相书-有一种文化叫平等 The Culture of Equality

还是公元526年，9月中还是文化使者的达摩，10月底是一个越境者，到了嵩山少林寺，一个没人理的落魄者，为什么，被一个文化的领导者否定的外来文化，在共同文化的氛围中，一些农村学者胆敢承认你，万般无奈下，走投无路下，达摩以自残的方式，在少林寺的后山没人的地方安顿下来，时间是，那一年的11月23日，离登陆广州，不到两个月，被皇帝否定了，没有人认识，可能言语还有待提高，在少林寺里没人理的，同样在寺里有一个新来的出家人，来自小地方，在寺里没有朋友，可能是同病相怜的感触，也是有一种内心的声音在提醒，去探索一下吧，对你一个一无所有的家伙没什么损失，两个落魄人相遇了，后来的这个落魄人，自称梦里有神人指点，于是自称神光，神光一直没有找到和达摩搭话的机会，在一场雪夜里，神光想看看达摩的斤两，对一个陌生的，不知任何底细的怪人，神光观察达摩半个晚上，一般装的人，早就没戏了，为什么，有过常年盘腿的人，对盘腿的能力是有知识的，半天的盘腿，装的人没戏，不信你也可以装一下，你的老师有没有斤两看看盘腿子吧，那是骗不了人的，在这场交流中，神光降低身态，问，可不可以交流一下我们的文化，达摩回答是，你不够资格，这就是文化的序位决定的，和传承人没关系，传承人可能是流浪汉，但谈文化，你神光够格吗，神光也不含糊，把自己的手臂递给了达摩，其实神光的潜台词是，对不起了流浪汉，今天你要不说点什么，就OVER了你，费什么话，其实这里是两种文化的冲突，全是以死相逼，没有退路，文化在这种势均力敌下升华了，这时还是佛教文化吗，还是中国传统文化吗，都不是了，文化在这种你死我活的站位中是有妥协有交融的，断臂是文化的象征，是文化对本身的完整进行的自我否定，其实是否定梁武帝的文化胜利的成果，这种否定是一种决然的坚定，甚至有恐吓的味道，这就是中国人的文化，其实一点也不弱，有自信有担当，而且还有平等的情怀，那么在中国出现禅宗是偶然的吗，禅宗是中国文化的精品，不容置疑的中国制造，怎么来的，中国人以命换的，就怎么简单。

[Xiang’s Essay] - The Culture of Equality

It was still the year of 526 A.D. Bodhidharma, a cultural-communicator in September, a boarder-crosser in October, arrived at the Shaolin Temple in Songshan Mountain. He was a goner, denied and neglected by the Chinese cultural leader. Desperately, he found an uninhabited place at the back of the mountain. He was alone and language-barriered, yet he settled down.

On the day of November, 23rd, only two months after his landing at Guangzhou and being turned down by the emperor, a monk, who was also new to the temple, came to meet him. This monk was a goner, too. He was from a small place and had no friend in the temple at all. Due to the echoes from kindred solitary souls, the monk visited Bodhidharma on a snowy night.

The monk called himself Shen Guang (meaning “saint’s enlightenment”, for he was said to have been instructed by a saint in the dream). He had been seeking a chance to get to Bodhidharma. And on that cold snowy night, Shen Guang knew the true ability of Bodhidharma by watching him doing cross-legs (zazen). He observed the strange weirdo for half a night, and he knew he was not faking it. Cross-legs is not an ability that can be faked (you don’t believe it, you try it). Why? Doing cross-legs for such a long time is not as easy as sitting on a couch watching TV.

So, Shen Guang asked Bodhidharma if they could communicate about their cultures. The answer was, no. It was the result of cultural priority. A cultural successor could be a tramp, but you were not qualified to talk about culture with me. And Shen Guang, who was so forthright, cut off his arm and gave it to Bodhidharma, meaning, “sorry, tramp. But if you don’t say something tonight, this is what things will become of”. The conversation became the conflict between two cultures, the matter of life and death. There was no way back. In condition of equality, Buddhist culture and Chinese traditional culture were no longer what they were. They advanced. The arm was the symbol of the self-denial of an integrate culture, the symbol of the denial of Emperor Wu’s cultural victory. This denial was inexorable. And this was Chinese culture, not moderate and mild, but confident and responsible, and, equal.

So it was by no accident that Zen developed in China. Zen is the gem on the crown of Chinese culture. It’s beyond all doubt made in China: a Chinese got it at the cost of his life.

from: zenlet.com