Chapter 661: The Abbot Preaches, Buddhism and Taoism Merge, and Then He Attains Enlightenment

When everyone saw Zhang Zhiwei sitting down, they didn't leave. They followed suit and sat down. Not everyone had the opportunity to listen to the Shaolin Abbot's lecture.

"If you want to stay, I will certainly welcome you. However, please first ask the pilgrims and believers who are stranded on the mountain to go down." Master Henglin said.

"As it should be!" a group of people responded.

…

After the previous incident, there were not many believers left on the mountain.

Some of them were too frightened and passed out, so they stayed here.

Under the arrangements of everyone, we quickly went down the mountain.

It is worth mentioning that when these people were leaving, several well-dressed and respectable people came to see Zhang Zhiwei.

One of them is also the staff officer of a big warlord, and he also said that he would visit Longhushan at his door one day.

However, Zhang Zhiwei was not very interested in these people, so he responded casually and said no more.

This attitude can be described as extremely rude, but the world is undoubtedly tolerant of the strong. They have no grudge against Zhang Zhiwei's lack of enthusiasm, but think it is the demeanor of a strong man.

They gave Zhang Zhiwei enough respect and didn't bother him too much. They bowed and went down the mountain.

Although Zhang Zhiwei rarely dealt with these warlords, he was not unfamiliar with them, because they were not uncommon on Longhu Mountain.

For example, a few years ago, Wu Dashuai, a great Zhili warlord, suffered from a stroke and failed to get better after many treatments. He suspected that he was possessed by evil spirits. He came to Longhu Mountain on the recommendation of someone and was cured by a single ritual by his master.

Marshal Li, the local governor of Jiangxi Province in Longhu Mountain, comes to Tianshi Mansion every year to hold a birthday ceremony.

Every time it was over, he would ask his master whether he wanted money or an official position.

The master said that he had no intention of becoming an official, so he asked him to watch the money being given to him. The governor gave more and more every time, and the master accepted it calmly.

And every time, Uncle Zhang Yi would complain about his master's evil heart, because the master's dip in the life of Marshal Li could not increase his life at all. It could only drive away evil spirits and nourish his blood, which was equivalent to a psychological effect, but the charge was thousands of dollars.

But now, it seems that these people are coming to find him.

Although Zhang Zhiwei said he didn't care about these things, he didn't reject them either. He dealt with them with a normal attitude. After all, they were all money-giving boys.

Although he doesn't care about money, he doesn't want to give it away for free. He can use it to build Tiantong Hall, open more church schools, church factories, etc. It would also be good.

After dealing with the pilgrims and believers on the mountain and the monks who died tragically, Master Henglin meditated peacefully and began to lecture on the Diamond Sutra.

"I heard that at one time the Buddha was in the country of Savatthi. He only had a tree in the lonely garden. He and the great monks, a total of one thousand two hundred and fifty people. At that time, the World Honored One, while eating, put on his clothes and held an alms bowl. He went to the great city of Savatthi to beg for food. In the city, I finished my meal and took a seat.

If you practice well, nothing in the world is as difficult as eating. The Diamond Sutra starts with eating.

In the distance, Zhang Jingqing and Zuo Ruotong, who were secretly observing, watched this scene.

"Master Henglin has not lectured for many years. Master Zuo, should we go and listen?" Zhang Jingqing said.

"Is this...appropriate?" Zuo Ruotong was a little moved, but felt that it would be inappropriate to let it pass like this.

He didn't have a close relationship with Master Henglin. Strictly speaking this time, it was he and Zhang Jingqing who arranged a Buddhist alliance to force Master Henglin to come out and clean up the mess.

If he wants to listen again, will he look good?

"It's okay, this old... old monk won't care!"

Zhang Jingqing originally wanted to say "Old Bald Donkey", but he could use this title in person, but he didn't want to say it in private, so he changed his mind.

"Then you should go!" Zuo Ruotong said with great interest: "Should we go there and pay a visit?"

"No need," Zhang Jingqing waved her hand and said: "Let's listen secretly, and the old monk will tell us. If we go to see him openly, the old monk may stop talking. Maybe he will use his lips a few times and give us a few high hats." , we will be the ones to lecture later.”

Zuo Menchang smiled and said: "Zuo's lectures on scriptures and Taoism are not comparable to those of Master Henglin."

This is not a modest comment, it is what Zuo Ruotong really thinks in his heart.

In the past, it was said in the world that the Trinity Sect was the best sect in the world, but now I was shocked to realize that it was not even considered a sect.

But that Zen Shaolin is actually recognized as the best Samana in the world for hundreds of years.

It is impossible to say that he does not have a sense of awe in his heart.

Of course, awe is awe, but if he faced Master Henglin, he would not feel ashamed.

There is an upper limit to the sect's heritage, but there is no upper limit to people.

Quietly, a few people came to the Tiantai Sect's Dharma Assembly venue and stood on the top of a pagoda.

