Chapter 24 10. Ching Ming

Enlightenment, enlightenment, insight, vow Suddenly, a thought popped up. Didn't Caroline say it: Why did she say that before it was time for us to say goodbye? I remember that when I decided to return to Taiwan from Brazil after receiving a letter from my father who was critically ill, I also repeatedly considered whether to say goodbye to Aloisa?At that time, my only thought was that since I had to leave, it would be better to leave cleanly, so as not to leave her worrying about divorce and affect her future happiness. Why didn't Caroline think so?During this period of getting along, she has been very strong, and she has been hiding ulterior pain in her heart.But she believed in me and allowed me to share the burden for her. How can this kind of friendship and entrustment be compared with ordinary friendship?She can't stay because she understands me. Didn't she make it very clear on the beach?I seek my truth, she seeks her thrill.How can these two completely different outlooks on life be compromised?Rather than having troubles in the future, it is better to break up decisively. What is wrong with her?

Let's talk about other girls!My little sister once discussed marriage with me. When I think back to when she shed tears at Songshan Airport, didn’t I not look back and go to the end of the world to catch wind and moon?And Bodhisattva, I missed her just because I insisted on my own views, did I think about her?Natasha, Aloisa, each lovely girl, which one didn't give me a chance?Just because I persisted in my goal and easily let them go, so far I am alone, so who is to blame? There are no parents who do not love their children, but each person has a very different way of loving based on their life background.My mother's lung disease is already in the third stage. In order to avoid infecting me, she had to keep a distance from me.His father was a professional soldier, and his education was for the sole purpose of defending the country and protecting the land.When the country was in trouble, he wholeheartedly shouldered the responsibility of a professional soldier.Later, because of changes in the environment, he became a public servant of the people, and the objects of service should be all compatriots.How can I just stand on my own ground and hope that he will spend his time and energy on me alone like a normal father?

If I were a well-behaved and sensible child, I should be considerate of the poor mother and let her spend the end of her life in peace.As the only man in the family, I should try to get to know my father, help him handle family affairs, do his homework well, and let him concentrate on those important tasks.However, just the opposite, in addition to being mischievous, causing trouble, and causing headaches and troubles for parents.Up to now, I still shamelessly blame them! I can't blame the teachers at the school. When the government moved to Taiwan, there was nothing to do.Under such circumstances, it is quite rare to be able to expand the school and increase classes to accommodate the sudden influx of military and civilian children, and to maintain the normal operation of schools at all levels.The only purpose of being a student is to learn, and just because of the teacher's unintentional mistakes for a while, I will deliberately resist to the end and ignore my homework.This stubborn and unruly personality is exactly what I should correct, so who else can be blamed?

Besides, under formal school education, at best I can only learn the knowledge taught in books and teachers.This kind of talent abounds, one more and one less, it doesn't make any difference to this world.Since I like to think, I have the opportunity to accept some formal studies, and because of some special encounters, I can jump out of the existing nest and explore freely. Doesn’t this just provide me with room for development? When I am out of society, I should try to adapt to the environment. Everyone wants to make money. How can I survive without money?If I really aim to pursue the principles of life, in today's torrent of the world, I shouldn't think about my own happiness, and I am doomed to face a fate of hardships and hardships, who can blame it?

As for the China-Malaysia Company, it was an ideal opportunity at that time. Which one of the participants was not for themselves?Investing in business will inevitably lead to gains and losses.Yes, I'm the introducer, but I didn't lie to them. Is it my fault that things failed?If I really want to pick up the responsibility, it is definitely not self-pity, and it is enough to escape for the rest of my life. I should sum up all these experiences and tell the world clearly, so as to prevent others from repeating the same mistakes. In short, if you do things for others, if you follow the trajectory of the predecessors and learn from the authority that has been recognized by the public, it is of course easier to gain social approval.I don't want to be bound, and if I want to find another way, I have to put in ten times, a hundred times of effort, and even the possibility of success is uncertain.This is my own choice, and there is no other way but to go all out!

All grievances and dissatisfaction are based on one's own interests and self-subjectivity.Even the five fingers have different lengths and functions. How can there be so-called fairness in the world? Are people born in times of peace and prosperity or wars and chaos?Born into a rich or poor family?Beautiful or ugly?Naturally intelligent or dull?There is a huge difference and impact in both.Everyone wants to survive and wants to live happily.People with good opportunities and strong abilities have a higher probability of success.While other people with insufficient conditions, under the competition for survival, have to opportunistically, break the law and discipline, that is their way of survival.

The government is just an organism composed of people. Its purpose is not to pursue individual fairness, but to maintain the safety and prosperity of the entire society.With a large population and cumbersome affairs, how can the government cover everything and satisfy everyone?What's more, the government staff are human beings just like us, and they also have emotions and desires, and there are differences in ability.How can I blame the government for all the injustices and mistakes I have seen? Besides, whether a government or a regime can stand upright depends entirely on the people's cognitive level.The level of the people is based on ideology and culture.Today, after hundreds of years of humiliation and loss of power, our country has lost its self-esteem and surrendered unconditionally. How can we expect officials to have both integrity and ability, and the political situation to be clean and clean?

