Many Zen masters will ask them to practice Xi zazen, but the six ancestors never ask them to meditate, but do chores and plant crops every day like the laity at home.
So, one day, when Zhicheng and a few new Zen monks were opening up the wasteland in the mountains, they found a secluded place, sat on their knees, and meditated
Huineng came up the mountain with a Zen stick, and ping-pong struck, "Come here, come here!" ”
Huineng personally picked up a pickaxe, and said while plowing the land: "I know that you are aggrieved, and some people even scold me in private, an old man. ”
Sixth Patriarch Master, you are a generation of grandmasters, how dare we be disrespectful to you? ”
Look, it's insincere, right? Huineng's gaze swept over the Zen monks one by one, and they all bowed their heads one by one.
Are you complaining in your hearts that I never let you sit in meditation after coming to Caoxi, which has caused your practice to become rusty and regressive? ”
Zhicheng replied honestly: "We newcomers do think so. ”
Let me tell you the truth, I just want you to forget your past cultivation methods as soon as possible! Because true Zen is not just meditation, it is everywhere and all the time. Gestures, all in the dojo, open up the wasteland and farm, that is, meditation! ”
Oh my God, a wasteland like today's cultivation is actually a practice? Zhicheng shouted out the doubts in everyone's hearts.
Yes, that's practice! Hui Neng replied categorically, "And, this is also zazen!" ”
Ah, wouldn't it? Zhicheng was so surprised that he couldn't speak: waving his head to open up the wasteland, is it meditation?
Huineng knew the confusion of **, and after laughing, he said slowly:
In fact, each and every one of you has experienced firsthand that when we concentrate on one thing, when we concentrate on one thing, all our minds, all our attention, all our minds, are focused on this. At this time, there will be no distractions in my heart, and there will be no delusions. Half a day seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. ”
Yes, yes. All of them said with deep feeling. ”
Huineng said with a smile: "Isn't our daily practice just to get rid of distracting thoughts and subdue delusions? Working wholeheartedly is cultivation. ”
Ah, I see! Zhicheng scratched his ears and cheeks excitedly, "Originally, although I always wanted to use meditation to subdue my delusions, the more I tried to subdue, the more delusions I had. Even if you forcibly meditate on the mind, you can temporarily get rid of delusions, but it's like holding a weed down with a stone and not uprooting it, and when you don't meditate, it will come out again. ”
Huineng chanted:
Draw a knife to cut the water, the water is more flowing, and the glass is more sorrowful.
The fallen leaves have their own breeze to sweep, and the weather is cool and the moon is bright in autumn.
Zhicheng said: "We have already understood these things by doing what we want, letting go of nature, and not sticking to the form of practice, but why do you say that opening up the wasteland is zazen? ”
Huineng replied, "To keep the mind pure, so that it is not affected by the concept of right and wrong, is 'meditation', the meditation of the mind; When the mind is purified and the self-knowledge of one's nature is one's entry, one enters the realm of Zen. Isn't this zazen? ”
Moreover, which is more suitable for the work of moving on the outside and being quiet on the inside, rather than the practice of sitting quietly on the surface all day long? You know, when I was in Dongshan Temple, I didn't meditate, but walked on the mill for eight months, scooped rice for eight months, and realized the true meaning of Buddhism in my daily life. That's why the Fifth Ancestor handed over the mantle to me! ”
Huineng was afraid that they wouldn't remember it well, so he said a popular joke:
The Dharma is in the world, and it is not separated from the world.
Leaving the world to find Bodhi is just like asking for a rabbit's horns.
Under the teaching of the six ancestors Hui Neng, these Zen monks have been exposed to the ears and eyes, and have formed a Zen style that is not informal, and is attentive everywhere. As a result, many monks who abandoned their homes and careers to study Buddhism and Zen meditation were pushed into the fields by Huineng to serve the crops.
And one by one, they willingly feel at ease with production and labor. Under the training of Huineng, in the daily labor, they gradually got the nourishment of Zen Yue and experienced the subtlety of Zen.
Knowing the mind and becoming a Buddha with an epiphany is the foundation.
Three months after Zhicheng came to Caoxi, one night, he wandered in front of Huineng's door. He was very conflicted, and tried to knock on the door several times, but then retreated.
Finally, he stepped aside, bowed silently to the northern starry sky, and said to himself
*, forgive me for not being able to complete the task you have given you. I think I am sincere, and the purpose of becoming a monk is to seek the Dharma. The Zen style of the six ancestors is clear on the outside and clear on the inside, and it is imprinted with my heart. Only by worshipping him as a teacher, and being nurtured by his old man, can he see his heart clearly...”
Zhicheng no longer hesitated and pushed open the door of the abbot's room. As soon as he stepped into the room, he heard Huineng's voice inside: "It's Zhicheng, right?" Come on in. ”
Zhicheng was shocked: The sixth ancestor sat on the ** and didn't open his eyes, how do you know that it's me?
He walked up to Hui Neng, knelt down and said: "The Sixth Ancestor is merciful, **I originally learned Xi Buddhism from Shenxiu of Yuquan Temple in Dangyang Mountain, but failed to become enlightened. Now that I have listened to what you said a few times, my heart has brightened up a lot, and it is really in line with my heart! I hope you will not dislike me, give me more advice, and enlighten me. ”
Huineng and Fahai, who was standing on the side, looked at each other and smiled: "I already knew that you were here to eavesdrop on my Zen method." ”
Zhicheng said with trepidation: "It turns out that the master has long known Zhicheng's intentions, but he still teaches the Fa as usual, his mind is really as vast as the void, and his heart is as clear as the sun and the moon. ”
Huineng pretended to be serious and said, "You are from Yuquan Temple, and you have a special mission, you should be regarded as a spy!" ”
Zhicheng said: "I am not a spy. ”
Why not? ”
Before it is stated, it can be said that; Now that I've made it clear to you, it's not. Zhicheng replied quite alertly, and after speaking, he bowed and sat down with peace of mind.
Such a question and answer is not only wonderful, but also contains infinite Zen opportunities. The six ancestors have a stick to drink, enlightenment, enlightenment and non-understanding, and what they have realized, such as people drinking water, knowing themselves whether they are warm or cold.
Zhicheng kowtowed to Huineng three more times, which can be regarded as an official visit.
Huineng asked him to sit beside him, first asked some about Shenxiu's body and daily life, and then cut to the chase and asked, "Zhicheng, your **, Senior Brother Shenxiu, how do you usually teach you?" ”
Zhicheng replied: "* We are always taught that we should stay in one place and contemplate the state of tranquility. He urged us to meditate every day and asked everyone to practice the kung fu of 'not falling into order'. ”
When Huineng heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head, "Forcibly stopping one's mind in one place in order to attain a state of tranquility is a kind of meditation disease, not a real meditation meditation." Sitting day and night without lying down not only has nothing to do with the realization of Zen, but also damages the body! ”
After speaking, Huineng was afraid that he would not understand, so he recited a poem:
Born to sit and not to sit, and dead to lie and not to sit.
A stinky bone, what is a homework?
Yes, the practice of Zen is about the mind, so why can't you get along with the body?
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