"The autumn wind is bleak, the weather is cool, the grass and trees are shaking and the dew turns to frost, the swallows say farewell and return to the south, and I miss you so much that my heart breaks when I miss you..." My humble concubine stays alone in the empty room. I don't dare to forget you when I come to miss you, and my clothes are stained with tears. The melodious strings of the musical instrument bring forth the Qing dynasty, and the short songs cannot be chanted long. The bright moon shines brightly on my bed, and the stars are flowing west into the night. ...!"
These are lines from "The Song of the Songs" by Cao Pi, the great poet of the Three Kingdoms. It describes the desolation of a resentful woman missing her husband in the coming autumn. Now it is sung by a thin monk in his sixties, and it seems nondescript.
The old monk who recited the poem was walking on a path in the mountains at the moment, carrying a robe with bulging bags on his back, which made him look very heavy, but he was walking as fast as flying, completely ignoring the little boy behind him who was chasing after him with small steps. boy.
The little boy is about seven or eight years old, with a tiger-like head and a strong head. With his fitted gray coarse cloth clothes and a shiny bald head, he looks very energetic.
"Master, wait for me...!" The child gasped and shouted from behind.
Realizing that the distance between him and the child was far away, the old monk walking in front turned around and said, "Zhu Yu, it's almost noon again. We have only walked thirty miles today! It seems that we can only walk more than sixty miles by nightfall." It’s in.”
After the old monk finished speaking, he turned around and sat on a dead tree stump by the roadside. He put down his robe, took out a big cake and a pot of water, handed it to the little boy who caught up, took out another cake and put it in his mouth. Chew it carefully.
The little boy named Zhu Yu was obviously hungry. Without saying a word, he took the cake and ate it hungrily.
A gust of wind blew by, with a coolness, stirring the leaves and grass in the forest. Three or five leaves swirled with the wind, swaying and fell to the side of the path. At this time, the path was paved. A layer of yellow or red leaves expresses the depth of autumn.
"Master Kongshi, tell me a story!" Zhu Yu, after eating and drinking, leaned against the old monk and stared up at him.
The old monk who was called Kongshi by Zhu Yu looked down at Zhu Yu: "When you arrive at Shaolin Temple, you will start practicing martial arts, but you are not allowed to pester people like this. I will come back to you when you have mastered your martial arts."
"Master, I don't want to learn martial arts, I want to be with you all the time!" Obviously, Zhu Yu is very dependent on Master Kongshi and has no interest in learning martial arts.
Kong Shi looked down at Zhu Yu and smiled slightly: "Remember, you are different from ordinary children. In the future, you will determine the fate of many people, so you must concentrate on learning martial arts well."
Another gust of wind blew, and seven or eight leaves were lifted up, spinning in mid-air, making a thorny sound, which seemed to beat Zhu Yu's heart.
Zhu Yu heard this sentence from his master many times, but he didn't understand it. He only knew that he should practice martial arts well so that he wouldn't live up to his master's expectations. But he had to decide the fate of others by himself. He felt baffled. It's no wonder. He is only eight years old, so naturally he doesn't understand adult matters.
Master Kong Shi was also a disciple of Shaolin. Although he was not as good as the monks who specialized in martial arts at Shaolin Bodhidharma Academy, he was influenced by his ears and eyes and learned many good kung fu over decades. However, he just taught his disciples but failed to get the essentials, so he had to let him Zhu Yu practices martial arts with Master Kong Xin, the abbot of Shaolin Bodhidharma Academy.
Zhu Yu remembered that he and his parents took a sea ship across the sea four years ago. They got off the ship, rode a horse and walked in a sedan chair. More than three months later, they settled in a Zen temple in this big mountain called Lion Rock. It is called Zhengxu Zen Temple. There are more than thirty monks in the temple, and Kongshi is the abbot.
The family of three lived quietly and peacefully in the temple for three years. However, on a gloomy and cold afternoon at the beginning of the fourth year, a group of officers and soldiers came from nowhere. The leader was particularly powerful in martial arts, and was captured in the air. After the defeat, more than a dozen monks were killed, and his parents were captured. There was no news after that. Fortunately, Zhu Yu escaped by hiding in the dense forest of the back mountain.
When asked why his parents were taken away, Master Kongshi just said that you will know when you grow up, and you won’t understand now.
Master Kongshi had his own reasons for not telling the reason why his parents were arrested. Zhu Yu didn't ask any more questions, just thinking that the master would tell him when he grew up.
Without his parents around, Zhu Yu suddenly seemed to have grown up a lot. He was no longer naughty and willful and rushed to do everything, like a little adult. The monks praised him endlessly.
