It was originally a sentence in a Zen story. It shows that everyone has Buddha nature and everyone has talents. God turns out to be fair. ( "Essays on Zen through the ages" is excerpted from "Five Lanterns Huiyuan") Yes, the moon shines on the earth. Which platform does not have moonlight? Spring nourishes all things. Whose trees don’t bathe in the spring light?
Symbol of Zen philosophy
Zen philosophy focuses on deconstruction, using the "subtraction" method. Through the elimination of fixed thinking and the removal of emotional dirt, it can thoroughly Seeing the true nature, it has no intention of using "addition" to construct any "system". However, when the author walked through the Zen forest, peered through the iron-clad koans, and appreciated the novel and beautiful images, as well as the wise and clever Zen poems, I was surprised to find that the koans, ancient chants, and Zen sayings that characterize Zen philosophy were reflected in the lightning. The stone fire shines with the depth of reason, and the steepness of wisdom flows with fullness and mellowness, which embodies the highest aesthetic state of philosophy and poetry.
Zen Buddhism believes that everyone has Buddha nature and all living beings are originally Buddhas. "Which platform has no moon, and whose tree has no spring?" Everyone has "eyes horizontally and nose vertically", and "green willows and flowers are red" everywhere. Practicing meditation and enlightenment means "clearing the mind and seeing one's nature" and "going home and sitting still". And this "heart" and "nature" is the pure heart of "Tathagatagarbha". It is "pure and naked, red and round, with brilliant light", pure and clear, and spotless. It is the "original face", "local scenery" and "original land" that each of us originally has. It is my "original person", "original surname" and "original self" that transcends material desires. The "original things" and "duties" of the people are the noble and independent "real persons without status" and "protagonists". It is the original state of mind when relative consciousness has not yet arisen, that is, when "parents are not born", "chaos is not separated", "the bell has not struck", "light and darkness are not separated", "the sun and the moon are not born". At this time " "The ancient sail has not yet been hung" and "it has not yet been sent out". The human spirit is parked quietly in the peaceful harbor and has not yet begun to wander. It is as bright as the "bright moon", as round as a "pearl", as crystal clear as a "mirror" and as shining as a "torch". It is the "peachland" of human nature, the "hometown" of wanderers and the "origin" of the spirit.
The golden rooster sings at dawn, and the dream of Taoyuan ends. "Losing the original true face, and imagining the new one will make you lose your skin." In childhood, people are integrated with the world they live in. They raise their eyebrows, blink their eyes, move their feet, and move like water and flowers blooming, pure sounds of nature. With the emergence of self-awareness, people separate from the state of true unity with the world, and stumble and stubbornly enter the world of duality, distinguishing between good and evil, beauty and ugliness, right and wrong, gains and losses, poverty, purity, and confusion. Enlightenment, etc., are conflicting left and right in the big web woven by these concepts, chasing things and confusing themselves, and confusing themselves and chasing things. People are obsessed with the distinction between good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and "get confused and recognize shadows", just like "seeing the sky through blurred eyes", "moving the eyes to shake the clear water", "fixing the eyes to turn around the fire", "clouds sailing on the moon, boats sailing to the shore" "Moving", "charming in all directions and changing places", living in a world woven by phantoms, "trapped in a cocoon", letting "guest troubles" obscure the original brightness of the mind, and letting "floating clouds" obscure the clear brilliance of the heart and moon. People "hold gravel as gold", "recognize thieves as sons", "recognize slaves as men", like "a thirsty deer taking advantage of the sun's flames", like a macaque "fishing for the moon in the water", abandoning the good and chasing the weak, "greedy for the moon and losing the pearl" . They dare not admit that they are Buddhas, but they want to "leave their fathers and run away", "abandon their endless treasures at home, and hold alms bowls by the door to serve the poor."
