True wisdom and spiritual fulfillment are found not in the pursuit of material wealth, but in seeking inner enlightenment and the "heart seal" of Buddhist teachings, especially for those who are physically or spiritually weak.
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Some people say that
true wisdom
often comes from the most unexpected encounters.
Master Xuyun has gone through many vicissitudes in his life
and has narrowly escaped death
, but he has learned the truth through hardships.
He travels around the world
not for fame and fortune
, only for the purpose of spreading the Dharma and benefiting people.
Unexpectedly, one day
he was killed by a beggar.
Master Xuyun was moved by the beggar's words.
What exactly did the beggar say? What
does it mean for a weak person to remember to seek seals rather than wealth
? What kind of secrets and mysteries are contained in this?
In the early years of the Republic of China,
wars were frequent and
Buddhism-style
Master Xuyun left Yunju Mountain.
Heading south to Nanjing
to work on the reconstruction of the temple,
Master Xuyun was alms in a small town
early that morning.
He held an alms
bowl and walked
calmly. His eyes were calm and deep.
Although he was over seventy years old
, his steps were steady
and his breath was long.
However,
a careful person might be able to spot
the shadow between the eyebrows of this old monk. There is a vague worry that
Yunju Mountain has been destroyed for a long time.
If it
is not
rebuilt in time
,
the
inheritance of
Buddhism
will be in danger .
Master Yun followed the sound and
saw a half-clothed beggar
huddled in the shadow of the alley.
The beggar had a withered face, sunken
cheeks and sunken
eye sockets.
He looked like he was about to die soon.
However,
his eyes were extremely bright,
like stars in the dark night
, shining with an unusual look.
Pedestrians covered their faces one after another.
Master Xuyun passed by
for fear of being contaminated with ominous things ,
but he stopped and a look of compassion appeared on his face.
Can the old monk
give some food? The villain
has not eaten for three days.
The beggar said in a hoarse voice.
A trace of expectation and shame flashed in his eyes.
Without saying a word, Master Xuyun
melted half of the hardened food in the bowl. A steamed bun and some fruits were handed over to
the beggar. The beggar took the food
with trembling fingers.
He carefully broke off a small piece
and put it into his mouth to chew carefully.
Then he gradually increased the speed of eating.
Amitabha,
eat slowly
and don’t hurt your stomach.
Master Xuyun reminded softly that
his eyes were full of food. When the
beggar heard this, he
took a deep breath and
forced himself to slow down.
When he finished the food,
he raised his head and
looked directly at Master Xuyun with his bright eyes.
The old monk had an extraordinary face
and a calm aura.
He must be an accomplished monk in Buddhism.
Master Xuyun smiled slightly and
the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxed. The poor
monk is just an ordinary person who
has practiced hard in Buddhism for many years.
He is not an eminent
monk.
The beggar shook his head and
a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. The old
monk was too modest. Although he was in a humble position
,
he could see people
's
auras
. The enlightened monk
just
stopped talking. He was about
to speak but he was obviously curious.
Master Xuyun was obviously curious
, but
please tell me.
The beggar sighed and
his voice was low.
It was just that the old monk seemed to have something on his mind recently,
which caused his breath to be not clear enough.
There was a trace of depression between his eyebrows.
Master Xuyun was shocked when he heard this.
This beggar could actually see that his mind
was extraordinary
. Indeed,
the reconstruction of Yunju Mountain had been lingering in his mind
, making him a little distracted.
How could Your Excellency know what the poor monk was thinking?
Master Xuyun's eyes flashed with surprise.
The beggar smiled mysteriously,
revealing a few yellowed teeth.
The poor Taoist had learned
a little bit about
physiognomy when he was young. The depressed mood between the old
monk Tianji's eyebrows is obviously disturbed by something.
If the poor Taoist guessed correctly
, he must be worried about something in a temple.
Master Xuyun was silent for a moment
and then nodded and admitted
that it was
true.
The poor monk 's
trip
was to raise funds for the reconstruction of
Yunju
Mountain
. When the beggar heard
this, his eyes suddenly became sharp,
like a blade piercing Master Xuyun's heart.
The old monk came here
to seek wealth.
Master Xuyun was slightly startled,
then shook his head.
It
was not for seeking wealth
, but for the inheritance of the Dharma.
Yunju
Mountain
is the ancestral home of the Zen sect
and cannot be abandoned
. The monk said that it is not for money,
but
there is still concern in the heart.
Is it
the duty of
an eminent monk
to ask for money
? After
hearing
this,
Master Xuyun's
face changed and he
immediately regained his composure
. I smiled at myself,
but there was a flash of pain in my eyes.