In this way, the master and the apprentice spent the night at dawn, climbing mountains and wading in rivers. After a month and a half, they set foot on the path into Shaoshi Mountain.
Directly opposite, there are continuous towering mountains, and the Shaolin Temple is hidden in the mountains. On both sides of the road, there are fields and vegetable patches. Some monks are harvesting rice or weeding vegetables. It is a busy scene only seen in farmhouses.
The monks were doing their work with their heads bowed, and no one got up to take a look at the old and young visitors. Perhaps it was because the Shaolin Temple was very busy, and there were more than one or two visitors walking through this path every day. Naturally, there were many. It's not strange; maybe it's because the monks are chanting sutras and reciting Buddha's name, and they have no worries in their hearts. To them, the things around them are just like floating clouds, causing no ripples at all, even if there is something strange like an old man and a young man coming. The combination.
"Zhu Yu, two months ago I sent a message to Master Kongwu, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, and Master Kongxin, the abbot of Bodhidharma Academy. You will practice martial arts wholeheartedly in Shaolin from now on, and you will not be left in the dark." Seeing Yin in the forest. At the mountain gate, Kong Shi finally encouraged Zhu Yu.
"Master, don't worry, my disciple can endure any hardship." Zhu Yu assured without a doubt.
When the two of them walked to the mountain gate, two young monks of seven or eight years old came out from behind the mountain gate. They clasped their hands together and sang a promise to Kong Shi and Zhu Yu, saying that they were assigned by the abbot Master Kong Wu to come here to receive them. People enter Shaolin.
Master Kongshi asked the two of them their names, and they introduced themselves. On the left was a monk dressed in blue cloth, with handsome features, who called himself Kong Yuan. On the right was a monk clothed in blue cloth, with a plump face and narrowed eyes. answer.
Kong Yuan and Kong Ying led the way, followed closely by Master Kong Shi and Zhu Yu, and the four of them walked step by step towards the depths of Shaoshi Mountain.
It was early autumn when Kong Shi and Zhu Yu left the Lion Rock Zhengxu Temple. The two of them had been traveling for more than a month. It was already mid-autumn, and Shaolin was far north. Therefore, the Shaolin at this time was full of dyes and cool breezes. Autumn is strong.
Kong Yuan and Kong Ying walked with the two of them for about a quarter of an hour, passing through a platform surrounded by huge cypress trees, and stepped into a gate with a plaque with three large characters of Shaolin Temple on the top, and a large golden plaque with four large characters of Daxiong Palace. The huge palace suddenly appeared in front of us.
When entering a Buddhist temple, you must first worship the Bodhisattva before meeting the abbot and elders. This is Buddhist etiquette. Kong Shi took Zhu Yu into the main hall, worshiped the majestic Sakyamuni Buddha in the hall, and followed Kong Yuan Kongying to the abbot's room in the side hall.
At this moment, Abbot Kong Wu and Abbot Kong Xin of Bodhidharma Court had been waiting for tea in the abbot's room. When they saw the two coming in, they got up and met Kong Shi.
Kong Wu is tall, with long white eyebrows and a kind face. He looks to be over eighty but energetic. Kong Xin is of medium build, square face, stocky and about fifty years old.
Kong Wu and Kong Shi exchanged a few pleasantries, then looked at Zhu Yu and said, "This kid seems to have good abilities. Junior Brother Kong Xin, you will train him well in the future. I will give him a few pointers at the right time and he will become a great talent in the future. "
After seeing off his master, Master Kongshi, and moving into the meditation room behind the main hall, Zhu Yu suddenly felt weak and sleepy, and soon fell asleep.
Early the next morning, when the temple bell rang, Zhu Yu woke up from his stupor. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. He saw a blurry figure passing by outside the window. He quickly got up and opened the door. At the door, a little girl in red clothes stood in the morning light, rubbing her two little hands, her two big eyes flashing, looking at Zhu Yu with a bit of shyness and a bit of surprise.
"My name is Lan Ling'er. I am seven years old this year. You can just call me Ling'er. I heard that a monk about my age came yesterday. Let me come and take a look. It must be you they are talking about." said the girl in red. After that, he boldly stretched out his hand, pulled Zhu Yu's little hand, and then retracted it leisurely.
"My name is Zhu Yu. I am eight years old. I am not a monk. I just shave my head, wear monk robes, and live in a temple as an ordinary person." Zhu Yu explained.
"I don't believe in Buddhism either. I'm different from everyone here." A strange light flashed in the girl's eyes.
"Zhu Yu, Zhu Yu, come quickly, Master is calling you!" Kong Yuan's cry came from outside the hospital.
