On the afternoon of November 25, 2010, the 84-year-old Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan and the president of the World Buddha Guang Association, spent more than an hour in the auditorium of Nanjing University using humor to The language explained the meaning of Zen, and he also told stories with profound Zen meaning, expressing his views on life, love and happiness, which attracted rounds of applause from the audience.

Talking about longevity, it is very painful to live to be a hundred years old

Although he is 84 years old, Master Hsing Yun is energetic, clear in thinking, and calm and calm. His demeanor infected everyone present.

"84 years ago, I was born in Jiangdu, Yangzhou, Jiangsu; 72 years ago, I became a monk at Qixia Temple in Nanjing; 60 years ago, I went to Taiwan to found Fo Guang Shan and advocate humanistic Buddhism." Although he has been away from his hometown for many years, Master Xingyun still speaks with a strong Yangzhou accent. He said humorously: "I have been in Taiwan for so many years, and people regard me as a foreign monk. When I returned to Yangzhou, the Yangzhou people regarded me as a Taiwanese. I don't know where I am from. But let's talk about it. Go, I am Chinese."

At the age of 84, Master Hsing Yun has a unique perspective on life, old age, illness and death. "People often advise me to take care and live to be 100 or 120 years old. I say don't trouble me. If a person lives to be more than 100 years old, it will be miserable. Think about it, my son in his 80s, his son in his 60s My grandson may die before you one day, and it will be very painful for someone with white hair to give up to someone with black hair. Moreover, at such an old age, he cannot see clearly, cannot hear, and cannot eat. It smells bad and life will be very hard." Master Hsing Yun said that it is normal to change clothes when they are old, car engines to be replaced when they are broken, and human bodies to be broken down.

Talking about Zen·Three, eight and twenty-three, it is not a miscalculation but "Zen"

Many people think that Zen is a very mysterious thing. How to understand. Master Xingyun often encounters such requests. He used several ingenious metaphors to explain Zen: "You should put salt when eating vegetables. Zen is the seasoning. A beautiful woman's eyebrows will be more charming if she lightly sweeps her eyebrows. Zen is the powder. Zen is our heart. Only by broadening our sincerity can we realize it." The truth behind it."

In order to make everyone understand better, Master Hsing Yun told a story. A disciple of Confucius named Yan Hui once went to the market to buy cloth and saw someone quarreling. It turns out that for a foot of cloth costing three dollars, people buying cloth have to buy eight feet. The seller said the price was 24 yuan, but the person buying the cloth said: It was obviously 23 yuan, so they started arguing. Yan Hui went over and said that the cloth buyer was acting rogue. The cloth buyer became anxious and said, "Why are you meddling in other people's business?" Yan Hui said, "I am a disciple of Confucius." The cloth buyer started clamoring to find Confucius. He also made a bet with Yan Hui: if the price was 24 yuan, he would cut off his head; if the price was 23 yuan, Yan Hui would lose a hat. As a result, Confucius said: "It's 23 yuan." Yan Hui was not convinced and asked Confucius for an explanation afterwards. Confucius said: "Which is more important, the head or the hat?" Yan Hui said: "Of course it is the head." Confucius said: "So it is 23 yuan, because it is more important to keep the head."

Master Hsing Yun said, Confucius was not ignorant, his words were full of Zen, love and benevolence. Therefore, Zen is a kind of convenience, a kind of wisdom, and a treasure in the heart.

Talking about mentality: "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies", these are the best words in the world

Master Hsing Yun divides Zen meditation into three realms: "When you are not practicing Zen, you can see the mountains. It is a mountain, and when you see water, it is water. When you meditate, mountains are not mountains, and water is not water. After practicing Zen, you see mountains and water are still water. It’s about identifying with it and following the world.”

He also used a story to explain the relationship between Zen and nature. A man asked the Zen Master to write an inscription, and the Zen Master gave him six words: "Father died, son died, grandson died." This person thought it was unlucky and was very unhappy. The Zen master told him: "This is the best thing in the world.

The father dies first, then the son, and finally the grandson. This is the most consistent with the laws of nature. Do you want your son or grandson to die first? "

"Live according to fate." Master Hsing Yun said that "fate" is a great thing. Don't worry about gains and losses. A human being should be like a suitcase, lift it up when it is lifted, put it down when it is time to put it down, be at peace with the situation, and do what you like. "Let me tell you another story. A master and a disciple were discussing Taoism, and they were competing to see who could describe themselves the dirtiest and smelliest. The master said: 'I am a donkey', and the disciple said: 'I am the donkey's ***'. The master said again: "I am a donkey's shit", and the disciple said: "I am a maggot in the donkey's shit." The master asked: "What are you doing in the donkey's shit?" The disciple said: "I am enjoying the coolness in it." "Master Hsing Yun said that this "cooling in the cool" has a deep Zen meaning, reflecting a happy-go-lucky and carefree mentality.

Talking about family·Men's success does not lie in making money

Master Hsing Yun also has unique insights into family and love between husband and wife. "In a family, it is not the best if a man makes more money, nor is he the best if he has status. The most important thing is that he must have a sense of humor and be interesting to make the family atmosphere pleasant."

He told a story. "There was a husband who was very busy at work and paid little attention to his wife. While eating, he found that the duck had only one leg, so he asked his wife what happened. The wife took him to the pond in the backyard to see. At noon, the ducks were Sleeping with one leg curled up. The wife said, "Isn't this one leg?" The husband clapped his hands, and the duck woke up and swam hard with two legs. The husband said, "Isn't it two legs?" 'With applause, there are two legs.'" Master Xingyun said that the husband did not praise or praise his wife, so of course she only had one leg to eat. This story shows that husband and wife should always praise each other and trust each other, so that the family can be more warm.

"There is nothing more important in the world than joy. What's the use of having wealth but not being happy or happy? Although life is a bit more difficult, you can still maintain a happy attitude." Master Hsing Yun told another story : There is a very rich chairman. He feels strange when he sees a poor couple in his neighbor who are happy all day long. Someone came up with the idea to give the couple one million. As a result, the couple took one million and stayed up all night because they were worried about the thief. The next day, they returned the troubled one million to the chairman and started living a happy life again. "Having money does not mean you will be happy. The key is to maintain a Zen mind and be open to everything."

Finally, Master Hsing Yun gave everyone a poem: "There are hundreds of flowers in spring and a moon in autumn." "There is a cool breeze in the summer and snow in the winter. If there is nothing to worry about, it is a good time in the world." He said, this is the Zen life, and I hope everyone can be at peace with the situation.