559: New Interpretation of Buddhist Cases

The cave was clearly furnished, and although the layout was simple, it showed great care.

"Amitabha, Senior Brother has come from afar, and I, Hongren, have failed to welcome you properly. I hope you will forgive me!"

The person speaking was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion; he was a middle-aged monk with a kind face and gentle eyes, yet his gaze held a brilliant, piercing light.

Behind him, two monks stood in attendance, their eyes lowered, seemingly pondering some question.

When Wu Zhen heard him address her Master as Senior Brother, she felt a slight displeasure, but having long ago abandoned vanity, she did not dwell on it; after all, the other party did not know that Tang Ku was a True Buddha.

"I did not inform you beforehand, so one could say I came uninvited. If you had been able to welcome me, that would have been the truly strange thing!"

Tang Ku said with great ease.

Hongren raised his eyes, a trace of surprise appearing on his face as he said, "I see. Senior Brother cultivates the Dao of Nature, acting through non-action... yet you also possess the heart to save all sentient beings. Are you not afraid that these two might conflict?"

"Whether there is a conflict or not depends on one's thinking... My heart is firm, I live naturally, and I act with integrity. The two are in harmony, so where could a conflict come from!"

Tang Ku chuckled.

"Amitabha, Senior Brother truly has a profound understanding of the Buddha Dharma!"

Hongren suddenly smiled and said, "Ancestral Master Bodhidharma passed Zen Buddhism to me, and I am already the fifth generation. I am truly ashamed that I have failed to carry forward the Zen Buddhism Buddha Dharma, and now I am old and frail. I am currently looking for a successor... yes, these two Disciples behind me... well, greet this Senior Brother..."

The two young monks behind him finally snapped back to reality, pressed their palms together, bowed slightly toward Tang Ku, and said in unison, "Greetings, Great Master!"

"Yes, the older one is my chief Disciple, Shenxiu, and the younger one is my closing Disciple, Huineng. Both of them have the ability to inherit Zen Buddhism, but I am finding it difficult to choose because their Buddha Dharma has both reached a superior level. It is hard to decide who should inherit Zen Buddhism!"

Hongren said, "Well, look at the two poems on the wall. The former was written by Shenxiu, and the latter by Huineng. Both poems express their states of mind. I wonder if Senior Brother has a way to determine which of the two is superior?"

Tang Ku looked up, smiled, and thought to himself: He is testing me. Haha, it hasn't even been three months yet, and it's already started?

These two poems were from a famous Buddhist case that once occurred in the real world, a story derived from the Fifth Ancestor Hongren passing the teaching to the Sixth Ancestor Huineng.

The first poem, written by Shenxiu, read: "The body is like the Patriarch Bodhi tree, the heart like a bright mirror stand; constantly wipe it clean, do not let dust settle!"

The latter poem, written by Huineng, read: "The Patriarch Bodhi tree is not a tree, the bright mirror is not a stand; originally there is nothing, where can dust settle?"

According to the original story, the superiority of the two poems was actually easy to determine. In the Realm of no-self and no-thing, it was clear that the rice-pounding monk Huineng had a much higher Realm than the senior Disciple, and the final result was that the monk Huineng inherited the robe and bowl to become the Sixth Ancestor of Zen Buddhism.

However, in Tang Ku's view, this Buddhist case was completely different!

"Senior Brother, seeing these two poems, you must have already made a decision. Are you trying to see if your thoughts are the same as mine? Is that what you mean?"

Tang Ku asked.

Hongren smiled without answering and made a gesture of invitation.

Tang Ku looked at the two poems, then at the composed Huineng and the somewhat worried Shenxiu, and smiled slightly, saying, "Senior Brother, if we are talking about passing on the essence of Zen Buddhism, Huineng is clearly a cut above in terms of Buddha Dharma!"

Hearing this, Huineng's face remained impassive, but Shenxiu's expression became even more bitter. Tang Ku observed their expressions and nodded inwardly, saying, "However..."

Hongren's eyes lit up, knowing there must be more, so he nodded and said, "Please continue, Senior Brother!"

"However... if it is for the sake of spreading the Buddha Dharma, saving all sentient beings, making countless living beings turn their hearts toward our Buddha, and enabling countless living beings to attain Buddhahood, I think... Shenxiu is still a cut above."

A gleam of spirit flashed in Shenxiu's eyes, and he couldn't help but smile, "Excellent, excellent. Poor Monk thanks the Great Master for your kindness, but I am unworthy of such praise!"

Hongren frowned slightly: "Can you explain why?"

"'The Patriarch Bodhi tree is not a tree, the bright mirror is not a stand; originally there is nothing, where can dust settle?'... This is the Realm of no-self, where there is neither self nor other, and everything is empty. In times of prosperity, when spreading the essence of Zen Buddhism, putting oneself first, Huineng is the most suitable!"

Tang Ku pointed to Huineng, who remained impassive, and said: "But, in times of chaos, Shenxiu's philosophy is the best choice... 'The body is like the Patriarch Bodhi tree' means one must stand upright and have kind thoughts; 'the heart like a bright mirror stand' means one must have a clear mind and distinguish right from wrong; 'constantly wipe it clean, do not let dust settle' means our Buddha's Disciples must work diligently for the sake of all living beings under heaven, so that they are not covered in dust... This is what is called the pragmatic school! Speaking of which, Huineng's philosophy is to save oneself and others, but Shenxiu's philosophy is to save the world without saving oneself first! These are two completely different paths; there is no distinction between which is better or worse, or who is right or wrong! To see who is most suitable to be the successor, one must look at the times!"

A light shone in Huineng's eyes, and he smiled calmly: "The Holy Monk is right. I originally thought Senior Brother was attached to appearances, but I did not expect that I was the one attached to appearances. Seeing that Senior Brother's philosophy was different from mine, I developed a desire to compete, which is why Master was troubled!"

Hongren looked at Tang Ku noncommittally and suddenly asked: "If one cannot save oneself, how can one save others?"

Tang Ku shook his head and said: "The self is among others, the self is among all people in the world, the self... is among the myriad living beings. I am one of the common people. Saving others, saving all living beings in the world... is saving oneself!"

Hongren's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stood up and said: "Excellent, excellent... Senior Brother's Buddha Dharma is profound, far beyond my own. Furthermore, you uphold a single thought of kindness and have come to save all living beings in the world. Poor Monk admires you... Shenxiu, Huineng, you two come with me!"

As he spoke, the Old Monk took the two young monks and bowed to Tang Ku, while Shenxiu's face was filled with gratitude. Tang Ku could not help but nod at him.

"Master, I understand..."

Wu Zhen watched the Old Monk's back, "The so-called saving oneself and saving others is actually just a false proposition. The difference is merely a choice made at different times, in different places, and under different circumstances!"

Tang Ku nodded and smiled: "You have entered the Dao. In time, your Buddha Dharma cultivation will surely be higher than mine... Well, follow me. Up ahead is where the Ancestral Master Bodhidharma faced the wall... Next, I will emulate his actions and face the wall here to contemplate the Buddha Dharma. You decide for yourself whether to stay or go!"

"Guangdu Xin Buddha, this Disciple is willing to stay by your side!"

Wu Zhen said, pressing her palms together.