1, Tang Dynasty high monk Shenxiu
He was born intelligent as a teenager and was known as the "Two Capitals Dharma Lord" and "Three Imperial Divisions". He founded the Northern Zen. He is the eldest disciple of the Five Patriarchs of Zen Buddhism, and has won the praise of the Five Patriarchs as a "professor teacher". He is the famous Zen monk, Shenxiu.
One day, Wuzu Hiroshi asked his disciples to compose four verses each in order to decide on the inheritance of their own mantle, and Shenxiu believed: "Seeking the Dharma is good, and seeking the ancestors is not good."
This means that in order to seek the Fa, it is really inappropriate to do it, but if you do not do it yourself, you will be considered by the Five Ancestors as having no opinion.
So in the inner struggle, he did a good job, but he did not dare to hand it over to the five ancestors, and finally wrote four words on the wall:
"The body is a Bodhi tree, the heart is like a mirror table, always diligently wiping, do not cause dust."
However, in the view of Master Wuzu Hongnin, these four messages did not see their nature, resulting in not getting the mantle later, but from the perspective of cultivation, Shenxiu emphasized that we should cultivate our hearts all the time, accumulate our own good deeds, and not make ourselves have unwholesome thoughts, which is really of great use for us ordinary people to practice with such a plan.
When we live in today's impetuous society, we will meet all kinds of people, etc., and there is no pure environment for us to stop the cause, the mind, and the mind. And it just so happens that what Shenxiu said is that we should always keep our original hearts, which is just right for ordinary people who practice in the world.
In life, on the one hand, we bear the responsibility of life, on the other hand, we have the idea of practicing, the best of both worlds is to aspire to the Tao, but also to fulfill the responsibilities that should be fulfilled in the world.
As long as you have good thoughts in your heart, improve your cultivation behavior, and always be vigilant against unwholesome thoughts in your heart, in the human world, it is also a practice, but do good deeds, do not ask about the future.
2, Six Ancestors Huineng
Rokuzu Huineng was born in NSW in the twelfth year of Zhenguan. His father died at an early age, and his mother and son later moved to Guangzhou. Grew up selling firewood to make ends meet.
Once to a hotel on the street to deliver firewood, someone outside the door is reciting the Diamond Sutra, Huineng went out and heard "should not dwell in the heart," suddenly had some understanding, so he asked where he came from, who taught it, and it was said that the Five Ancestors Hongnin Master was teaching The Dharma at dongchan temple in Huangmei County, Hubei Province, and Huineng decided to seek Buddhism at Dongchan Temple.
Huineng practiced at DongzenJi Temple, saw the message of the god Xiuzuo, and wrote a poem himself:
"Bodhi has no tree, nor is spiegel a platform. Originally there was nothing, where to stir up dust. ”
When Master Wuzu Hongnin saw Huineng's message, he saw it clearly and felt that Huineng would be able to get his mantle in the future, and whenever he had the opportunity, he told Huineng about the Dharma. Huineng also ended up getting the mantle of the Zen Five Patriarchs Hiroshi.
From the perspective of the verse, what Hui Neng said is not to let us ask from the outside, but from our own hearts, and for those who have nothing to worry about and can concentrate on Zen without facts, this practice plan is the most direct, clear-minded view.
3. Postscript
For our lives, we are worried about too many things to give up all thoughts, for the inheritance of Zen Buddhism, the message of wisdom is the best, for ordinary people to practice, the use of Shenxiu's message to practice is a good choice.
For the high monk Shenxiu and the Six Ancestors Huineng, which do you think is more suitable for us ordinary people to practice?