The Budai monk said earnestly: "Don't underestimate growing crops. It contains the great principles of the universe and life."
The young man was not convinced and deliberately said: "Budai monk, if you say so, planting crops also contains Buddhist teachings!"
Several elderly people quickly scolded the young man, saying that he did not know the depth and was tarnishing the Dharma. Unexpectedly, Budai monk fully affirmed the young man's statement: "You are right, there is indeed Buddhism in crop work."
What? Can planting crops produce Buddhism?
All the farmers stared at each other, not knowing what was hidden in his words. Monk Budai said without any surprise and said simply: "Actually, to put it bluntly, growing crops itself is the practice of Buddhism and the embodiment of Buddhism."
Seeing that people's eyes were confused and they didn't know what they were talking about, he patiently explained: "Buddhism is not a mysterious thing. It is the inner law of all things, the truth of the universe and life, and the laws of nature. Likewise, everything All things themselves are the manifestation and manifestation of the Dharma. Buddha Sakyamuni did not create the Dharma out of thin air, but discovered the Dharma, mastered the laws, reached enlightenment, and became a Buddha. The wisdom of the Buddha is due to It corresponds to the laws and principles of all things, so it is boundless, harmonious, and has access to everything. The teachings explained in Buddhist scriptures are not mysterious, but the true laws of the universe, life, and the existence and development of all things. The growth of crops must follow objective laws; therefore, the sowing, management, and harvesting of crops must also follow these laws to achieve a good harvest. In this sense, growing crops is the practice of Buddhism."
After listening to what the Budai monk said, the old farmers seemed to suddenly realize it, and kept saying: "No wonder we farmers, who have been farming for our whole lives, are not as good as you, a monk. It turns out that you use Buddhism to grow crops!"
The young man, thoughtfully, asked: "Master Butai, does growing crops mean practicing Buddhism?"
The words spoken by Budai monk were very strange. He said: "If I am planting crops, I am practicing. Moreover, not only am I cultivating when planting crops, I am also practicing when I eat and sleep."
Even eating and sleeping are practices? People don't believe this anyway.
Budai monk explained: "No matter what you do, as long as you concentrate on doing the thing at hand, you are practicing. This kind of full concentration and no distractions is the state when we meditate. Zen Master Huangbo Xiyun once said: 'Carrying water and moving firewood "It's nothing more than Buddhist practices." I once heard a Zen monk who traveled from Heshuo say that Huang Bo's great disciple founded the Linji Sect in Zhenzhou and described Buddhist practice more directly, saying that eating and sleeping are practices, right? Makes sense?"
The young man became energetic and said, "Master, just like you, I plant crops every day, sleep and eat every day, so am I practicing Buddhism?"
Butai said: "I am, but you are not."
"This is so strange. We are planting crops, eating and sleeping the same way. Why are you practicing while others are not?" The young man expressed what everyone was thinking.
Monk Budai smiled and said: "We monks, especially those who practice Zen, do whatever we do, with our minds in the present moment, single-minded, and full concentration; but you ordinary people are always half-hearted and messy. There is an essential difference between the two. So. , you must accept and uphold the teachings and practice them, that is cultivation. In other words, only by implementing cultivation into every corner of your life and every moment of your words and deeds can you realize the sublimation and transcendence of Zen."
"Oh..." The young man looked at Budai monk and laughed inexplicably.
"Oh, you're so big!" Budai monk flicked his head.
The young man said: "Master, let me tell you, you are a monk. You run around here and there all day long without meditating or chanting sutras. It seems that you are not doing your job properly. It turns out that you are practicing all the time!"
Budai monk gave an enigmatic smile, neither affirming nor denying.
…
Although Liu Hanhong, the observation envoy to eastern Zhejiang, had a prosperous official career and was promoted to the Yisheng Jiedushi envoy, he was a brave and foolish bear.
He has great ambitions but mediocre talents. He has been fighting against Dong Chang, the governor of Hangzhou, for four years, and has been defeated every time.
It seems that God, in order to play a trick on him, created a resourceful opponent-Qian Liu, Dong Chang's general and well-known military commander.
This Qian Liu uses his troops to appear and disappear, always able to catch him by surprise and attack him unprepared. He resisted the attacks of seven states in eastern Zhejiang with the strength of only one state, and he did so with ease. He gradually exhausted Liu Hanhong's powerful military and financial resources, leaving only an empty air of being strong on the outside and capable on the inside.
Dong Chang said to Qian Liu: "General, if you can capture Yuezhou and occupy the entire eastern Zhejiang, I will give you Hangzhou."
Qian Liu smiled and said confidently: "How dare you disobey your envoy's orders? I am not trying to covet the city of Hangzhou, but Yuezhou has reached a precarious stage. We must beat up the drowned dog. We cannot wait for Liu Hanhong to recover. Bite us again.”
