Let’s talk about how the Sixth Patriarch Huineng set up an altar on the top of a mountain behind Liantang Village to pray for heavy rains all day and night. He saw that the dry lotus pond was filled with water again, and the lotus flowers that had withered due to lack of water in the lotus pond were restored overnight. , miraculously came to life again, what a picture of "the lotus flowers are red in the sun"!
Facing this scene, past events came to mind, and Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, fell into endless thoughts again...
During the precious youth time he spent with Li Xiaolan, he often compared her to Li Xiaolan of a lotus.
He looked at a pool of water as calm as a mirror, and then at the little girl Alan in front of him. While concentrating on it, he suddenly had an inspiration: she looked more like the lotus leaf floating on the water in the pool. I am sleeping in the bud wrapped like a green gauze curtain...
On an early summer night, amid the long-lost thunder, the one who worried him the most was Li Xiaolan. Think about how her delicate body could withstand this heart-stopping thunderstorm test...
"Hey, that person seems to be little brother Aneng!" Amidst the roar of people, a familiar voice came, awakening the Sixth Patriarch Huineng from his deep contemplation.
The Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, opened his eyes and saw a large group of people standing in front of him. Among them, several of them felt a little bit kind.
"Brother Aneng, can't you recognize me? I am Tiantianpinglong..."
As soon as he heard about Tiantangping, Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, thought of Master Longzhai. "As expected, it's you, Lord Longzhai!"
"Aneng..." As soon as the leader of Longzhai said the words, he felt it was inappropriate: the little brother Aneng back then was now the master of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen... So he swallowed the words "little brother" he just wanted to say. He went back and changed his words, "Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, thank you very much for relieving us from drought again. "
"I am extremely grateful to the Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, for praying for rain and relief for the local people and benefiting the people!" A familiar voice sounded in his ears.
"Ah, you... aren't you Master Wu Botao, the Master of Heaven?" Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, finally recognized him.
It turned out that the Sixth Patriarch Huineng built an altar at the top of Liantang Mountain to pray for rain, which spread like wildfire. After hearing the news, the chief ministers of Tiantang, Hetou, and Dongkou immediately led their crowds to come to express their gratitude.
After some exchanges of greetings, several ministers wanted to hear what the Sixth Patriarch Huineng said face to face, but they were too embarrassed to explain, so they could only look at each other...
Among them, Zhang Zhongchang, the governor of the cave entrance, had a good relationship with the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. Therefore, relying on his familiarity, he represented several other governors and said: "Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, I am happy to hear that our ancestor has returned to his hometown in honor. Recently, he visited Longshan Guoen The temple is teaching sermons to the local monks, and I am planning to take the time to visit and listen. I am lucky enough to meet you today. I sincerely hope that Master will be compassionate and give sermons to us and other people. I am very grateful!"
After hearing this, Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, was also deeply moved. He looked back at the expectant eyes, nodded and said: "Okay, okay, okay, Lao Na will use the lotus pond as a platform today to congratulate the villagers." statement."
When the villagers heard that the Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, had agreed, they immediately cheered and chanted in unison: "There is no Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng!"
Amidst the cheers, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng slowly walked up to the hill above the lotus pond that resembled "Avalokitesvara sitting on a lotus". As soon as he sat down, suddenly, a great spectacle appeared on the scene: a line of raindrops. The rainbow soared and descended in the misty sky, landing on the "Guanyin Sitting Lotus" hill where the Sixth Patriarch Huineng was sitting, presenting a colorful halo, reflecting the entire Buddha's shadow of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. Inside, a lifelike "Big Buddha" appeared in front of everyone. Then, I saw lotus flowers blooming in the pond, with red clothes and green cover, and the whole pond was filled with fragrance.
At this moment, everyone at the scene knelt down and said, "Pay homage to the Living Buddha - Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch!"
"You don't need to be so polite. Please get up quickly and listen to what Lao Ne has to say." The Sixth Patriarch Huineng stood up and made a gesture with both hands to please sit down. Popular saying——
Dear good friends: Lao Ne will tell you today about the sutra that has the greatest relationship, the most profound influence, and the longest history with Buddhism as a whole, especially Chinese culture, called the Vimalakīrti Sutra.
