Last time, it was said that Huineng said goodbye to Zen Master Zhiyuan and came all the way to Huangmei.
After a long journey of almost 30 days, in the second year of Xianheng of Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, in 671 AD, Huineng finally came to the Huangmei Dongshan Temple (also called Dongchan Temple) that haunted the dream.
1. Buddha has no north and south:
After entering the temple, Huineng went directly to worship Hongren. Hongren looked the stranger up and down, and asked, "Where are you from, what are you coming to me for?"
Huineng replied: "The disciple is from Lingnan Xinzhou, and he has come thousands of miles to worship the master, just to be a Buddha, not for anything else. ”
"Lingnan Xinzhou, that is a wild land, how can you, a fang (a pan-guide at that time), be a Buddha?" Hongren deliberately tested Hui Neng.
Hearing this question, Huineng asked rhetorically, neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Although there is a distinction between north and south, there is no difference between north and south in Buddha nature. Although there is a difference between the body of a fang and a monk, is there a difference in our respective Buddha natures?"
When Hongren heard this, he couldn't help but look at Hui Neng differently, and it was no ordinary person to have this opinion. But I didn't know if Huineng's words were just thinking insights or evidence, and they still needed to be slowly tempered and examined, so I said to him:
"You can stay as a walker for the time being, you need to temper your temperament, and go to the mill to help. ”
So Huineng came to the mill to do some hard work, such as: chopping wood, rice and the like. At that time, it was all manpower to make rice, and there were no livestock or water or wind power to borrow, let alone electricity, machines and the like.
Following Hongren's arrangement, Huineng worked in the mill around the clock, either cooking rice or chopping wood, and never stole any leisure. Diligent, hardworking, and so on.
Time flies, unconsciously, Huineng has been coming to Dongshan Temple for eight months, Hongren saw that Huineng was conscientious and never slack, and felt that it was time to do something.
II. Hitoshi Jinshu:
One day, Hongren gathered everyone together and said solemnly:
"The Fa-rectification is difficult to solve, so don't just listen to me and don't do it yourself. What's the use of just writing down my words and deeds? The most important thing is to practice and understand by yourself. ”
"Each of you composes a poem based on your own spiritual experience, and if it is in line with the Dharma, then I will pass on the mantle to him, and from now on he will be the true successor of Zen Buddhism." ”
At that time, there were about 700 monks practicing in Tozen Temple, and although there were many of them, none of them could compare with the senior brother Shenxiu. As a great disciple of the Theravada, Shenxiu not only studied professionally, learned both inside and outside, but also often taught Hongren as a teacher.
Therefore, the "sixth generation" is none other than Shenxiu. All the brothers and sisters are also self-aware, and the mantle of Hongren must be passed on to Shenxiu, except for Shenxiu, no one has this qualification.
All the senior brothers are willing to line up behind the Shenxiu, and take the senior brother as the head of the horse, for this reason, who still has the heart to bother to do it?
Seeing this scene, Shenxiu secretly thought to himself:
"It's not because they're watching what I do. As everyone's "substitute teacher", shouldn't I set an example and write a poem to take the lead?"
"Also, if I don't present a poem, how will Hongren know what my cultivation is? If I don't show my heart, how can I let others know my heart? But if I submit a poem, people will mistakenly think that I covet the position of the Sixth Patriarch, but in fact I really want the Dharma and not the title. ”
"If you submit a poem, you will be regarded by others as a worldly person who covets fame, and if you don't present a poem, you will definitely not get the true transmission of the Dharma from the Master. What a dilemma to be presented or not to be presented!"
Shenxiu has actually written poems a long time ago, but he has been in a dilemma. In front of the Hongnin Hall, there is a corridor about ten meters long. Shenxiu came to the corridor several times, but he didn't have the courage to walk through the corridor of more than ten meters, and he was still hesitating and swaying when he went in to present the poem.
After walking back and forth like this for more than a dozen times, Shenxiu thought: Why don't you just write the poem on the wall of the corridor, although it is not directly presented to Hongren, but he will see it after all.
Hiroshi saw the poem in the hallway, and if he said yes, then I would stand up and admit that I had written it. If he says it is not good, then my practice in the mountains for so many years is in vain, what kind of Tao do I cultivate, in vain since so many juniors and disciples respect me, I will no longer be embarrassed to stay here, if that is the case, then I will say goodbye!
made up his mind, on the third watch that night, Shenxiu hid from everyone, held the lamp in one hand and wrote in the other, and wrote his spiritual insights on the wall of the corridor in front of the Hongnin Hall, which is "Wu Xiang":
"The body is a Bodhi tree, the heart is like a mirror, always wipe diligently, do not cause dust. ”
After Shenxiu finished writing, he returned to his residence lightly, and no one knew the whole process. The night was unusually calm, but Shenxiu's heart was difficult to calm down, and his heart fell into endless worries.
