"Altar" refers to the secret altar of Esoteric cultivation or the precept altar for teaching the Dharma, that is, the Dharma field for opening the Dharma and spreading Zen.

The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng "said the Moa Prajnaparamita Dharma and conferred the precepts of non-phase" on the altar of the Dafan Temple, and it is not surprising that his statement is recorded and called the "Altar Sutra".

However, according to the customary laws of Buddhism in the world, the words and deeds of Chinese monks cannot be called "scriptures". Zen Master Fahai actually "defied the condemnation of the world" and boldly called it the "Sutra" and placed it in the supreme position in Zen Buddhism, which shows that Zen Buddhism has the courage to break through the shackles and pioneering, dare to stand out in the Buddhist world, and is not afraid of the attacks and ridicule of other sects. The quotations of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng were finally recognized by the Buddhist community as "Sutra" and widely circulated, which shows the special and glorious status of the Sixth Patriarch.

The Sixth Patriarch Huineng founded the "Enlightenment and Buddhahood" meditation method of "Enlightenment and Buddhahood" with no phase as the body, no dwelling as the foundation, and no thought as the sect, which is really a school of its own. Completely break the cumbersome practice of sitting meditation and asceticism, which is full of persuasion and cautionary sentences and philosophies, therefore, this work has become a reading book like a guide in Buddhism, not only in the bustling city near the famous temples and temples to copy each other, the farther and farther, the more widely spread; Moreover, it has spread to remote areas such as the desert Gobi and Dunhuang, and has become a famous masterpiece of the Zen forest, and is regarded by later generations as the patriarchal code of inheritance of the ancestors.

Over the past thousand years, regardless of the vicissitudes of life and the change of dynasties, the "Sutra of the Altar of the Six Patriarchs" has not only not been annihilated by the dust and smoke of history, but has been circulated more widely and farther because of the transfer and copying, and there are various different versions.

There are dozens of versions of the Sutra of the Altar of the Six Patriarchs, with the number of words ranging from 12,000 to more than 20,000. One of the most famous is the Dunhuang book. Its full name is very long: "The Sixth Ancestor of the Southern Zongdun Sect of the Most Excellent Moa Prajnaparamita Sutra Master Huineng Casting the Dharma Altar Sutra in Shaozhou Dafan Temple".

The Sutra of the Altar of the Six Patriarchs not only embodies the true meaning of Buddhism and the Tale of Zen machines, but also integrates the essence of China's unique Confucianism and Taoism traditional cultures, and covers the exquisite content of Chinese philosophy and national ideology and culture. To put it simply, it is to sinicize, popularize, and popularize Western Buddhism. It emphasizes the independence of the self and spirit, is a great breakthrough and innovation in Buddhist theory, and has a prominent position in the history of Chinese thought and culture. The Zen culture founded by Liuyuan Huineng is an important part of China's excellent traditional culture and a historical monument in the direction of China's advanced culture.

"The Altar of the Six Ancestors" was praised in China after the destruction of the six ancestors. Spread all over the world. It first spread to East Asia such as Korea and Japan, and then to Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. After the beginning of the century. It spread to countries in Europe and the Americas through different channels, and became a shining pearl in the history of Buddhism.

……

Besides, after the death of the sixth ancestor Huineng, ten years passed by leisurely. At that time, Xiao Xiqian has grown into a dignified young monk.

In the evening, a yellow leaf fell from the high branch and landed on the head of Xi Qian, who was sitting silently under the tree. A butterfly fluttered in, swaying and perched on his shoulder.

In front of the left, the first monk standing under the wooden pagoda dedicated to the flesh of the six ancestors saw all this, and he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh softly.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally walked over and said with concern to the young monk who was sitting alone, "Xiqian, have you been sitting here for another day?" Didn't you eat again? Alas, Master Sixth Patriarch has been dead for ten years, what's the use of you sitting all day like this? ”

Two lines of tears poured down from Xi Qian's face: "Before the Sixth Ancestor passed away, he told me to think about it. I'm just following the Master's legacy. ”

With the death of the sixth ancestor Huineng, the golden childhood of the 13-year-old Xiqian quietly came to an end. At the beginning of the monkhood, the karma teacher passed away suddenly, this is not the loss of his father at a young age, its sorrow, its desolation, can be imagined. Therefore, after losing his spiritual support, Xiqian has been wandering and seeking in pain. Every day, I sit silently and silently in solitude. For a day, a day, or even a few days in a row, I forgot to eat, forgot to sleep, and just thought silently like this, thinking about ......

The road is long, I will go up and down and seek. For more than ten years, he was soaked in the bitterness of "contemplation", and the little novice also quietly grew into a young monk in the cloud-like thoughts.

The first monk said, "It's not a way for you to think hard about it. The elder brother Xingsi opened the law in Qingyuan Mountain, Jizhou, Jiangxi, and his insights were high among the seniors. Otherwise, you can look for Xingsi. ”

"Senior brother, Xingsi? Looking for Xingsi? Look for...... Thinking ......"

"That's right, Master asked you to 'think about it', obviously it was to let you look for it!"

Hope to migrate, hope to migrate; When the tree dies and the person moves, the person moves, migrates, and changes, and there is new hope!

Xi Qian is like a lion who has escaped from trouble, looking up to the sky and roaring, and disappearing from the dust.

Xiqian traveled day and night, thousands of miles to Qingyuan Mountain in Jizhou. Ahead, not far away, the ancient temple shaded by green trees is the retreat temple where Master Xingsi taught Zen.

