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... Elder Hua Qing wore a golden-red cassock embroidered with gold threads, and held a golden book in his left hand. Wisdom Sutra.
This cassock and golden scripture were brought by Huicong from Tianzhu and passed down from generation to generation.
Faru, who was standing in the front, couldn't help but feel excited when he saw these two holy objects: for all the years he had been to Dongchan Temple, these holy objects had been hidden deep in the secret room of the temple. Elder Huaqing had never presented them to the monks in such a grand manner. Passing the cassock in front of him, it seemed that Elder Hua Qing 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 Huilin's lamp bearer.
Just when Fa Ru was having wild thoughts, Elder Hua Qing's eyes suddenly opened, and his deep gaze slowly swept across the whole place, causing every monk's attention to be focused on his eyes.
Elder Hua Qing's calm voice slowly reached every corner of the hall: "Listen, all of you, the common people in the world attach great importance to physical pleasure and are unwilling to practice Buddhism, the most precious truth in the universe. Seek to satisfy your desires. Some of you monks and 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. In this way, you lose your own nature. How can the blessings of the world save you from this? How about being rescued from the sea of suffering in life?”
Elder Hua Qing 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 and wisdom, what will happen even if you cultivate merit? Can it help you transcend the world? Since all of you have become monks, you should redouble your efforts to bring out the awareness, Buddha-nature, and wisdom that everyone has, so that your hearts can be enlightened and you can achieve the path of Buddha-wisdom!"
Fa Ru and others were impressed by Elder Hua Qing's instructions, and they all nodded slightly.
Elder Hua Qing 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 oil has dried up and the lamp has gone out. I want to teach you the secret of Zen wisdom to continue the lineage of Zen." When Elder Hua Qing said this, he looked down with his turbid eyes. He saw all the disciples tilting their ears and holding their breath in awe, listening, for fear of hearing wrongly or missing every sentence or word. The whole hall was silent. It was so quiet that you could even hear the sound of a mosquito flying by...
