When Liang Jinlian asked about it, she said, "This is related to horses, and it's called Ma Lin!"
Huineng seemed thoughtful, "Ma Lin?"
Liang Jinlian saw that Huineng seemed to be very interested in this place. She recalled that she, her father and her brother had passed by here while hunting a few years ago and rested here. She also asked her father curiously. Her father told her two stories about Marin.
When Hui Neng heard what Liang Jinlian said, he couldn't help but said: "Mei A Lian, tell me quickly."
"Yeah." Liang Jinlian saw that Huineng was so interested, so she repeated the story of Shuiyuan Mountain Marin that her father told Huineng exactly:
Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a severe drought. Villagers went to Shuiyuan Mountain and Malinping to pray for rain, hoping that God would bless them with sweet rain and ensure a good harvest for their crops.
The first autumn of the year has passed, but the rivers are dry and muddy, the grass and trees on the earth are withered and yellow, and the seedlings have not yet touched the ground. Hundreds of villagers in Tianlu Mountain walked dozens of miles to Shuiyuan Mountain and Malinping, holding ingots, candles and incense, and carrying temple gods and Buddhas on their shoulders.
When people come here, they only feel the dew and fairy water cooling their hearts, but they still worry about when the good weather (with rain) will come in the future! Not long after, everyone was busy lighting incense candles, burning incense and praying. Suddenly, the fire reflected on the mountainside, sweat dripped from people's bodies, beads of sweat flowed to the ground, and cigarette smoke shot into the sky, touching the eyes of gods.
The gods parted the clouds and suddenly saw this scene in the human world. They immediately summoned the wind and rain, and a heavy rain fell. The villagers here seized the opportunity and planted the seedlings. Because they worked hard during the season, the harvest that year was pretty good.
Another year, before the beginning of autumn, drought was coming, so he organized a team in advance to pray for rain. As the process went, rain came in time. The gods, calling for wind and rain, also parted the clouds and peered into the human world. They saw that the water in the mountain stream was slipping away in vain, so they roared: "We must block the river and build a dam to retain the water!"
The sun was setting and the crowd had dispersed. As night falls, the gods descend to earth. Use an umbrella to pick up the fossil of Dashigu and the chun stone from Datangao, and prepare to place them in Kaiping Dasha and Xinzhou Gongcheng to dam the river and store water.
Who knew it would be dawn and it would not be completed.
When I was preparing to return to the heaven in Xiangluping, Xiachang, the light of the incense candles was still bright, and the smoke of the incense candles was still smelling. The crow of roosters on earth became louder and louder, the sounds of milling and pounding rice came frequently, and the gods used their fingers to pull the horse in front of Malin Village. After a few beats, the horse let out an earth-shattering neigh.
These few shots left a handprint 60 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide on the horse's back.
This magical legend is deeply imprinted in the hearts of future generations, so it is known as the "handwriting of the gods".
After Liang Jinlian finished talking about the immortal handwriting, she said with emotion: "Speaking of the origin of Marin. There is another beautiful and touching story in Tianlu Mountain!"
Legend has it that during the time of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, there was a large mountain called Tianlu Mountain. This mountain is majestic, winding and undulating, stretching hundreds of miles across, with towering peaks and shrouded in clouds and mist. There are many wonderful sights on the mountain. There are beautiful peaks like galloping horses, and gurgling water like the jade belt around Taibai's waist. It flows from the top to the bottom and merges into the endless river at the bottom of the mountain. The geographical environment here is behind the Tianlu Mountains, the first large mountain range encountered after the monsoon travels north from the South China Sea through Taishan and Enping. Due to the barrier of the Tianlu Mountains, the year-round temperature here is slightly lower than that in the plains. Every year, the typhoons that move north from the South China Sea are weakened because they are blocked by the mountains, which reduces the damage caused by the typhoons to the local area. But it brings abundant rain here. This unique climatic environment is suitable for the growth of various trees.
Standing by the river, looking around, I saw lush pine trees on the top of the mountain, fruit trees and wild flowers surrounding the mountains and ridges, and waves surging with the mountain wind. Mountains, mountains, roadsides, and rivers are all bathed in the fragrance of flowers and fruits. Even the sparkling river is full of ripples, as if bursts of fragrance are about to overflow. What a place to live and work in peace and contentment with beautiful mountains and clear waters, elegant environment, and fragrant flowers and fruits.
It is said that after Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and proclaimed himself emperor and established the Han Dynasty, some of the civil and military ministers who followed him to conquer the world stayed in the court as officials, and some returned to their hometowns with honor. Among this group of ministers, there was a civil servant named Liang Mingxing. He knew that in times of peace and prosperity, accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. Therefore, he did not miss the fine clothes, food, wealth, and wealth in the court. He followed the example of Zhang Liang, an important minister in the court, and resigned. If you don't do it, you can travel from "Red Pine Nuts" to express your feelings among the mountains and rivers.
