(Li Xiangdong) The Size Of The Meditation Hall, Whether It Is Simple Or Not, And The Distance Of The Location

The "Chan Hall" is a place for Zen practitioners to meditate and sit quietly. It is always closed to the outside world, so ordinary people have a sense of mystery about the Buddhist hall.

The building of the Buddha Hall generally has a length of six to ten feet, and a width of four to eight feet. However, the size depends on the number of people meditating (sometimes as many as four thousand). There are also Buddhist halls that provide short-term diligent meditation, or small buildings that can only accommodate one person, and even remote caves are also good places for meditation.

The size of the Buddhist temple, whether it is simple or not, and the distance of the location, in the minds of Zen practitioners, there is no difference, because once entering the Zen realm, the vastness of the three thousand worlds is present. Since ancient times, how many Zen masters have realized the truth of life in the Buddhist temple, and have seen their own nature, and have become a generation of teachers from heaven and earth.

The facilities of the Buddha Hall are closed like the places where we lecture today without windowsills. The only difference is that today’s lectures have good air-conditioning and ventilation equipment. Zen is the pursuit of the inner self, not outside, so there is no window sill in the Zen forest, mainly to let the meditator concentrate their minds and not follow the scenery in front of the window to distinguish good roots, otherwise the meaning of meditation will be lost up.

Patriarch Bodhidharma, the second patriarch of Buddhism, once faced a wall in Songshan Mountain, Guangdong. There was a Shaolin Temple. That is to say, only if you have the ability to jump out of this high wall, you will not lose the face of Shaolin Temple when you go out of the mountain gate, so the martial arts of Shaolin Temple are still very popular today. Similarly, although there are high walls around the Buddhist hall, they are closed, mainly to prevent external pollution, delusions, and afflictions from entering the Buddhist hall. Zen masters have repeatedly warned beginners that as soon as they enter the Buddhist temple, they must put everything outside and the past outside the Zen forest, and work hard on their hearts.

There are generally two gates in the Zen forest. The south gate is written "Zhengfayanzang", and the side gate is commonly known as the convenient gate, which is for Zen practitioners to wash and clean. When sitting in meditation, the curtain of the Zen door should be released. Once the curtain is lowered, no one can go in or out, walk around, or make any sound. Especially when the stillness board is knocked, the world seems to be quiet at once. In the quiet atmosphere, You will feel the breath of Zen.

What I want to introduce to you tomorrow is "Life and Rules of the Chan Hall". I will explain it in four points:

1. Dharma Objects and Dojos of Zen Buddhism

In Zen, every meditating person should possess as little material as possible, to what extent? Estimated according to the current weight, the so-called "clothes list two and a half catties, carry eighteen things", because the less a person has, the less , the less desires; the more things, the more confusion and troubles it brings us. For example, like us shaved people, we only have this coat, and this is the same coat when we go up at night, when we meet guests, and when we are standing here talking to you. However, people in the society, such as a little girl, will go out tomorrow. Should she wear a dress? Or a skirt? Black? White or blue? Since there are so many socks, she is troubled by not knowing how to choose. And the Zen man only has one coat and long skirt, so why choose and have no troubles.

The Zen masters in the Buddhist temple, because the things they use are very simple, they have very little distress caused by material things, and because they have few desires, their hearts are naturally free. Although the matter used by Zen masters is small, he has three thousand worlds in his heart.

In daily life, the clothes list is two and a half catties. If he is a Zen monk or Yunshui monk who travels abroad, he can have eighteen things, which are called "Toutuo Eighteen Things":

1. Wicker: We use toothbrushes and toothbrushes to wash our face in the morning, and Zen masters use willow sticks to rinse their mouths and brush their teeth. With a toothbrush, a toothbrush, there are many oral diseases, and when you brush your teeth with willow sticks, there are very few cancers in the molars.

2. Three garments: Three cassocks can be stored, one is Sanghali, also known as fur garment, ancestral garment, miscellaneous garment, dharma garment, and twenty-five garments. The second is Yuduo Luoseng, also known as clothes, seven clothes, and Ruzhong clothes. The third is the An Tuo Hui, also known as Zhongyi, Suyi, Underwear, Wuyi, Workwear, etc.