I was originally the son of a wealthy merchant from the south of the Yangtze River
. I have a lot of wealth.
After my father passed away,
I inherited the family business
and started to make money everywhere
to expand my business.
On the surface,
my wealth is increasing day by day, and
my business is getting bigger and bigger.
But I was born weak
and overworked,
and I was bedridden before I was forty.
He paused and
grabbed his fingers unconsciously. I was scratching my shabby clothes.
At that time,
I invited the best doctor
and took the most expensive medicinal materials
, but I never got better.
Suddenly one day,
a wandering Taoist priest passed by my house
and saw that I was critically ill.
He only gave me a sentence.
Master Xuyun was curious and said
what the words were.
The beggar took a deep breath
and said word by word:
Weak people
should seek seals rather than wealth.
Master Xuyun frowned.
Why did
the beggar smile bitterly? At
that time, I didn’t understand what he meant.
I thought he was just crazy talk and
turned a deaf ear.
As a result, his condition worsened
and his family fortune also declined due to no one to take care of it.
A few years later,
I lost everything
and lived on the street.
I became like this in front of you.
Master Xuyun nodded thoughtfully.
Then what happened later,
do you understand what the Taoist said? The beggar
's eyes suddenly became deep,
as if he had seen through all the illusions in the world,
and he understood,
but it was too late.
The seal that the Taoist priest said
was not an ordinary seal
, but
just when he was about to tell the key,
there was a sudden noise from the corner of the street.
I saw a group of people who looked like government officials hurriedly came over.
The official headed by him shouted loudly,
fellow villagers.
The prefect has ordered
us to give porridge to the poor today.
If you are in need, go to the porridge shed in the south of the city to collect it.
The beggars around him heard this and
struggled to get up and rush towards the south of the city
. The beggar who was talking to Master Xuyun also stood up and
staggered
as if he would fall down at any time.
Old monk,
I have to go get it. Porridge,
otherwise there will be nothing to eat today.
We are destined to meet again.
Master Xuyun said urgently
, donor: "Wait a minute.
You haven't explained the meaning of the seal yet.
The beggar turned back and
his eyes were as bright as
a torch. If the old monk wants to know the answer,
he can come to the abandoned temple in the east of the city tomorrow morning to talk about it.
Before leaving,
I will tell you one more thing about
this old monk's trip."
After praying for the seal and not asking for wealth,
he finished
speaking and
disappeared into the crowded crowd.
Master Xuyun was left standing there with
his brow furrowed and
deep in thought.
The next morning,
Master Xuyun left the temple
as scheduled and headed to the abandoned temple in the east of the city.
Morning fog filled
the temple. The temple was dilapidated and
the roof collapsed. The Buddha
statues were missing and
it was sad.
There was no one in the temple. There were
only a few sparrows jumping on the beams.
Master Xuyun looked around
but there was no trace of yesterday's beggar.
Donor,
you. Where
Master
Xuyun called softly.
Suddenly
a gust of wind blew
up the fallen leaves on the ground.
Master
Xuyun
keenly
discovered
that
there
He
leaned
over
and
picked
up
a
piece
of broken rice paper
. At that time,
the abbot of the temple came in a hurry.
Something
bad happened to
Master Xuyun.
He had
just received a letter from Nanjing
saying that the great benevolent man who promised to donate money to rebuild Yunju Mountain
suddenly fell ill and died.
His family had canceled the donation plan. When Master Xuyun heard this, he couldn't help but think of the beggar's saying that a weak person
should seek seals rather than wealth.
A terrible thought flashed in his mind.
Did the great benevolent man also end up like this
because he worked too hard to beg for wealth
? He was about to Asking for more details
, I saw a black shadow suddenly flashed behind the Buddhist niche in the abandoned temple.
Master Xuyun stepped forward quickly and
saw only a corner of yellow sleeves exposed behind the Buddhist niche.
Could it be the beggar
benefactor
yesterday? But you,
Master Xuyun walked around the Buddhist niche
and was surprised to find that
it was not yesterday's beggar
but an old monk in shabby monk clothes.
His face was withered
but his eyes were as clear as water.
Amitabha
Master Xuyun looked
up to the old monk for a long time, clasping his hands and
bowing slightly.
You are.
Master Xuyun was puzzled.
The old monk smiled slightly.
The poor monk's name was Huitong.
He used to be the abbot of this temple.
After the temple was destroyed,
the poor monk lived on
the streets
and lived on
alms.
