofei, take it for granted that he is not outstanding, and often make sarcastic and contemptuous remarks.

After Shenxiu heard about it, he said to them earnestly: "Senior Brother Zhang Shaofei has superhuman wisdom without a teacher, so he can realize the best Zen method. In this regard, I am inferior to him. What's more, is it an accident that my master, the Fifth Patriarch, personally taught him the mantle of Zen Buddhism? I only hated myself for being old and frail, and I couldn't go to Lingnan in person, so I went to ask Zhang Shaofei for advice in person. You are young, you should go to Zhang Shaofei's junior brother as soon as possible to study, don't stop in my place, and delay your enlightenment. ”

After all, who among the disciples is willing to abandon the great master who is old, virtuous, knowledgeable, and famous in the world, to follow a criminal minister who was assigned by the imperial court?

As a Zen practitioner who understands life, has a heart like a mirror, and has wisdom through the sky, Shenxiu deeply knows that although on the surface, his status in the Zen Forest is much higher than that of Zhang Shaofei, and as a Zen center, the popularity of Yuquan Temple is far more than that of Tianlu Mountain, but Zhang Shaofei's teachings seem to be more sophisticated than himself. However, where is Zhang Shaofei high? He didn't know.

One day, Shenxiu found his most proud disciple Zhiyuan and said to him: "Zhiyuan, you are very smart and talented, you can go to Tianlu Mountain to listen to the Fa instead of me." Senior Brother Zhang Shaofei said the Fa Yao, you should write it down with all your heart, and then tell me when you come back. ”

When Zhiyuan heard that he was going to Tianlu Mountain, he was very happy: "When I was still very young, I met Uncle Zhang Shaofei. I heard that his Zen Hui Garden has become a famous ashram in Lingnan, and I would like to see it. ”

Shenxiu said, "Then you can go and prepare." ”

Zhiyuan was just about to leave, but Shenxiu instructed again: "Zhiyuan, you have to be careful, try not to expose that you are from our Yuquan Temple, so as not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings." ”

Zhiyuan nodded solemnly. Looking at his most loyal disciple gradually moving away, Shenxiu muttered to himself: "Zhiyuan, you have to come back early, waiting for you as a teacher......

Zhiyuan received the order of the teacher, trekked through mountains and rivers, wore stars and moons, and ran to Tianlu Mountain......

When Zhiyuan first arrived at Tianlu Mountain, Zhang Shaofei, who was meditating in the Zen Hui Garden, suddenly opened his eyes, smiled and said, "Hehe, there is a person who eavesdrops on the Dharma. ”

Fa Hui, the secretary who was standing on the side, jumped up: "Where, Master?" I'm going to get him! ”

Zhang Shaofei paused for a moment as if he was listening, and said with confidence: "He is walking on the shore of Tianlu Mountain right now, and he is almost at the mountain gate. ”

Fa Hui threw his feet and ran out. Zhang Shaofei shouted to him: "Fahui, don't act rashly!" He had no ill intentions. Go, go to the guest hall to receive him, and don't talk to him or tell anyone else. Let him come and go freely in the Zen Hui Garden and study the Fa freely. ”

Fa Hui nodded. When he walked from the abbot to the guest hall, Zhiyuan happened to come in. Zhiyuan saluted him: "Senior brother, I am a foot monk, I admire Master Zhang's high morality, and I want to place an order to learn the Fa in Zenhui Garden, I don't know if it is convenient or not?" ”

Fa Hui smiled and said, "Welcome to Fahai." I'll arrange room and board for you. As for studying the Fa, the master is indeed very clever, so you have to listen carefully! ”

Zhiyuan said: "It must be! ”

In the following time, Zhiyuan was really like an ordinary Zen monk who came from his feet, following everyone to work, learn the Fa, and practice meditation. He found that Zhang Shaofei's Tianlu Mountain Epiphany Zen Method was fundamentally different from Master Shenxiu's gradual cultivation Zen Method.

At the beginning, Zhiyuan was the same as those Zen monks who had just come to admire. Yes, the reason why everyone has bamboo canes for horses, straw sandals for boats, braved the wind and rain, and traveled thousands of miles to rely on Master Zhang Shaofei is that they hope to hear the profound Buddhism, make rapid progress in their practice, and make great progress. But when they worked hard and really came to Tianlu Mountain, they found that the situation was very different from what they imagined.

Zhang Shaofei, as the owner of Zen Hui Garden, is the embodiment of Buddha in the Zen dojo. However, he rarely talked about the Dharma and did not give lectures on Zen. Every day, he just led his disciples to work hard - clearing the wasteland and farming. You must know that the Zen monks left their homes and left their homes for the sake of life and death, becoming Buddhas and ancestors, not to be farmers! You must understand that people come to you thousands of miles away to seek refuge in order to enlighten and understand life, and definitely not to be a farmer! If you want to be a farmer, what do you want to do?

In the past, when they were in other monasteries, the Master strictly admonished and urged them to do their homework every day—except for some chores that had to be done, and the whole time was spent meditating and meditating. Even, many Zen masters, such as Master Shenxiu, even require their disciples to practice the kung fu of "not falling down"—not sticking to the table, not sleeping day and night, and spending all twelve hours a day in zazen.

It's good now, Zhang Shaofei never asks them to meditate, and every day is the same as the layman at home, doing endless chores and planting endless crops! In the long run, won't all the zazen kung fu that was originally practiced be wasted? Therefore, one day, when Zhiyuan and a few new Zen monks were clearing the wasteland in the mountains, they all found a secluded place, sat on their knees, and meditated......

Zhang Shaofei's eyes were like torches, he saw everything, found the mountain, and beat them out of the meditation!

"Come here, come here!" Zhang Shaofei waved his hand and beckoned Zhiyuan and the others to his side. He personally picked up a hammer and said while plowing the land: "I know that you are aggrieved in your hearts, and some people even scold me in private. ”

"Master, you are a generation of grandmasters, how dare we be disrespectful to you?"

"Look, you can't mean it, right?" Zhang Shaofei's gaze swept over the Zen monks one by one, and they all lowered their heads one by one. "Are you complaining in your hearts that after you came to Tianlu Mountain, I never let you sit in meditation, which caused your cultivation to become rusty and regressed?"

Zhiyuan replied honestly: "We, the new disciples, do think so. ”

"Let me tell you the truth, I just want you disciples who have just come to Tianlu Mountain to forget your past cultivation methods as soon as possible! Because true Zen is not just about meditation, it's everywhere and all the time. Gestures, all in the dojo, open up the wasteland and farm, that is, meditation! ”

"Oh my God, a wasteland like today's cultivation is actually practice?" Zhiyuan shouted out the doubts in everyone's hearts.

"Yes, that's practice!" Zhang Shaofei replied categorically: "And, this is also zazen!" ”

Ah, wouldn't it? Zhiyuan was so surprised that he couldn't speak: waving his head to open up the wasteland, is it meditation?

Zhang Shaofei knew the confusion of his disciples, and after laughing, he said slowly: "Actually, each of you has personally experienced that when we concentrate on one thing and do one thing wholeheartedly, all our attention and all our thoughts are focused on this point. At this time, there will be no distractions in my heart, and there will be no delusions. Half a day seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. ”

"Yes, yes." All of them said with deep feeling.

Zhang Shaofei said with a smile: "Isn't our daily practice just to get rid of distracting thoughts and subdue delusions? Working wholeheartedly is cultivation. ”