I saw an old monk walking over. He first saluted everyone and then sat on a high seat specially set up for the lecturer.
Immediately afterwards, the people and believers who were admiring the lanterns in the temple came one after another after hearing the news. They sat on the ground if they came early. If they came late, they huddled together, holding on to the tree, standing on tiptoes, looking forward to it.
In fact, Yuan Zai didn't feel strange at all.
Monks lecture each other on sutras and Dharma, and pay attention to being solemn and solemn. The more profound and obscure the sermons, the better. But there is no need to lecture to ordinary people. Just do it in a simple way. After all, most people can't understand those things. Literary words.
I saw the old monk with gray eyebrows and a solemn appearance chanting the Buddha's name. Then his face changed, and he imitated a woman's voice and said:
"My loving mother told Mulian: 'I created karma for my previous life by killing pigs and sheep. I never practiced any good deeds, and spent all my time doing bad things. Now that I have come here, I have suffered unspeakably. The water has never been famous, and the food has never been seen. The whole body is covered with blood. There are always sores all over the body. The suffering is endless, and there are thousands of lives and deaths every day. 'My loving mother called Mulian to come closer, Mulian, Mulian..."
Following the two calls, several young monks began to beat wooden fish and use various musical instruments to create an atmosphere.
On the high platform, the old monk continued to chant, while covering his face with his sleeves, showing a "I'm miserable" look:
"I live in this world without thinking about it. I am greedy and kill pigs and sheep all day long. This will lead to the lack of good and evil in the world. How can I suffer new disasters today?"
In hell, people often suffer from hunger and thirst. When they are boiled, they enter the protective soup, or they go to the sword mountain and the sword tree, or they lie on the iron bed for a long time.
There are also people who plow and pull out their tongues, and it is painful to have foreign copper poured into their mouths. They have not been able to smell the pulp and water vapor for several years, and their bodies are full of famine and sores..."
The sound of sobbing sounded, and Yuan Zai found that the women around him, who were soft-hearted and had little knowledge, were already hugging each other and crying bitterly.
at the same time.
Four figures landed on the top of the Buddhist hall, looking at the ridiculous farce below.
After watching for a while, Duke felt that the people of the Tang Dynasty were too deceived, especially the older women. After a while, they rushed to pick off jewelry and bracelets, saying that they would melt them into golden bodies for Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. Atonement for yourself and your family.
After a good Lantern Festival, it suddenly turned into a mess.
But Pan Ming didn't feel strange. After all, people in this era didn't have many entertainment activities. Let alone watching movies and TV series, it was difficult to get access to books. It was rare to watch a performance now. No matter how simple it was, the heart would be touched.
Of course, the monks knew what was right. Telling the story of Maud Lian rescuing his mother hinted that the believers could stop after making one donation.
Now that it is the Lantern Festival, it is better to tell more festive stories. In this way, they began to tell historical legends and folk stories to promote the prestige and achievements of the saints...
vulgar!
It is indeed a common saying!
If he hadn't been concerned about the occasion, Lu Li would have wanted to scold: A group of liars shaved off their hair, put on cassocks, and then served a wooden fish, so that they could cheat!
The most shameless thing is that he even calls it euphemistically:
Wash away sin.
From beginning to end, no vision was manifested. Lu Li could clearly see that the old monk sitting on the high platform opened his eyes several times and secretly glanced at the artifacts donated to the believers.
"It's really an eye-opener. Buddhism's method of making a lotus blossom with tongue is well-deserved." Duke teased unceremoniously.
"The swords in the hands of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty were still too blunt." Pan Ming said with disdain on his face.
"To make several donors laugh, the poor monk Chu Jin is the abbot of this temple."
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared behind Lu Li. It seemed silent, but he was still noticed at the first moment.
Chu Jin, whose common surname is Chen, is said to have been able to recite the Lotus at the age of seven. He became a monk at the age of nine and was promoted to lecture on the meaning of the Lotus at the age of eighteen. In the late Kaiyuan years, he served as the abbot of Qianfu Temple.
Under Lu Li's scrutinizing gaze, Chu Jin, who was wearing a torn cassock, said neither humble nor arrogantly: "The poor monk already knows the purpose of the four good men. Please move forward and follow me to the main hall to talk about it."
"lead the way."
After saying this, the four people fell from the back of the courtyard without disturbing anyone, including Yuan Zai.
In the past, Prince Zhanghuai voluntarily gave up his mansion, and now he has the vast Qianfu Temple in front of him.
When he came just now, Lu Li had already scouted everywhere, and there was no shortage of the Sanmen Palace, the Heavenly King Palace, and the Main Palace. Not only that, the lecture hall, Sutra Pavilion, Guanyin Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Patriarch Hall, and Jialan Hall are all complete.
How much money will it cost to build it?
Perhaps noticing the disdain flashing in Lu Li's eyes, Chu Jin turned around and asked, "Does the donor have some misunderstanding about our temple?"
"Haha, there is no misunderstanding."
