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What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

author:Darwin had something to say

"Who wrote this Buddha?" How dare you speak so loudly! ”

Bodhi has no tree, and Spiegel is not a platform. Originally there is nothing, where to stir up dust?

When this Buddha appeared on the wall of the lecture hall corridor, one of the biggest storms in the history of Chinese Buddhism was destined to take place at the Feng Mao Shan Shan Temple.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

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When the monks of Dongshan Temple saw this Buddha song, some people couldn't understand it and didn't know what to do. Some people who understood secretly marveled, some people did not think so, and many more people were indignant and asked who made this Buddha.

Why are these people so angry? It turns out that in front of this buddha song, there is also a Buddha song:

The body is a Bodhi tree, the heart is like a mirror table, always diligently wiping, so that there is no dust.

The two Buddhist poems are placed together, more like a debate. This debate is one of the most famous public cases in the history of Zen Buddhism. To some extent, it can even be said that this case changed the fate of Zen Buddhism in China and the history of Chinese Buddhism.

What's going on?

This has to start from the early Tang Dynasty, the Zen Five Ancestors Temple, Feng Maoshan Mountain Temple, the teaching conference.

It is said that at that time, the five ancestors of Zen Buddhism, that is, the Hongnin Zen master, gathered all the major disciples in their dojo, the Feng Maoshan Mountain Monastery in Huangmei County, Hubei Province, and he wanted to carry out a transmission of the Fa.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

Regarding this transmission, Zen Master Hirohito actually had two purposes:

First, Zen master Hongnin keenly observed that for hundreds of years, many Buddhist monks have been translating and chanting the sutras, and there has been a phenomenon of putting the cart before the horse: "Sutra" was originally a means of understanding the Teachings of the Buddha and the Buddha, but now, the "Sutra" has become the end itself. People think that after leaving home, entering a Buddhist temple, and reciting the sutras, they will be able to seek the Dharma and become liberated into a Buddha. As everyone knows, such a religion, such a practice, has long since deviated from the original intention of Buddhism and the propositions of its teachings. Therefore, Zen master Hirohito would like to take this opportunity to criticize this phenomenon.

Second, Zen Master Hongnin had another purpose, because at this time he was in his twilight years, but he had not yet decided on a successor, so he intended to choose a successor with both moral integrity and ability through this transmission and pass on his mantle to him.

On the day of the teaching, Zen Master Hirohito gave a speech.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

The content of the speech is probably to say that as monks, we must first understand what the purpose of our practice is! The purpose of our practice is not to mechanically copy and recite the sutras here every day, still less to obtain any blessings, but to see the nature of the mind and the enlightenment of the Tao. However, many people now think that they can become Buddhas as long as they keep the scriptures in the temple, then they are very wrong. Everyone should always keep in mind the purpose of their monastic practice and not lose their original intention on the road of practice.

Subsequently, Zen Master Hongnin turned his words around and said to the monks that he was old and would soon die. Therefore, I want to use everyone to gather here and choose a successor who will inherit my mantle. We don't look at whose qualifications are high, only whether his understanding of the Zen Path of Enlightenment is correct. Whoever is interested in running for election, write a poem and let everyone evaluate who has the highest opinion is my heir.

Speaking of the heir of the Five Patriarchs Hiroshi, although the Zen Master Hiroshi himself has not yet been publicly designated, in fact, the monks have long had a recognized candidate, that is, the Theravada Master Shenxiu of Dongshan Temple.

All the monks were thinking in their hearts, Grandmaster, wouldn't it be enough for you to directly declare Shenxiu as your successor? What other Buddhas are you writing? You just want to take this opportunity to show your true skills. How Shen Xiu's cultivation is, we all know that no one will disobey him. Why would you go to such lengths to make such a drama?.

After Master Hirohito finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Shenxiu.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

However, under everyone's gaze, the Divine Master was sitting there motionless like a Buddha, with no expression on his face.

Everyone didn't move when they saw Shenxiu, they thought he wanted to be humble, and when someone came out to write the Buddha, he would come out again, and only with an opponent could he appear smart! Everyone thinks so, but no one wants to be a stepping stone. In this way, no one dared to come out and write about the Buddha.

