At noon that day, Xuance and Xuan Juexian entered the territory of Ganzhou.
It's time to break up. Xuance will continue to go north, travel to Kuangshan Mountain and cross the Yangtze River; Xuanjue will travel thousands of miles east to return to his hometown.
A Zen person has no worries, just say goodbye after a cup of tea. So, the two came to the bank of Ganjiang River:
A copper bowl scoops water from the river, a tripod of stones stands as a stove, dead branches have their own fire properties, and tea is made after the smoke disperses.
The tea that had just been boiled was very hot to the mouth, so Xuanjue cooled a cup of tea in front of him. As a result, the green mountains, green trees, blue sky and white clouds are reflected in the tea cup. He pointed to the tea and said: "The mountains, rivers, land, and all kinds of things are in it."
After hearing this, Xuance picked up the tea cup, poured the tea back into the spraying Gan River, and then asked: "Where are all the myriad things?"
Xuanjue's words were clever, and Xuance's forcing was even better.
As the ancients said, there is no establishment without destruction, no excitement without excitement. Inspired by each other, the two people are connected and connected, and the great Zen opportunities are like the torrential river, rolling in, covering the sky and the earth.
Xuanjue is a great master and has his own brilliance.
At this time, a huge carp jumped out of the water, drew a streak of silver lightning in the air, and then fell back into the water.
Xuanjue shouted loudly: "Fish, fish, fish!"
All kinds of things are reflected in the tea, the tea dissolves into the river, and carps swim in the river. Therefore, carp is the manifestation of all kinds of things.
…
Qingyuan Mountain on the right bank of the Gan River is the monastery of the abbot Xingsi.
However, when they climbed Qingyuan Mountain and came to the abbot of Jingju Temple, Xuance did not enter the door. Instead, he pushed Xuanjue, who had never seen his senior brother before, in alone.
Zen practitioners are connected with each other.
Of course Xuanjue understood what he meant.
Therefore, he did not reveal his identity, but after bowing according to the rules of a walking Zen monk, he asked: "What is the meaning of the Buddha's teachings?"
This question may seem trivial, but there is a needle hidden in it, and it will prick your hand at the slightest touch.
Because, how can the general meaning of Buddhism be explained in words? This is why it is said that there is no establishment of writing and teaching outsiders.
But even though it cannot be explained clearly in words, the Zen master still has to say it. Otherwise, how can the student monks be inspired and enter the realm of Zen?
Therefore, whether a Zen master's practice, views, and skills can clearly see his original mind and fully understand his nature can all be found in this sentence.
So, how did Xingsi answer?
Xingsi didn't answer and asked, "What's the nearest price of firewood and rice in Luling?"
Luling is the only place you must pass when coming to Qingyuan Mountain, but what does the price of firewood and rice in Luling have to do with the general meaning of Buddhism?
What's even more strange is that after hearing this, Xuan Jue inside the door and Xuan Ce outside the door both laughed and kowtowed to their senior brother respectfully.
It turns out that Zen, which is difficult to describe in words, appears everywhere in daily life!
Although the price of firewood and rice in Luling is an ordinary and common life issue, it affects everyone near Luling.
And this most basic thing in life contains exactly the essence of Zen.
If you taste the true meaning of life wholeheartedly and concentrate on it, you can practice Buddhism.
Therefore, the sentence "The price of firewood and rice in Lu" can be said to be penetrating, and it naturally shows the essence of Zen - firewood and rice are closely related to people's eating, which is of course Zen.
The simplest common sense is the truth of Zen.
If you are hungry, you will eat; if you are sleepy, you will sleep; in summer, you will face cool shade and in winter, you will face fire. As long as you follow the laws of nature and comply with the laws of nature, you will realize the subtlety of Zen.
…
After coming down from Qingyuan Mountain, the two "Xuan" Zen masters took a dip in Kuanglu and said goodbye at the foot of the mountain.
Xuance watched Xuanjue gradually walk away, his figure blending into the vast wilderness...
In the wilderness, among the white clouds, Xuanjue's chanting sound suddenly echoed——
Don’t you see:
A Taoist who has learned nothing but is idle does not get rid of delusions and does not seek truth.
The true nature of ignorance is the Buddha nature, and the empty body of illusion is the Dharma body.
The Dharmakaya realizes that there is nothing, the original and innocent Buddha...
Ever since I recognized Caoxi Road, I have realized that life and death have nothing to do with each other.
One nature encompasses all natures, and one dharma encompasses all dharma.
All water appears in one month, and all water is captured in one month...
The elephant rides on the majestic road slowly, but who can see that the mantis can refuse?
The elephant does not wander in the hare's path, and the great enlightenment does not stick to small details.
Don't slander Cang Cang. I am now your king.
