Let's talk about Shenxiu.

Contrary to the direction in which Hui Zhan originally came to Lingnan, more than a dozen royal treasures carved with dragons and phoenixes, carrying Master Shenxiu and several important disciples who accompanied him, traveled all the way north from Xiangyang to Luoyang, the eastern capital - Xu is the ancestor of the Li royal family, since ten years ago, after Emperor Zetian ascended the throne, he has been living in the eastern capital Luoyang, the original capital Chang'an, as if it had become a companion capital.

Bao Yuan drove all the way into the resplendent palace. Master Shenxiu got out of the car and was shocked to find that the empress Wu Zetian, who was wearing a golden crown and a python robe, was actually standing outside the Hall of Eternal Life to greet him in person!

After he was stunned for a moment, he just wanted to go forward to meet him, when a two-person sedan chair dedicated to the palace stopped in front of him.

Needless to say, he was helped into a small sedan chair and carried straight to the small dojo in the palace.

The Empress of Heaven held the sedan chair pole in her hand, led the prince and hundreds of civil and military officials, gathered around the sedan chair of Shenxiu, and walked up the high steps step by step......

Although Master Shenxiu, who was over 90 years old, was well-informed, he still had tears in his eyes and blurred his vision......

Perhaps, because he became a nun in his early years, or because he was influenced by his mother, who believed in Buddhism since childhood, Wu Zetian, the only empress in Chinese history, not only sincerely believed in Buddhism, but also practiced it herself.

Even, in a sense, the Huayan sect, one of the eight major sects of Buddhism, was born with her strong support.

It was under her encouragement that Master Fazang, the founder of Huayan Sect, wrote the glorious masterpiece "Golden Lion Chapter".

In the dojo in the palace, Master Shenxiu was sent to a high throne.

Wu Zetian had already changed into civilian clothes, clasped his hands with the crown prince and other palace guests, and stood solemnly in front of Shenxiu.

Silence, extreme silence.

Not only has the noise of the outside world stopped, but even the inner turmoil of the people has completely subsided;

And this kind of stillness is not dead silence, not sluggishness, not condensation, but full of vitality.

At this time, your heart can clearly feel that there is an undercurrent quietly running......

Suddenly, a sound of heaven came through the sky - it was her, Wu Zetian! As the emperor, she actually sang her improvised verses in person:

The supreme and profound subtlety.

Millions of catastrophes have been encountered.

I have seen and heard and received it.

May the understanding be as true as it comes.

From that day on, this poem made by Wu Zetian became the "Opening Sutra", which was printed in front of every scripture, and it was sung before chanting or preaching......

More startling things are yet to come.

After the chanting was finished, Emperor Zetian poured the golden mountain, poured the jade pillar, threw his five bodies to the ground, and knelt under the seat of Master Shenxiu......

……

As the first empress of the Tang Dynasty (624-705 AD), Wu Zetian once became a nun and took refuge in Buddhism. Later, out of his own political needs, he vigorously supported Buddhism.

At that time, there was a monk named Fa Ming, who said to his face that Wu Zetian had an extraordinary background in his previous life, and that he was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha in the sky, and he also took great pains to present the four volumes of the "Great Cloud Sutra" to her.

For this reason, Wu Zetian repeatedly compared the three religions of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and still established Buddhism as the first of the three religions, mainly using the "Great Cloud Sutra" in Buddhism to trumpet the "Queen Chengzheng" and make theoretical preparations for her to be the first empress of China.

Subsequently, out of the need to pass through the Western Regions, the Great Pilu Buddha was built in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and the Dayun Temple was built in all states and counties, and the Fazang was supported to establish the Huayan Sect. Donate "20,000 yuan of fat powder money" to carve Buddha statues in Longmen Fengxian Temple. Because when she was the empress, she used cool officials, repeatedly went to prison, was excessively lascivious when she was young, felt physically weak when she was old, and walked with floating steps, in order to be able to prolong her life, she pinned her hopes on Buddhism.

Therefore, the monks were recruited to enter the palace to say the law. For this reason, Wu Zetian advocated Buddhism more vigorously, and also allocated huge sums of money to build monasteries and temples in famous mountains in various places, so that the monasteries throughout the country are dotted around.

Wu Zetian has listened to those monks talk about Buddha in the palace for many years, and it sounds like that version, just like eating chicken every day, and gradually feeling tired of it.

Later, she heard the recommendation of her ministers that the real monks in the world should be Master Hui'an and Master Shenxiu.