In the end, only God can complain. What are you complaining about?Why should I complain?Am I the pride of heaven?Is this world made for me?Should I be the center of this world?Don't you deserve other people's pain and suffering, and only my trivial setbacks should change the course of labor? The human self is the cognition center of a single individual that is inevitably produced under various causal cycles of the times and society.Due to the different environments faced by each person, the cognitive concepts are different, and their reactions and behaviors are also different.Everyone's reaction and behavior form the cause and effect of the entire era and social changes, and the cycle continues.If the impact is positive, you will get positive karma, otherwise it will be a negative vicious circle.As long as people can have this kind of cognition, they should have an incomparable desire to jump out of the existing cause and effect, and then change the direction of the times and society.

The people I met treated me well, and I should be grateful.For example, when I had a stomach ulcer, Lucia and her sister took care of me so that I could heal.They are not related to me, but they care about me and help me like that. Isn't it a good cause?And when I fell ill at Taipei Main Station, wasn’t it also a kind-hearted person who gave me a helping hand?Even the nurse took my stinky clothes to wash!Besides, the instructor in middle school didn't allow me to join the army. It stands to reason that he would violate the national policy if he did so!Why is he still trying to stop me?Where is the policeman?Why would he waste his time making up a story to get me back?Don't these all represent the rich love in the world?

I!I!Why should I complain?What is there to complain about?My parents gave birth to me, heaven and earth raised me, and various opportunities nurtured my soul and enriched my cognition. Isn't that what I want to pursue? The pain and torment I am suffering is part of the cause and effect formed by this environment. Why can't I get rid of this vicious circle?There are still many helpless poor people in the world. Their suffering may be thousands of times more than mine, and they cannot struggle out due to lack of opportunities or entanglement in responsibilities.How terrible would the world be if everyone only cared about themselves, and everyone harbored dissatisfaction and resentment?

Have I forgotten Christopher?That great soul, struggling under all kinds of physical and mental pressure, can still stand tall and glow with the brilliance of humanity! who I am?Actually blame everyone and everyone!for what?Just because Caroline didn't say goodbye to me?Excuse me?Am I still qualified to claim to be a person who pursues the truth of life?With my current performance, what do I deserve? If I only think about my own gains and losses, why should I lie to myself?Why not simply and justifiably pursue fame and wealth that are everywhere in the world?If I'm really after human truth, why should I put myself in the center of the universe?Don't jump out of your own small circle?Can I alone represent all human beings? Strictly speaking, who is not pursuing the truth of life?It's just that people are too fragile. Whenever they encounter difficulties and blows, they will shrink back, or change course and find another way.There are also some people who pay too much attention to their immediate interests, so that whenever they find that the truth does not match their hopes, they feel disappointed, angry, and unwilling to accept it humbly. What is truth?Truth should be the only truth that transcends any individual, boundary, time, and space, and covers everything! How can I confine myself to my insignificant feelings and try to gain insight into the sky?Truth originally exists in the universe, without beginning, without end, without limit, all phenomena are truth, and all kinds of concepts are also part of truth. I pretended to pursue the truth, traveled mountains and rivers, and searched the four regions, but I didn't know that the truth was by my side.With one's finite life, pursuing the endless outside world, what is it but delusion? I was originally a part of the truth body, but because there was a small ego in my heart, this ego separated itself from the body and left the matrix, so I felt lonely, hesitant, helpless, and ignorant!As long as anyone can break through the barrier of this ego, extend his feelings to all human beings and the entire universe, and regard human beings as himself.So, am I not one with the truth? Every doubt has a clear answer, which has long existed in people's hearts.Because I didn't want to admit that I was wrong, I pushed the responsibility so far away that I couldn't see the truth, and I was always looking for reasons to justify myself. Under this opportunity, I completely gave up my sensibility and questioned myself rationally.The past flashed across my heart one by one, piercing through layers of deafening clouds. It turned out that it was me who was wrong! In an instant, a miracle happened! A spark of bliss burst out of my heart suddenly, a boundless and endless power surged infinitely, and