Besides, on the day Wu Zetian had a conversation with Shenxiu, she returned to the inner palace. At this time, she was eighty-one years old, with heart failure and exhaustion. She felt that the oil was about to run out and the lamp was extinguished. She hoped that the peerless monk could use the boundless Dharma to continue her life. life.
Therefore, the next day, Wu Zetian and Tang Zhongzong issued an edict, and the imperial edict sent Xue Jian, the internal servant, as an imperial envoy to lead a flying horse south.
After more than ten days of day and night travel, Xue Jian arrived in Shaozhou, Lingnan, before the morning star fell.
Shaozhou Governor Wei heard that an imperial envoy had suddenly arrived. He was panic-stricken and didn't know what had happened. He hurriedly washed himself and fell to the ground to greet him.
Xue Jian asked: "Is Baolin Temple in Caoxi under your jurisdiction in Shaozhou?"
Governor Wei: "Exactly."
Xue Jian asked impatiently: "How far is it from here to Baolin Temple?"
Governor Wei: "It's not far, it's not far. Let's go quickly. It won't take half a day."
After Xue Jian and his entourage drank several large bowls of fragrant tea, they were eager to get on their way again.
Let’s talk about Baolin Temple. With the resurgence in recent years, its reputation has skyrocketed. Zen monks and pilgrims from all over the world come here to visit here. Some of them are studying Buddhism and practicing Buddhism; some are here to see the Sixth Patriarch; some are staying in the temple to work as odd jobs... …It’s really like this: pedestrians are like crucian carp, and it is very popular. It’s like a peaceful and prosperous era, and the scene of incense and incense is flourishing.
Among the many people who come to Baolin Temple for its reputation, there is a strange and somewhat mysterious old monk.
There are many scars on his face, coupled with the marks of many years, it looks a little distorted and deformed.
He was silent all day long and never interacted with others; he did not chant sutras or listen to Dharma. He just carried a big broom and swept the long road in front of Baolin Temple every day.
In the first month of the first year of Shenlong, the spring water of Caoxi returns, and the willows sprout green shoots on the roadside.
He swept the road as usual. When he accidentally looked up, he was surprised to find that more than ten royal carriages with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, escorted by horse guards, were driving towards Baolin Temple in a mighty manner.
Perhaps because of his ugly appearance, he quietly disappeared into the trees on the roadside.
Needless to say, this royal motorcade that once appeared at Yuquan Temple in Dangyang Mountain in Jingzhou came to welcome the Sixth Patriarch to Beijing.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng, who had already received a notification from local officials flying cavalry, led his ten disciples in his later years: Fahai, Fada, Zhicheng, Zhiche, Zhidao, Zhichang, Zhitong, Fazhen, Faru, Huizhan , waiting in front of the mountain gate of Baolin Temple.
The two groups of people in the temple also lined up along the two sides according to the monks and lamas, preparing to welcome the arrival of the imperial envoys.
"It's coming, it's coming! Look! Master, look!" Huizhan, who was only 18 years old, had sharp eyes and spotted the shadow of the motorcade from a long way away. He pointed and shouted excitedly into the distance.
The Sixth Patriarch did not follow his fingers, but looked thoughtfully at the spotless road in front of the temple.
The royal motorcade arrived in front of the mountain gate of Baolin Temple. Xue Jian, the most trusted servant of Emperor Zetian, led a dozen palace people to get out of the car. After greeting the Sixth Patriarch Huineng and others, they were invited into the living room of the temple.
There, the incense table has been set up to welcome the emperor's imperial edict.
In an instant, bells and drums were ringing inside and outside Baolin Temple. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng led the eminent monks from the temple to file out and lined up outside the mountain gate of Baolin Temple to greet him.
Xue Jian came to the gate of Baolin Temple and shouted loudly: "The imperial edict has arrived! Huineng receives the edict."
"Poverty hates the decree." The old monk with white beard and eyebrows stepped out from the procession of a large group of monks.
Xue Jian glanced at him and was startled: Shenxiu in the palace was tall and tall, with drooping ears and thick eyebrows and big eyes. In addition to his Confucian elegance, he also had the majesty of a king; and the figure of the old monk in front of him He is short and thin, with dark skin, a bulging forehead, and a slight limp in his legs when he walks. How does he look like a famous Buddhist patriarch?
Xue Jian frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Are you really the Sixth Patriarch Huineng?"
