Manjushri Bodhisattva watched Maitreya walking away and chanted softly:
Maitreya, true Maitreya,
There are tens of billions of clones.
Show the world from time to time,
The world does not know it.
One day above the sky,
Thousands of years have passed in this world.
…
In the blink of an eye, one hundred and fifty years have passed leisurely, and the Tang Empire has entered a bloody dusk, and the country is on the verge of collapse. Heroes are vying for hegemony, wars are raging, wars are frequent, social turmoil is turbulent, and the people are in dire straits...
The area around Mingzhou, Zhejiang, was far away from the center of power in the north and located on the coast of the East China Sea. Although the current situation was turbulent, it was still able to avoid the flames of war and remain in a peaceful corner.
There are three main rivers in Fenghua County, to which Mingzhou belongs: Yanjiang River, Dongjiang River and Fenghua River. Among them, the Fenghua River passes through the city.
Three miles north of Fenghua County and on the west bank of the County River, there is a small village - Changting Village.
There is a family in the village. The male owner is named Zhang Chongtian, and he is married to Dou. The Zhang family has been farming for generations and is a simple and kind-hearted family. Because the couple is extremely hard-working, the family is quite rich. However, the fly in the ointment is that Zhang Chongtian has been married for many years, but he has always been empty-handed and has not yet given birth to any children.
In the early morning of this day, when the east was just bright, Zhang Chongtian came to work in the fields by the river. He was busy leveling the land when he suddenly heard the sound of water in the river and the roar of waves. He subconsciously raised his head and found that the rolling river water was like a giant dragon with teeth and claws, roaring in and rushing away, with an unstoppable momentum.
Zhang Chongtian has lived by the river for half his life and is used to seeing the peaks and turbulent waves of spring floods. However, what surprised him was that in the sound of the waves, which was as low as the roar of a cow and as trembling as the thunder, there seemed to be a wisp of floating fairy music coming from the depths of the universe, reverberating between the waves...
So, Zhang Chongtian was even more surprised to see a lotus floating in the turbid river water. What made him unbelievable the most was that the lotus did not sink on the surging waves and was not washed away by the torrent. Instead of looking towards the distant horizon, it slowly floated towards him! And it was getting closer and closer, as if it was about to float to his feet...
Zhang Zhongtian didn't believe his eyes anymore. He closed them hard and then opened them again. Sure enough, Lotus disappeared.
However, where the lotus disappeared he saw another bundle of firewood.
During floods, there are often large trees, logs, pigs, sheep, horses and cattle floating in the water, so a bundle of firewood is not surprising. The strange thing is that there is a naked boy lying on the firewood!
The river is mighty, the waves are rolling, the peaks are rising, and there are whirlpools. Small bundles of firewood are helplessly drifting up and down in the turbulent waves. They are in danger of being swallowed by the waves and sinking to the bottom of the river at any time.
However, the baby boy who was facing the disaster was completely unaware of it. He seemed to be lying comfortably in the cradle and sleeping soundly, intoxicated in his sweet dreams...
The innocence of a child makes all the so-called blessings and misfortunes eclipse in front of him!
Didn’t you see that there is a children’s song that says: The little kitten is so happy. He goes up the hillside singing and meets a big tiger. He pulls his beard and calls him brother...
Zhang Zhongtian didn't think much and quickly used the long-handled hoe to rake the ground to pull the bundle of firewood to him, and picked up the little boy.
Incredibly, as soon as he picked up the child, the bundle of firewood fell apart, sank, and disappeared, as if it had never existed.
But the child in his arms was smiling at him, as if he had known that he would be fished out of the flood...
When Zhang Chongtian saw this boy who was fair and fat, with a round head and big ears, a dignified appearance, and a natural appearance of wealth, he was so happy that he didn't know what to do. He even forgot to take the hoe and ran home in a hurry.
Being so far away from home, Zhang Chongtian couldn't help shouting in excitement: "Old beggar, old beggar!"
Zhang Chong was born witty and had no children, so he always liked to joke with his wife, jokingly calling her the "old beggar".
