People sitting around under the ancient banyan tree said in unison: "Okay!"
The old man coughed, cleared his throat, then shook his fan, and spoke in a serious manner——
Words: More than 150 years ago, Tripitaka, an eminent monk from India (ancient India) came to China to spread Buddhism. At that time, it was the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, and the area south of the Yangtze River was under the jurisdiction of Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasties.
After the monk Zhiyao came ashore from the South China Sea, he wanted to go to Wutai Mountain to pay homage to Manjusri Bodhisattva. When he passed Liu Xikou from the South China Sea, he looked up and couldn't help but exclaimed: "It's amazing! This mountain, this water, and this energy are like the great sage. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime Feng Shui treasure land!”
The monk Zhiyao walked for most of the day, and when he felt thirsty, he walked to the Liuxi River, took a sip of water and drank it. He felt that it was extremely sweet, so he said to his disciples: "This water is no different from the water in the West. There must be a scenic spot at the source, worthy of Lanruo."
So, we went upstream and came to Liuxi.
As we approached Liuxi Village, we suddenly saw a steep and majestic mountain that resembled an elephant's trunk and was similar to the Holy Mountain of Tianzhu. I was secretly amazed.
When he walked to the current place of Chanlin Temple, he suddenly understood that this was the dojo where the great Bodhisattva resided in Xi!
So, he came to our village, and a strange impulse made him utter a prophecy - 170 years later, a physical Bodhisattva will come here to evolve the magic weapon.
The physical Bodhisattva is the true bloodline of the Buddha. The wise medicine Sanzang suggested to my grandfather and the people in the village: build a temple in front of the mountain, and said that by then the enlightened people will be like a forest. This temple should be called Zenlin Temple, waiting for the arrival of the physical Bodhisattva.
The young man asked: "What happened next?"
The old man said: "Later, this matter alarmed the government. At that time, the governor of Shaozhou, Hou Jingzhong, was also a devout Buddhist, and he immediately reported it to the court. Emperor Wu of Liang was known as the Emperor with a Buddha Heart. He was very happy after hearing that, so he ordered With two taels of silver, we built the Chanlin Temple. The three characters 'Chanlin Temple' were inscribed by Emperor Wu of Liang!"
The younger boy asked again: "What happens next?"
The old man chuckled and said, "What happens next? Then there is an old man with a gray beard telling this story to a group of turtles by the stream!"
The old man's humor made everyone present burst into laughter.
Amid laughter, I suddenly heard Liu Weishu saying to himself: "It's impossible. According to the legends of the old people, there are still 16 years left."
The old man asked: "What is impossible?"
Liu Weishu said: "I mean, could the Master Zhang Shaofei I met a few days ago be the physical Bodhisattva predicted by the monk Zhiyao?"
The younger boy asked: "Zhang Shaofei? Which Zhang Shaofei?"
"It's the same Zhang Shaofei who stayed at Liu Xiubin's house a year ago. Now, he has just returned from Huangmei East Zen Temple."
The younger boy shook his head: "Oh, it's him! He's about the same age as me, right? He's less than six feet tall. Can a living Bodhisattva be an ordinary person like him?"
Liu Weishu said: "If you don't practice Buddhism, you don't know how incredible Buddha and Bodhisattva are. Sometimes, what you see is an ordinary person, maybe he is the incarnation of the Bodhisattva you look forward to every day. Let's just say that Zhang Shaofei is indeed different. Extraordinary. His Buddhist practice is unfathomable. Do you think that if he were an ordinary person, Elder Huaqing could pass on the mantle to him? So..."
The old man counted on his fingers, shook his head and said, "But the time is wrong! It will take another 16 years to reach the 170 years mentioned by the wise medicine monk."
Liu Weishu said: "Perhaps the old people remembered it wrong?"
The old man said hesitantly: "It's possible, or maybe I made a mistake. Let's go and see the Bodhisattva incarnate and ask him to come to the Zen Forest Temple to abbot the sermon." The old people walked towards Liu Xiubin's house tremblingly.
