Uncle Ma did not disappoint us. He made a speechless expression at first, then stroked his beard and spoke.
"Are people who say this kind of thing afraid that others won't know that they don't understand anything? Or are they afraid that others won't know that they are a dabbler? Many people think that doing religious rituals is just a matter of getting a few people to sing and chant. In fact, they don't know what's going on inside. Internal secrets. Although the rituals are unnecessarily complicated, they are also the most comprehensive teachings. They include all the basic knowledge of Taoism such as hand skills, Qi extraction, internal training, and recruiting generals. Basically, those who know the rituals Most of them are serious Taoist priests, and most of those who don't know the rituals only have one certificate."
Ma Yunfeng thought for a while and asked: "In that case, those who don't know the rituals are fake Taoist priests who spend money to buy certificates?"
Uncle Ma shook his head: "That can't be generalized. The scope of Taoist priests is very wide. There are some civil laws that do not use rituals. We can't beat them to death with a stick. Let me put it this way. Taoists may not learn rituals, but bastards definitely don't. Yi, do you understand this?"
Ma Yunfeng asked again: "So that means it is necessary to perform rituals when practicing the law?"
Uncle Ma said: "It depends on what kind of Dharma you practice. Some Dharma doors do not require rituals, while others require rituals. There is also a situation where if your cultivation is not enough, you will not be able to practice Dharma. When practicing, you need to use rituals. If your cultivation is very high, some rituals can be omitted or simplified."
At this time, Zhang Wenwen also asked: "Then, can we use whether we can do rituals to distinguish true and false Taoist priests? For example, I still don't know rituals, but I am not a fake Taoist priest."
Uncle Ma laughed: "This question also depends on the specific situation, because some Taoist priests may not have learned the rituals. After all, each family's inheritance is different. What's more, mountain doctors have a unique skill in fortune telling, and some have only been introduced for a short time. , it’s normal not to study for the time being.”
Ma Yunfeng asked again: "They say that the Ancestral Master does not perform rituals. Is this true?"
Uncle Ma said: "If Taoism has reached a certain level, rituals are just a form. But it cannot be said that the ancestor Tianshi never did rituals. First of all, there were rituals in the era of the ancestors, but the ancestors had rituals. What kind of magic power does the master have? A thought can reach nine heavens. How many Taoist priests in the world dare to compete with the ancestor Tianshi? You are an ordinary Taoist priest and you just follow the rules honestly. You haven't even learned how to walk. , just want to run the 110-meter hurdles?"
Uncle Ma's metaphor was very interesting. We all laughed. Taoist Master Zixu also smiled and said: "I tell you, there are many Taoist methods, each of which has a different purpose. Scientific rituals naturally have their own benefits. Before your ability reaches a certain level, scientific rituals are indispensable. Of course, there are some methods that do not require scientific rituals, but to say that scientific rituals are useless is a bit excessive."
It was interesting to listen to their discussion, so I asked: "If this is the case, are the robes worn during rituals really just for good looks? Or do they actually have a function?"
This time Uncle Ma rolled his eyes at me and said, "You kid, let me give you an analogy. When you go out to pay New Year greetings during the Chinese New Year, do you want to dress up neatly? Or do you just go there in rags? This You must pay attention to some etiquette and dignity. Who doesn't want to be decent? Besides, the cassocks are also graded and cannot be worn casually. This is also a rule and etiquette. If he must make a point, why didn't he wear a torn sack when he got married? Where to pick up the bride?”
Ma Yunfeng continued: "What they mean is that, for example, when exorcising evil spirits, there is no time to perform rituals. They just perform rituals to invite gods directly, so there is no need for rituals. Because in the earliest times, there was no ritual. Etiquette, those are all studied by later generations. And worshiping gods does not require so many complicated procedures, as long as you focus on the Tao."
Uncle Ma glared and said, "Do they know how to exorcise evil spirits? Besides exorcisms? Taoist Master Zixu just said that there are many Taoist methods, and rituals have the benefits of rituals. Of course, there are also methods that do not require rituals. You can't just In summary. Let’s talk about the era of Zu Tianshi. It was the Han Dynasty. According to his logic, only Zu Tianshi is right, and everything developed later is wrong. So he shouldn’t follow people online now. To argue, he shouldn't take a car when going out, he should ride a horse. The mobile phone and computer he uses to argue with others online are also developed by future generations, why shouldn't he use them if he has the ability?"
Uncle Ma became more and more angry as he spoke, and continued: "Besides, when he can exorcise evil spirits, he can perform magic rituals. Then when he performs the Jade Emperor's rituals to pray for people, he doesn't need to perform rituals. He can summon them with just a wave of his hand. The Jade Emperor? When you are doing the Chaozhen ceremony, you can directly summon the Big Dipper Lord with your hand? When you are doing the Sanyuan Wu Dynasty, you can call down the Three Officials Emperor with just one wave of your hand to be saved? Why do you really have such a big face in the world? Why don't you just let me do it? The Jade Emperor gives you the throne. His so-called pinching skills to summon gods are generally not too high in level. If there is a master in this world who can summon the Jade Emperor with his thoughts, you can just give him 100,000 yuan and let him go online. Argue, if he looks at you twice more, you will win."
Zhang Wenwen said at this time: "Yes, Master also told us that when we invite these gods, we should perform rituals and rituals in a proper manner. This is our respect and etiquette for the gods, just like when we go to worship It's the same at the ancestral hall, there must be certain rules, and the incense table, flowers, candles, and offerings must be indispensable. But as a result, these people say that there is no need to follow any rules, as long as they focus on the Tao, isn't this nonsense?"
Ma Yunfeng said: "Yes, yes, it's like some people talk about filial piety every day, saying that being filial to their parents doesn't depend on outward things, as long as it's in the heart. But in fact, he didn't visit him for half a year. Once, my parents didn’t bring any gifts every time they went there, and they had to search their parents’ bankbooks, and then they called it filial piety. This kind of person is simply shameless.”
Taoist Master Zixu smiled and said: "Being a Taoist priest does not require you to stick to rituals, but rituals have existed since ancient times and have been developed little by little in the long history. What we, the younger generations, should do is how to carry forward our strengths and how to avoid our weaknesses. , how to improve and improve, instead of blindly belittling and rejecting, which itself is a wrong behavior and idea, a kind of bias and prejudice."
Taoist Master Zixu is worthy of being a great Taoist, and what he said is different. However, Uncle Ma curled his lips and said: "You said they are biased and prejudiced, and you look down on them. In fact, they are just following what others say. One is to show off, and the other is to show off. It’s just a way to get some traffic. If you don’t believe it, if you ask him to sing a ten-way rhyme, he probably won’t be able to do it!”
Uncle Ma hit the nail on the head and directly told the truth behind it.
I also thought thoughtfully and said: "Yes, if you are a really capable person, you will not say such ignorant words at all. These people actually use this method to increase their traffic and get jobs on the way."
Uncle Ma slapped his thigh: "Hey, flirt!"
Oops, the conversation has come to an end, and I should go out to buy materials. However, Uncle Ma still has a conscience and did not drive me away immediately. Instead, he let me stay in the temple for one night and go down the mountain the next day. .