Mrs. Dou was making breakfast at home when she suddenly heard her husband calling out in a very cheerful voice. As she greeted her at the door of the courtyard, she said with a smile: "Master, did you pick up gold on the road or dig out silver from the ground?" What? It makes you happy!"
Zhang Chongtian pushed open the courtyard door and said: "I picked up neither gold nor silver, but it is ten thousand times more precious than gold and silver! Old beggar, look, look!"
A boy who was cuter than the one in the New Year pictures suddenly appeared in front of her! "Oh my God!" Mrs. Dou hurriedly wiped her hands stained with vegetable leaves on her clothes and took the child with both hands.
Not only did the child not recognize the child, but he seemed to be destined to the Dou family. He opened his arms and threw himself into her arms, giggling.
Mr. Dou was so happy that he almost turned his house upside down...
After a while, Mrs. Dou remembered to ask Zhang Chongtian: "Master, where did you get this fairy doll from?"
Zhang Chongtian said: "The county river flooded, and he floated over while lying on a bundle of firewood. I quickly fished him out of the river."
Mrs. Dou said: "Oh, the floods are raging, but this little baby didn't drown. What a blessing and blessing! As the saying goes, if you survive a catastrophe, you will be blessed later. As the head of the family, let's adopt him."
Zhang Chongtian had no children, and he had long thought of keeping this child, so he nodded without thinking.
Mr. Dou kissed the child hard and said, "Amitabha, thank God, we finally have a son!"
When Zhang Chongtian saw that his wife was so happy that she didn't know what to do, and even forgot to cook, he joked: "Old beggar, if you have a son, you don't want the old man anymore? I'm so hungry that my belly is sticking to my back."
Mrs. Dou said: "You are in your thirties or forties. It's not like you have never eaten. What are you afraid of if you are hungry for a while? I need to find a quilt first and wrap my son up. Don't let him catch a cold." .”
Mrs. Dou took the child into the house, put it on the bed, and began to rummage through the cabinets, looking for fabrics suitable for the child to wear and bedding.
Zhang Chongtian knew that he would not be able to eat for a while, so he had to sit and wait.
The child was lying alone on the bed, babbling, and seemed extremely happy.
Zhang Chongtian said thoughtfully: "This child has been floating naked in the water for so long. Not only did he not freeze or choke on the water, but he was also able to sleep on the firewood. It's really unbelievable."
Mrs. Dou said while tidying up: "This child has a tough life and can avoid any kind of disaster. He just happened to float right in front of you. It seems that he came specially to be our son."
Zhang Chongtian recalled: "At first, I clearly saw a golden lotus. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, it turned into a white and fat little boy."
Hearing this, Mrs. Dou seemed to suddenly realize something. She suddenly remembered something and exclaimed softly: "Oh my god, this doll was sent to us by Guanyin Bodhisattva!"
She put down the fabric in her hand, clasped her hands together, and murmured with great piety; "The Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva who saves the suffering, you have finally appeared!,, Om Mani Padme Hum..."
Zhang Zhongtian chuckled: "It's not the empress who is sending me off, but my grandpa."
Mr. Dou looked serious and said, "Father, don't talk nonsense!"
Zhang Chongtian still smiled and said, "I was the one who brought the baby back!"
Dou asked: "Why was he able to survive the flood unharmed?"
"this……"
"Why did he come to you?"
"this……"
Dou asked a barrage of questions, but Zhang Chongtian was speechless and unable to respond.
Finally, Mrs. Dou said: "This is all because I went to Yuelin Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha a few days ago and made a wish in front of Guanyin Bodhisattva, so it came true today. Dad, we have to find a time as soon as possible to go to Yuelin Temple to fulfill my wish." .”
…
When the Sixth Patriarch Huineng mentioned Yuelin Temple, he couldn't help but pause for a while, and then said with admiration: This large-scale temple is across the river from Changting Village. It was formerly built by Emperor Wu of Liang during the Southern and Northern Dynasties three hundred years ago. Chongfuyuan was founded in the second year of Datong (536 AD).
The temple pavilions and pavilions are towering; the eaves and brackets are ingenious; the red walls and yellow tiles are magnificent...