3. Seat: Wherever the Zen practitioner goes, he can spread out the seat at any time and sit quietly inside. And the above three clothes, collectively known as "three clothes and one tool".

4. Bath beans: Bath beans are equivalent to what is called soap powder and soap today. In the days when there was no powdered soap, bath beans were a cleanser.

5. Bowl: It is a utensil for shaved people to drink water. Shaved people take alms bowls to beg for food from believers, which is called "begging on alms bowls".

6. Bottle: It is a utensil for holding water.

7. Incense burner: In addition to offering incense and worshiping Buddha, the incense burner also has the effect of driving away mosquitoes when walking around. A stick of incense by the mountains and rivers.

8. Water filter bag: The water filter bag is what we call kettles and hot shooters today. When Zen masters visited and studied in the past, they had a water filter bag, and the water they used would be more hygienic.

9. Bath towel: cloth for washing.

10. Knife: It is used to loosen the soil, and it can also avoid the violation of bad guys in an emergency.

11. Zen stick: The shaved people use the Zen stick to guard against wolves.

12. Lian: mirror box.

13. Pliers: Pliers for tweezing things.

14. Scriptures and law books.

15. Seated statue.

16. Statue of Dashi.

17. Fire flint: the sand used to ignite fire.

18. Rope bed: Sometimes when it rains and the ground is too hot, a few ropes are put from one tree to another tree, and you can take a nap in it, so there is a rope bed.

Nowadays we usually go outdoors, travel everywhere, and even go on foot, and we must be fully equipped with weapons. This crux can be said to have been gradually inherited from the Zen masters' visits and wanderings in the past.

Individuals use the Eighteen Thutuo objects, such as the Buddha Hall where a group lives, the most important dharma objects on it are the clock board and the wooden fish.

"Bell" refers to the bell in the Zen forest. It is said that "the sound of the bell is heard in three thousand realms, and Buddhism spreads to trillions of countries; meritorious deeds pray for world peace, and benefits are repaid to Tanna's kindness", which is very meaningful.

"Ban", the board of the temple, is divided into the first board, the second board, the third board, the fourth board, the fifth board and so on. A few years ago, two sinologists from the United States came to Japan. They were accompanied by the president of Taipei Normal University, Mr. Xue Guangxian, to Fo Guang Shan. The purpose was to study why the sound of the banyan in Buddhist temples should be beaten once here? Three times there. ? I was honored to grow up in the Buddhist temple in the jungle, and I told him the real meaning of "board".

In ancient times, there were no clocks, and time was judged by "more". The first watch, the second watch… the fifth watch, dawn and so on. At night in the temple, you all rest, which is called "Kai Da Jing". Hit "Duo!" This is a board, which means that you all have a rest. After the announcement, type "Duo! Duo!" twice to indicate the end. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, I have to go to Daliao (bedroom) to wake up Shuitou to cook rice, and to cook rice, and type three times "Duo! Duo! Duo!" , Hit "Duo! Duo! Duo Duo!" four times, this is to ask the whole temple to get up early to wash and go to the morning hall. After the fourth board, hit the fifth board "Duo Duo! Duo Duo!" to answer the alarm. This is the rotation from one board to five boards.

The bell board of the Buddha Hall is the order of the public. The so-called "eyes and ears of dragon and heaven" must be respected. The combination of clocks and plates is sometimes "one clock, one board and one wooden fish", sometimes "two boards, one clock and one wooden fish", or "three boards, one clock and one wooden fish", all of which represent some special meanings. Anyway, the life of a Zen practitioner does not use language or meaning, and is orderly under simple commands every night.

Bells and boards are the orders of Zen. Why do you use wood to make fish shapes? Especially when you knock on the wooden fish when praying to Buddha, Taoism emphasizes compassion, why do you knock on the ribs? Isn’t it too cruel? Whether swimming at the bottom of the water or standing still, the ears are always open and never rest. Buddhism takes its characteristics of diligence, and knocks on the wooden fish to encourage Zen practitioners to work hard and not relax. Some even write "Life and death are big things, impermanence is fast; cherish time, and time does not wait for others" behind the clock board, always beware of those who are meditating to cherish time.

