After listening to the words of the Sixth Patriarch, Fada was suddenly ashamed, and a hesitant look appeared on his face. Although he was still standing, he looked left and right to hide the shame and irritability in his heart, knelt in front of the six ancestors, and confessed: "From now on, you should be humble about everything. When the disciple recites the Lotus Sutra, he does not understand the meaning of the Sutra and often has questions. The monk's wisdom is vast, and he is willing to listen to the righteousness of the master's scriptures. ”

The sixth ancestor said: "Fada, the Fa is very attainable, your heart is not reached, there is no doubt about the scriptures, and your heart is doubtful." When you recite this sutra, what is your ancestry? ”

Fada replied, "Scholars are dull, and they never recite according to the text, how can they know the interest of the sect?" ”

The sixth ancestor said: "You say that I can't read, you try to take the scriptures and recite them again, and I should explain them for you." ”

Fada lowered his head, his face full of joy and sorrow, shame and remorse. He repented and said, "Fada is young and ignorant, and from now on he must be humble and respectful. ”

The baby is an adult who eats melons and says: "If you know your mistakes, you will change them, and you are a good child!" Come, sit down! The crowd couldn't help but laugh again.

Fada sat on the stool brought by the infant with half his buttocks, and asked the Sixth Patriarch with a twist: "When the disciples recite the Lotus Sutra, they do not understand the meaning of the scriptures, and they often have doubts. The master is full of wisdom, please explain it to me. ”

The Sixth Patriarch said: "Fada, the Dharma is originally accessible, but your mind is not accessible, and the Buddhist scriptures have no doubts, but you have doubts in your heart." If you read the Lotus Sutra, you must know what the Sutra says: the knowledge of opening the Buddha, the knowledge of the Buddha, the understanding of the Buddha, and the knowledge of entering the Buddha, right? ”

Fada looked at the Sixth Ancestor Master embarrassedly: "I'm ashamed, the disciple only knows the literal meaning. ”

"The perception of a Buddha is also the perception of enlightenment. Buddha is enlightenment. There are four types of enlightenment, the wisdom of opening enlightenment, the wisdom of manifesting enlightenment, the wisdom of comprehending enlightenment, and the wisdom of deep enlightenment. If you hear enlightenment, you can go deep into the wisdom of enlightenment, and this is the wisdom of enlightenment, and your own consciousness and nature will be revealed. The wisdom of a Buddha is actually your own mind, and there is no other Buddha. People often cover themselves with the light of their nature, are obsessed with all kinds of superficial phenomena, are disturbed by their own moods, and are willingly driven by material desires. That's why the Buddha Shakyamuni used all kinds of methods to preach painstakingly, exhorting people to settle down and collect their minds, not to seek out of their hearts, if you have the right cognition and opinions, you will always have wisdom, look at your own mind, stop evil and do good, and this opens up the wisdom of the Buddha. The Sixth Patriarch Master said in detail.

Fada said with emotion: "I'm ashamed, I, Fada, have always just recited according to the words of the scriptures, read the scriptures to death, read the scriptures to death. Listening to the teacher's words is better than reading a book for ten years. ”

The Sixth Ancestor smiled and handed Fada a bowl of tea. Fada seemed to be really thirsty, and "coo" drank all in one go.

The Sixth Patriarch asked, "Fada, you have already drunk the tea, please express your feelings accurately and concisely in simple language, so that others will know that you are drinking this bowl of tea, not the tea you drank in the morning." ”

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

The Sixth Patriarch laughed and said, "Zen, unspeakable, like a person drinking water, knows its 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, and it's designed to make it easy and quick for us to find the moon. 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 the teachings of the Sixth Patriarch and suddenly felt relieved, but he still had a trace of doubt in his heart, and said hesitantly: "Master Xie has taught, but it is ......."

"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?" ”

The Sixth Patriarch 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. ”

The Sixth Patriarch recited a poem to Fada:

Fa Hua Zhuan,

Enlightenment turns to Dharma.

Chanting has been unknown for a long time,

Be enemies of righteousness.

No thought is right,

There are thoughts that become evil.

Regardless of whether there is or not,

Long royal white ox cart.

The white oxcart is a metaphor in the Lotus Sutra that represents the origin of human nature.

When Fada heard this, he realized that he was not crying, and said, "Since the past, Fada has never turned to the Lotus Flower, but has been turned by the Lotus Flower. ”

Then Fada further asked, "Sutra: All the great voices and even the bodhisattvas have all thought and measured, and they cannot yet measure the wisdom of the Buddha. Now let ordinary people realize their own hearts, and they will understand the Buddha's knowledge. Since it is not the root, it is not immune to suspicion. It is also said that there is a difference between the three carts, the sheep cart, the deer cart and the white ox cart? May the monk preach again. ”

The sixth ancestor said: "The meaning is clear, and you are confused." The people of the three vehicles cannot measure the wise people of the Buddha, and the suffering is also measured. Rao Yi thought about it and pushed it together, turning and hanging away. The Buddha originally said it for ordinary people, not for the Buddha. If he refuses to believe this, he shall be removed from his seat. As everyone knows, they sit in a white ox cart, and they look for three carts outside the door. In addition, through civilization to the way of you, the only Buddha vehicle, there is no surplus vehicle, if two or three, and even countless conveniences, all kinds of causes, metaphors and words, is the Dharma is one Buddha vehicle. Why don't you save it? The three cars are fake, for the past; One multiplication is real, for the sake of the present. I only teach you to return to the truth, and after returning to the truth, the truth is nameless. Know that all treasures belong to you, and are used by you, and you do not think of your father, nor of your son, nor of your son, nor of your usefulness. He is a famous holder of the Lotus Sutra, from calamity to calamity, from time to night, all the time to recite it. ”

The inspiration of the six ancestors of Fadamon dispelled all doubts for a while, and they rejoiced enthusiastically and said:

Three thousand sutras,

Cao Xi died.

