(The pines and cypresses in the mountain temple are evergreen, who knows how old the world is)
The clouds are rolling and the flowers are blooming and fading. The bells and drums in Jinshan Temple every morning and evening made Lan Feng meditate quietly and forget about his time in the world.
In the blink of an eye, seven years have passed.
Every year when the Sutra Pavilion is open, Lanfeng and Jingguo Jingsi go to the third floor to read the scriptures. Jingguo Jingsi is fine, but Lanfeng starts not to worship Buddha or recite the scriptures after reading the scriptures. Already.
Kong Xiang also asked Jingguo what happened to Lan Feng. Jingguo only said that the scripture was obscure and hard to understand, and he had no way of knowing what Lan Feng understood from it.
Kong Xiang thought that he had read the sutra to the fourth level, so he went to ask Lan Feng why he no longer worshiped the Buddha and recited the sutra. Lan Feng only said that there was no need to worship the Buddha in his heart, and there was no need to recite the sutra in his heart, making this empty space quite like the master's. I don’t know what to say. As time passed, the pilgrims who came to worship also learned that there was a strange monk in Jinshan Temple who did not chant sutras or worship Buddha. He just meditated in the back mountain and looked at the turbulent river every day.
It was the twelfth lunar month of another year. On that day, after Jingguo finished sweeping the Buddhist hall, he came to the back mountain when he saw Jingyan still sleeping soundly. After saying "Junior Brother", the monk in Tsing Yi smiled and stood up, turned around, and saw that he was seven feet tall, handsome and handsome, with sword eyebrows at the top and phoenix eyes with green beads at the bottom. With a smile on his face and jade beads hanging on his neck, it was Lan Feng who was seven years later.
"Senior Brother Jingguo." Lan Feng saluted.
Jingguo smiled and said, "Junior brother, it's been seven years. You have meditated here every day. What have you learned?"
Lan Feng shook his head and said: "If you are enlightened, wouldn't I be the Buddha of the third generation? Haha, senior brother, go eat!"
The two walked to the dining hall laughing and joking. As soon as they arrived in front of the dining hall, they happened to meet Monk Jingsi and his group. When Jingsi saw Lan Feng, he joked: "Hey, isn't this Junior Brother Lan Feng? Why, in the back mountain Are you in a daze?"
Lan Feng saluted and said: "Senior Brother Jingsi was joking, I saw the river flowing from west to east. I was wondering, this river nourishes all things, and my Buddha saves all living beings. This is the same root, but why does this river not save the world's people? You take refuge in my Buddha, but you just do the opposite."
Jingsi snorted coldly: "It's unfounded to worry. Although you are a lay disciple, you are still in the temple, but you don't worship Buddha or chant sutras every day. You only think about these boring things..."
"Oh?" Lan Feng said with a smile, "Senior Brother Jingsi, please enlighten me, for whom should I recite this sutra?"
At this time, a group of monks saw the two men discussing again, and they all gathered around. When Jingsi saw that there were more and more people, he said: "It's ridiculous! I have been a monk for several years and I don't know who to recite the sutra for. I will teach you a lesson today, please listen carefully!"
Reciting this sutra for the Buddha can show your sincerity.
If you read this sutra for yourself, it can resolve your doubts.
This sutra should be recited for the sake of all living beings in the world, and it can bring salvation to all sentient beings! "
"Amitabha, this is wrong." Lan Feng laughed and said, "The scriptures were written by the Buddha, but you recite them for the sake of the Buddha. It is useless. You have doubts in your heart. If the scriptures have solved your confusion, why do you need to recite them again? If so, If it can't solve your confusion, why should you read it again?; This scripture is difficult to understand. Even if we are monks, only a few can understand it. How many people in the world can understand it? It's useless for you to read it for the sake of the world. ..”
When Jingsi heard what Lan Feng said, she was speechless for a moment: "You crazy monk, you are full of sophistry. There are no Buddhist disciples in the world who don't chant sutras or worship Buddha. Don't try to confuse the public with your evil words here!"