"The body is like a bodhi tree, and the mind is like a mirror stand. Always brush it diligently to prevent dust." Fahai's version of the "Altar Sutra", Volume 48 of the Taisho Collection. The mirror of the soul is covered with dust, and it can be restored to its original brightness by polishing and brushing. A stubborn heart is like a wild elephant running left and right, and like a macaque climbing to the outside world. Controlling the "crazy elephant" and locking the "heart ape" can prevent the "six thieves" and keep away the "six dusts". Adjusting the mind is also like "herding cattle". Through unremitting efforts, we return to the origin of the spirit step by step - "finding cattle", "seeing traces", "seeing cattle", "getting cattle", "herding cattle", "returning from riding cattle" "Home", "Forget the cow but save the human", "Forget both the man and the cow", "Return to the original source", "Hold your hands after being thrown into the sack"... The reason why a clear mind is obscured is because of clinging to illusions and recognizing falsehoods as truths. By realizing the emptiness of self and the emptiness of Dharma, you can enter the door of enlightenment. As a result, the realization that all dharmas are empty permeated the Zen forest: "None of the four elements are empty", "The body is like a banana and like a dream", "Dreams of light and shadow", "Sounds of sound in the valley", "Sunfire foam" ", such as "painting in color", such as "floating clouds", "water moon", "reed", "electric light", "waterfall", "gandharva city", "prisoner on the verge of death", "ripe fruit", "Segment of meat", "snake in a basket"...
"Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror has no stand. The Buddha nature is always pure, where is the dust?" Fa Hai's "Altar Sutra", Taisho Collection Book 48. This verse directly points to the human heart. It is believed that the original heart of a person is everything. It is naturally pure and has no pollution or contamination. As long as you see this original heart, you can achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha. The practice of "wiping diligently all the time" is simply superfluous. It reflects that Southern Zen pays more attention to the direct and direct method of enlightenment. To clarify that the original mind is blocked due to attachment to the concept of relativeness, Zen Buddhism uses the non-dual method to "cut off the discriminating mind and relative thoughts at one stroke" and "cut off both ends", so that the relative consciousness disappears like "flakes of snow on a red stove".
Zen masters give obsessed students "a cone at the top of the head" and "a hammer at the back of the head" to eliminate their false feelings and consciousness, and encourage students to chew on the "iron prongs" The tasteless koan, listening to the tuneless rhythm of the "holeless flute" makes the students risk their lives and hit the "iron mountain wall", pass through the "Vajra circle", and swallow the "chestnut thorn bush". Therefore, the non-dual method of "Vimalakirti Sutra" has become the magic weapon of Zen to transcend all oppositions. Zen Buddhism recognizes the "original face" from the place of "not thinking about good, not thinking about evil" -
The non-dual method dismantles the fence between this and the other, "Zhang Gong eats wine and Li Gong is drunk", "Nanshan "It rains in the mountains of Yunbei", "The Tang Dynasty plays drums and dances with Silla"; the non-dual method eliminates the boundaries between clean and dirty, "Village singing club dances Nagading, scabies dogs and mud pigs purify their bodies", "Knives cut and incense are applied and all are empty" ; The non-dual method breaks through the barriers between life and death. "Life is like wearing a shirt and dying without trousers." Death is the complete liberation of life. Broad, the tranquility and freedom of "the leaf falls and returns to its roots"; the no-duality method resolves the contradiction between the finger and the moon. On the one hand, "a white cloud crosses the valley mouth, and many returning birds wander into their nests at night". The language covers the spiritual home and is stuck in the Language and characters are like "counting sand in the sea", "saying that there is not enough food", "Han Lu picking pieces", "carving a boat to find a sword", "dumping water to find fish", "seeking oil in the sand", so "seeing the moon must forget to point, return home" Let’s go home and ask about the process.” However, "Officials do not tolerate needles, and private affairs involve carriages and horses." Zen Buddhism uses "locked words", "wordless sentences" and "cut-tongued sentences" to represent the original mind. It is "a mute man interprets the song of a wooden man", "the world of quicksand without strings", "the Hujia does not violate the palace and business music, and the jade flute is played when the wind is horizontal"; Wait for it to fall apart, and then you will know it is empty." When the body is empty, the air will have its own vitality. Zen is the "great life" after the "great death", it is "dragons singing in dead trees", "eyes in skulls", "stone girls