The most important leader in the Zen forest is called "Vina" in Buddhism. There is a small sign next to his seat, and a very important sentence is written: "The wisdom of the masses is yours; if you ignore it, the crime will be yours." That is to say, in the Buddha Hall, you learn Buddhist rules and laws, all rely on Wei Na to lead, so-called your wisdom life, Wei Na should take good care of it, otherwise it will be Wei Na's fault if it is not implemented effectively.

In addition, there is another "incense board" in the Buddhist hall that attracts attention and attention. There are many grades of incense boards──

1. "Police" incense board: it is used to encourage you.

2. "Xunxiang" incense board: it is used to inspect people who are tired of meditation.

3. "Jianxiang" Incense Board: It is used during the seventh meditation period, and is usually carried out by the abbot, chief seat, Xitang, Weina, pickets, etc.

4. "Qinggui" incense board: it is a more serious one. When the Qingrui is violated, the Qinggui incense board will be invited to punish.

In addition, some believers also like to ask for incense boards (beating incense boards) to get rid of delusions and reduce their own strength.

The use of "fragrant boards" is not long in Buddhism. The courtiers of Yongzheng in the Ming Dynasty missed the old master Yulin very much. When they learned that there was a disciple of Yulin Guoshi in Gaomin Temple in Fuzhou, they summoned him to the court and asked him about his Zen skills. He replied to his courtiers that he was very relieved and had no achievements in Zen.

Courtier: "You! A generation of national teachers, how can there be such a worthless descendant like you? You are limited to enlightenment within a week? If you do not become enlightened within a week, I will kill you with this sword." you. '

Afterwards, every night, the guards stood outside the Buddhist hall, waved the sword and said, "Today is the third day!"

'Today is the second day!'

'Today is the first day!'

The disciple of Master Yulin thought hard: I will lose my little life tomorrow. And on the third day, he finally became enlightened in desperation.

Originally, he snatched the sword from the guard, brought Yongzheng to him and said, "Do you want my head? Or do I want yours?" Yongzheng was very happy when he heard that. If it wasn't enlightenment, who would have Such a big tone? Yongzheng was also a Zen master, and he had great expectations for Zen.

Therefore, the Buddhist temple of Zen, whether it is closed, large or small, is mainly for those who want to meditate and realize the Tao, to have a place of enlightenment.

2. Talks and Achievements of Zen Masters

A person who practices meditation must always bring up Huatou to participate in. "Huatou" is an important first step for those who learn Zen!

The so-called "referring to Huatou" is mainly to bring up a thought to see where the thought comes from and where it ends. Hold this thought and Huatou firmly, and reflect on the Huatou and realize the self-nature. There are two kinds of huatou, one is the huatou with meaningful semantics; the other is the huatou with meaningless semantics. These huatou cannot be explained by common sense or logical reasoning. Since they are meaningless, there is no need to study them separately. Meaningful words refer to what we usually say──

'Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?'

'When we have no dreams and no dreams, where is the protagonist?'

'All dharmas return to one, where does one return?'

'Who is chanting Buddha?'

'It's me who prays to Buddha, who am I?'

'Who told us to run around on this corpse every night?'

'How is the patriarch's intention to come to the West?'

The so-called "Chan Hua Tou" is to keep going on and asking questions like this–at the end of the question, there is a sudden "Oh!" The delusional void world is shattered. At this time, I am surprised by myself, ah! , this is enlightenment.

"Shenhuatou" is mostly mentioned by Zen masters and enlightened us. Sometimes, the Zen master raised the topic, but we don't know what it means. For example, when Chan Master Longya visited Zen Master Linji, he asked: "What is the meaning of the patriarch's coming from the West?"

Linji: "Bring me the Zen board." '

Later, Zen Master Longya went to Chan Master Cuiwei and asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?"

Cuiwei: "Bring me a futon!"

These conversations where the answers are irrelevant to the question, and the donkey's head is not right to the horse's mouth, all have a lot of truth in the Zen practitioner's mind. Another example is when Chan Master Deshao of Tiantai asked Chan Master Jinghui, "What is a drop of water in Caoxi River?"

Jinghui: "It's a drop of water from Caoxi." '

Ordinary people see a lot of irrationality, but in the world of a Zen master, he has unified contradictions, tempered time, unified mind and matter, and integrated all sentient beings. Without the distinction between you and me, everything is in harmony. are equal.