It is true that Xuanjue was enlightened before he went to see the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, and his enlightenment was confirmed by Master Huineng.
Therefore, the "Song of Enlightenment" that he recited impromptu was indeed the divine work of a truly enlightened person. Not only is the insight profound, but the rhythm of the poem is sonorous, powerful, and catchy. The "sound effect" alone is extraordinary. Therefore, for more than a thousand years, this song has been widely recited both inside and outside the church, and it has awakened countless people. "The Man in the Dream" continues to inspire people now and in the future who hope to awaken sooner.
This "Song of Enlightenment" has echoed throughout the mountains and rivers for a long time, and continues to echo to this day. To this day, Yongjia Master Xuanjue and his "Zen Yongjia Collection" are still a must-read classic for all Zen practitioners and Zen researchers inside and outside Buddhism.
…
The end of Xuance's Zen staff is holding the bright moon of Caoxi; the edge of the bamboo hat is surrounded by the haze of Mount Lu; the waves of the Yangtze and Huaihe River are hidden in the luggage; the fragrant flowers of the Central Plains are dyed under the straw sandals...
He crossed the Yangtze River, forded the Huai River, crossed the Yellow River, and arrived in Hebei. Because he heard that traces of his junior brother Ying Xing appeared in the land of Yanzhao.
Also, this is the ancestral home of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. Since ancient times, there have been many generous and tragic people, marching in the vast Yanzhao where "the wind is rustling, the water is cold, and the strong men will never come back". What a magnificent feeling it must be !
…
Besides, Xuance and Xuanjue said goodbye at the foot of the mountain after having a good swim in Kuanglu. At noon that day, when they passed by the foot of a mountain, they saw many people kneeling down to a cave halfway up the mountain. An elder in front of me raised his hands and asked: "Hello, uncle! Why is the mountainside so busy?"
The elder said with respect: "There is a mysterious eminent monk meditating in the cave."
"Oh?" Xuance looked surprised.
Seeing that Xuance didn't believe it, people at the scene told him:
"That Zen Master Zhihuang is from the same sect as Master Shenxiu, who is famous all over the country. They are both disciples of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren who personally taught the essentials of Zen."
"After he learned the Fa in Huangmei, he returned to this cave and has been practicing meditation for more than 20 years."
"Every time he entered samadhi, it lasted as little as ten or eight days, or as long as a month. It is said that once, all the tits made their nests on his body."
…
Xuance still shook his head, because he knew that deep meditation is a skill of meditation, a form, not the content of Zen.
So Xuance came to the cave and saw an old monk in his sixties, Zen Master Zhihuang, sitting there quietly.
Xuance asked Zen Master Zhihuang, "What are you practicing here?"
Zen Master Zhihuang said: "I am practicing meditation."
Xuance asked again: "When you talk about entering concentration, do you enter concentration when the mind has thoughts? Or enter concentration when the mind has no thoughts?"
Zen Master Zhihuang was speechless and felt it was difficult to answer.
Xuance continued: "If you don't have any thoughts in your mind when you enter samadhi, then the plants, trees, stones and other inanimate things around you should be able to enter samadhi; if you enter samadhi with thoughts in your mind, then everything with life and consciousness will be able to enter samadhi." All sentient beings, such as cattle, sheep, rats and rabbits all over the mountains and fields, should also be able to enter concentration."
When Zen Master Zhihuang heard this, he knew that he had met an expert who was enlightened and insightful. He answered very cautiously: "When I entered samadhi, I didn't feel the mind of existence and non-existence. In other words, I forgot about existence and non-existence, and I don't know whether I had any thoughts."
Zen Master Zhihuang thought he had given a very satisfactory answer, but Xuance focused on the loopholes in his words and pointed out unceremoniously: "Since you can't feel the mind of existence and non-existence when you enter concentration, it is permanent concentration. Since it is If there is constant concentration, how can there be entering and exiting concentration? If there is going out and entering, it is not true meditation."
Zen Master Zhihuang was speechless and ashamed. But he was an open-minded Zen master after all, and he quickly asked: "Who is your master, who can teach such an outstanding disciple as you?"
Xuance smiled and said: "Speaking of which, my master has a deep connection with you. He is the disciple of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng."
"Sixth Patriarch? Oh, I've heard of it. I wonder what he meant by meditation?"
"My master, the Sixth Patriarch, said that the self-nature is profound and ever-quiet, with perfect spiritual clarity and unmoving nature. The five aggregates of form, feeling, thought, action, and consciousness are originally empty; form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas , the six objects are also illusory and unreal. Therefore, meditation refers to the psychological indifference and tranquility. It is not disturbed by the six objects externally, and is not influenced by the five aggregates internally. No matter walking, standing, sitting or lying down, the whole body and mind neither deliberately focus nor focus on it. Do not indulge in distraction, and always maintain a state of natural peace, emptiness and agility. The nature of Zen is not rigid and unchanging, it neither arises nor dies, has no dwelling and no thoughts."