In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, who was called "the roaring birth of the Sixth Patriarch" by the north and the south, raised the banner of "sudden enlightenment and becoming a Buddha" at Baolin Temple in Caoxi, creating a new situation in the rapid development of Zen Buddhism, and suddenly became a major milestone in the history of Chinese thought. spectacle.
In the late Tang Dynasty, it was the peak period of the development of Zen Buddhism. Nine out of ten temples in the world were Zen sects. Therefore, Chongfuyuan naturally became a Zen temple.
One day, an extraordinary visitor came to Chongfuyuan. He is the famous poet Li Kun, the prime minister of the dynasty.
Li Kun had close contacts with his friends Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi. Therefore, he was not only an active participant in the New Yuefu Movement, but also wrote: "It is noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil. Who knows that every grain of food on the plate is hard work?" ." and other poems that have been passed down through the ages. Influenced by them, he also believed in Buddhism and became close friends with some famous Zen masters.
This year, after he returned to his hometown of Wuxi to visit relatives, he also visited monasteries in the mountains and rivers of the south of the Yangtze River to find friends and visit Zen.
In Chongfuyuan, he had a pleasant chat with several Zen monks. Due to his elegance, he happily wrote down a plaque with flying dragons and phoenixes.
However, a few years later, in the fifth year of Huichang, Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty began a large-scale campaign to exterminate Buddhism. Chongfu Yuan was demolished to pieces and was in a mess.
Li Kun's calligraphy treasures were naturally turned into ashes. Even Li Kun was kicked out of the capital by Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty a year ago and served as the governor of Huainan.
Just over a year later, Tang Wuzong performed his final act of madness and died of poisoning due to taking a Taoist priest's "elixir". Tang Xuanzong, who had become a monk and a novice, came to the throne and ushered in the last peaceful and prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty - the rule of Dazhong. .
In the second year of Dazhong (848 AD), Zen Master Xiankuang traveled to Fenghua. When he saw the ruins of Chongfu Yuan, he couldn't help sighing with sadness and bursting into tears.
With a sad wish, he put down his alms bowl, hung up his luggage, and determined to rebuild this ancient temple.
Xiankuang is a great Zen master with a clear mind and nature. He has a profound understanding and a vision that reaches the sky. That night, he sat cross-legged among the ruins of Chongfuyuan and entered a wonderful state of meditation. As a result, he keenly felt that on the east bank of the Xianjiang River across the water, the Buddha's light shone brightly and shone brightly in the sky—— If you build a temple and install monks in this place where the Buddha's light appears, a sage will be born and a Bodhisattva will be transformed.
Therefore, Zen Master Xiankuang moved the new temple to the east of the county river and changed its name to "Yuelin Zen Temple". Because it was built during the Dazhong period of the Tang Dynasty, it was later called the "Dazhong Yuelin Temple".
Early that morning, Zen Master Xiankuang, the abbot of Yuelin Temple, was meditating on the Zen bed among the abbots. Suddenly, he heard a muffled sound somewhere in front of the temple, like a heavy object falling to the ground.
He slowly opened his eyes, called the waiter, and asked him to go to the Heavenly King's Hall to take a look.
After a while, the waiter ran back in a panic and shouted before he even entered the door: "Master, it's a disaster! Master, it's a disaster!"
Zen Master Xiankuang stood up from the Zen bed and asked, "What's the trouble? Please tell me slowly."
The waiter said: "The crowned Maitreya in the Heavenly King's Palace fell from the lotus seat. The crown fell off and his head was broken."
Zen Master Xiankuang smiled and said easily: "If a clay statue of Bodhisattva falls from a high place, it will naturally break."
The waiter was stunned and asked with confusion on his face: "Why did the Bodhisattva statue fall down on its own? Does it indicate some disaster in the temple?"
"When it's time to fall, it will naturally fall. It can't even protect itself, so what kind of disaster can it foresee!" Zen Master Xiankuang's words contain infinite Zen ideas. Unfortunately, the waiter is ignorant and has not yet fully understood the Zen concept and cannot understand the mystery.
At this time, there was a faint sound of words coming from the direction of the Heavenly King's Palace.
The Zen monks must have heard the noise and saw the Bodhisattva statue falling to the ground inexplicably, and they were talking among themselves. Zen Master Xiankuang picked up his Zen staff and walked out.