It was
an offense
to meet the master yesterday and
not reveal his identity
. Master
Xuyun suddenly
realized that
the donor
was the beggar yesterday. Huitong
nodded
. It was the poor
monk. I have to start
from my experience.
I was originally the abbot of the Chengdong Temple. I
had been weak and sick since I was a child.
In my early years,
I didn’t understand the essence of Buddhism. I
only wanted to rebuild the temple
and expand its size ,
so I went around asking for alms
and raising funds.
On the surface,
it seemed that the temple
was getting more and more popular,
but my condition worsened due to
overwork .
He sighed and
continued.
One day,
a wandering eminent monk passed by the temple
and saw me with a haggard appearance.
He asked me why
I told the truth to
the eminent monk. He shook his head and
said , "You are a cultivator
, but you are disturbed by foreign things.
a weak person.
You should seek seals instead of wealth.
At that time, I didn't understand what it meant. I
still ran around to raise funds.
As a result, my condition worsened
and I was bedridden.
Master Xuyun asked
what happened next?
Huitong smiled bitterly and said,
although the temple was built,
I had already run out of oil and lamps.
It was not until the temple was burned down by the war that
I suddenly realized
that the seal mentioned by the eminent monk
was not an ordinary seal,
but a heart seal, a seal of the Dharma,
the true meaning of Buddhism." The truth does not lie in the size of the temple
, but in the spiritual awakening and inheritance of the Dharma.
He paused
and looked at Master Xuyun with bright eyes.
Weak people
should seek seals rather than wealth.
This is a warning to us to understand that our hearts
are not moved
by external objects,
especially
those with weak bodies.
We should cherish life
and seek peace and enlightenment of the soul
instead of spending precious energy chasing external material wealth
.
It means
that we should pay attention to the inner spiritual enlightenment
rather than the external material form
. Huitong nodded.
This is exactly the case.
The theory of "heart seal" in Buddhism
refers to the spiritual seal,
which is the understanding and inheritance of the true meaning of Buddhism.
Sakyamuni Buddha held a flower in his hand at the Lingshan meeting. Venerable Laughing
Kassapa smiled knowingly.
This is the famous Nianhua Smiling Koan
that conveys exactly this heart seal.
Master Xuyun suddenly realized
that I understand that
you are reminding me
that the real meaning of rebuilding Yunju Mountain
is not to rebuild the external form of the temple
but to promote it. Promote the true meaning of Buddhism
and pass on the heart seal and seal.
Huitong showed a pleased smile.
The master's understanding is extraordinary
and good.
Building a temple and seeking wealth
is just a means to spread the Dharma and spread the seal.
If you put the cart before the horse,
it will not only be in vain
but may also damage the body and mind
. Master Xuyun pondered for a moment
. Zheng I would like to express
my gratitude to the benefactor for instructing
me to go on this trip. I am really too obsessed with raising funds
and have forgotten the fundamentals of Buddhism.
From now on,
I will take
propagating the Dharma as my priority and teach the Dharma to save people.
As for the rebuilding of the temple,
it will all come naturally.
Master Huitong Heshangdao
understands this and
is very comforting to the poor monk.
By the way,
there is one more thing I can tell you.
The great benevolent man who died of a
sudden illness died of overwork.
He once told me before his death
that if he had known the principle of asking for seals rather than asking for money,
perhaps he would not have ended up like this.
Master Xuyun
was shocked when he heard this
. He remembered that the great benevolent man was also frail and sick before his death,
but he still worked hard every night. The purpose of
sun and earth work is to accumulate more wealth
. If he could understand this truth,
maybe he would not die young. He
left the abandoned temple
and decided to change his plan for the trip.
He was no longer eager to raise funds,
but gave lectures in Nanjing and surrounding towns
to promote the essence of Buddhism.
His lectures were profound and
simple. The opportunity
opened up wisdom to many people,
and some even became enlightened immediately.
What is surprising is that
as his footprints of spreading the Dharma expanded,
the funds needed to rebuild Yunju Mountain came without asking.
Many donors who heard the Dharma
were moved by his spirit and
donated money to help.
Not only that
, many skilled craftsmen
volunteered to participate. Half a year after
the temple reconstruction work,
Master Xuyun returned to Yunju Mountain
and the reconstruction work had begun.
The temple had a new look.
All this
was because he put down his obsession with seeking wealth
and focused on seeking seals
to convey the true meaning of Buddhism.
Later,
Master Xuyun often told his disciples about this adventure.
He said that
Master Huitong seemed to be down and out, but
in fact, he understood
his destiny. These words
reminded me
that the key to spiritual practice
is to have a clear mind, see one's nature,
and become a Buddha.
