Zhang Ye finished.
The surroundings fell silent in an instant!
What was a Bodhi tree? It was a large tree of the Ficus genus in the Moraceae family. When it was young, it grew on other trees. It was 15-25 meters tall, 30-50 centimeters in diameter. The bark was gray, the leaves were leathery, triangular-shaped. The banyan fruit was spherical to oblate, red when mature. Male flowers, gall flowers and female flowers grew on the inner wall of the banyan fruit. The ovary was glossy and spherical. The style was slender and the stigma was narrow … Of course, this was just a word … This was the official introduction of the plant.
Cough, cough. Well, let's be serious.
There is no Bodhi tree? Although there was a Bodhi tree in the world, the Bodhi tree in Buddhism was often not a plant, but a symbol and a memorial. The Bodhi tree also represented the great wisdom of Buddhism. There was no such thing as a tree, and a mirror was not a platform. Just like what Zhang Ye had said about the debate between the two eminent monks. At that time, it was a mirror that reflected itself. It was just a heart, a thought. What stage was there?
There was no Bodhi tree!
And there was no mirror!
If there was nothing, why would it be tainted with dust?
Including the abbot, a few monks were asking themselves. They repeated Zhang Ye's gatha to themselves. Where does dust arise? That's right! Where does dust arise!
The abbot held his palms together in submission, "Amitabha."
Then, the ten monks behind him also held their palms together, "Amitabha."
They did not know Buddhism, nor had they studied Zen. For example, when Zhang Ye discussed Zen with the Qingshan Monastery's abbot, they had only heard it for fun. They only knew that Zhang Ye was very awesome, but they did not know the deeper meaning behind it. However, this gatha was different. Not only the monks, even these "laymen" who were not monks could hear it clearly. In the beginning, when they saw the abbot's gatha, they thought it was not bad. But when Zhang Ye's "by nature there is no Bodhi tree" came out, they were shocked. They immediately knew the difference between the abbot's gatha and Teacher Zhang Ye's gatha!
Everything was afraid of comparison!
Comparing the two, if Teacher Zhang Ye was an eminent monk, then the abbot was at most a beginner. He might not even have crossed the threshold!
"Haha! Good! "
"Teacher Zhang, you are so cool!"
"There is no Bodhi tree in the first place! What a Bright Mirror Is Not a Stage! "
"Yeah! There was nothing there! Where did the dust come from? Teacher Zhang's gatha was simply perfect! Instead, it was those monks who got carried away! "
"This gatha is awesome!"
"Why do I feel like I've encountered a scene that will be passed down through the ages? Qing Shan's Discourse on Zen? "
"Say, a few hundred years later, when people mention Teacher Zhang's classic gatha, will we appear in that story?"
"Of course we will. Ha, we'll be able to bask in the glory and be famous for a thousand years!"
"Did you record it?"
"Yes."
"I recorded it too. Teacher Zhang is so awesome!"
"You can even make monks speechless when discussing Zen with them!"
What was a slap in the face?
This was a slap in the face!
What was posturing?
This was what it meant to act tough!
Yao Jiancai beamed with joy. The more he looked at Zhang Ye, the more he liked him. Old Yao thought that if he had Zhang Ye's ability to show off, wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't the chicks rush in front of him in droves!?
Many people in the film crew knew of Teacher Zhang Ye's literary skills. Even if a large number of them did not know Zhang Ye, they could not stop people from helping Zhang Ye promote him. Hence, they already knew of Zhang Ye's abilities. But now, they felt that they had underestimated Zhang Ye's literary attainments. They had initially urged Zhang Ye to compete with the abbot, as they believed that Zhang Ye would not lose. This was Teacher Zhang's forte. However, this was, after all, a competition of Zen and gathas. This was considered literature, but it was not a conventional form of literature. Compared to poetry, a gatha had an additional philosophical or dialectical thought. Hence, they did not expect Zhang Ye to win so quickly. It was an overwhelming advantage! The dozen monks, including the abbot, did not even have the strength to retaliate! They were dumbfounded by Teacher Zhang Ye's words!
Especially the Zen theory of the Bodhi tree!
A gatha was just a form of language used by monks. It was not a couplet, and did not have a second verse!
But who knew that Zhang Ye had used the other party's gatha as a couplet! Every word was a gem! It was a complete denial of the abbot's gatha! And it was a denial that left others speechless! Just based on this gatha duel, there was no need to evaluate it. It was obvious who was superior! Those who did not know could see it clearly!
The abbot looked deeply at Zhang Ye and regained his composure. He closed his eyes and pondered for a while. He slowly opened his eyes, "This old monk has been meditating for more than 30 years. I have been wholeheartedly devoted to Buddhism. A few days ago, I comprehended that gatha. I thought that the Buddhist teachings had deepened, and that my cultivation would reach a higher level." Saying that, he gave a wry smile, "I never thought that compared to Almsgiver, this old monk had not even crossed the threshold of Zen studies. I'm ashamed, ashamed."
"Master."
"Abbot!"
A few young monks were a little worried.
The abbot waved his hand and said to Zhang Ye, "Although Almsgiver is a secular person, you have great wisdom and virtue. You are even more intelligent than us monks. Today, this old monk admits defeat and loses wholeheartedly. If you become a monk and wholeheartedly devote yourself to Buddhism, your achievements in the Buddhist teachings in the future will be a hundred times better than ours."
When Zhang Ye heard this, he immediately waved his hands, "Don't be like that. I'm living a good life. I'm not that stupid. It's better for me to be a secular person. Being secular is pretty good."
