Author: Shi Zongli
It is said in the Buddhist scriptures that when a person dies, the four great separations, such as the shell of a turtle, are in pain. When the average person faces death, most of them are not calm. So what about Zen masters when they face death?
Before I tell the story of the Zen masters, let me introduce the background:
We know that the ancestors of Zen Buddhism all paid the Dharma when they passed on the Dharma, which expressed the transmission of the Dharma and the entrustment.
In the Tang Dynasty, all kinds of poems were popular, and they simply came with their mouths open, and even the mother-in-law on the street was exported into poetry. It can be seen that the popularity of poetry at that time was comparable to the current WeChat and Weibo.
In the Song Dynasty, there was an unwritten custom in the Zen forest, that is, before the Zen master died, he would leave behind a widow, one was to express his instructions, and the other was to summarize his lifelong cultivation.
In the beginning, it was a good thing, and the Zen masters left behind to guide the way for later learning. Later, it became a custom, so that if the Zen masters did not leave a widow before they died, they would be embarrassed to die. Because the disciples will be quite faceless, they will not be able to lift their heads in the Zen forest.
Of the three stories we're going to tell, the first two take place in this context.
One of the stories:
Protagonist: Zen master Daben of Lingyan Mountain in the Song Dynasty
When Zen Master Omoto was eighty years old, he was about to die in the Lingyan Mountain.
Before leaving, his disciples said to him, "Master, your disciples are all over the world, and when you are leaving, how can you not leave behind a souvenir for the public?" ”
Zen Master Omoto looked at his disciples for a long time, then sighed and said, "Idiot! I'm fashionable and too lazy to make a slang, so why write it specifically today? Usually, I also want to sit and sit, I want to lie down, so why should I do something artificial before I leave, and sit and go away? ”
He paused, then said, "Well, take a pen and paper!" ”
The disciples thought he wanted to keep the widow, so they quickly took paper and pencil.
The Zen master took the pen, and the pen walked away from the dragon and snake, leaving five words.
The disciples gathered around to take a look, only to see five words left on the white paper: "Fu Shourong." This means that after the Zen master leaves, the responsibility of leading the people will be handed over to the Zen master Shou Rong.
After reading it, everyone knew that the Zen master had made up his mind and no longer left a puppet, and they couldn't help but be disappointed.
When the Zen master saw that the disciples were like this, he sighed, dropped his pen, and lay down on his right flank, as if he were asleep.
After a long time, the disciples saw that the Zen master did not make a sound, and went forward to gently shake the Zen master, and found that he had passed away.
Story 2:
Protagonist: Song Dynasty Great Huizong Gao Zen Master
Before his death, Zen Master Zonggao said to the public, "My aftermath should be handled according to the rules of the jungle, and there is no need to be too extravagant." Shami are not allowed to wear a ribbon of filial piety and cry out in pain, what is the difference between doing so and the people of the world? ”
He also said to his disciples, "From this summer to autumn, I have not thought about eating and drinking, and although there is no pain on the surface, my body is not as good as a day.
Maybe my life will be over.
Since you have inherited my mantle, you should persist in the great will of life and multiply sentient beings to repay the favor of The Buddha. That's what I expect from you.
I'm leaving, and I'll give these few words before I leave, so be sure to remember. ”
The disciple went forward according to the rules of the jungle and asked the Zen master to leave him behind.
Zen Master Zong gao looked at them for a long time and shouted, "Can't you die without leaving you?" (Don't think that zen masters did not stay because they did not know how to write and ink, and his writings were also included in the Great Tibetan Scriptures.) ）
The disciples pleaded bitterly.
Zen Master Zonggao sighed and had to leave this poem on the paper:
Born only,
Death is only a pity.
With and without,
What's hot?
The gist of it is:
Life is just that,
The same is true of death.
Did you leave a man before leaving,
So what?
Because the portrayal of a lifetime is printed on the earth.
After the Zen master finished writing, he threw his pen to the ground and passed away auspiciously.
Story Three:
Protagonist: Zen Master Dongshan Liangyue
Before the Zen master of Dongshan died, the monk came to visit him.
The Zen master asked the monk, "People have been dealing with this body all their lives, but when they leave this shell, where will they meet me?" ”
The monks responded wordlessly.
Zen Master Dongshan sighed and made a hymn:
The scholar Hengsha has no enlightenment,
Passing in search of his tongue.
Want to forget the traces,
Strive to be diligent and empty.00
There are many Zen learners like ganga sand, but none of them can become enlightened.
That's because they're indulging in the words of the ancients.
Zen is lively, not rigid.
Wanting to understand the true meaning of Zen and removing the obstacles to knowledge,
We still have to work hard and diligently, and realizing emptiness is the fundamental.
After the Zen master finished speaking, he asked people to shave his hair, then bathed and changed clothes, struck the bell to inform the whole mountain, bid farewell to the public, and then sat down.
At that time, the whole mountain public wept unceasingly, for a long time.
The Zen master suddenly opened his eyes and said, "A person who is a monk, whose mind is not attached to things, is the true practice." What is the benefit of toiling in life and lamenting when dying? You have been under my seat for many years, why can't you see through it! (Resurrection from the dead, life from death.) Voice-over: Scared Ben to death. ）
So he asked the chief monk to do a foolish fast, so as to achieve the fate of the world.
Everyone knew that this time the Zen master was really going to leave, and his heart was not willing, so he rubbed and rubbed the ground, and this hall took seven days to complete.
The iftar meal was ready, and the Zen master also went through the hall with the public.
After fasting, the Zen master looked at the sad faces of the disciples of the masses and did not speak for a long time.
Finally, he said to everyone, "There is no major matter in the monks' house, and there is no need to make noise and weep before they leave." ”
After saying that, he returned to the chamber and sat down.
This time, he was really gone.
By Word:
Before the Zen masters died, most of them did not think of mundane things, but were concerned about the inheritance of the Dharma, and for the Dharma body wisdom of their disciples, they also broke their hearts.
The first two Zen masters did not want to be vulgar, but for the sake of their disciples, they had to leave a text with Shun.
The Dongshan Zen master is even more dedicated to the obsession of his disciples, and he comes back from the dead and stays for another seven days, which is really compassionate.
But in any case, the Kung Fu of the Zen masters has been mixed together, and they are free to live and die.
Life and death before them are not an insurmountable chasm, but a way to come and go freely between thoughts.
And what about us? Are you ready enough to deal with the test of impermanence?
I would like to encourage you all! Amitabha!
May this merit be universal to all,
I and all other sentient beings have become Buddhas together.