Zen Master Zhihuang could no longer sit still. He stood up, put his hands together and asked, "Sixth Patriarch... Master, has he finally left the mountain? Where is he teaching Dharma now?"
"Baolin Temple in Caoxi, Lingnan. You..." Before Xuance could finish speaking, Zen Master Zhihuang roared and ran out of the cave, running toward Lingnan in a puff of white smoke.
This time he ran a little further, running thousands of miles until he reached Baolin Temple and the presence of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng.
The Sixth Patriarch asked him: "Looking at your appearance, you look like a northerner. Where are you from?"
"Hebei." Zen Master Zhihuang replied.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said happily: "Oh, we are still half-relatives! My late father is from Fanyang, Hebei Province! How did you come to Lingnan?"
After Zen Master Zhihuang saluted the Sixth Patriarch, he recounted the circumstances of his meeting with Xuance.
After listening to his narration, the Sixth Patriarch was very happy. On the one hand, he was excited about Xuance's rapid progress in practice, and on the other hand, he was moved by Zen Master Zhihuang's spirit of traveling thousands of miles and not being ashamed to ask questions. He immediately said: "Just like what Xuan Ce said you just talked about, as long as your mind is like emptiness, and you are not rigid or attached to emptiness, you can keep your mind in a free and easy state, regardless of walking, stopping, or moving. , Jing, without any deliberate intention." When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng said this, he changed his mind and said, "Please look at that big tree."
Zen Master Zhihuang looked in the direction of the Sixth Patriarch's finger and saw that the trees everywhere were not much different from those in his hometown of Hebei. I don’t see anything uniquely Zen.
The Sixth Patriarch said: "Look, whenever the breeze blows, the leaves rustle and sing; when the wind stops, they enjoy the sunshine freely, unrestrained and free. This is meditation! Forget about the complex of mortals and saints, and eliminate energy. By distinguishing between the inner nature and the external phenomena, one can be in meditation all the time."
After hearing this, Zen Master Zhihuang suddenly understood and knelt down to salute.
Later, he returned to Hebei and brought the Sixth Patriarch's Sudden Enlightenment Zen method to the land of Yanzhao, playing a pioneering role in the future expansion of Southern Zen to the north.
…
Let’s talk about being merciful. Following the order of his master, the Sixth Patriarch, Huairang came out to establish an independent family and promote the country. He came to Nanyue Hengshan and lived in Prajna Temple for a long time, so he was called Nanyue Huairang, or Master Nanyue.
Many years later, Huairang heard that a young monk with a common surname of Ma and a common name of Daoyi came from Shifang, Sichuan to the Buddhist Zen Temple near Hengshan Mountain. He has an aloof temperament, sits in meditation all day long, and never interacts with others.
Huairang immediately remembered that when he left Caoxi, his master the Sixth Patriarch told him: "A colt will come out of your sect, gallop freely and conquer the world. Looking back further, long before Patriarch Bodhidharma came to China, his His master, the Venerable Prajna Dora, prophesied to him: "Although Cathay is vast and has no roads, we must travel under the feet of our children and grandchildren. The golden rooster will pick up a grain of millet and provide it to the Arhat monks in the ten directions."
Could it be that the "Ma Juzi" the Master mentioned was this lay Zen monk named Ma?
Huairang walked along the thatched path to the hill behind Chuanfa Zen Monastery.
He saw a young Zen monk sitting alone under a green pine tree with a dragon twisting around it. The monk who was sitting in meditation seemed to have become one with the surrounding mountains, rivers and vegetation, motionless, neither smelling nor looking.
He is Daoyi, a Zen master who is destined to shock the world, an eminent monk who has been famous throughout the ages, and the only master after the Sixth Patriarch to be called "Ancestor" by future generations.
Huairang walked straight up to him and stood for a long time before he asked, "Why are you sitting there like this for so long?"
"Become a Buddha in the future!" Daoyi replied in a dismissive tone without even raising his eyelids. When Huairang saw this, he stopped asking and picked up a brick and started grinding it on the rock.
The harsh sound of grinding bricks, creaking, creaking, creaking, creaking, sounded louder than the cracking of mountains and cracking ground to the ears of Dao Yi, who was striving for peace of mind, and worse than the call of a night owl.
Bear it, bear it, bear it! The Buddha said that the paramita of patience is one of the six methods of Bodhisattva practice. The first way is to endure it.
However, the wear and tear kept on grinding. The sound of the friction between broken bricks and rocks was sharp and weird. It was like steel needles drilling into Dao Yi's ears, piercing into his brain, and piercing every nerve in him...
