Su Shi's Nanhua Temple

Su Dongpo, 59, was demoted again in the first year of Shaosheng (1094) and settled in Huizhou. On his way to the south, he visited Nanhua Temple in Caoxi. Nanhua Temple is the place where Huineng, the sixth ancestor, became a Buddhist monk. So, with this song "Nanhua Temple":

If you want to meet your ancestors, you should know your true colors. The people in the pavilion tower asked me what I saw. Poor Ming's seat, doing everything. Drinking water has self-knowledge, pointing to the moon does not make you dizzy. I am a man of practice, and I have been trained for three generations. I lost my mind in the middle. Suffer the scourge of this century. The truth about the dress selection ceremony moved me to tears. I borrowed Mr. Xi Quanduan to wash my inkstone.

Dongpo saw the lacquer storehouse of the six ancestors in Nanhua Temple and sat peacefully in the tower. Dongpo said: Why do you want to worship your ancestors? Because I want to know who I really am. The founder sat there as if asking me about my life's learning experience. I really envy monk Huiming, and I can get personal guidance from my sixth ancestor, which makes me realize the Tao. I was a Buddhist in my last life, but unfortunately I fell into the world because of a mistake, which brought me troubles in this life. Today, I fell to my knees in front of my ancestors, and my eyes were full of tears. I want to use this clear spring of Cao Zuju to wash away my nostalgia for the world.

A lot of Zen words are used in this poem-

"True colors", also called "true colors", refers to human nature: "There is no climbing up, no bow down, no mountains and rivers outside, no awareness inside, no ambition down, no life up, and no soil under".

"Ming Shangzuo" originally refers to monk Huiming. Six ancestors want to pass on the mantle. On the way south, monk Huiming came to grab the mantle. Huineng put the mantle on the stone, but Huiming couldn't move it, so she had to ask Huineng for help. Hui Neng asked him to hold his breath for a long time. "Don't think about good and evil, when you are right, that is the true face of the Ming Dynasty." Huiming's words made you realize.

"Drinking water is self-knowledge" is what Huiming said to Huineng after enlightenment. Hui Ming said that many years ago, I was in ignorance. Today, I learned. I can understand this feeling of being suddenly enlightened, but I can't express it "You know yourself when you drink water."

"Pointing at the moon is not dazzling" means that some people point their fingers at the circling moon, and fools think that the pointed moon is the real moon. In fact, it was only the second month, not the real month. Six ancestors said that human nature is "as smart as the sun, as smart as the moon, and wisdom is always bright." When he is outside, he is shrouded in the clouds of delusion, and his self-nature cannot be understood. " Open the clouds of delusion and you can see yourself as clearly as the moon.

Dongpo is old, with sparse white hair, and stands in front of the Sixth Ancestral Court. Facing the true face of the six ancestors, Dongpo burst into tears. For most of my life, my literary talent is the best in the world. In the end, what did I lose and gain? Dongpo usually talks about Zen beautifully and freely, but this poem is plain and straightforward. This is a real sincere touch when Dongpo visited his ancestors, and it is by no means comparable to the general truth.

In A.D. 1 100, Zhezong died, and Hui Zong ascended the throne, where he was pardoned and returned to the north. Dongpo himself doesn't think he can set foot on the mainland alive. There is a saying on the eastern slope: "Whoever adorns the clouds and the moon, the sky and the sea are clear." The sky is still so far-reaching, the sea is still so calm, the clouds are dispersed, and the bright moon and the sea are together, pure, peaceful and eternal.

On the way home, Dongpo bought two big bamboos as epaulettes and wrote a poem:

The two bamboo poles of Long Guangzhu are held by thousands of people in the north of Lingbei. A drop of Caoxi River in the bamboo rose to the 18th beach of Xijiang River.

He lamented: I Dongpo can embark on a bumpy life path in the eyes of everyone because this clear spring of Caoxi has been flowing in my heart.

Dongpo is not a Zen master, but he combines Zen with life so seamlessly. In his life, people saw the great power of Zen in mortal life.

The following year, Dongpo lay man died of illness in Changzhou.