The news that the Sixth Patriarch Huineng returned to his hometown in honor and appeared at Guoen Temple in Longshan, his hometown, to preach the truth spread like wildfire. Zen monks from Jintai Temple and Tianlu Temple heard the news, and a large group of former brothers including Liang Jinhui, Guihua, Zhu Deyi and Wang Tianlei from Tianlu Mountain Mountain residents who had spent time with the Sixth Patriarch Huineng also came down the mountain overnight, vying to have a glimpse of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng.
That night, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng finished his dinner and sent the villagers to the foot of Longshan Mountain. He reluctantly waved goodbye and returned to the abbot's room. Suddenly, he had a sudden whim. He had a premonition that tonight or tomorrow, Uncle Acheng's family would be with him day and night on Tianlu Mountain. People from the two villages would come to visit him and listen to his sermons, so he ordered Fahai to receive him.
Sure enough, at midnight, Liang Jinhui, Guihua, brothers Zhu Deyi and Wang Tianlei arrived late at night...
After Fahai settled them down, he went into the Sixth Patriarch Huineng's dormitory to report.
When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng heard that the good brothers he had met in Tianlu Mountain who had shared weal and woe were coming, he quickly got up, put on his clothes and went out to meet each other, regardless of the cold night, and exchanged greetings to spend time together.
When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng recognized Liang Jinhui in the dim light, he choked up and said, "Is it... is it brother Ah Hui?"
The sound of "Brother Hui" contains a lot of sadness and sadness.
"Brother Aneng, I am Ahui." Liang Jinhui stepped forward and held the hand of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng tightly and said.
"Your father and your sister..." The Sixth Patriarch Huineng was just halfway through his words. He felt that it was a bit abrupt in this situation and did not say any more.
Unexpectedly, Liang Jinhui, who was born as a hunter in the mountains, had an upright character and a straight face. When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng asked about it, he said sadly, "My father left us two years ago, and my sister's whereabouts are unknown now..."
When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng heard what Liang Jinhui said, he clasped his hands and prayed in the direction of Tianlu Mountain: "Uncle Ah Cheng, I hope you can reach the Paradise of Paradise as soon as possible, and we will meet again in the Kingdom of Heaven."
After praying, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng felt a surge of passion in his heart. His face turned pale and he was unsteady on his feet. Shen Hui quickly helped the master back to his dormitory.
Fahai apologized and said to the crowd: "Master is not in good health. You can just spend the night here. Let's see you tomorrow." After Fahai finished speaking, he hurried to Master's dormitory.
After the Sixth Patriarch Huineng returned to his dormitory and took a short rest, Fa Hai and Shen met with the Master and returned to normal. They left after the Master went to bed.
…
At dawn the next day, Zen Master Jing Kong, the abbot of Jintai Temple, and Zen Master Bingding of Tianlu Temple led a group of disciples to Longshan Guoen Temple on the morning dew, hoping to see the face of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism and listen to the supreme enlightenment Zen method. A blessing.
"Dang-dang-dang-" The bells of Longshan Guoen Temple rang at the same time. Flags were flying in front of the temple gate. Copper gui, bronze ox tripod and incense candles were burning high. The bells and drum towers symbolizing the round sky and the square place were decorated with candles. Dozens of bright yellow flags with Zen cultural characteristics fluttered in the wind, Sanskrit music floated like the sound of nature, and monks inside and outside the temple gathered from all corners to the temple hall; believers rushed to Longshan Guoen Temple from all directions, vying to see the founder of the generation. The spirit of hometown speaking.
Today, in the hometown of the Sixth Patriarch, the sun is shining brightly, lions are dancing, firecrackers are ringing, the mountains and rivers are laughing, and it is dressed in festive attire;
Longshan Guoen Temple is decorated with lanterns and colorful flags, and various large and small colorful flags are hung on both sides of the road.
Fifty years ago, the lychee tree planted by the Sixth Patriarch Huineng and his mother when they went to Guangzhou Wen Da became even more lush and full of vitality. The inscription on the stone tablet under the tree: "Planted by the Hands of Huineng" has been renamed as "Planted by the Hands of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng". "The six large gilt characters shined brightly in the sunlight.
East Tuye, West Tuye, the spiritual roots of the sacred tree of Buddha and Li are the same; whenever the wind moves, the flags move, the Zen teachings are passed down from generation to generation.