Hearing Kong Yuan's shout, Lan Ling'er said: "Brother Zhu Yu, I have to go to morning class. You should go to Master quickly!" After saying that, he turned around and ran out of the monastery. His red clothes flashed a few times in the monastery. In the blink of an eye, Just disappeared.
"Before winter comes, you should practice with the two brothers Kong Yuan and Kong Ying! Remember, when the morning bell of the Fifth Grand Hall rings, you have to get up and start your daily morning classes." In front of the Main Hall, Master Kong Xin Someone handed Zhu Yu a big broom and said.
Carrying a broom that was two or three feet taller than herself, Zhu Yu came to the platform outside the palace, which was still dark because there was no oil lamp for lighting. Zhu Yu was a little disappointed, and a deep question came to her mind. Can she learn martial arts by sweeping the floor every day?
"Junior brother Zhu Yu, hurry up and sweep the floor. I've been sweeping the floor for three months, and I haven't even started to touch the sword or sword, let alone meditate and practice Qi." Kong Yuan saw Zhu Yu's thoughts and used his own experience to comforted.
"Not only that, but for those who just come, in addition to sweeping the floor, they work in the fields, or wash vegetables and help cook in Jixiang Kitchen. It usually takes half a year before the master decides whether to let you practice martial arts." Kong Ying agreed.
Kong Yuan looked at Zhu Yu, who was shivering in the morning breeze, and said: "Junior brother Zhu Yu, the master just said that you will be swept until the end of the month. You will definitely be allowed to practice martial arts after a month. What's more, it's hard to work." It will strengthen your body, don’t think too much, just sweep the floor quickly, it will keep you warm!”
Sure enough, after Zhu Yu, Kong Yuan and Kong Ying finished sweeping the floor, they were assigned to work in the fields outside the temple. Before dinner, they went to help in the Jixiang Kitchen. They worked like this for almost a month. Zhu Yu felt that his body was much stronger, but I don’t know when I will be called by Master Kongwu to practice martial arts.
After such a long time, Zhu Yu also wanted to see Lan Ling'er, but Lan Ling'er seemed to have disappeared. This is no wonder. Lan Ling'er and her fellow apprentices practiced with Master Kong Xin every day. Zhu Yu was not working in the farmland outside the temple. Even in Jixiang Kitchen, the two of them have different paths every day, so naturally they can't see each other.
Lan Ling'er is like a mystery to Zhu Yu. Why is she the only girl in the Shaolin Temple at Nuo University? Are her parents still there? Why doesn't she go back to her home? The mystery was finally solved one night half a month later.
That night, as usual, Zhu Yu returned to the meditation room from the Jixiang Kitchen with Kong Yuan and Kong Ying after eating. Zhu Yu, who was so tired that he was swaying, lay on the bed and didn't want to move. Just when he fell into a drowsy sleep , the door of the meditation room was suddenly knocked by someone.
"Duh, dunk, dunk." The voice was so soft that Zhu Yu thought it was a mouse chewing on the door frame, but when he listened carefully, it didn't sound like it, so he got up and opened the door.
"Why is it you?" Zhu Yu was a little surprised to see Ling'er in red standing at the door.
"Master Kong Xin asked me to tell you that you don't have to sweep the floor outside the hall tomorrow morning. Come with me to the morning class at Bodhidharma Hall." Lan Ling'er said generously with her eyes flashing.
"Oh, what else did the master say so soon?" Zhu Yu was obviously surprised that he could start practicing martial arts so quickly.
"The master also said that you want me to help you more on weekdays, because you have no martial arts skills at all." Lan Ling'er said, taking out a thin yellowed book from his sleeve and handing it to Zhu Yu: " This is a diagram of Shaolin Zen practice, which is the most basic Qigong method. You can take the time to practice it by yourself during the weekdays."
After receiving the training manual, Zhu Yu wanted to start meditating right away, but Lan Ling'er had no intention of leaving yet, so she remembered the question she had been wanting to ask her for a long time: "Ling'er, why are you practicing martial arts alone in the Shaolin Temple? You Where is your family?"
"My family lives on a big mountain far away. They are all very good. My mother sent me to the Shaolin Temple. She asked me to practice Shaolin Kungfu well so that I can do things for them that benefit the country and the people. What about you?" Lan Linger asked Zhu Yu.
"My parents were taken away by soldiers. It's been almost a year now. I don't know whether they are alive or dead!" Thinking of her parents, tears flashed in Zhu Yu's eyes.
"Brother Zhu Yu, don't cry. You will definitely be able to find your parents. You practice well according to what is written in the book. I will go back first." Seeing Zhu Yu's emotion, Lan Ling'er couldn't say anything else, turned around and gently closed the door and left. .