…
The old man, Liu Weishu, Liu Xiubin and others, regardless of Zhang Shaofei's repeated refusals, surrounded him out of the village and walked upstream along the Liu River to the Chanlin Temple.
After a while, Zenlin Temple was in sight.
Liu Xiubin pointed to the Zenlin Temple and said to Zhang Shaofei: "This is the Zenlin Temple that has been waiting for you for 170 years."
Zhang Shaofei said anxiously: "Fellow folks, I just pounded rice in Dongchan Temple for a few months. I am not what you call a physical Bodhisattva."
Liu Weishu smiled and said: "Master Zhang Shaofei, you are only in your twenties and you don't have a beard yet, so don't be humble! I have been practicing Buddhism for decades, and have been to hundreds of monasteries. I have met countless good teachers, but I have never met a great sage with such profound knowledge as you. If you were not the living Bodhisattva we have been waiting for for nearly two hundred years, who would dare to call yourself a eminent monk in the world?"
Liu Xiubin had a close friendship with Zhang Shaofei, so he said more simply and bluntly: "Second brother, if you refuse again, you will look down on us Liuxi people!"
Zhang Shaofei said in embarrassment: "It's not that I, Zhang Shaofei, don't know what's good or bad, but it's my teacher's orders that cannot be violated. The elder won't let me start preaching now."
Liu Weishu was surprised: "Is there such a thing?"
Zhang Shaofei hesitated to speak: "This..."
The old man turned to Zhang Shaofei and asked: "Master Zhang, are you practicing Buddhism just to seek liberation and end life and death for yourself?"
Zhang Shaofei said firmly: "Of course not! The more important responsibility of Buddhist disciples is to promote Buddhism, solemnize the country, and benefit all living beings."
The old man held his long snow-white beard and said: "In this case, you see, I am already over eighty years old, and half of my body is buried in the soil. The sage said that if you hear the Tao in the morning, you will die in the evening." Master Zhang, you must let me listen to the Buddha’s teachings before I die!”
Zhang Shaofei was really moved by the old man's sincere words. He couldn't help but stepped forward, held the old man's hand, and said with sobs in his throat: "Okay, old man, I promise you. No matter what happens in the future, I will do it." Let’s live in Zenlin Temple first and say that one day’s Dharma is one day’s Dharma, even if you are..."
Liu Weishu heard something unspeakable in Zhang Shaofei's words and asked: "Master Zhang, since the elder has let you go down the mountain, why don't you let you spread the Dharma?"
"The elders did not restrict me from going out to preach the Dharma for the rest of my life, but for my personal safety, they did not allow me to appear in public for the time being, so as not to..."
Liu Xiubin asked eagerly: "For personal safety? Could it be that someone is trying to harm you?"
Zhang Shaofei nodded.
Liu Xiubin asked: "Why?"
Zhang Shaofei smiled bitterly and said: "Because I am a villager from Qiu County. I have just worked as a coolie in Huangmei for a few months. I got the mantle of elder with just a few words. Many of my fellow disciples are not convinced. For various reasons, many people Want to take back the mantle, even want to take me..."
Liu Weishu slapped himself on the head in self-reproach: "Why didn't I think of this! Folks, in my opinion, we should discuss the matter of inviting Master Zhang to be the abbot of Chanlin Temple later. Master's safety is important."
Everyone agreed: "Yes, it's easy to hide from open guns, but hard to guard against hidden arrows. Just in case..."
"Yes, it involves the master's life, so we should proceed with caution."
"Let the master avoid the limelight first."
"..."
People at the scene were leaving. Unexpectedly, at this time, Zhang Shaofei stopped everyone: "Folks, I have thought about it. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva can go to hell for all sentient beings. What can I, Zhang Shaofei, value about my life? Come on, let's go to Chanlin Temple!"
Zhang Shaofei took the lead and walked towards the temple.
From then on, Zhang Shaofei lived in Chanlin Temple and began to promote his enlightening "Buddhist Wisdom" theory.
