Although we gave Long Song a slap in the face, we rescued Huang Long, so we felt at ease taking something from him.
This bullock cart is really too slow, especially now that there are several of us sitting on the cart, and the load has increased, the old cow moves even slower.
Fortunately, my mood was completely different from that in the morning. I sat in the car, back to back with Uncle Ma, squinting at the dusk scenery in the mountains.
At this time yesterday, I was still uneasy and restless. I drove all the way here in a shabby taxi, completely unaware of the purpose of my trip and what kind of danger I was going to experience.
So this person has everything he should have experienced. Even if you are lying down at home, there will always be a force that pulls you up from the bed and makes you do something spectacular.
I think this matter should be considered a big deal, right?
Although we never saw the enemy from the beginning to the end, Huang Tianyou said that those little devils never dared to show their faces and only played tricks.
Now that we have saved Huanglong and destroyed those evil spirits, those little devils must also feel uncomfortable, and the backlash will definitely not be able to escape.
At this time, Uncle Ma was looking at our trophies happily, and then took out a large piece of tree trunk, which was as big as an arm.
"Ah, you guys, didn't you just talk about healing Long Song's injuries? Who broke off such a large piece of tree trunk?!"
Mr. Ren chuckled: "Don't make a fuss. Anyway, the Yellow Dragon has returned and the formation's eyes have been broken. If we break it into two pieces, it won't hinder anything. Hahahahaha..."
I really always thought that only Uncle Ma could do this secretly breaking off trees, but I didn't expect that it was actually Master Ren who did it.
Everyone couldn't help but laugh together. I bumped Uncle Ma with my elbow and said with a smile: "Old Ma Tou, why are you so behaved today? You don't move when you say you can't. Isn't this unlike your style?"
Uncle Ma's expression was subtle, and he also smiled. Then he slowly reached into his arms and took out two palm-sized tree trunks.
"I'm sorry, these two pieces are mine, no one is allowed to share them!"
Everyone laughed.
I turned to Uncle Ma and said, "Old Ma Tou, where do you think those little devils are hiding? If they are causing trouble for us like this, we can only wait. Isn't this a bit too passive?"
This time, Uncle Ma rarely made a joke. He put away his smile and sighed: "There's nothing we can do about it. Our country is too big. We can't defend here, but we can't defend there. Besides, some enemies are not little devils, but just ordinary people." It's lurking inside us and it's hard to guard against."
As soon as this sentence was said, everyone sighed in unison. Huang Tianyou was even more indignant and said: "Yes, as the saying goes, it is difficult to guard against domestic thieves if you guard against them day and night."
Mr. Ren smiled freely: "That's normal. Traitors exist in every dynasty and every generation. This is how everything in the world is. Where there is good, there must be evil. Where there is loyalty, there must be traitor. If there is peace in the world, all the bad guys will die. Absolutely, then this is not a human world, but a paradise."
When Mr. Ren said this, I asked in surprise: "Master Ren, isn't heaven a Christian term? We Taoists also talk about heaven?"
Mr. Ren smiled again: "Of course there is. The so-called heaven is not exclusive to Christianity. It is just a translation problem. Just like the West calls God GOD. In fact, the word God belongs to our Taoism, but it was not used at the beginning. If you know how to translate the word GOD, you can directly use God to represent it.”
Huang Tianyou also added: "Yes, the full name of our Jade Emperor is actually 'Haotian Golden Tower, Supreme Supreme Natural Wonderful Milo, Supreme True Jade Emperor God', also known as 'Tai Shang Kai Tian Zhi Fu Yu Li Han Zhen Ti Dao Jin Que Yun" Palace Jiuqiong Yuli Wandao Wuwei Avenue Ming Palace Haotian Golden Tower Supreme Jade Emperor Forgiveness Great Heavenly Lord The supreme ruler of the world is referred to as the 'Jade Emperor', or 'Haotian God', so this is our God, not a foreign God."
Huang Tianyou mentioned a long list of names of the Jade Emperor, and Uncle Ma also shook his head and said: "Yes, yes, in fact, the Taoist paradise originally refers to the heaven, where the gods live."
At this time, Mr. Ren shook his head and said: "That's not entirely right. In my opinion, Taoism certainly has its own paradise to pursue, but after all, it is an illusory thing, a place that only gods can go to. But in fact, The true Taoist may not be in heaven. I have some truths, which may be very nagging, and what one family says may not be correct. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"
Anyway, the journey was long and the ox-cart was very slow, so we all expressed our willingness to listen.
