Zhang Shaofei is determined: "But my determination to learn Buddhism will not change."
"Whether you are sincere or not does not depend on your words. It depends on your actions. Let's go to the handyman room in the North Courtyard and start working as a handyman."
Zhang Shaofei took a step forward and saluted: "Elder Qi, my heart is pure and pure, without any distracting thoughts. Now the elder asks me to do odd jobs, what kind of chores do I have to do?"
Elder Hua Qing couldn't help being shocked when he heard this. He couldn't help but look at Zhang Shaofei seriously again and nodded slightly in approval. But at the same time, he thought that Zhang Shaofei was too smart, and he had to cut off his burrs before he could understand his nature.
So Boss Huaqing raised his face and shouted majestically: "You boy, you have so many problems, go to work immediately!"
The Zen monks present smiled happily, and Yingyin was even more proud.
Zhang Shaofei nodded: "Yes. Thank you elder for your cultivation."
"You can just call me Senior when we meet in the future." Elder Hua Qing tilted his head slightly and said to Fa Ru who was standing beside him, "Please settle down this new layman."
Faru took Zhang Shaofei to the courtyard behind the temple.
Zhang Shaofei followed Fa Ru towards the north courtyard. After walking for more than ten steps, he suddenly turned around and smiled at Elder Hua Qing with spring in his mouth.
Elder Hua Qing felt warm in his heart: This young boy looks simple and honest on the outside, with a bit of honesty, but he is actually smart on the inside and has a lot of wisdom and intelligence. This is the first time he met him. Dare to challenge authority and reveal one's own mind. How similar is his nature to his own mystical and wise mind. It seems that there is another successor to Huimen's great cause.
On the way to the back of the temple and across the courtyard, Faru said to Zhang Shaofei: "Lu Xingzhe, don't blame Master. In fact, doing odd jobs is cultivation. That's how I got here. And I have been doing chores for six years."
Zhang Shaofei couldn't help but stop: "Oh? Really, Second Senior Brother?"
Faru nodded: "When I was nearly 50 years old, I came to worship the Fifth Patriarch from another temple. Master said that without a strong will, you can't learn the true Dharma. So, regardless of my half-hundred-year-old body, I took the initiative to go I did the hard work of gathering firewood and carrying water. During the six years of hard training, I gradually understood Buddhist principles and realized some Zen ideas."
This Faru, whose real surname was Li, was from the Wei family in Kaifeng (now part of Henan). He was tall and tall, fair-skinned, and handsome. The round face is embedded with a pair of eyes that hide deep secrets.
He studied Buddhism since he was a child. In the eighth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty (625), he received full ordination at the Tiangong Temple in Luoyang when he was nineteen years old. He was intelligent and enlightened by nature, and had excellent strategies. He is also well-read on weekdays and loves to learn a lot. He can recite Lao-Zhuang Confucianism and Buddhist Tripitaka like a fluent man. In Luoyang, Fa Ru, who has thousands of books to read, is already more talented than a thousand people, and no one can match him.
At that time, he was nearly fifty years old when he went to Dongzen Temple.
It was drizzling that day, and Shuangfeng Mountain was shrouded in a vast mist. The Fifth Patriarch had just finished teaching the disciples in the main hall, and saw this newcomer at the mountain gate: his long eyebrows were gray, snow and frost were flying on his temples, his upper body was shirtless, and his whole body was wet.
"Why is this man dressed like this when we meet him for the first time? Where is his coat?" The Fifth Patriarch looked at it carefully, and it took him a while to realize that he had used his coat to wrap the two suitcases he was carrying tightly. .
The Fifth Patriarch pointed to the visitor's luggage and asked, "What is in your box?"
After the visitor saluted him, he replied: "It's half of my life savings."
The Fifth Patriarch asked inquiringly: "Is it gold, silver, or jewelry?"
The visitor wiped the rainwater dripping from his head with his hand and said: "Gold, silver and jewelry are just dead things, and they are useless in our Buddhism. How can they be worthy of my love and care?"
Fifth Patriarch: "So, what are the good things in the box?"
"Master, please take a look." The visitor said, unwrapped the clothes and opened the box.
The Fifth Patriarch looked around and saw that there were two large boxes of books. He flipped through the books and saw that in addition to the Four Books, Five Classics and some astronomy and geography books, there were more various scriptures in the book box.
The Fifth Patriarch sighed: "You take great care of books! Aren't you afraid of being damaged by the rain?"
The visitor looked serious: "If you have gonorrhea, you can take medicine and you will recover in a few days. But it is difficult to deal with books that are damaged by water."
"Ah!" A wave of enthusiasm hit the Fifth Patriarch's heart. In Dongzen Temple, he has seven or eight hundred disciples, but it seems that there are very few people like him after all.
During the first conversation, the Fifth Patriarch already had an excellent impression of the visitor.
