Buddha crossing a predestined person: Dharma and wisdom in life

Chapter 3 Convenience Method - Directly pointing at people's hearts, enlightenment and Buddhahood (3)
We know that the sea is vast, but what is wider than the sea is the sky, and what is wider than the sky is our heart.No matter how vast the sea and sky are, they are limited after all, but our hearts are infinite!In this infinite world, we are rich and rich, we are free!
Who is the viewer, and what is the mind?
At that time, after Daoxin, the fourth patriarch of Zen, passed on the mantle to Hongren, the fifth patriarch, he left Huangmei Shuangfeng Mountain and went down the river in a single light boat. Within a day, he arrived at Baixia (in today's Nanjing area).He abandoned the boat and went ashore, and came to the Youqi Temple on Niutou Mountain shrouded in colorful auspicious clouds. Master Daoxin asked the monks in the temple, "Are there any practitioners here?"

A monk was upset when he heard Daoxin's question, so he gave him a sideways glance and said resentfully: "A monk, who is not a cultivator!

The Fourth Patriarch Daoxin smiled: "Ah, tell me, who is a cultivator?"

The old monk thought for a while, then slapped his knees suddenly, and said, "Hey, I remembered! From here, ten miles deeper into the mountain, there is a monk named Farong who lives there alone. Because he spends all day He was just sitting in meditation, and saw that others never paid attention to him, let alone stand up to greet him, so everyone called him 'Lazy Rong'. According to someone who saw him, when he was meditating, he had the miracle of a white ape offering fruit and a hundred birds holding flowers. Could it be that you are looking for Is it him?"

Sure enough, he was lazy, he turned a blind eye to the arrival of the fourth patriarch Daoxin, and sat upright as before.The Fourth Patriarch asked him what he was doing just sitting there? He said to observe the mind.The Fourth Patriarch said calmly, "Who is Guan and what is the mind?"

Fa Rong couldn't cope with this important topic of learning Buddhism and practicing Zen, so he stood up obediently.When he learned that the interrogator was the famous Fourth Patriarch Daoxin, he quickly saluted.

The mountain was already very quiet, but the Fourth Patriarch asked very strangely: "Is there any quieter place besides this?"

Farong didn't understand the mystery of the fourth patriarch's words, and actually led the fourth patriarch to the hermitage where he rested - a place he thought was quieter.

■Sentiment——

In this story, the fourth patriarch asked Lan Rong two questions, both of which contained a bit of Zen. "Who is the person who observes, and what is the heart?" Just like Huai Rang taught Mazu, how can one become a Buddha by grinding bricks without making a mirror?
The second question is, "Are there any quieter places besides this?", the Fourth Patriarch is actually saying that you, Farong, work hard day and night to confine yourself to the quietness, and you are so busy for the so-called quietness. , It's very lively!The true purity of the mind does not lie in the tranquility and bustle of the outside world, but in our hearts.

The heart is the Buddha, the Buddha is the heart

Farong usually partners with tigers and wolves, and takes ferocious beasts as friends, so the tigers and wolves running in front of his hermitage are very scary.The Fourth Patriarch pretended to be terrified, and raised his hands as if frightened.Fa Rong was very puzzled: Since you are a great master of Taoism, do you still have the fear of tigers and wolves? Therefore, he said, "You still have this?"

The Fourth Patriarch asked back, "What did you see?"

These words, like "who is the viewer and what is the heart", are poisonous! Farong didn't pick it out, took a clay bowl, and went to ladle spring water for the fourth patriarch who came from afar.Si Zhi took the opportunity to write the word "Buddha" on the stone bench where Farong often meditated.When Fa Rong came back with water, he was about to sit down when he suddenly found himself almost sitting on the "Buddha". He was shocked and jumped away.

The Fourth Patriarch smiled and asked, "Do you still have this?"

Faron couldn't help shivering. ——This is a shock from the soul!Because, since the arrival of the fourth patriarch, he has been full of ingenuity and pressed forward step by step with the heuristic teaching of "don't get angry, don't start, don't get angry", and finally made Fa Rong fundamentally shake his original practice method.He knelt down in front of Daoxin and asked for the true meaning of Zen.

