Sixth ancestor Huineng, ancestral home (now Zhuozhou, Hebei Province), father surnamed Tang (Tao). Wu De was demoted and moved to Xinzhou, Lingnan (now emerging in Guangdong). Hui Neng was born in NSW on February 8th in the 12th year of Zhenguan (638). Huineng lost his father at the age of three and was brought up by his mother. As an adult, the family is getting poorer and poorer, and they can only make a living by going up the mountain to collect firewood and helping people do odd jobs.
One day, Huineng went to the street to sell firewood. A customer bought his firewood and asked him to send it to the porch. At the entrance of the Xuandian, a guest is chanting. Huineng listened and seemed to realize something. He refused to leave for a long time. He went up to the guest and asked what scripture it was. From this guest's introduction, he learned that Zen Master Hongren, the fifth ancestor, taught in Maoshan Mountain, Huangmeifeng, qi zhou, and often persuaded Taoism and folk believers to read the Diamond Sutra. Hearing this, Huineng had the idea of going north to seek dharma. But because my mother is still alive, I can't go at once.
Huineng was thirty-three years old when her mother died. After Huineng buried his mother, he went north to seek dharma through Caoxi (now Shaoguan) in Shaozhou (this statement is different from that recorded in the Six Ancestors Tanjing). In Shaozhou, he met Liu, a virtuous man, and became sworn brothers because of similar interests. Liu Zhi has a little aunt, a monk with endless fame, who lives in the local Shan Jian Temple and often recites Nirvana Sutra. Huineng took part in labor with Liu Zhilie during the day and listened to endless Tibetan monks chanting Nirvana Sutra at night. Huineng can't read, but she has excellent understanding. After listening to the scriptures, he often explains the meaning of the scriptures to the boundless Tibetan monks. Once, with a scroll in his hand, endless Tibetan monks asked Huineng about the pronunciation and meaning of a word. Huineng replied, "If you don't know words, you can ask the meaning." The boundless Tibetan monk said, "If you don't know how to read, can you understand it?" Huineng replied: "All Buddhas are wonderful, not words." The boundless Tibetan monk was very surprised when he heard this. Knowing that Huineng was a man of virtue, he paid tribute to him. As a result, Huineng's reputation soon spread throughout the village. Although Huineng was not a monk at that time, local believers went to pay tribute and expressed their support. A Dojo was built for Huineng on the site of the nearby Lin Bao Ancient Temple. Hui Neng lived in this place for three years.
One day, Huineng suddenly remembered the matter of seeking dharma and said privately, "How can I stop halfway in seeking dharma? ! "So I left Baolin Temple the next day and continued to go north. Passing through the stone chamber in Xishan, Lechang County, Huineng met Zen master Zhiyuan and asked him about meditation. Zen master Zhiyuan told him that "the child's vision is cool and beautiful, and he almost enjoys it." I heard that Dharma in the Western Regions was very impressed with Huangmei. You should go and attend it. I think you are an extraordinary person. It is said that Dharma came to Central China from the Western Regions to spread the seal of Buddha's heart and spread the five ancestors of Huangmei. Don't delay any longer, go to any monk to learn, so as to decide the matter of life and death. "
So Huineng traveled thousands of miles to build the five ancestors Dojo of Huangmei.
Huineng lived in Lingnan since childhood, illiterate and thin, like a woodcutter in Shan Ye. So when Wuzu first met him, he called him "Ge Lao". The Five Lights Meeting Yuan, Zutang Collection and Tanjing all recorded this meeting in detail-
Wuzu asked, "Where are you from?"
Huineng said, "Since Lingnan."
Wuzu asked, "What are you doing here?"
Huineng said, "I don't want anything else, I just want to become a Buddha."
Wu Zudao: "You are a stubborn person and a Lingnan person. How can I become a Buddha? "
Huineng said: "Although people are divided into north and south, there is no difference in Buddha nature between north and south. Although my image and harmony are not the same, what is the difference between Buddha's nature? "
Hearing this, Wuzu knew that Huineng had a good background and was not an ordinary person. He wanted to talk to him more, but because he was surrounded by disciples, he was worried that Huineng would be envied and rejected by everyone in the future, so he sent him to Xiafang.
It is hard work to pour rice. Hui Neng is short and underweight. In order to step on the cymbals, he has to tie a stone around his waist. In this way, Huineng worked hard day and night for eight months.