"If Hongren is happy to see the poem tomorrow, that is, I have a fate with the Fa. If Hongren is not satisfied with the poems, he is self-obsessed, his karma is heavy, and he should not be taught the Fa, what will be the result?"
Shenxiu thought about it in the room, restless, expectant and anxious, until the fifth watch.
The next day, of course, Hongren saw Shenxiu's work, but although Shenxiu's "Wuxiang" was a masterpiece, it still didn't fit Hongshi's heart. Next, Hiroshi did two things.
First of all, the walls of the corridor were originally to be painted with other patterns, but Hiroshi suspended the drawing project in order to keep the poem. Ask everyone to study, recite, and say, "Recite this verse to the fullest, and you will be able to see it."
So the people of the door recited, and they all sighed for goodness!
Then, Hongren summoned Shenxiu to the inner hall and asked, "You wrote this poem?"
According to Shenxiu's plan, if Hongren recognizes this poem, he will admit it, and if he doesn't recognize himself, he will retire silently. Since the Master has told everyone to "recite this verse as much as possible, that is, to gain sexuality", then it must be recognizing their own poems!
Therefore, Shenxiu bowed and replied, "The poems are indeed written by disciples, but the disciples do not want to compete for fame and become the six patriarchs, but to pass on the Dharma. Please have mercy on Master, and see if your disciples are destined to pass on the Dharma?"
Hongren sighed and said, "You did this, you didn't see your true nature, you only went outside the door, not inside the door. In this way, you go down and think about it, and then make another poem, and if it is in line with the purpose of the Dharma, I will still teach you the Dharma. ”
Shenxiu could only pray and return, but after tossing and turning for several days, he could not do anything, and he was unhappy to sit and sit.
The reason why Hongren did this was to give Shenxiu a chance, and he was also waiting, waiting for the person who had high hopes, did he fit his heart?
Besides, Huineng's side has been focusing on the work of the mill. It just so happened that on this day, a monk passed by the mill and recited "Wu Xiang Yi" while walking, which was something that Hongren explained, and of course everyone had to listen.
Although Huineng has not yet received the guidance of Hongnin, his realization is from the inside out, or "high-dimensional". As soon as he heard the poem recited by the monk, he knew that although it was good, it still did not see its true nature. So he called the monk and asked:
"What is the name of the poem you read?"
The monk said sarcastically: "How do you, a southerner, know! This is the "Wuxiang Verse" written by Senior Brother Shenxiu, and even the master praised it and asked us to recite it from time to time, so as to see the nature. It seems that Senior Brother Shenxiu will definitely get the true inheritance of the master and become the sixth generation patriarch of Zen Buddhism. ”
Huineng said: "Does Master Hongren also approve of it? What does this poem say, you can memorize it carefully and listen to it." ”
The monk then recited it again for Huineng. Huineng listened carefully, shook his head and sighed: "Hey, beauty is beautiful, and if it is, it is not over!"
When the monk heard Hui Neng's comment, he said angrily: "Hey, you unpopular southerner, what qualifications do you have to judge, it's really unashamed! Can you comprehend the deep meaning of this verse, and make a better poem than this?"
Huineng was not angry, and said calmly: "If you don't believe it, I am willing to make a poem and compare it with this poem "Wuxiang" face to face, just to trouble you to lead the way." ”
That night, the monk led Huineng to the corridor, Huineng held the lamp, and asked the monk to write next to Shenxiu for him:
"Bodhi has no tree, the mirror is not a platform, there is nothing originally, where to stir up dust. ”
The next day, Hiroshi passed by the corridor and saw this anonymous poem, and was shocked, he knew that it was undoubtedly written by that person. In order to avoid the attention of others, Hongren said to the people around him: "I don't know who did this, and I don't have any insight, I haven't gotten started!"
As he spoke, he wiped the poems off the wall with the soles of his shoes, and since the master had said it was so unbearable, the others no longer took the nameless verses to heart.
As for the two poems mentioned above, there have been different judgments in history, and the benevolent and the wise have their own opinions, but most of them think that Huineng's work is a step higher.