On the side, Duke replied on his behalf: "I just feel that your temple's skills are so great that you can still make them willing to slaughter the faithful men and women as fat sheep."
"Sure enough, the donor misunderstood." Chu Jin shook his head, "No one dares to corrupt the money donated by the believers. They will either melt it to build a golden body for the Buddha, or use it to build a multi-treasure pagoda."
"When the poor monk first came to Qianfukuji Temple, he recited the Lotus Sutra one day. When he came to "See the Pagoda Pin", the pagoda suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. He meditated for six years and vowed to build the pagoda."
"However, our power is limited, so we can only speak widely and invite believers to raise funds to raise donations from all over."
tower.
It was originally a place where monks' bones and relics were stored, but in this dynasty it became a symbol. Whenever possible, monks would build a pagoda in the temple and stand in front of the Main Hall.
But when the four of them were about to step into the palace, they found that the courtyard was indeed empty.
With incense so popular, why is it difficult to build a pagoda?
Unless the old monk has a big heart...
Yeah, Duobao Pagoda.
Just hearing this name makes me feel extraordinary, and it is named after Duobao.
"I wonder how much money your temple still has?" Pan Ming said calmly.
Chu Jin joined his hands and chanted the Buddha's name, and said frankly: "After six years, we have raised 500,000 yuan for charity, and there is still 500,000 yuan left."
Lu Li was speechless for a while. A piece of mutton-filled Hu Pancake costs only a dollar. If he could use the money to build a pagoda to buy the pancake...
At this point, there was nothing that could not be said. Li Bing asked: "Then why do you want to deceive the believers? The monk responsible for preaching is mediocre, and can even be called a philistine."
The old monk was not frightened by Li Cake's appearance. He seemed to have mastered the art of nourishing qi, and asked: "You are not from our sect, why are you talking nonsense? As long as you donate money, we will take care of all the sins for them, ensuring that they You will never fall into Avici Hell after death."
Frankly speaking, this statement cannot be verified.
At least Lu Li and others couldn't verify it.
However, Chu Jin took the initiative and said: "You all are blessed with great luck. If you are willing to enter our door, the poor monk will perform the Dharma with his own body and show off his Buddhist magical powers."
Pan Ming and Duke looked at each other in shock when they heard this statement for the first time.
Li Cake was expressionless.
As for Lu Li, he thought he was immune to similar words, but when the monk said these words, he felt inexplicably, very uncomfortable.
Seeing that the four people were silent and their attitude was very obvious, Chu Jin still did not give up. While walking in front to lead the way, he said: "The poor monk knows that the three distinguished guests are prejudiced against my Buddhist sect."
Which three?
Naturally, it was the trio of Lu Li, Pan Ming, and Duke.
"The emperors of previous dynasties destroyed Buddhism simply because they believed that Buddhism did not engage in production and relied on alms and alms to make a living."
"But this is not the case in this temple. Growing food, growing vegetables, chopping firewood, carrying water, and all other tasks are all done by yourself."
Chu Jin spoke plausibly, "When the weather gets warmer in a while, our temple will hold a 'general invitation' event. All monks and nuns from the poor monks down will have to go to the fields to farm."
“A day without work is a day without food!”
"Every time there is a famine, the mountain gate is opened and food is distributed to the victims."
Having said this, a divine ring appeared behind the old monk's head, as if a true Buddha had come to the world.
In fact, those words cannot be false. Qianfu Temple has a history of nearly seventy years, and Chu Jin is not the first to take charge of this temple. Lu Li and others can find out what is going on by asking the nearby residents.
"Meow... Shaoqing didn't ask about the smell of meat, nor did he smell the smell of blood."
After saying this, Li Bing deliberately made a serious face, dissatisfied with Lu Li's hand on his head.
Lu Li seemed to have never seen this. If he didn't pet the cat now, it would be too late to regret it when he went back in a few days.
After the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, the rule of "abstaining from killing animals and eating meat" has been basically established, and Li Cake has an extremely sensitive sense of smell. It shows that the monks of Qianfu Temple really strictly abide by the precepts——
Rice porridge is the main food for several meals a day, along with pickles, and stewed tofu with green vegetables is considered a delicacy. If you are seriously ill and need to supplement your nutrition, you can only eat some honey and cheese.
Be self-sufficient, eat vegetarian food and recite Buddha’s name.
If you meet these two requirements, you will indeed be worthy of the title of master.
After patiently listening to the explanation, Duke spoke quickly and said: "In this case, we have misunderstood. There is a huge difference between a great virtuous man and those who deceive the world and steal the world."
Lu Li nodded and added in his mind: The premise is that believers can really be blessed by the Buddha after death, otherwise, they will still be thieves.
The Mahavira Hall is located in the middle of the entire temple and houses Sakyamuni and other powerful Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Arhats.
All major events are held here. From this, it can be seen that Chu Jin did not neglect everyone, and the four of them gradually put away their preconceived attitudes.