Speaking of Shenxiu, he was the Theravada master of the temple and the leading monk among the disciples of the Five Patriarchs, and he originally felt that if Master Hirohito wanted to choose a successor, needless to say, he must be himself. But at this moment, Zen Master Hirohito did not announce who would be the successor, but asked everyone to write the Buddha. Considering that Zen Master Hirohito usually acts in an eclectic style, Shenxiu's heart immediately beat a drum, and he felt that things were not as optimistic as he had imagined before.

Shen Xiu's brain was running fast, and as soon as he thought about it, he felt that he might be worried. Shen Xiu knew all the monks present very well, and he was very confident that the cultivation of these people was not as good as his own, and who else but himself was qualified to inherit the mantle of the ancestors?

At this thought, Shenxiu was relieved, and he thought that the Zen master of Hongnin was doing this in order to make him show his hand in public and take over in a good name. Therefore, Shenxiu did not rush to express himself, but constantly sorted out his thoughts in his heart.

Shenxiu remained silent until after nightfall, when everyone fell asleep, and then he quietly wrote the famous Buddha poem on the wall:

After writing it, Shenxiu thought in his heart, tomorrow after the Zen master Hiroshi saw it, if he agreed with it, he would stand up and admit that he had written it himself. If Zen Master Hongnin did not think so, then he pretended to be dumb and did not admit that he had done this Buddha, so as not to break his face in front of the monks.

Sure enough, the next day, when the monks saw the Buddha on the wall, they were all full of praise and speculated about who it was from.

When Zen Master Hirohito learned about it, he also came to the crowd. At this time, the Zen master Hirohito had already guessed that this was the work of Shenxiu, but he did not break it, and the public gave high praise to this Buddha. Shen Xiu just wanted to tell Zen Master Hirohito that this poem was written by himself, and Master Hirohito turned and left.

After a while, Shinhide received a separate summons from Zen Master Hiroshi. After seeing Master Hongjin, before Shenxiu could speak, Master Hongjin first said to him, "Your view of this Buddha is good, and you are already qualified to pass on my mantle." ”

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

Hearing the approval of Master Hongnin Zen, although Shenxiu was secretly happy in his heart, he still maintained restraint, because from the tone of Master Hongjin Zen, he did not hear that he had a special appreciation for him.

Shen Xiucheng asked Zen Master Hongnin with trepidation, "Ancestor, the disciple is sincerely seeking the Tao, there is no one else here, you don't have to talk about the scene, today you will give me a bottom, how do you evaluate my Buddha?" What do you think of the disciple's cultivation behavior? ”

Shen Xiu's heart was bottomless, so he wanted to confirm whether Hirohito really approved of his opinion.

Yes, Zen Master Hirohito had already seen who had written this poem, and if he was very approved of it, why didn't he praise Shenxiu in public, but call him over alone?

Sure enough, Zen Master Hongnin said, "You have done a good job of this Buddha, but you have not yet seen the Tao, only outside the door, and have not yet entered." If you are a person with shallow roots, if you practice according to your method, you should not fall into evil. However, it is still far from true enlightenment. ”

Wuzu Hongren's words were like pouring a basin of cold water, pouring Shen xiu's fiery heart cold.

Looking at Shenxiu's lost expression, Zen Master Hirohito comforted him and said, "Don't be discouraged, go back and think about it again, write a new Buddhist poem, and then decide whether to pass the mantle to you." ”

Shen Xiu thought to himself, Grandmaster, you said it lightly, and then rewrite a Buddhist poem? What an easy place! It's not like writing poetry, but you know that this Buddha condensed the ideas I've held on to all my life. How easy is it to make another song in a short time?

After bidding farewell to Zen master Hiroshi, Shenxiu shut himself in a Zen room to realize the Tao, but no matter how much he racked his brains, he could not write a more intelligent Buddha.

However, while Shenxiu was meditating in the meditation room, a handyman in the Wuzu Temple was standing in front of Shenxiu's Buddha with a broom, as if he was thinking about something.

It turned out that this handyman had heard someone reciting the Divine Buddha's Sutra while working, and when he heard it, he suddenly felt that there was something wrong with this handyman, and he had not yet touched the root of Buddha-nature. So he asked the little monk who was reciting the Buddha's recitation, "What are you reciting?" ”

The little monk replied, "Don't you know yet?" Recently, Zen Master Hirohito asked for a successor and asked everyone to write a piece of paper, and the one I memorized was "No Phase" written by Shen Xiu shang on the corridor of the lecture hall. This is what Zen Master Hirohito asked us to recite, saying that if we practice according to this mantra, we will be able to see our true nature and be free from the sea of suffering of life and death. ”

The handyman then said to the boy, "I have been in the temple for almost a year, sweeping the floor and scooping rice all day, and I have never entered the lecture hall, please take me to see it, let me also pray and pray, and carry it on my back a few times." ”

So the little monk led the handyman to the corridor in front of the lecture hall, and since the handyman was illiterate, he prayed to the handyman and then asked someone to read it to himself.