"The poor monk is Huineng." Huineng replied calmly. From Xue Jian's expression, he had already guessed what the other party was thinking.
After verifying that he was dead, Xue Jian knew that he was the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, so he read the imperial edict: "I am devoutly admiring the Tao and longing for Zen. I summon famous Zen masters from all over the state to gather in the Taoist temple to make offerings. I display two virtues and am the leader of the monks. I consult every time. Seek, and then recommend the famous Zen master from the south, the master of secret toleration, who conveyed the teachings of Mo Yibo, and believed that he had the faith of the Dharma. He suddenly realized the superior vehicle and clearly saw the Buddha nature. Now he lives in Caoxi Mountain, Shaozhou, and shows all living beings that they are the Buddha in their hearts. I have heard of the Tathagata. He told Kassapa from heart to heart, and Kassapa passed it on to Bodhidharma from generation to generation. The teachings were passed down from generation to generation in the East, and they are still being passed on from generation to generation. Since the teacher has a strong support, he can go to the capital to perform transformations, and the customs remain unchanged, and gods and humans look up to him. Therefore, I sent the envoy Xue Jian to welcome the army, hoping to come down as soon as possible.
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of Shenlong. "
Huineng and the other monks quickly prostrated on the ground outside the temple to listen to the order.
After Xue Jian read out the imperial edict, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng led him through the mountain gate and into the hall.
The young novice monk offered fermented tea.
After Xue Jian sipped the tea, he said with emotion: "I have been in the palace for many years, and this time the Great Sage Zetian and the Emperor jointly issued the edict. It is unprecedented and unprecedented, and it is extremely grand!"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng asked: "Master Imperial Envoy, I live dormant in the wild forest and mountain stream. How could the Holy One know that I am here and issue an edict to summon me to Beijing?"
Xue Jian answered bluntly: "They followed the recommendation of the emperor's master."
"Emperor Master?" Huineng had already heard from his disciples who traveled north and south that Shenxiu was invited by Wu Zetian to Luoyang and Chang'an to explain Buddhism, so he asked, "Is this Senior Brother Shenxiu?"
Xue Jian nodded: "Exactly."
An inexplicable tide hit the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. After escaping from Dongchan Temple, he had never met Shenxiu. He only knew that the northern and southern Zen sects were confronting each other. At this time, he heard that Shenxiu recommended him to the Holy Master. , couldn't help but feel excited, and after chanting for a while, he asked: "How is the emperor's health?"
Xue Jian's fat head moved to the left and right: "I see that his face is sallow and he is not in good spirits. He can't stop coughing due to the slightest bit of wind and cold. He walks slowly and has an old look. According to the old minister, His vitality has been exhausted and he will die soon." A trace of sadness emerged in the heart of Sixth Patriarch Huineng: "Ah, Senior Brother Shenxiu is about to die."
Seeing his expression, Xue Jian was puzzled: "I often heard people talk about the Northern and Southern Zen sects in the palace. Master, you have been frequently hunted and persecuted by Shenxiu and his sect. Don't you hate Them?"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng replied solemnly: "This has nothing to do with Senior Brother Shenxiu. It was Yin Ying's unscrupulous act to achieve his ulterior purpose. It's okay not to mention it."
Xue Jian: "Master, you are just opening up the Dharma in the south and promoting your enlightenment Zen philosophy."
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng smiled calmly and said, "Master Imperial Envoy, have you never heard of the idiom 'the water of the river does not interfere with the water of the well'? Moreover, although the Southern and Northern sects actually have the same source of water, they are like the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. The two major streams of Zen Buddhism in the world have the grand purpose of revitalizing Buddhism. This is what I want to do."
"You are so magnanimous," Xue Jian said admiringly.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said calmly: "The past seems to have disappeared. There is nothing worth remembering."
After Xue Jian sipped the tea, he saw that the sun had moved to the middle of the sky and urged: "Time waits for us not. I hope Master will pack his bags quickly and set off with me. We will go to the capital and palace to meet the emperor and receive the reward."
Facing the emperor's imperial edict, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng had other ideas and said, "As the abbot of Baolin Temple, I have many Buddhist affairs. Let Laona arrange the affairs in the temple and let's talk about it later."
After the Sixth Patriarch Huineng finished speaking, he left the hall and returned to the abbot's room. His personal disciples came to see him at the same time.
Zhichang had a worried look on his face and asked: "Master, I didn't expect that Empress Wu's imperial envoy came so urgently. What are you going to do?"