my whole body was so comfortable that I couldn't describe it in words.Every nerve is full of electric current, trembling and convulsing, the feeling of the body is integrated with the universe, that subtle feeling strongly shakes my soul. The whole body and mind swelled like this, swelled, swelled in extreme pleasure, like fiery trees and silver flowers all over the sky.In an instant, an incomparably bright golden light shone on my body, I don't know where it came from, and I don't know where it leads to.Thoughts stop, time stops, only the eternal universe is with me Under the tremendous pressure, once the high embankment burst, the torrential torrent would flow for thousands of miles.That kind of cosmic kinetic energy, mighty and mighty, responds to the topography and features, and turns into a turbulent stream, disappearing instantly.The flowing water returns to the ocean, and the ocean embraces the flowing water, and it is no longer possible to distinguish between water and sea, sea and water. Where the golden light shines, there is a bright but not dazzling infinity, extreme clarity, and supreme emptiness.Everything seems to be nothing, the only constant is the feeling in the heart, which is constantly expanding into the void. All the burdens on my body and mind were removed, my body was still in the human world, but my selfishness disappeared.Calm, joyful, full of tolerance and understanding for everything, there is no right or wrong, no good or bad.What should happen in the universe is happy to see its success, and what has already existed is happy to know the reason.I'm just a part of these causes and effects, I go at random, I'm happy with the situation, besides, what else? I don't know how long it has been, but it has been long enough for me to never forget, to keep that feeling in my heart forever. When I woke up, I found that I was kneeling on the top of the hair pit, two thick white snot like jade belts were hanging down from the nostrils, about half a foot long. My heart is full of peace and happiness, and the smile on my face can't help but emerge outward.I understood that at that moment, I had indeed returned to the body of the universe, and that kind of blissful feeling was definitely not something in the world.Now I just need to prove that, if that's true, I should be able to maintain this harmonious peace forever.Otherwise, time has passed and my mentality has changed again.So what I have obtained so far is nothing but a temporary illusion. In case all I get is an illusion, the value of that is limited and I can only keep it for my own enjoyment.If it is true, isn't that the truth I have worked so hard to pursue?Now that I have it, I have the responsibility to share it with others, and it should not be used only as a tool for personal liberation. Could it be just hallucinations after smoking marijuana?Although I am perfectly clear now and have no residual paralyzing effect, I cannot deny that I had smoked it last night. Generally speaking, marijuana does not work for more than four hours.Since seven o'clock last night, I have only smoked once, and at least eight hours have passed by now.So, I dare say that feeling is at least not a hallucination directly caused by marijuana. I've done profiling while smoking marijuana and documented it all.I found that the auditory nerves will become particularly sensitive at that time, especially for mixed sound waves, which can isolate a certain group of sounds individually like an electronic frequency divider.Vision is also somewhat affected, and the sensitivity to light and color is strong, but not very significant.In addition, other sensitivities such as skin, taste and smell are significantly weakened. However, the most strongly affected by marijuana is control. When thinking, the brain center must control the current pulses in the brain nerves, and use the level of potential to connect related experiences and concepts.In the gas produced by the burning of marijuana, there is a chemical substance that can penetrate the alveoli, penetrate into the blood, and enter the brain.This increases the conductivity of the white body of the cranial nerve, so that the electric potential cannot be controlled, thus producing various unpredictable fantasies. Generally, people who are not strong-willed, or who are deeply troubled by unpleasant experiences, can easily indulge in the illusion of cannabis.The real reason lies in this sense of detachment from reality and fantasy, during that time, in novel changes, can forget oneself for a while.But after the anesthesia wears off, the ordinary and helpless reality they face becomes even more unbearable.So it goes round and round, and gradually, people sink into narcotics and cannot extricate themselves. I haven't smoked marijuana much, and I haven't developed a dependency, mostly because I don't like the loss of conscious control.In the situation just now, if I hadn't smoked marijuana, I wouldn't have lost my chance to say goodbye to Caroline.If I want to escape, I also have a more effective method, which is to meditate.When meditating, as long as the breathing is well adjusted, one can also get the feeling of being