Besides, Liang Xing and his wife Li went south and traveled all the way to this place. When they saw such a good place, they settled here. The couple planted some longan, lychee and other fruit trees in front of and behind the house, and planted green plum saplings all over the mountains. This was originally a good place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. After their hard work, soon the flowers and fruits were ripe in front of and behind the house.
Besides, Liang Xing and his wife worked hard here, and after more than ten spring and autumn years, they lived a prosperous and satisfying life. But there were two things that didn't go as expected: first, he was over fifty and had no children; second, the fruit trees planted in the early years had all blossomed and bore fruit, except for the green plums, which still had green leaves and no blossoms or bore fruit.
One day, they were fertilizing the green plum soil on the mountain. Suddenly they found a pony lying there deep in the plum forest. They quickly stepped forward to take a look and saw that the pony was seriously injured. When they saw them, they tried to struggle and escape. , but it didn't help at all. He fell down again with a "porphy" sound.
When Liang Xing saw this, he thought to himself: God is good at saving lives. Saving the horse's life is better than building several levels of pagodas.
So, relying on the medicinal properties and medical skills learned from living in the mountains for more than ten years, she quickly found mountain herbs to heal the pony's injuries. The lady also cut green grass to feed the pony.
Xiao Ma was quickly cured of his injuries after careful treatment by Liang Xing and his wife. With gratitude, Xiao Ma bowed several times to Liang Xing and his wife, and then reluctantly left.
Time flies like an arrow, the sun and the moon fly by, and a few years have passed in the blink of an eye. At this time, Liang Xing and his wife were already in their sixties, and their physical strength was getting worse day by day. It was very difficult for them to work, and they were worried about how they would live in the future.
One evening, when they returned home from the fields, they smelled the aroma of food coming from the kitchen.
So, I quickly went in and opened the lid of the pot and saw that the pot was filled with cooked white rice and plates of meat and vegetables. I suddenly felt very strange. I asked people nearby but they all said they didn't know. I hesitated for a while. Yes, because I was hungry, I started eating. It was like this for several days.
In order to solve this mystery, they went home an hour early that day. As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw smoke coming from the kitchen. I looked in through the kitchen window and saw a young man making a fire to cook.
They immediately opened the door and went in. It was too late for the man to avoid it.
Liang Xing and his wife stepped forward and asked, "Who are you?"
At this time, the man looked at Liang Xing and his wife kindly and said, "Don't be afraid. I am the pony you saved in the early years. In order to repay your kindness, my parents asked me to recognize you as my godfather and godmother." You are all old now, so let me honor you." After that, he knelt down to Liang Xing and his wife, and said, "Please accept my godson's bow."
Liang Xing and his wife quickly helped him up and happily recognized Ma'er as their godson. After that, Liang Xing, his wife and their godson lived like a family until their death. Their last words before they died were that their son should find ways to make the green plum blossoms on the mountain bloom and bear fruit, so as to benefit the whole country.
Ma Er finished the posthumous arrangements for his godfather and godmother. In order to fulfill their godfather and godmother's last wishes, he traveled day and night, braved the scorching sun and cold wind, traveled to deep mountains and forests, visited famous gardening masters, and went through many difficulties. It's painful, but I still haven't found a cure.
Today is another soul-breaking Qingming Festival. The horses braved the drizzle and came back from thousands of miles away to pay homage to their godfather and godmother.
He placed sacrifices in front of the tomb, picked up a few dry branches beside the tomb, lit them and inserted them in front of the tomb to pay homage... Thinking that after all the hardships, he has not been able to fulfill the last wishes of his godfather and godmother, he couldn't help but choke up in his throat when he was sad. , actually burst into tears.
Besides, what the horse lit on fire just now was not an ordinary tree branch, but a rather precious sandalwood tree branch. At this time, I saw a scent of fragrance rising straight into the sky accompanied by cries, alarming the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Palace.
After the Jade Emperor learned about it, he decreed that Baihua Fairy would help the horse.
After receiving the decree, Baihua Fairy collected the spiritual energy and fairy dew from heaven and earth, and led the holy water from the Yaochi in the sky to sprinkle here.
Green plum blossoms were watered by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, fairy dew, and holy water. In the severe winter of that year, snow-white flowers bloomed one after another, covering the mountains and fields in a vast expanse of white. There is a poem to prove it: There is a branch of plum blossom on the mountain, Ling Han blooms alone.
I know it's not snow from a distance, because there is a faint fragrance coming.
In the spring of this year, when other trees were blooming, the green plums here were already bearing fruits on the branches. When the green plums mature and people come to harvest them with joy, the young man no longer knows where he has gone. People were moved by this incident and called this place "Malin Mountain", or "Malin" for short, as a commemoration.
Since then, plum blossoms have bloomed everywhere in the Shuiyuan Mountain area. Every winter, plum blossoms bloom in Shili, as white as snow, fragrant and spectacular.
