After the Fifth Patriarch Hongren succeeded to the throne, he did not stick to the old practices and customs. Instead, he used the Diamond Sutra to teach the Dharma and opened the "Dharma Door" of Dongshan, also known as the "Fifth Patriarch of Dongtu".
In the fifth year of Tang Xianzong's reign (660), Emperor Gaozong sent an imperial envoy to summon the Fifth Patriarch Hongren to the capital to preach Buddhism to him, but the Fifth Patriarch Hongren refused to go.
Emperor Gaozong had no choice but to send clothes and medicine to Dongchan Temple as supplies. The Fifth Patriarch Hongren maintained the tradition of mountain Buddhism of staying away from the mountains and staying away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and also established the practice model for future Zen disciples to strive to become mountain Zen monks.
…
At this time, a leisurely bell suddenly sounded. Like an invisible sledgehammer, it broke through the floating clouds over the mountain temple and shattered the diffuse fog, making people's troubles seem to escape.
Hearing the sound of the bell, worries will be relieved, wisdom will grow, Bodhi will increase, and I am willing to become a Buddha and save all living beings.
The sound of Buddhist bells is carried by the wind, sometimes soft and sometimes heavy. This intermittent and intangible sound of the bell makes people endlessly reverie. Like bathing in a clear spring, the mind and body are pure. The distant and long bells echoed over the Buddhist temple, making it seem particularly solemn and sacred.
Zhang Shaofei felt a kind of spiritual shock. He couldn't help but kneel down in the direction of the temple, lying on the ground with his whole body, as if passionately throwing himself into the warm embrace of his relatives.
This Zen temple was originally built by Huan Yi, the governor of Jiangzhou, for Zen Master Mengyuan. It was named because it is located to the east of Shuangfeng Mountain.
After Hongren succeeded the Fourth Patriarch Daoxin as the abbot of the Shuangfeng Mountain Dojo, it continued to expand and grew in size. It also became famous when a famous monk came to serve as the abbot, and it became a famous Buddhist temple.
The Fifth Patriarch, Hongren, served as the abbot here. After opening the Taoist temple, he opened the door widely and attracted many disciples. He became famous in the Central Plains and attracted believers from all over. There are more than 800 permanent disciples in the temple.
Zhang Shaofei entered the "Tiantianmen" and saw that the temple halls with green bricks and green tiles were built on the mountain, layer upon layer, showing a bit of solemnity in their simplicity.
A young monk with a childish face is cleaning the fallen leaves in front of the door.
The young monk's name was Hui Qing. He heard footsteps and raised his head. When he saw Zhang Shaofei, he asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Zhang Shaofei." Zhang Shaofei stepped forward and said, "Young Master is polite."
Huiqing had never heard anyone call him "Master", so she couldn't help but smile and said, "I can also be called Master, so what should I call my Master?"
"You should be called the master." Zhang Shaofei also replied with a smile.
Huiqing blinked her childish eyes and asked, "What are you here for?"
"I'm here to seek advice." So, Zhang Shaofei explained his intention to him.
Seeing that he was kind and not malicious, Hui Qing asked sincerely: "What do you want?"
"Of course it's Master Hongren, the Fifth Patriarch!" Zhang Shaofei answered without thinking.
When Huiqing heard this, her face became sad, and she clasped her hands together sadly: "Anita Buddha, the Fifth Patriarch Hongren Master...he..."
"What's wrong with the Fifth Patriarch Hongren?" Zhang Shaofei asked eagerly when he saw Hui Qing hesitating and hesitated to speak.
Under Zhang Shaofei's repeated questioning, Huiqing finally told him the truth——
It turns out that one year, the autumn wind blew in from the window of the abbot's room near dusk. The fifth ancestor, Master Hongren, sneezed several times. Feeling that he was getting old, he decided to summon all his disciples that night to announce something important.
In the evening, the big bell of Dongzen Temple rang "dang dang", breaking the tranquility in the mountain.
Amidst the loud ringing of the bells, the 800 disciples of the Fifth Patriarch hurried from their respective monk rooms to the main hall.
The long ringing of the bell indicates that something important is happening! The disciples asked each other with their eyes, but they didn't know the reason.
All the disciples filed into the main hall, and dozens of oil lamps were hung on the beams, illuminating the main hall.
In the middle of the high hall of the main hall, there sits a lifelike statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. He opens his eyes slightly, twists a golden lotus in his hand, and reveals a mysterious smile on his face.
This smile was exactly the same as the one he wore on Lingjiu Mountain that day more than a thousand years ago.
That day was destined to be an extraordinary day——
When the morning sun rises from the eastern horizon, and when the first bird call breaks the silence of the morning, the city of Rajgir in the Kingdom of Magadha begins to become lively.
On that day, Sakyamuni, the great enlightened being of mankind, will preach the miraculous Dharma on the Vulture Mountain on the outskirts of the city.
Early in the morning, people in the city, carrying the old and the young, rushed out of the city gate...
According to ancient legends, the top of Lingjiu Mountain is the place where gods live. It is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round and is mysterious.
However, on this day, the white clouds that filled the mountain peaks like a curtain slowly opened up, and the entire mountain peak looked like an eagle spreading its wings, gazing majestically at the wilderness below.
The blue sky is as clear as water, deep and vast.
The morning sun radiates golden light, shining on the mountain streams, and the streams flow like gold with jingling songs; the sunlight spreads among the trees, and the countless dewdrops on the leaves shine with a dreamlike luster; on the gentle slopes, the green grass The trees are covered with wild flowers, as if covered with a colorful carpet...
In the bright morning light, the Buddha appeared leading his 1,250 disciples. They walked leisurely through Fangcaodi and arrived at the foot of Lingjiu Mountain.