The bright sun shines, and the majestic palace is solemn and solemn. Fufu's elegant Sanskrit singing lingers in the hall, whirling between heaven and earth.
Thousands of oil lamps were burning in the hall, and the sandalwood was filled with smoke. On the Buddhist altar, the golden Buddha Sakyamuni still looked holy and kindly smiling...
Following the sound of bells and drums, the master of Guoen Temple sang loudly: "Respectfully greet the Sixth Patriarch Namo!"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng, wearing a red ancestral robe and looking full of energy, stepped up to the altar in the palace covered with thick velvet carpets.
Everyone in the hall held their breath and clasped their hands together, standing respectfully in a solemn atmosphere. Seeing the Sixth Patriarch sitting down, Wei Na gently struck the chime and led everyone to worship: "Master Namo, the Sixth Patriarch!"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng saluted all the monks and laypeople present. The cassock on his body shone with colorful lights.
When everyone was astonished, the voice of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng had already sounded in the audience: "Dear friends, I am extremely happy to meet you in my hometown today! Before I start to preach, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you here. Several important people in my life: First of all, I want to thank my father and mother for bringing me into this world, and my mother worked hard to raise me! Secondly, I want to thank my first teacher Mr. Li and my wife and her. My daughter, Xiaolan, has always supported me on my journey to seek Buddhism! Once again, I would like to thank Xinzhou An Daocheng and Master Jingkong of Jintai Temple for leading me into Zen Buddhism, and for sponsoring me to go north to Hubei Huangmeidong Zen Temple to seek Buddhism. I am lucky enough to become a Buddhist monk. The sixth generation ancestor of Zen Buddhism! In addition, I would also like to thank my fellow villagers and Uncle Acheng and his son from Tianlu Mountain, my good brother Liang Jinhui and his sister Liang Jinlian, as well as Guihua, Wang Tianlei and others, who are here. When I was most disappointed in my life, I shared my worries and shared weal and woe, and added the belief to continue fighting while seeking Buddhism. The root of a person's life is the basis for gratitude and the origin of his compassion. Everyone has a complex that they can't get rid of. , the name of this complex is gratitude and Zen. At this moment, let me remember - life comes first, gratitude and Zen are everywhere!"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng spoke from the bottom of his heart, and the audience burst into thunderous applause.
Amid warm applause, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng waved in salute at the hall and said emotionally: "Today is a grand ceremony in the Buddhist world! Today, this stage belongs to Zen, to Zen, and to using one's own sensibility to suddenly realize the beauty of real life. Buddhists who say that the Buddha-nature arises from the heart and enriches the spiritual world of the toiling people with their beautiful goodwill, Zen thoughts that encourage people to do good, and the image of compassion that saves all sentient beings!
After the applause, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng continued: "Today, the public feels the sacredness and vitality of Buddhism, and they also feel the whole society's expectations for the teachings and teachings of the current Zen masters. Today, our Sudden Enlightenment Zen method is the protagonist of this stage. , I would like to especially thank the respectable believers who are also the protagonists of today. The number of believers that a monastery can accommodate is limited, but looking at the stage of life, our believers are everywhere. Chinese Buddhism belongs to the people and for the people Buddhism for well-being. When countless believers cherish Buddhism as a torch to illuminate their spiritual lives, their enthusiasm and belief also illuminate the path of continuous exploration and innovation of Buddhism. This makes me believe that the Buddhist teachings pioneered by me Nan Zong's Sudden Enlightenment Zen Method will surely usher in a more brilliant tomorrow with prosperity and development!"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng’s words were full of emotion and Zen. They seemed to be the concluding remarks, but they were also a wonderful introduction to the opening remarks. The audience once again burst into prolonged applause.
…
"Buddha Sakyamuni was born in Kunjalawazi in the Western Heaven. He often preached sermons at Lingjiu Mountain. The words he often said, 'I am the only one in heaven and on earth' have become the dogma of my Buddha. 'Only I' is not arrogant. The 'small self', but the 'big self', is the Buddha's heart that serves all living beings. We point to the sky with our right hand and the earth with our left hand, which means that the sky is high and the earth is thick, which is infinite and anyone can share it. The light of life of the Buddha." After the Sixth Patriarch Huineng made a profound and interesting opening statement, he began to turn to his sermon time——
Zen is a way of practice. The purpose of meditation is to cultivate the mind, and the process of meditation is also to cultivate the mind.