After Lan Ling'er left, Zhu Yu sat up on the bed, opened the book, and started reading according to the illustrations in the book. His father taught him to read since he was a child, and it was not difficult for him to understand the words in the book.
In this way, Zhu Yu repeatedly read the words and looked at the pictures. In the second half of the night, he began to meditate and guide Qi as described in the book. But after a while, he fell asleep sitting down.
Early the next morning, before the morning bell of the temple rang, Zhu Yu got up early, washed briefly, came to the courtyard, and waited for Ling'er to come and ask him to go to Bodhidharma Academy for morning classes.
After waiting for a long time, the temple bell rang. A moment later, Lan Ling'er appeared at the door of the temple. When she saw Zhu Yu, she waved vigorously, and Zhu Yu hurriedly ran over.
Walking on the road to Damo Hall, Zhu Yu felt an excitement he had never experienced before. From today on, he would be a true practitioner. He thought that one day in the future, he could be like Master Kongshi, or even Just like Master Kongwu, he became a martial arts master respected by thousands of people.
Practicing martial arts is as painstaking as practicing Zen. Zhu Yu, Lan Ling'er and dozens of Shaolin Temple disciples chant sutras for half an hour every morning, then meditate for an hour, practice external martial arts for an hour in the afternoon, and meditate for another hour in the evening. Self-study is still based on meditation.
Shaolin Buddhist Kung Fu was introduced from India by Patriarch Bodhidharma. After more than a thousand years of continuous improvement by Shaolin Temple monks, it has become the authentic martial arts in the Central Plains region. Its root lies in stimulating endogenous potential through meditation and becoming powerful. The inner Qi can be freely retracted and released, so meditating for no less than three hours a day is the basic practice method.
Although it was early winter, the terrain of Shaolin was high, so early in the morning, the eaves of the Zen room were already covered with thick ice. Even though Zhu Yu and Lan Ling'er were wearing thick cotton clothes and trousers, their hands and feet still felt cold, so they had to draw up their sleeves and dance around. , squeaking and squeaking on the ice under my feet, I came to Damo Academy for morning classes.
Regarding the study of sutras, Master Kong Xin did not have any special requirements for the two of them, so while others were chanting sutras, the two of them sat there meditating and practicing their qi. It was not until everyone finished reciting sutras that they began to practice real martial arts every day. After more than ten days, Zhu Yu had opened up Xiao Zhoutian, and his true energy was able to circulate in his belly. Lan Ling'er came half a year earlier than Zhu Yu, had already opened up the Great Zhoutian, and was trying to release external energy.
There are people of all ages who train with Master Kong Xin, but as long as they pass Master Kong Xin's assessment, they can leave Bodhidharma Academy, join the team of monks, and start the path of self-study. Of course, most people don't. More than ten years of training cannot pass the rigorous assessment.
There are two other young monks who are similar in age to Zhu Yu and Lan Ling'er. One is named Kong Ling and the other is named Kong Xi. Kong Ling is slightly fat and is nine years old. Kong Xi is half a year older than Kong Ling and is very thin, but They look capable and capable. They have only been practicing martial arts for more than half a year. Usually, the four of them often play together.
"It's strange, how come you have started practicing Little Zhou Tian for less than a month?" Kong Xi asked Zhu Yu during the break after morning class one day.
Zhu Yu read the training tips Lan Ling'er gave him, and practiced according to the diagrams above. His internal strength developed rapidly, but Kong Xi didn't know why.
"Well, I don't know why. Anyway, I practice like this every day." Zhu Yu answered with a smile while scratching his head. Of course he didn't know that Master Kong Xin was taking care of him deliberately by showing him the secrets.
"I think it's Zhu Yu who has a good talent. Unlike you two, who are dull and let Master worry all the time." Among the four people, Lan Ling'er is a girl. Everyone gives her three points, so when she talks, Of course it has some weight.
"Master said that every effort equals skill. Therefore, although Zhu Yu's inner energy comes quickly, there is still a gap between us in terms of skill." Kong Ling was obviously not convinced by Zhu Yu.
"Then let's compete to see who is better." Lan Ling'er encouraged at the side.
Martial arts competition between monks is a part of martial arts training. For more than half a year, Lan Ling'er has often seen her brothers competing in martial arts together. Therefore, she said this, but she didn't think about how Zhu Yu, who has been practicing martial arts for half a month, could be in Shaolin for a year. There are many empty opponents who have been practicing martial arts for half a year.
As you can imagine, Zhu Yu was beaten to a bloody head. Not only was he punished by Master Wuxin, but it took half a month for the injuries on his body to heal completely.