However, what the little monk did not expect was that the handyman actually said that he would also make a Buddhist poem, but he could not read, and asked himself to help him write the poem on the wall.

The little monk found the matter very interesting, and agreed to the handyman's request. So, the handyman read a sentence, the little monk wrote a sentence, and a Buddhist poem appeared behind the god on the wall:

Bodhi has no tree, and Spiegel is not a platform. Originally there was nothing, where to stir up dust.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

This is where there is the scene at the beginning of the article, when the followers of Shenxiu see this Buddha-style targeting Shenxiu everywhere, they all make fun of the author of this Buddha-song for being unashamed and do not know that the sky is high and the earth is thick.

Hirohito was also alarmed, and when he learned that the poem was written by a handyman, he publicly criticized the handyman. The handyman didn't say anything, so he went back to the mill and continued to scoop rice.

However, after nightfall, the handyman suddenly received a summons from Zen Master Hirohito.

The handyman did not dare to be idle, and immediately got up and went to the Zen room of Hongnin, and as soon as he entered the door, he was pulled by the Zen master of Hongnin, who said, "Those who seek the Tao, who do not care about their lives for the sake of the Fa, should do so." ”

When the handyman listened, he felt a heat in his chest and his eye circles were red.

Zen Master Hongnin also said, "I have wronged you today, and the reason why I want to criticize you in public is to protect you, and I am afraid that someone will harm you." The Buddha you made is extraordinary, but it will also cause you great trouble."

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

That's right, this handyman was the famous Liuzu Huineng. Huineng was working at Wuzu Temple at that time, responsible for sweeping the floor and scooping rice, and did not formally shave the practice.

After Master Hongnin finished speaking, he secretly taught the Diamond Sutra to him, and when Hui could hear the sentence "All phases are illusory, if you see that all phases are not phases, you will see them as they come", and suddenly became enlightened.

In the end, Hirohito gave Huineng the robes that symbolized the status of the heir, and ordered someone to protect Huineng from going down the mountain to escape.

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What is this Zen case about? Who is going to harm Huineng?

This brings us to the controversy between the two ideas of enlightenment in the history of Zen Buddhism. The two Buddhist poems of Shenxiu and Huineng represent the two concepts of Zen Buddhism and divide Zen Buddhism into the Northern Sect and the Southern Sect.

In Zen Buddhism's view, the purpose of meditation is to have "enlightenment," and "enlightenment" represents two meanings: enlightenment is to break through the veil, and enlightenment is to illuminate reality. The former is kung fu, the latter is the realm.

So the question is, what obstacle is the zen practitioner trying to break? What does it mean to be real?

What the Zen practitioner wants to break is all the symbols and concepts invented by human beings, and only by breaking down these obstacles can they see things as they really are and get the truth.

How can this be understood?

We all know that people understand the world through symbolic concepts such as words and language. However, these symbols and concepts, as a tool that we humans use to explore the spiritual and real worlds, are naturally flawed.

Why? This raises a philosophical question:

What is the relationship between symbols and the real world?

We can understand it with the help of the linguist Saussure's theory of symbolic structures. Saussure distinguished symbols into two parts: "signifier" and "signifier".

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

One of the parts is called "what is referred to", which refers to a concept.

For example, as soon as I say "apple", the concept of "apple" immediately comes to mind, which is a collection of the "apples" that you have seen and eaten, red, green, yellow, all the "apples".

The other part is called the "signifier", which refers to the material part of a symbol.

For example, when I say "apple", the pronunciation of the word "apple" emitted by the vocal cords, or the handwriting of the word "apple" when I write the word "apple".

The structure of the said symbol can be divided into "signifier" and "signified", but when we actually use symbols, we cannot separate "signifiers" and "signifiers". The "signifier" that "does not" means has no meaning, and the "signifier" without "signifier" cannot be imagined.