What we should pursue
should not be the external form
but the inner enlightenment.
He further explained that
the seal has multiple meanings.
For practitioners,
it refers to the heart seal. The seal
is the inheritance of inner enlightenment and wisdom.
For secular people,
it is a place of refuge. The foundation of life
is invisible spiritual wealth and crystallized wisdom.
Although wealth can nourish the body
, it may not nourish the heart.
If you blindly chase external things,
you will lose yourself and
damage your body and mind.
Some disciples wonder why
the master,
the weak person, specifically asks for Yin Bu Qi Cai.
Master Xuyun looks at the disciple kindly.
The weak person
is already weak. If you
continue to spend your mind chasing external objects, it
is just adding insult to injury.
On the contrary,
if you can meditate and practice
to obtain the heart seal,
you can not only cultivate your spirit
, but also prolong your life.
It is like a lamp that is running out of oil.
If you use it to illuminate the distance,
it will soon go out.
But if you use it to light up your own inner lamp,
it can continue its light.
Disciples suddenly realized. However, Dawu
nodded.
From then on,
the weak
should seek seals rather than wealth, which became a motto of Yunjushan,
reminding the world that while pursuing material wealth,
they should not forget to seek spiritual wealth and proof of wisdom.
Later generations of poets wrote a poem
to commemorate this fate.
An adventure on the street revealed a secret, and
one word awakened the dreamer.
Why do you need external things when you are weak?
The heart seal lasts forever, the Tao since the true
cloud residence is rebuilt, it is not for wealth
and the Dharma lineage is passed down to save people,
but to make the hearts of all living beings pure
, why worry about the prosperity of Buddhism.
This poem
tells the journey of Master Xuyun's enlightenment
and reveals
the profound connotation that weak people should seek seals rather than money.
It reminds us
not to lose ourselves
in a world filled with materialistic desires.
Especially those who are weak
should know how to cherish life
and seek the heart. The peace of the soul and the confirmation of wisdom
are the real way to live forever.
As the Diamond Sutra says,
all conditioned Dharma is
like a dream and bubbles,
like dew, and like lightning
. In this way , material wealth
is like a dream and bubbles.
It is fleeting,
but the realization of the soul and the confirmation of wisdom
are the real wealth that lasts forever.
After Master Xuyun understood the true meaning of the heart of the sealer,
he devoted himself to spreading the Dharma
step by step
. No longer obsessed with the secular process of temple reconstruction.
After the news came back to Yunju Mountain,
many disciples were surprised by the change in Master's behavior.
They talked about it.
Some were worried that the reconstruction of the temple would be shelved.
Others firmly believed that the Master had his own plan.
A few months later,
a middle-aged woman came to Yunju Mountain all the way
to see Master Xuyun in person.
She was dressed in plain clothes
and looked respectful.
She called herself the widow of the Wu family who
had lost her husband
in the early years . Yizi
originally came from a poor family,
but he became interested in practicing Buddhism after hearing the master's teachings.
Finally
, with the help of
his neighbors
, he opened a cloth village
and gradually
made
a surplus.
After hearing the master's teachings,
his
disciples
knew that the weak should not cling to external wealth.
It is out of kindness
and it is in line with
God's will. However
, the spread of Buddhism
is not in gold and silver offerings,
but in the hearts of you and me.
If you can use this cloth village as a platform
to form good connections and
encourage people to do good and
promote Buddhism,
it will be worth more than ten thousand gold and financial resources.
When Wu heard this, he was moved to tears.
From then on, he donated 10% of the surplus every month
and at the same time in his own shop. Setting up a corner lotus bookshelf
for people to read Buddhist scriptures and Zen quotes
actually attracted many business travelers to stop and communicate.
Master Xuyun said with emotion
that the so-called seeking seals rather than seeking wealth
is not to reject all worldly help
, but to recognize the original heart with the eyes of wisdom and
not to be deceived by the appearance of wealth.
If wealth helps the way,
it is Dharma and food.
If wealth disturbs the heart,
it is in the way. In his later
years,
Master Xuyun repeatedly mentioned the romantic relationship between Master Huitong and the beggar,
and often used the story of seals and wealth in his lectures to enlighten his disciples.
He said
that life is like a boat,
wealth is driftwood
, seals are compasses
, and if there is no compass
, even if the boat is full of driftwood ,
it will be difficult to reach the other side.
Yunju Mountain was eventually rebuilt,
but its incense flourishes. The purity of Taoism
is not due to the help of gold and silver ,
but because the idea of seeking seals is rooted in people's hearts .
It has been passed down from generation to generation
and has become a pure land in the lineage of Zen .
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