giving birth", "dew pillars pregnant", "mountain flowers blooming like brocade, streams flowing" "As clear as blue" is the difference between life and death. Therefore, Zen sect warns students, "Don't sit deep in the white clouds, and avoid killing people by simmering in cold ashes." You must give full play to the lively and wonderful functions of your own nature, and don't let the dead ashes of dead trees suffocate your vitality. Before the rain, there are no leaves among the flowers, and after the rain, there are no leaves and flowers at the bottom." The weight of the holy stick is like the blooming of flower stamens before the rain, and the removal of the holy stick is like the petals of the flowers withering after the rain. Zen practitioners "begin to follow the fragrant grass, and then chase the fallen flowers back." They pass from the ordinary to the holy, from the realm of color to the realm of space, and then return to the human world without occupying the holy position, and their motivation is activated. "Stepping down in the forest of thorns", "turning around outside the curtain of light at night", attaining purity without lingering on purity, hanging hands into bed, carrying both sorrow and wisdom, "the gray head and earthy face are at the head of the Ten Thousand Ren Peak", "the head of the Ten Thousand Ren Peak" It is just a gray head and a dusty face"...
The non-dual method removes the dirt of emotions and thoughts, restores the original clarity of the original mind, and a unique state of enlightenment also appears.
One of the realms of enlightenment: "Everything is ready." All phenomena in the universe are manifestations of the Buddha's nature. "The green bamboos are all the body of the Dharma. The lush yellow flowers are nothing but prajna." "The sound of the stream is like a broad and long tongue. The color of the mountains is not the pure body." "The mountains, rivers and the earth are all revealing the body of the Dharma King." ", all the phenomena are clearly revealed, "I have nothing to hide", "the moon is white and the wind is calm, the mountains are green and the water is green, and the head and head are full." This is the state of inner realization that is separated from reflection, and everything shows the self-contained rhythm of life: "Spring comes and the grass becomes green again", "The fifth and ninth days are over and spring comes again", "The winter comes and the cold food is one hundred and fifty", "The sun comes and the grass becomes green", "The moon rises in the east and sets in the west"... The basis of "everything is ready-made" is "originally ready-made": "Stars see each other on the third day of the month, and all their eyebrows and eyes are raised", "Sister Gu Yuan is a woman's work", "Eighty-two yuan comes "It's half a catty", "sixty-six thirty-six", "ninety-nine eighty-one"... There is no difference between humans and Buddhas, so enlightenment is the new creation of the old Buddha. "You see the horse is wearing red tassels, but last year it was Scholars", "When you are energetic, you are more energetic, and when you are not romantic, you are also romantic." In the spiritual home, self-awareness is the supreme master, "the institutions are not idle furniture, and the mysteries are like broken straw sandals." The enlightened person has "nostrils as far as the sky" and "a tiger doesn't care how much meat it has, how can a huge furnace cast a cone in its bag". They are "trendy people" who play freely in the Zen River. They have the realm of independence and freedom that transcends all laws and "when the wind roars outside, they will drink all the water from the Xijiang River for you."
The second level of enlightenment: "Absolutely lose everything you can." The state of no-self is the intuitive enlightenment of the soul, a state that transcends separate thinking. It is "a person without legs beats a gong", "a person without hands and feet performs a fist", "a person without a tongue sings", "a person without feet understands actions". In the state of selflessness without "legs and hands", the observing self is eliminated, and the greatest potential can be exerted. The paradigm that can be absorbed is the Zen enlightenment observation of the water and the moon forgetting each other, "the object appears like the moon in the water", "the wild geese pass through the sky, and their shadows sink into the cold water. The wild geese leave no trace of the meaning, and the water leaves no shadow of the heart"; it is the "bamboo The shadow sweeps the steps without moving the dust, and the moon passes through the water at the bottom of the pond without leaving a trace." "He talks all day long without talking about his words." "He eats all day without touching a grain of rice." "He wears clothes all day without hanging an inch of silk on his face." It is a "Donkey Gaze Well." , and even more so "looking at the donkey in a well". The enlightened mind is capable of everything, crystal clear, it is "the pearls are walking around the disk", "the snow is in the silver bowl", "the ice bottle contains the precious moon", "the bride rides on the donkey and is led by the family".
