"Good teacher! What is the name of Prajna? Prajna is also called wisdom in Tang Dynasty. In all places and at all times, if your thoughts are not foolish and you always practice wisdom, you are the practice of Prajna. One thought of foolishness means that Prajna is the end, and one thought of wisdom is the birth of Prajna. People in the world are foolish. Confused, unable to see Prajna. Speaking of Prajna, the mind is always foolish. Often saying to oneself that I am cultivating Prajna, thinking about emptiness, not recognizing the vacuum. Prajna has no form, and the wisdom mind is like this. If it is interpreted in this way, it is called Prajna wisdom.
"What's the name of Paramita? This is a Western Chinese language. Tang said "to the other shore", which means "free from birth and death." The birth and death of the land is like water with waves, which is called this shore; there is no birth and death when leaving the land, like water that always flows, that is, it is called "paramita". The other shore is called Paramita.
"Good friend! When you recite your words, you will see that there is something false and wrong. If you practice the thought, it is called true nature. Those who understand this method are Prajna Dharma, and those who practice this practice are Prajna practices. If you do not practice it, you will become ordinary. One thought Practice and wait for the Buddha yourself.
"Good friend! Ordinary people are Buddhas, and troubles are Bodhisattva. The first thought of confusion is ordinary people, and the later thought is enlightenment. The former thought is troubles, and the last thought is detachment, which is Bodhi.
——The Sixth Patriarch Huineng in the Tan Sutra
…
It was getting late, and Bai Fu didn't fall asleep. He put on his night clothes and meditated in the guest room. When it was almost three o'clock, Bai Fu ran up to the roof and observed the movement of the woodshed. He only heard a "squeak" on the door. , Hu Changgang came out of the woodshed and walked towards the backyard like a meteor. Bai Fu secretly smiled in his heart, it seemed that he had expected everything.
Bai Fu moved like a civet cat, light and soundless, flying over the eaves and walls, leaping over the ridges of rooms, and lingering far behind him.
Hu Changgang was familiar with the road, avoiding the monks who were patrolling at night, and quietly passed through the Tianwang Hall, the Main Hall, and the Sutra Pavilion to the abbot's courtyard, and knelt at the door of a Zen room in the middle.
Not long after, the door opened, revealing a ray of orange light. Hu Changgang hurriedly stepped into the house.
When he came here, Bai Fu did not dare to be careless, and used the "Flying Yaksha Technique" to the extreme, like a feather falling on the roof of a Zen house.
He twisted his legs and was as agile as an ape, clinging to the gargoyle on the eaves, turning over, hanging upside down on the golden hook, and suspending his body in the air. It was the "Pearl Inverted Curtain" that Tang Li taught him when he was spying on Fairy Xuanji.
Bai Fu dipped his right hand into some saliva and lightly touched it on the window paper, slowly melting it into a hole as big as his thumb.
Through the window, I could see Hu Changgang kneeling on a futon, and the old monk I saw during the day was sitting cross-legged opposite him.
The old monk used his cassock to cover the doors and windows to prevent others from seeing the lights in the house. Bai Fu was secretly glad that the place where he could peek through the broken window was not blocked.
The old monk explained the Diamond Sutra, the most important Buddhist scripture, to Hu Changgang, saying: "This world is like a dark room. You can't see anything in the black hole. Looking inside your original mind is like lighting a lamp. When the light shines into the room , you can see the tables, stools, chairs, beds and other items in the house."
Hu Changgang was puzzled and asked: "Even if there is no light, if this room is not an empty room, there are tables, stools, chairs, beds and other items. Although they are hidden in the darkness and not seen, wouldn't they be alive?" Does it exist?"
The old monk smiled and said: "Without the illumination of the heart lamp, how would you know that this object is called a table and that object is called a stool, chair, or bed?"
…
When Bai Fu heard this, his heart moved. The old monk's words made him vaguely feel something, and he touched the simplest and most profound philosophy in the universe.
…
When the old monk said that "the mind should be born without abode", Hu Changgang suddenly realized that "all dharmas are inseparable from the self-nature".
Hu Changgang then told the old monk: "When is the time when the self-nature is inherently pure, when is the time when the self-nature is not born or destroyed, when is the time when the self-nature is inherently self-sufficient, when is the time when the self-nature is unshakable, when when is the time when the self-nature is inherently capable of generating all things."
As soon as these words came out, the old monk knew that Hu Changgang was enlightened and understood the wonderful meaning of Buddhism. The old monk nodded and smiled and said: "If you don't know your original mind, it is useless to study the Dharma. If you know your original mind and see your true nature, you are called your husband."
, Master of Heaven and Man, Buddha.”
