It is well known to the world that monks are slow on their feet.
The master of the Buddhist family practiced hard, always refrained from arrogance and extravagance, and did everything personally. Regardless of the distance, he always walked with his feet, which was inferior to sitting in a sedan or riding a horse. It was still a full month before the sixth day of June, and Tianzhu Mountain was only 1,500 miles away from the capital. However, several old and young monks from Kuchan Temple had packed up and went down the mountain early in the morning to attend the call.
A total of six people went to Kuchan Temple to summon them, but there were nine people, old and young, traveling with them on the road. However, among them, the three young monks of the "Zhen" generation were all disciples of Dharma and were sent to take care of Yi Ying's daily life. If it had not been specified in the official ultimatum that "Master Xuan Yue is summoned," the Dharma Prime Minister would never have let this 82-year-old teacher-uncle travel all the way to the capital. Although the old monk Xuan Yue was listed as the number one expert in the world by Zhaixing Pavilion, he was old after all. The Dharma Minister was worried that his trip would be in danger. Therefore, the five summoned people sent from the Kuchan Temple this time were all eminent monks of the Dharma generation. , among which are the first Fa Kong in Prajna Hall and the first Fa Pu in Luohan Hall. Both Prajna Hall and Luohan Hall are the places where Kuchan Temple studies martial arts. The martial arts cultivation of Fakong and Fapu are also among the top five in Kuchan Temple. Although they are not listed on the list of masters in the Star Pavilion, they are absolutely unbeatable. Dare to underestimate them. The six people from Kuchan Temple are undoubtedly the strongest among the Jianghu sects who are summoned. They are far beyond the reach of Yufeng Escort Bureau, Ruozhou Xu Family or Danyang City Salt Gang.
"Uncle Master, this...we haven't gone down the mountain for just a few years, how come this Xiaozhou City has become like this?" The group got up early and went down Tianzhu Mountain. By this time, they had been on the road for more than five hours. More than a hundred miles away, in Xiaozhou Prefecture, Limin County, I couldn't help but sigh when I saw refugees and hungry people on the road from time to time.
Xiaozhou is located in the northwest corner of Limin County, bordering Zhubei and Binghu counties. Xiaozhou is famous all over the world because of the Buddhist holy place in it - Kuchan Temple. The status of Kuchan Temple in Xiaozhou in the Buddhist family is equivalent to that of the Zhenwu Temple in the capital city. It is indeed the only totem of a culture. Because practicing Zen and worshiping Buddha became popular, the local people's sincerity and kindness became known to the world, so it became the first choice place for disaster victims to escape. This is why the monks encountered many hungry people along the way.
It was already dusk, and it was time for dinner. A group of monks, old and young, settled in a small inn. The nine people sat down at a large round table outside the inn, and the dinner was very simple - one bowl of plain noodles per person.
"Shopkeeper, please do a good job and give us some food. The two children are really hungry... Even if they die, please do a good job and don't let them become starving ghosts! Shopkeeper , please!" A weak voice came from outside the store, it was a thin woman kneeling on the ground begging for food with two little children. As she spoke, she knelt down and kowtowed. The two children beside her were already sobbing.
The shopkeeper was an old man in his fifties. He looked embarrassed at this time. He shook his head and said, "Madam, I'm really sorry! In recent days, there have been too many victims begging for food. Today, there are so many people begging for food." More than a dozen people came. I... I am a small shop that does small business with low profits, and I have to support such a big family. How can I withstand such consumption? I really can’t help it. Oh. Amitabha, Buddha, forgive me!" Under the flickering candlelight, you could clearly see the twinkling tears in his eyes.
In troubled times, humans are worse than dogs!
After hearing this, the woman sobbed in a low voice and replied: "Thank you, shopkeeper, I'm sorry for bothering you." After saying that, she stood up tremblingly and reached out to hold the two young children. The three of them held hands and walked away.
"Amitabha, very good! My Buddha is compassionate and willing to overcome all the hardships in the world!" Old monk Xuan Yue put down his bowl and chopsticks and clasped his hands together. Then he called to the woman and said, "Donor, stay here! The old monk still has a little food for fasting here. I would like to ask the benefactor to eat some as he pleases."
His internal energy was extremely profound, and his voice was as if he was whispering in that woman's ear. After the woman heard this, it was obvious that her body trembled slightly, and she pulled the two children back slowly.
The three of them knelt down in front of the monks' table and cried miserably: "Thank you to the living Buddhas for your kindness! Thank you to the living Buddhas for your kindness!" How much despair and helplessness must one have experienced to cry so sadly!
"Amitabha! Donor, please get up!" Xuan Yue hurriedly helped her up. He is old, so he doesn't have to taboo anything, and no one will find it offensive. Monk Zhenru, a senior monk, had already ordered some vegetarian dishes from the old shopkeeper. At this time, before the soup was brought, three bowls of plain noodles had been added and placed on the table.
"Three donors, please come to the table and have something to eat!" Monk Fapu stood up and said politely. The three real monks had already given up their seats and stood aside. The woman thanked her again and again, then sat on the chair with her two children in her arms. She took out the bamboo chopsticks for them and began to sit down and eat.
The three people's faces were pale, and they were obviously weak and hungry. However, they always behaved politely while eating. It could be seen at a glance that they were definitely not from ordinary poor families. Each person had a bowl of plain noodles, which had been licked clean, and not even a drop of soup was left. The waiter brought the food tray in time and put down three bowls of plain noodles and three plates of vegetarian dishes.
