Chapter 12 12. Micro Zen Machine

Hu Shi said: In the past, Zen monks once said that when Bodhidharma came to the east, he only wanted to find someone who would not be deceived by others.I have a thousand words here, but I just want to teach people a way not to be confused.Being led by the nose by Confucius and Zhu Xi is certainly not considered wise, and being led by the nose by sensitive words is not considered a hero either.I never want to lead anyone by the nose.I just hope to use my meager ability to teach my young friends some self-defense skills, and strive to be a person who will not be deceived by others. Sincerity: Two disciples of the Buddha, Lianhuase and Subhuti, were practicing. The Buddha opened the door and came in. Lianhuase flew over and said: Teacher, I am the first to pick you up.Buddha said: No, the first one to pick me up was not you, but Subhuti.Lianhua Se was surprised: No, Subhuti is still sitting there without moving.The Buddha said: His person has not moved, but his heart has come to my side - to behave in the world, to be sincere.What is sincerity?Be sincere in your work.

Freedom: Li Bo, the governor of Jiangzhou in the Tang Dynasty, asked Zen Master Zhichang: The Buddha said that Sumeru is contained in mustard seeds, but how can a small mustard seed hold the huge Mount Sumeru?The Zen master laughed: People say that you read more than ten thousand volumes. May I ask where are the ten thousand volumes?Li Bo: In my heart.Zen Master: How big is your heart, it can hold thousands of volumes of poems and books?Li Bo: ...Understood, no matter how big or small, it all depends on the heart.The more tolerant your heart is, the more free space you have to let your mind fly.

Method: The old monk took the young novice to travel, and saw two restaurants, one business was booming, and the other was empty.The monk went to the second restaurant and spent two copper coins on rough food.While eating, the owner of the store knelt down with a plop and said: Thank you for saving me. My business is not going well, and I feel suffocated. If you don’t come to eat, I will take a knife to kill the whole family of the opposite door... The monk said: Two copper coins, save the lives of two families, this is the way of practice! Learning from Buddhist scriptures: Japanese Zen master Dogen risked his life across the ocean to come to China to learn Buddhist scriptures.Soon after he returned from studying the Buddhist scriptures, the Japanese flocked to him, surrounded him, and asked: Zen Master, what have you cultivated?Dogen replied: Nothing, except a soft heart... Comments: Compassion and kindness is the insight into the misery of human nature.Once you know the pain and sorrow in other people's hearts, and the human law of intertwining pain and joy, you will gain great wisdom.

Market: Two Zen masters set up stalls to talk about the Dharma, one audience gathered, and the other was empty.The latter was depressed, so he came to the former to listen to the lecture, and said after listening to it: Hey, what you are talking about is the most common principles, and what I am talking about is the righteousness of Buddhism, but why do you have so many audiences, but I have no audience?The former replied: The audience is the most ordinary people, so of course we must speak simple truths.Only when the simple Tao is understood, can it be possible to slowly understand the thought.

Self: The little monk asked the Zen master: Where is the Tao?The Zen master said: The Tao is right in front of your eyes.The little monk was very confused: Then why can't I see it?The Zen master said: Because you have an ego that covers your sight, so you can't see it...Comment: The ignorance of the ego constitutes the biggest obstacle to our cognition, only listen to what you want to hear, only see What I want to see, thinking that I am getting more and more wise, is actually just a deepening prejudice. The little monk asked the Zen master: What should I do if I suddenly encounter a big tiger while walking on the road?The Zen master hit the little monk's bald head with a bang, and cursed: "There are so many people walking on the road, and no one has ever encountered a tiger. How come you are the only one who can encounter it? It can be seen that your heart is not clean..." A pure heart like a Buddha's child can be encountered but not sought after.You must know that your heart is originally turbid, how can you find the lost purity.

In-depth study: Someone traveled thousands of miles to the mountains to find an eminent monk, and asked: Is the world after death terrible?The eminent monk asked: When did you die?The guest replied: I have never died, and I don't want to die, so I care about this issue.The eminent monk said with a smile: I suggest you die once, after you die, you will understand the truth of death... Comments: If you don't want to do one thing, there is no need to delve into it. When Bai Juyi entered the mountain, he saw a monk climbing a tree and shouted, "Dangerous."Monk: You are in danger.Bai Juyi: What danger am I in?The monk replied: You seek wealth in an official position, like picking chestnuts from the fire. If you are not careful, you will lose your family and life. Do you think it is dangerous or not?Bai Juyi bowed: May I ask the righteousness of Buddhism.The monk said: Do good deeds.Bai Juyi: Three-year-olds also know this.Monk: Although a three-year-old child knows it, an eighty-year-old may not be able to do it.

