Huineng replied: "I am a commoner from Xinzhou, Lingnan. Now I come from afar to worship the master. I ask for nothing but to become a Buddha." In Huineng's era when Buddhism was prosperous, "all living beings have Buddha-nature" and "everyone can become a Buddha" were almost uni

Huineng As soon as he came to Huangmei to worship the Fifth Patriarch Hongren, Hongren asked him: "Where are you from? What do you want to ask for when you come to me?"

Huineng replied: "I am a commoner from Xinzhou, Lingnan. Now I come to worship the master from afar. I don't ask for anything but to become a Buddha."

The Fifth Patriarch said: "You are from Lingnan and a barbaric countryman. How can you Is it possible to become a Buddha?"

Such doubts did not discourage this brave seeker. Huineng gave a wonderful answer. He said: "Although there are differences between people in the north and the south, there is no difference in the nature of enlightenment. Although I am a barbarian from the countryside and my identity is different from that of a monk, what is the difference between my Buddha nature and yours?"

The Fifth Patriarch originally wanted to say a few more words to him, but seeing the large number of disciples around him, he stopped talking.

So he simply sent Huineng to work with everyone.

At that time, there was a man who was also practicing in the temple. He sent Hui Neng to the mortar house to pound rice with his feet on the mortar stone. He did this for more than eight months.

In Huineng's era when Buddhism was flourishing, "all living beings have Buddha nature" and "everyone can become a Buddha" were almost universally known, just as people who do not study Buddhism today would also say "put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately".

Huineng's answer to Hongren should have been a common conversation at that time. But he, a hard-working man, dared to speak out in front of a generation of masters surrounded by the public. Huineng's straightforward, sincere and fearless character is very rare.

Modern people mostly come to Buddhist temples for worldly pursuits, such as seeking blessings from Bodhisattvas, seeking refuge from disasters, seeking promotion and wealth, seeking to resolve emotional troubles, etc.

During the New Year and festivals, we rush to burn incense and meet the abbot, but we feel that the Buddha is far away from us.

If a person who studies Buddhism does not seek to become a Buddha, he will always be unsatisfied. The Buddhist scriptures tell us that becoming a Buddha is the ultimate solution to the problem. Unfortunately, living beings are now getting further and further away from becoming a Buddha.

Huineng is probably the only person who is so confident that he "only seeks to become a Buddha" and does not care about anything else.

If you are not an extraordinary person, you will not have extraordinary aspirations. A person who does not have the determination to "only seek to become a Buddha" cannot become a Buddha accidentally, luckily, or by chance.

Even if he encountered the temptations and tests of the Fifth Patriarch, Huineng could not shake his determination to "become a Buddha". From the fact that he confidently said the word "Buddha nature", we can know that Huineng had a full understanding of Buddhism.

When he came to see the Fifth Patriarch, he was not an ignorant person but a well-prepared person.

Huineng's answer was beyond Hongren's expectation. The Fifth Patriarch knew that the person coming was not an ordinary person, and Hongren wanted to speak more, but he was worried, so his behavior was "even more silent".

Huineng was also waiting for him to speak, but the Fifth Patriarch said nothing more "seeing that he was nearby".

Hongren found that Huineng was not a simple person, but he was a little worried: because most of his disciples did not have the courage and deep religious intuition expressed by the newcomer Huineng.

At that time, he also considered that if he continued to talk, it might be detrimental to Huineng, so Hongren planned to put it aside and let Huineng go about his business. He also had to think carefully about what to do with Huineng.

According to the records of Zongbao, the fifth ancestor Hongren later said to Huineng: "(At that time) I was afraid that there would be evil people who would harm you, so I refused to speak." Hongren was the abbot, and he knew the situation in the temple best, so it was not "fear that there were evil people" but "there were indeed evil people."

What happened later when someone hunted Huineng also confirmed this sentence. Originally, Buddhism has no form and no one can fight for it. However, the position of the Patriarch has a form, which will cause competition.

High positions in Buddhism are the same as famous positions in the world. They also represent a certain social status. With status, there is influence and power, so people have always competed for it.

Buddhism is originally a pure place, but once status is involved, people's hearts will move from a pure place to the world, and harm and competition are inevitable.

One day, a young monk walked by the dormitory and sang this verse as he walked: "The body is a Bodhi tree, and the heart is like a mirror stand. I always brush it diligently to prevent it from attracting dust."

Huineng listened and knew that the person who composed this verse had no vision, so he immediately understood the meaning of the verse. So he asked the young monk: "What verse did you just sing?"

