Chapter 63 The Old Spirit on the Sansheng Stone

Su Dongpo, a great poet and writer in the Song Dynasty, once wrote a very interesting story "The Biography of Monk Yuanze". Believe it is a true story. The original text is in classical Chinese, in a story style, and the article is plain, so it is not difficult to understand. I attach the original text below, adding my own punctuation: Biography of Monk Yuanze Luoshi Huilin Temple, the former Guangluqing Li Deng ranked first.Lushan fell into the eastern capital, and climbed to live in it and guard it to death. Ziyuan, who was a noble wanderer when he was young, was famous for his extravagant and good songs, and when he died, he swore in grief and indignation that he would not be an official, marry, or eat meat. He lived in the temple for more than fifty years.

There is a monk in the temple, Yuanze, who is rich and has a bosom friend. The source and him are very close. One day we met to visit Emei Mountain in Qingcheng. The source wanted to come from Yixia in Jingzhou, and Ze wanted to take Xiegu Road in Chang'an. Zhouci Nanpu, seeing a woman who was carrying an urn with brocade crotch, Ze looked at him and wept: "I don't want to do this, so it is true." Yuan asked in amazement, and Ze said: "The woman's surname is Wang, and I should be her son. She is three years pregnant! I won't come, so I won't be able to breastfeed. Now that I see you, there is no one to escape. You should use a spell to help me speed up my life." When I was bathing my children for three days, I hope that the Lord will come to me and believe in laughter. In the next thirteen years, on the moonlit night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will meet you outside the Tianzhu Temple in Hangzhou."

The source is sad and remorseful, but he bathes and wears it easily for a tool. At dusk, the lake dies and the woman breasts.I looked at it for three days, and my son saw Yuanguo smiled, and told the Wang family that he became a monk and was buried at the foot of Zeshan Mountain.So if he failed, he went back to the temple and asked his disciples, and he would have his fate! Thirteen years later, from Luoshi Wu, went to his appointment.When I arrived at the appointment place, I heard that there was a shepherd boy on the bank of Ge Hongchuan, who clasped the horns and sang: "The old spirit on the Sansheng stone, it is not necessary to watch the moon and sing the wind; I am ashamed that my lover is visiting from afar, and this body will last forever even though the opposite sex."

Hu asked, "Is Zegong healthy?" The answer said: "Li Gong is a true believer. However, the vulgar relationship is not exhausted, so be careful not to get close, but to practice diligently and not fall, and we will meet again." Another song said: "There are so many things in front of you and behind you, and you may be heartbroken if you want to talk about karma; Wuyue mountains and rivers find yourself over and over, but returned to the smoke and went to Qutang." So I didn't know what to do. In the next three years, Li Deyu played Yuanyuan as a loyal minister, dutiful and filial.It's not enough to pay homage to the doctor.He died in the temple at the age of eighty.

a romantic legend This is really a touching story.It describes the true feelings of friends, human nature, and the soul of life. It has not changed after two dynasties, and it is moving to read. Its general meaning is that Li Yuan, a son of a rich family, realized the impermanence of life because his father died in the accident, vowed not to be an official, not to marry a wife, and not to eat meat. He donated his home to rebuild Huilin Temple and lived in the temple. practice here. The abbot of the temple, Zen Master Yuanze, was very good at managing the temple property and knew music well. Li Yuan and him became good friends, and they often sat and talked for a whole day. No one knew what they were talking about.

One day, they made an appointment to visit Mount Qingcheng and Mount Emei in Sichuan. Li Yuan wanted to travel up the river from Hubei by water, but Yuanze proposed to enter Sichuan by land through the Xiegu in Chang'an.Li Yuan disagreed.Yuanze had no choice but to obey him, and sighed, "A person's fate is really beyond his control!" So they walked together on the waterway and arrived at Nanpu. The boat was leaning on the bank and saw a woman in brocade clothes fetching water from the river. Yuanze shed tears when she saw it, and said to Li Yuan: "I don't want to I was afraid of seeing her when I walked by water!" Li Yuan asked him why in surprise, and he said: "Her surname is Wang, and I am destined to be her son, because I refuse to come, so she has been pregnant for three years and still can't give birth. , now that I have met, I can no longer escape. Now please use a spell to help me reincarnate quickly. When I take a bath three days later, please come to Wang’s house to see me. I will prove it with a smile. Thirteen years later, on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, If you come outside the Tianzhu Temple in Hangzhou, I will definitely come to meet you."