A "signifier" without a "signifier" is like having a baby scribble on paper with a paintbrush, or a random string of sounds made by a baby tapping a cup or bowl. They don't have any direction, and they don't have any meaning.

The "signifier" without the "signifier" is unimaginable, because any concept must be carried on material forms that can be perceived by the senses, such as sound and words.

Let's talk about "apple", when we talk about the concept of "apple", only if you and I have seen "apple" and eaten "apple", we can sit together and talk about this concept.

The question is, if I have only seen and eaten a variety of apples such as "yellow banana", and you have only seen and eaten the "red Fuji" apple, what will happen when we talk about "apples"?

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

We're going to argue, I say "apple" is yellow and you say "apple" is red. I said, that's not Apple. You say, the yellow one I'm talking about is not an apple. Who are we right?

Obviously, for the concept of "apple", I am the same as your "signifier", but the "signifier" is different.

Why is this a problem?

This is because, in the process of transforming the experience of "apple" into a symbol, it is necessary to simplify and abstract it.

We abstract the fruit that produces on a tree, and whatever color it is, it is collectively referred to as "apple." If we want to talk about "apple", we must reach a commonality in the cognition of "apple" - you have to iterate on the understanding of apple: yellow is also apple; I also have to iterate cognition: "red is also apple".

This has led to the continuous increase in the meaning of the concept of "apple" in the process of dissemination, and the boundaries have gradually blurred.

Ever since humans created the symbols of language and writing, they have begun to name everything we perceive in nature. Every naming is a simplification and abstraction of things, and it produces distortion.

Worse still, in the process of propagation and use of symbols, they have to face the end of increasingly rich meaning and blurred boundaries. Symbols can never fully describe our true experience, and there will always be differences between experience and symbols.

Therefore, the purpose of meditation is to break all the symbolic concepts produced by reason and to attain clear mental insight,that is, to see things as they really are.

Zen meditation is the "path of enlightenment." The "Tao" is the original face of things, and "enlightenment" is the process and the method. What Huineng and Shenxiu argue in the Buddha's womb is the method of "enlightenment"—is the method of attaining enlightenment "gradual enlightenment" or "enlightenment"?

Shen Xiu represents the Gradual Enlightenment School.

"The body is the Bodhi tree, and the mind is like a mirror", Bodhi means enlightenment, wisdom, and Buddha-nature in Sanskrit, so Shenxiu actually compares the human body to a place of enlightenment, and the human mind to a mirror.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

Shenxiu means that if people want to attain enlightenment, they should first have a pure mind—the "six roots are pure."

The reason why people are not pure is because dirty things appear on the mirror table, because the heart is polluted by the outside world. Therefore, if we want to have a clear view of our hearts, we must "always wipe diligently, so that there is no dust."

Shenxiu advocated the practice of "gradual enlightenment", and he advocated that enlightenment is a long-term process that requires the practice of practicing step by step by constantly wiping the "mirror table".

However, Huineng did not think so.

Huineng said, "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform", zen enlightenment does not require any dojo, the mind is indeed like a mirror, but it is formless and phaseless, and it is definitely not a "platform". Since the mind is formless and formless, where will there be any dust? - "There is nothing in the original, where is the dust?" ”

Huineng believes that Buddha-nature is formless and phaseless, and cannot be described in human reason and language.

Therefore, the formless and phaseless Buddha-nature cannot be divided into parts and parts. Buddha-nature is either fully understood or not at all, and it cannot be said that today I am one-third enlightened, tomorrow I am enlightened two-thirds, and Buddha-nature does not exist in a divided state.

Huineng represents the "Epiphany" faction. The "epiphany" school believes that people directly break through that layer of window paper to reveal Buddha-nature, which is called epiphany.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

Speaking of the concept of "epiphany", in fact, it existed as early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties of China, and it was not the original creation of Huineng.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Kumarosh, who was fluent in Chinese and Sanskrit, translated a large number of Indian Buddhist scriptures, including the Great Nirvana Sutra.

The "Buddha-nature Theory" of the Mahabharata Sutra holds that everyone has Buddha-nature and has the potential to become a Buddha. To become a Buddha is to reveal one's hidden Buddha-nature.

Since the purpose of practicing is to reveal Buddha-nature, there must always be a process, right? But is the process instantaneous, or is it done in stages? At that time, the Buddhist monks were divided.