After hearing the reason for the visitor, the Fifth Patriarch asked after some exchanges: "Your cultivation is not shallow. You have already been able to stand alone in Luoyang, opened your own Dharma, and became the master of one side. Why do you still come to me to become a master?"
The visitor said loudly: "I know that my foundation is shallow, but I dare not open the door to others. As the saying goes, good birds choose trees to roost. Master, I know that you are the only teacher I have been looking for for many years."
The Fifth Patriarch looked at him and said slowly, "Looking at you, you must be over fifty."
The visitor spoke loudly and resoundingly: "We go to the Buddha in no particular order and seek refuge with our sage masters. Why should we care about their age?"
The Fifth Patriarch was greatly puzzled: "Luoyang is a prosperous place with many believers. Why did you leave Luoyang and come to this remote Shuangfeng Mountain?"
The visitor spoke eloquently: "The materials of the building originally came out of the deep valley and did not exist in the human world. Because they are far away from people, they will not be damaged by swords and axes. When they grow into big things, they can be used as pillars. Therefore, we know that the valley where the gods live is far away. Avoid the hustle and bustle, cultivate your nature in the mountains, and say goodbye to worldly things. There is nothing at present, and your mind will be at peace. From then on, the flowers of the Taoist trees will bloom, and the fruits of the Zen forest will bloom."
The Fifth Patriarch was shocked: "You, this is Lao Na's usual conversation with others, how could it reach your mouth?"
"Master's Dharma is boundless and shines all over the world. Before arriving at Dongchan Temple, I was honored to hear your wise words, Master," the visitor said seriously. "Although there are many believers in Luoyang, they are just a mixed bag. . What I seek from the Buddha is not noisy and prosperous, nor a vain reputation, but a real pursuit of the Buddha's teachings. Master's teachings are heard all over the world, so of course I will give up everything and join his disciples. , why fear the tranquility of Shuangfeng Mountain?”
The Fifth Patriarch asked: "How do you plan to study the Dharma after arriving at Dongchan Temple?"
The visitor was full of determination: "I will work hard to cultivate, read scriptures diligently, and meditate quietly. With the guidance of my master, one day will be better than ten years of reading."
The Fifth Patriarch: "It should be noted that everyone who comes to my Dongchan Temple to study the Dharma has to go through a period of hard work, such as collecting firewood, grinding mills and other chores. Aren't you afraid of hardship?"
The visitor raised his chest and said: "It's hard work after thousands of scrounging, but you can only see the gold after blowing away the yellow sand. When you step into Buddhism, you must vow to work hard and be determined to pursue the Tao. If you can learn Buddhism from the master in Dongzen Temple, even if It’s a huge pain, but I can endure it.”
The Fifth Patriarch waved his hand outward and said, "Then, you go to work in the handyman's room in the North Courtyard first."
"Yes." The visitor picked up his two boxes of books and went straight to the North Courtyard.
In the days that followed, the visitor kept his word, carrying water, collecting firewood, grinding mills, and pounding rice... Although he was older than the other monks, he rushed to do everything and tried his best to do it. Never be lazy. No matter in the scorching summer or the severe winter, Tozenji Temple was submerged in the thick darkness of night. When everyone else was sleeping, only a small oil lamp was still lit in his room.
In the dead of night, the Fifth Patriarch quietly walked to the bodhi tree not far from the monk's room in the north courtyard many times. Through the window lattice, he could be seen immersed in reading scriptures under the dim and dim small oil lamp. Mosquitoes bit him on the cheek, but he ignored it as he was focused on reading.
Looking at him looking like he was studying hard, the Fifth Patriarch, who had always been calm and calm, couldn't help but feel passionate. He was lucky to have such a good disciple in Dongzen Temple.
In daily contact and conversation with him, the Fifth Patriarch found that he was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, astronomy and geography. Compared with other monks in Dongzen Temple, he seemed to be more knowledgeable and outstanding. Therefore, I value this knowledgeable disciple the most.
After inspecting him for seven years, the Fifth Patriarch personally ordained him and took the ordination, and renamed him Dharma: "Faru", which means "Thinking of the Dharma is like wisdom." He was promoted to the second among the top ten disciples of Dongzen Temple. Besides Shenxiu, he was asked to give lectures on his behalf and serve as a teacher in the temple, specializing in explaining sutras and explanations and solving doubts and riddles for monks who had not practiced deeply.
From then on, whenever the Fifth Patriarch appeared, Faru would always be by his side. However, the Dharma is consistent with current affairs, and he respects the Fifth Patriarch very much.
The Fifth Patriarch often praised Faru in front of the elders and disciples of Dongzen Monastery, praising him for his study of the meaning of Zen sutras, his dedication to his will, his thorough knowledge of the Dharma, and his outstanding talents. Once, when he was interested, the Fifth Patriarch once said in public: "The Dharma of Dongshan is all in Ru."
Therefore, everyone at Dongzen Temple agreed that Faru's understanding in Dongchan Temple was not inferior to that of the second senior brother, and he was one of the future successors to the mantle of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren.