The young monk replied: "You don't know that the Fifth Patriarch said: 'Life and death are important matters. He must pass on the Dharma and ask everyone to compose a verse for him. If The Fifth Patriarch will pass on the mantle to the person who is enlightened and can see his nature, and he will become the Patriarch of the sixth generation. 'There was a monk named Shenxiu who wrote a poem called "No Form Stanza" in the south corridor. The Fifth Patriarch asked everyone to read it. He also said that those who understand this verse can understand their minds and see their true nature. Those who practice according to this verse can escape from the suffering of life and death.

Huineng said: "I have been here for more than eight months. I have not been to the corridor you mentioned. I don't know how to get there. I would like to ask you to take me to the corridor, worship this verse, recite it and memorize it, and form some fate with it. In the next life, I can be born in a place with Buddha." "

The little monk led him to the corridor, and Huineng prayed to this verse. Because he was illiterate, Huineng asked a young monk to read it to him. After hearing this, he knew the meaning.

At this time, he also composed a verse, and asked a gentleman to help him write it on the wall next to him. In this way, Huineng expressed his feelings.

If you don’t know your original mind, no matter how much you learn, it will be of no use. If you understand your mind and see your true nature, you have already understood the main idea of ​​the Dharma.

Huineng's verse is:

Bodhi has no tree, and a bright mirror has no stand. Buddha nature is always pure, no matter where there is dust.

There is another version, and the verse says:

The heart is the bodhi tree , and is the mirror stand. The bright mirror is originally pure, but it is stained with dust.

The people in the yard were surprised when they saw Huineng making this verse. After Huineng finished composing the verse, he went back to his dormitory to work.

The Fifth Patriarch heard about it and came to the corridor. When he saw Huineng's verse, he knew that Huineng understood the main idea of ​​the Buddha's teachings, but he was afraid that someone would harm him if they knew it, so he said to the crowd: "This does not see nature, and it is not right."

So, what does Huineng's verse mean?

Bodhi is enlightenment, of course not a tree. A bright mirror is a metaphor for the heart. The mirror has a platform, but the heart has no platform. Buddha nature is inherently pure, so where does the dust come from?

Sixth Patriarch Huineng’s gatha has seen "emptiness", so it denies the existence of physical and mental features such as the Bodhi tree and the mirror stand.

Since there is no body like the bodhi tree, and there is no mind like the mirror stand, then where is the use of hard work?

Since it is a mirror, it should be pure by nature, and there is no need to wash, wipe, observe precepts, or practice concentration.

Since it is "empty" and has no attachments or hindrances, where does the dust come from? This is the real freedom, the real liberation, and the state of understanding hindsight.

Shenxiu's verses represent the state of cultivation. As a disciple of Hong Ren, his daily teaching focuses on cultivation, so he talks about gradual cultivation.

Huineng's verses are about the realm of seeing one's nature. He has never learned the practice method from anyone, so he talks about sudden enlightenment. However, he does not deny practice.

The verses of Shenxiu and Huineng are not about distinguishing the two, but that they illustrate the difference between practice and enlightenment.

Cultivation is cultivation, enlightenment is enlightenment. Shenxiu can see cultivation but not nature; Huineng can see nature but not cultivation.

But they are all in the same state of mind, each has its own state, and cannot be distinguished as superior or inferior.

Late one night, the Fifth Patriarch asked Huineng to come to his room to teach the Diamond Sutra. Hui Neng understood the truth as soon as he heard it.

That night, the Fifth Patriarch passed on the enlightenment method and mantle to Huineng. Hui Neng took the cassock as his inheritance and passed down the Buddhist Dharma from generation to generation to enlighten people's minds and enable them to realize themselves.

The Fifth Patriarch said: "Since ancient times, the lives of those who have taught the Dharma have been as dangerous as hanging by a thread.If you live here, someone will harm you, so you need to leave here quickly!"

After Huineng got the mantle, he left at midnight. The Fifth Patriarch sent Huineng to Jiujiang Station. When saying goodbye, the Fifth Patriarch said: "When you go, work hard to go south and don't propagate the Dharma for three years. It will be difficult for this Dharma to flourish in a short time. In the future, if you want to spread the word, you must be good at persuading and charming. If you have a clear mind and see your true nature, you will be no different from me. "

After bidding farewell, Huineng set off towards the south.

Here Hongren saw him off. He should have just watched Huineng go to Jiujiang Station, rather than sending him to Jiujiang Station. Several of the " Tan Jing " All versions say that Hong Ren personally sent him to Jiujiang Station and came back that night.

Feng Tomb Mountain was some distance away from the riverside, and it was midnight at that time. How could he go there and then come back?

Hong Ren obviously didn't pay attention to geography. Ren Xin taught the Dharma to Huineng. On the one hand, he was relieved, but on the other hand, he was worried.