The third realm of enlightenment: "integration and mutual absorption". Here it is said that "one nature encompasses all natures, and one method encompasses all things."
All water appears in one month, and all water is captured in one month." There is also the harmony of everything, such as small and large, east and west, and time and space: "the hair contains the land", "the mustard seeds accept the beard" Mi", "One flower and one world, one leaf and one Tathagata" are the mutual tolerance of small and big; "Bamboo shoots inside the fence and shoots outside the fence, flowers bloom in the east and west of the stream", "White clouds occupy the east and west ridges, who divides the bright moon "The Upper and Lower Ponds" is a picture of the inside and outside; "The boundless realm is not separated from oneself by another; for ten generations, ancient and modern, it is always inseparable from the present thought", "One thought for immeasurable kalpas, one thought for immeasurable kalpas", "The sun shines brightly in the middle of the night, "Third watch at noon" and "Xumi mustard son father, mustard seed Xumi master" are the mutual integration and mutual capture of time and space... The ultimate integration is the authentic presentation of intuitive imagery: "Holding a hoe with empty hands, riding a buffalo on foot" . People cross the bridge, but the water on the bridge does not flow." "The green mountains are always moving, but the sun does not turn the wheel." "The bottom of the well is red dust, and the peaks are white. A stone girl gives birth to a child at night, and her tortoise hair grows inch by inch...
The fourth realm of enlightenment: "Let your fate be your destiny". The strangeness returns to the ordinary, and the taste returns to indifference. All kinds of strange insights eventually return to the ordinary. Heart. “When you are hungry, you need to eat; when you are cold, you need to put on some clothes. "When you are sleepy, you stretch your legs to sleep, and love the wind when you are in a hot place." Once the Buddha leaves people, hunger, food, and sleep, he will cease to exist. "Nothing is a noble person." A "noble person" is a spiritually rich person, that is, a Buddha. "Don't leave home on the way", "Don't leave home on the way", "home" is the world of understanding, "on the way" is the world of difference. Turn around from the holy realm and start daily life; in daily life, do not Stained by the world of mortals, "the earthy face is gray and the head is not stained by dust, the Chinese streets and willow alleys are happy and innocent", this enlightened mind is the ordinary mind, which is the daily use of "supernatural powers and magical functions, transporting water and firewood"
< p>Based on the analysis of Zen texts, we find that all Zen insights consist of these four parts: Everyone has a clear and perfect original mind; second, the clarity of the original mind is blocked by the emergence of relative consciousness; third, The practice of Zen is to use various methods to remove the pollution and attachments that obstruct clarity, and return to the realm of clarity. These four parts are the theory of original mind, theory of loss, theory of enlightenment, and theory of realm. They form the philosophy of Zen. The basic structure of Zen Buddhism is not intended to "construct", but through a series of poetic symbols, it actually "constructs" a complete philosophical system, showing meticulous logic in the flash of light and sparkle. Profound rationality. It is the task of this book to reveal and explain the symbols of Zen philosophy. The first is the symbolism of the Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. On the basis of the rock of Mahayana Buddhism, the thoughts formed by the influence of Mahayana scriptures are Buddhist scripture-style symbols. The second is the ancient symbolism of koan sung, which Zen Buddhism has formed a unique form on the basis of extensively absorbing the essence of Mahayana Buddhism. This is the koan. The koan can best embody the spirit, thought, method and wisdom of Zen. Expressing and chanting the koan in verse is the wonder of Zen literature. An important form of discourse. The third is poetic metaphor. Zen philosophy is a poetic philosophy, which often uses the technique of poetry to convey the clear and untainted original intention, thus forming the poetics of Zen philosophy. Symbols. The Buddhist symbols of the Zen philosophy system have been discussed in detail in the book "The Origin of Zen Thought". Therefore, the main content of this book will be composed of the following two parts:1. , Part 1, explores the connotation of Zen philosophical symbols from the perspective of koan and ode to ancient times.