The Fourth Patriarch Daoxin said: "Thousands of Buddhist teachings belong to the same square inch; countless wonderful virtues also originate from the heart. That is to say, the precepts, samadhi, wisdom, and supernatural powers mentioned in Buddhism, you All of them are naturally available, and all of these are inseparable from your heart. The heart is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the heart, there is no difference."

Fa Rong was completely enlightened.

■Sentiment——

There is no difference between likes and dislikes, beauty and ugliness, quietness, etc. in the external environment. All the differences arise from our hearts. We use our own likes and dislikes as the criterion for choosing and rejecting, and only then will there be differences in the external environment.For example, we think that the mud is very dirty, but the beautiful lotus can only grow in the mud; if you put the loach in clean water with good intentions, it will only die!Therefore, if our mind is not disturbed, where will the affliction arise? The mind is as calm as a mirror, and it can equally reflect everything in the outside world, and you can see everything in it.Although the situation in the sky is changing, as long as you are at ease, without adding any countermeasures, the wind and clouds will disappear.

Buddha nature is equal, save all sentient beings
Helin Xuansu is the sixth generation Zen master of Niutou School.He is not well-known in the history of Zen Buddhism, but his understanding of Zen Buddhism is very high.

One day, someone knocked on the gate of Helin Temple.Zen Master Xuansu asked, "Who?"

"It's a monk." The person outside the door replied.

Zen Master Xuansu said: "Don't say that you are a monk, even if the Buddha comes, you won't accept him!"

"Why not accept it?" Zen monk asked.

Xuansu replied: "There is no place for you to live here."

A few questions and answers, full of Zen.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a butcher who slaughters everything, including cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs.I don't know how many lives die in his hands every year!One day, he came to Helin Temple and asked Zen master Xuansu to come to his house to hold a fasting offering one day.Zen Master Xuansu agreed without hesitation.

On that day, Zen Master Xuansu was ready and really wanted to go down the mountain to attend the appointment.

At the gate of the mountain, several well-meaning monks stopped him and advised him not to associate with such people, so as not to damage his reputation.Xuan Su said: "Buddha nature is equal, and it is the same for everyone. Whether it is famous or notorious, as long as it is a person who can be saved, I will save him. What is the difference?"

■Sentiment——

Zen Buddhism believes that all living beings are equal, everyone has Buddha nature, as long as they are enlightened, they can all become Buddhas.This is the difference between Mahayana and Hinayana.The Hinayana believes that only a few people have Buddha nature and can practice to become a Buddha.According to Hinayana, butchers who kill and kill are unlikely to have any Buddha nature, so it is very difficult to save them.Xuansu deserves to be a great master of the Zen Forest. In order to save all sentient beings, he can give up his reputation. He has the spirit of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva "If I don't go to hell, whoever goes to hell will go to hell".

To save all beings
Dashi is the abbreviation of Buddhist translation of the word "Bodhisattva".Since he is revered as a Bodhisattva, it can be seen that he is highly respected.Fu Dashi was born in the Southern Dynasties. He was born in a family named Fu in Shuanglin Township, Yiwu County, Dongyang County, Zhejiang Province. Therefore, people called him Fu Dashi later, and his real name was Fu Xi.When he was at home, he often fished on the Jiting River with his companions. After catching fish, he always submerged the fish cage in the water and prayed: "If you want to leave, please leave, and if you want to stay, please stay." More than half of the fish often run away, and the selling price is much less than others.Everyone laughed at him for being stupid.

When he was 24 years old (the second year that Patriarch Bodhidharma came to China), an eminent Indian monk found him. Because the eminent monk was dressed as a Thuta (ascetic monk) and lived in Songshan Mountain in Zhongyue, people called him "Song Toutuo".That day, Song Toutuo grabbed Fu Xi who was fishing by the river, and said inexplicably, "You don't remember me? ) I made an oath in front of you, now the Tushita Heavenly Palace still has your mantle and my mantle, when will you turn back?"