Lan Feng shook his head helplessly, unwilling to argue with him. Jingguo also frowned after listening to the debate between Lanfeng and Jingsi. While eating with Lanfeng, she asked, "Junior brother, what you said just now seems to make sense, but chanting sutras and worshiping Buddha is our traditional practice as monks. What do you mean? talk..."
Lanfeng took a sip of porridge and said, "Senior Brother Jingguo, those words are just a joke for Senior Brother Jingsi. In fact, there are thousands of ways to practice, and you don't have to stick to chanting sutras and worshiping Buddha. As long as you are sincere, you can see the Buddha." Take Sun Xingzhe five hundred years ago as an example. Some people became Buddhas through sincerity, and some people became Buddhas through overcoming difficulties. However, his battle with the Holy Buddha was the result of killing. Although he killed demons, But demons are also living beings, so after all, this still violates the five Buddhist precepts of ‘not killing’.”
After hearing this, Jingguo nodded and said: "Junior brother, you still have a higher understanding than me. Although Brother Yu came here so many years earlier than you, his Buddhist principles are still not as good as yours..."
"Jingguo, Lanfeng." Just as he was saying this, Abbot Kongxiang came in from outside, and Lanfeng and Jingguo stood up to salute. Na Kongxiang said: "It's the end of the year again. You two have nothing to do in the afternoon. Let's go out and make some Buddhist connections."
Jingguo asked in confusion: "Master, what is the fate of Buddha?"
Kong Xiang said: "Buddha's destiny is destiny." After saying that, Kong Xiang left directly, leaving Jingguo there in a daze.
Lan Feng smiled and said: "Haha, senior brother, hurry up and eat."
Seeing Lan Feng's happy smile, Jingguo thought he knew what Buddhist fate was, so she put aside her doubts and started eating.
In the afternoon, the two of them packed up and walked down to the mountain gate. Snowflakes were still flying in the sky, coating the land with silver, but there were people coming and going on the streets. There are all kinds of sellers selling New Year's goods and couplets.
Jingguo rubbed her hands and breathed a sigh of relief: "Junior brother, where should we go to find a Buddhist connection?"
Lan Feng looked confused: "How do I know?"
"You..." Jingguo said awkwardly, "You laughed at me during lunch, I thought you knew..."
Lanfeng spread his hands and said, "Fate is such an elusive thing. Let's take a stroll while the market is busy."
The two were walking in the market, and many children were making noise on both sides, setting off firecrackers and shaking lanterns. Lanfeng hadn't gone down the mountain for a long time, and he was quite emotional when he saw this long-lost worldly smoke scene.
Turning the corner, a figure suddenly bumped into Lan Feng. Lan Feng turned around and saw a little boy running in the snow holding a bunch of candied haws.
"Stop! You brat! You want to run away without giving me money!" Immediately afterwards, a hawker carried a pillar of candied haws and chased the little boy.
The little boy lost his footing and stumbled and fell into the snow. The vendor immediately held him down and shot the candied haws with his hands. Who knew that little boy would not let go until his death. Seeing this, Jingguo stepped forward and grabbed the hawker's hand.
Lan Feng also hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Donor, please let this child go. This candied haws-lub monk bought it for him."
The hawker let go after hearing what Lan Feng said. Lan Feng took out the silver and handed it to the hawker. The hawker also handed the stick of candied haws to Lan Feng. He said, "You little monk, you are kind-hearted, but Anyone who commits this theft will be yelled at and beaten, so we can't let him get used to it."
Lan Feng said: "Amitabha, if it weren't for a reason, I don't think this child would steal your candied haws. This money and you can be considered as a meritorious deed for me."
"Hey, I really don't understand you monks." The vendor weighed his money and shook his head before leaving. Lan Feng lifted the little boy up and handed him the stick of candied haws. The little boy raised his head, his dirty face red with cold. After he took the candied haws, his face became sullen and he ran away without saying a word.