In the Hall of the Heavenly King, a statue of Maitreya with a crown that had been popular in the past few years (to be precise, it should be a statue of Wu Zetian with a crown on her head) fell down, its forehead was deflated, and the crown rolled away far away.
The monks who were at a loss when they saw the great monk arriving took the initiative to move to both sides.
Zen Master Xiankuang looked at the severely damaged Maitreya statue and said to his disciples: "The golden Buddha does not cross the furnace, the wooden Buddha does not cross the fire, the clay Buddha does not cross the water, and the true Buddha sits in the heart. As the saying goes, the clay Bodhisattva crosses the sea. , it is difficult to protect oneself. Everyone, you have all seen it, the external Buddha image will always be damaged one day, so you must worship your own true Buddha, understand your heart and see your nature, and become a Buddha through sudden enlightenment, which will never be corrupted."
The supervisor of the temple expressed everyone's doubts: "But, Master, there was no wind, no rain, and no earthquake at that time. How could this Buddha statue weighing several hundred kilograms fall down for no reason?"
Zen Master Xiankuang said inexplicably: "The true Bodhisattva is about to arrive, so the Clay Bodhisattva will naturally give way."
The supervisor asked: "Master, what should we do with this Buddha statue? Should we put it back to its original position and then repair and repaint it?"
Zen Master Xiankuang pointed at the Maitreya statue lying on the ground with his Zen staff and said:
Ashes to ashes,
Earth returns to earth.
Where did it come from?
Where to go.
Maitreya Bodhisattva left Tushita,
A crazy monk carries a cloth bag.
After saying that, Zen Master Xiankuang walked away.
Although the prison guard did not understand the last two verses of the master's verse, he understood what dust returns to dust and dust returns to earth, so he ordered everyone to carry out the clay statue, dig a deep pit, and bury it.
Made of clay, returned to clay.
The Zen monks had just cleaned the Tianwang Hall, and Zhang Chongtian and his wife came to the temple carrying the boy fished out of the river. They bypassed the Tianwang Hall and the Main Hall, and went straight to the Great Compassion Pavilion at the back of the temple - the main hall dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Zhang Chongtian and Mr. Dou lit incense on the incense table in front of Guanyin Bodhisattva in Dabei Pavilion, then knelt down three times and prayed devoutly to express their gratitude to Guanyin for gifting their son.
When they finished their prostrations, they straightened up and found the abbot monk standing behind them - Zen Master Xiankuang.
Xiankuang seemed to be a prophet, he clasped his hands and said: "Zhang Tanyue has found a precious son, I am very happy and congratulations."
Zhang Chongtian is humorous by nature, and he is an old acquaintance of Zen Master Xiankuang, so he deliberately said: "How can you, an abbot and a monk, speak so freely? My biological son, how can you say that he was picked up?"
Zen Master Xiankuang smiled faintly and said: "It is a wish-fulfilling boat on the Tianhe River, and the appearance of Youtan is all due to fate." After saying that, Zen Master Xiankuang asked again: "Has your son ever had a name?"
Mr. Dou said: "Originally, my husband and I came to the temple today to burn incense and repay our vows and thank Guanyin Bodhisattva; and secondly, we wanted to ask you to give him a name so that he could be raised as a man. Now that I have met the great monk, please ask me Look at his appearance and think of a good name."
Zen Master Xiankuang did not refuse, and opened the corner of the swaddling clothes. He saw that the child had a face like a full moon, bright eyes like stars, ears hanging down from the shoulders, and a born noble look. What's even more strange is that the child actually smiled at Xiankuang, as if he was an old acquaintance.
Zen Master Xiankuang said: "Sages take advantage of their wishes and be careful not to be separated from the world; do not be greedy for worldly feelings; understanding this nature is really like Wanru. Then call it 'according to this'."
Zhang Chongtian and Dou had long heard that this eminent monk was unfathomable, and the name he chose must have entrusted some mysterious wish. So, even though I thought the name was a bit difficult to pronounce, I still happily accepted it.
Mrs. Dou once again asked Zen Master Xiankuang to predict the fate of her child.
Zen Master Xiankuang chanted a verse casually:
This doll is very human,
Traveling around the state and counties and light dust.