As for Zen koan, although most scholars believe that it is "contradictory and indescribable" and full of "contradictions", Through its complicated and confusing forms, we can still see its inner rational thinking. Some scholars pointed out: "The idea of ??'Buddha nature' that transcends ordinary language and logic in the Lankavatara Sutra is indeed the theme of Zen koans, and many koans are like this. stating this truth. However, these koans can also be understood as elaborating the "Prajna" emptiness thought in the "Diamond Sutra", and there are other koans that are not elaborating the truth of "Buddha nature", on the contrary, they are elaborating " The thought of Prajna...and this empty thought of Prajna is not beyond language or logic. It is a truth that can be understood using common sense after reflection. It is not a mysterious thing that transcends reality. "Yang Huinan, "Zen History and Meditation", pages 278-279, Dongda Book Company, 1995 edition. Some scholars believe: "The content of the public case itself is the source of paradoxical doubts. Although its content sometimes seems fragmented, irrelevant, and unorganized, and it is difficult to summarize it into a meaningful general form, in many cases the koan has been successfully used as a form of expression, narration, and narrative. Tools for inducing and proving enlightenment. From a certain perspective, no matter individually or as a whole, they explain, affirm, question, and answer what "enlightenment" is by intensifying contradictions, inconsistencies, and even nonsense. "Cheng Zhongying, "The Theory and Logic of Zen", "Journal of Chinese Buddhism" No. 3. Mr. Ba Hutian pointed out: "The self-nature mentioned in Zen is like the 'Tao' mentioned by Laozi, and the Neo-Confucianists of Song and Ming Dynasties The 'reason' mentioned is the absolute essence, which is indescribable and inconceivable. Because when we use feeling, speech or thinking, there are the oppositions of "subject", "object", "energy" and "what", so it is not absolute.
In other words: since it is absolute, it must be the 'supreme' and the 'complete'. If I talk about it and think about it, then 'I' is the subject of speaking or thinking, and 'it' 'is the object of what is said or thought. In this way, if I stand outside it and oppose it, it cannot be said to be the whole. Since self-nature knowledge cannot be felt, spoken or thought like perceptual and rational knowledge, we can only use an 'intuitive' method to get into it, become one with it and experience it personally. It’s not about explaining it or thinking about it from the outside. It is naturally difficult to express this absolute, insensible, and inconceivable self-nature knowledge, so we have to use symbolic metaphors, using the finite to express the infinite, the concrete to express the abstract, and the particular to express the universal. "Pages 12-14 of Ba Hutian's "Collection of Zen Bone Poems", 1988 edition of Dongda Book Company. From this point on, Mr. Ba Hutian further concluded that the language of koan has "dun", "symbolism" and "negativity" ", "hierarchy", "substitutability" and other five characteristics.
It can be seen that the "contradictory", "unspeakable" and "conspiracy" koans are actually expressive and Pun and logic. For this reason, this book selects "Biyan Lu", a combination of koan and ancient songs, for classification research to explain the symbolism of koan and ancient songs on the original mind, loss theory, enlightenment theory and realm theory of Zen philosophy. Explore the meaning of the koan and analyze the Zen connotation, thinking characteristics, image-taking methods, and aesthetic qualities of the ancient poem.
Second part, explore the symbolic connotation of Zen philosophy from the perspective of poetic metaphor of Zen language. /p>
Zen philosophy and literature are inseparable. Because Chinese literature and philosophy are closely integrated, philosophical thoughts are often expressed through the graceful and graceful artistic conception of poetry. Expressing the highest realm of Buddhism through literature is one of the distinctive features of Chinese Buddhism and Chinese Zen. Some commentators pointed out that “the problem of Chinese Buddhism also lies in this, because people who want to understand their thoughts often use literature. There is no genius; people who are good at literature often do not have enough logical mind." Although my "literary genius" and "logical mind" are far from enough, I must work in this direction if I want to explore Zen philosophy. The content of this book It is this kind of effort and attempt. Since Zen Buddhism makes extensive use of poetic language to express the indescribable experience of Zen enlightenment through a series of symbolic metaphors, this book attempts to explain the unique meaning of metaphors in Zen poetry and provide a basis for research. Zen philosophy provides insights.