Early Chinese Buddhist scholars, believing that the process of buddha-nature revelation was very long, divided the practice into different stages.

For example, there are divisions into what degree of cultivation is considered an introduction, to what extent is a small achievement, and to what stage of cultivation is a great enlightenment. At different stages, people have designed targeted practices. That is what Shenxiu said, by slowly wiping the "mirror table" clean, the process of "gradual enlightenment" of Buddha-nature is revealed.

However, a monk named Zhu Daosheng (also called Daosheng) discovered by reading the Indian scriptures translated by Kumarosh that Buddha-nature cannot be described positively in rational language.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

Zhu Daosheng believes that since Buddha-nature is indescribable, the process of enlightenment cannot be divided into stages. Therefore, Zhu Daosheng put forward a view of "enlightenment and buddhahood".

However, Zhu Daosheng's view did not catch on because it was too impactful on the Buddhist community in China at that time.

Obviously, both the Five Patriarchs Hirohitoshi and Huineng support Zhu Daosheng's view of "enlightenment and enlightenment". However, even Gozu Hiroshi did not openly support this view, and he could only pass on the mantle to Huineng behind his back. After Hui Neng got the mantle of the Five Ancestors, he also evaded the pursuit and killing everywhere, and hid in the hunter team for fifteen years and dared to shave his family.

Why didn't Hongnin and Huineng dare to openly state their positions? What are they afraid of?

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Could it be that Shenxiu's power is too great?

In fact, Shen Xiu himself did not have such a big power, and it was not Shen Xiu himself who wanted to harm Hui Neng, but countless monks who agreed with the concept of "gradual enlightenment".

It is said that Buddhism is a pure place, but in ancient society, Buddhism was not pure at all.

We all know that the struggle for power in the official arena is very fierce, but you may not know that the fierceness of the open and secret struggles in the Buddhist gate is not much inferior to that in the official arena. The imperial court was essentially an organization, and the Buddhist Gate was essentially an organization. As long as it is an organization, there must be politics, there are hierarchies, there are factions, there are power struggles.

Any political struggle basically revolves around two points, one is interests, the other is ideas, interests and ideas. Interests and ideas are often highly integrated, especially in Buddhism.

In Buddhism, ideas and interests are highly bound. The ideas of the "Epiphany" school seriously threaten the interests of the "Gradual Enlightenment" school, and they do not allow the mantle of the ancestors to pass on to the "Epiphany" school, so that the "Epiphany" school becomes the orthodoxy of Zen Buddhism.

What's going on here?

You may not know that in ancient times, the temple was not only a place for monks to practice, but also a consortium of rich people.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, this part of China was constantly in turmoil, kings and subjects killed each other, and the drama of father and son killing each other would be staged in turn almost every period of time. The Confucian scholars are all idealists with the world in mind, but in the chaotic world, the Confucian concept of joining the world will not work at all, so it is inevitable that the Confucian students who have been hit hard will inevitably have a sense of world-weariness.

At this time, man needs a faith in the spirit.

However, Confucianism in Confucius avoided life and death. Taoism has a system of cultivating immortals, but their pursuit of immortality essentially tries to solve the problem of life and death by denying death. However, the system is grossly illogical.

At this time, Buddhism from India stood out. The Buddhist doctrine of six reincarnations and karma was very rigorous, and once it was introduced to China, it became popular among the upper literati and doctors.

These dignitaries and nobles usually do whatever it takes to gain profits, fearing that they will fall into hell and that their descendants will eat their evil consequences, so they rush to the compassionate Buddha and ask for mercy. Not only that, but for the sake of merit, they also divided up large tracts of land for the monks to build Buddhist monasteries, and exempted them from taxes and miscellaneous services, and donated money and materials.

In this way, the temple has a lot of land and money.

However, the monks were bound by the precepts, and their lives were not allowed to be too luxurious, and the incense money they usually received was far higher than that of consumption. Therefore, their annual surplus money, in addition to helping the poor, is also used for private money lending and interest.

You know, the most profitable industry from ancient times to the present is money lending. Therefore, from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhist monasteries became richer and richer, and they owned more and more land.

When the common people look at it, worship a teacher, and shave their heads, they can not pay taxes and do not obey the labor, how beautiful this thing is. As a result, the people have gone out of their homes, and most of them either truly believe in Buddhism or want to take advantage of the opportunity to evade taxes.