The three of them had been hungry for who knows how long. A bowl of plain noodles was obviously not enough to fill their stomachs. When they saw more dishes being added, they couldn't help but gleam. However, the three of them did not pick up the chopsticks on the table before being invited to eat by the monks. The old monk Xuan Yue looked at it and said with a warm smile: "Donors don't have to be polite, but please take your chopsticks and eat! We have already finished our meal, and the vegetarian dishes and noodles here are just for the three of you, so there is no need to be polite."
After receiving the old monk's approval, the three of them stood up, bowed to thank the monks, and then picked up their chopsticks to eat.
Monk Fakong looked aside, his compassion gradually grew, and he whispered quietly: "Amitabha, may the Buddha be merciful and overcome all the sufferings in the world! Let everyone have food, a place to live, and clothing. May I, the Buddha, be compassionate Compassion can overcome all the suffering in the world, eliminate all evil karma, and fill the world with goodness! Amitabha!" The woman was eating noodles with her head lowered. After listening to his soft recitation, tears in her eyes could not stop falling into the bowl.
Even three ordinary strong men might not be able to finish the six bowls of plain noodles and three plates of vegetarian dishes, but the three frail women and children packed them all into their bellies. Seeing that Monk Zhenru turned around and went to the counter, as if he was going to add noodles and vegetables, the woman hurriedly stood up from her seat, bowed and called out: "Master, please stay, my mother and son are full and can't eat anymore. Thank you for your kindness!" " Zhenru thought to himself that the three of them were full after eating, so they returned.
"The donor, the poor monk and others are monks from the Kuchan Temple in Tianzhu Mountain. They have not left the mountain for several years. I wonder what happened here, so that hungry people are everywhere?" asked the monk Fakong, clasping his hands together.
The woman returned the gift and replied: "Master, I am originally from Pingzhou City, Shanghe County, and these two are my children." After saying this, the woman paused, reached out and caressed the two children, with tears in her eyes. Lian, full of reluctance and helplessness. Just listen to her continue: "My husband's surname is Xie, and he belongs to a famous family in Pingzhou City for hundreds of years. My husband is a state government secretary who has become an official. His family has thousands of acres of fertile land, and he has never had to worry about food and clothing."
When the monks saw that the three of them were polite and respectful, they had already guessed that they were of unusual origins, but they did not expect that they were the family members of a state lord. Fakong looked surprised and asked again: "Since the donor has such a family fortune, why did he end up living as a hungry man? What is the reason for this?"
"Haha, all the wealth in the family is like a passing cloud. A natural disaster took away all these things and left nothing behind." The woman said with a sad smile.
Monk Fapu originally said little, but now he couldn't help but ask: "Oh? What kind of natural disaster happened?"
The woman's eyes were blurred, as if her soul had left her body, and she murmured back: "A rare flood." As she spoke, she couldn't help hugging her two sons, and whispered softly: "In March, Ping There were heavy rains in the city for ten consecutive days. On the 25th, the Pingzhou dam burst, and the torrential water was as ferocious as a rare beast, swallowing up everything. Wherever it passed, no roofs, tiles, people or animals were left, and all life was wiped out. After the flood, 400,000 to 500,000 floating corpses were drowned in the wild in Pingzhou City, and 400,000 to 500,000 lonely ghosts screamed and wailed every night. It was even worse than the Asura Hell of Buddhism!"
"What?" Fapu was shocked, his face changed, and asked: "The donor, are there 40, 500,000 people?" The woman understood clearly, and he could hear clearly, but he still couldn't believe it. Didn't the other eight monks have the same reaction as him? It is unheard of for a flood to kill four to five million people. Buddhism has always been kind, but after hearing about this most tragic thing in the world, even though they had been cultivating for many years until there was no wave in the ancient well, they couldn't help but feel sad and exhausted.
"No way! I heard that there were more than 600,000 people in Pingzhou, but only a few hundred thousand survived." An old voice sounded. It turned out that the old shopkeeper came over after hearing their exchange and couldn't help but interrupt. He took a chair and sat down aside, sighing: "These days, there are many victims from Pingzhou in Xiaozhou, and I heard a lot from them. Oh, how miserable! Nine out of ten rooms were destroyed. Every family was wiped out. The stench of corpses in Pingzhou City spread hundreds of miles with the wind! Those who were lucky enough to survive had nothing left, so they had no choice but to flee everywhere. I don’t know how many people died on the way. Oh, how miserable!" The old shopkeeper said, shaking his head and wiping away tears. These days, he has been doing business at a loss and has given alms to many victims. However, he also has young and old to support, and he is unable to do what he wants.
Fapu could not help but feel sad when he thought about the sight of corpses strewn in the fields of Pingzhou City and the stench wafting for hundreds of miles. He immediately sat down cross-legged, clasped his hands together, and recited: "Amitabha!" When the old monk Yuanyue saw it, he said softly: "I Wait, for the souls of Pingzhou to be saved! Recite the mantra of rebirth a thousand times!" After saying this, he sat down on the ground and began to recite quietly silently. When the remaining seven people saw it, they also sat down and recited the mantra of rebirth silently: "Namo Amitabha night, Duotagadu night, Duo Diye night. Amilidu Bavi, Amili Duo. Siddambavi, Amitabha night." Duo. Vikalanta, Ami, Duo. Vikalanta, Gamini, Gagana, Chidokalisha Poha!"
... ...
Suddenly, Sanskrit sounds could be heard in the inn. Xiaozhou is a place where Buddhism is widely spread, and there are few people who are not involved in sutras and mantras. When the diners and passers-by saw this, many people sat down on the floor and chanted mantras softly to save the hundreds of thousands of souls in Pingzhou, thousands of miles away.