"I know the reason why you are here. You are here for the Pingkangfang murder case. Is that true?"
After entering the main hall, Lu Li temporarily took his hand away to give the Buddha a face.
Li Bing, who had regained his freedom, put his paws on his back and regained his cool demeanor, nodding for him to continue.
"Donor Zhang is not a murderer. He feels that he has no chance to win the title of Toad Palace, so he decided to return to his hometown to review his homework and go to Beijing to take the exam next year."
"Besides, donor Zhang came from a poor family and really had no money to redeem his confidante, so he had no choice but to write a letter to refuse."
Lu Li had a strange look on his face.
The old monk was not involved, so how could he know so clearly?
However, he did not ask. Li Bing had full authority to handle the case, and he came here just to help out.
"It's empty talk, what about the Confucian scholars?"
Li Cake was full of official aura, but he was extremely uneasy in his heart: If he had known that the host of Qianfu Temple was so talkative, he would have brought Yuan Zai in directly...
Yes, it was regretting that it shouldn't seek help from Lu Li.
"After listening to the poor monk tell the news of Miss Mingyue's death, he was reciting sutras for her in the guest room." Master Chu Jin lowered his eyebrows and said in a low voice: "Speaking of which, those two murder cases are indeed related to this temple."
Everyone suppressed their distracting thoughts and knew that the main event was coming.
"Some time ago, two girls, Fuxiang and Mingyue, came to our temple to pray. Logically speaking, they should have been accompanied by the temple supervisor or other accomplished Zhike monks..."
At this point, Chu Jin sighed helplessly, and his expression of neither sadness nor joy finally changed, and he blamed himself: "But that day, the poor monk summoned forty-nine eminent men from the whole temple to practice the Lotus Samadhi, and he had no time to care about it. other."
In front of the golden body of Lord Buddha, the old monk naturally would not lie and told the whole story.
It turned out that after six years of hard work, Chu Jin had a whim and had a premonition that the construction of the Duobao Pagoda would be completed in the near future, and the remaining half million dollars would be funded by the saint.
Because of this, he summoned all the powerful monks in the temple to practice Lotus Samadhi, and wrote a volume of "Golden Lotus Sutra", a volume of "Bodhisattva Precepts", and a volume of "Avalokitesvara Sutra" with blood. There are one thousand parts of the Lotus Sutra and thirty-six parts with golden characters to support the pagoda.
In this case, two ladies, Mingyue and Fuxiang, were targeted by evil spirits, but the accompanying monk Zhike was mortal and did not notice anything unusual.
By the time Chu Jin reacted, it was too late.
"There is so much incense in Qianfu Temple, why are there evil spirits? I heard that in the past, the eminent Buddhist monk Huai Gan of the Pure Land Sect lived here to practice the Samadhi of chanting Buddha's name, and he attained Samadhi three years later." A voice came from outside the temple.
Not long ago, Yuan Zai was fed up with the tricks played by lay monks to fool the people, so he simply left the courtyard and looked around for clues. He happened to bump into Lu Li and others in the Main Hall.
"Si Qing, Shao Qing."
He walked quickly, saluted and said hello to the two superior officers, then nodded to Pan Ming and Duke, whom he did not recognize, and finally looked at Chu Jin with an unkind expression, as if he was asking for an answer.
"Does the donor know why Master Huaide came here to practice?" Chu Jin didn't care about the provocation in Yuan Zai's words, and said to himself: "Not long after the temple was built, Prince Zhang Huai died unexpectedly. This is his old residence, and there is an unknown person who came to this world. .”
Prince Zhanghuai, Li Xian.
A prince who was admired and valued by his father and wanted to rely on his family and country, who was praised by his ministers for his steadfastness to all nations and his courtesy in the three dynasties, was falsely accused of treason, and the false accuser was his biological mother Wu Zetian.
Li Zhi knew the whole story in his heart and wanted to protect him, but Wu Zetian retorted: Conspiracy against the son of man is not tolerated by heaven and earth; how can he be forgiven if he destroys his relatives for the sake of justice?
A wise crown prince, a cowardly father, and a snake-hearted mother.
According to legend, people with grievances will turn into ghosts after death, but what about the crown prince?
Lu Li thought it would be difficult.
But Chu Jin spoke very cryptically, summarizing his unknown arrival into the world. After all, Prince Zhang Huai was the biological uncle of the current saint, and they both came from the same origin.
"The poor monk built the pagoda not for his own selfish reasons, but just to save the dead."
"Actually, there is no need to go into details. Thinking about the meeting in two hours, the four donors will believe everything the poor monk said."
The words were full of certainty.
Recalling Chu Jin's previous statement that the emperor would personally fund the remaining 500,000 yuan, Lu Li believed it a little more.
all in all.
The whole case is not complicated. The two girls had a bad day when they went to incense. They were targeted by an unknown person and finally died violently.
However, there is still one doubt.
Why do they have to cross half of the city of Chang'an and go far away to come to Qianfu Temple to offer incense?
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