Mind-nature: A monk asked a Zen master: Do dogs have Buddha-nature?The Zen master said: "Of course there is. From all Buddhas down to the ants, all have Buddha nature. How can a dog not have Buddha nature?"The monk asked: Since it has Buddha nature, how could it become a dog?The Zen master said: He committed the crime knowingly... Comments: Even the most dull person knows the rules and principles of success in life.But the real winners are very few.More people know they are wrong, but stubbornly refuse to turn back. Messy: Seeing his disciples kowtowing in front of the Buddha, the Zen master asked: What are you doing?He replied: I am worshiping Buddha.The Zen master asked: What is the purpose of worshiping Buddha?Disciple replied: Don’t do anything, worshiping Buddha is always a good thing, you should encourage me!The Zen master said: Good things are worse than nothing... Comments: Nothing is the highest state of happiness in life, happiness is like this, there are no twists and turns, no ups and downs, so it is beyond words.

Ambition: The Zen master asked the student monk: What is your ambition?The student monk replied: Willing to be a horse and an ox for all sentient beings!After hearing this, the Zen master picked up his cane and beat him: You big liar, I beat you to death... The monks were so frightened that they ran away with their heads in their hands, and all the monks rushed forward to try to persuade them: Excuse me, Zen master, why did you beat him?The Zen master said: You can't even carry yourself, so why do you want to be a horse and an ox for all living beings? Zen mind: The Zen master picked up a fallen leaf on the ground.The little novice said with a smile: "There are so many fallen leaves, you picked them up in front, and then they fell in the back, how can you finish picking them up?"The Zen master replied: Fallen leaves not only fall on the ground, but also fall on our hearts.The fallen leaves in my heart will always be picked up one day... Comments: There is nothing in the first place, where is the dust, that is the wisdom of the seer, if you don't wipe your heart first, and pick up the fallen leaves, you will not be able to achieve this border.

Do you know: The Dharma seeker went to the temple and asked the monk: The Buddha has ten disciples, why exactly ten?The monk replied: That is because only ten people have become enlightened.Dharma seeker Yao: You Zen masters, please come.When the Zen master came, the seeker still asked the same question, so the Zen master replied loudly: "I don't know!"The Dharma seeker was overjoyed and said that he had finally found a real wise man - wisdom is not how much you know, but what you know what you don't know. Chan Yin: There was a beautiful and rich young woman who had no friends, so she asked the Zen master: How can I have close friends?The Zen master replied: Speak Zen words and listen to Zen sounds, and you will have friends.What is Zen talk?That is to say words that you like, true words, modest words, and words that benefit others.What is Zen tone?It is to hear compassion from insults, help from slander, and joy of life from crying, and you will have friends.

Wuxin: A new abbot came to the temple, and found that the sound of the bells in the temple was permeated with Buddhism, so he went to inspect the bell-ringing monk, but found that the posture of the bell-ringing monk was irregular.I just pointed out: Your bell, which fully shows the Buddha's mind, is very good and powerful. If you correct the posture, it will be perfect.After hearing this, the bell-ringing monk paid attention to correcting his posture, and soon his posture was perfect, but the emptiness and purity of Buddhism were no longer in the bell. Fighting between Buddhism and Taoism: a Taoist priest, a monk, and the two disagree with each other.The Taoist said: You Buddhists, say one thing about everything, one Buddha and one Tathagata.We Taoists, say two things about everything, the universe is yin and yang.Two is better than one, so Taoism is superior to Buddhism.The monk asked: Are you sure that two is better than one?Taoist: Of course.As long as you say one, I promise to beat you with two.So the monk crossed one leg and said slowly: I stand on the ground, and I can cross one leg. Can you cross both legs?The priest was speechless.

