Elder Hua Qing frowned when he saw his appearance as a mountain villager and asked, "What are you doing here? To seek blessings? To seek longevity? Or to seek wealth?"
Zhang Shaofei clasped his hands together and said calmly: "I don't ask for blessings, longevity, or wealth. I just want to become a Buddha."
Elder Hua Qing pondered for a moment and then asked: "Where are you from?" What's your name?"
Zhang Shaofei replied readily: "Reporting to the elder, my disciple is from Hebei, his ancestral home is Qiu County, his common surname is Zhang, and his given name is Shaofei."
When Elder Hua Qing heard this, he was secretly surprised: "Zhang Shaofei? You are a layman, how come you have a Dharma name?"
Zhang Shaofei looked at Elder Hua Qing with respect: "I don't know, my parents named it to me since I was a child."
Elder Hua Qing held his long beard in his hands and stared at Zhang Shaofei with a scrutinizing gaze. After a while, he shook his head: "You..."
Several monks couldn't help but snicker when they heard Elder Hua Qing shaking his head like a rattle. And Yingyin looked even more proud.
Zhang Shaofei was not intimidated by Elder Hua Qing's momentum. Instead, he straightened his back and said calmly: "Elder, this is wrong!"
As soon as Zhang Shaofei said something, all the monks present were shocked!
In Dongchan Temple, there are more than 800 disciples up and down, and Elder Hua Qing can be said to be a man of his word here. All the disciples regarded his words as a guideline, and no one dared to argue with them.
Now, this stranger had just arrived, and he boldly said in front of the monks that Elder Hua Qing was doing something wrong. How could he not surprise them?
Faru's face sank, his eyes were as sharp as swords, and he shouted: "Bold! Are you here to pray to the Buddha, or to provoke?"
Zhang Shaofei looked calm: "Of course I am praying to Buddha."
Faru's tone was still so stern: "Since you are praying to the Buddha, you actually have the guts to say that the elder's move was wrong?"
All the monks also shouted at Zhang Shaofei.
Facing the scoldings of the monks, Zhang Shaofei remained calm and replied: "The elder shook his head just now. He was indeed wrong."
Faru reprimanded loudly: "How dare you speak so harshly?"
Hong De, the warrior monk next to Elder Hua Qing, was Fa Ru's most loyal supporter. He rushed up and slapped Zhang Shaofei.
"Pa!" Five red fingerprints immediately appeared on Zhang Shaofei's face.
After Hong De beat someone, he was not willing to let it go. He loudly scolded Zhang Shaofei: "Is it okay to insult the elders in Dongchan Temple?!"
Zhang Shaofei didn't refute, let alone fight back. He didn't even touch his red cheeks with his hands. He still stood with his hands lowered.
"Hong De, don't do this nonsense!" Elder Hua Qing saw that Hong De had gone too far and shouted in a low voice to stop him.
Hong De was still angry, and the veins on his neck were bulging, like curled up earthworms, but he didn't do anything anymore, and just said angrily to Zhang Shaofei: "This is really an advantage for you."
Elder Hua Qing looked sharply at Zhang Shaofei and asked, "Why do you say that I was wrong in doing this?"
Zhang Shaofei raised his head slightly and said bluntly: "Elder, you are shaking your head, which is obviously insulting. You cannot become a Buddha by being arbitrary! This move is indeed wrong."
"Wrong? How could I be wrong?" Elder Hua Qing raised his voice and emphasized, "Without the guidance of a famous teacher, it is difficult for you to become a Buddha."
Zhang Shaofei met Elder Hua Qing for the first time. Facing this authority like the Fifth Patriarch, he dared to speak his mind: "How can there be distinction between famous and unfamous teachers in the world of Buddhism when we are living in this world? Elder you and I, as well as all the eminent monks The great virtues are indeed different, but the Buddha's light that shines on us should be the same. Even if there is no enlightenment from a famous teacher, although we are different from you, elder, what is the difference in the nature of the Buddha?"