Qian Liu did not attack Yuezhou directly from Xiaoshan, the shortest distance, because Liu Hanhong set up defense lines and deployed countless heavy troops in the entire northwest direction from Yuezhou to Hangzhou.
Qian Liu unknowingly transported the army from Hangzhou to Zhuji, southwest of Yuezhou. From here, he quietly dug hundreds of miles into the mountains and pushed directly to Pingshui (only 20 kilometers away from Yuezhou).
When Qian Liu's army seemed to fall from the sky and suddenly appeared in Cao'edai east of Yuezhou, guard Bao Junfu was dumbfounded, as if in a dream, and surrendered in confusion.
As a result, Yuezhou City was directly exposed to the iron hooves of Qian Liu's war horse. At the point of his horse whip, his tiger and wolf troops rushed towards the empty city...
Liu Hanhong abandoned the city and fled, leading the remaining defeated generals to retreat southward. His army fought with Qian Liu and everyone was a fool, but each of the people he robbed was more vicious than the last. From Yuezhou to Taizhou, they burned, killed, looted and looted all the houses along the way!
The miserable people were unable to cope with the sky and the earth, so they could only take their wives and children, leave their homes and flee...
Monk Budai looked at the influx of refugees. Apart from setting up a porridge shed at the intersection of Yuelin Village and giving out a bowl of porridge to the people who had fled in the past, there was nothing he could do - there was no large building nearby. Where dikes are built around the sea to create farmland, even if it is possible to create farmland, the water is far away and cannot quench the thirst of the nearby people, and cannot help the tens of thousands of refugees now.
He felt ashamed. As a Buddhist disciple, seeing innocent victims struggling on the front line of death, but unable to do anything about it, his heart felt as bitter as if it were soaked in sea water.
He carried the cloth bag with his Zen staff and walked aimlessly in the mountains behind Yuelin Village. Alas, exactly:
Cangshan is like Dai,
The setting sun weeps blood,
The wandering child lingers in the twilight,
A sigh is like a sob.
The sound of the wind is sad,
The tide is howling,
Heartbroken people fall to the end of the world,
How can the word "bitter" be such a big deal!
Unknowingly, Budai monk was approaching the top of the mountain.
This is the place where the mysterious old monk with boundless wisdom mysteriously disappeared and left him this cloth bag.
As if there was some sign in the dark, he almost instinctively looked towards the top of the mountain where the old monk had inserted his Zen staff——
So, under the setting sun, a small pine tree flourished like a torch, burning in his eyes - because he couldn't believe that a living pine tree could grow on that smooth big rock!
He stepped forward and suddenly discovered that this pine tree was actually the Zen staff that the unknown old monk had inserted here!
Although it has grown branches and needles, the shape of the trunk is clearly that of a Zen staff.
Like a ray of golden sunlight penetrating the dark clouds in the sky, Budai monk's heart was clear. He clasped his hands together and murmured to the sky: "Namo the Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva."
After saluting three times, he began to pick the thin, long, obviously different and very strange pine needles on the small pine trees.
He kept picking them in his hands and recited the Zhunti Mantra over and over in his mouth: "Nawu Sa Duo Nan San Miao San Bo Tuo Ju Hao Nan Da Nephew Om Zhe Ru Zhu Ru Zhunti Sa Po He. Na Wu Sa Duo Nan San Miao San Bo Tuo Ju Hao Nan..."
He picked all the pine needles from the trees, put them into his cloth bag, and walked down the mountain.
The setting sun has already set in the western mountains, and the earth is vast. Only the sound of the waves of the sea in the distance is still there, like a lonely soul, telling something to the diffuse night.
The Budai monk carried his cloth bag and quietly came to the beach. He picked up the haiqing (a long robe worn by the monks) and walked step by step into the soft muddy water. He opened the cloth bag, and while scattering pine needles on the sea, he recited the magical Cishi incantation he had used when scattering yellow sand...
Early the next morning, those people who came to the beach to dig clams, catch crabs, and fish on the tidal flats were suddenly surprised! Because they saw that the original beach was covered with moss overnight. They either float with the current or are rooted on the seabed. As far as the eye can see, the entire beach is a shiny green.
People only know that green lichens grow in fresh water, but have they ever seen moss growing in the ocean? What happened? They didn't know what to do, and even Xiaohai didn't dare to drive away.
At this time, Budai monk appeared.
He took off his straw sandals, waded through the sea water, and happily picked lichen plants on the sea surface. Looking at him dancing and beaming with joy, he seemed to have picked up some treasure!
People couldn't help but shouted out of curiosity: "Master Butai, what is that? Why are you picking those green clothes?"
Budai monk was busy with his hands, as if he had no time to answer people. It was not until people asked repeatedly that he said: "This is not your common freshwater green clothes, but precious seaweed."