Lan Feng was also amused when he saw this. He could not even get a thank you for helping him so much. Shaking their heads, he and Jingguo continued to walk forward. After a while, they faintly saw a little light coming from the alley at the corner of the street, and the candied haws pillar just now was leaning against the wall.
The two people walked over slowly in confusion, and saw the little boy who had just stolen the candied haws on a stick lighting a fire in the corner, and beside him there was a little girl wrapped in a torn cotton jacket holding a bunch of candied haws on a stick in her hand. The two of them were immediately moved when they saw this. They walked in front of the fire and asked: "Children, what are you..."
The little boy saw Lan Feng and the two asking, "We originally lived in the countryside outside the city, and the heavy snow froze the crops. The landlord failed to obtain food and drove our family out. When we entered the city, it happened to be the New Year's Eve. , there are pilgrims everywhere buying tributes for the temple, and we got separated from our parents after going back and forth..."
Lan Feng frowned. Although this scripture has been handed down from generation to generation, there are still many people in the countryside who are living among the common people...
"Brothers, were you the one who came to my brother's rescue just now?" The little girl next to him said softly, "My brother just told me that it was all my fault that I was greedy and wanted to eat candied haws..."
Jingguo was about to comfort the little girl, but saw that the girl's eyes were open and lifeless...
The little boy said: "My sister was born blind and cannot see..."
"Amitabha..." Lanfeng clasped his hands together and couldn't bear to touch the girl's cheek. Jingguo was also watching anxiously. She had been cultivating the way of rebirth with Abbot Kongxiang, but she had rarely seen the suffering of the people. However, as monks, they are also powerless. He handed all the scattered silver he had to the little boy and said, "My child, we are also monks and we are really helpless. Take this little silver and hope that you can find your parents as soon as possible."
The little boy thanked Jingguo, and the little girl said, "Brothers, here..." She stretched out her hand and handed the candied haws to Lanfeng, "Thank you, you are good people..."
Lanfeng took the candied haws, recited Amitabha, and walked away helplessly. Turning the corner, Lanfeng stopped and looked at the snowy sky for a long time.
Jingguo said: "Junior brother, what's wrong with you?"
Lanfeng came back to his senses and shook his head: "I remembered my sister... When I left, she was the same size as this girl. Unknowingly, it has been seven years..."
The two returned to Jinshan Temple empty-handed, holding only the bunch of candied haws. When Kong saw the two returning, he stepped forward and asked, "Have you found the relationship with Buddha?"
Jingguo shook her head, but Lanfeng said: "Only this bunch of candied haws..."
Kong Xiang said: "Now that you have found it, go and rest. I will go to the Sutra Pavilion to study the scriptures in a while."
Jingguo's eyes widened: "Master, this..."
Kong Xiangyi frowned: "What is this? You go back first. I have something to say to Lan Feng as my master."
Jingguo felt bored and left. Lanfeng put the candied haws aside and said, "Master, what do you have to tell me?"
Kong Xiang said: "How many layers of scriptures have you seen in the Sutra Pavilion?"
"The fifth floor has been read, and the sixth floor is left." Lan Feng said.
Kong Xiang nodded: "You went to seek Buddhahood today, what did you gain?"
Lan Feng said: "My disciple followed the master to practice the way of transcendence. But what I saw today is that this way of transcendence should be able to save oneself, but it cannot save others."
"It seems that you have made a decision in your mind," Kong Xiang said, "That's all, after you finish reading this sixth-level scripture, you can make up your mind."
After hearing this, Lan Feng knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Master..."
Kong Xiang looked at Lan Feng's back in the snow and murmured: "If we can really save all sentient beings..."
The wind and snow blew across the river, causing the mountain temple to whimper. The little girl on the street corner gradually felt that her eyes were lighting up...
