In many people's minds, Buddha is unattainable. They live in the paradise of western paradise, isolated from the world. It is difficult for people to see them. They never disdain to roam the world ... in fact, this idea is quite wrong. Such a Buddha is by no means a Buddha to be cultivated by Zen Buddhism.
When explaining the Diamond Sutra, nan huaijin said: Like us, the Buddha recorded in this book still wants to eat, be given alms or walk barefoot, and his feet are still standing on mud, so it is so normal to wash his feet, eat or meditate when he comes back. Ordinary is the Tao, the most ordinary time is the highest, and the real truth lies between the most ordinary; The realm of the truly immortal Buddha lies in the most ordinary things.
Classic story
A story like this is recorded in the Record of Fingering the Moon:
One day, when Sakyamuni Buddha was meditating, he saw two people passing by with a pig, and asked, "What passed in front of me just now?"
So someone replied, "Buddha has all kinds of wisdom, so even pigs don't know?"
Sakyamuni Buddha said, "You won't know until you ask."
Sakyamuni Buddha is so great that he doesn't look down on others.
Huaihai, a Zen master, is a famous virtue in Zen history and a proud disciple of Mazu Taoism.
Another great contribution of Zen master Huaihai to Zen Buddhism is the conclusion of the world-famous Buddhist discipline "Baizhang Qinggui". He always practices by himself, takes the lead in labor and never stops working outside when he is old. It is said that when Zen master Baizhang Huaihai was 94 years old, he still worked with his disciples. Once, a disciple quietly hid his farm tools and asked him to rest, but Baizhang said, "I have no virtue, how dare I let others support me?" So, he didn't take part in labor or eat that day.
In this way, Baizhang Huaihai warned his disciples that "if you don't work for a day, you won't eat for a day", which became a famous saying sung throughout the ages.
Zen master Huaihai does not work because of virtue. On the contrary, he "doesn't work for a day and doesn't eat for a day." Many people think that people who become Buddhas will fly to the western paradise and stop eating fireworks, but in fact, the real Buddhas are ordinary, no different from ordinary people.
The wisdom of life
To learn Buddhism and Taoism, we must get rid of those magical and extraordinary thoughts. If you can reach the most ordinary place in life, you can learn Buddha and know it. In other words, you can know that everything is illusory, not only the Buddha can't get it, but all the things in the world can't get it.
Therefore, true Buddhism transcends all religions, philosophies and all forms. That is to say, the true wisdom achievement, that is, the non-Prajna paramita; Wisdom to the extreme, without the realm of wisdom, that is true wisdom. The smartest person in the world is often the most ordinary person, and the ordinary is great.