In 615 AD, there was a temple named Pure Land Temple in Jianyang Gate of Luoyang City, the capital of Sui Dynasty.
It is named after its clean white rock. The foundations of the main hall and protective walls of Pure Land Temple are made of white stones that look like white clouds, which is in line with the Zen saying that "it is rare for a monk to find a pure land."
At the entrance of Pure Land Temple, a young novice monk with a beautiful appearance and fair face walked in.
Judging from his appearance, he can be described as bright eyes, white teeth, elegant and agile. I think he will be a handsome, elegant and refined man in the future.
Perhaps it was dinner time, and the young novice monk who had just returned had a smile on his face.
"Ayi, why don't you chat with Dali Qing for a while?"
Outside the Pure Land Temple, a tall young monk asked the young novice in front of him.
There was a smile in his words, and he was a little curious about why his younger brother didn't stay in the Dali Temple minister's house for a while longer.
After all, his thirteen-year-old brother had not reached the age limit of eighteen. The reason why he was able to take the Buddhist exam was thanks to the favor of Zheng Shanguo, the minister of Dali Temple.
So today, he hurriedly asked his younger brother to go to the residence of the Minister of Dali Temple to express his gratitude to this bole by chanting sutras and praying.
"Of course it's because the Pure Land Temple is open for dinner." The little novice monk showed a smile at first, "So I said goodbye to the Minister of Dali Temple."
There was a matter-of-fact look on his face.
How could the food at the minister's house in Dali Temple compare to the food at Pure Land Temple that he had eaten for three years?
Facts have proved that only the sudden encounter with food when there is not enough to eat is the most memorable.
Immediately, the little novice monk named Ayi pouted and said: "Second brother! No, Master Changjie! I have passed the Dharma examination your Majesty asked Dali Temple to hold. I am a monk who has been tonsured. Please call me now." I am Master Xuanzang."
"Okay, okay, Master Xuanzang."
"It turns out that the little guy who was working and reciting sutras but no one was around, and came to the canteen with a bowl as soon as the meal was opened, is now a ordained monk. Time flies so fast."
The young monk smiled at the little novice.
Although he called Xuanzang according to what the young novice said, the ridicule in his tone could be heard by anyone with a discerning eye.
Appropriate ridicule, this is a different way of blessing between brothers.
There were only 27 passing places in the Buddhist exam held by Dali Temple this year. Xuanzang was able to pass such a level exam at the age of 13. As an older brother, he was naturally very pleased.
"What do you mean when you are working and reciting sutras without seeing anyone, but you come to the cafeteria with a bowl when the meal is opened?"
"This is slander! Slander!"
Xuanzang pouted angrily, looked at his second brother and retorted: "I memorized the Lotus Sutra and the Vimalakīrti Sutra when I was eleven years old. Master Zheng Shanguo praised me before. He has the character to become a Buddha and will definitely become a great talent in Buddhism in the future."
"But you did come back with the bowl in your arms. The bowl never left your body."
Master Changjie smiled and pointed at the round bulge under the clothes on Xuanzang's waist.
Seeing this, Xuanzang subconsciously covered the bowl that had been stuffed in his clothes.
After a moment of silence, he simply pouted and paid no attention to the second brother who took him to the Pure Land Temple to seek treatment for his stutter after his family fell into decline.
Ever since his father gave up glory and wealth in order to avoid collaborating with the secular world, Xuanzang understood one thing when he was young:
The sky is big and the earth is big, and eating is the biggest thing.
Especially after his parents died at the age of ten, Xuanzang deeply realized the importance of having enough to eat.
So he just chanted the sutra silently in his mouth and hummed when he passed by the second brother.
I don’t have time to argue with my second brother now.
If we didn't go to the cafeteria, those monks would have devoured all the delicious food.
Master Changjie looked at Xuanzang walking away and couldn't help but smile with relief.
His younger brother has indeed changed.
Ever since he said the phrase "I wish to show you the Tathagata far away and leave the Dharma to the near light" in the Buddhist exam a few days ago, his brother has become different.
The liveliness in the past seemed to be staged, in order to make people around him think that he was not immersed in the death of his parents all the time.
But now, Master Changjie found that there seemed to be something different in his younger brother's lively smile and eyes.
Although this kind of thing is rare, Master Changjie knows what it is.
That is the firm idea after finding the goal of life.
"so good."
In this regard, Master Changjie murmured silently.
"Yeah, what a good kid."
But a voice suddenly echoed in Master Changjie's ears.
