Continued above).After returning to the palace, Bodhithara buried himself in the Scripture Pavilion again.
He pondered bitterly, with the wisdom of Bhadha, and only the ultimate goal of being an arhat, then who could take on the Buddha's mission of saving the world? If you can't take on the great responsibility of the Buddha and only care about personal life and death, then what is the meaning of practice? Is it possible to abandon the self-consciousness of sentient beings and to make oneself feel at ease?
Many doubts kept coming to his mind, causing him to fall into incomprehensible anxiety and pain.
However, this did not stop him from pursuing the wish of attaining the perfection of the Supreme Buddha Bodhi. While Bodhattara was pondering this spiritual subject, a great enlightened being was traveling in India.
He was none other than the Venerable Prajnadora, the Twenty-Seventh Ancestor of the Western Heavens.
When it comes to the 27 Patriarchs of the Western Heavens, we have to start with Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings on the mind.
In the fifth century B.C., Shakyamuni Buddha spread the teachings of all living beings throughout his life. But he had a hunch that after his extinction, many different sects would emerge within Buddhism.
Due to their different understandings of the teachings, these sects clinged to their own opinions, stuck to cumbersome precepts, and lost their compassionate desire to "seek Bodhi from above, and transform sentient beings from below", which is what Shakyamuni Buddha feared the most.
One day under a clear sky, Shakyamuni Buddha spoke the Dharma on Vulture Mountain. Millions of people waited silently for the Buddha's solemn voice. The Buddha, however, sat peacefully on his throne and remained silent, except for a beautiful Upola flower in his hand.
Millions of people were immediately puzzled: "What happened to the Buddha today, why didn't he say a word?" A deep silence enveloped the entire Vulture Mountain.
At this moment, the big ** Mahakala standing next to the Buddha silently looked at the Upola flower in the Buddha's hand, and showed a knowing smile on his face. His mind, untainted by desires and afflictions, is in tune with the Buddha's true and wonderful mind.
The Buddha knew that the Buddha had realized it, so he declared:
I have a pure and pure mind that contains all virtues. It is constant, it is not attached to fame, it is incredible. This method of mind does not establish the text, and it transcends all the teachings that are taught in words, so it is called 'outside the teachings'. Now I'm going to teach this method to the Mahakalpa. ”
Shakyamuni Buddha used the method of heart-to-heart transmission, and through the wordless teaching of "showing the flowers to the public", he selected the Great Ka Ye as his direct transmission**.
And the Buddha also has a deep understanding of the Buddha's spirit, and he has been taught by the Buddha's mind of "not writing and teaching outsiders". As a result, Mahakaya became the founding patriarch of later Zen Buddhism.
From the Lingshan Meeting, "smiling with flowers", passing on from heart to heart, after about a thousand years of generations, Prajnadora became the twenty-seven ancestors of the Western Heavens.
Prajnatara was originally an East Indian Brahmin who lost his parents at a young age. Because he was homeless, he wandered alone in the countryside. He has no name, and when he grows up, he claims to be a boy with Yingluo. When people ask him for help, he always works tirelessly, is happy to run, and never cares about the amount of remuneration.
Once, someone asked him, "What is your last name?" ”
Prajnatara's eyes flashed with wisdom and he replied, "I have the same surname as you. ”
The man was shocked and thought, how can this child be so clever? Then he asked, "Why are you always in a hurry?" ”
Prajnatara replied again, "Why are you always walking so slowly?" ”
When the people present heard this, they all thought that this child was extremely intelligent, extraordinary in words and deeds, and would definitely make great achievements in the future.
When he was twenty years old, Prajnatara came to South India alone.
One day, when he saw that the twenty-six ancestors of the West Heaven were not as good as honey, he went on a trip to the old city outside the capital with his father, King Desheng, so he stepped forward, blocked the carriage, and made a great salute respectfully.
Seeing that the person who came was deeply virtuous, he pondered for a while, and said to King Desheng: "I have long expected that in this land, there will be an enlightened sage. Father, you see, didn't he come? ”
Speaking of this, it was better to lean down and ask Prajnatara, "May I ask what is your name?" Why are you blocking our way? ”
Prajnatara bowed again and replied, "* It is a young man." The reason why I am here to meet the Master is because I have a relationship with the Master. ”
Well, I see, so please tell me about this fate. "It's better to owe more than Mido, asked.
Prajnatara calmly replied, "Master, I have listened to your teachings at the puja and have learned a lot. Since then, I have studied the scriptures and the doctrine of righteousness. Today, we meet again, which is a kind of fate. What do you say, Master? ”
It was better to smile slightly and not answer. He turned sideways and whispered to King Desheng:
Father, this man is bound to become the saint of the world. He is here to inherit my mind. After him, two more monks appeared, one of whom first traveled to Nantianzhu and then to Zhenji (i.e., China), and after completing his mission in Aurora, he would return to his parents' country. ”
King Desheng hurriedly invited Prajnatara into the car.
Sitting in the car, Prajnatara suppressed his excitement and earnestly pleaded with Himita, "Please give me a lecture." ”
It is better to look at Prajnadora cordially, and said slowly: "In the past, you listened to my lecture on the "Prajna Sutra" and had the heart of the Buddhist scriptures, but now you have to meet again, which can be described as a thousand miles of karma. Now, I'm going to change your name to Prajnatara, I don't know what you think? ”
Prajnatara quickly stood up and bowed to Thando: "Thank you**for giving your name, ** never forget." ”
The car slowly drove towards the capital.
After a few days, it is better to pass on the Dharma to Prajnatara. Then he sat down in the palace and lit the fire**, and the golden relics rained down from the sky.
From then on, Prajnatara became the twenty-seven patriarchs of the Western Heavens and took on the heavy responsibility of teaching the Buddha's mind.
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