The blue sky is vast, the white clouds are leisurely, the green mountains are stacked with green, and the clear water is clear. In front of the high mountain gate, outside a red wall, a large area of yellow rape flowers bloomed. The breeze is coming, the golden waves are undulating, and the fragrance is floating. The most wonderful thing is that in the midst of the sea of flowers, above the golden waves, there is an old monk standing!

He was hunched over, hunched over, with his head bowed, and a large hat on his head, so that no one could see his face. In fact, no one would pay attention to his face, he had entered a state of complete forgetfulness, and all his mind was focused on the hoe in his hand. He slowly swung his hoe and worked on the earth with all his heart. I don't know if it was the light breeze of the wind that drove his dance, or the yellow flowers in the garden dancing with the rhythm of his hoe, anyway, he had already blended into everything around him, and there was a natural charm. Everything is so natural, so harmonious, it seems that without his presence, the sky will no longer be blue, the clouds will no longer be curly, the wind will no longer blow, and the flowers will no longer be fragrant...... The mountains and rivers are full of life because of him; And he, because of everything around him, has a meaningful life.

Is he the charm depicted by the painter's wonderful brushstrokes and finishing touches, or the soul of the heavy earth and lush yellow flowers?

Xi Qian was moved by this vivid, commonplace and poetic scene in front of him, and there was a kind of morning sun about to burst out in the depths of his soul. Oh my God, for more than ten years, the charm and true meaning of Zen that he has been searching for and pursuing hard, don't they exist in this simplest, most ordinary, and most harmonious life?! Nature, harmony, is the rhythm of Zen.

Xiqian's face was filled with a dreamy smile like the morning glow, and he walked step by step towards the old monk who worked in the field. The old monk did not raise his head, his hand did not stop, and asked softly, "Who are you?" Where did it come from? ”

"You're a master of Xingsi, aren't you? My name is Xiqian, and I'm from Caoxi. ”

Xingsi couldn't help but raise his head, glanced at the young monk, and asked, "What did you bring with you from Caoxi?" ”

Xingsi said, picked up a small wildflower and stuck it on the hat.

It is such a seemingly ordinary sentence, an inconspicuous action, but it contains an overwhelming Zen machine, which directly shows the heart of Zen.

In the beginning, the Buddha made flowers in this way, and the Kasaba smiled knowingly, and the incredible Zen began to be passed down from generation to generation. Through thousands of years, the essence of Zen is still as wonderful as the original. Therefore, in Caoxi back then, the sixth ancestor Huineng inspired Huairang in this way; Now, this is how Xingsi shows Ximi!

Xi Qian looked at the inconspicuous little flower on Master Xingsi's head, and his heart was clear. As a result, the huge and brilliant Zen buds in his heart bloomed! He smiled and said, "The things I brought were already sufficient before I visited the Six Ancestors of Cao Xi. ”

Yes, the inherent Buddha nature of all human beings is not diminished in everything and does not increase in holiness. Like that little wildflower and this yellow flower, they all contain fragrance and naturally have a sweet honey syrup.

Sure enough, a bee fluttered its wings from the brilliant cauliflower bush and landed gently on the wildflower above Master Xingsi's head.

Xingsi refused to let it go easily, and said coldly: "Since you have already had enough before you visited the Sixth Ancestor, why did you go all the way to Cao Xi to trouble the master and his old man?" ”

Xi Qian's gaze never left the little bee collecting nectar on the wild flowers, and said softly, "If I don't go to Cao Xi and don't go to visit the Master, how can I know that my Buddha nature is already sufficient?" ”

Yes, just as he didn't come to look for Xingsi, how could he find all this?

Hearing this, Master Xingsi's old face turned into a blooming chrysanthemum. He plucked the wildflowers from his hat and handed them to Xiqian. Just like more than 1,000 years ago, the Buddha Shakyamuni handed the golden lotus flower to the Venerable Mahakasya......

Since then, Xi Qian has been under the Xingsi Gate and has become a golden unicorn on Qingyuan Mountain.

Later, Xiqian opened the door in Nanyue Hengshan, and was known as "Stone Xiqian". He and Matsu Daoyi, who preached Zen in Jiangxi at the same time, jointly created a new situation of Zen Buddhism's rapid advance. These two towering peaks in the history of Chinese Zen Buddhism may only be comparable to Li Bai and Du Fu in the field of contemporary literature.

Matsu Road is sharp and fierce, and the big machine is very useful, just like a dragon in the sea; The stone Xiqian is deep and dense, high and arrogant, like a phoenix singing in the sky. The two of them came out side by side, and the lonely peak of Hengshan Mountain in Hunan Province protruded from each other, reflecting each other with the Buddha selection field in Hongzhou, Jiangxi, and became a great wonder in the history of Chinese thought.

The Ten Shadow Divine Horse stands at the end of the sea, and the five-colored auspicious forest walks on the shore of the sky.

The stars hang down and the plains are wide, and the moon swells and the rivers flow. Matsu Daoyi opened the door in Jiangxi, and the Zen monks who were tempered and tempered were all copper-headed and iron-armed, and the dragon and tiger leaped, breaking through the barrier and seizing the pass, and the big machine was of great use.

The lonely peak is thousands of miles high, and only the bright moon is coming. Shi Xiqian sits on the top of Nanyue, the door is lonely, the eyes are sharp, the disciples of his Yinke, everyone guarantees the deep merit, the fairy wind and crane bones, extraordinary.

Subsequently, the two major sects of Weiyang and Linji were born under the Matsu Gate, and the three major tributaries of Caodong, Yunmen and Dharma Eye evolved under the stone seat, and Chinese Zen Buddhism developed to its heyday and became the most brilliant flower of wisdom in the history of human civilization (this is the next word).