Huineng of Nanhua Temple
Monk Huineng, surnamed Lu, is a Xinxing native of Nanhai. The buyer has lived in Fanyang for a long time. His father, Lu Xingyao, served as an official in Xinzhou in the third year of Xi De (620 AD), but was later demoted and finally settled in Xinzhou. Shuneng was born in the twelfth year of Zhenguan (638 AD). Hui Neng had a pure and kind temperament since he was a child, and his kindness came out occasionally, and he was not tainted with the barbaric customs of the south. Because his father died in his early years and his mother was widowed, his family was very poor and had little property. Huineng has to carry a load of firewood to the market every day to sell it to earn money to support his family.
One day, Huineng heard someone reciting the "Vajra Prajna Sutra" in the market. Hui Neng listened intently and refused to leave. He asked again: "Who can I learn the Vajra Prajna Sutra from?" ?" The chanter replied: "Zen Master Hongren from Huangmei, Qizhou, used this method to achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha." Huineng remembered these words firmly, just like a thirsty person drinking. Like nectar. Huineng hurriedly returned home and prepared some daily necessities to support his old mother. He went to Shaoyang during the reign of Xianheng (670-674 AD) and met Liu Zhilue on the way. Liu Zhiyou had an aunt, nun Wuwu Zangzang, who often read the Nirvana Sutra). After Hui Neng listened to Wuwu Zang reciting the Nirvana Sutra, he began to analyze the scriptures for Wuwu Zang. Wuwu Zang believed that Huineng was illiterate and could not correctly understand the meaning of Buddhist scriptures. Huineng said: "If you only take the literal meaning of the Buddha's theories, it is not the original intention of the Buddha." Nun Wuwu Zang was impressed by Huineng's profound insights. At that time, someone advised Huineng to practice Taoism in Baolin Temple. Huineng said to himself: "I originally vowed to worship Hongren as my teacher. If I practice Taoism in Baolin Temple now, it will violate my oath. It is better to go home." So he continued on the next day and came to the grottoes in the west of Lechang County, where he stayed with Zen Master Zhiyuan and discussed mysteries. Zhiyuan advised Huineng to go to Qizhou to find Zen Master Hongren, the fifth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, and said that I would also need to ask for advice in the future. So Huineng went to Qizhou again, and soon met Zen Master Hongren. Hongren saw that Huineng's temperament and appearance were ordinary, so he tried to ask him: "Where are you from?" Huineng replied: "I came from Lingnan to worship and worship, just to become a Buddha." Hongren said: "Lingnan people do not have Buddha nature. "Huineng said: "There is a distinction between north and south, but there is no distinction between north and south in Buddha nature." Hongren asked again: "What merit do you want to do?" Huineng replied: "I am willing to work hard and do some rough work for the monks." So he stayed and did menial work with the handymen.
In order to pass on the Zen robes, Hongren asked his disciples to talk about their ambitions and understanding of Buddhist teachings. Shenxiu said a verse, and Huineng also joined in a verse. They all expressed their opinions The question is on the wall, and the two people have obvious differences in their opinions. Hongren taught Huineng the secret of Zen and gave him dharma robes.
Huineng left Master Hongren and lived in seclusion in the Sihui and Huaiji areas, gradually showing his talents. Hui Neng went to the gathering of Master Yin Zong in Nanhai to discuss the words of the Wind Banner. Master Yin Zong was very poor in reasoning and admired Hui Neng. He cut his vertebrae for Hui Neng in Dharma Nature. Lawyer Zhiguang received full precepts and published it. The altar is the altar built by seeking the Dharma of Varman. Master Varmo has ascended to the position of Buddha, and the suspense said: "In the future, there will be physical Bodhisattvas here to receive ordination." Master Zhenyi of Liang Mo planted a Bodhi tree beside the altar and said to everyone: "It will take 120 years for this Bodhi tree to be planted. Later, an enlightened person will preach the Supreme Vehicle under this tree and save countless people. "After Huineng came, he built a monk's room here and opened the Dongshan Dharma Gate under the Bodhi tree, which was in line with the prophecies of previous generations.
