Someone asked: At that time, there were many outstanding disciples under the Fifth Ancestor , especially Master Shenxiu. It can be said that he is the top student among the top students, and his learning and practice are all first-class. Why did Master Fifth Ancestor not hand over the Zen lineage to Master Shenxiu , but instead entrusted it to Sixth Ancestor Huineng?
In fact, this is considered a husband's case, and different people have different opinions on this.
Since someone has asked about it, let’s talk about it roughly.
In Zen, there is a saying, "If you see the same as the teacher, you will reduce the teacher's virtue by half; if you see the teacher more than the teacher, you can teach it."
"Quotes of Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai (Volume 2 of the Four Masters)": "See with the teacher. Reduce the teacher's virtue. Better than the teacher. Only when you meet the teacher can you teach." (CBETA 2022.Q3, X69, no. 1322, p. 6a16-17)
It can be seen that in my country's Tang Dynasty , Zen masters could be better than the teacher for their Dharma lineage , so when choosing an heir, the standards set are very high.
In fact, the heir the Fifth Patriarch was going to choose at that time also took the painstaking efforts of the Fifth Patriarch.
The Fifth Patriarch wanted to choose a person who could pass on Zen Buddhism and carry forward the vast majority, rather than a person who followed the old and shone for the moment.
(Here, it is really not ruled out that the Fifth Patriarch predicted that the Wuzong would destroy the Buddha after 167 years.)
In the eyes of people at that time, Master Shenxiu could be said to be a perfect existence.
Master Shenxiu's basic skills were quite strong, so that Master Hongren was very fond of him and even said, "I have saved many people, but as for the silence of the world, there is no one who has been before you."
(" Biography of the Great Monks of Song Dynasty " Volume 8: "After Xiu was tolerant, he silently recognized it, and emphasized it deeply, saying to others, "I have saved many people, but as for the silence of the world, there is no one who has been before you."" (CBETA 2021.Q2, T50, no. 2061, p. 756a10-12)》
This evaluation can be said to be quite high, and Master Shenxiu was directly pulled out from the disciples.
The fifth ancestor even arranged Master Xiu to the position of the first seat. The position of the first seat is not something that ordinary people can sit. This is responsible for leading the people to practice, and only those who have both virtue and career can be competent. "The Ancestral Court Statue" says: "The first seat is the upper seat of ancient times... and this position is established in ancient times and the present is all based on the virtue of the year. Those who do things can be filled. The so-called head of Zen today is the person. You must choose your own affairs and have the following, and those who have both virtue and career can be filled. "
From this point of view, the Fifth Patriarch cannot be said to be no longer respectful to Master Xiu. It is precisely because he has enough understanding of Master Xiu, so he clearly knows that even if he does not hand over the position of Master Xiu, Master Xiu can use his own abilities to create a world of his own.
, and the facts proved that the Fifth Patriarch's vision was correct. Master Xiu was in the north and even Wu Zetian respected him. He not only gave him a kneeling ceremony, but also invited him into the inner temple and asked for advice from time to time, "At that time, the princes and princes have already come down, and the scholars and commoners in the capital have come to pay tribute to him, looking for the dust and worshiping him, and there are tens of thousands of things every day." It can be said that he is in a glorious situation.
(Biography of the Great Monk of Song Dynasty" Volume 8: "Xiu went to Dangyang Mountain, Jiangling. The monks from all over the world lived there. , and the wind was filled with praise, and the tribute was fragrant and fragrant. When Empress Dowager Zetian heard this, she summoned her to the capital, went to the hall on her shoulders, and knelt down with her. The inner temple was filled with offerings and asked her all the time. She ordered her to set up Dumen Temple in the past to commend her virtue. At that time, the princes and princesses had already left, and the scholars and commoners in the capital came to pay tribute to the dust and worshiped her, and there were tens of thousands of them every day. Emperor Xiaohe of Zhongzong ascended the throne, and was particularly favored. The Secretariat Zhang Shuo once asked about the Dharma, held the etiquette of his disciples, and retreated to the people, "The Zen master is eight feet long, with beautiful eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and his power is a weapon for kings and domineering." (CBETA 2021.Q2, T50, no. 2061, p. 756a12-20))
However, the awake fifth ancestor in the world also understands very well that in terms of Xiushi’s practice, there is more than just maintaining success, but to create a new era of Zen and find a path that can be passed on for thousands of years for Zen, relying solely on maintaining success is not enough.
The Zen lineage must continue and require the support of connections, and this connection not only refers to kings, queens, princes and ministers, but more importantly, the hearts of the people.
The appearance of the Sixth Patriarch was like a ray of light, which successfully attracted the attention of the Fifth Patriarch.
The Sixth Patriarch had the temperament that the disciples of the Fifth Patriarch did not have at that time. He was born in a poor family and deeply understood the difficulties of the poor people. Zen Buddhism was the most down-to-earth Buddhist sect at that time.
To carry forward the Zen method, it cannot rely solely on the power of kings and ministers. Although Buddhism can be circulated among the upper nobles, the working people who are struggling on the line of life and death are the group that needs the Zen Dharma most.
The wheel of history rolls forward, proving that the Fifth Ancestor's vision does transcend the limitations of time and space. More than 0 years later, the Sixth Patriarch created a new world to spread the Dharma in Lingnan, which was called the border area at that time. Even Wu Zetian heard of his name and invited him to Beijing several times, but the Sixth Patriarch always refused.
It can be said that the Sixth Patriarch is quite clear that his life positioning is to be born for the people and spread the Dharma for the people, so he will be only Dayuling for his whole life.
Now we use history to reverse the choice of Master Fifth Ancestor at that time, naturally it is easy for us to use history to reverse the choice of Master Fifth Ancestor at that time, but more than 1,300 years ago, Master Fifth Ancestor's vision was simply a time-traveling the barriers of time and illuminating the vicissitudes of thousands of years. You can't accept it.
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