At this time, Huineng was the seed of Buddhism, but he was in danger, so before leaving, Hongren asked him to take good care of himself, take refuge in a remote

place first, and wait for the opportunity to spread the Dharma.

But why would someone harm Huineng?

When Hongren was teaching the Dharma, he said: "Since ancient times, when the Dharma was taught, the Qi is like a hanging thread. If you live here, someone will harm you." "It is not an exaggeration or fiction that Zen practitioners have disputes over the teaching of the Dharma, and it is still difficult to propagate the Dharma.

The system of transmitting the Dharma from generation to generation, and those who have not fulfilled their ambitions for fame and status, will inevitably cause disputes.

Propagating the Dharma, especially the Zen Dharma, is inconsistent with the trend of that era, and it is easy to be ridiculed, falsely accused, poisoned, and expelled.

Huineng's previous ancestors encountered the Dharma. The difficulties are serious. Moreover, given Hui Neng's age and status at this time - a twenty-four-year-old layperson, it would be impossible for him to publicly pay the penalty without any dispute or harm. Therefore, the legend that Hui Neng had disputes and difficulties after accepting the Dharma should have elements of fact.

What obstacles did Huineng encounter after returning to Lingnan?

Huineng received the mantle from the Fifth Patriarch Hongren. After inheriting the Zen method, he immediately fled to Lingnan under the instructions of the Fifth Patriarch. south.

Three days after he left, the entire temple was in an uproar about this incident. Some aggrieved monks chased Huineng who had escaped. Huineng walked south for more than two months before he arrived at Dayuling .

He would often walk halfway and run back when he saw the person chasing him. Stopping and going like this, it took him more than two months to make it only half way back. time.

Among them was a monk named Chen Huishun (called Huiming), who used to be a third-rank general with a rough temper. He chased Huineng to the mountains and almost caught Huineng when he had no way to go.

Huineng put down the cassock , but the monk refused to take it.

He said: "I came here to seek Buddhist teachings, not a mantle. "

So Huineng taught Huishun the Dharma in the mountains. After hearing it, Huishun suddenly became enlightened.

Later, Huineng asked Huishun to return to the north to teach people.

Later, "The Tantra Sutra" "The version continues to add to this story, saying that General Chen caught up with Huineng, so he put the mantle on a stone and disappeared into the grass.

The strong general couldn't lift it, so he said to Huineng: "I came for the Dharma, not for the mantle.

Huineng came out of the grass and said to him: "Since you are here for the Dharma, if you do what I say, you can obtain the Dharma." Please give up all conditions first and do not think about good or evil. At this moment, which one is your true face?"

The so-called true face is the "nature" seen by the clear mind, which is the Buddha nature, truth, enlightenment, Bodhi, selfless freedom, and the state of liberation.

The general followed Huineng's words, but found that he could not find what he was looking for, so he became enlightened.

It can also be said that he lost everything (self-grasping) and gained the enlightenment he was looking for.

This also reminds us that the most important thing about learning Buddhism is not to gain anything, but to get rid of one's own worries.

Huishun lost all attachments to good and evil, that is, when he let go of self-judgment and self-centered values, he saw his true face.

This method is very simple. It can reveal wisdom without meditating. Therefore, many people like this practice method taught by the Sixth Patriarch. It only requires people to follow it, and it is not simple.

Just as few people nowadays can travel across mountains and rivers to seek Dharma like Huishun, people nowadays can often go abroad to travel, shop, and hold meetings, but they are unwilling to seek Dharma, let alone reflect on themselves.

Of course, we don’t have to pursue Huineng. If we sincerely seek the Dharma, where else can we look for it except ourselves?

Buddhist disciples know that things outside themselves are not worth pursuing, but many people still want something: cassocks, reputation, knowledge, supernatural powers, donors, disciples, etc.

However, the real Buddhism will not let you ask for these. On the contrary, it frees us from things outside ourselves, just like a prisoner regaining his freedom.

This time Huineng enlightened Chen Huishun. It was the first time Huineng performed Dharma to save people after he obtained the position of Sixth Patriarch in the "Tan Sutra", which initially showed the power of sudden enlightenment to "straighten oneself and become a Buddha".

Just as Hong Ren said, "Do not spread this method for three years." In the next five years (he originally said it would be fifteen years), Huineng took refuge in the boundaries of Sihui and Huaiji counties in Guangzhou to avoid pursuit.

The evil man's pursuit forced him to wander into the mountains and forests, hiding in the ranks of hunters to survive, and he was not allowed to live in peace.

Therefore, it is not easy for Huineng to spread a unique method.

Reference material: "Q&A"

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