On the one hand, Li Yuan grieved and regretted, on the other hand, he bathed and changed his clothes. At dusk, Yuan Ze died, and the woman he saw by the river also gave birth. Three days later, Li Yuan went to see the baby. The baby really smiled when he saw Li Yuan. Li Yuan told the Wang family everything, and the Wang family took money to bury Yuanze at the foot of the mountain. Li Yuan was no longer in the mood to visit the mountains, so he returned to Huilin Temple, only then did the disciples in the temple tell that Yuanze had already written the suicide note. Thirteen years later, Li Yuan went from Luoyang to Tianzhu Temple in West Lake, Hangzhou, to go on a date with Yuanze, when he went outside the temple, he suddenly heard the singing of a shepherd boy patting his horns from the bank of Ge Hongchuan:

I am the soul of a past person who has passed three lifetimes, The past of appreciating the moon and singing the wind is long gone; Ashamed to have sent you so far to visit me, Although my body has changed, my nature has grown.After hearing this, Li Yuan knew he was an old man, so he couldn't help asking: "Zegong, are you alright?" The shepherd boy said: "Li Gongzhen keeps his promise, but unfortunately my secular relationship is over and I can't get close to you again. We have to work hard to practice and not fall, and we will meet again in the future." Then he sang another song:

Things in front of and behind are very slim, Want to tell the cause and fate but afraid of feeling sad; I have traveled all over the mountains and rivers of Wuyue, Then turn the bow to Qutang! The shepherd boy turned around and left, never knowing where he went. Three years later, the minister Li Deyu wrote a memorial to the emperor, recommending Li Yuan as the son of a loyal minister and very filial, please give him an official position.So the emperor appointed Li Yuan as an admonishing doctor, but at this time Li Yuan had already fully realized, saw through the world, and refused to take office. Later, he died in the temple and lived to be eighty years old.

Are there really three life stones? The story of Zen Master Yuanze and Li Yuan has been widely spread. Today, there is still a large stone outside Tianzhu Temple in West Lake, Hangzhou. It is said that it is the place where they met each other, called "Sansheng Stone". The "Sansheng Stone" has always been a very famous stone in China. It can be compared with the leftover play stone left by Nuwa to mend the sky. Later, it developed into the Chinese people's belief in life and future generations. More couples write their vows on the Sansheng Stone, and that's how the saying "Fate Sets Three Lives" comes from.