After Wu Zetian listened, Long Yan Dayue, in the first year of Jiushi (700 AD), Wu Zetian sent an envoy to Beijing and gave him the national teacher.

Chapter 304: God Xiu Says the Truth

According to Zhang's "Datong Zen Master Tablet", it is recorded that when Shenxiu arrived in the capital, Wu Zetian, who regarded himself as the same as the sky, did not care about the difference between monarchs and ministers, and personally knelt on the ground to greet him: "The edict invited to sit and watch, shoulder the hall, Qu Wan multiplied and the head was checked, and the wine was nine times and feasted."

Whenever Shenxiu is saying, "The emperor is seated, and the concubine is present." When Shenxiu was recruited to Luoyang, the eastern capital, he was already ninety-four years old.

In Luoyang Palace, Shenxiu, who has a deep practice, has always been very good at talking, and he is clever at rhetoric; When I came to the palace, I knew that Wu Zetian, the arrogant and cruel empress, was not neglected or offended at all. On weekdays, Shenxiu goes deep into the simple terms, whips into the inside, and frequently gives examples to preach his gradual enlightenment Zen method of "brushing the dust to see the purity, and facilitating the passage of the scriptures".

Wu Zetian has been accustomed to listening to boring and obscure Buddhist scriptures for many years, and now he suddenly feels that his eyes are suddenly bright, and he is happy to listen to Shenxiu talk about Buddhism every day, and he is fascinated by it, and feels that this monk is not only old, but also high-spirited, and has great grace for Shenxiu.

Later, Wu Zetian returned to Chang'an, and summoned Shenxiu to the inner dojo of Chang'an to make offerings.

Later, in the first year of Tang Shenlong (705 AD), Tang Zhongzong was in power, and he was also a monarch who believed in Buddhism.

For a period of time, Shenxiu's favor can be said to be unparalleled in the world: it is the "Liangjing Master" of Luoyang and Chang'an, and the "emperor" of Wu Zetian, Tang Zhongzong, and Tang Ruizong.

Although he received a grand courtesy, after all, Shenxiu has gone through decades of ups and downs, in the inner dojo of the palace, facing the gilded and colorful ritual vessels, enjoying the glory of the world, in the past, he worked hard with all his brothers in the mountains, streams and forests, and participated in meditation on a clear breeze and moonlit night. The disputes over the rights and wrongs of the Zen forest are up and down in his mind from time to time, and it is difficult to calm down.

In the early spring of the first year of the Shenlong (705), the snow in Kyoto had not yet melted, and the world seemed to be dusty.

After listening to Shenxiu's explanation of the "Huayan Sutra", Wu Zetian and Shenxiu talked on the stone floor in front of the main hall: "Emperor, you are the grandmaster of Zen learning, famous all over the world, I heard that the ancestor Bodhidharma Moses came with a robe and gold bowl, passed down from generation to generation, passed on to you, it should be the sixth generation." I would like to see the relic. ”

A gust of wind blew, and Shenxiu shivered, and even the monk's hat on his head blew to the ground.

At this time, Shenxiu's eyebrows were white, and the wind knife of the years carved deep wrinkles on his face, he was 99 years old after all.

Shenxiu picked up the monk's hat and put it on his head. A burst of red tide suddenly surged on the sallow old face: "This ......"

Wu Zetian saw his cramped appearance, thinking that he was unwilling to take out the robe and gold bowl to show himself, and his face turned gloomy: "Am I not worthy of watching your incomparably noble holy relics?"

Seeing Wu Zetian's anger, Shenxiu hurriedly lay on the stone steps and said, "Holy Lord, you are the respect of the world, it's not that you are not worthy of seeing those holy things, but ......"

"But what?" Wu Zetian asked.

Shenxiu is hesitant.

Wu Zetian's eyes stared at him: "Do you have something unspeakable?"

Shenxiu muttered for a long time before he said, "I'm afraid that the old man will talk about it, and the Holy Lord will ......."

Wu Zetian understood what he meant, and straightened the dragon robe with his hand: "If the emperor has anything to say, it doesn't hurt to speak directly." I will never blame you. ”

Shenxiu still didn't say it directly.

Wu Zetian looked at Shenxiu lying on the stone steps, and picked his hand up: "The emperor is flat." ”

Shenxiu heard that Wu Zetian's tone was not as stern as just now, so he stood up.

Shenxiu finally mustered up the courage: "Shengshang, Lao Na does not have the robe and gold body handed down by the ancestors. ”

"Ah, you don't have an ancestral relic?" Wu Zetian looked at Shenxiu in surprise, "Aren't you the supreme Dharma King?"