From this distance, you can hear the sermon content in detail, but it will not disturb the people in the venue.

While listening, although Master Zuo did not disturb him, he bowed his hands to Master Henglin and then watched and listened quietly.

The puja was on the spot.

Master Henglin, who had a serious face during the lecture, relaxed his frown slightly and continued speaking as if no one else was around.

Zhang Zhiwei was also aware of the arrival of his master, uncle, Zuo Men Zhang and others.

However, when Master Henglin talked about the key points, he was so absorbed in listening that he did not go to see him.

At this moment, Master Henglin has already recited the Diamond Sutra once.

But the Buddhist scriptures, like the Taoist scriptures, are most obscure. One sentence can be understood in thousands of ways. If you just listen to it once without anyone analyzing it, it will only be in the clouds and you will gain nothing.

Master Henglin's purpose is to enlighten the surviving monks of the Tiantai Sect, to let them understand their true nature and let go of their inner hatreds, and then to teach them, so naturally they cannot just do superficial projects.

After he finished speaking, he began to explain the content to everyone word for word.

At this moment, what he is talking about is the sentence in the Diamond Sutra, "The beautiful epiphyllum is not there yet, I am no longer the same person in this world. I smile and point to the white lotus in its leisure place, and the spiritual beads are nourished in the fragrant mud."

Master Henglin said slowly: "The epiphyllum is an epiphyllum. It is very beautiful, but short-lived. When the epiphyllum blooms at its most fragrant, it will wither. This is what Buddhism often calls a short-lived epiphyllum."

"Actually, if you look at human beings from the perspective of this world, whether it is the life and death of individuals or the change of dynasties, they are all fleeting."

"Everyone has lived for decades. Looking back, decades are like a flash in the pan. They are neither real nor imaginary, neither true nor false. They are empty and exist. We must understand it from this perspective."

"So..." Master Henglin asked everyone: "Since it is just a flash in the pan, have we achieved anything through our decades of practice?"

Some people in the crowd said yes, and some were confused. Among them, Zhang Zhiwei said yes.

Master Henglin said with determination: "Yes, absolutely there is, but it cannot be understood. It is neither real nor imaginary."

"So, like the epiphyllum blooming, it was there at the time! It looked good and smelled good; but soon it was gone and empty again."

"But you said it was empty, right?"

"It does exist. This is what Buddhists often call a mosaic of dust. The material world is dust, and mosaic represents everything on the land."

“The saying in the Diamond Sutra, ‘I am not the same person I am in this world,’ means that in this material world, the me now is not the me before, nor the me in my previous life, nor the me in the next life.”

"This me is a false self. I am not the old me now, and I am not the original life of my life. Only by leaving this present me can I find the true me who was always happy and pure!"

Zhang Zhiwei listened quietly. Although the "Diamond Sutra" is a Buddhist classic, the content it expounds is the same as that of Taoism. Isn't this so-called true self the subjectivity mentioned by Master? Isn’t it the true and complete nature of complete sex?

Master Henglin continued: "And where can I find the true self of life?"

"The answer in the Diamond Sutra is, 'Look at the white lotus with a smile, and nourish the spiritual beads in the fragrant mud'!"

"White lotus is the reincarnation of lotus. Lotus does not grow in good places. The dirtier and rotten the mud, the more prosperous lotus blooms."

"So, the essence of Mahayana Buddhism is to enter the world. You have to enter the most miserable place to practice Taoism in order to succeed."

"This also applies to Taoism, so Zhengyi Sect advocates joining the world, driving away evil with righteousness, and accumulating virtue and doing good."

"But if you run to high mountains or live in thatched huts in cool places, you won't be able to become the Tao! That's because the Tao wants to become you, not you."

Therefore, this is the reason why Wu Man and Wu Gensheng want to join Quanxing. There is no place in this world that is worse than Quanxing... Zhang Zhiwei thought to himself.

When Master Henglin said this, he paused for a moment to give everyone time to think.

At this time, the head of the Wang family seemed to have a lot of feelings, raised his hand and said:

"Master, I once met a person named Wu Man. At the last moment of his life, he realized that the five aggregates are empty. This is what you call a flash in the pan. Then what is the empty aggregate he realized? thing?"

Since the last incident, the head of the Wang family has become more and more interested in Buddhism.

Master Henglin said: "Emptiness is a realm, the realm of Buddha, which is enlightenment. Enlightenment at that time is the path obtained through practice, not theory. It requires hard work to achieve it."

He sighed and continued: "That realm is unspeakable and indescribable. I have been talking about it for a long time, but it is not true. That's why the Buddha said there is no explanation."

"Subhuti, one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha, also asked similar questions, but there was no explanation for emptiness, because there is really no way to explain it. What cannot be explained, and the emptiness that is expressed is no longer what it is!"

"To say that it exists, everything that exists in the world is ultimately empty. Therefore, neither emptiness nor existence can be said. That is, emptiness means existence, and it is neither emptiness nor existence. In Taoism, this is called Tao, which can be Tao, but is not Tao."

