According to legend, bodhidharma, the ancestor of Zen in China, was a direct disciple of Prajna Doro, the 27th ancestor of Tianzhu Zen. After obtaining the Dharma, Dharma followed the master's instructions and traveled to China to promote Mahayana Zen.
One day, I left Jinling and walked to the bank of the Yangtze River. I see the river is wide and deep, and there are no boats. I'm afraid I can't cross the river. Not far away, I saw an old woman sitting beside her with a bundle of reeds, so I stepped forward and asked, "Old man, are you going to cross the river with this bundle of reeds?" The old man looked up and saw that the newcomers were sincere and harmonious. He didn't speak, just nodded.
Buddhism believes that an old man can cross the river on reeds, why can't I? So he respectfully asked, "Old man, please give me a reed to cross the river." The old man still didn't speak, so he pulled out a reed and handed it to Dharma. Dharma took it with both hands, said goodbye to the old man, and came to the river and put the reed by the river. At this time, the south wind happened to be blowing on the river, and Dharma gently stepped on the reeds and successfully crossed the Yangtze River.
In addition, there was a monk named Shen Guang at Xiangshan Temple in Longmen, Luoyang at that time. I heard that Tianzhu monk Dharma promoted Mahayana Zen in Jinling, so I went to see it. When I came to Jinling to inquire, Dharma had crossed the river to the north and was hunting. When I came to the river, I saw Dharma crossing the river with a reed on her feet, and she was on the other side. When I looked again, I saw an old woman sitting by the river with a bundle of reeds beside her. Thinking that Dharma must have crossed the river with the old woman's reeds, he hurried to the old woman's side. Without the consent of his master, he picked up a bundle of reeds and ran to the river, threw them into the water, and jumped up like an arrow. At this time, the north wind suddenly rises, and the reeds do not enter. Instead, they set off several waves and threw the divine light into the river. After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, Shen Guang waded ashore and asked the old woman, "The man in front crossed the river with a reed, but I brought you a bundle of reeds. Why did he almost die in the river? " The old man said, "That man takes it with courtesy and values peace. Of course I should take him across the river. You are rude, how can I not help you? "
Knowing that he was rude, Shen Guang apologized to the old man and said, "Old man, I really wanted to catch up with that man just now. Be rude in your busy schedule and offend your benefactor. Please forgive me and cross the river. " The old man's face changed, so he promised to help Wei Shi. I don't know where the old man is going when the divine light turns. Just then, the wind blew on the river, and the bundle of reeds floating on the river swung back to the river. Shen Guang looked at the old man's original sitting posture, made a deep salute and said, "Little monk, thank you for your advice!" After that, he boarded the reed and tied it on the other side of the Yangtze River. When he boarded the north bank of the Yangtze River, he thought to himself, "Alas! I really lack harmony, not as good as others! " Convinced, Shen Guang quickly caught up with Dharma's namaste ceremony and asked, "Please ask the holy monk to go to Songshan Shaolin Temple to promote Dafa." So Dharma took Shen Guang to Luoyang and soon came to Songshan. Seeing the beautiful scenery here, I sat in the cave of Wurufeng for nine years. After nine years of success, Mahayana Zen spread. It turns out that the strong wind on the river is also related to the harmonious state of monks.