The Sixth Patriarch Huineng thought about the lotus pond at home and looked up to the sky to pray.
And all this has long gone with the wind.
Let the lotus in your heart moisten your jade-like face amid the rippling blue water, and get to know the Buddha in the corridor of time!
"I only love the lotus that emerges from the mud without being stained, and washes the clear ripples without being evil." This is the saying of the lotus;
"The lotus leaves that touch the sky are infinitely green, and the lotus that reflects the sun is uniquely red." This is also a saying about lotus flowers;
"There are eight or nine leaves in the field, scattered green at the beginning of the pond. The tender green is flat on the water, and the round shade has already covered the fish. The duckweed is not covered, and the weak waterlilies are still sparse. Half at the bottom of the spring waves, the heart is not yet relaxed." Lotus.
The lotus has been the object of chants by literati and noble people since ancient times. People love and praise the lotus. Not only the graceful figure and faint fragrance of the lotus, but also its noble character that can emerge from the mud without being stained have made the world admire and deeply admire it. respected.
Hui Neng loved lotus very much. I often worship the lotus's otherworldly temperament and immortal spirit devoutly in front of the Buddha.
While promoting Buddhism in Baolin Temple, Huineng suddenly discovered one day that in the large villages and small villages in Caoxi area, pilgrims who came to worship the Buddha, wearing fashions with lotus patterns, became people's favorites; what made him even more delighted was that in Shao In the galleries on the streets and alleys of the state, large portraits of lotus flowers appear ceremoniously as a symbol!
Ah, holy lotus, are all living beings enlightened?
This Zen-filled lotus, I hope your noble character is truly recognized;
I hope that your untainted character that emerges from the mud is really appreciated by all living beings; I hope that all the images that appear in your name really do not insult you!
Buddha said: "It takes a thousand glances back in the past life to get one pass in this life." Perhaps, Hui Neng and Li Xiaolan's passing in this life is the result of a thousand glances back in the past life...
"Lotus flowers bloom in the south of the Yangtze River, and red flowers cover the clear water. The colors are the same and the hearts are the same, and the lotus roots are different." This Zen-like "Summer Song" by Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, reminded Hui Neng again of his hidden treasures. The quiet and beautiful memories in his heart... even made him cross the bridge——
Emperor Wu of Liang Xiao Yan was the founding emperor of the Liang Dynasty. His ancestor, the Xiao family of Lanling, was originally a commoner in the north and had a relatively humble family background. But his uncle Xiao Daocheng was a very strategic politician. He took advantage of the civil strife in the court to seize power and establish the Qi Dynasty.
Xiao Yan inherited his uncle's courage and strategy and served as a military officer in the Southern Qi Dynasty. He fought against the Northern Wei army many times and became famous far and wide.
In the second year of Qi Jianwu (495), the Northern Wei army attacked Xiao Dan, the governor of Sizhou in Southern Qi. Xiao Yan followed Wang Guangzhi, the governor of Jiangzhou, to rescue him. In front of the two armies, other generals saw that the Wei army was powerful and were afraid to move forward. Xiao Yan personally led the death squad as the vanguard and fought bravely. The soldiers followed closely behind and defeated the 100,000 Wei army.
After the war, the enemy camp was searched, and an edict from Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty was found in a scarf box left by a Wei general. It read: "I heard that Xiao Yan is good at using troops. Don't fight easily. Wait until I arrive to discuss countermeasures. If If I can capture this man, Jiangnan will be mine."
Xiao Yan was still a socialite in his early years. Xiao Ziliang, the king of Jingling in the Southern Qi Dynasty, opened his west residence and recruited literary people. Xiao Yan and famous celebrities Shen Yue, Wang Rong, Xiao Chen, Fan Yun, Ren Fang, Lu Bing, etc. traveled to the west residence and recited poems and prose, known as "Jing Ling". "Ling Bayou".
Before Xiao Yan became emperor, although he was busy with government affairs, he still read under the lamp until late at night every day, and wrote more than 600 volumes of "General History".