He said to the head of the Wang family: "When studying Buddhism and Taoism, you cannot stick to the surface. No matter how obscure the Buddhist scriptures or Taoist scriptures are, they are easy to understand if someone explains them. But what is difficult to understand is not theory, but cultivation. When you reach the realm of cultivation, This is truly learning Buddhism and Taoism.”

The head of the Wang family seems to understand, but if he thinks about it, learning Buddhism and Taoism is not about studying, but about practicing and practicing. When the state is reached, then you will understand Buddhism.

If you don't practice, even if you chant the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng for a lifetime, it will not be regarded as learning Buddhism. It is just reading books, and you are a fake monk.

After saying this, Zhang Huaiyi glanced at Zhang Zhiwei, pursed his lips, and suddenly raised his hand and said:

"Master, it is said that Buddha has thirty-two characteristics. If you cultivate the thirty-two characteristics, can you become an immortal or a Buddha?"

He remembered that his senior brother had already mastered several of the thirty-two phases, so he asked this question.

Master Henglin smiled and said: "This question was also asked by Subhuti, a disciple of the Buddha, and the World Honored One's answer was no."

The old monk had great wisdom. He glanced at Zhang Huaiyi and then at Zhang Zhiwei, and everything suddenly became clear to him.

"Studying Buddhism and cultivating Taoism cannot be attached to idols. Therefore, practicing Buddhism and Taoism are all against idols. What are idols?"

He smiled and said: "Buddha is actually an idol. The Buddhas mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures are incredible. Each Buddha has thirty-two appearances, thirty-two different appearances from people. Eighty kinds of conforming to the shape are also not available to others." of."

"Everyone is pursuing the thirty-two signs and the eighty kinds of goodness, but this is just an unintentional display. If you deliberately cultivate yourself to become a Buddha, this is actually a big problem."

"Back then, a monk from the Vajra Sect showed his physical state after practicing."

"He asked me, if you Zen sect is enlightened, you are a Buddha. Why don't you have thirty-two signs? How can you be considered a Buddha? Your so-called enlightenment is unreliable and is all fake."

"I asked him to look carefully. In fact, everyone has thirty-two looks. I definitely don't have your look, and you don't have mine either. If you grow into my look, you won't be you anymore."

"Then look at all sentient beings. Each has its own thirty-two characteristics and eighty kinds of good. If you are really attached to the concept of the thirty-two characteristics, then you can only say that it is religious belief. You have ruined the real Buddha Dharma."

"You cannot learn the Buddha's Dharma by following the signs, so the Buddha told Subhuti that even if you have completed the thirty-two signs, you are not a Buddha."

"And the Tathagata's thirty-two characteristics. In fact, they are right and wrong. They are called thirty-two characteristics. The Buddha said that all sentient beings who become Buddhas and have perfect merits and virtues have thirty-two characteristics."

"This is not the phase of the Dharma body. The Dharma body has no phase. Therefore, it can be called the thirty-two phases, or it can be called the sixty-four phase..."

Master Henglin looked at Zhang Huaiyi. He was very patient with this close friend’s young apprentice and said slowly:

"Although the donor is a Taoist priest, one method can lead to all methods. If you understand the principle of "Diamond Sutra", you can also understand the Taoist "Book of Changes". "Book of Changes" also has sixty-four hexagrams, which are six Fourteen phases.”

"So, among the eighty-eight and sixty-four hexagrams in the "Book of Changes", actually none of them are hexagrams, because the hexagrams are not permanent, and the hexagrams change. They are all disguises and changes."

"And once you understand that everything is subject to change, you can find that each of the sixty-four hexagrams actually corresponds to a solar term, which is how the hexagram Qi diagram is derived."

"To be specific, the four main hexagrams of Kan, Li, Zhen and Dui are combined with the four seasons. Each hexagram has six lines, totaling twenty-four lines, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms.

"The remaining sixty hexagrams refer to the number of days in a year. Each hexagram is six days and seven points, so that there are 365 days and a quarter of a day in a year."

"And all of this is finally divided into seventy-two periods."

"These seventy-two periods also represent the variables of the Zhou Dynasty."

"In "Journey to the West", the monkey has seventy-two changes. The seventy-two does not refer to the seventy-two magical powers and magical skills. It refers to all the changes within the week."

"Therefore, the thirty-two characteristics of Buddha are non-signs, they are the characteristics of living beings, and they are the characteristics of all things."

Thirty-two phases... Sixty-four hexagrams... Twenty-four solar terms... Seventy-two hours... Changes in the sky... Zhang Zhiwei was thoughtful in his heart. He seemed to understand something, but he missed the mark and never figured it out. .

Zhang Huaiyi, who asked the question, became more and more confused as he listened, and couldn't help but say:

"Master, since the thirty-two signs are the signs of all living beings, why does the Buddha show the thirty-two signs and not other signs?"

"Little donor, you're obsessed!" Master Henglin said with a smile.