Huang Ting Xiandao

Chapter 46 46. Talking about the Way of Zen

The two came in, called Dad, and said, "These two must be the honored guests you always said. This morning, you asked us to go to the market to buy meat and vegetables, and you also asked us to buy wine. You must be entertaining the two of you." Ladies and gentlemen, two distinguished guests, you chat first, let's cook."

"Don't be busy." Mo Xian said hastily.

"Let them go busy, it's just a simple meal, and besides, the farmhouse can't produce delicacies from mountains and seas." Yifan layman said with a smile.

"Sorry to keep you busy." Mo Xian said.

"Layman, you can know beforehand, how did you learn it?" Xie Cao'er asked curiously.

"That's nothing, I didn't learn it, I just chanted scriptures wholeheartedly, just like I said just now." Layman Yifan laughed.

"Junior Sister, you don't know, I read a book, it's Confucianism, the book said, the way of sincerity can be known in advance, probably reciting Buddhist scriptures wholeheartedly, the mind is unified, this is in line with the way of sincerity." Mo Xian said Yes, he found that Xie Cao'er paid too much attention to supernatural powers and spells.

The white squirrel on Xie Cao'er's shoulder squeaked twice, as if agreeing with what Mo Xian said.

"Then, where did the layman obtain the Fa?" Xie Cao'er obviously hadn't given up yet, Mo Xian shook her head in her heart, she had already told her about the supernatural powers, but she still didn't understand, after all, she didn't read enough books.

"I was a young monk in Puji Monastery since I was a child, and I didn't receive full precepts. However, one incident had a greater impact on me when I was a child. It was probably this incident that made me enlightened."

"what's up?"

Layman Yifan began to tell his story:

It was a story about steamed buns. This morning, the young monk Yifan found out that his master got 6 steamed buns, and the elder brother also got 6 steamed buns. Only he got 4 steamed buns.

Yifan felt it was too unfair.Master gets 6 steamed buns, he has no objection, but senior brother also gets 6 steamed buns, isn't he equal to master?No, no!
So Yifan found Master and asked for 6 steamed buns.Master said: "Can you eat 6 steamed buns?"

Yifan said loudly: "Yes! I want 6 steamed buns!"

The master looked at Xiao Yifan, and gave Xiao Yifan two of his steamed buns.

Soon, Xiao Yifan ate up 6 steamed buns, he was too full.

Xiao Yifan patted his stomach happily and said to Master: "Master, look, I have eaten all 6 steamed buns. I can eat 6 steamed buns. From now on, I will ask for 6 steamed buns every morning like a big brother!"

The master looked at Xiao Yifan with a smile, and said, "You ate 6 steamed buns, but whether you want 6 steamed buns tomorrow or not, let's talk later!"

After a while, Xiao Yifan felt bloated and thirsty, so he went to drink half a bowl of water.Then, Xiao Yifan's stomach became more swollen than before, and it hurt a little.

Xiao Yifan began to feel uncomfortable, and he couldn't carry water and sweep the ground to chant scriptures like usual.

At this time, the master said to Xiao Yifan: "Usually you eat 4 steamed buns, but today you ate 6 steamed buns. You got two more, but you did not enjoy the benefits of these two steamed buns. On the contrary, They bring you pain. Obtaining is not necessarily enjoyment. Don’t stare at others, don’t compare yourself with others, don’t be greedy, don’t ask for it, be content naturally, and be happy naturally.”

Xiao Yifan nodded, covered his stomach, and said, "Master, from now on, I will still eat 4 steamed buns!"

"This incident gave me a lot of inspiration. Later, I returned to the vulgar and practiced at home. I felt that I was the same everywhere. I was contented and happy. Before I knew it, I had the ability to know beforehand, but I regarded it as As usual." Yifan layman said.

Mo Xian's heart moved, he remembered something, and said, "Layman, are you Zen?"

"Hehe, Puji Temple is a Zen temple." Yifan smiled.

"No wonder." Mo Xian suddenly realized.

But Xie Cao'er was confused, she asked puzzledly: "Brother, the layman said he is a Zen layman, you seem to understand something, what's going on?"

"Zen is a special sect of Buddhism. Its monks have formed a wide variety of practice methods. They pay attention to the mind and nature. There is a saying that you can become a Buddha by seeing your nature. If you understand it, all living beings are Buddhas. If you don't realize it, Buddhas are all living beings. It does not require you to sit quietly, this sect does not pay attention to supernatural powers, but more on wisdom, supernatural powers are no match for karma, but wisdom can break ignorance." Mo Xian said, in fact, he only knows superficially, and he also benefited from his experience in the Tibetan scripture building. More than half a year in the middle.

"Brother, you know a lot."

Mo Xian shook his head and said, "Knowing a lot is just knowledge, not necessarily wisdom. A lamp can eliminate a thousand years of darkness, and a single wisdom can break a thousand years of ignorance. If I know a lot, I'm afraid I will be hindered by my knowledge."

"What is the obstacle of knowledge?" Xie Cao'er asked again.

Layman Yifan smiled: "The obstacle of knowledge is to be blinded by one's original knowledge and knowledge, to have preconceived ideas, and thus to lose a fair heart. In life, all kinds of knowledge are inevitable, and it is difficult to avoid obstacles to knowledge. The proven method blocks its true wisdom. Practitioners often go astray because of their attachment to appearance, just like meditation. It is a means, but monks often forget this point, and they lose Its original intention, practice becomes nothing."

"Great advice from a layman," Mo Xian praised.

