All the myriad creatures and things in the world live in this hotel,
but this is not our real home.

Reminder from the last issue:
After Dhyana Master Zung Shu became enlightened, he established the Dharma at Xing De. His customary style of teaching was exalted and unique, and he held the precepts strictly.

Nine censers hanging by a thread. His practice was like suspending nine censers by a single thread. This analogy shows how serious it was. The mirror of a ten thousand year tortoise. He was like the mirror of a ten thousand year old tortoise. A ten thousand year old tortoise has spiritual enetrations. Probably its shell was very efficacious for divination purposes, being clear as a mirror, able to reflect and discriminate all phenomena, and fathom people's minds. No matter what kind of person he encountered, he could reflect everything like a mirror.

When things come, one reflects them.
When things pass, one is still.
Nothing could hinder him.

Hsuan Hua's Verse Says:
The springtime scenery is wonderful and miraculous.
The whole world is an essay, and his calligraphy is rare.
Hearing the thunder, he suddenly fathomed the intent of the one come West.
Gazing at the sea, he soon understood the way to teach those in the East.
With quiet cultivation, he scoured away all bad habits.
With bitter discipline, he nurtured and increased Bodhi.
Cutting down the forest of views, he was without attainment.
Extinguishing greed and anger, he transcended afflictions.

Commentary:
The springtime scenery is wonderful and miraculous. In his essay "A Party in the Peach and Plum Orchard on a Spring Evening," the poet Li Bo said:
The world is an inn for the myriad creatures.
Time is the passing guest of successive generations.
Life is as ephemeral as a dream; how many truly happy times are there?
With good reason, the ancients would take candles and go carousing all night.

According to Li Bo, the world is just like our hotel. All the myriad creatures and things in the world live in this hotel, but this is not our real home. "Time is the passing guest of successive generations." What is time? It is just a passing visitor. "Life is as ephemeral as a dream." Our life is like a fleeting dream. It's ephemeral, not real. "How many truly happy times are there?" Ask yourself how many times of true happiness you've experienced. Not many. "With good reason, the ancients would take candles and go carousing all night." In ancient times, people would light candles and go wandering and amusing themselves in the night. They had reasons for doing so. "Morever, spring arouses me with its misty scenes, and the world provides me with an essay." In the springtime, the myriad forms of life start to appear and grow, and everything flourishes profusely. This kind of springtime scene is subtly wondrous and miraculous. If you observe closely, you will find that everything is growing.  

The whole world is an essay, and his calligraphy is rare.Dhyana Master Zung Shu was very exceptional. The world's essay refers to his name Da Zhang, "great essay." In what way was he exceptional? Hearing the thunder, he suddenly fathomed the intent of the one come West. He understood the profound intent of the Patriarch from the West as soon as he heard the thunder. Gazing at the sea, he soon understood the way to teach those in the East. Looking out to the sea, Dhyana Master Yue Zhou had said, "The northwest wind is severe, and the lakes and seas are frozen solid." Seeing how the sea waters had frozen into solid ice, he thought of a method to teach Dhyana Master Zung Shu, and also understood the conditions for teaching and transforming the Chinese people.

With quiet cultivation, he scoured away all bad habits. Dhyana Master Zung Shu cultivated quietly for eight years. Every day during those eight years, he engaged in introspection and swept out his bad habits and faults. With bitter discipline, he nurtured and increased Bodhi. He probably had to suffer considerable abuse. Whenever people bullied him or treated him with scorn, he endured it-that's bitter discipline. Meanwhile, he cultivated the "ground of his mind" and nurtured the "sky of his nature," and thus was able to foster the sprouts of Bodhi.

Cutting down the forest of views, he was without attainment. He chopped down the forest of deviant views, but didn't attain anything. Extinguishing greed and anger, he transcended afflictions. Afflictions are just ignorance and stupidity. He left behind the three poisons of greed, anger and stupidity; they simply disappeared.