He often personally drafted the imperial edicts, praises, prefaces and other official documents, which totaled one hundred and twenty volumes; he revised the "Hundred Family Genealogy" and emphasized the use of noble families;
Xiao Yan is good at playing chess, and is good at other aspects such as yin and yang, divination, calligraphy, etc. He can be said to be versatile.
Naturally, such a talented person in both civil and military affairs would not want to stay under others for a long time, so when Emperor Wu of Qi died of illness and the palace was in civil strife, Xiao Yan assisted Xiao Zhaoye in seizing power.
At that time, his wings were not yet full, but Xiao Zhaoye relied on him very much, causing his power to grow step by step.
After he had accumulated enough strength, Xiao Yan resolutely launched an uprising in Yongzhou, seized power, established the Liang Dynasty, and changed Yuan Tianjian.
From then on, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty Xiao Yan stopped acting as a think tank for others and began to fully display his talents in politics.
Emperor Wu of Liang was a rare long-lived emperor in Chinese history. He lived to be eighty-five years old and reigned for more than fifty years. It can be said that before he embraced Buddhism, he was still very diligent in governing and could be called a wise emperor with both civil and military skills.
"Long life without borders" is the wish of all emperors. In this case, whether to be romantic or to gamble on longevity, Xiao Yan chose the latter.
There is a view that from the Buddhist precept of "removing two obstacles", Xiao Yan "began to know his direction", ate a vegetarian diet, and cut off his house. In the final analysis, it is for health reasons. The so-called "people who can do it" are looking for ways to live longer.
This view is quite reasonable, and this should be the original reason why Xiao Yan "has not been close to women for forty years".
Sure enough, after abstaining from killing, his health problems were resolved and his brain was no longer dizzy. In Xiao Yan's own words, "If you don't protect yourself from the inside, you won't have the evil obstacles of desire. If you remove these two obstacles, your consciousness will be slightly clearer, and you can understand the inner and outer scriptures by reading them."
The emperor had the privilege of pampering all the beauties in the world. Xiao Yan "had not been close to women for forty years." The truth of this could not be explained not only by the civil and military officials of the court, but also by the imperial physician.
However, in the court, there is also a view that the "break-up" of a large number of elderly people should not be caused by worshiping Buddha in the first place.
Xiao Yan also agreed with this point.
But what is the reason?
Xiao Yan knew that he was dying, so he simply became a monk, became a clean emperor, and lived a long life. This is also an explanation for his sudden change of faith when he was fifty years old, giving up Taoism and embracing Buddhism.
…
A gust of autumn wind blew by, carrying the refreshing fragrance of flowers, bringing Hui Neng back to his eyes from the time tunnel.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng looked at the lotus pond in the distance and thought: This is true for people, but it is also true for flowers! His thoughts brought Huineng back to the childhood days when he and his classmate Xiaolan were studying together...
In the spring, when Xiaolan and Huineng were studying together in school, they would sometimes go to his home. Their childhood sweethearts would hold hands and walk by the lotus pond next to his house...
"Master, the wind is strong on the tower and the red sun has set in the west. Let's go down and have a meal." Looking at the Sixth Patriarch Huineng standing on the tower, Shen Hui, who had been leaning on the railing and meditating for a long time, said with concern.
"Oh..." The Sixth Patriarch Huineng woke up from his meditation, blinked, looked at the red sun setting in the west, suddenly realized something, and said to Shenhui, "As a teacher, you will hold a ceremony for the villagers at Guoen Temple tomorrow. Tan said, please notify Xialu Village and the nearby Houliang Village and several other villages. Don’t make the scope too large, lest there are too many people coming and it will be difficult to receive the reception for a while."
"Okay." After Shenhui said this, he helped the Sixth Patriarch Huineng down the pagoda and headed towards the dining hall.
Longshan Guoen Temple is located in Jiji Town (now Liuzu Town) in the south of Xinzhou County. This ancient land has a long history. The incense of the Qin and Han Dynasties has continued for thousands of years.
The clear stream flows quietly around the foothills of Longshan Mountain, and the Luxi River runs through the town from south to north. It is sparkling and beautiful, adding a bit of aura to the land on both sides of the river, and watering out the beautiful style on both sides. The vast wilderness and the beautiful natural scenery of Longshan complement each other, making it a spectacular sight.