At present, in the Buddhist Zen world, some people divide it into "Neng Xiu in the North" or "Nan Dun in the North". This division is very vivid and appropriate.
I was honored to receive the Zen Buddhist robes taught by the Fifth Patriarch, and in accordance with his instructions, I have lived, worked, and practiced Zen with the masses for a long time in the new fifteen years of the Southern Xunhuai Society. I have creatively explored a Buddhist scripture that is in line with the reality of the working people and has Chinese characteristics. And the path of Zen cultivation is what the Central Plains people now call "Sudden Enlightenment Zen".
Sudden Enlightenment Zen preaches that all living beings have Buddha nature and that everyone can become a Buddha.
Chinese Zen belongs to Han Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, which believes that one can become a Buddha in this world.
Sudden Enlightenment Zen emphasizes subjective initiative, and it is up to me, not the teacher.
In enlightenment meditation, one does not visualize Buddha images, does not study sutras and laws, and does not perform rituals or rituals.
Some people think that Zen's interpretation of Zen as "sudden enlightenment" is an original idea, and it also proves that Zen's unwillingness to absorb Indian Buddhism like a gulp.
Sudden Enlightenment Zen believes that human nature is originally pure and flawless, without pollution. As long as you can reveal this nature, you can directly become a Buddha. You all have this kind of pure nature, but because you are confused and unable to realize it yourself, you are going through life and death without being able to be liberated.
It is true that the Chinese people's imagination with a practical spirit created Zen, which gave them the greatest satisfaction in religious emotions.
When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng said this, he changed the topic: In traditional Chinese culture, the three schools of great influence are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Confucian culture has Confucius as the founder and representative figure, and Mencius and Xunzi as the inherited and supplemented culture. Confucianism first believes that "human beings are inherently good" and that everyone is born with a kind nature and that everyone has compassion and compassion.
The reason why society is in chaos, and why there is moral corruption and serious selfishness, is because people's conscience and kindness have been lost, and they need to get it back.
In this regard, Mencius lamented: "Some people have lost their chickens and dogs and know how to look for them, but some people have lost their conscience and don't know how to look for them. How sad!"
This leads to the moral culture, ethics and filial piety culture established by Confucianism.
Therefore, we say that Confucian culture is based on morality, ethics, and filial piety as its basic characteristics.
So, what is our country’s Buddhist culture like? Chinese Buddhism is the Sinicization of Buddhism.
Having said this, we Lingnan people should be proud of it. Because I, Lu Huineng, was born in Xinzhou, Lingnan, went to Huangmei to seek Dharma, and obtained the heart and mantle of the Fifth Patriarch. After becoming the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, I lived with the local people in Huaiji, Sihui, Xinzhou and other places, and preached sermons to the common people. In the long-term life activities and social practice, unique and excellent Nanzong Zen was formed.
"I believe that all living beings possess Buddha nature." The Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism said astonishingly.
The people at the scene, especially the monks who were practicing as monks, looked at each other in confusion. Among them, an old Zen master raised his hand.
Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, saw someone raising his hand on the stage, so he pointed in that direction and said, "May I ask a question?"
Seeing the amiable attitude of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, the old Zen master stood up, looked at the Sixth Patriarch Huineng in the hall, and said respectfully: "Sixth Patriarch, I dare to ask, what you just said about 'all sentient beings'" Does "possessing Buddha nature" include those animals such as tigers and wolves?"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng smiled and said: "Of course. Tigers and wolves are also living beings and animals, and they also have Buddha nature."
"How can tigers and wolves have Buddha nature if they are so ferocious?" the old Zen master couldn't help but add another sentence.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said loudly: "I can responsibly say that there must be! This has been confirmed by practice."
"Can you tell me more specifically?" the old Zen master said doubtfully.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said seriously: "Then let's talk about the time when the tiger carried our mother and son down the mountain and went home. At that time, Uncle A Cheng and Sister A Lian were also sitting on a tiger each to send us mother and son home..."
None of the monks present, including Zen Masters Jing Kong and Ding Ding, could not believe what the Sixth Patriarch Huineng said was true. Out of respect for the Sixth Patriarch, I just didn't dare to speak, so I just talked about it as an old friend.
Seeing the expressions of those monks, Liang Jinhui couldn't help but stand up and said loudly: "Ah..." He was about to say Brother Aneng, but then he thought about it, now Brother Aneng is the distinguished Sixth Patriarch, and he cannot be called so casually. Brother Aneng, I want to change my name to the Sixth Patriarch...