In the realm of Shenxiu, there are also "body" and "mind", which are the existence of "self-grasping", and there are methods and opinions such as "dust" and "diligent wiping", which are the difference between "dharma attachment". However, no matter how pure and clever the body and mind and methods are, after all, there is no "breaking the second view", and there are still "self-grasping" and "self-grasping of law".
If there is "one", there will be "two", and if there is "birth", there must be "extinction", and the realm of the Buddha is "non-two", that is, there is no other.
The Buddha nature is inherently one, and when you are enlightened, you are a Buddha, and when you are confused, you are an ordinary person. The oneness of mind and object is the Buddha, the duality is the ordinary man immediately, the access is the Buddha, and the obstacle is the ordinary man.
And the "body", "mind", and "dust" that the gods will talk about are all "separated", and there is a distinction between "yes" and "no", which is all the knowledge of "duality", which is probably the reason why the four verses of the god will fall into the lower realm.
With "duality", there is a distinction between good and bad, high and low, good and bad, and it treats itself differently from the "Buddha", and there is the existence of "other minds", and no matter how you practice, you can never transcend the realm of "confusion".
Huineng's four verses, on the other hand, do not "stagnate" in any one thing, "there is nothing in the first place", and there is no definition or distinction of one kind or another.
Buddha-nature is not the absence of nothing, but the absence of "other minds." "Self-emptiness", what comes will be presented. If there is "something in it" in the first place, then how can it be possible to hold all kinds of things? Only "emptiness" can contain all things, exist infinite possibilities, and make the world wonderful.
But then again, if you think that Huineng's side is invulnerable, it is obsessed with "emptiness" again. Although Huineng's subordinates suppress Shenxiu's "being" from the level of "emptiness", and it seems to be "high above", clinging to "emptiness" is also persistence! Obsessing over "emptiness" is often the most difficult "mystery" for practitioners to discover, and it should be even more vigilant.
Since "there is nothing in the first place", then it is nothing to say anything, and when you say this, you are also denying yourself. As the Diamond Sutra says: All appearances are false. If this sentence is "truth", then it is not "truth" at the same time, and the meaning behind it is already coming out.
All appearances are presented because of the observation and interpretation of the outside world by "people", and there is no truth other than that. All the distinct "dualities" are not the truth, they are just the appearance of people's hearts.
Whether they are enlightened or not, Buddhas or mortals are all clinging to the "duality" of different cognitions, and of course what they say is not the truth. The truth is not what "people" say, but the objective existence after stripping away people. Nothing is and nothing is something that can be simply defined with "yes" or "no".
In fact, there is no difference between Shenxiu and Huineng, but they each interpret that thing from the perspective of not being able to, as long as they truly express their current feelings, it is "right", but no matter how "how to express it", it is not all right.
Shenxiu created gradual enlightenment from the perspective of "being", while Huineng created "epiphany" from the perspective of "emptiness", and the so-called "southern and northern progress" appeared. As a matter of fact, the two are already one, just imagine: If there is no gradual enlightenment of the Northern School, how can there be such an "epiphany"? Aren't the two exist in relative terms? This is "coexistence of mutual roots" and "unity of opposites."
Shenxiu advocates that the practice pays attention to "brushing the dust to see the purity" and "the body and purifying the heart", and gradually achieves the inner sublimation with external practices such as reasoning and chanting.
Correspondingly, it is Huineng's "seeing nature to become a Buddha", paying attention to "clear mind and seeing nature", based on inner enlightenment, and not paying attention to the specific method of practice, adhering to this practice method is called "Southern Epiphany".
In fact, there is no difference between "gradual enlightenment" and "epiphany", except that the process of enlightenment is fast and slow, and the difficulty of enlightenment is different.
Huineng himself once said:
"Originally, there was only one Buddhism, but there was a distinction between north and south. There is only one kind of Dharma, but there are slow and fast understandings of people. Why is there a difference between gradual enlightenment and epiphany? In Buddhism, there is no difference between gradual and gradual enlightenment, but only a difference between being intelligent and dull. ”
Because of the low level of comprehension or the limited preconditions for possession, the whole process of enlightenment is arduous and long, and there is a feeling of "gradual enlightenment", which is called gradual enlightenment because of the long time and difficulty of enlightenment.
For example, in a soccer game, you can score a goal by making various passes, breaking through, and finally shooting. This situation is like "gradual enlightenment".