Ending an old case,
God returns to his true place and his shadow will last forever.
…
Ever since Zen Master Xiankuang gave a deed to the boy that Zhang Chongtian and his wife fished out of the river, the little deed has grown more and more cute day by day, round and round, innocent, lively, playful and active, which has brought endless happiness to Zhang Chongtian and his wife. joy.
This little boy is no different from other dolls in the village. He climbs trees and walls, goes to the river to play in the water, and gets spanked by his father for being too naughty. The only difference is that Qi Zi has not been exposed to meat and fish since he was a child. No matter what kind of fish, shrimp, chicken, duck, beef, sheep or pork, he vomits in his mouth and refuses to swallow anything. Despite this, Xiao Qichi grew fat, strong, and very healthy, so his parents did not take his problem to heart.
What's even more amazing is that Dou, who had not given birth for many years since adopting Qi, gave birth to a flower-like daughter in the second autumn, named Qiuxia.
Folks all say that this is like putting an egg in the nest before a new hen lays eggs, to tempt her to lay eggs.
Of course, people also say that this is the result of Zhang Chongtian and Dou's good deeds and virtues.
The sun and the moon reincarnate, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, two children, a boy and a girl, grow up side by side. They are seven years old and Qiuxia is six years old. They are very cute.
People say that these two children are the golden boys and girls from heaven to the lower world. Everyone was so envious that they wanted to salvage a precious child from the county river.
On this day, Zhang Chongtian's brother-in-law lassoed a hare from the field. After cooking it, he couldn't bear to eat it, so he ran several miles to deliver it to his nephew and niece.
That day, Xiao Qi and his friends ran away wildly, and they didn't come back until noon.
Zhang Chongtian said: "The children have forgotten about eating since they were playing. Besides, Qi Shi never eats meat, so there is no need to wait for him."
So, Mrs. Dou boiled two pots of Shaoxing Huadiao and served them to the table together with rabbit meat. Zhang Chongtian and his brother-in-law had a great time eating rabbit meat, drinking old wine, guessing and making orders.
Little Qiuxia was a big kid, so she secretly hid a rabbit hind leg while the adults were not paying attention while they were drinking. She had never eaten such delicious meat, so she wanted to give it to her brother to have a taste.
Xiao Qiuxia has always been strange. She can't eat enough chicken, duck, and fish. Why doesn't her brother eat it?
Qiuxia had asked her brother many times, but he told her perfunctorily that because she had seen the bloody scenes of slaughtering pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks, she felt like vomiting when she saw the meat.
Qiuxia concluded that her brother had never really tasted the taste of meat. If he knew that meat was delicious, he would not be disgusted by it anymore.
So, she tore the rabbit meat into strands and sandwiched them among her brother's favorite glutinous rice dumplings.
Ciba is made of glutinous rice and is very sticky, so after adding meat, it sticks together very well and cannot be seen from the outside.
After a long time, Qi Zu finally came back.
After running wildly for most of the day, he was already starving. He said hello to his uncle and urged his mother to get something to eat quickly.
Today, Qiuxia was extra diligent. Before her mother left, she rushed to the kitchen and brought the glutinous rice dumplings over. Little Qi didn't care about anything else, grabbed a glutinous glutinous rice dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth.
He took a bite, chewed it a few times, and noticed something strange before he could swallow it. However, the glutinous rice cake is very sticky and sticks firmly in the mouth. I can't spit it out even if I am eager, and I can't swallow it.
Xiao Qi's face and neck turned red, and big beads of sweat fell like rain on his head. After a while, he seemed to have his trachea blocked, his neck tilted, and he collapsed to the ground. He kicked his feet a few times and ran out of breath. …
Since Maitreya had sworn not to eat meat, eating meat would have the above consequences.
Qi Chi collapsed on the ground, breathless. Seeing that there was no way to save him, Zhang Zhongtian was so panicked that his hands and feet were trembling, not knowing what to do.
Mrs. Dou had no idea. She just sat down next to her son, crying and screaming.