The abbot said with regret, "What a pity, what a pity."
With the abbot admitting defeat, the few monks who had been beaten looked depressed.
What kind of person was this in front of them? They couldn't beat him in martial arts! They couldn't beat him in literature! They couldn't beat him in literature!
Zhang Ye had used the gatha of his world's Master Huineng. And it was the "Formless Gatha" that everyone knew. In addition, Zhang Ye had used his mouth to say the words previously. Alright, it was nonsense, but there was one thing that wasn't nonsense. That was that Zhang Ye had eaten many Fruits of Charm (Voice). This was a bewitching charm that was added to his voice. Naturally, his words had an indescribable effect. Hence, everyone was stunned. There was a reason for all of this.
Victory had been decided.
The film crew had won and had finally vented their anger.
After gaining back their anger, victors were always lenient. Seeing the abbot admitting defeat was very magnanimous, a few people's impression of him changed a little. They comforted him.
"Abbot, don't compete with Teacher Zhang."
"That's right. Teacher Zhang Ye is a famous literary scholar in Beijing. He writes poems and essays. Every work is a classic. You can tell that you don't watch television often, right?"
In the past, they had only heard of it, but today, they had seen Zhang Ye write poems and gatha live. They were still excited, as those gathas were too enjoyable to listen to!
After a while.
The abbot suddenly said to a few young monks, "Clear out a few rooms in the backyard. Settle all the patrons down."
The few young monks did not say a word and immediately went to make the arrangements. They were already convinced by Zhang Ye. Just with that "There is no Bodhi tree", he had won the respect of many monks. You can't judge a book by its cover. Zhang Ye looked average, and his character was even a little smelly. But in Buddhism, one did not look at one's appearance. For Zhang Ye to be able to say such a shocking gatha, it meant that his perception of Buddhism and wisdom was much higher than all of them. He deserved the greatest respect. It did not matter anything else, as long as the capable were the teachers.
Director Jiang was surprised and said, "Abbot, didn't you say that you would no longer receive film crews in the future?"
The abbot smiled, "I have benefited greatly from discussing Zen with Teacher Zhang Ye. In the past, I was too fixated on appearances. Hur Hur. Originally there is not a single thing, how can dust stir?"
It had been delayed until too late today. Director Jiang still had many scenes that had not been filmed. Looking at the sky, it would probably have to be tomorrow. Go back today and come back tomorrow? Was it not torturous enough? Hence, he did not reject it. He accepted the good intentions of the monastery and prepared to bring the film crew to stay.
Zhang Ye had unintentionally planted a willow tree, but it had turned out well. He had wanted to vent his anger and leave, but he never expected the monastery to change their attitude. They even treated them as guests of honor. This made Zhang Ye feel somewhat embarrassed.
… …
Backyard.
There were more than ten rooms here. It was very quiet. There were also flowers and plants in the yard.
A young monk said, "Master, the rooms have been tidied up."
"Alright. Patrons, please have a rest." The abbot said to Director Jiang and company.
Director Jiang said, "Thank you. There was a misunderstanding before. Oh, are the injuries of your young monks a problem?" Thinking about it, they had only broken a lamp and injured two people lightly. As for the other party, they had injured four people. Their injuries were worse than theirs, so they did not suffer any losses. Instead, the other party had suffered quite a bit. They had lost the fight, lost the literary battle, and even suffered a loss in reasoning. They did not gain any advantage at all.
Almsgiver Zhang did not deal a heavy blow. Actually, there was no misunderstanding. It was my gatha that misled the disciples, which caused the trouble. Amitabha. Almsgivers, please forgive me. My disciples were rude. It's good to let Almsgiver Zhang teach them a lesson. To be enlightened by Almsgiver Zhang, it might be their good fortune. "
It was clearly a beating.
But now, it had become enlightened?
The film crew all looked at Zhang Ye. They knew that Teacher Zhang had put on an act today. However, it also made them realize Zhang Ye's abilities. In terms of writing poems and essays, no one in the entire Beijing dared to say that they could compare to Zhang Ye. This person was too talented!
Director Jiang called out to everyone, "Have a rest. Sleep early. We will continue filming tomorrow."
Everyone dispersed. Many of them were exhausted, so they found their own rooms to sleep.
Zhang Ye also wanted to leave, but was stopped by the abbot behind him, "Almsgiver Zhang, please wait."
"Oh, what's the matter?" Zhang Ye turned around and blinked.
"This old monk has a presumptuous request." The abbot smiled lightly and pointed to the stone monument in the front yard, "Can Almsgiver Zhang bestow me with some words? I would like to carve down the gatha you just said, so that my disciples can learn from it. "
Zhang Ye coughed, "That's not appropriate, right?"
"What's inappropriate about it?" The abbot did not think much of it, "Please grant it."
The young monks also looked at Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye thought for a long time before agreeing. He picked up a brush and wrote it down.
That night, the abbot ordered for Zhang Ye's words to be carved on the stone monument. He did not even erase the four verses of his gatha, but left it there as a foil. It showed his breadth of mind!
The stone monument was awe-inspiring. Each word was sharp!
The body is a bodhi tree, the heart is a mirror. Wipe it frequently, so as not to be contaminated by dust.
There is no bodhi tree, nor is there a mirror. There is nothing, so how can dust be contaminated?
In Zhang Ye's world, Shinsyu and the Sixth Ancestor Huineng's "Formless Gatha" had miraculously appeared in this world. However, the two masters who used words to converse were no longer in this world. The protagonists had changed, becoming Zhang Ye and a particular abbot of Qingshan Monastery!
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