As mentioned earlier, this story is likely to be true, but whether it is true or not, at least it reflects the Chinese people's views on the eternity of life and the view of true immortality.Through this concept of "wheel" and "reincarnation", the Chinese have established a profound concept of ethics, life, philosophy, and even the entire universe, which is exactly a kind of meditation and wisdom of Buddhism. We often say "seven generations of couples", "It's not that enemies don't get together", we often say "Ten years of cultivation can cross the boat, and a hundred years of cultivation can sleep together", we often say "Fate is destined for three lives, and we will be in love forever"...even When Yu was angry, he gritted his teeth and said, "I won't let you go even if I die! "When I apologized, I blushed and said: "I will be a cow and a horse in my next life to repay you!" "When you fail and become discouraged, you will say: "What evil did you do in your previous life! "When seeing other people's husbands and wives falling out of harmony, they will say: "It's really an enemy from a previous life! This kind of concept is pervasive in China. When folk women kill chickens and ducks, they will read: "When there is nothing left to do with chickens and ducks, I hope you will be the son of a rich man in your next life." "Even the death-row inmate would roar when he was about to execute: "Twenty years later, he will be a hero again!" " Therefore, there should be "three life stones". In fact, reincarnation and reincarnation are the basic concepts of Buddhism. In Buddhism, there is life and death, and there is reincarnation when there is lust. It is also possible to be an enemy again and again... But life after life, forever and ever, you will be bound forever, and you can't be freed. Only by letting go of everything can you go beyond the shackles of samsara. There is a poem in the "Chu Yao Jing", which can point out the essence of life and death reincarnation: Cut down the tree without exhausting the roots, even though it is cut down, it will regenerate; Cutting down love is endless, and life is suffering after counting. It's like making an arrow yourself, but also hurting yourself; The same is true for inner arrows, love arrows hurt all beings.Here, love is to be solved, and there is no distinction between good and evil. Being shot by the arrow of hatred is certainly hurt, but being shot by the arrow of love is also painful. Repeated arrows will bring continuous injury, and it will go on from generation to generation. In addition, there are two passages on reincarnation in the "Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment", which are more thorough: "All sentient beings, from beginningless time, have all kinds of love and greed, so there is reincarnation. If all kinds of nature in the world, egg-born, womb-born, wet-born, and transformed, are all born out of lust. You should know that in reincarnation, love is the root .There are various desires, which help to develop love, and thus can make life and death continue. Desire is caused by love for life, and life is caused by desire to exist. All living beings love life, but also rely on desire. Love and desire are the cause, and love of life is the effect." " " All the worlds are always arising and ceasing, there is front and back, gathering and dispersing, starting and stopping, thoughts and thoughts are continuous, cyclical, and all kinds of choices are all samsara. Before going out of samsara, one can discern the perfect enlightenment; the perfect enlightenment is the same circulation; There is no such thing as reincarnation. For example, moving the eyes can shake the clear water, or like fixing the eyes, it is like turning the fire, the clouds move the moon, the boat moves the shore, and the same is true." It can be seen that not only people are reincarnated, but the whole world is reincarnated.We can’t see the cloud, it doesn’t mean the cloud disappears, it’s because the cloud has left our sight; we can’t see the moon, it doesn’t mean there is no moon, but it’s moving to the opposite side; The scenery moves with it, and so does everything in the world.A person's life is like sailing a boat, starting and landing, the boat (nature) remains unchanged, but the shore (body) changes, and the scenery (experience) changes accordingly. This metaphor of reincarnation is really beautiful. The smell of celery in your mouth Having talked about reincarnation, let me tell you another story, which is the personal experience of Huang Shanshan, a great poet who is as famous as Su Dongpo.Huang Valley is from Xiushui County, Jiangxi Province, and this story comes from Xiushui County Chronicles. After Huangshan Valley became a Jinshi, he was appointed as the magistrate of Huangzhou by the court. He was only 26 years old when he took office. One day when he was taking a nap, he dreamed that he went out of the government office to a village. He saw an old woman with white hair standing in front of an incense table outside his house. Also called a person's name.Huang Shanshan walked forward and saw that the bowl of noodles was steaming hot and seemed to be delicious. He picked it up and ate it unconsciously. After eating, he returned to the Yamen and woke up with the smell of celery in his mouth. The dream was very clear, but Huang Shan thought it was a dream and didn't take it seriously. The next day when I took a nap, I dreamed the same scene again, and when I woke up, I could smell the smell of celery in my mouth, so I felt very strange, so I got up and walked out of the yamen, followed the road in my dream, until I walked outside the old woman's house, Knocking on the door and going in, it was the old woman I saw in the dream, so I asked her if she had put her face outside the door and called for people to eat noodles. The old woman replied: "Yesterday was my daughter's death day, because she liked to eat celery noodles, so I called her to eat noodles outside the door. I call her like this every year." "How long has it been since your daughter died?" "It's been twenty-six years." Huang Shanshan thought that he was exactly twenty-six years old, and yesterday was also his birthday, so he asked her about her daughter's life before she was alive, and who else was in the family. The old woman said: "I only have one daughter. She used to like to read books, chanted Buddhism and was a vegetarian. She was very filial, but she refused to marry. When she was twenty-six years old, she fell ill and died. When she died, she told me that she would come back to see me." "Where is her boudoir, can I have a look?" Huang Shanshan asked. The old woman pointed to a room and said, "This is the one, go in and see for yourself, and I'll pour you tea." Shan Shan walked into the room, only to see that besides the table and chairs, there was a large locked cabinet against the wall. "What's in there?" Dale asked. "It's all my daughter's books." "Can it be opened?" "I don't know where she put the key, so I can't open it." Shan Shan thought for a while, remembered where the key was, and told the old woman to find it and open the bookcase, and found many manuscripts.After a closer look, he found that all the articles he wrote in each test paper were in it, and they were not bad. At this time, Huang Shanshan fully understood that he had returned to his hometown in his previous life, and the old woman was his mother in his previous life, and she was the only one left in his hometown.So Huang Shanshan knelt down on the ground, explained that he was the reincarnation of her daughter, recognized her as his mother, and then returned to the government office to bring people to meet his old mother and take care of her for life. Later, Huang Valley planted a clump of bamboo in the back garden of the government office, and built a pavilion named "Dicui Pavilion". In the pavilion, there was a stone tablet of Huang Valley. Like a monk with hair, like vulgarity and dust; Dreaming in a dream, realizing the body and the body.He wrote down his thoughts on his own reincarnation. Later, Yuan Mei, a poet of the Ming Dynasty, read this story and wrote the famous sentence "It is too late to read the book in this life", which means that a great writer like Huang Shanshan has three masterpieces in poetry, calligraphy and painting. The people in this life did not just start reading in this life, they have already read a lot of books in previous lives. Standing on one's own Sansheng stone Huang Shanshan realized the truth of reincarnation. In his later years, he practiced Zen and became a vegetarian. He once wrote a poem about abstaining from killing: My flesh is the flesh of all beings, with different names and different bodies; They are of the same sex. Just different shapes. Suffering from him, fat and sweet as my beard; Don't teach Yan Laoduan, what do you think of yourself?The story of Su Shi and Huang Shanshan is over, is it mysterious? It’s not so mysterious. Sometimes we walk in an alley and suddenly see a very familiar family; sometimes we meet a stranger, but there is an unspeakable kindness; sometimes we have a distant dream, and the dream is clear. As you can see; sometimes a poem or an ancient person feels like a confidant I have known for a long time; sometimes I even prefer a color, a scent of a flower, or a voice, but I can’t explain the reason at all... Isn't life just so accidental?Everyone stands on their own Sansheng Stone, just forgetting their old spirits. January 15, 1986 (Everything in the world is fate, our acquaintance is also a kind of fate, and falling in love is even more a kind of fate)