Because of the high level of comprehension or the sufficient preconditions for possession, the process of enlightenment is extremely easy and fast, and there is a feeling of "instant enlightenment", which is called epiphany because the time of enlightenment is short and the difficulty is small.
For example, in football, scoring from a penalty kick is like an "epiphany". But then again, how did the "penalty" come about? That process is actually a "gradual realization".
Therefore, gradual enlightenment and epiphany are fundamentally the same thing, and the two cannot be clearly distinguished. The "time span" does not exist because of "people", how long do you say it can be counted as "long", and how short can it be counted as "short"?
In any case, there is no distinction between gradual enlightenment and epiphany, good or bad, but the process is different, and in the end, they are both different paths to the same end, and the truth is realized.
No matter how much there is a difference between enlightenment and epiphany, one thing is certain: "Enlightenment does not happen overnight, and there is no shortcut to any success." ”
Other people's success seems to be easy, but in fact, I don't know how many invisible hardships have been paid behind it, or maybe a lot of preparation work has been done in the early stage, or maybe others have failed many times, resulting in a different starting point now.
Therefore, Hongren did not completely deny Shenxiu's verse, but also solemnly told everyone to "recite this verse, that is, to see sex". Perhaps it is because Shenxiu's practice method is not conducive to inheritance, and this may have something to do with the inheritance environment of Buddhism in China.
The peak of the development of Chinese Buddhism was in the Tang Dynasty, when many sects such as Tiantai Buddhism, Three Treatise Sects, Huayan Sect, Faxiang Sect, Pure Land Sect, Zen Buddhism, Vinaya Buddhism, and Tantric Buddhism coexisted.
At that time, the politics were relaxed, the people were rich, and they had the energy and ability to study and practice the methods of various sects and sects. With the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the political pressure and economic decline in the five dynasties and ten kingdoms and the early Song Dynasty were serious, and the changes in the general environment made the major sects of Buddhism dissipate one after another.
People in the world are forced to pursue fame and fortune under external pressure, and they have neither the heart nor the energy to devote themselves to the study and practice of Buddhism. Zen Buddhism, on the other hand, pays attention to "clear mindfulness", and does not need to read the classics or study the scriptures, and the practice is in the words and deeds of the moment, because it is simple, so the public accepts it.
The Pure Land sect is mainly to recite Buddhist scriptures and recite "Amitabha Buddha", and the practice has become extremely simple, and the existence of these two sects shows that the inheritance of religion should also follow the law of "survival of the fittest".
From this point of view, who said that epiphany must be higher than gradual enlightenment? Huineng's cultivation must be a cut above Shenxiu? Maybe epiphany is more suitable for inheritance, and Huineng is more grassroots? Maybe epiphany and Huineng are the best solutions for Zen inheritance!
Isn't Hongnin just looking for a successor who is most suitable for the transmission of Zen Buddhism? In fact, the result of Hongnin's choice is the truth, and no matter how you analyze it, the truth is "not."
The Northern Song Dynasty's Huanglong Zen Master wrote a poem to express his views on Huineng Zen:
"The sixth ancestor was not a husband back then, and asked someone to confuse himself on the wall. There are clearly words and nothing, but they are subject to a bowl from his family. ”
In the eyes of a Zen master, no matter what "Buddha" or "ancestor" is, they are all "-stirring sticks"! Huang Long realized what the new Zen master meant: Since "there is nothing in the first place," what kind of verses do you still want to write? You don't have any ideas and attachments in your heart.
Later, Zen Master Dahui Zonggao expressed his views on the son of Huang Long's dead heart and enlightenment of the new Zen master:
"And the Tao bowl is not a thing, if the Tao is a thing, the old man is not a husband, if the Tao is not a thing, what is the bowl to fight. ”
It can be seen from these two verses that Huang Long's dead heart and the new Zen master made fun of Hui Neng from the perspective of "being", while Da Hui Zonggao raised questions from the two aspects of "being" and "nothing", making everyone think deeply: fighting or not fighting is a manifestation of self-nature, what is there to say.
Zen is lively and self-natured, how can it be immutable? A Zen master is not a nerd who reads from the book and looks at the text. Therefore, whether it is Shenxiu or Huineng, they are so vividly displayed on the stage of history. If there really is any "standard answer", it will be dead and silent a long time ago!
When Hongren saw the man on the wall of the corridor and knew that the successor he was looking for was right in front of him, he had two things in mind: one was how to teach the Fa, and the other was how to ensure that he left safely.
After all, the burden of inheritance of Zen Buddhism is about to fall on him......