Master Ren smiled, stroked his beard and said, "Then let me tell you carefully..."
Mr. Ren told us that the biggest difference between Taoism and other sects is that Taoism is a religion of life, which values human life the most and regards the body as the residence of the spirit.
As the saying goes, immortality values life, this sentence means that the immortals’ Taoism is precious, because it values vitality and life, and cultivating immortality and immortality is the main pursuit.
Therefore, Taoism does not believe in the Age of Dharma or the Doomsday Judgment, and does not place all hope in the afterlife. Although it also believes in past and future lives, it will not shirk responsibility for its present life.
Taoism emphasizes following nature, inheriting the way of heaven, eternal succession of China, respecting heaven and ancestors, pursuing the truth, exploring the avenue, justice in heaven and earth, safeguarding justice, facing reality, and focusing on this life.
Although there are many Taoist priests who behave badly in Taoism, the teachings make us love the world more and strive to build a better world.
The core idea of Taoism is: Tao follows nature, governs by doing nothing, and lives in harmony with nature.
Therefore, we should live a clean life, do things openly, and be worthy of heaven and earth. Even if life is difficult, we should not think that we are born guilty, or that we will definitely be entangled by the cause and effect of our previous lives.
Regardless of past and present life, regardless of gods and Buddhas, or cause and effect, our lives are the greatest miracle in the universe. As we enjoy the splendor of life, we should also give our most wonderful self back to this life, rather than being the spiritual slaves of any gods, let alone There is no need to be bound by the karma of past lives.
Therefore, the cause and effect we believe in must transcend the individual and break away from the narrow self-detachment, let alone go to heaven selfishly.
Therefore, true cultivation is not just about chanting sutras and meditating, nor is it about becoming an immortal by being in seclusion every day and not caring about worldly affairs.
What a true Taoist wants to do is to continue a civilization, which is the inheritance of the past era, the responsibility for the current era, and the responsibility for the future era. Therefore, although we believe in gods, we are not superstitious about gods or afraid of gods. , but the way to revere the gods and continue the gods.
Because our gods represent the righteous way of heaven and earth, and also represent a code of conduct and morality.
After all, in ancient times, only those with high moral character and contributions to the country and the people could be made gods.
To put it simply, there are roughly the following types of characters who can be conferred as gods in ancient times.
The first type is people who are set up as role models by the people. They are loyal or filial, or have high moral character, enough to become a model of behavior for the public.
The second type is those who have made contributions to the stability of the country, such as generals who died in battle and martyrs who protected the country.
The third type is people who save people from fire and water for the survival of the people, or who contribute to social development in a certain industry.
If you don’t believe it, please take a look. In all the cities and towns across the country, where temples have been set up to offer sacrifices, which one is not this kind of person?
Therefore, if we believe in gods, we must follow this moral code and, like them, keep the "Tao" passed down by the Chinese civilization for thousands of years.
So, what exactly is a Taoist priest?
In fact, Taoist priests can be divided into broad and narrow senses. They are not necessarily experienced Taoists who are monks, nor are they necessarily teachers who live in temples.
In a broad sense, all those who follow the way of heaven, those who protect the way of heaven, and those who believe in the way of heaven, adhere to the way, are worthy of heaven and earth, and worthy of their country, including those from all walks of life who continue to contribute to the development and civilization of the country. Those who contribute to progress are actually Taoist priests!
These people may not necessarily expect the afterlife, nor may they pursue the beautiful paradise after death, but they must turn the land of China into a paradise through their own efforts.
Even if they become gods and immortals after death, it will be because of their merits in this life and because of everything they have done for the country and the people.
Therefore, to become a Taoist priest, it is not necessary to convert or kowtow to the gods. As long as you stick to your own Tao and your own beliefs, you are actually a qualified Taoist priest.
To sum up, our human world is actually our paradise. Even if it is not a paradise, we must build it into a paradise and pass on those beautiful and just things. This is the belief of a Taoist priest.
So, what is faith?
In fact, it is very simple. You must not be confused, have goals, be able to move forward firmly, be worthy of your family and society, not be lost in the past, not afraid of the future, and know how to transcend yourself in the past.
This is faith.
As long as we do this, we can live up to our ancestors, live up to our descendants, live up to ourselves, and live up to the Great Dao.
After death, even if you can't go to heaven, you can still be free in the three realms and become an immortal freely!