Later, I don’t know which glacial uplift of the earth’s crust raised this mountain that stretched for hundreds of miles proudly and split it into several sections; I don’t know which inexhaustible dragon vein of our ancestors turned this place into a mulberry field. , until it was divided into the current villages of Malin, Fengshan, Dalang, Caotian, Shuilang, Xishui, etc., they were collectively called "Gongcheng"; and the clear river flowing under the mountain was called Gongcheng River.
It is said that the Ice Age landslides occurred in the Marin area, which divided it into several villages. The longan and yellow bark that Liang Xing and his wife planted in the early years have disappeared, and only the green plums are scattered on the mountains in this area. At the foot of the mountain and in front of and behind the village, plum blossoms still smile in the winter (east) wind, bearing fruit every year.
…
After listening to this beautiful story told by Liang Jinlian, Hui Neng became even more fond and nostalgic for this place.
Huineng has a special preference for plum blossoms. He believes that when plum blossoms are planted here, the green-calyx plum blossoms that grow out will be as pure and pure as a Zen heart. Looking at them will make people have distracting thoughts. All eliminated.
Huineng took a fancy to this place with a beautiful environment. Later, whenever he had free time, he and Liang Jinlian came here to plant plum trees.
The land here is fertile, the water is abundant, and the sunlight is excellent, so those plum trees grow fast and well.
The mountain people in Tianlu Mountain love plum trees very much. They believe that the plum trees were created by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the plum cores left by Tieguaili and other immortals when the Eight Immortals came to Tianlu Mountain to hold a fruit feast. The Jade Emperor decreed that Baihua Fairy would help the horse. It collects the spiritual energy and celestial dew of heaven and earth, and draws the holy water from the Yaochi in the sky to sprinkle here and blossom and bear fruit.
With the hard work and promotion of Huineng and Liang Jinlian, the mountain people planted plum trees on a large area on the mountain. Before long, plum trees were all over Tianlu Mountain.
During the season when plum blossoms are in full bloom, mountains and mountains are covered in white, like white clouds falling down to the earth. When the mountain breeze blows, the fragrance of plum blossoms ripples and is intoxicating. It can be said that the mountain people are living in a sea of flowers and a world of fragrance, and they are contented. On the other hand, every time the plum blossoms fall and the plum trees bear fruit, countless green plums hang on the branches, and the branches are bent under the weight of the heavy fruits.
At that time, most people here consumed ripe green plums as fresh fruit. Later, Huineng guided them that the harvested plums could be soaked in wine or made into preserved fruits for sale. In this way, the plum tree brought them a lot of tangible benefits.
What is even more commendable is that Huineng put down all worldly matters and distractions in this aura-filled place with a quiet environment, and worked with Liang Jinlian to cultivate plum blossoms, chant sutras together, experience "Zen-farmer unity" together, and listen to the cries of frogs and cicadas. , accept the influence of the quiet and harmonious nature; go planting vegetables with your mother, get rid of the fighting, noisy, and boring environment and experience it for yourself, cultivate and enlighten the Tao, and prepare for the glorious "Sixth Patriarch Altar" later. Sutra laid a solid foundation. For example, he wrote in the third chapter "Judgment" of the Sixth Patriarch's Altar Sutra: If the mind is calm, there is no need to work hard to observe the precepts, and if the behavior is upright, there is no need to practice meditation. Kindness means filial piety and nurturing of parents; righteousness means compassion for one another. Giving way will lead to harmony between the humble and the humble, and tolerance will lead to no harm from all evils. If fire can be drilled out of wood, red lotuses will surely grow out of mud...
There are ten chapters in the "Sixth Patriarch's Altar Sutra": action, prajna, determination, concentration and wisdom, sitting meditation, repentance, chance, suddenness, protection, and instructions. Among them, "Judgment" is the third level (i.e. Chapter 3).
The meaning of this article is: "If you have a calm mind, why bother to keep the precepts, and if you have a straight mind, why practice meditation?" If a practitioner can face the world with a calm mind, then why should he deliberately keep the precepts? If he behaves uprightly, and if his mind is still, why should he sit in meditation behind closed doors? Woolen cloth?
"Be kind and filial to parents, and righteousness is to show mercy to each other." A person who knows kindness will definitely honor his parents; a person who is righteous will definitely respect the old and love the young.
"Tolerance leads to respect and humiliation, and harmony and forbearance lead to no harm." If a person can be humble in everything, he will inevitably make the people around him present a scene of order, harmony and harmony. People who know how to endure humiliation will naturally Understand the wonderful use of concealing evil and promoting good.
"If you can drill wood to make fire, the red lotus will grow in the mud." As long as you can drill wood to make fire, untainted lotus flowers will bloom in the mud.
The characteristic of Huineng's theory of Buddha nature is that it regards Buddha nature as the only characteristic of human beings, and transfers the path to becoming a Buddha to the awareness of one's own "nature" through "seeking within the heart". The "Sixth Patriarch Altar Sutra" is also the embodiment of Huineng's understanding and inspiration of his own practice. This is inseparable from Huineng's penetration into the people and the embodiment of life.
To use a modern saying, it is called "from life, higher than life".