The purpose of birth is unknown,

Rather rest and be crazy.

sheep, deer and cattle rights,

After junior high school, he is good.

Who knows that in the fire house,

Yuan is the king of the law.

The sixth ancestor said: "You can only be named a monk in the future." ”

When Fada heard this, he knelt down in front of the Six Ancestors with tears in his eyes, and sincerely pleaded: "Master of the Sixth Ancestor, 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".

The Sixth Patriarch said: "If a person is not a virtuous saint, who can be without fault? Well, you just stay. Fada still kowtowed: "Thank you, Master, thank you, Master......"

The baby patted him on the back of the head and said, "Get up, junior brother." Did you become a kowtow worm? ”

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

Ying Xing looked aggrieved: "I didn't talk nonsense, I started earlier than him, so I am naturally a senior brother!" 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. ”

He 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.

Later, as the Six Patriarchs taught, after Fada had an epiphany, he continued to chant sutras as before, following the Six Patriarchs and becoming the heirs of the Six Patriarchs and the Six Patriarchs.

……

Besides, Shenxiu, who had been in retreat and penance in Dangyang Mountain in Jingzhou for 15 years and had a great 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 the sudden arrival of two Zen monks on this day, he would have been hiding in obscurity until he died in the mountains and forests.

In the afternoon of this day, two Zen monks rushed to the hut in the forest, slammed on the door, and shouted, "Uncle, uncle." ”

The door squeaked open, and Shenxiu, who came out of the door, saw that the two monks were very angry, so he asked, "Who are the two ......?"

The two Zen monks said in unison, "We are disciples of Master Faru, see Master." ”

Two Zen monks knelt 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: "The sixth ancestor is preaching the Dharma in Shaozhou Baolin Temple, why don't you go to him?" ”

Another Zen monk said, "He? He is a woodcutter, and he is just a handyman in Dongchan Temple, what ability does he have? ”

Shenxiu Zhengse said: "The sixth patriarch 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: "The master has lived in seclusion for many years, and I don't know that in the past, under the persuasion of the monks such as Yinying, Jiangbei Zen Forest, to the six ancestors...... Division...... Uncle Shi, the prejudice is very deep. If he is invited to come back and lead the monks, I am afraid that he will put salt in the oil pot - 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 had no intention of propagating the Dharma. After the death of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren Master, his Dongshan Dharma system was inherited by another big disciple, Faru. However, there were unforeseen circumstances, and only three years after the Dongshan Dharma Banner was erected in the Central Plains, Faru, who was only 52 years old, passed away 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.

As a result, hundreds of Zen monks came from thousands of miles to take refuge, and Shenxiu had to open the door to accept them and teach Zen teachings.

Because of his advanced and virtuous years, he has a deep understanding of his skills, and his profound and difficult Zen is as simple and clear as common flowers and plants in his mouth.

Song Zhiwen wrote in "Yingxiu Zen Master Table"...... The shape is growing, and the Hongyi is deeper. Apprentices from the two capitals, believers from all over the world, traveled thousands of miles and went to Wumen together...... The way of Jiujiang is like a parent, and the women of the three rivers look up to the mountains.

One can imagine how high the prestige of Master Shenxiu was at that time.

It wasn't long before the Yuquan Temple, where he was abboted, became the center of Zen learning in the country. Compared with the six ancestors of Caoxi in Lingnan, who are located in the middle of nowhere, his reputation can be said to be skyrocketing.

One day, eight or nine wandering monks came to Yuquan Temple, and the leader was actually Yingyin!

This Ying Yin (Yan Fakui), perhaps, he really has a few lives! At that time, Zhang Zhongchang, the magistrate of Xinzhou, learned at the funeral of Lu's mother that Yan Fakui, who had been beheaded in the autumn of that year, was still at large, and immediately arrested him and found that he was beheaded. Who knows, it was the person who executed Yan Fakui who executed him back then, and Yan Fakui naturally escaped again. This also illustrates the magic of "money can make ghosts grind".

Shadow Hide, a few monks who were spurned by people for setting fire to the mountain, reappeared after many years of hiding. Master Shenxiu avoided them, and strictly ordered the guest hall not to allow them to place orders.

Ying Yin led his brothers to kneel down outside the abbot door of Master Shenxiu, and pleaded bitterly, "Master, we know our mistake! Back then, we did something that violated morality because of a mistake in our thoughts. However, we have already paid a heavy price for it. Not only did Dongshan Temple not allow us to go back, but other temples didn't welcome us. The world is so big that there is no place for us. Over the years, we have been like lost dogs, wandering the world and suffering a lot...... Fortunately, the Sixth Ancestor was not buried in the fire, isn't he out of the mountain now? So, we didn't hurt him, causing irreparable consequences. The Buddha said, 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the ground', and he said, 'The sea of suffering is boundless, and turning back is the shore.' We've put down the butcher's knife, we've turned back! Besides, Master Shenxiu, we were also sincere at the beginning, and we were dedicated to reporting grievances for you, so we ......"

Their weeping and weeping stories finally touched the compassionate heart of Master Shenxiu and allowed them to stay on the mountain and mend their ways.

……