The spirit represented by the "Vimalakīrti Sutra" is the Dharma door for liberation and Buddhahood without departing from the worldly origin of Buddhism in the world. It also points out how the Buddhas of the ten directions and three generations can attain enlightenment, how to obtain liberation, and how to realize the path to Bodhi.
Most people think that Chinese Zen Buddhism was spread after the arrival of Bodhidharma. However, before Bodhidharma came, the Vimalakīrti Sutra and the Lotus Sutra were the most influential.
The weight of this sutra is so great, but because the text is easy to understand, fluent and beautiful, people can easily read it and think they understand it, but in fact it is very difficult to understand. This time, Lao Ne taught the Vimalakīrti Sutra and the Medicine Master Sutra together because they are a system.
Why is it said to be a system?
We generally know that the Buddha introduced Amitabha to us in the Western Paradise. This is for convenience, so that sentient beings who are not wise enough and meritorious in the last days can practice the method of rebirth. But the real instant achievement of Buddhism, the great cause and avenue of becoming a Buddha, lies in the two Buddhist countries in the eastern world represented by the Medicine Master Sutra and the Vimalakīrti Sutra. One is the Kingdom of Akshobhya, which is the oriental miraculous and immovable world where the lay Buddha incarnates and lives.
This eastern Buddhist kingdom of Akho is connected with another eastern Buddhist kingdom, Medicine Master Glazed Light Buddha. The Eastern world and the Western Paradise of Amitabha reflect each other like the day and night of a solar system.
When the sun sets in the west, we reach the Western Paradise; when the sun rises and rebirths continue, we reach the Eastern Land of Akho Buddha and the Oriental Glazed Light Buddha Land. This is one of the great secrets of Buddhism, the true Tantra.
So once you truly understand Buddhism, you will know that if you don’t understand what is clearly told to you in all the sutras of explicit teachings, it will become a great tantra.
On the contrary, all the methods of tantric practice are very explicit, because if you can study its secret meaning deeply, you will understand it and understand it.
The exoteric teachings will tell you the real mysteries of Buddhism, but no matter how much you study them, you will not be able to understand them. You will not be able to understand them unless you achieve merit and great wisdom.
Therefore, the reason for this lecture is to tell you the real instant achievement, the great secret of Buddhism, so that you can practice and study it well. Don't think that meditation is learning Buddhism and Zen.
Akho Buddha is the Buddha in the land where the Tathagata Wonderful Joy of the East does not move. He is one of the sixteen disciples of the Buddha who quoted the Great Wisdom and Victory Buddha from the Lotus Sutra when Lao Na was about to preach the Medicine Sutra. Amitabha is also the son of Mahatma Buddha.
The "Vimalakīrti Sutra" goes on to mention Medicine King Tathagata. If we want to control life and death and become a Buddha beyond the three realms, we must deeply and personally experience the immortality method taught by Medicine King Tathagata, neither birth nor death.
For thousands of years, no one has regarded the "Medicine Master Sutra", "Vimalakīrti Sutra" and "Lotus Sutra" in Buddhism as secret methods. They only read and study them as explicit scriptures. Naturally, they will not understand the practice of Dharma. meaning and point, and therefore achieves nothing.
The most important point in the "Vimalakīrti Sutra" is to tell us: Buddhism is in this world, and we can be at ease in our own body and mind. If you rely on other people in other worlds, think about life and death, or want to become a Buddha, it is impossible.
Because external forces are only convenient methods, not the ultimate method. Therefore, the ultimate method must be mastered by oneself.
Here, let’s talk about another episode. For example, Wenshu Monastery in Sichuan has a very good pair:
What’s wrong with just doing something when you see it and letting it go?
Wisdom is born from awareness. Awakening is born from freedom. Life is originally unborn.
Like these Buddhist literature, the spirit of Zen and the origin of spiritual wisdom are closely related to the Vimalakīrti Sutra.
The text of this sutra is so good that people today cannot help but admire Kumarajiva's talent.