In ancient times, the finances of the state basically relied on land rent, so that there were fewer and fewer lands and people paying rents, and the tax revenue of the state was less and less, and the monks were also uneven, mixed with many people who did not believe in Buddhism.

On several occasions in China's history, economic crises have been caused by too many people avoiding taxes. Therefore, the later Chinese emperors began to strictly control the number of monks ordained. If monks want to become monks, it is not enough to find a temple to receive bhikkhu ordination, but they must also have the approval of the government and a certificate of ordination issued by the government, which was called "Domu" in ancient times.

What does the Six Patriarchs Huineng mean by "Bodhi Ben No Tree"? Why is it that he saved Zen Buddhism? 010203

In the Song Dynasty, a dumu could be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver, which could be enough for the living expenses of a family of three for several years. So you see, in ancient times, a person who could become a monk could be an ordinary person? And the department of the imperial court that issued the degree of degree naturally also took a lot of benefits from it.

Therefore, the reason why Buddhism had such a great influence in ancient China was not entirely based on its own ideas, and the official policy towards monasteries and the support of people from all walks of life were very important.

Behind the Buddhist monasteries, the interests of the imperial court and social elites are also involved. However, when the power of religion grows to a certain extent, religious organizations have usurped their original religious purposes, so some people will want to cross the organization, especially the norms formulated by the organization, and return to the original meaning of religion.

Now, someone has stepped forward and wants to break this chain of interests, and this person is Huineng.

You think, once the idea of "enlightenment" practice represented by Huineng becomes popular, then isn't it possible for everyone to buy a few sutras and practice meditation in their own homes? So what do you want to do with so many temples? What else do you want to do? The influence of Buddhist monasteries will inevitably be greatly reduced, and the incomes of senior monks and dignitaries will also be greatly reduced, which is something that their people do not want to see.

Therefore, those who are threatened by Huineng's interests must do everything in their power to prevent the spread and development of the ideas of the "Epiphany" school and strangle them in the cradle.

However, we all know the rest of the matter, Huineng evaded the pursuit and retreated in the mountains and forests of Lingnan for fifteen years, and later established the Southern Sect of Zen Buddhism and became the sixth generation of ancestors of Zen Buddhism.

Huineng said, "Self-natured delusions are sentient beings, and self-consciousness is Buddhas." Compassion is Guanyin, joy is called Shizhi, purity is Shakya, and straightness is Midas."

He broke down the distinctions that had been highlighted in The Buddhist teachings and organizations in the past, as well as those that seemed profound, and focused his meditation on his own enlightenment, and as long as he was enlightened, he no longer needed any birth, social conditions, practice, or how many good deeds he had to do or how many reincarnations he had to go through to attain it. His philosophy turned the pursuit of liberation into a Buddha's business, which can be accomplished by one's own strength.

Hui Neng said, "Good knowledge, unenlightened buddhas are sentient beings." When one thinks about it, all beings are Buddhas. Therefore, knowing that all the laws are in the heart, why not see from the heart that the truth is as it is." "My own nature is pure, and if I know my own mind, I will become a Buddha." Since then, zen practice does not require so many tools, buddhist scriptures, meditation, precepts, buddhist temples are all tools, not so important. Don't mistake tools for purpose, everyone has Buddha-nature, so Buddha-nature is in your own mind.

The Buddhist revolution led by Huineng's Nan Zen was like Martin Luther's Protestant Reforms, which broke the monopoly of Buddhist monks on the Buddha's teachings through the scriptures.

From then on, enlightenment no longer depends on practice, because the ultimate form of practice is no practice. Do you think that by chanting "Amitabha Buddha" every day, you can go to the Western Heavens and pass away? Not necessarily. "But the heart is not pure, and the West is not far from here." With an impure heart, it is difficult to recite the Buddha's past lives. To comprehend Buddha-nature is not to rely on reciting the Sutras, to "seek the Dharma" in the heart, not to ask for it in the text books, and to "seek the Dharma" is not only not to seek its complexity, but to seek its directness and simplicity, and the real "Dharma" must be understood instantaneously.

Nanzong, founded by Huineng, launched a kind of "broken" movement. They argue that the focus of Zen meditation is not to express and explain the Dharma positively, but to use various ways to dispel the wrong view of the Dharma, which allows Zen Buddhism to return to purity, to the original religious intention and fundamental teachings, so that it can be passed down to this day and endure.

END

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