Fu Xi was confused by what he said.Song Toutuo pulled him to the edge of the water and taught him to watch movies by the water.A gust of wind wrinkled the clear water of the river, rippled and swayed, and the image in the water seemed like a dream.Maybe it was the effect of the water waves, maybe it was a moment of dazzlement, and in a trance, Fu Xi saw that there were auspicious images such as a round light and a treasure cover that bodhisattvas and saints have on their heads.In an instant, the memory that disappeared suddenly became clear, and the foggy front was vividly visible.

Knowing that he was enlightened, Song Toutuo said, "When did you become a monk and when did you return to the Heavenly Palace?"

Master Fu laughed and said, "There is a lot of blunt iron in the furnace, and there are many patients in front of a good doctor. Saving sentient beings is my top priority. Why should I just think about the joy of heaven and Buddha!"

Such bodhisattva mind is the essence of studying Zen and Buddhism.Since then, Fu Dashi did not go out of the way of hiding from the world, but like a red lotus in the mud, saving all living beings.

■Sentiment——

Buddhism talks about the past and present, and the reincarnation of the soul.Of course, from a scientific point of view, there is no scientific basis for these. Therefore, the reflections of past lives that Fu Dashi saw in the water are just hallucinations caused by long-term influence of Buddhist thoughts.But it was this illusion that gave him an epiphany.After enlightenment, he did not enter the Buddhist kingdom alone, but stayed in the secular world, vowing to save all sentient beings.This is exactly the mind of a Bodhisattva and the realm of Zen Buddhism.

see without seeing, hear without hearing

Zen Master Guijing is a master of painting. The mountains, rivers, vegetation, flowers, birds, fish and insects in his paintings are all vivid and lifelike.

Once, Zen Master Guijing went to an elegant gathering of several literary friends, and one of them, a romantic scholar, came with a prostitute.During the banquet, several famous courtesans from the south of the Yangtze River played the piano and drum board, and sang and danced.Everyone was drunk and wanted to be drunk, but Zen Master Guijing sat quietly, unmoved.

The romantic scholar came up with a bad idea, and asked Zen Master Guijing to use sublimated pens to describe the indescribable dancing postures of the singing girls.Zen master Guijing flatly refused, saying: "For a monk, it is a violation of the precept to hear the sound of women's hairpins and hairpins through the wall, let alone painting for dancing girls face to face!"

The scholar said with a playful smile: "But, you not only watched their dance, but also listened to her singing, you have already relapsed, so you might as well break it again!"

Zen Master Guijing said: "Your Confucius said, look but not see, hear but not hear, and be absent-minded."

"Whether you're absent-minded, who knows?"

Scholar's words were unreasonable, and the crowd booed accordingly, insisting that Zen Master Guijing waved it out in public.Zen Master Guijing said he was preparing his pen and ink, retreated to his friend's study room, slammed the door shut, and refused to come out again.The scholar asked a prostitute to sit at the door of the study, and half-truthfully said: "When the monk comes out, you can hug him and see how he is!"

I don't know how long it took, but Zen Master Guijing never came out, and there was not even a little movement in the study.Xiucai poked open the window paper and looked in, and was suddenly frightened——

A man with a bald head was hanging from the beam of the house—of course it was Zen Master Guijing.

Everyone hurriedly opened the door and rushed in. They couldn't help being stunned again—how could anyone hang themselves? It was just a portrait on the wall—the masterpiece of Zen Master Guijing.

Where is Zen Master Guijing? Taking advantage of the chaos, he had already slipped away.