Shanhui Bodhisattva, also known as Fu Bodhisattva, has a poem:

"With a shovel in hand, ride a buffalo on foot;

People pass on the bridge, but the bridge flows and the water does not flow. "

If this Buddhist saying is read to today’s Chinese teachers, it will definitely not make sense. Why? If you are empty-handed, how can you have a shovel? If you are walking, how can you ride a buffalo? How can people pass on a bridge, but how can the bridge flow and the water not flow? ? That doesn't make sense at all.

We often define the boundaries between the universe and the phenomenon, between you and me. With this boundary in the universe, the living habits of Bodhisattva fish will divide the world into fragments, and even be riddled with holes. And a Zen person can surpass the treatment, transcend the root and the phenomenon, for this reason, there is no each other, no time and space, no coming and going, no movement, no size, everything is the same, everything is equal, and everything is equal. , so there is no trouble, everything is unified, this is the realm of the Zen people's unrestrained and unrestrained, and it is also the life of the Zen people who live at ease.

How to meditate? How to do Shenhuatou? We sit on the bed, floor, or sofa at home to concentrate our thoughts and unify our spirits. This is called Shenhuatou. Just like when a cat wants to catch a mouse, it keeps its eyes on the ground, its feet stick to the ground, its body hair stands on end, and it concentrates all the strength of its limbs in one thought. Shenhuatou needs to use this kind of mental effort!

Zen Master Langya had a female disciple who asked Chan Master Langya how to refer to Huatou. Chan Master Langya said, "Just refer to the sentence "Let him go"!"

After hearing this, the female disciple never retreated. For three days she was told:

'Hey! Your husband and a beautiful little girl went to an opera and drank!'

'Let him go!'

Another person said to her, "Oh! Your house will be attacked by gangsters tomorrow, and many things will be robbed." '

'Let him go!'

If we had heard her answer like this, we would definitely worry for her. How can we let him do these things?

For three days, she and her boyfriend were frying fried cakes, and with the sound of "squeak!", she realized the truth. She quietly left the pot, and her mother called out, "Hey! Hey! How are you going away?"

She replied: 'Let him go!'

Mother: 'Are you crazy? The oil in the cauldron is hot, how can you "let him go"?'

We saw that the lady was unreasonable and unreasonable, but she said "Let him go!" She can disappear in the world and be at ease. In daily life, you often see two people whispering there, why do you think they are talking about you, "Let him go!" When seeing other people's lives are not normal, as long as they don't hinder you, "Let him go! "Seeing that others are useful, there is no need to be jealous, "Let him go!" If you can make good use of this sentence "Let him go!" You don't need to practice meditation and enlightenment, and your life will be fine. It's been good.

3. The system and rules of the jungle

The jungle system is very democratic and equal. Under the division of labor and cooperation, each person performs his or her duties. Some are in charge of life, some are in charge of etiquette, and some are in charge of legal affairs. For example, Wei Na is the guideline of rules; Responsible for recuperation and food; incense lamps are responsible for the cleaning and affairs of the temple; in charge of water management for people's livelihood… Because each person's nature is different, the resident will arrange their positions according to each person's aptitude, and it has truly achieved " People make the best use of their talents, and things make the best use of them." The style of the famous temple.

According to Zeng Yun, Zen master of Yuetan, there are three classes of ordains:

1. Those who can broaden sentient beings and form good karma are superior ordained people.

2. Although he cannot spread the Dharma and save the public, he can maintain temples and protect the monastery. This is a middle-level ordained person.

3. Those who can't spread the Dharma to save people, and can't protect the Taoist temple, only know how to drink water and sleep, are inferior shaved people.

Also, Chan Master Wu Ding also said that family divisions–

1. To be able to withstand the cudgel, beating and scolding of the bullock and hammer, to endure grievances and severe beatings, and to endure all kinds of suffering, and to be strong. This is a superior ordained person.

2. Although you can't bear it, you can't bear grievances, but treat him well, he will appreciate your mercy and your kindness, this is a middle-aged person.

3. Can't bear the grievances at all, and don't know how to be grateful, only hate and dissatisfied, often live in the comparison of you treating me well and he treating me badly, no Zen joy, no Dharma joy, this is an inferior shaving people.