in a celestial state.Because I meditate a lot, I can clearly distinguish what kind of feeling is in which situation. No matter how you look at it, what I just felt has absolutely nothing to do with marijuana.In the process of thinking, all the details are extremely clear, which can be said to be the most rational time in my life.In terms of feeling, everything comes from the heart, completely isolated from the outside world, completely unaffected by the sensory organs. The biggest difference is that one loses reason after anesthesia, and it is impossible to produce that indescribable bliss.The state of bliss can only be understood by those who have personally experienced it. If a person drinks water, he knows whether he is warm or not. What else do I have to prove? I seem to have seen this kind of experience of Jinzhaoding in the novel of Huanzhulouzhu.Of course, that couldn't be true, let alone dream that such a thing would happen to him.However, at that moment just now, like a miracle, the golden light came unexpectedly, making me, an ordinary person, accept an unprecedented baptism. A brand new me was born, but it took more than ten years for this new me to truly understand that the golden light roof is only the first step of getting started, and the trials that follow are more difficult and dangerous than the last.It wasn't until more than twenty years later, when I wrote this autobiography, that I truly understood the secret of boundless compassion in the universe. In the past, I had considerable confidence in my discernment and problem-solving abilities.However, in experience, this kind of confidence seems to belong to individuals only, and it has not been affirmed by teachers, superiors, colleagues, or even relatives and friends.I couldn't help doubting myself and the truth of things, so in order to prove it, I blindly catered to others. How can I be sure that I am right?The predecessors once said: The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. For thousands of years, in the surging world, in order to prove their own value, who is not struggling in the ocean where success is achieved when floating, and failure is when sinking? At the mercy of waves, waiting for the favor of fate? If my self-confidence needs to be built on the affirmation of others, shouldn't other people be the same?If there is not a truly solid, innate cognitive foundation, and a law that can stand the test of time, it can be applied everywhere.People can only deceive themselves and others based on the values ​​provided by power, wealth, power, and fame in the world.If I really have self-confidence and think I am right, I must deny the reality that everyone has been obsessed with following through the ages, and go my own way without interference. In fact, that's where my real problem is, and what I'm doing is completely out of the ordinary for the average person.As far as I am concerned, I am nothing if I give up my beliefs.But if you want to persevere, you can't live in this real society where success is the criterion. The biggest inspiration that Jinguangding gave me was that I felt the existence of the sky subjectively, which strengthened my self-confidence.Regardless of whether there is a day or not, let's assume it is a psychological condition.Before this miraculous situation happens, I look forward to the affirmation of others in everything.When I see the golden light, I have no desires, demands, dwellings, and selflessness. I do what I should, and I feel at ease.At least, I think this is great freedom!so free! On this point, the "Six Patriarchs Altar Sutra" taught me the most.After the sixth patriarch, the legacy of the Buddha's mantle and bowl was not handed down.I don't think this is just to avoid disputes, but more importantly, it is to confirm the beliefs of practitioners.If there needs to be a successor in office, it means that it is impossible for a person to prove himself, and the establishment of the confidence of a cultivator must be affirmed by an authority. Now that when the time is ripe, everyone can realize the Tao by themselves, whose affirmation do I expect?I just need to earnestly pursue, think rationally, not cling to subjectivity, observe and learn more, not for self-interest, not making judgments, not chaotic, not confused, and go forward bravely!Cause and effect in the world are inherently fixed, naturally.As long as the ego is put aside, what is right or wrong in an objective life?There is no right or wrong, so what are the gains and losses? Faith is the source of strength and the light of conduct, because all knowledge comes from experience.Experience is an individual's subjective cognition, and its credibility is questionable depending on the individual's position and goals.Unfortunately, people must have a basis for reference in the process of judgment, and the world is originally the result of the intersection of various chances.Nothing is suspect without a presumed starting point. Descartes' self-confidence lies in cogito, which leads to all his philosophical views.Christ Jesus is even more direct. When he faced the untouchables oppressed by the upper class, he said straight to the point: whoever believes in me will have eternal life.In the past, I could not accept this kind of presupposed confidence, because no matter how absurd things are, once I believe them, of course I can accept them all. What is the meaning of this kind of blind obedience in life? For more than 20 years, I have been unwilling to believe blindly, and insisted on pursuing the truth, sword and shoes.And at this moment, I finally found that Christ Jesus was worthy of being a wise man, and his ideas were correct.Whether it is money, fame or wealth, or even science, ghosts and gods, as long as people can truly believe in them, and they believe in them unswervingly, they can gain physical and mental peace and guide them through this lonely journey. To me, understanding this truth is far more important than accepting any truth.Because accepting the truth is purely subjective; understanding the truth must be verified objectively.It's just that everyone has his own destiny, and in the process of exploration, he has to go through various difficulties and obstacles.If a person's will is not firm enough to be consistent, he will inevitably go astray and waste his precious life. At the time, I couldn't say exactly what the confidence I was gaining was.However, confidence is confidence. Now that you are down-to-earth, at least you have proved that the direction you are pursuing is not wrong.It will definitely be worth spending another few decades to understand the substance of this confidence.So, with my head held high, I moved on without fear or regret. Especially in the current era of prosperous science, the human spirit and matter have stirred up huge waves, and hundreds of millions of sentient beings in the world are trapped in nameless troubles, fears, and pains.I invited the gods, and at the critical juncture, I got the enlightenment of the bright realm, strengthened my faith in life, and was able to get rid of troubles and reach the other shore.But looking back, the world is still struggling in the sea of ​​suffering, can I be complacent and complacent? Neo and Tony also noticed my changes. They thought it was the effect of reading the Bible, so what's the difference?I am grateful to them, to Caroline, to everything I have suffered in the past, but what else can they teach me? I know it's time to leave, where should I go?I am not worried about this at all. I believe that I have a chance, and I am very determined in my heart. I will go to Lao Ma first and tell him all my recent changes. My good friend cares about me and is naturally happy for me.I stayed at his house that night. He has a study room, and the bookshelves are full of novels brought from Taiwan.I flipped through them, but couldn't read any of them. When I was about to sleep, in a corner, there were two out of place yellow thread-bound books, which jumped into my eyes.Based on curiosity, the general books are mostly similar in size and consistent in shape and color.And these two books are above the crowd, and the corners of the books are turned over, obviously they are not in the same class! I took a look and found that these two books are Buddhist scriptures, one is the "Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra" and the other is the "Six Patriarch Altar Sutra". I have read the "Diamond Sutra" a long time ago, and every time I recite it for my father and mother, it is this scripture.Due to the jerky translation, it did not arouse much interest.However, after the "Six Patriarchs Altar Sutra" was opened, it was like a word and a sword, and the sword and sword hit the vital point, and the remaining confusion in my heart was wiped out! The Sixth Patriarch is the sixth Patriarch of Zen, that is, the monk Shi Huineng of the Tang Dynasty. He is called the Patriarch because he inherited the Buddha's mantle. The reason is that Sakyamuni Buddha suddenly picked up a flower and smiled on his face before preaching the Dharma at the Lingshan Dharma Assembly.For a moment, all the Buddha's disciples were at a loss, only the Venerable Mahakassapa, the golden head, smiled heartily, and the Buddha gave the mantle and bowl to the Venerable Mahakassapa, who is the first ancestor of the official teaching.After Buddhism was passed down for twenty-eight generations in India, it reached Master Bodhidharma.He believed that Mahayana Buddhism would flourish in China, so he crossed the sea and came to the east, and later generations called him the first ancestor of the east.Later, it was passed down to Huike, Sengcan, Daoxin, Hongren and even Huineng for a total of six generations.By the time of the Sixth Patriarch, the opportunity was ripe and Buddhism flourished, so he no longer imparted the mantle. The method of Buddhist practice depends on the nature of each person. Theravada Buddhism focuses on persuading people to recite scriptures and do good deeds, while Mahayana Buddhism focuses on helping the world and helping people.As for the successors of the Buddha's mantle, their realm has been further improved, so that those who have the opportunity and deep roots of wisdom can immediately understand the truth of Buddhism without using words or words, and relying entirely on concepts to think directly.This method was very popular among intellectuals who were striving for breakthroughs in Chinese society at that time, so more and more believers. At the beginning of the Qin and Han Dynasties, under the influence of Lao Zhuang and Confucius and Mencius, most intellectuals in China paid attention to nature or practical affairs, and avoided talking about supernatural phenomena such as ghosts and gods, so they did not establish religious concepts.Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty, from Hinayana to Mahayana, all of which focused on the reading and reciting of scriptures, the teaching of concepts such as retribution and reincarnation, and the goal of saving people and helping the world. After Bodhidharma came to China, he announced his blatant and unsanctified way and rejected the concept of utilitarianism, which aroused resonance among the Chinese scholar-bureaucrats.Because Huang-Lao thought is the foundation of Chinese culture, and has always emphasized the concept of the public world, Lao Tzu put it more thoroughly in the "Tao Te Ching": All things are done without giving up, born without being, doing without relying on, accomplishing but not staying, and husband only not staying, so don't go. This highest state of the unity of nature and man is the ultimate sublimation of human nature.The scholar-bureaucrats immediately absorbed the Buddhist thinking of the highest vehicle, and thus integrated with the local culture. In Buddhism, it is Zen, and in Confucianism, it is Neo-Confucianism. Because Zen attaches great importance to abstract thinking, it broadens the horizons and concepts of intellectuals.The cultural development of early Chinese society was transformed from agriculture, so nature was admired.Later, the society developed day by day, and the demand for pragmatic interpersonal relationships made the ethics advocated by Confucianism become the mainstream.Chinese scholars linger in this objective cognition of man and nature, and man and interpersonal relationship, and they are quite able to look up at the world and feel at ease. Buddhism attaches great importance to the heart, and advertises that the problem of human beings lies in the heart, so seek to clarify the heart and see the nature.The existence of this kind of subjective cognition has never been touched by Chinese culture, and it is quite a strange field.The Chinese only talk about having no desires, but they don't go deep into the fact that desires come from the heart!Everything is born from the heart!Intellectuals thus obtained a brand-new and detached cognition. The biggest feature of this kind of cognition is that it combines religion and ideology to produce a new culture.Since then, the three categories of human and nature, human relationship, and human heart have become the essence of Chinese culture. The Sixth Patriarch was originally a woodcutter in Nanhai, Guangdong Province, who was uneducated and illiterate.One day, when he was selling firewood, he heard a guest reading Buddhist scriptures, and if he realized something in his heart, he asked the guest for advice.The guest said that what he read was the Diamond Sutra, and that Master Hongren, the fifth patriarch of Zen Buddhism, preached in Dongchan Temple in Huangmei County, Hubei Province, urging people to recite this sutra often, and one can become a Buddha by reciting it. After hearing this, the sixth patriarch tried to get his mother settled first, and then made a special trip to Huangmei to meet the fifth patriarch.At that time, there were more than a thousand monks and lay disciples under the Fifth Patriarch's sect.As soon as he saw the Sixth Patriarch, he asked: Where are you from?What are you asking for? The Sixth Patriarch said: The disciple is a Cantonese who came from a long distance, hoping to become a Buddha. You are from Cantonese, Guangdong is uncivilized, how can you become a Buddha?Fifth Patriarch said. Although human beings are divided into north and south, the Buddha nature is the same. Why can't disciples become Buddhas? The fifth patriarch still needs to say more, but there are many monks and disciples around him, and the affairs are complicated, so he first asked the sixth patriarch to go to the stall to raise horses and pound rice, and it took more than eight months. One day, the Fifth Patriarch summoned his disciples and said: "The world is full of life and death, the sea of ​​suffering sinks, and you only seek peace and happiness all day long. When the end comes, how can there be peace?"Now I hope that you will write a verse as soon as possible based on your personal wisdom and without thinking too much.If someone is enlightened, I will pass on the mantle and method of the Buddha to him as the sixth generation patriarch. Although there were many disciples in the monastery at that time, there was a Zen master Shenxiu who was famous far and wide. He was a professor at that time. This is an eternal problem. It is only natural for monks to seek the Buddha and the Dharma, but seeking to be the sixth generation patriarch violates the basic spirit of being born.Shenxiu also knew that in terms of cultivation, he