Zen Master Hui'an said humorously: "Who mixed the rice with rice? He is sowing rice seeds for everyone! The seeds must have shells! Otherwise, they will not sprout."
Elder Hua Qing interjected from the side: "You certainly don't want your Tao seeds to fail to germinate, right? So, you should thank them properly!"
Everyone at the scene applauded Zen Master Lao An and Elder Hua Qing’s witty sayings!
Zen Master Lao An looked at Zhang Shaofei lying on the stone mortar, patted him on the shoulder, and said humorously: "Little brother, how do you pound rice? How do you keep the rice husks from being damaged at all?"
People heard the implication of what Zen Master Lao An said - the rice mixed with the rice at noon had not been pounded in the stone mortar at all! In other words, the reason why those rice husks are not caused by Zhang Shaofei's carelessness when pounding the rice, but because someone deliberately put them in.
Elder Hua Qing glared at the governor monk, who shuddered.
Zen Master Lao An saw that Zhang Shaofei had no reaction. He lowered his head and couldn't help but laugh: "Haha... little brother, no wonder there is no reaction when the incense stick hits you. You have entered Zen concentration!"
"What? Zhang Shaofei was able to enter trance while being beaten?" The governor monk marveled in his heart: Oh my God, what a magical state this is!
Huiming shouted stupidly: "How is this possible? It must be a witchcraft!"
The magistrate monk asked Huiqing, who was following him, to fetch the chime.
A person who has entered deep meditation is as if he is dead. He cannot feel anything when the incense stick hits his body. How can he wake him up? Only the sound of the chime can awaken him from his meditation.
Elder Hua Qing waved his hand and said: "Forget it, let him come out of samadhi naturally. If you wake him up now, your butt will definitely hurt like hell."
Zen Master Lao An once again patted Zhang Shaofei in meditation and said inexplicably: "Today the mountain monk ate a grain of Tao (rice) seed because of you, and one day he will give you a living seed of ancient wisdom." As he said this, he held in his hand Picking up a grain of rice, he said to everyone: "Don't underestimate this grain. A hundred years later, thousands of grains will grow from it!"
…
Seven days later, he came out of meditation. At this time, the wound on his butt was no longer serious.
When Huiqing saw that he was out of concentration, she fell to her knees in front of him, prostrate on the ground, and cried bitterly.
Zhang Shaofei was confused and asked Huiqing again and again, "What's wrong with you?"
Huiqing just kept begging him for forgiveness and refused to say anything.
Zhang Shaofei said: "You have nothing to do with me, and you cannot forgive me." Zhang Shaofei helped him up.
Huiqing said: "Zhang Shaofei, you are too honest and loyal. You should have quit in spite of the difficulties."
"Quiting despite difficulties? Why?"
"Because... think about it for yourself. Anyway, you must have hindered someone in Tozenji Temple!"
Zhang Shaofei thought for a long time, but couldn't think of a reason.
Huiqing said: "Zhang Shaofei, if you really want to become a monk and learn Buddhism, you can go to Lushan Mountain on the other side of the Yangtze River. Donglin Temple, Xilin Temple, Dalin Temple, Guizong Temple... there are all famous Taoist temples. If you are so Pious, they will definitely welcome you. If you stay here, I'm afraid your life will be in danger sooner or later..."
Zhang Shaofei shook his head and said: "There are so many Taoist temples in the world, but it is difficult to find a master who has the same heart and soul. I came all the way from Qiu County, a distant place, just to learn Zen wisdom from Elder Hua Qing. Even if I am broken into pieces, I will never back down. !”
Huiqing sighed helplessly, shook her head and left.
…
More than half a month has passed since Zhang Shaofei was unjustly beaten, and he is still pounding rice every day in his dormitory.
Zhang Shaofei's character of enduring humiliation, being tolerant to others, being courteous and harmonious did not earn him the respect of his fellow apprentices. Perhaps they felt that Zhang Shaofei was weak and could be bullied, or perhaps they were instigated by someone. They intensified their efforts and tried every means to bully and tease Zhang Shaofei, trying to squeeze him out of the temple.
Zhang Shaofei always accepts everything, takes it calmly, laughs it off, and never cares about it.
Ever since Zhang Shaofei came to the dormitory, the travelers started to play around and be lazy. As long as Zhang Shaofei left for a moment, they would pour the rice that Zhang Shaofei had pounded into their own baskets.
Zhang Shaofei pretended not to know, and just tied more than 50 kilograms of weight on his waist to speed up the frequency of trampling, and pounded more.
After such long-term overload and ultra-intensive work, Zhang Shaofei suffered from serious diseases in his waist and legs, and this disease has been with him throughout his life.
…
Paying equal attention to agriculture and Zen was a Zen dojo founded by the fourth ancestor Daoxin and the fifth ancestor Hongren based on the actual situation of Dongzen Temple at that time, that is, the combination of labor and meditation. Therefore, everyone in Tozenji Temple must go to the farmland to cultivate while practicing.
Zhang Shaofei is no exception. He does odd jobs in the temple and works in the farmland at the same time.
The green vegetables that Zhang Shaofei planted diligently were lush green and very attractive. When some of his fellow apprentices saw them, they became jealous and picked (destroyed) these tender green vegetables.
Although Zhang Shaofei was wronged, he just wanted to keep his mind clean and not care about them.
On one occasion, Yingyin informed the monks in his circle in advance that Elder Huaqing would check the disciples' homework and farm work tomorrow. Two of the monks saw that the vegetables grown in the vegetable field Zhang Shaofei planted were growing particularly well, so they decided to do so in advance. Picked all the vegetables.
When Zhang Shaofei rushed to the vegetable field, he found that all the vegetables in his vegetable field had been picked, and there was no one left.
Zhang Shaofei returned empty-handed and had no choice but to stand aside with his hands down. The two monks began to gloat over the misfortune, thinking that Elder Hua Qing would definitely punish Zhang Shaofei.
After about half a bag of work, Elder Hua Qing, accompanied by Fa Ru, came to the farm work area. He was very surprised to see that Zhang Shaofei was empty in front of him.
Elder Hua Qing thought to himself: Zhang Shaofei is not a lazy person! The vegetables he planted must have been picked by others...
Elder Hua Qing looked at Zhang Shaofei again. To his surprise, Zhang Shaofei was not angry or anxious when someone robbed him of picking vegetables. He did not defend himself, nor did he expose those who had stolen the vegetables he planted. The dish people have ulterior motives.
Elder Hua Qing was a thoughtful and meticulous master. During the inspection, he discovered that among the green vegetables picked by the other two monks, there were the words "Zhang Shaofei" on the back of the leaves.
Looking down again, the word "Zhang Shaofei" turned out to be traces of some insects crawling across it. At this time, Elder Hua Qing paid attention to Zhang Shaofei's expression, and saw that he was standing in front of him with empty hands, but he was still so calm, so safe, and so calm.
Elder Hua Qing saw it in his eyes and remembered it in his heart, but he did not tell the secret behind it. He just thought secretly in his heart that this disciple has a pure foundation, a clear heart, and an extraordinary talent. He will become a great person in the future.
Elder Hua Qing asked the two monks calmly: "This vegetable is growing really well. When were you sown? How many times did you apply fertilizer? How many times did you water it?"
The two monks stumbled and made some random remarks.
Elder Hua Qing has been working since he was a child and is familiar with the growth patterns of various vegetables, so he has a clear mind. When he saw that Zhang Shaofei didn't care, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: The way of heaven is clear, people can be deceived, but the heart cannot be deceived; cause and effect are inevitable, and there is no deception in heaven and earth.