■Sentiment——

Although Zen Buddhism is different from traditional Buddhism, you can break the precepts, that is, you can break the various rules and regulations stipulated by Buddhism, but breaking the precepts does not mean that you can do anything wrong.The purpose of breaking the precepts is to allow people to gain greater freedom and make their minds more peaceful without being disturbed by precepts.But if you use breaking the precepts as an excuse to let yourself go, then your mind will be restless and it will be difficult to maintain peace. In the end, people will become slaves of desires, and there will be no real freedom to speak of.

the way of life the way of life

Once, Zen Master Guijing was invited by the emperor to the capital and lived in the royal garden.The emperor said: "I heard that your paintings are amazing, can you use a painting to describe the road of life?"

How can the road of life be described with pictures? However, Zen Master Guijing nodded and said, "Try it."

One or two days passed, and Zen Master Guijing stayed in the studio without any movement.Ten days and half a month passed, and Zen Master Guijing said that the painting was still not finished.Moreover, the doors and windows of his studio are closed all day long, and no one is allowed to enter.

Half a year has passed, and the buds in early spring have turned into fluttering yellow leaves.The emperor summoned Zen Master Guijing again and said eagerly: "I am more and more interested in that painting of yours. I wonder when you will finish it?"

Zen Master Guijing smiled slightly and said, "My painting is ready, but I wonder if the people who admire the painting are ready?"

The emperor impatiently followed Zen Master Guijing to the studio.The Zen master said: "You don't need to go into the house, just stand at the gate and enjoy it from a distance."

With that said, he pushed open the door.As a result, in the studio, a whole wall of murals rushed towards him.

On the picture, there are towering peaks, vertical and horizontal ravines, whirling streams and verdant forests.In the center of the picture is a house with a door opened to the outside. Outside the door, a path winds through the forest.It twists and turns, left and right, up and down, sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, sometimes hidden and sometimes hidden, hidden in a distant mountain, I don't know where it leads, let alone where it ends up...

The emperor pointed to the path and asked, "What kind of path is that?"

Zen Master Guijing said: "This is the way of life, the way of life."

The emperor asked again: "Where does it lead to?"

Zen Master Guijing said, "I'll go and have a look."

Zen Master Guijing actually walked into the painting, passed through the door, stepped on the path, walked far away, and gradually disappeared into the green daisy on the distant mountain...

The emperor waited for a long time, but Zen Master Guijing never came back.He walked into the studio curiously and walked to the mural.So, he was surprised to find that the door was actually real!The winding path outside the door is the winding flower path in the garden, leading to the distant mountains.

■Sentiment——

In the view of Zen, man and nature are one, so many Zen masters put great emphasis on contemplating nature, and regard it as a way to comprehend Buddhism. Like a bright moon in the sky, there is nothing invisible.”Therefore, to understand the Dharma, one must contemplate nature.

It can be seen that here, Zen Master Guijing wanted to use his wonderful pen to enlighten the emperor: the real way of life is to return to nature.

Give you a rare dish
Chan Master Zhan Hongshan Zhishun of the Sui Dynasty was originally from Zhaozhou (now Zhao County, Hebei).He is ordinary, not a famous person.However, when he walks on the street, he can attract people's attention, because his bald head is too bald, even more bald than the heads of ordinary monks - he doesn't even have ears.The reason why he has no ears is because he gave away his ears as a plate of pickles.

That year, after Zen Master Zhishun became enlightened, he began his wandering career with a pair of straw sandals, a bamboo hat, a clay bowl, and a Zen stick.One day, he walked to Xuting Mountain in Zanhuang County (now Hebei Province). He loved its tranquility, so he sat down under a tree and entered the indescribably wonderful state of meditation.

Suddenly, there was a "clack" sound, and a pheasant wounded by an arrow landed in front of Zen Master Zhishun.The Zen master hastily covered this endangered little life with his sleeves.God knows whether the pheasant is psychic or not. It really felt the kindness of the Zen master, and it bent down in his sleeve and remained motionless.

However, the sharp-eyed hunter sensed the location of the prey from the blood on the ground, and reached out to Zen Master Zhishun for it: "I shot the pheasant that you hid. Please return it to me, monk."

The Zen master was unwilling to break the precepts and lie, and persuaded the hunter: "Although it is weak, it is still a life. You are merciful, so let it go."