It should be noted that Songgu, which represents the peak of Zen poetry art, is a poetic metaphor for Zen philosophy, considering that it is closely related to the public case. In order to make it easier for readers to "understand" koans, it is not included in the next part, but is discussed together with koans.
In order to make the accompanying text concise, this book discusses some books. Masterpieces have been simplified, such as "Jingde Chuan Deng Lu" is shortened to "Zhuan Deng", "Wu Deng Hui Yuan" is shortened to "Wu Deng", "Gu Zun Su Quotations" is shortened to "Gu Zun Su", and "Xu Gu Zun Su Quotations" is shortened to "Xu Deng". For the same reason, when quoting the works of Tang and Song poets, they also follow the principle of simplification, and their sources are generally noted in "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" and "Ode to the Ancients". The number of volumes in "Complete Poetry of the Song Dynasty". For the versions of various sources cited in this book, please refer to the "Main Bibliography" attached to "The Realm of Zen Poetry". In addition, although a few koans and ancient poems are analyzed in this book. It has been covered in the other two books, but in order to maintain the integrity of this book, the author still made an analysis; Japanese scholars have made considerable achievements in the research on "Biyanlu". Due to space limitations, this book has selected more Representative views are introduced.
Zen koan is like a ten thousand-foot cliff, like a silver mountain and an iron wall, like flowers planted on a stone, like a mosquito biting an iron cow. The language of Zen Buddhism is magical, confusing, confusing, and it cuts off confusion and eliminates all mental processes. However, it is this stringless harp and holeless flute that plays beautiful tunes that have made countless Zen people throughout the ages shed tears. It is so rich, cool, fragrant and far-reaching. It is infinite to drink and endless to drink. It is looked at in front, but suddenly behind, it is as if it has been grasped, and the handshake has been violated. All we have to do is to realize, realize, and realize again.
Holding the moon in the water in your hand, your clothes are filled with the fragrance of flowers.
Walking into the depths of thousands of flowers, I am a leaf of Bodhi.
Whose tree is not springing? "Poems of a Thousand Families" contains a seven-character quatrain titled "Spring Sunny" by Wang Jia, a poet of the late Tang Dynasty. This poem is unusual and interesting. Especially the last two sentences, "Bees and butterflies are crossing the wall one after another, but they suspect that spring is in the neighbor's house" are even more thought-provoking. After the spring rain, the clouds disperse and the sky clears, and the bees and butterflies that have been trapped in the sky fly out and take advantage of the excitement to find spring. Even though the "garden full of spring scenery" cannot be contained, these lively and cute elves still cross the wall one after another, always thinking that the better, more beautiful and richer spring scenery must be in the neighborhood. "But I suspect that the spring scenery is in the neighborhood", not just small insects such as bees and butterflies, even we humans who claim to be the spirits of all things, in the field of living at home, don't some people often think that "spring scenery" is always there? Landed in someone else's home? Some people's living places are spacious and comfortable, but they still complain that they are not as good and beautiful as other people's floors. Some people's clothes are already very high-end, including silk in summer and fur clothes in winter, but they are still envious of how fashionable and fashionable other people's clothes are. Famous brand; In some families, their children are simple and respectful to the elderly, but some parents always think that their children are not as good as other people's children with higher education and better careers.