The little monk asked the Zen master, what is the biggest shortcoming of human beings?The Zen master replied: Ignorance, cruelty and cowardice.To be ignorant is to think that one is right, to always be superior, to point fingers at others, to think that others are not right, and that is also wrong.Cruelty means taking pleasure in other people's misfortunes and sufferings, applauding others jumping off a building, and even wishing that the world would be in chaos.Cowardice is the fear of losing what you have, worrying about not getting what you desire, and living in the pain of worry all day long. Heaven: Someone went to heaven.God said to him: Here are the most exquisite food, the softest bed, and the happiest entertainment, you can enjoy it as you like.The man was overjoyed, so he ate, drank and had fun.Not long after, the man said: In addition to eating, I just sleep. I am so depressed. Can I find something to do?God said: There is nothing to do here.The man said: Wouldn't that be more boring than hell?God laughed: A life without dreams and passion is originally hell. Zen Master Wude said: Why do some people worry about reputation, suffer from love, and worry about money?This is because ideals, beliefs, and responsibilities are not empty, but are reflected in people's daily lives. Only by changing the concepts and attitudes of life can life itself change.Reputation must serve the public to be happy; love must be dedicated to others to be meaningful; money must be given to the poor to be valuable. Su Dongpo: After he realized Zen, he regarded himself as noble. He suddenly heard that Zen Master Chenghao of Yuquan Temple in Jingnan had a lofty Zen school and was difficult to grasp. He was very dissatisfied, so he pretended to be a pilgrim to challenge him.Seeing the Zen master, Su Dongpo asked: I heard that the Zen master has a high level of Zen enlightenment, what is Zen enlightenment?The Zen master asked: May I ask your honorable name?Su Dongpo: My surname is Cheng, and I say how many catties and taels you have.The Zen master yelled in Su Dongpo's ear, and then asked, "Excuse me, how much does this drink weigh?" Monk: Most monks in the temple suffer from toothache, and they all go to the doctor to install the best quality dentures. The reimbursement fee is extremely high, and the accountant monk complains to the abbot.The abbot said: Although the cost is high, we must reimburse them.The accountant monk said: But even if you reimburse them, they are still full of complaints and complain non-stop.The abbot said: How can you hear good things from other people's mouths?No matter how ugly their words are, you should put on good teeth for them. The boatman pushed the ferry into the river, ready to carry passengers.At this time, someone asked the Zen master: The boatman pushed the boat into the river and killed many shrimps and crabs. Is this the fault of the passengers or the fault of the boatman?The Zen master replied: It is neither the passenger’s fault nor the boatman’s fault, but your fault—sin karma is created by the mind, if there is no heart, there is no sin, and there will be no crime without the mind, only out of nothing, self-distribution Farewell, the creation of good and evil is the cause of all the sins in this world. Evangelism: The apostle and his disciples traveled far away and encountered a blizzard.The apprentice said: A righteous person should sacrifice himself and take off your clothes for me.The preacher cried and said: If I die, who will preach?The apprentice said: If you don't die, why do you say you are a righteous person?The preacher was forced to take off his clothes, freeze to death, and the Tao has been lost since then... We are more important than society, if society collapses, we can rebuild society, but if we are ruined, everything is lost... During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, an eminent monk, Kumarajiva, brought ten beautiful beauties to preach Buddhism in Chang'an. Everyone was overjoyed and became monks one after another.However, Kumarajiva asked the monks to sit down and meditate. The monks were furious and clamored for the same treatment as the eminent monks.Then Kumarajiva took out ten steel needles and asked: If you can swallow these steel needles, you can sleep with the beautiful woman.The monks said angrily: Can you?Kumarajiva immediately swallowed the steel needle, and the monks were immediately discouraged.Kangbei Shrimp Latuo. There was a Tibetan Buddhist monk named Yuexi Yangga. Three people went to him for fortune-telling. Unexpectedly, when they met, he picked up his crutches and beat the three people to death on their heads.The three of them were beaten so badly that they went home angrily. Before they reached the door, they found that the house was on fire... This story was told by the old mage Luosang Zhenzhu. Remember the story of the Zen master?When people asked him what Zen is, he held up a finger. The young monk saw it and followed suit, but the old monk cut off the little monk's finger...Why did the old monk cut off the little monk? Monk's finger?Because fingers are not Zen, similarly, words are not thoughts, they are just tools used by thinkers to express thoughts. Only me: Under the bodhi tree, the Buddha pointed to the sky with one hand and pointed to the earth with the other, and said: In the sky and on the earth, I am the only one. The "I" that the Buddha said is the real inner self, not the Buddha's self-proclaimed.It refers to the heart freed from material desires, illusions and false appearances.If a person can see through the world, look down at his heart, and see his innate emptiness and innocence, he will be able to gain the freedom that cannot be restrained by the world-this is the meaning of self-respect. Life: The housewife raised many orchids. One day, her child accidentally tripped over the orchid stand and the whole orchid was knocked over. The housewife was very angry and punished the child severely.At this time, a Zen master passed by and asked: Why did you beat the child?Answer: Because he knocked over the orchid.Ask again: Then why do you want to grow orchids?Answer: It makes me feel happy.The Zen master said: But you are not happy at all in this state... Buddha Jataka story: In the early years, Bodhisattva was reincarnated as the third son of a businessman.There was a lotus pond in the city, guarded by a man without a nose.The three sons wanted lotus flowers, and the eldest said: Give me lotus flowers, and your nose will grow.The caretaker won't give it.The second child said: Give me the lotus, and your nose will grow.The caretaker won't give it.The third child said: The nose will not grow back, please give me the lotus.The caretaker gave him the lotus... Whoever tells the truth is a Bodhisattva. Master Hsing Yun said: When (I) was young, I was very fussy. I was very happy when I was praised, and I was very uncomfortable when I was criticized. But now I don’t care. No piece is missing.This world is half and half world, half is good, half is bad; half is man, half is woman; half is light, half is dark; Zen words: 1. The reason why people suffer is that they pursue the wrong things. 2. Every kind of trauma is a kind of maturity. 3. The truth of life is only hidden in the plain and tasteless. 4. Make a lot of friends, that is, don't hurt anyone. 5. To be respectful to others is to honor yourself. 6. Only by facing reality can we transcend reality. 7. If you don't know how to love yourself, you won't be able to love others. 8. All things are for my use, but not my own.