The monks sat on the floor in order. The waiter Ananda prepared the seats and helped the Buddha to ascend the Vajra Dharma Seat.
The Buddha closed his eyes and sat quietly for a moment, then slowly opened his wise eyes. His kind gaze slowly passed through everyone's eyes, and everyone felt an infinite warm joy. People can't help but say: "There is no Sakyamuni Buddha."
At this time, King Brahma came down from the top of the Vulture Mountain, knelt down on one knee, and presented a rare golden lotus to Sakyamuni Buddha.
The Buddha took the budding flower with a mysterious smile on his lips, and then silently displayed the beautiful flower in front of the public.
Seeing the Buddha displaying flowers to the public, and the thousands of monks and tens of thousands of people sitting quietly below, they all felt a wonderful atmosphere, but it was like looking at flowers in the mist, or looking at the moon in the water, hazy, ethereal, and beautiful. It's beautiful, it's wonderful, but I don't quite understand what the Buddha meant.
In the midst of the confusion, only the great disciple of the Buddha, Venerable Kassapa, suddenly realized the true meaning of life in the universe from the Buddha's smile while holding flowers.
He couldn't help but smile knowingly; at that moment, he and the Buddha were in a heart-to-heart connection - it seemed that a stream of the most wonderful, truest and clearest truth was gurgling from the Buddha's heart into him. in my heart...
A beam of spiritual light shines through the world, holding a flower and smiling reveals the Zen spirit.
This was just a brief moment, but this moment became a wonderful eternity.
Shakyamuni Buddha held the flower stem with his thumb and index finger, and the other three fingers were slightly raised. His hand was like a beautiful and pure flower bud ready to bloom!
The Buddha showed the golden lotus in this elegant gesture, and then said: "I have the Dharma Eye, the wonderful mind of Nirvana, the true state without form, the subtle Dharma door, no written words, the teachings are taught separately, and I have given instructions to Maha Kassapa .”
Everyone turned to look at Lord Kasyapa.
I saw that his eyes were always fixed on the lotus in the Buddha's hand, with a dreamy and understanding smile on his face - a smile as fresh, as natural, as fragrant and as wonderful as the flowers.
Under the gaze of millions of eyes, the Buddha handed the lotus flower, which seemed to radiate golden light, to Kassapa.
At this moment, in the sapphire sky, white cranes danced gracefully and birds sang happily;
In the vast wilderness, the fragrant grass exudes fragrance, and the flower buds bloom one after another...
Sakyamuni took off the golden cassock from his body and put it on Venerable Kassapa. This gold-threaded cassock was woven by the Buddha's aunt, Princess Mahaprajapati, who raised him. It is a symbol of the Dharma King.
The Buddha earnestly told the Venerable Kassapa: "I have passed on the secret secret of Zen to you. You must protect it well and pass it on to Ananda from now on, and pass it on from generation to generation. Don't let it be cut off." ”
Minds think alike.
The most wonderful, magical and incredible Zen has been passed down continuously in this way.
…
The world has gone through vicissitudes, flowers have blossomed and fallen, and now, the Buddha's smile remains the same, but the rows of people standing in order and silence in the main hall are his disciples.
Accompanied by the melodious sound of the chime, the elegant Sanskrit singing of "Ode to Incense" echoed in the hall... The Fifth Patriarch wore a golden-red cassock embroidered with gold threads, and held a golden monk's bowl in his left hand. .
This cassock and golden bowl were brought by Bodhidharma from India and passed down from generation to generation of Buddhas.
This treasure, just like the supreme jade seal owned by the emperor, serves as a symbol of the highest power of the Buddhist sect.
Shenxiu, who was standing in front, couldn't help but feel excited when he saw these two sacred objects: for all the years he had been to Dongzen Temple, this sacred object had been hidden deep in the secret room of the temple. The Fifth Patriarch had never worn it in front of the monks in such a grand way. After passing the cassock, it seemed that the Fifth Patriarch was already very old, and he felt that his death and ascension to heaven were not far away. When these treasures fall into his hands, he will become the sixth generation master of the Zen Forest.
Just when Shenxiu was thinking about it, the Fifth Patriarch's eyes suddenly opened, and his deep gaze slowly swept across the audience, causing every monk's attention to focus on his eyes.
The Fifth Patriarch's calm voice slowly reached every corner of the hall: "Listen, all of you, the common people in the world attach great importance to the pleasures of the flesh and are unwilling to practice Buddhism, the most precious truth in the universe. They only seek to Satisfy desires. Some of you monk disciples seem to be sitting in meditation and chanting sutras, but you are not wholeheartedly pursuing the Tao. Some people are seeking the field of blessings all day long and lose their own nature. How can the blessings of the world save you from the sea of suffering in life? Come out?"
The Fifth Patriarch paused for a moment and saw that the monks were speechless, and then he repeatedly taught: "You should know that if you lose your original Buddha nature, what will happen even if you cultivate merit? Can it help you and all sentient beings escape suffering? You Since everyone has become a monk, you should redouble your efforts to reveal the enlightenment and Buddha nature that everyone has, open your mind, and achieve Buddhahood!"
Shenxiu, Faru and others were impressed by the Fifth Patriarch's teachings, and they all nodded slightly.
The Fifth Patriarch took a breath and continued: "The world has gone through vicissitudes, the sun and the moon have reincarnated. Now, I have reached the time when the lamp is extinguished. I want to teach you the secrets of Zen to continue the lineage of Zen." Having said this, he looked down with his turbid eyes, and saw all the disciples tilting their ears, holding their breath in awe and listening, for fear of hearing wrongly or missing every sentence or word. The whole hall was so quiet that it was so quiet. Yes, you can even hear the sound of a mosquito flying by...