It's as if the "spring scenery" has been monopolized by others, but I have been abandoned by the "spring scenery". Here we might as well give another specific example. There is a 40-year-old lesbian in the work unit. She rarely relaxes her eyebrows and feels relaxed. The reason is that she always thinks that her life is not as good as others. Recently, her husband bought her a motorcycle. Nowadays, it is considered good for a small intellectual family to have a motorcycle, and she should be happy. But when she didn't have a motorcycle, she envied others who had motorcycles. But when she got one, it was stale for a few days, and she felt that it was not as luxurious as other people's cars. I quarrel with men from time to time, scolding men for having no ambition, no ability, no ambition, no means, and not being able to make a lot of money like others. Some people in life always put aside what they own and envy what others have, but once they have something like that, they don't take it seriously. This phenomenon of "but suspecting that spring is in the house next door" can be said to be numerous. Not being able to see one's own "spring beauty" and always thinking that the "spring beauty" is in others is probably one of the weaknesses of human nature. Moreover, it is precisely this kind of weakness that makes some people mentally unbalanced, emotionally unhappy, unhappy, and unhappy. It seems that life is really "unsatisfactory nine times out of ten" and the world really has "more suffering and less happiness" . In fact, as long as we change the perspective of life and look at ourselves as we look at others, it is not difficult to find that others have a "spring beauty" that is worthy of envy, and we also have a "spring beauty" that is worthy of others' envy. We are also others in the eyes of others. Take the lesbian I just mentioned as an example. Her husband is kind and hard-working. He is a well-known senior engineer in this small place. How many people would envy her for having such a talented and considerate husband? man. It's just that she often can't see her own "spring beauty", always thinking that the "spring beauty" is in the house next door. The "spring scenery" will not be monopolized by any one family, and the "spring scenery" will never leave any one person behind. Zen Master Gui Ren, an eminent monk of Lingquan Temple in Luoyang during the Song Dynasty, responded to someone who asked him, "Can lay people understand Buddhism?" He said this: "Which platform has no moon? Whose tree has no spring?" (Excerpted from "Zen Essays of the Past Dynasties" "Five Lanterns Huiyuan") Yes, the moon shines on the earth. Which platform does not have moonlight? Spring nourishes all things. Whose trees don’t bathe in the spring light? Of course, due to various factors in the world, there will be various differences between people in both material and spiritual life. However, as long as we remember the words "whose tree is not in spring", don't be like the bees and butterflies who "suspect that the spring is in the neighborhood", cherish the "spring" you have, and you will always enjoy your own "spring" ", your own joy and happiness.
Whose house is the spring scenery in?
The wind suddenly picked up and ruffled a pool of green water. The color of grass looks far away but is not visible up close. Unknowingly, spring is coming quietly. Although it is not yet a riot of purple and red, the willow wind is not cold in my face, and the breath of spring is everywhere. It should be said that under the same blue sky, the gifts of nature are regardless of whether they are close or distant. The spring is bright everywhere, and everything is revived and full of vitality. But the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Jia's "Spring Love" poem says: Before the rain, the stamens among the flowers are first seen, but after the rain, there are no leaves and flowers at the bottom. Bees and butterflies rushed over the wall one after another, but they suspected that the beauty of spring was in the neighboring house. After the rain, the sky is clear, and although the garden is full of spring scenery, these little creatures wearing flowers are still not willing to be lonely, and come out of the wall one after another, always thinking that there is more attractive spring scenery in the neighborhood?
In fact, it’s not just these bees and butterflies, but humans who claim to be the spirits of all things, don’t they do the same? Although it is often said that contentment means long-lasting happiness, and mountains and rivers are happy, but how many people have long-lasting happiness? Pinkeye, looking from one mountain to another, seems like the human nature. In the period of social transformation, impetuous mentality has become a common social problem. They don’t want to work hard, they just want to gain, they dream of reaching the sky in one step, they hope to become famous once and for all, fame and fortune will come rolling in, and they want to become the most powerful person in the world, the person with the most money, the person with the easiest job, and the person with the most prominent status. I always feel that everything is good for others, my job is not as smooth as others, my house is not as spacious as others, my wife is not as beautiful as others, I have no power, no money, no car... I seem to be the most unfortunate person in the world. In their view, life is unhappy, life is unhappy, the mind is unbalanced, the mood is uncomfortable, there is more suffering than happiness, and life is really tiring and boring. But after all, it is rare for a gold ingot to fall from the sky, so counterfeiting, pornography, drug trafficking, prostitution and other tricks to get rich quickly appeared one after another. In order to gain fame, they did not hesitate to sell their privacy, use their bodies to write, and hype and criticize.
