There is a story that I have never understood. I hope you can help me.

The Zen meaning of "Nanquan decapitates the cat": actually, it is very simple. Monks in Zhaozhou put shoes on their heads, which means "putting the cart before the horse", which means monks quarreling over cats put the cart before the horse. What Nanquan Zen masters generally want to say is: to cultivate one's morality, to say Zen, and to achieve Buddhism is a major goal pursued by monks; If there is a dispute about the ownership of the cat, isn't it "helpless"? None of these disciples cared about their own pursuit, coveting small profits and losing their ambitions, so the Zen master cut the cat in two with one knife. Just then, the disciple returned to Nanquan Temple. I heard that the Zen master killed the kitten. He didn't say a word, but slowly took off his shoes and put them on his head, expressing to the Zen master that the dispute between monks and cats was "putting the cart before the horse". The two churches are crazy about cats, and they miss cats when they see them; Nanquan cut the cat as an opportunity to enlighten scholars; Zhaozhou takes straw sandals as a cat, which is intended to alert the literati that everything is created by idealism. Cats are illusory, the hearts of all beings are confused, out of nothing, and fantasy believes that it will bring endless troubles. This case 1000 has been a hot topic of people's comments for many years, and it is called a "difficult point". There have always been different views, and no one can say for sure. Snow sinus reappeared in Song Dynasty (980- 1052), which was considered as a decisive measure. He said: "The two halls are Du Chan and He, and there is nothing to stir up. Fortunately, the Southern Boxing Order made a clean break. " It is necessary for Nanquan to take decisive measures to make a clean break. The monks in Dongxitang had a quarrel over the cat, and they were all monks with poor practice. Dongtang said it was Dongtang's cat, and Xitang said it was Xitang's cat. The throat caught fire and the meditation hall became dusty and deadlocked. Fortunately, Nanquan waved a knife in the order of Buddhism and cut off the object of dispute. Maybe someone will say that Nanquan committed a killing, whether it is right or wrong, let him speak. The attitude of Zen people is "barking and shouting for him to judge, which is naturally white." Bai Yin Huihe (1683-? ) put forward different comments on Xue Dou's "make a clean break" argument. He said: "Xuedou's comment on' Nanquan chop the cat' is biased in saying' make a clean break'. Let me not ask what happened to the cat when I made a clean break. I just want to say what it's like when a cat makes a clean break? " "Make a clean break" is a killer (negative consciousness) and "make a clean break" is a "living sword" (positive consciousness). "Make a clean break" is really killing cats, and "make a clean break" is fake killing consciousness. What happened when the cat made a clean break? Must be "don't kill". Bai Yin disapproved of the practice of Nanquan. Why does he insist on "making a clean break"? He thinks that Zhaozhou's attitude is right, and he follows suit, no matter what cats are, kill them or not. This is "the detachment of Zen". Master Xing Xiu in Yuan Dynasty (1 166- 1246) wrote the Record of Deciding Ancestors, which quoted Master Fa Xiu's comment on "Nanquan beheaded the cat": Nanquan did not persuade the leaders of the two churches because of a cat dispute, let alone criticize them. He was a true Taoist, did his duty, took a knife and said, "Tao is right." If the ten parties have feelings at this time, they will ask Nanquan together. At that time, a monk spread out his hands in time, held Nanquan in the middle, and advised Nanquan that "the monk should not be so troublesome". Although Nanquan wanted to do something else, he was sure to save the cat. It happened that the dead mice in this cave (referring to the two hall lords) lost their breath at the critical moment. At this time, Nanquan has opened the posture of cutting cats, and the displayed hand can't be taken back. As far as the order is concerned, the cat was really chopped. The French program also quoted two ancient people's comments on this case. First, the mirror heart record written by Liao people: accusing Nanquan of murder; Second, the first article is "Endless Light Debate": It is cruel to accuse Nanquan of beheading with his hands. How can he really make a clean break? Fa Xiu also said humorously: "Wen Gong is heavy, public crime is light, and Nanquan still shakes his head in the buffalo team!" In the Qing Dynasty, Teacher Qi's investigation of Nanquan's cat-cutting case was a good cooperation. Once, Boheng asked her what she understood about this case. She quickly presented it to the teacher: "Who can appoint a cat chopper?" It's much harder to bring sandals. Just bow your head and smile and let him kill his tricks. "To evaluate the monks in Zhaozhou's" Leaving Shoes "is to laugh at those monks who are caught in the dispute between chickens and cats, to turn all beings upside down, to seek outward, to forget what is under their feet, not to study Buddhism hard, but to argue over the unnecessary details of cats and dogs. Suzuki Teitaro Daisetz, a Japanese Zen scholar, said, "Why does the poor cat suffer? Isn't chopping cats a religious and heartless act? What are four empty monks fighting for a cat for? Isn't it silly for Zhao Zhou to put shoes on his head? Besides, are absolute negation and absolute affirmation really opposites? No, the behavior of the monk in Zhaozhou is very serious, very serious. I just don't understand the mystery, so I will have the above questions. Zen is not a kind of enlightenment, and Zen should completely throw away all fetters. " Contemporary Mr. Zhang Wenliang made a similar evaluation of this situation. He said: "The words and deeds of Quanhe cannot be understood with secular feelings, because killing an innocent life is not only a sin of monks, but also cruel to secular people. However, Nanquan's move has its own meaning. Monks argue about a cat, which shows that they are slow and heavy. Cutting a cat can wake them up and realize that the law can't force them, I can't sell myself short, and everything is impermanent. "