Fortunately, Qi Zi's uncle was still calm and used his index finger to pluck out all the glutinous rice cake and rabbit meat from Qi Zi's mouth. He also poured some cold water into his mouth. Qi Zi said "Ouch" and finally exhaled.
Speaking of which, Xiao Qi's fainting this time was a bit inexplicable. I don't know if he swallowed the glutinous rice cake or was allergic to rabbit meat. Anyway, he just survived.
After this life-and-death struggle, Zhang Chongtian and his wife understood more clearly that the small contract was their lifeblood. If their son had any shortcomings, they would go crazy.
Two months later, Mrs. Dou found out that she was pregnant again. She was very hesitant. If she had another daughter, it would be okay. If she gave birth to a biological son, would she be able to love Qi Ji, her adopted son, as before? Woolen cloth? Besides, what do you think about this?
Dou was so distressed that he could not sleep for several nights, so he decided to go to Yuelin Temple to burn incense and ask the Buddha and Bodhisattvas to give him a clear explanation.
After breakfast the next day, Mrs. Dou freshened up and was about to go out when Qi noticed him and insisted on following him.
Dou couldn't bear to reject his son, so he took him across the river to Yuelin Temple.
The two of them entered the mountain gate and first went to the Mahavira Hall to offer incense to the Buddha Sakyamuni. Mrs. Dou picked up three sticks of incense, lit them on the everlasting lamp, inserted them into the incense burner, and then kowtowed three times on the futon.
During the whole process of his mother burning incense and worshiping Buddha, Xiao Qi kept staring intently at the Buddha statue on the tall Xumizuo, with a thoughtful look in his eyes...
After Mrs. Dou finished praying, she found her son staring at the Buddha statue in a daze, so she pushed him and said, "Son, why don't you kowtow with your mother?"
Xiao Qi didn't answer and asked instead: "Mom, who is he? Why do I seem to have seen him before?"
Dou told him: "This is Sakyamuni Buddha. The Buddha is omnipotent and omniscient. He can eliminate disasters and increase blessings, and bless people to live a long life. So, son, as long as you see the Buddha statue, you must think Kowtow to him and pray to Buddha to bless you with everything going well and wealth."
Xiao Qi then said: "Mom, the Buddha looks like a human being, and I seem to be very familiar with him. When I grow up, I want to become a Buddha, and I will become a Buddha like Sakyamuni."
Hearing this, Mr. Dou was so shocked that he broke into a cold sweat! She was afraid that her son would be punished by God for blaspheming the Buddha, so she pressed her son's head and asked him to kneel down to repent and ask for forgiveness from the Buddha.
Xiao Qi refused to do this no matter what. He actually said: "Since the Buddha looks exactly the same as a human being, I can become a Buddha, so I will become a Buddha."
Mr. Dou was extremely devout in his devotion to Buddhism. When he saw his son repeatedly saying that he wanted to be on par with the Buddha, he was frightened, scared and angry. He couldn't help but raise his hand and wanted to hit him on the head...
"Amitabha, good, good." After the Buddha's name was heard outside the main hall, Zen Master Xiankuang came in and said to Mr. Dou: "Sir Dou, in this pure place of Buddhism, how can you be so angry that you can use your hands and feet?"
Mrs. Dou quickly bowed to Zen Master Xiankuang and said, "The woman was so angry that she forgot the Buddhist rules. Please forgive me, the abbot."
Zen Master Xiankuang said: "Why should you get angry with a child?"
Dou told Zen Master Xiankuang: "Master, you don't know, this child doesn't know the heights of the world, and he actually said that he would become a Buddha when he grows up."
"Haha..." After Zen Master Xiankuang laughed, he said, "Well said! Children's words are unbridled, and they point directly to the original; children's hearts are untainted, just like Wanru." He then turned to Xiao Qizi and said: "This is what Qi said. Therefore, don’t forget what you said today, and in the future you will become a Buddha and become an ancestor, saving and transforming all sentient beings like Shakyamuni Buddha.”
Mr. Dou said in confusion: "Master, how come you are as knowledgeable as a child and take his child's play to be true?"
Zen Master Xiankuang said sternly: "All life has Buddha nature, and everyone can attain enlightenment and become a Buddha. This is what Buddha Sakyamuni said personally in the scriptures. We study Buddhism in order to become Buddhas in the future! As long as we initiate With bodhicitta and diligent practice of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, you will be able to understand your mind, see your nature, and suddenly realize the truth..."