"These seaweeds look inconspicuous, why are they so precious?" Budai monk finally straightened up and held up a handful of seaweeds in his hand, "Shitake mushrooms on the ground and Taiwanese dishes in the sea are all delicacies rare in the world. Take them. Wash it, make soup, or scald it in boiling water and serve it cold, it tastes delicious!"
Some people didn't quite believe it and said: "This seaweed is no different from green seaweed. It must be tasteless when chewed."
At this time, Budai monk had picked a large handful of seaweed and returned to the shore. He said: "If you don't believe it, you can follow me back to Yuelin Village and give it a try. By then, as long as you smell the taste, I'm afraid your tongue will Swallow it all into your stomach!”
The people who were already very curious had already been tempted by him and couldn't stop, so they followed him in great numbers.
Budai monk was busy in the kitchen of Yuelin Village for a while, and he brought out a large basin of cold seaweed.
He gave out pairs of chopsticks to people so that they could all try it.
However, everyone looks at me and I look at you, no one dares to take the first bite.
The Budai monk smiled and took a big chopstick for himself, chewing it deliciously.
So, people followed cautiously and tried a little bit.
After taking the first bite, everyone felt that the taste was very unique, with both the deliciousness of seafood and the mellow aroma of mountain delicacies.
People couldn't help but have appetites, and they ate up a large pot of seaweed.
Almost on the same night, large tracts of seaweed grew on the vast sea surface for dozens of miles near Yuelin Village. They were green and green, making it a vibrant scene.
The refugees who had no land to farm and no jobs rushed to the sea to collect seaweed. In addition to eating it themselves, they also sold it in markets and inland in exchange for some food.
Budai monk told everyone that fresh seaweed can be divided into strips and dried in the sun to make moss strips, so that it can be stored for a long time and transported over long distances.
From then on, those refugees who had lost their living capital could find a way to survive by relying on their own hard work, collecting, processing and selling seaweed.
As a result, these inconspicuous seaweeds feed thousands of displaced people...
Since then, seaweed has become a famous product in eastern Zhejiang.
The small seaweed was included as a tribute by the royal family, and every year it was sent to the distant Chang'an for the emperor to taste.
It’s strange to say that China’s sea territory is vast and there are countless tidal flats of various sizes. However, there are only a handful of areas rich in seaweed. Moreover, the quality of seaweed produced in other places is simply not comparable to that of “Xiangshan Seaweed”. Comparable.
…
After drinking Laba porridge, as the annual Spring Festival was approaching, the villagers near Yuelin Village remembered all the benefits that the big-bellied village owner had done to them in the past year, so they all came to the farm and invited Budai monk to his home for a vegetarian meal. Express your gratitude.
You invite hundreds of families, and I also make appointments. No matter how big the owner’s belly is, he can’t eat them all.
What's more, monks don't eat after noon and cannot offer evening fasts.
There are only a dozen days left before the Chinese New Year, which means that Budai monk can only go to a dozen or so villagers' homes to attend the fast.
So, every day at noon, in order to drag him to their homes for dinner, people would pull his arms and hug his legs. You fought for him and I took it back. The Budai monk was almost torn into pieces by five horses!
Early that morning, eight families came to Yuelin Village to invite the Budai monk.
And he didn't even refuse a word, he agreed to them all!
Oh my God, by noon, how can you go to eight households at the same time for fasting? Could it be that you have the art of cloning?
Those families who received the personal consent of Budai monk felt very lucky and even ran back home to prepare fast meals.
Monks do not eat meat, so the large fish and meat that farmers like are of no use, so some of those families, some before and some after, went to a tofu house to make tofu.
Being able to invite Budai monk to your home is a very honorable and honorable thing.
They came uninvited and claimed that they were making tofu to prepare a vegetarian meal for Budai monk.
The boy selling tofu was surprised and puzzled: How can you, Budai monk, go to so many people's houses to eat vegetarian food at the same time?
As noon approached, he couldn't restrain his curiosity and quietly hid at a crossroads leading from Yuelin Village to the village, intent on finding out how the Budai monk kept his appointment.
After a while, Budai monk came out of the farm.
When he reached the crossroads, it suddenly split into three, with a cloth-bag monk walking along each road.
Tofu Lang thought he was dazzled, so he rubbed it vigorously, but what he saw was still three cloth-bag monks!
Moreover, every time he came to a fork in the road leading to the village owner's house, the Budai monk would be divided into two, one into three, and successively divided into seven or eight Budai monks!
Originally, people had been speculating that Budai Monk was not an ordinary person, but it had never been confirmed.
Now, after listening to Tofu Lang's story, the villagers thought back and forth and recalled many incredible things about Budai Monk. People have legends that Budai monk has great supernatural powers and is the lower realm of Buddha and Bodhisattva...
The next day, many people came to visit Yuelin Village in the name of inviting Budai monk to fast. However, they all failed.
Where is the Budai monk? Where is the owner of the big belly village? Where is that mysterious living Buddha? There is no trace of it...
…