Although Zen Master Wu Ding's discussion on monks does not necessarily emphasize family members, every member of our society, country, company, and family can use these techniques to judge whether it is a high-level quality, or a middle-level, low-level? Acceptable Those who are wronged and can tolerate are superior; those who know each other's compassion and gratitude are average; those who don't know everything are inferior. We can use this method to test the people around us, to appreciate the various appearances of all living beings.

Everything is equal in the Buddhist jungle, as we know from its various nouns, such as–

The abbot and monks will invite you to drink water, which is called "general invitation".

The teacher in charge of the hall is going to give a lecture on the Dharma, which is called "General Discussion".

The main house ordered to do farm work, called "Pu Po".

The resident reward public is going to drink tea, which is called "Pu Cha".

Adding the word "general" means that you are all equal and treated the same. In addition to this, there is a system of "Six Harmonies and Respect", namely: benefits and equalization, precepts and compliance, seeing and understanding, body and living together, speech and non-competition, and mind and Elysee. You are equal in terms of interests, precepts, opinions, language, thoughts, and living together.

Buddhism is not as lengthy as the precepts of Zen. Its rules are simple and orderly. For example, some Buddhist temples mark the rules of meditation:

Do not offend Buddhist practitioners,

Do not defile the Three Jewels,

Do not destroy the Buddhist temple group,

Not violating civil evils (i.e. killing, stealing, prostitution, captivity),

Don't proclaim your accomplishments.

In addition, Zen Master Baizhang also has the "Twenty Rules of the Jungle":

The jungle is prosperous with nothing to do, and learning Buddhism is safe with chanting

Diligence takes generosity as the first priority, and cancer takes food reduction as the traditional Chinese medicine

Patience in suffering is Bodhi, right and wrong is liberated by not arguing

Retaining people to grow old becomes true love, and deacons take meritorious deeds

The language is straightforward, and the elders and young people are kind and kind

Knowledge is based on diligence, and cause and effect is based on understanding.

Old age and death use impermanence as a way to encourage goodness, and Buddhist affairs focus on rigor

Hospitality is based on sincerity, and the gate of the mountain is solemn and solemn

It is reasonable to presuppose everything and be humble when dealing with others

In case of distress, stability is the focus, while charity is based on compassion

These are some important rules and goals of the meditation hall.

4. The Life and Practice of Zen

A Zen master, his demeanor, his image, all show the walking, standing, sitting, and lying in daily life. The so-called "walking is like the wind, sitting like a bell, standing like a pine, lying like a bow". When you sit down, you should be as steady and dignified as a bell; when you lie down, you should be as straight as a willow tree; There are Buddhist words describing the demeanor of Zen masters, which is very interesting–

Hold the voice of the Buddha and slow the flow of water, recite the Buddha's name and practice the Tao, and the geese swim,

Placing palms together on the chest is like holding water, standing on the top like oil,

Looking forward and backward, moving lightly, turning left and right half-open eyes,

The majesty and movement are often like this, worthy of being a Zen monk in Buddhism.

The sound of chanting sutras is like running water, chanting gradually; walking in a line like geese, neatly; putting hands together on the back as straight as holding water; when lying down, the body seems to be covered with a plate of oil, and the spirit is delicate. The maids in the Chinese palace in the past, and even today's young girls in the world and China, also wear things on their bodies to train their demeanor and appearance, and Zen practitioners also attach great importance to the dignity.

When it comes to walking, Zen practitioners must look forward and backward, and move lightly. When looking at things, they never look around. They only look back and forth with half-open eyes.

In fact, there are also some sloppy Zen practitioners who are not influenced by ordinary eyes and opinions. For example, Chan Master Farong often wears ragged clothes and has snot hanging from his mouth. When reminding him that the snot will flow out, wipe it away quickly. He also replied:

'I don't have time to wipe my nose for that vulgar!'

Once, the Supreme Emperor invited him to the court to meet him, but Chan Master Farong refused, and wrote a gatha:

The world is long, not as good as the hills; lying under the vines, with a stone mattress.

If you don't go to the emperor, how can you envy the princes? There is no worry about life and death, so why should I worry about it?

What he meant was that everything in the world is unpredictable, unlike our Zen masters who sleep comfortably with a stone as a mattress by the mountains, forests, waters, lying under vines, or trees. The Son of Heaven does not need to go on a pilgrimage, so what prince do I envy? I don’t care about life or death anymore. What else is there to worry about?