One day, the five ancestors gathered the public together and told them: "Life and death are important, and impermanence is rapid. I am old, and I was elected as a legal person, so as to ensure the continuity of my ancestors. Buddhism is incredible, and the key is demonstration. Don't think you can forget what I said in French. Go down and write me a poem according to your own spiritual experience. If someone realizes the Buddha's meaning, I will pass on the vestments to him and make him the sixth ancestor. "
At that time, there were more than 700 monks under the Wuzu Association. Among them, Shen Xiu is the best. Xiu Shangzuo, a professor and teacher, is well known both at home and abroad. He often gives lectures to the public and is highly valued by the five ancestors and admired by all. Therefore, after the public retirement, * * * said, "Who can bear the title of the Sixth Ancestor except the Xiuzuo? We don't have to bother to write anything. When the scholar gets the cassock and becomes the sixth ancestor, we will all stop him. "
Hearing public comments, Shen Xiu thinks that the reason why the public is afraid of writing poetry is because I am his teacher. I should introduce my son to the monks. Of course, I offered my son to seek Buddhism, not to seize my ancestral throne. If I don't introduce my son to the monk, how can the monk know the depth of my opinion? How can I get the five ancestors? Tossing and turning, thinking for two or three days, Shen Xiu has been doing a poem, secretly written on the gallery wall in the dead of night, and said:
"The body is a bodhi tree, and the heart is like a mirror.
Wipe frequently, and don't create dust. "
The next morning, Wuzu passed by and suddenly saw this poem, knowing that it was written by Meixiu. Although this poem is not sensible, if future generations practice according to it, they can still gain great benefits and avoid evil ways. Therefore, the five ancestors praised the poem in front of everyone, and asked the public to burn incense and read it, and repair it according to it. However, privately, Wu Zu still said to Shen Xiu: "Your poems are not clear, your insights are not in place, and they are still outside the door. With such an opinion, you can't find the supreme bodhi. The supreme bodhi must be recommended from the heart and from the present. " Say that finish, five ancestors commanded Shen Xiu to make another poem. However, a few days passed, and Shen Xiu never produced a new son.
Later, one day, Huineng was cooking in the next room. When he heard a boy singing a beautiful melody outside, he went forward to ask, so the boy told Huineng that the fifth ancestor had ordered people to make a melody for the public, so that the public could worship the beautiful melody. Huineng listened and begged the young man, "Dear Sir, I also want to recite this poem, so that we can have an afterlife relationship. It has been more than eight months since I came here. I have been hammering rice and have never been to the front of the church. Please ask the master to lead me to worship in front of the gallery wall painted with beautiful flowers. "
So the boy led Huineng to his son. Huineng said, "I can't read. Please read it to me. " At that time, Zhang, who didn't drive in Jiangzhou, was around every day, and he recited the first song loudly for Huineng.
Huineng listened and said, "I have a song too. Please don't write for me. " Don't listen. I'm surprised. "It's rare that you can be a prostitute!" Huineng said seriously, "If you want to learn supreme bodhi, you must not be lighter than beginners. The lower class is wise, and the upper class is unwise. If you pass people, there will be endless crimes. " If you don't listen to the driver, apologize quickly and say, "You read, I'll write for you. If you succeed in the future, don't forget to judge me first. " So Hui Neng said:
"Bodhi has no trees, and the mirror does not stand.
Nothing. What caused the dust? "
As soon as artistry finished writing, the public was all amazed. Seeing all this, Wuzu was worried that someone would hurt Huineng, so he wiped Huineng's sister-in-law with his sole and said, "There is no sex." . When they saw Wuzu say this, they were able to shrug off it.
The next day, Wuzu went to the next room privately and saw a stone rice hanging around Hui Neng's waist. He said, "Those who seek the Tao should be like you if they forget their bodies for the law." . Ask again: "Is the rice paste cooked?" Huineng replied: "The rice has been cooked for a long time and needs to be screened."
The fifth ancestor knocked the pheasant on the head three times with a cane and left. Hui Neng understood the meaning of Wuzu, so he sneaked into Wuzu Zhang's room in the middle of the night. The fifth ancestor surrounded Huineng with cassock to avoid being discovered by others, and explained the Diamond Sutra to him. Speaking of "having no fixed place to live", Huineng suddenly realized. It turns out that everything can't be separated from self! Huineng said it five times in a row to express his surprise and epiphany when he realized the Tao:
"What period of self-nature is self-purification!
What period of self-nature is not birth, illness and death!
When is the self-sufficiency
What period of self-nature has not wavered!
When did self-expression give birth to thousands of methods! "
Knowing that Huineng had changed his mind, the Fifth Ancestor handed over the Buddhism and the mantle of his ancestral work to Huineng, saying, "The birth of Buddhas is a great event, so they were randomly guided, so they were given three times in ten places, step by step. However, it was handed over to the venerable Sakyamuni in the most subtle, mysterious and authentic way, and it has been passed down to the 28th century. When Buddhism was born in this land, it was handed down by the master, so that today, it is paid to you with a magic robe. Good self-protection, no cut-off orders. Listen to me:
Love to plant, because the fruit is still alive.