Hearing the voice of this strange man, Master Changjie subconsciously turned his head to look.
I saw a strange man in front of me.
There was nothing special about his attire. Her hair is tied into a bun, she wears a scarf and a hat, and her clothes are a common set of white round-necked shirts and robes.
But the small wooden box in the man's hand made Master Changjie inexplicably concerned.
"This kid looks like he's going to be a great person in the future."
The strange man commented with a chuckle.
"The donor is so complimentary."
Master Changjie answered humbly with his hands clasped together, but the smile on his face could not be concealed.
"I'm always good at judging people."
The strange man shook his head, indicating that his evaluation was serious.
"Amitabha! Is this donor coming to burn incense and worship Buddha?"
Hearing this, Master Changjie just clasped his hands together and silently asked the strange man.
"Hello, Master, my name is Chen Sheng."
"This time I want to ask if your temple can let me stay for a while."
When Chen Sheng saw this, he silently bowed his hands and then stated his purpose.
Ever since he sensed the reappearance of a certain trace of the fleeing monster's vitality, Chen Sheng said goodbye to Master Jiexian of Nalanda Temple and embarked on the eastward journey in the direction where the monster's vitality appeared.
This time, not only do they have to deal with all the seven rays of monsters that have escaped, but they also need to find a disciple for Master Jiexian.
For this candidate who required a disciple who was even better than Master Jiexian, Chen Sheng almost instinctively thought of that person in the original history.
So after he captured three rays of the monster's vitality in succession, he could no longer sense the vitality of the other monsters.
Chen Sheng then set foot on the road to Luoyang City, the capital of Sui Dynasty, and wanted to visit the Pure Land Temple.
This year, Xuanzang had just become a monk.
"Of course it's okay to stay overnight, but after all, our Pure Land Temple is located in the Jianyang Gate of Luoyang City and is a temple directly under the jurisdiction of Dali Temple."
"So, if you want to stay at our Pure Land Temple, you need approval from Dali Temple."
Master Changjie said to Chen Sheng.
This is not a rejection, but a strict compliance with the rules and regulations.
Hearing this, Chen Sheng just nodded, then silently reached into his arms and took out a piece of paper with the seal of Dali Temple.
"Excuse me, Master."
Chen Sheng handed over the paper with a smile on his face.
Naturally, he had already prepared everything.
When I said goodbye to Master Jie Xian before, I was asked to bring a lot of gold and silver with me. This kind of thing, which is not lacking in Nalanda Temple, is indeed of great help to Chen Sheng, and it also prevents him from wasting his energy on turning into some scraps of gold and silver.
This document of permission to stay overnight is just a matter of using some scraps of gold and silver to establish a relationship.
Master Changjie took the paper and carefully verified the words and seals on it.
Soon after, he nodded to Chen Sheng in front of him: "Then please come with me."
Then, Chen Sheng followed Master Changjie and walked towards the Pure Land Temple.
While leading the way, Master Changjie silently introduced Chen Sheng to the buildings along the way, as well as the history and status of Pure Land Temple.
Pure Land Temple is located east of Mount Songshan, with Shaolin as its companion. It borders Yishui to the west and the Kunlun River. Looking south at Jiugao, you can see the sound of cranes and purple smoke surrounding the sky. Looking north to Longmen, the five capitals gather in Yiluo Room.
It was built in the first year of Tianci in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 404) and moved to Jianyangmen in the fourth year of Daye of the Sui Dynasty (AD 608) in Luoyang City, the capital of the Sui Dynasty.
It is now 615, Xuanzang is just thirteen years old, and the buildings around him are just seven years old.
Therefore, Chen Sheng felt that everything he saw did not seem to have much sense of age.
For people, there is a saying that if you don't talk well, you can't get things done. For temples, a lack of age may also make them less convincing.
But for Jodo Temple, there is no need to rely on the age of the building to increase its credibility.
After all, Pure Land Temple is a royal temple, also known as Dongdu Pure Land Dojo, and is directly under the management of Dali Temple.
Master Changjie's talk made even a monk feel a little proud. After all, his temple still ranks among the best in Buddhism today.
Chen Sheng just nodded silently and did not express any opinions.
The Jodo Temple really impressed him.
After he dealt with the three traces of the monster's vitality that exposed its aura, he almost immediately came to Luoyang City, the capital of Sui Dynasty, to look for the Pure Land Temple.
But in his heart, Pure Land Temple does not appear noble just because it is a royal temple.
What really impressed him about the Pure Land Temple was the cute little novice monk who ran to eat with a bowl in hand - Xuanzang!