People often say that things often go wrong in life. Life is not a fairy tale and cannot be perfect. And human desires are endless. There is a poem that says: I work all day just to be hungry, so that I can be full, warm and thoughtfully clothed; in winter, I wear silk, Luoxia and gauze, and there is a shortage of beautiful wives in front of the hall; I marry three wives and four concubines, and I am afraid that I will be bullied by others; I have four grades and five grades. He thought he was a junior official and wanted to be an emperor in the south. Once he climbed to the Golden Palace, he admired the gods for playing chess. Dong Bin played chess with him and even asked where there was a ladder to heaven. If he hadn't reached the end of his life, going up to the ninth heaven would still be too low. This is the portrait for this kind of person. Indeed, the chicness of singers and movie stars is enviable, and the wealth of rich bosses is enviable. Going into business, speculating in stocks, selling real estate, and studying abroad, which one does not make people short of breath and jealous? As the saying goes, do what you do, hate what you do. Every line has its hardships, and every line has its joys. Whether celebrities or all living beings, everyone has his or her own interests and worries. You cannot just see others happy and ignore the hardships of others.
There are three families living on the same floor.
A businessman went to the sea to do business. After several years of business, he was not considered to be a rich man, but he was rich. The luxurious decoration and expensive furniture in his home were quite eye-catching. The family is a teacher, living diligently on wages, accumulating property bit by bit like swallows pecking at mud, and their small life is also enjoyable. The other family is an artist who is not a celebrity. He usually doesn't stick to trivial matters and drinks constantly, but he enjoys himself. On the one hand, the middle-class people look down on the poverty of the working-class people, and they cannot stand the dissolute behavior of the artists; the teachers sneer at all the money-oriented businessmen, and are disapproving of the self-proclaimed nobility of the artists; while the artists look down on the mediocrity of the working-class people, I also hate the profit-seeking behavior of businessmen. On the other hand, they all learn that others live better than themselves. Businessmen envy the ease and stability of teachers, and the free and easy style of artists; teachers envy the wealth of small and wealthy people and the talents of artists, and artists stand up to the lavish spending of businessmen and the contentment and happiness of salarymen. Look, who lives more freely and happily? I'm afraid it's hard to draw a conclusion. As the saying goes, one person has his own way of living, and comparing people to others will make people angry. The world should be rich and colorful.
When people go to higher places, water flows to lower places. The pursuit of a better life is human nature and is understandable. It is precisely because people are never satisfied that society will continue to progress. But everything has its own limits. If you blindly compare yourself to others, blame others all day long, or even have sweet dreams and hope for pie in the sky, then life will be really tiring. Oxen cannot keep watch, and dogs cannot pull the plow. Everyone has their own zodiac sign. As long as you find your own position, the one that suits you will be the most beautiful. If Chen Jingrun is forced to do business and Liu Huan is forced to do acrobatics, everything will be a mess. As the saying goes, if the human heart is not enough, a snake will swallow an elephant, and if there are too many complaints, it will break the heart. For all kinds of dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction, you should maintain a normal attitude and don't pay too much attention.
Some seemingly complicated things are actually very simple, like those three families. As long as you change your perspective, wouldn't you be the envy of others? An eminent monk named Zen Master Gui Nen in the Song Dynasty put it well: Which platform has no moon, and whose tree has no spring? Facing the impetuous world, we should maintain a normal mentality and always think that everything is good for others. When others go to the sea, they will follow suit. Some people make a fortune by trading in the stock market and are busy joining in the fun. They always chase fashion and follow the fashion. Will you forget yourself over time? In fact, as long as spring arrives, where can there be no spring scenery? It's just that my eyes were staring at the outside world and I didn't pay attention!