should have written this gatha, but if he deliberately wrote it, he would be suspected of seeking the throne of the patriarch.If you don't write, how can you express your own views and realm? Shenxiu was conflicted and thought again and again. Although he wrote the gatha, he dared not present it to the Fifth Patriarch.After four days, after much deliberation, I decided that it would be better to write the gatha on the wall of the corridor. If the fifth patriarch appreciates it at that time, it will show that I have this fate.Otherwise, his own cultivation base is not enough, so he has to work harder.So Shenxiu wrote a gatha on the wall in the middle of the night when no one was around. The body is a bodhi tree, and the heart is like a mirror stand, which should be wiped diligently at all times, so as not to stir up dust. In fact, the Fifth Patriarch came up with this topic for the sake of Shenxiu. Although Shenxiu was first-class in knowledge and character, he couldn't get rid of his reputation and didn't have the conditions to be an ancestor.If Shenxiu does not seek self-expression, let go of the idea of ​​inheriting the mantle, and let everything go naturally, it will be well deserved. The next day, the Fifth Patriarch saw the gatha on the wall and said, "This gatha has a good intention. You might as well read it often and follow it." All the disciples respected Shenxiu very much, and they all knew that this gatha was written by him. They thought that Shenxiu would inherit the mantle, and they were all happy for a while. The Sixth Patriarch also heard it during the recitation, but felt that the artistic conception in the gatha was not high, so he went to the corridor to see it for himself.Because he was illiterate, he asked a government official who came to worship the Buddha to read it to him. After listening, the Sixth Patriarch said: I think this gatha should be: Bodhi does not have a tree, and a bright mirror is not a stand. There is nothing in the first place, so where does the dust come from? After hearing this, the official felt that this gatha was quite meaningful, so he also wrote it on the wall. This incident alarmed the disciples, and they were in an uproar.The Fifth Patriarch knew that the time had not yet come. Even if he was a monk and had not realized the Dao, he was no different from ordinary people.Gaimen people respect Shenxiu, and in the struggle for power, they will definitely harm the Sixth Patriarch.Then he said that this gatha did not make sense, and ordered people to erase it. The next day, the fifth patriarch quietly went to the place where the rice was being pounded, and seeing the hard work of the sixth patriarch, he asked, "Is the rice pounding ready?" The Sixth Patriarch knew the deep meaning of the Fifth Patriarch, and replied, "It's already pounded, just need to sift it." The Fifth Patriarch didn't speak, just tapped the stone pestle three times with his Zen stick and left. The Sixth Patriarch had a tacit understanding and knew that the time had come, so he went to the Fifth Patriarch's meditation room at the third watch of the night.The Fifth Patriarch was waiting for him, and immediately explained the "Diamond Sutra" for him. He said: The various states of the human heart are not caused by external stimuli. To be natural is to be truly Buddha-nature.When the Sixth Patriarch heard it, the clouds broke and the moon opened in an instant, and he suddenly realized. Anyone who practices spirituality will face this problem.That is to say, the thoughts in the heart are always like the tide, rising and falling with each other.Some sects use restraint methods to force oneself to ignore the existence of the heart, so his life becomes a battlefield, endlessly wrestling with the forces of nature.Some use strict precepts, painful stimuli, or use various rituals, chanting, and social activities to divert attention. These methods can receive partial effects, but it takes a considerable amount of practice to make them habitual.However, this cannot be regarded as a practice, and it cannot be regarded as the goal of pursuit.Perhaps for some people who only seek inner peace, there is no other way, but for those who pursue the true meaning of life, this process is unnecessary waste. The wisdom of Shakyamuni Buddha lies in his ability to understand human nature and understand the truth of life.He taught for more than 40 years in his life, and his disciples recorded more than 3,000 classics.At first, I started talking about Mahayana, but I found that my disciples didn't understand much, so I immediately changed to Hinayana.Because people's understanding and origin are different, the dharma spoken also varies from person to person, time to time, and place to place.The greatness of the Buddha lies in the fact that he can use different methods to enable everyone to achieve liberation under his own individual conditions. In the era of Shakyamuni Buddha, people had narrow conceptions and limited knowledge.The breadth and depth of the Buddha's ideological system was not only unmatched at that time, but even today when science is flourishing, no one can surpass the scope of his revelation.He first used