One day during the Shangyuan Dynasty (674-675 AD), while Huineng was performing Chang's sudden enlightenment method, he suddenly became unhappy. Everyone asked: "Why do you suddenly lose your emotions?" Huineng said: "The flow is endless and the fire is impermanent. My master passed away today!" So he moved to Baolin Temple. The governor at that time, Wei Ju, ordered Hui Neng to live in Dafan Temple. Hui Neng resigned and came to Shuangfeng Caohou River.
Huineng advocated the method of sudden enlightenment in Caoxi, and advocated not establishing words, teaching to outsiders, directly pointing to the human heart, seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha. He used simple and simple practice methods to replace complicated doctrines, which became increasingly popular. , became the official line of Zen Buddhism.
The story of Hui Neng's promotion of the enlightenment method in Caoxi spread to the capital. Empress Dowager Wu and Emperor Xiaohe both sent letters to summon Hui Neng to the capital. Zen Master Shenxiu also strongly recommended Hui Neng in front of the emperor. The emperor also sent the eunuch Xue Jian to Caoxi, but Huineng said he could not afford it because he was ill. He wanted to follow the example of Master Huiyuan of the previous generation who did not leave Huxi. The emperor had no choice but to give Huineng a pair of Mona cassocks, an alms bowl, beads woven into a sutra scarf, a green brocade scarf with red flowers, and 500 pieces of silk to supplement his support. He also gave up the old Xinxing residence as Guoen Temple.
In the third year of Shenlong (707 AD), he also ordered Shaozhou to build the Buddhist hall and abbot of the temple where Huineng lived, and decorate them very solemnly and gorgeously. In July of the first year of Yanhe (AD 712), Huineng ordered his disciples to build a pagoda in Guoen Temple and ordered it to be completed as soon as possible. Huineng suddenly became ill on August 3rd in the second year of Xiantian (AD 713). A strange fragrance filled the room, and a white rainbow appeared on the ground. After a meal, he took a bath and changed clothes. He kept snapping his fingers, his breath was weak, and he closed his eyes tightly for two days. He died soon after. At this time, the rocks on the high mountains were falling, the water sources of the rivers were drying up, the islands were wailing, and the apes were heartbroken and croaking. Huineng was 76 years old and was buried in Caoxi Plain in November of that year.
Huineng’s disciple Shenhui is just like Yan Hui in Confucius. The Shenhui Chongshu Huinengzhen Hall was established in Heze Temple in Luoyang, and Song Ding, the minister of the Ministry of War, wrote the inscription. Shenhui prefaces the lineage and recognizes the Buddhas of the Western Regions, including the Sixth Patriarch of China (referring to China), and draws their images and hangs them up. Written by Taiwei Fang Jing (six-leaf picture preface). Because Hui Neng's shape remains intact, as if he were sitting there in a state of concentration, Sichuan monk Fang Bian made a statue of Hui Neng, just like a real person. Huineng once said during his lifetime: "After I die, a kind-hearted man will come to take my head. Don't blame him." Someone recalled Huineng's words and added an iron ring around the neck of the statue. In the eleventh year of Kaiyuan (AD 723), there was indeed a man from Ruzhou who was entrusted by someone to bring a knife to chop off the head of the statue, hoping to take it back to support it. When the monks heard the sound of banging iron tools, they rushed to catch the Ruzhou native.
Wang Jing of Song Dynasty, the governor of Guangzhou, paid homage to Huineng Pagoda and asked Huineng’s disciple Ling Tao Wu Sheng for his righteousness. King Jing of Song Dynasty was delighted after hearing the Dharma and prayed to the pagoda for good luck. After a while, a strange fragrance came and the rain came, but the fragrance and rain were limited to the area around the temple.
Tang Suzong once issued an edict to recruit Huineng's disciple Ling Tao, but Ling Tao claimed that he was ill and refused to go away. He just sent someone to bring the Dharma robe and bowl to Suzong, and Suzong returned it.
Emperor Xianzong gave Huineng the posthumous title "Dajian" and the posthumous title "Yuanhe Zhengzhen". In the late Tang Dynasty, every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Huineng's true form was welcomed into the city to pray for the people. After the Song Dynasty pacified Nanhai, Shaozhou thief Zhou Enqiong burned the temple tower. The fire was about to burn Huineng's body, so two monks carried the body away. In the third year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign (978 AD), Emperor Taizong ordered the pagoda to be rebuilt and renamed Nanhua Temple.