Dao Yi couldn't bear it anymore and could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. He finally opened his eyes and glared at Huairang fiercely.
However, Huairang ignored Dao Yi.
Without raising his head or squinting, he continued grinding the bricks. He was so focused that he had no time to look around, as if he was polishing the most precious diamond in the world.
Dao Yi was attracted by the way he was grinding bricks so carefully, and couldn't help but curiously asked: "Why are you grinding that brick so carefully?"
"I want to polish it into a smooth and bright mirror."
"How can a piece of rotten brick be polished into a mirror?" he said, half puzzled and half sarcastic.
"Since you know that bricks cannot be ground into a mirror, how can you become a Buddha by sitting there all day long?" Huairang finally revealed the purpose of grinding bricks. It turned out to be to guide Dao Yi to take the bait, so as to enlighten him. he.
After hearing Huairang's words, Dao Yi didn't know how to answer for a while.
Huairang picked up a dead branch from under the tree, whipped it a few times on the lying cow stone where Daoyi was sitting in meditation, and said slowly and leisurely: "This is like driving a cow to pull a cart. The cart stopped halfway, and you are beating the cow. Or take a taxi?"
Daoyi felt that Huairang's words were unfathomable and couldn't help but stand up.
Huairang was moved when he saw the Tao. He was listening to his own words attentively, and then he slowly got to the point: "You said you want to become a Buddha by sitting in meditation. However, Zen does not involve sitting or lying down, and the Buddha does not have a fixed image. Things are constantly changing. It is impossible to make a choice. If you think that you can become a Buddha only by sitting quietly, it is equivalent to killing your living Buddha nature; if you are obsessed with sitting and sticking to the form, you will not be able to realize the truth of Buddhism."
Daoyi knew that what Huairang said was reasonable, but it was difficult for people to deny themselves, especially for things that they were very proud of, and it was difficult to see through and let go.
Daoyi groaned for a long time and said: "There is nothing wrong with sitting in meditation. The Buddha Sakyamuni became a Buddha by sitting in meditation."
"Zazen is of course good, but if you regard zazen as the only way to become a Buddha, especially if you have an attachment to zazen to gain something, you are wrong. There is an old saying that there are many heroes. However, if an alcoholic believes that Is it true to say that he is a hero? If a person can drink a lot of wine, is he a hero? The Buddha saw the morning star while meditating and became enlightened. This does not mean that everyone must meditate to become enlightened. Learn Buddhism and practice Zen , the key is to grasp the true meaning of Buddhism and understand the essence of Zen. Only in this way can we get twice the result with half the effort and achieve enlightenment once we hear it.”
Like an enlightenment, like dew moistening the heart, the Tao is suddenly enlightened. The flowers of wisdom burn in the soul, and the tears of joy flow from the eyes. He bowed deeply to Huairang...
When he raised his head, there was no one in front of him. In the mountains and fields, a string of chants as bright as pearls danced:
The heart contains all kinds of things, and they are all cute when you encounter them.
The samadhi flower has no form, so how can it be restored to its original form?
Dao Yi didn't even take the futon where he used to sit in meditation every day, and hurriedly chased after the sound of chanting.
From then on, Dao Yi bowed to Huairang and sat down.
Ten years of hard work is unusual. Master Huairang's hard work transformed the ignorant young monk Daoyi into the great master Mazu Daoyi with hands and eyes as powerful as the sky - a great Dharma king destined to dominate the ages.
It takes ten years to sharpen a sword, and it will illuminate the world. The roaring birth of Mazu Daoyi brought great prosperity to Zen Buddhism.
With his broad-minded demeanor and magical and agile wisdom, he displayed the profound and mysterious Zen principles in ordinary daily life, so that every ordinary person can realize the transcendence of Zen, feel the grace of Zen, and understand The Prajna wisdom of Zen.
Therefore, scholars from all over the world gathered together, and monks from all over the world watched the wind coming back; dragons soared and tigers roared, elephants danced and lions roared, and thousands of monks pointed their fingers, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Among his disciples, the two great patriarchs Baizhang Huaihai and Nanquan Puyuan left their legacy to future generations, Fenzhou Wuye, Damei Fachang, Xitang Zhizang, Guizong Zhichang, Shigong Huizang, Xingshan Weikuan, Wutai Yinfeng , Yanguan Qi'an, Panshan Baoji, Dazhu Huihai... are all important figures at the master level in the history of Zen Buddhism. Therefore, Mazu Taoist Temple is known as the "Selected Buddha Temple".
Later, under his disciple Baizhang Huaihai, the earliest Weiyang sect and the largest Linji sect among the five major sects of Zen were born. After the Northern Song Dynasty and until today, most of the monks in Han Buddhism belong to the Linji sect.
Because most of the Zen monks in the world came from his disciples, later generations called him "Mazu".