the form of religion to lay the foundation of the masses, and passed on his experience of the truth of life to Venerable Maha, until the world has enough experience, that is, when the time is right, it will naturally bear fruit and benefit public. However, including the Zen masters, although they can understand the true meaning of life passed down by the Buddha, they cannot break away from the form and category of religion.Of course, there are certain procedures for human beings to understand the universe, which must be done step by step.Before scientific knowledge was complete, various phenomena in nature could not be explained correctly with the existing concepts at that time. Therefore, the wise men classified some unknown phenomena as forbidden areas, and only assumed that there is a superhuman and omnipresent master.People have to accept, believe in, and worship Him unconditionally, and these problems can be regarded as temporary solutions.When these problems have been solved, man may, with his feeble intellect, concentrate on other problems. Therefore, no matter what kind of religion, it must first have its unquestionable myths that transcend reality.The second must be absolute faith in the supposed god.Then there are some rituals or rules to maintain beliefs, so that people can follow and fear. If religion is regarded as an inevitable process for human beings to explore the truth, then the contribution of religion is unparalleled.However, some religions are conservative, complacent about existing dogmas, and stay at a certain stage forever.Some even form a kind of social force, party against dissidents, and seek the self-interest of the group.Only in the realm of Zen, the attachment to any form or dogma, even to belief itself, is regarded as the shackles of human thought, which must be completely broken. The only principle of Zen practice is self-recognition. There are neither written scriptures nor oral tricks.So, what exactly is Zen?Throughout the ages, countless wise men and sages have asked this type of question.而每一個大徹大悟的得道者，也都不約而同地噤口不言，因之更增添了禪的神秘性，令人似懂非懂，諱莫如深。 事實上，禪只是一種追求人生真理的方法，關鍵在於什麼是人生真理。對於一個真正瞭解的人來說，他知道語言文字完全建立在個人的主觀經驗上。除非相互溝通的兩人，有著完全相同的主觀經驗，否則那些文字語言只能提供一點參考信息，而不可能把一個人的經驗，正確無誤地轉移到另一個人的經驗中。 比如說水果之王榴槤，我吃過後才發現的確有其特色，但未必適合各人喜好。後來有朋友問我榴槤的滋味，我設法用概念去解釋。但我想盡了一切方法，用盡了所有的詞彙，把我的感受描述出來。結果有的人感到好奇，有的人則興趣索然，卻沒有一個人能得到我所預期的反應。 榴槤只是一種水果，所需要的經驗並不多，而其經驗的轉移已是如此困難。人生真理所涉及的體驗、知識、境界豈止是罄竹難書？此外，當我在解釋榴槤的滋味時，不論聽者得到什麼印象，都不至於有任何不利的負作用（事實上連這點也很難有百分之百的保証）。然而當有人辛辛苦苦地追尋人生真理時，說者若認識不夠，勉強作答，其結果可能會令聽者失望而放棄，也可能導致聽者誤入歧途。這等重大的因果，有誰敢妄作一詞？ 這樣說來，人生真理是不是永遠要打著禪機、猜著啞謎、似是而非地以訛傳訛呢？當然不是，人類的知識在累進，觀念在拓展。雖然語言文字尚屬主觀，但是，現今已較千百年前通許多。只是要想得到真理之鑰，追索者需具備堅強的毅力、遇合的機緣、親身的體驗，這三者才是不二法門。 六祖得道後，五祖便傳授了衣缽，並諭示今後佛教將逐日昌盛，教祖地位之爭奪也將越演越烈。且根據達摩初祖的訓示，自六祖以後，得道者極多，沒有必要再以佛之衣缽作為印証之信物，故此衣止不傳。 神秀循序漸修的方法，人稱之為漸教，因其在中國北部有甚大的影響力，故又稱北宗。六祖回到南方傳播佛法，是為南宗，他主張明心見性，立地成佛，故又有頓教之稱。 對我而言，我的覺悟是在一剎那之間，然而這一剎那的發生，其間歷經了數十年的磨練以及不斷的努力追求。後來我看了不少禪宗公案，印証之下，無不與我心戚戚。雖然我並沒有受過正式的佛教薰陶，但我不得不承認，由於禪宗思想本是中國文化的一部分。我成長在這片肥沃的土地上，以至於在最後的認知方法上，完全與頓教不謀而合。 其實，我所認知的，是釋迦牟尼佛在《金剛經》上不斷反覆宣示的無我觀念。要談人生真理，就應該涵蓋每一個人；談宇宙真理，則應包括宇宙萬象。問題在於，人之主觀建立在自我感官之上，在主觀的屏蔽下，人的認知以自我為限，其他一無所覺。 那麼，我究竟是什麼呢？說穿了，只是一個機體與環境互動的感應中心。這個機體本是整體的一部份，如果我只顧及此一中心，感應為私，是稱小我；再若其感應與整體一致，我就稱為大我，其大與整體一致，也可稱之為無我。 當個人或人類成長後，有了客觀的認知，有能力分辨個體與整體的利害關係，就會選擇最有利的行為。但是，這種成長需要付出代價，若非整體發展的停頓、就是個體身心的損失。人生如此、宇宙亦然，如同一道長河，在這種利害交雜的波浪中，一起一伏邁向未來。 宇宙充塞著能，具有動態的時空結構。在這個結構中，所有的機體都受著能的支配，經過一段特定的時空座標，完成某種變化。我們且假定這種變化的終極為目標，同時再假定任何機體完成某種變化的能力為智慧。那麼，宇宙中的任何機體，在動態的時空結構中，達到其目標的能力，就是智慧。 億萬年來各種生命體生生滅滅，不過是整體能量自然變化的一種現象。人是自然的一部分，已經成功地趨利避害，形成部落、社會。若人只是為了求生存，事實已經証明生存的條件無虞匱乏。但人因為經驗的累積，在空虛中形成了一顆心，心對環境產生了比較，因比較而有喜惡，因喜惡而成為一己主觀的私。 在自私自利之下，人僅知有己，不知有人，己利不嫌其多，人害充耳不聞。這不正是人間的群相嗎？人罔顧自然界的真實，要在人生中追求一些本來不存的假象，其結果當然就是痛苦煩惱，這個道理不喻而明。宗教的魅力正在於此，人在欲望不能滿足之際，宗教的指引僅是把原是虛妄的願望，轉成對另一個世界的期待，於是私心便暫時遏止了。 由於各人的機緣，有人留連在物欲的層次，載浮載沉。有人迷戀在知識的領域，終其生盡心竭力為知識王朝奉獻。得到智慧的人不多，倒不是智慧難得，而是人停留在物欲界太久，或是知障過深，以致舉步維艱。 人生就因為人性的特色，莫不由物欲開始，逐步向上攀升。能到達知界者已屬不易，但若誤把橋樑當真知，人必將失望而回返物界。千古以降，只有少數人得以跨越人天的鴻溝，直趨宇宙的真如。 一旦人到達智慧的彼岸，人即與宇宙合而為一，軀體即使化為飛燼，人智卻得以永駐不朽。從古到今，由無到有，人只是一葉葉的輕舟，藉由語言文字，把小我的經驗累積成文化的長河。然後，一代一代，生生死死，由物界的凡軀進化到具有莫大智慧、無所不知、無所不在的宇宙生命。 人感覺到宇宙生命的存在，是為覺，待真正瞭解到其中的道理，則為悟。覺悟之後人又當如何自處呢？以宇宙的智慧而言，其動態的目標絕不是到此為止。人體仍在，感受依然，痛苦煩惱並不能避免。只是覺悟者多了一個自由的選擇，他可以把這種覺悟當作一種自我的經驗。有的人為了永遠保持那一剎的經驗，寧可棄絕人世，逃避到深山叢林中，自得其樂。也有人進而追求宗教上或思想上的支柱，在信仰或理性中達到精神的昇華，渾忘痛苦煩惱的存在。 每個悟道者有其個人的因緣，擔當著各自的角色。他們不必執著在某一演化的層次，不必為心及物所奴役，不再沉溺在人世生老病死的循環中。 老子是大智大慧者，佛也是大智大慧者。老子是由思維上著手，透過《道德經》的文字導引，闡釋了宿命的覺悟之道。佛終生說法渡眾，所稟持的是覺悟的機緣。佛因一大機緣而問世，甫生之初，一手指天，一手指地，言：天上地下，唯我獨尊。簡簡單單一句話，闡明了佛的基本精神，就是我！ 很多大德把佛所說的唯我獨尊視為佛的神通廣大，這是小乘的看法，企圖以神通誘人入信。此我實乃四大和合之我，蓋人獨立於佛性之外，私念頓萌，遂自迷於天地之我。佛即為破此我執而生，是先有我始有覺，先有覺才得悟之明証。 佛實際上是宇宙本體的總稱，代表了由物及人，由人及我，由我而返歸宇宙本體的過程。我的覺悟並不僅僅代表個人，而是全體人類，更是宇宙的芸芸眾生。既然如此，這種過程必將永遠不斷地在物界、知界及智界交互發展下去。 根據《地藏王菩薩本願經》所載，釋迦牟尼成道以前，曾是一王國的國君。有另一國之王，常與之討論人生的煩苦，釋迦決定修身成佛，以渡眾生。另一國王則許下宏願： 地獄不空，誓不成佛。 此王即是地藏王菩薩，此心是佛心，此念是佛念，此願即是佛願。 釋迦牟尼是佛修為的結果，以接引眾生，而地藏王菩薩所發的誓語，是佛的本願，陪伴眾生。假如人人只想成佛而不顧地獄的苦難，此念此願與追求一己之私何異？ 於是，佛的二元觀產生了。一是覺悟後，莊嚴的佛土，琉璃的寶地，佛高高在上。而在另一端，一個慈悲而卑微的佛性卻長駐人間，扮演著推動人性向上昇華的動力。我不想成佛，因在苦難中掙扎過，深知地獄的本貌。既然我僥倖有了今日之重生，必將以餘生烙下地藏王菩薩的心印，甘淪地獄，洞徹九幽。 九華山是地藏王菩薩的道場，據報導明朝時山上曾有一無瑕和尚，獨自一人，以洞穴為居，草木為食，活了一百二十歲。最後被人發現時早已坐化，肉身未腐。他遺下血經多卷，是以無比願力，自刺舌血所書。 見賢思齊，今後我決定稟持著地藏王菩薩的本願，我給自己訂下了三大目標： 一、不求名利：做自己該做的事，不計成敗，不為他人左右。 二、刻苦耐勞：人棄我取，人爭我離，苦事歸我，好事給人。 三、博學深思：繼續鑽研真理，以為他人去疑解惑。