When Liang Jinhui thought of this, he changed his mind and said, "What the Sixth Patriarch said just now is absolutely true. Tianlei and Tianbao, I, and I were all present when it came to taming the tiger."
"Yes! Jin Hui is right, we were all present to see it with our own eyes and participate in it." Wang Tianlei and Wang Tianbao said in unison.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng looked at Liang Jinhui and said, "Then let Ah Hui tell the whole story and let everyone listen."
"Okay." Liang Jinhui stroked the thick beard on his face. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng Zen's heart about hiding tigers flowed trickling from his mouth like the stream at the foot of Longshan Mountain——
I remember that day was my father’s fiftieth birthday. Brother Aneng and his aunt came down from Shimen Yunzhong Villa early to congratulate the family and help chop wood and wash vegetables.
Suddenly, bursts of shrill howling sounds were faintly heard in the distance.
Brother Aneng went out to listen carefully and judged that it was the roar of a tiger. He returned to the yard and said, "If there is any chance, I will recognize that it is the roar of a tiger!"
After hearing this, my father said, "The tiger must have stepped on the trap we set up at the tiger pit and was caught in the animal trap."
So, we picked up the hunting fork and headed towards the tiger pit.
We rushed to the scene and saw a fierce tiger stepped on the trap we set up and was caught in the trap.
After the tiger fell into the trap, it struggled hard to escape, but the more it struggled, the tighter the hind legs were clamped by the iron clamp, and a large pool of blood flowed on the ground of the trap.
At this time, several hunters in Yunpai Village were standing not far from the tiger. At the front is Brother Orion Tianbao. When Liang Jinhui said this, he looked at Wang Tianbao beside him.
"Yes! At that time, I took a few brothers to hunt in the nearby mountains. When I heard the screams of animals, I knew that the prey had fallen into the trap of the hunter. I followed the sound and came flying, so we came faster than Uncle Tian and the others. Be early and stand about three feet away from the tiger." Wang Tianbao recalled.
Not long ago, the ox that was well raised in my family was seriously injured by a tiger. Now that I saw this enemy, of course I was furious. I angrily drew my strong bow to full capacity, with sharp arrows on the bow strings, and aimed at me. Looking into the tiger's eyes, he was about to shoot. I heard Brother Aneng shouting loudly: "Stop!" At the same time, he ran over at a sprint speed, stretched out his arm, and lifted my strong bow up the moment the arrow left the string.
The sharp arrow flew out with strong wind, passing just inches from the tiger's head.
At this time, people in the villages on the mountain heard the tiger's shrill roar and knew that the tiger had fallen into the trap set by the hunter and was coming from all directions.
When I saw that I was about to shoot a tiger but someone ruined it, I felt angry. I looked back and saw that it was Brother Aneng. He stamped his foot on the ground and complained: "Ahem, Aneng, I was about to shoot." Damn this tiger, why do you want to hold up my bow and arrow? Do you still want to let this ferocious beast go?"
At that time, I only heard Brother Aneng say: "How good! How good! Since it has fallen into our hands, I understand that it will not be able to escape. Why should we rush to shoot it to death!"
When Wang Tianbao said this, he paused and looked at the Sixth Patriarch Huineng sitting in the hall.
"Yes, that's true." The Sixth Patriarch Huineng understood and took over Wang Tianbao's topic——
"I walked around the tiger, looked at it carefully for a while, then pointed at the tiger and said to Wang Tianbao, 'Brother Ah Bao, can you see clearly? This is a tigress. It seems that it is still alive. During the lactation period." Wang Tianbao said angrily, "You also know that this tiger bit my cattle last month and maimed it. In recent years, it has eaten and killed many goats from the villagers around us. Pig, how many cows have been bitten? What a heinous crime!' A hunter took advantage of the conversation between me and Wang Tianbao, took a spear, and stabbed the tiger in the butt."
Wang Tianbao went on to say, "At this time, Brother Aneng rushed up, pushed the spear to the other side with his hand, and said, 'Wait a minute!' I pulled out another sharp arrow from the quiver on my back. , and wanted to put it on the bowstring. Brother Aneng had quick hands and eyes. He stretched out his hand and snatched my arrow away, stuffed it back into the quiver, and said, "Don't be so impatient, we will consider everything in the long term." Brother Aneng walked to Gaodun over there. On the ground, he raised his arms and shouted loudly: "Everyone, be quiet! Be quiet!" I asked Brother Aneng in confusion: "Why did you stop us from killing this tiger? It must be noted that it has eaten a lot of our villagers." It is a heinous animal. Fortunately, it fell into our hands today, and we will definitely have to pay with blood. If we don't kill it, letting the tiger return to the mountain will cause endless troubles!'"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said, "Yes, if you let the tiger return to the mountain, there will be endless troubles! At that time, everyone at the scene agreed with Wang Tianbao's opinion. The tiger was exhausted after a long struggle...