These Buddhist principles are not profound, but they are no longer understandable by folk believers like Dou who seek protection from Buddha and pray for blessings and disaster relief. Therefore, even if Zen Master Xiankuang's words were brilliant, she could only understand them in a confused way.
Although she was standing in front of Zen Master Xiankuang, her mind was always tied to her son - the peripheral vision of her eyes was like hanging on the legs and feet of Xiao Qichi, following him closely wherever he went.
Xiao Qi was attracted by the lifelike statues of the Eighteen Arhats on the east and west sides of the main hall (before the Five Dynasties, there were only sixteen Arhats, and the title Eighteen Arhats came into being after that), and ran over to watch them one by one.
These sixteen Arhats, beginning with the Venerable Bintulu, received the Buddha's order to live in the world forever, manifest according to circumstances, and save all living beings.
They are: the first Venerable Bindurabhala Lajaja (i.e. Bintulu, Long-browed Arhat), the second Venerable Kanokjavara Cai, the third Venerable Kanokjabhali Suijja, the fourth Venerable Venerable Supintuo, the fifth Venerable Nokala, the sixth Venerable Bhadra (the first one is Bhadra, now in the bathroom of the temple, there are many statues of him, the reason for which comes from the "Surangama Sutra"), the seventh Kali Venerable Jia, the eighth Venerable Vajraputra, the ninth Venerable Bojia, the Venerable tenth and a half Tuojia, the eleventh Venerable Lahuluo (formerly known as Luo Yun, that is, Rahula), the third The twelfth Venerable Nagashina, the thirteenth Venerable Yingadha, the fourteenth Venerable Vanavasi, the fifteenth Venerable Ashiduo, the sixteenth Venerable Dabantuojia (i.e. Zhou Lipante ).
Qi stopped in front of a statue of an Arhat with a pretty, amiable face and an innocent and cute expression. He reached out to touch his feet as if scratching an itch, and recited an impromptu children's song:
"Little Arhat, Lehehe, you are a brother and I am an elder brother.
The brother stays at home with his mother, and the elder brother travels around the country on a bamboo horse. "
When Mrs. Dou heard that her son was once again calling him brother-in-law with the Arhat monk, he was shocked and scolded him: "This is a contract, and you are not allowed to talk nonsense!"
Qi Chi said, "Mom, please give me another little brother. A little brother who can play with me will be cuter than this Arhat brother who only knows how to sit."
Just when Master Dou was about to scold Qi Si again, Zen Master Xiankuang laughed and said in a confused manner: "Principal Dou, what else do you have to worry about? Didn't Xiao Qi Si already say that? He is looking forward to having a little brother. Woolen cloth!"
Mrs. Dou was a little surprised when the abbot and the monk who had no idea revealed what was on her mind: "Master, how do you know that I pray silently in front of the Buddha?"
Zen Master Xiankuang smiled faintly and said: "A lamb is a piece of grass, a little bird is a piece of the sky." There are causes and conditions. What is coming cannot be stopped no matter what; what is going cannot be stopped by any means. Everything depends on the fate and goes with it. Naturally."
Although Mr. Dou did not fully understand, after listening to Zen Master Xiankuang's words, his anxious heart finally calmed down. A few months later, the Zhang family welcomed another son. The contract came true, and I really got a cute little brother.
Since that time when he followed his mother to worship Buddha at Yuelin Temple, Qiji often came here to play alone or in the company of children of the same age in the village. Even the monks in the temple knew him and called him "Changtingzi" - a child of Changting Village.
God knows why, but the Yuelin Temple across the river seems to have an extraordinary attraction to the little Qizhi.
Was it the ingenious layout, majestic buildings, and solemn Buddha statues that deeply shocked him?
Or did the wonderful bells, sacred chants, and the wise Zen meditation of the monks influence him?
Once, Qi Ji was fascinated by a Sutra mural in the main hall.
This is a "Maitreya Transformation" - a picture of the Tushita Heavenly Palace depicted in the "Maitreya Sutra".