Elder Hua Qing was shocked all over. Unexpectedly, the young boy in front of me would say such words. This is the essence of the meaning of "all living beings have Buddha nature" in the Nirvana Sutra! Elder Hua Qing vaguely felt that today's visitor was a Buddhist magical weapon given to Dongchan Temple by heaven.
Over the years, Elder Hua Qing had only heard words of compliment and praise in Dongchan Temple, but he had never seen anyone who had any objections to him.
Nowadays, this young boy who has just arrived speaks extraordinary words as soon as they meet. It can be seen that he has wisdom and has even more extraordinary potential at the bottom of his heart.
After this meeting, Elder Hua Qing developed a deep affection for Zhang Shaofei, which was of great help to him in advocating the integration of Zen and wisdom. But he knew very well the consequences of every expression he made in front of everyone, so Elder Hua Qing did not express this view.
Elder Hua Qing just asked with a calm expression: "How many years have you studied, and you have been selected as a scholar or a Jinshi?"
At this time, the words of the old monk rang in Zhang Shaofei's mind... He waved his hand and said, "I have lost my father since I was a child, and I have been raised by my mother through all kinds of hardships. Because my family is poor, I have never been to a school, and I have never been selected as a scholar. With Jinshi."
Elder Hua Qing said with emotion: "You are quite good at talking."
Zhang Shaofei said sincerely: "I have not seen much of the world and have little experience and knowledge, but what I just said is all from the bottom of my heart."
Elder Hua Qing was puzzled: "You are far away in Qiu County, how did you know to come to Dongchan Temple?"
"It was Zen Master Huiming of Huichan Temple in Qiu County who asked me to come and join the Fifth Patriarch to study Buddhism. Unexpectedly..." Zhang Shaofei stopped here, took out a letter from his arms, and handed it to Elder Hua Qing respectfully, " This is a letter from Zen Master Huiming to the Fifth Patriarch."
Elder Hua Qing took the letter and opened it on behalf of the Fifth Patriarch. When he saw that it was a letter of recommendation from his junior brother, he turned to Zhang Shaofei and said, "As a monk, there is no limit to the sea of suffering. To achieve righteousness, you have to go through thousands of hardships and tribulations. Since ancient times, people who follow Buddhism have , it is not uncommon to see role models who forget their bodies, stab themselves with blood, and lose their arms for the sake of the Tao. Only by enduring hardships that are unspeakable for ordinary people, doing work that is difficult for ordinary people, and being inspired and enlightened can you achieve success."
Zhang Shaofei's eyes were shining brightly, and the corner of his mouth revealed a resolute expression: "You can only see your husband's heart when things are difficult, and you can only know the truth behind the snow. Elder, that's why I'm here."
Seeing his determination, Elder Hua Qing muttered: "This..."
Zhang Shaofei begged: "I hope the elder will accept me as a disciple."
Elder Hua Qing's eyes became extremely kind, caressing Zhang Shaofei over and over again like a warm hand, with a happy smile on his face.
A few days ago, when Elder Hua Qing was meditating, he saw a person running towards Dongchan Temple in a trance. Gradually, the man climbed to the top of the East Mountain and merged with the rising sun that happened to rise to the top of the mountain. As a result, the rising sun became more and more magnificent, emitting bright light...
Elder Hua Qing didn't know if the Zhang Shaofei who came today was that person, so he first used contemptuous language to test his temperament and understanding.
After listening to Zhang Shaofei's words, every sentence was in line with the principles of Zen wisdom. Elder Hua Qing immediately felt that this person had extraordinary abilities and was a once-in-a-lifetime gift of wisdom.
Elder Hua Qing originally wanted to have a further in-depth talk with Zhang Shaofei, but when he saw Fa Ru and other disciples nearby, they glared at Zhang Shaofei. They never thought that a newcomer would dare to argue with the elder they respected as a god.
In response to this, Elder Hua Qing deliberately lowered his face and waved his hands resolutely: "You have never practiced any practice, nor have you sat in meditation for a long time. How can I have your hair ordained so hastily?"