Ruthlessness has neither seeds nor asexual life. "
After getting down on his knees, Zen master Huineng accepted the clothes law, and asked, "Since the law was accepted, who should pay for the clothes?"
Wu Zu replied: "When Father Dharma came to this land for the first time, he didn't believe me, so he handed this dress down as a letter and handed it down from generation to generation. Since the Enlightenment, the principle of heart-to-heart communication has become self-evident. Since ancient times, the Buddha only passed on the noumenon, and the teacher paid attention to the heart. Clothes are a dispute that prevents you from spreading. If you wear this dress, your life will be in danger You must go quickly before others hurt you. "
Master Huineng asked again, "Where should I hide?"
Wuzu replied: "Stop when you are pregnant and hide when you meet."
Say that finish, Wuzu personally sent Huineng to Jiujiang Post Station overnight. Before he left, the Five Ancestors told Hui Neng, "Buddhism will flourish through you in the future. After you leave Huangmei for three years, I will be silent. Go to the south quickly, so you can take care of yourself. Don't rush out to preach Buddhism. You will have a disaster. "
Once again, Master Huineng bowed to the Five Mantras, then set off south, and arrived at Dayuling in less than two months.
After Wuzu sent Huineng away, he didn't go to class for several days. Everyone wanted to know if the old monk was ill, so they went to offer their condolences. Five ancestors told them: "I'm not sick. My ancestors' clothes and pulse have spread to the south!" " "Everyone was scared and asked," Who got the mantle? "Five ancestors answered:" Those who can get it. "
All this just suddenly enlighted. Since then, hundreds of people have gone south to hunt down Master Huineng and seize the mantle. To avoid accidents, Jackson Hui Neng spent fifteen years with hunters. After that, when karma was ripe, Master Huineng came to Beitiao Temple in Guangzhou, where he was shaved under the seat of Master Yinzong, and began his brilliant career of spreading Buddhism.
Before Master Huineng, Zen was a single biography. Since Zen master Huineng, Zen has been widely spread in the north and south of the Yangtze River, forming a prosperous situation of "one flower and five leaves". Master Huineng has many disciples. According to the Tanjing, there are more than one thousand. Among them, the more famous ones are Fahai, Fada, Zhichang, Zhiche and Shenhui. Qingyuan Hangsi, Nanyue Huairang, Nanyang Zhonghui and other great Zen masters with great influence in the history of Zen are also the legal successors of Huineng Zen master.
Master Huineng died in the first year of birth (7 12), in the spring and autumn of 76. Disciple Fahai edited his main teachings into a book, which we are reading now. In the history of Buddhism, Huineng is the only Zen master whose writings are called classics.
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China's Southern Song Dynasty thinker [Zhu] (1 130- 1200) pointed out for example when commenting on The Analects of Confucius:
If scholars strive for self-improvement, many a mickle makes a mickle; If they stop in the middle, all their previous efforts will be wasted.
That is, we should persevere and make continuous progress in our studies.
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Song Huizong's Interpretation of Tao Te Ching, Volume IV (Part II of Tao Te Ching) —— Chapter 64 of Anyi Peng.
Hugging wood was born at the last minute. Nine-story platform, tired of soil. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Tangible and the like, the big must be small, the high must be at the bottom, and the far must be near. His work is simple at first, and it will be great when it is finished. A saint sees the end and thinks the end, and he knows at a glance. So don't be a blessing first, then a curse, push things forward without hesitation, and succeed in one fell swoop.
For those who fail, those who hold are losses. Because the sage does nothing, there is no failure, no holding, so there is no loss.
A saint doesn't do business, so he doesn't lose his family. Don't be complacent, it's nothing to lose. Ignorant people stick to it and go further and further. Can they lose?
Therefore, people's participation is often defeated by several achievements.
Give up halfway, be lazy at first, all human feelings, unless you cover it. Stories often fail. ]
If you are careful to the end, you will have nothing.
Decadent music has no beginning, and fresh music has an end. The end is the only beginning and the time is new. What's wrong with doing what you can?
It is because saints don't want what they want, don't want expensive and rare goods, and learn instead of learning to make up for what everyone has done.
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Mei Youshi, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, said, "On March 5th, I wanted to visit the Song Zhongdao, but stopped in the snow.":
Butterflies are flying, the snow bucket is light, and the streets are shocking.
If you want to find Songzi Dongcheng, Ma Wei's spring mud is afraid to go.