Then, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng turned the topic to the practice concept of "seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha".
The so-called method of seeing nature refers to the inherent possibility of all living beings becoming Buddhas. That is, "Bodhi's nature is originally pure, but with this mind, one can become a Buddha" and "Although people have north and south, Buddha-nature has no north and south." This idea I advocate is consistent with the "Nirvana Sutra" "All living beings have Buddha-nature" "The theory is of the same origin.
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After the Sixth Patriarch Huineng explained with vivid examples that "all living beings have Buddha nature," a monk in the hall solemnly saluted the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, "The poor monk, whose name is Mingyi, just listened to your explanation of Buddhism. , I feel that it is really mysterious and incredible. But I still have some questions, and I hope you will be kind enough to explain them again."
Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said: "If you have any doubts, just ask, and I will explain it to you."
Mingyi said: "Master, is what you are talking about the purpose of Patriarch Bodhidharma?"
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said: "Yes."
Mingyi said: "When my disciples heard that Bodhidharma had begun to convert Emperor Wu of Liang, Emperor Wu of Liang asked: 'I have spent my whole life building temples, ordaining monks and monks, giving away money and food, and what merits do these good deeds have?' Bodhidharma , 'In fact, there is no merit.' The disciple still hasn't understood the truth behind it, and I hope to explain it to the master."
Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said: "There is indeed no merit. Don't doubt the words of the saints of the forefathers. Emperor Wu had distracting thoughts and did not understand the true Dharma. He built temples, ordained monks, gave away wealth, and gave meals to others. This can only be called seeking blessings and cannot be regarded as a blessing. The pursuit of blessings is regarded as merit, and merit exists in the Dharmakaya, not in the superficial performance of good deeds to seek blessings."
"Oh..." Ming nodded, seeming to understand.
Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, also said: "It is merit to realize that one has Buddha nature, it is virtue to treat others and things as equals, there is no obstruction in every thought, and one can always understand one's own nature and use it skillfully. This is called merit. In the heart Being modest is merit, and being courteous in external behavior is virtue. Accomplishing thousands of Buddhist Dharma with one's own nature is merit, and abandoning false thoughts in one's own mind is virtue. Not leaving one's own original Buddha nature is merit, and using it without being polluted by the outside world is merit. Virtue. If you want to obtain merit and Dharmakaya, just do it according to such principles, that will be real merit. If you are a person who wants to cultivate merit, you will never despise others in your heart and always adopt an attitude of respecting others. If you always despise others in your heart , it will be difficult to cut off self-thoughts, and there will be no merit. If one's own nature is vain and unreal, there will be no virtue. This is the result of being arrogant and always despising everything. Good friends, every thought that does not leave the Buddha-nature is merit, and the mind Acting fairly and upright is virtue. Cultivating Buddha nature by oneself is merit, and cultivating Dharma body by oneself is virtue. Good friends, merit must be discovered from one's own nature, and cannot be obtained by donating money and making offerings to Buddha statues. This is seeking blessings and merit. The difference between Emperor Wu and Emperor Wu is that he cannot understand the truth. It is not because my ancestor was wrong."
Mingyi asked again: "I often see monks and lay believers reciting Amitabha, hoping to be reborn in the Western Paradise in the next life. I would like to ask the monks, can they really be reborn there? Please clear up my doubts."
Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said: "I already talked about this question yesterday. Since you asked it today, you might as well say it again. When the World Honored One was in Savatthi City, he talked about the scriptures about extraditing sentient beings to the Western Pure Land. The article makes it clear that the west is not far from here. But if we calculate the mileage generally, it is as far as one hundred and eighty thousand miles. This refers to the evil or evil in living beings, so we say far. Saying far refers to the root nature. For lowly people, the term "near" refers to people with high wisdom. People can be divided into two types, but there is no difference in Buddhism. People are either obsessed or enlightened, so their understanding is also different between slow and quick. Obsessed people By reciting the Buddha's name, people hope to be in the West in the next life. Enlightened people pay attention to keeping their hearts pure. So the Buddha said, 'As long as your mind is pure, you will reach the pure Buddha land.' Mingyi, you are the East. People, but as long as your heart is pure, there is no sin; even people in the Western Pure Land will have sins if their heart is not pure. Eastern people have committed sins and want to support the West by chanting the Buddha's name, so Westerners have committed sins, and they What land do you hope to be reborn in when you recite the name of the Buddha? Ordinary fools do not understand their own nature and do not know the pure land in their bodies. They just think of the East and the West. However, enlightened people can obtain the Pure Land no matter where they are, so the Buddha said You can find peace and happiness anywhere. As long as you have no bad thoughts in your heart, the West is not far away from here. If you have bad thoughts, it is difficult to be reborn in the paradise of bliss by chanting the Buddha's name. Now I advise all good friends, If you first get rid of the evil thoughts in yourself, you will have traveled a hundred thousand miles. If you get rid of the evil thoughts again, you will have walked another eight thousand miles. If you can understand your Buddha nature in every thought and keep your actions fair and upright, you will arrive at the destination. The Western Paradise is just a click away, and you can see Amitabha Buddha immediately. As long as you practice the ten good deeds, why do you need to beg to be reborn in the West? If you can't get rid of evil thoughts, which Buddha will come to welcome you? What? If you have awakened to the Buddhist teaching of "no birth and no death", you can see the pure land of the west in an instant; if you cannot awaken to the truth and want to be reborn in the west by chanting the Buddha's name, the road is very far, how can you get there! I can move the west to you in an instant, and you can see it now. Are you willing to see it?"
Everyone bowed and said, "If we can see the Pure Land of the West right here, there is no need to pray for rebirth in the next life. I ask Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, to show his mercy and show the West before our eyes so that we can all take a look."
Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, emphasized: "People, the world itself is a city with gates. Eyes, ears, nose, and tongue are also gates. These are the five gates on the outside, and there is another gate on the inside, which is the mind. The heart is The nature of the land is the king. The king lives in the land of the heart. When the nature is there, the king is there. When the nature is gone, the king will disappear. When the nature is there, the body and spirit exist. When the nature is gone, the body and spirit will be destroyed. Buddha is born in your own nature, don't pursue it outside the body. If your own nature is confused, then you are a layman; if your own nature is awakened, then you are a Buddha; if you are compassionate, you are Guanyin Bodhisattva; if you are kind and willing to give, then you are Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva; with a pure heart You are Shakyamuni Buddha, and you who are fair and upright are Amitabha Buddha. If you care about the interests of others and yourself, you will come out of Mount Sumeru, and if you have evil thoughts, you will be the roar of the sea... Good friends, if you always practice good thoughts and deeds, heaven will be in front of you; Get rid of people's calculations about self-interest and self-interest, and Mount Sumeru will collapse immediately; get rid of evil thoughts, and the surging sea water will immediately dry up; troubles will be gone, and the waves will stop; poisonous thoughts will be forgotten, and the fish, turtles, and dragons that cause trouble will disappear. . When you awaken to the Buddha nature from your own heart and approach the Tathagata, you will radiate the great light of your natural wisdom."
After listening to the Sixth Patriarch Huineng's explanation, the monks at the scene all clearly understood their own Buddha nature. They bowed to the master together, sighed and applauded, and praised in unison: "I hope that all sentient beings in the Dharma Realm who hear the master's explanation will be able to Become enlightened immediately.”
(Reminder: The Sixth Patriarch Huineng's preaching in his hometown was regarded as a classic by Buddhists. Later, Fahai compiled it and included it in the "Sixth Patriarch's Altar Sutra". Today, more than 1,300 years later, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng Not only is it well known to people in Buddhism, but even those who do not study Buddhism are also deeply interested in "Sudden Enlightenment Zen" (the culture of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism), which has profoundly influenced the philosophical thought, culture and art at home and abroad since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Because of this, Westerners call Hui Neng the "Jesus of the East" and rank him with Confucius and Laozi, collectively known as the "Three Saints of the East". Europe lists him as one of the "Top Ten Thinkers in the World". He is the president of the Pearl River Cultural Research Association and the Chinese Department of Sun Yat-sen University. Based on Huineng's main ideological and cultural characteristics, Professor Huang Weizong designated him as a philosopher of Pearl River culture, making the Sixth Patriarch culture an important part of traditional Chinese culture. This is a story later and will not be mentioned here).