This figure has made countless young, old, women and children feel familiar for thousands of years. It was his appearance that made Pure Land Temple a little taller in Chen Sheng's heart.
In Journey to the West, an art work that can be called a classic handed down from generation to generation, Xuanzang only left us with an image of a compassionate heart and a powerless person.
However, there is a huge gap between history and artistic literature, and the true historical image of Xuanzang has been misunderstood by many people for thousands of years.
The real Xuanzang in history had a terrifyingly strong and persistent belief.
Strong enough to compete with life, strong enough to support him across infinite distances and dangers.
Alone, in order to practice his beliefs, he was able to walk 50,000 kilometers in that era.
When he persisted all the way to the Western Regions with the belief of universalizing Buddhism and benefiting all sentient beings, he also transformed into a great man who could truly be called a Living Buddha.
When he was a child, his words about wishing to spread Buddhism far and wide and to leave behind the teachings of the near light were not just for fun. He was truly using his life to fulfill his grand wish to carry forward Buddhism and reach all sentient beings.
Chen Sheng came to Pure Land Temple.
Not just to guide this great man, let him arrive at Nalanda Temple like history, and then learn the spiritual practice system while studying Buddhism.
He also wanted to see this one in person.
In the sea of life and death, who will be the boat?
In the long unknown night, who will be the lamp?
According to historical records, Xuanzang said these words after arriving in the Western Regions, which gave Chen Sheng an idea: to pull Xuanzang into eternal daylight.
This is not impulsive.
But after a long period of careful consideration.
It was quite interesting to be taught Xuanzang to be his own person since he was a child.
As Chen Sheng kept thinking, the two stopped outside a building.
This is a small courtyard, and there are noisy people in the courtyard, which makes it very lively.
Chen Sheng's keen five senses instantly understood the situation here.
With the bustle of people and the fragrant aroma, it was obvious that this was the cafeteria of Jodo Temple.
Master Changjie smiled and looked at Chen Sheng and said, "Donor, please come in and take a look? Your daily meals will be provided in this dining hall. The vegetarian meals here are quite good."
As a real state-owned enterprise, Jingtu Temple’s welfare benefits are truly unparalleled.
"Then I'm going to have a good taste."
Hearing this, Chen Sheng naturally nodded and followed Master Changjie in.
Zhaitang means dining hall. Master Changjie first took him to see the place where he usually eats, which was quite normal.
Chen Sheng was looking forward to this. He was not looking forward to eating, but just looking forward to a formal meeting with Xuanzang.
Xuanzang was at the gate of the Pure Land Temple before, and he probably ran towards here with a bowl in his hands.
Just now he only saw Xuanzang's back at the door, it was not a formal meeting.
This time, we can officially meet him.
While Chen Sheng was thinking, the door of the Pure Land Temple's dining hall opened, and the sound of the lively crowd suddenly became louder.
Chen Sheng followed Master Changjie as he walked inside, passing the monks on the wooden tables one by one.
Soon, Chen Sheng locked the target.
It’s just that Xuanzang was very conspicuous as a child.
Especially when Xuanzang, with his bright eyes and white teeth, was among a group of monks with bare arms, he became even more conspicuous.
Chen Sheng slowly stopped.
He stood motionless next to Xuanzang and did not attract the attention of Xuanzang who was eating plain noodles. Xuanzang was obviously very absorbed in eating.
However, the monk on the side noticed Chen Sheng. Seeing that his eyes were always fixed on Xuanzang, he gently patted Xuanzang on the shoulder who was enjoying his meal.
"Swelled...what's the swelling?"
With his mouth full, Xuanzang subconsciously raised his head and looked doubtfully at the monk who slapped him on the shoulder.
When he saw the monk pointing to his side, he looked to his side.
He saw a strange man standing next to him. He didn't look like a monk.
Xuanzang was silent for a moment, then he swallowed everything in his mouth, then stood up and said seriously to Chen Sheng, clasping his hands together: "My little monk's name is Xuanzang, what's wrong with the donor?"
"Hello, Xuanzang."
"My name is Chen Sheng."
Chen Sheng spoke calmly and smiled as he looked at the thirteen-year-old Xuanzang in front of him.
Their eyes met.
Xuanzang's eyes were filled with doubts as to why this man wanted to disturb his meal.
Chen Sheng's eyes were filled with complicated thoughts that Xuanzang couldn't understand.
Chen Sheng knew that the original history would be rewritten from this moment on.
(End of chapter)
