Chun Yufen, a young general from Huainan, had a bold temperament, a good drinker and a knight, but he lost his official position due to drunkenness and became depressed and frustrated. One day, he lay drunk under the big locust tree in his house and fell asleep with a wine bottle on his pillow. In a trance, he was welcomed into a "big locust country" by two messengers in purple clothes.
King Huai'an appreciated his talents and betrothed his beloved daughter Princess Yaofang to him as his consort. From then on, Chunyu Fen rose to heaven and enjoyed all the glory. He was appointed as the prefect of Nanke County. He had outstanding political achievements and was deeply loved by the people. He erected monuments and built ancestral temples, and his reputation spread far and wide.
However, the good times did not last long. The Tanluo Kingdom on the border invaded, and the princess was frightened and died of illness. Chunyu Fen returned to the capital with a coffin. His temperament gradually became arrogant, and he was framed by the right prime minister Duan Gong's slander, which aroused the king's suspicion.
The king held a farewell banquet for him and said, "Your Majesty is in this world, but your family is not here", which solved the mystery like a thunder. Chunyu Fen suddenly woke up and found that he was still lying under the locust tree. The shadow of the sun had not moved and the remaining wine was still warm. The so-called twenty years of wealth was just a dream.
He and his friends dug up the roots of an old locust tree and discovered numerous ant nests under the roots. In the past, the kings, ministers, families, grievances and hatreds were all transformed into a nest of ants.
He invited the eminent monk Qi Xuan to save his father, the princess, and the two ants from Huaian and Tanluo. On the night when the Dharma Assembly was completed, the heavenly gates opened wide, and his father, old ministers, kings, queens, and princesses appeared one after another to meet him in heaven. Just when he was obsessed with the princess and refused to let go, the Zen master split the love barrier with a sword, and the gold hairpin and jade box in his hand instantly turned into a locust tree branch and a locust pod.
At this point, Chun Yufen completely cut off the roots of love, saw through the floating life, and became a Buddha immediately. He understood that "everyone in the world is like an ant in a dream." Life is a big dream, and only by letting go of obsession can we gain great freedom.