"What does practice do? It is for one's own detachment. This is the foundation of practice. Strength does not bring detachment. Only wisdom. Obsessed with meditation is like 'grinding a brick to make a mirror'"

"Grinding bricks to make a mirror? What's the story here?" Mo Xian asked. He read the "Tao Te Ching", which said, "Wisdom comes out, but there are big hypocrisy", and the Buddhist school actually puts wisdom as the most important thing. Is there a misunderstanding? , Maybe the wisdom of these two families does not mean the same thing. Mo Xian guessed it right. The great wisdom mentioned by Buddhism is not the petty cleverness of human beings, but the wisdom mentioned in the "Tao Te Ching" is just the petty cleverness of human beings.

People believe in books because books have inherited human knowledge, but they should not be superstitious about books. If they are superstitious about books, it is what Buddhism calls "knowledge barriers".

"Grinding bricks to make a mirror is a Zen koan, and the story goes like this." Yifan said a koan:
Zen Master Daoyi worshiped Huairang as his teacher when he was 12 years old, and became a monk.

One day, Huai asked the Zen master to watch the Dao and sit there to meditate all day, so he took the opportunity to teach him and asked: "You are sitting here all day, what are you doing?"

Daoyi said: "I want to become a Buddha."

Huai asked the Zen master to pick up a brick and grind it on the stone near Daoyi.

As soon as Dao was so noisy with the noise, he asked, "Master, what are you doing for grinding bricks?"

Zen Master Huairang: "I'm grinding bricks to make a mirror."

Road one: "How can polished bricks be used as mirrors?"

Zen Master Huairang: "You cannot make a mirror by grinding bricks, so how can you become a Buddha if you just sit there blankly?"

Dao One: "Then how can I become a Buddha?"

Zen Master Huai Rang: "This principle is like someone driving a car. If the car doesn't leave, do you take a taxi? Or do you bully!"

Daoyi was silent and did not answer.

Huai Rang said again: "Are you learning to sit in meditation, or to learn to be a Buddha? If you are learning to sit in meditation, Zen does not lie in sitting or lying down. If you are learning to be a Buddha, all Buddhas have no form or appearance but can manifest all appearances, not just meditation. The nature of all dharmas is empty and there is nothing to live in. There should be no choice between the dharma without abiding. If you want to become a Buddha through sitting meditation, you are actually killing the Buddha. If you are attached to the appearance of meditation, you will not be able to understand it. The truth of reality."

Chan Master Daoyi listened to this discourse of Huairang, and it was like enlightenment, so he got down from the Zen seat, paid homage to Chan Master Huairang, and asked the Chan master: "How can we use our heart to conform to the non-phase samadhi?" (Note: Samadhi is samadhi mean.)
Huai Rang replied: "You set your mind to learn the Dharma of Mind, it's like planting seeds; now I'm explaining the essentials of practice for you, it's like rain from heaven. Because you have internal and external karma, you should see the Tao!"

Zen Master Daoyi asked again: "Since Dao is neither form nor form, how can we see it?"

Zen Master Huairang replied: "Only the mind, ground, and Dharma eyes can see the way, not the physical eyes. The same is true for Wuxiang Samadhi. You should practice with the Dharma eyes!"

Chan Master Daoyi said again: "Is the Tao both successful and deteriorating?"

Chan Master Huai Rang replied: "If you see the Dao with the mind of arising and ceasing, such as becoming, dwelling, deteriorating, and emptiness, and think that the Dao also exists, forming, dwelling, deteriorating, and emptiness, the Dao you see is not the real Dao, because the Dao does not arise and cease, and it transcends both birth and death. Side. Listen to my verse:
Heart contains all kinds,
Yuze is all cute.

The samadhi flower has no form,
What a bad comeback! "

After hearing Chan Master Huairang's lecture, Chan Master Daoyi immediately understood with joy and saw his true colors.

Layman Yifan talked about this koan, and looked at the two with a smile. Mo Xian seemed to have realized something, and Xie Caoer also vaguely realized something: "Brother, is it so difficult that Zen practice is like this?"

"It's probably like this. The words are cut off, and the way is the sublimation of the soul in an instant." Mo Xian said, he seemed to have gained something, but he couldn't grasp it.

"Isn't it useless for us to practice Taoism and sit quietly and practice Qi?" In an instant, her confidence was shaken.

"That's not the case. What we're talking about here is the body of the Tao. It's rare for one person out of tens of millions to understand Zen Master Daoyi. We are fools, but it's not that we can't understand the Tao. With our efforts, the seeds of the Tao will slowly sprout, just like a As Layman Fan said, we should not be obsessed with power, but should continue to find the root, and one day, we will suddenly realize." Seeing that her situation was not good, Mo Xian enlightened her.

Xie Cao'er let out a long breath: "Although he is good in every way, I just focus on cultivating my way. As my brother said, I am a fool, so I don't need to pay attention to any way, just do it."

"Girl is so enlightened!" Layman Yifan suddenly praised, Xie Cao'er just heard this koan, her head was getting big, seeing what Mo Xian said, she simply ignored him, no matter what Zen and Taoism he said, just follow the master Teach to practice.

Dao is not far away, she thinks this way, whoever said she does not conform to Tao, Tao is everywhere, Xie Caoer's mentality adjusted, and she just conforms to Tao, Yifan said she is good at understanding, but she conforms to Tao unintentionally. He didn't realize it, and Mo Xian didn't want to look at the thousand words in his mouth, he could only count them as mantras.

"Let's serve dinner!" The daughter-in-law put the dishes on the top.

(End of this chapter)