When the old monk saw that Hu Changgang was enlightened, he passed on the mantle. He handed the four volumes of the Lankavatara Sutra, Bodhidharma Fuhu Stick and wooden fish to Hu Changgang. The old monk said:
"The world is about to be in chaos, and Shaolin is afraid of being destroyed by the war. These four volumes of the Lankavatara Sutra are handwritten by the Patriarch Bodhidharma, Bodhidharma's tiger stick, and wooden fish are the things that the Patriarch Bodhidharma carries with him to protect the Dharma. From today on, the mantle of Shaolin will be passed on to
You, as the new generation master of Shaolin, I hope that you will be good at protecting yourself, spread your love widely, spread to the future, and never be cut off."
The old monk continued: "In the past, when Patriarch Bodhidharma first came to China, people did not believe that he was a disciple of the Buddha, so the Buddha's tokens - robes of kapok and purple gold bowls - were passed down as Zen tokens and passed down from generation to generation.
The laws of my Zen sect emphasize transmitting the mind from heart to mind, so that the disciples can realize and understand themselves. Since ancient times, Buddhas and Buddhas have only taught the true nature, and teachers have secretly taught their original minds.
Patriarch Bodhidharma passed the mantle to the second Patriarch Huike, who passed it on to the third Patriarch Sengcan, and then to the fourth Patriarch Daoxin and the fifth Patriarch Hongren.
The kapok cassock and the purple gold bowl are used as Zen tokens. Whoever holds them represents the authentic Zen sect. As a result, the achievements of preaching and promoting Buddhism have evolved into Zen disputes.
The Fifth Patriarch, Hongren, gave it to the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, and ordered him not to pass it on to the next generation. If this garment is passed down, life will be like a thread hanging on a thread.
As expected later, in order to prove that Shenxiu was the successor of Zen Master Hongren, the disciples of Zen Master Shenxiu, the first patriarch of Hongren, constantly sent people to hunt down the sixth patriarch Huineng, so that the patriarch Huineng lived in seclusion in the mountains and lived with hunters for fifteen years.
The Sixth Patriarch Huineng followed his master's orders and did not rely on his robe and bowl to prove his authentic status as a Zen sect, but used his profound Buddhist principles to spread the Dharma and preach the truth. From then on, he hid in the Zen sect wearing his kapok cassock and purple gold bowl.
Zen Master Shenxiu preached in the north, abiding by the teachings of the previous generation, advocating sitting in meditation and "seeing the pure things with a whisk," while Patriarch Huineng preached in the south, not sticking to formalities, not adhering to scriptures, not focusing on sitting meditation, and believed that "the heart is the Buddha."
As long as the inner intuition is enlightened, one can become a Buddha. It is known in history as "the south can show the north".
When Patriarch Huineng was alive, the Southern Sect did not have much influence. However, Zen Master Shenxiu was regarded as the "Master of the Two Capitals" and the "Master of the Three Empires" of Empress Wu, Zhongzong and Ruizong, and was famous for a while.
Zen Master Shenhui, a disciple of Patriarch Huineng, vigorously advocated enlightenment and fought fiercely with the Northern Sect, finally regaining the orthodox status of the Zen sect for the Southern Sect.
In addition to Heze Shenhui, Patriarch Huineng’s disciples include five great masters: Qingyuan Xingsi, Nanyue Huairang, Yongjia Xuanjue, and Nanyang Huizhong. They fulfilled the prophecy of Patriarch Bodhidharma a hundred years ago that “one flower in Zen Buddhism will bloom with five leaves.”
…
The Lankavatara Sutra, Fuhu Stick, and Wooden Fish are all tokens of Patriarch Bodhidharma. Whoever holds them also represents who is the direct descendant of Shaolin. They all say that Buddhism is pure, but in fact, Buddhism is just vast, so how can it be said to be pure? People with ulterior motives often use kind eyebrows and kind eyes.
Show people.
I am afraid that someone will harm you, or that the disciples of Shenxiu will hunt down Patriarch Huineng and seize his mantle. I am afraid that the past will happen again. You will go down the mountain to fetch water early tomorrow morning and leave quickly."
Hu Changgang was stunned and said: "Master, where should I go?"
The old monk said: "When it encounters oil, it stops; when it encounters cotton, it hides. I have arranged a small boat for you among the reeds by the river. You can sail the boat southward and return to Shu from the Yangtze River."
Three years after you leave, I will pass away. When the war in the Central Plains ends and the world is at peace, you can return to Songshan Mountain and present the tokens of Patriarch Bodhidharma to the public. Integrate the surviving Shaolin disciples, rebuild Shaolin, promote Buddhism, and protect the scriptures together.