The life of a Zen practitioner can also be described by another gatha——

"Two and a half catties of clothes, two and a half for baths;

Drink water and say three times, go through the hall and visualize five times. "

The clothes owned by the Zen monks weigh only two and a half catties. The water used for bathing can just stain the face twice. It is extremely simple and cherishes blessings. , offering to the Dharma, offering to monks, and offering to all sentient beings", when drinking water, visualize:

How much merit is counted, and where he comes from.

If you think about your own virtue, there is a shortage of supplies.

Guard against the heart and leave the past, and be greedy and so on.

The right thing to do is to treat dryness.

In order to achieve enlightenment, one should receive this food.

This is the mentality and practice of Zen practitioners who accept offerings and food while practicing the Dharma Body and Wisdom Life.

Usually, when we drink water, it must not only be delicious, but also full of color and aroma. We will be insatiable for delicious food, and we will be extremely picky about what we don’t like. And Zen people don't eat more because it tastes good, nor do they stop eating because they don't like it, they just want to rest their body and practice Taoism. In their hearts, even if they "drink water all day long and never bite a grain of rice", they are free and unimpeded, which is what we have to learn.

Summarizing the main points of Zen life is nothing more than——

Forbearance (remove ignorance from forbearance)

Work (Cultivate blessings from work)

Cultivation of blessings (descent of wisdom from cultivation of blessings)

Gratitude (Happiness from Gratitude)

Meditation (freedom from meditation)

There is a Zen master Tanzhao who tells everyone he meets every night: 'Happy! Happy! I'm so happy!' Once he accidentally fell into the water and nearly died, but he still smiled fearlessly. And when the old man is bedridden, the life habit of Bodhisattva fish is crying out every night: 'Oh pain! Oh pain! I am in pain!'

When the abbot monk saw it, he said to him:

'You can't keep screaming in pain like this! Thinking back when you fell into the water and almost died, you were not afraid, but now you are old and sick, but you are always screaming in pain, where is your practice? '

Tan Zhao: "Look at my life, should I call it pain? Or call it happiness?"

Although Chan Master Tanzhao’s state of enlightenment is not represented by calling happiness or pain, the reason why he calls "Happy! Happy!" is to let you cherish time; so he calls "Pain! Pain!" to guard against the fear of impermanence in life and death. !

Finally, how does a Zen master learn Buddhism? Let me conclude with a Zen master’s journey of enlightenment.

There was a daughter-in-law who was very supportive of Buddhism, and she made offerings to a Zen master to practice meditation and Taoism, and she made offerings for two or six years. For three days, the son-in-law wanted to know how the Zen master was studying Buddhism, so she asked her very beautiful daughter to bring food to the Zen master, and told her son to grab the Zen master when the food was delivered, and see what the Zen master said. Whatever, go home and tell her.

When the son went to the Zen master's residence, according to his grandfather's instructions, after putting down the food, he hugged the Zen master tightly. The Zen master remained motionless and said coldly, "The dead wood leans against the cold rock, and there is no heating for three winters." '

It means that as a Buddhist student like me, like a dead tree and dead ashes, after three winters on a cold cliff, my heart is very tired. .It can't affect me, I can't get hot.

The son went back and told his grandfather these two sentences.

When the wife heard this, she was very frustrated and said: "I never thought that I have supported a self-made man in the past two or six years!" In a fit of anger, he repelled the Zen master and burned down the hut where the Zen master studied Buddhism.

A few years later, the Zen master wandered around and made friends, and returned to the residence of his husband and mother-in-law, asking his daughter-in-law to support him to learn Buddhism again. Two years later, the old woman asked her son to test the Zen master again. When the daughter put down the food and hugged the Zen master, the Zen master also hugged her back and told her: "Only you and I know this kind of thing. Don't tell your son-in-law!'

The son went back and told his grandfather what he had said. When the son-in-law heard it, she was very happy: "I finally support a great man in the world!"

Zen masters study Buddhism not only for themselves, but must treat all living beings with great kindness, compassion, and enthusiasm like a great master, and must not be a snobbish self-made man. Therefore, in practice, we must–

1. Self-examination, self-seeking,

2. Self-renewal, continuous evolution,

3. Self-practice, not seeking outside,

4. Self-separation, regardless of victory or defeat.