Zhu Su looked up and looked around and saw that the temple was mottled everywhere, even the Buddha statues were rusty. It was obvious that the master's daily life was very tight.
But although the palace buildings are in ruins, everything in the temple is spotless. This shows that this master lives in poverty and enjoys Taoism. Listening to the meaning of his words, I already worshiped Buddha in this temple in the Yuan Dynasty BC. After experiencing the ruins of the world, his devotion to the Buddha remained undiminished, and Zhu Su couldn't help but respect him. Seeing that the old monk wanted to go to fetch water for Zhu Su himself, he quickly stopped him and said no. A dog went to the well with a personal guard to fetch water for Zhu Su.
Zhu Su did not need the abbot to accompany him and did not want to trouble the old man too much, so the old abbot bowed to the Buddha and left. He bypassed the heavily guarded front hall and went to the back, letting the young apprentice go back to his room to rest. He then sat cross-legged in the room and read scriptures.
Fang didn't say a word before he heard three clicks outside the window and coffin. The old abbot raised his head and said with a smile: "Why should layman be so careful? I haven't rested yet, layman, please come in."
"Old abbot." The door creaked, and the person who opened the door was a fat monk with Buddhist beads hanging around his neck. The monk looked to be in his forties, with a very tall build and a bald head that looked even brighter in the moonlight. When he opened his mouth, it was with a chilling air that a monk should not have: "When we came back, we saw soldiers guarding the entrance of the temple. But what evil person has entered the temple?"
"Amitabha, there are no evil people. You don't know how many things there are in the temple, so there is nothing to exploit," the old abbot said.
"A young nobleman passed by here and saw that it was getting late, so he came to stay overnight."
"Although that noble man is young, he has the compassion of our Buddha. Lay people must never say evil words."
"Your Excellency, staying overnight?" The fat monk frowned, but finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down opposite the old abbot with his legs crossed. "We were thinking that some evil person had robbed the abbot. If that's the case, then it would save us the trouble of killing him again!"
"Amitabha." The old abbot didn't reply, he just announced the Buddha's name with a compassionate look on his face.
"You're living in the wilderness, but you don't know whose noble family it is?" The fat monk looked out the window in the direction of the main hall and asked.
"Amitabha, all conditioned dharmas are like bubbles in a dream. They are like dew or lightning. They should be viewed as such." The abbot answered the question incorrectly, and then looked at the fat monk with a stern gaze: "A layman must not be eaten by the inner demons."
"We've given it up a long time ago!" The fat monk waved his hand boldly. "Abbott, don't worry, we are just curious."
Seeing his calm expression, the old abbot nodded and smiled, then lowered his head and began to recite the scriptures. The fat monk also looked solemn, adjusted his posture and sat cross-legged. Under a beam of moonlight outside the window, two monks, one old and one strong, were reciting scriptures at the same time. Although the room was a shabby room, it was a peaceful scene.
After a while, the fat monk opened his eyes and looked out the window. He saw a light like a bean outside the window, slowly coming towards here.
"Someone is coming." The fat monk frowned slightly, but the old monk just ignored him.
After a while, he saw a monk in black clothes holding a lamp appear outside the window. He looked at the moonlight and saw two monks sitting opposite each other inside the window. He saluted from a distance and said, "Amitabha, young monk Daoyan, you can hear me from a distance." The master was reciting the Purana Sutra, and he knew that the master had not fallen asleep, so the young monk dared to disturb the master. Is the master free?"
"I am just an old monk from a dry temple in a barren mountain. How can I be worthy of the title of master? Fellow practitioners, please come in and feel free to do what you want."
Yao Guangxiao performed another Buddhist ritual and then entered the house. The fat monk kept staring at Yao Guangxiao. When he saw Yao Guangxiao turning around and closing the door without warning, he relaxed.
"Is this senior fellow apprentice the wandering monk who stayed here? The young monk's name is Daoyan." Yao Guangxiao looked at the moonlight and saw the appearance of the fat monk clearly, and couldn't help but praise him in his heart. He is so tall. monk.
"Exactly, this layman is the monk that the old monk mentioned just now, who helped the temple a lot." The old abbot introduced. "Fellow practitioners don't know that although this layman looks fierce, he is extremely kind in his heart."
"I have lived in this temple for many years, and I don't know how much good deeds I have done. If it were not for this layman, I and my disciples, old and young, would have been nothing more than a handful of bones."
"Amitabha." Yao Guangxiao said with his hands together. But I feel strange in my heart, layman? So, this person is not a serious monk?
Although Lao Zhu was also a monk himself, deep down he knew that very few monks and temples in the world were good people. Moreover, the Meng Yuan Chongxin Lama has not far away, causing disaster to the country and the people. Although it has not gone to the extent of destroying Buddhism in this dynasty, there are many restrictions on monks and Taoists.
The most obvious one is the aspect of paying ultimatums. If there is no ultimatum issued by the court, he is not an officially recognized monk. He is not allowed to live in a temple, is not allowed to preach dharma, and is subject to the restrictions of the court's road guide system. However, the conditions for issuing ultimatums by the imperial court were very harsh, which resulted in many people who wanted to escape into Buddhism but were unable to obtain ultimatums. They could not become "monks" and could only be comforted by being "lay Buddhists".
This layman can be said to be the Buddhist version of a "black household", a person who works without a certificate. The old abbot called this fat monk this way. Obviously, this fat monk did not have a household registration. The key is that his appearance is so rough and majestic, and he has a faint blood-killing energy in his body, which is different from ordinary laymen. Yao Guangxiao couldn't help but take a few more glances.
"I wonder what the fellow practitioner is doing here?" the old abbot asked.
"Oh. But it's a long night and I don't want to sleep." Yao Guangxiao withdrew his gaze after hearing this and took out two bowls of chess pieces from his monk's robe. "I wonder if senior brother is interested in elegance. I would like to have a chat with the young monk about moonlight."
"Senior brother is well-informed. Wouldn't it be nice for you and me to talk about ancient times and Buddha while holding hands?"
"Amitabha." The old abbot shook his head. "But it's going to disturb fellow practitioners' enjoyment. The old monk is useless in his life. He only knows how to recite scriptures, so how can he play chess?"
"Besides, people's eyesight is dazzled with old age. Even if the moonlight is so clear tonight, it is difficult to see..."
"Monk Dao Yan, if you don't mind it, how about you let us play a game with you?"
"It's been a long night, and we were just thinking about how to have fun. But we haven't played this game for a long time." It was the fat monk who was eager to try.
"Amitabha, since this senior brother is willing, then it suits my heart." Yao Guangxiao replied. The two men took possession of the black and white pieces separately, formed a formation under the moonlight, and started fighting.
In fact, playing chess is just an introduction. Yao Guangxiao met the old abbot, Lao Chengrui, and saw the troubled times of the Yuan Dynasty. Talking to him can fully understand the customs and customs of this place. He is a person who is good at planning, and is naturally very good at chess, so he can have a pleasant conversation with the old abbot while making random moves.
But after a few moments, he could no longer distract himself from exploring the local customs. All because of the sunspots on the chessboard that he was obsessed with, he was completely defeated at this moment!
(End of chapter)
