As a practitioner of Buddhism, I should have heard that there are 84000 Buddhist methods, which means there are as many as 84000 ways to practice Buddhism. Each practitioner can choose one or several methods from them, and there is no good or bad method, only one that suits themselves. We must have also heard of a way of practice called 'post enlightenment cultivation'. So, in Buddhism, what is post enlightenment cultivation?

Firstly, the answer is that the method of cultivating after enlightenment is actually the practice method of Zen Buddhism.

Shakyamuni Buddha displayed flowers to the public, and Venerable Gaya smiled. As a result, Zen Buddhism emerged as a separate tradition outside of the teachings, and Venerable Gaya became the founder of Zen Buddhism. Under the guidance of fate, the 28th generation ancestor of Zen Buddhism, Venerable Bodhidharma, introduced Zen Buddhism to the East. Naturally, Venerable Bodhidharma became the founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism, and in China, "one flower blooms five leaves, and the result is naturally formed". Nowadays, there are numerous Buddhist sects in China, but the most prosperous one is Zen Buddhism, followed by Pure Land Buddhism, while many other sects have long declined. One important reason for this situation is that Zen Buddhism advocates "enlightenment after enlightenment", while other sects advocate "enlightenment after cultivation". What is the difference between these two? I, Shengzhong, will provide a simple analysis here.

After enlightenment, one begins to cultivate. Enlightenment is the starting point; And 'enlightenment after cultivation' is the ultimate goal. It's like a joke that an American bought a house with a loan, and finally paid off the loan when he was dying. He lived in a house all his life; When a Chinese man was dying, he finally saved enough money to buy a house. He died before he could live in it. Here, 'enlightenment after enlightenment' is equivalent to 'taking out a loan to buy a house', while 'enlightenment after enlightenment' is equivalent to 'saving money to buy a house'. Whether "saving money to buy a house" can afford to buy a house is an unknown variable, and whether "buying a house with a loan" can pay off the loan is an unknown variable. The difference is that "saving money to buy a house" may not necessarily lead to a house to live in until death, while "borrowing money to buy a house" means having a house to live in when young and living in until death. Similarly, with the practice of 'enlightenment followed by cultivation', one can quickly attain enlightenment and then follow the path of spiritual cultivation; And 'enlightenment after cultivation' requires diligent practice before enlightenment. The difference is that 'enlightenment followed by cultivation' involves first becoming enlightened and then practicing, and one can become enlightened before death; However, 'enlightenment after cultivation' may not necessarily lead to enlightenment until death.
Of course, everything in the world is inherently good or bad, only suitable or not. The practice of 'enlightenment after enlightenment' requires a deep understanding of wisdom, and those with shallow understanding are unlikely to achieve enlightenment no matter how much they meditate. 'Enlightenment after cultivation' does not require deep wisdom roots, even those who have no wisdom roots can still achieve enlightenment after cultivation. The most typical representatives of these two are the ancestors of the separation of the north and south of Zen Buddhism, the Southern Zen Master Huineng and the Northern Zen Master Shenxiu. The Southern Zen style is "enlightenment after enlightenment", while the Northern Zen style is "enlightenment after cultivation".

Let's take a look at the representative verses of the Southern and Northern Zen masters:

The verse of Master Huineng of Southern Zen: "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform. There is nothing in its original form, where can dust be stirred up."

Northern Zen Master Shenxiu's Verse:"The body is a Bodhi tree, and the mind is like a mirror platform. Wipe it frequently at all times, and do not stir up dust."

Master Huineng's verses are insightful and emphasize emptiness; However, Master Shenxiu's verses do not include Bodhi, emphasizing diligent practice and hard work. So, it is not difficult to see that Master Huineng advocates "enlightenment after enlightenment", while Master Shenxiu advocates "enlightenment after cultivation".

I, Shengzhong, prefer Master Huineng's "Enlightenment after Enlightenment" rather than Master Shenxiu's "Enlightenment after Cultivation". People are different, some have deep attachments, while others have no attachments. It depends on what kind of cultivation method is suitable for oneself.

What I want to remind you here is that it is not enough to fully control one's inner self after enlightenment, and one's words and actions are full of Bodhi wisdom. It's not like that. If someone has talked to a true Zen master, they will find that some Zen masters sometimes get angry, not because they haven't been enlightened, but because they haven't fully controlled their own hearts yet.

Attention: Enlightenment is the manifestation of Bodhi wisdom, while practice is the ability to freely control one's inner self. Therefore, it does not mean that there is no need to practice after enlightenment, nor does it necessarily mean that enlightenment can be achieved after practice.