When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng said this, he paused, and then repeated what he said at that time: "I asked them loudly, ʻI would like to ask everyone here first, who are those who have died? Can eaten sheep and pigs be resurrected? ʼEveryone, ʻThis...this...ʼSeeing that everyone was speechless, I pointed at the tiger and continued, ʻIndeed, this tiger has done many evil things in the past, we can Treating evil with evil, violence with violence, now it is easy to kill it. But we killed this tigress, and where are its descendants?ʼʻThe descendants of this tiger?ʼEveryone was talking about it. They didn't Didn’t know such a thing existed.”
Wang Tianlei, one of the parties who witnessed Huineng at the scene, now heard it clearly in the hall and couldn't help but stand up and said: "My name is Wang Tianlei, I am Wang Tianbao's brother. I was also present when Brother Aneng surrendered the tiger. At that time, I said angrily that in the past two months, my pigs had been killed and the sheep that had been grazing in the mountains had been eaten. I hated this big tiger so much that I had been following it secretly for a long time. I know , its tiger den is in the dense grass at the end of the pit not far from here. Some time ago, this tigress was pregnant with a bulging belly, but in the past few days, her belly has become obviously deflated. It is speculated that there are some newly born tiger cubs in the tiger den... When people heard what I said, they started talking among themselves. My brother pushed up his sleeves, and after we killed the tigress, he Go to the end of the tiger pit to find those tiger cubs and kill them! I made a gesture of cutting off the head with a knife, and said in a strong tone, yes, if we don't do it, we won't stop, and we will simply kill the offspring of this tigress as well. Kill! We are really unwilling not to kill this tiger! My brother said, yes! We are going to eradicate it! Others agreed. In this way, we can eliminate tigers in Tianlu Mountain forever. Brother Aneng But he repeatedly waved his hands and said, "This can't be done, it can't be done!" My brother asked, "Why?"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng took Wang Tianlei's words and said: "I analyzed at that time that people often say that a tiger is bullied by a dog when it falls in Pingyang. Now this tigress has been trapped by the prey's hind legs. It wants to break free and escape. It's impossible. The power of life and death is entirely in our hands. In my opinion, even if the female tiger and her cubs are killed together, it may not be able to eliminate the tiger problem here. Wang Tianbao said puzzledly , no? I continued to say, violence against violence, there is no end, when will the injustice be repaid. According to my inference, the male tiger that mated with this female tiger should live in the mountains not too far from our Tianlu Mountain . Even if we kill this female tiger, the male tiger will still come here to seek revenge and harass, and take crazy revenge. It should be noted that blessing and misfortune, good and evil can often change in just a thought. Everyone, listen to me Saying this, looking at each other, a cold air suddenly rose from the bottom of my heart. After a while, Wang Tianbao asked, Aneng, then, what are you going to do with this tiger? I pointed at Wang Tianlei and said, I just heard you say, those The tiger cub in the tiger den is still sucking milk. If this tigress is killed by us, the tiger cub will not be able to find food and will starve to death soon. Wang Tianlei said, yes! I regret to say that if this happens , that is, one corpse can cost many lives. People felt that what I said was indeed reasonable, and they were whispering to each other and discussing. I continued, in my opinion, now we might as well treat evil with good and repay evil with kindness. Wang Tianbao asked me, What do you mean? I pointed to the desperate tiger and said, let's find a way to influence it and turn it to our own use. Wang Tianbao shook his head in disbelief and said, the tiger's nature is to eat people. It is so ferocious, we can make it Influence, this is incredible. I said loudly that nothing is difficult in the world, as long as there are people who are willing. Some people started talking: Tigers can also abandon evil and do good. This is indeed a wonder in the world. There are many wonders in the world that you have never seen. You won’t believe it then. So it’s not surprising that you have this opinion.”
…
When the people present heard the words of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, "Find a way to influence that tiger and make it work for your own use," their eyes gleamed with confusion, and they nodded with interest, waiting for the master to continue.