The hunter spoke eloquently: "I am also life, it is just a dish. I just need it to sustain life!"

Zen Master Zhishun said patiently: "The cassock on the old monk's body can probably be exchanged for a plate of food. You can take it."

The hunter shook his head: "There are no sellers in the mountains, even if it is gold, it cannot be exchanged for food."

Seeing that the hunter refused to give up, Zen Master Zhishun drew out his sharp Jiedao.The hunter immediately jumped away, drew his bow and set his arrows, and shouted: "What are you going to do? It's just a pheasant, is it worth your life for it?"

The Zen master smiled, and instead of slashing at the hunter with the Jiedao in his hand, he cut off his two ears with the knife and handed it to the hunter: "You have eaten pig ears, sheep ears, and cow ears, but you must have never eaten human ears. An ear, though not as much as a pheasant, can make a rare dish."

The hunter looked at the two bloody, trembling ears, and was startled. Then he had an epiphany, broke the bow and arrow, and "plopped" to his knees.

■Sentiment——

The Buddha once gave up his life to feed the tiger, and cut the meat to feed the eagle. Now Zen Master Zhishun cuts off the ear instead of the chicken and gives it to the hunter.Why does Buddhism strongly oppose the killing of life?Because in Buddhism, all living beings are equal. "All living beings" are not just human beings, but all living objects. They all have Buddha-nature and can be transformed.Buddhists often say that the Buddha is merciful and saves all living beings.Therefore, we should respect all living beings and cherish their lives even more.

Xianya believers
After Zen Master Xianya became enlightened, he was invited to be the abbot of Hakata Temple.

Zen master Xianya had an apprentice named Zhan Yuan, who was originally a loafing young man.After becoming a monk, his bad habits did not change. He often sneaked out over the wall after the temple was beaten at night, and he didn't know where he went to fool around with his friends.

For a long time, all the monks in the monastery knew about his behavior, and everyone knew about it.Everyone was very angry, thinking that Zhan Yuan's behavior had ruined the reputation of the monastery and tarnished the image of Zen monks. According to the temple regulations, he should be expelled from the monastery.Zen master Xianya is of course well aware of all this.

On a cold, windy and snowy night, Zen Master Xianya found a stool in a secluded corner of the monastery while he was visiting the monastery.He knew that Zhan Yuan must have taken advantage of the snowy night to sneak out over the wall to play again.Zen master Xianya found that the stool became extremely smooth after being covered with snow particles, and it was easy to slide down when stepping on it.So, he gently brushed the snow off the stool.However, the snow continued to fall.After a while, another layer of snow fell on the stool.Zen Master Xianya moved the stool away, and sat down quietly in the old place where Zhan Yuan put the stool.Zen master Xianya sat there quietly in the severe cold and savage wind and snow, motionless.

Zhan Yuan didn't come back from outside until dawn.He tried to step on the place where the stool had been placed with his feet: maybe the snow was thick, soft and not slippery at all.When he landed safely, he realized that he was stepping on someone's head! And this snow-covered person was actually his master!He couldn't do anything except tremble all over his body - he was terrified!

Zen Master Xianya just said indifferently: "It's early in the morning, and the weather is getting colder. Go back to the house quickly, and be careful not to catch a cold."

After finishing speaking, Xianya turned around and went back as if nothing had happened.Since then, Zen Master Xianya has never mentioned this matter to anyone.As for Zhan Yuan, he no longer travels at night.

■Sentiment——

From the point of view of Zen, human nature is inherently good (because everyone has Buddha-nature), and Zhan Yuan turned bad because he was tempted by a bad environment, which covered his good nature.Therefore, to make Zhan Yuan learn well again, it is only necessary to discover the Buddha nature and good roots deep in his heart.The best way to discover Buddha nature and good roots is to embrace compassion.The compassion of Zen master Xianya is like a mirror. In front of this mirror, Zhan Yuan saw his Buddha nature and good roots, so he suddenly realized.

Han Shan Enlightenment

(End of this chapter)