Chapter 193: Majestic Dharma
Hongfa Temple is located in Chentou Mountain in the east of Yunyang County. It is a well-known temple in the area. It has a grand gate and a vast area, covering a large area of nearby ravines and hills.
There are many villages scattered among the ridges and plateaus. At first glance, they are not much different from other rural villages. Only there are many cages and niches for Buddha inside and outside the villages. From time to time, believers can be seen kneeling and praying in front of the cages, showing a pious attitude. A peaceful scene of worshiping Buddha.
But other scenes looked a little weird. There were some ragged corpses lying on the hay mats. Next to them, there were novice monks leading the villagers in chanting and soul-calling salvation rituals. Although the families of the deceased were extremely grieved, they could only endure it. Tears, dare not cry.
These villages are inhabited by monks who are attached to the temples, and the more standard title is temple slaves. As far as mortal eyes can see, their houses, land, possessions, bodies, and even their emotions must be completely dedicated to the ascetics, without any selfishness.
Within the scope of this temple, in addition to the religious temple buildings on the hills, there are also large and small earth-rock caves scattered among the ravines and mountain walls.
In order to avoid being contaminated by all kinds of dirt in the world, some caves have to be dug on extremely high mountain walls. Naturally, these monks are the ones doing the work. A rope is hung on the cliff. Even if you accidentally fall, don't panic. There will be a mage chanting sutras and salvation on the spot under the cliff, so that the soul of the dead can receive blessings.
Every year from autumn to spring, it is a busy time for digging caves to worship Buddha. After the autumn harvest, those monks and priests would pack up their tools and go into the mountains to dig caves and statues. They worked hard from beginning to end for years, just to accumulate enough blessings to enjoy in the next life.
Every time a cave is dug, it means that another rich Buddhist ritual asset has entered the temple. The temple can use it to operate and expand the Buddhist temple, and create a Buddhist kingdom on earth from small to large.
Hongfa Temple itself is not known for its profound Buddhist teachings or eminent monks. Its best skill is casting various Buddha statues.
There are thousands of large and small temples in Kansai. Even if there are believers everywhere, you still have to have your own core competitiveness to stand out among the Buddhist temples and gain more support and worship from believers.
The Buddhist statues cast in Hongfa Temple are solemn and of various styles, and enjoy a high reputation in Beidi County and even the entire Weibei. The annual Buddha statue ceremony ranks among the best among nearby temples.
Therefore, many monks and believers come here every year, hoping to respectfully invite a Buddha statue to be brought back for worship.
Today, a team of nearly a hundred people appeared on the mountain road to pray for Dharma and worship Buddha, escorting five carts. The knights surrounded a handsome young man in mink fur and rich clothes, and headed towards the gate of Hongfa Temple.
Li Tai sat on horseback and looked around at the size of the temple and the mountain scenery, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart. If we ignore those religious characteristics, it would not be inappropriate to say that this is a place where powerful clans rule.
He was just sighing when he saw a group of novice monks holding sticks on the mountain road opposite, who were approaching them quickly. There were only a lot more people than them. Moreover, these monks were all strong and powerful, and they even had a lot of energy when walking. A bit of military temperament.
"Visitors stop!"
A white-robed monk should be the leader of this group of monk soldiers. He was still more than ten feet away from each other and shouted loudly.
Li Tai glanced at him briefly, and Zhang Shinu, who was behind him, rode forward and shouted: "A certain number of people are travelers from Chang'an. My husband is a court official. He visited Tanyi Temple of Fanmiao Temple in the middle of the capital." The Great Master knew that the statues in Hongfa Temple here were beautiful, so he knocked on the door with the Great Master's ultimatum and asked for a visit to receive a large statue of the Master to participate in the Buddhist ceremony in Chang'an! "
When the monks heard that business was coming to their door, the vigilance on their faces subsided slightly. The leading monk pondered for a moment before speaking again: "It is difficult to welcome an honored guest from afar. But to disappoint the honored guest, there have been Buddhist events in the temple recently. We are busy and we have suspended the process of making statues and sending them to Buddha.”
After Li Tai heard this, he also took a few steps forward on his horse, put on an arrogant and dandy face and sneered: "There are many people who come to the capital to welcome Buddha statues. Why can't they come to my place? It's Tanyi in the capital." The Great Master’s monks don’t have enough faces, or is my position in this area not enough to scare people? I endured the hardship of the wind and sand and trudged to enter the country, but I was turned away without seeing the Buddha’s face. Are these cunning monks trying to make me a laughing stock in the capital?”
The yellow-robed monk heard that his tone was not kind, and saw that all his followers were wearing fresh clothes, horses, and bows and knives. He hesitated for a moment, and after thinking for a while, he said: "Don't dare, don't dare. The distinguished guest is here, and the mountain gate is shining brightly." "Since we have a long journey, please go to the Li Ke Courtyard to rest for a while, and then let the monk return to the presiding Dharma and discuss it later."
So under the guidance of the group of monk soldiers, Li Tai and his party were able to enter the living room of the temple. Along the way, the yellow-robed monk kept asking questions, wanting to know about Li Tai's background and his relationship with the eminent monks in Beijing.
Li Taiben was an expert in using tiger skins to make banners. He boasted half-truths and half-falsely, as if most of the city of Chang'an belonged to him, and he knew all the princes and dignitaries in the capital.
As for the eminent monks from famous temples in Chang'an City, he also talked about it freely. After all, although he does not worship monks or Buddhas, Li Xiaoyong on Longshou Plain is still searching for intelligence information.
After a conversation, in the eyes of the yellow-robed monk, Li Tai seemed to be a well-known nobleman with a wide network of friends and respect for ascetics, and his attitude was somewhat friendly.
After the group settled down, the yellow-robed monk apologized and left first, but the monk soldiers still stayed in the guest courtyard.
This courtyard has a large area, with rows of halls, and can accommodate at least thousands of people. It is divided into several small courtyards, and the voices of people can be heard in some small courtyards. They should be the faithful men and women who live here and worship Buddha devoutly.
The small courtyard that Li Tai and his entourage were introduced to was quite large among the other courtyards. The monks and servants brought some food and drink, and the hospitality etiquette was quite complete.
Not long after, an old monk wearing a gorgeous Buddhist robe walked in with many monks and followers. After greeting each other for a while, the old monk smiled and said: "When I came to Beijing in the past year, I once discussed the sutras with Master Tanyi. I miss you so much. Could you please show me the Master's ultimatum?"
After Li Tai heard this, he raised his hand and pointed at Zhang Shinu, but Zhang Shinu shook his head and said: "Master Lang feels that it is difficult to find the ultimatum, so he has been collecting it himself."
"Nonsense, there's no place on my body where I can store the ultimatum!"
Li Tai scolded angrily, and then ordered his followers to open the luggage in the car and search carefully.
Once these cages were opened, it was revealed that they were filled with gold, jade, brocade and other valuables. The monks present felt their breath quicken when they saw it.
The old monk's eyes were shining brightly. Seeing that these followers couldn't find the ultimatum after searching, he didn't take it seriously. He just smiled and said: "Buddhism should be given to all kind believers. Lang Jun came from Chang'an." , which shows your sincerity. When traveling, things are complicated and oversights are inevitable. Even if there is no guidance from the master, this plan of spreading the Dharma should be able to respond to all requests. May I ask, Mr. Lang, who would like to invite the Buddha? "
"The bigger the better, the more beautiful the better! If it's just an ordinary dharma image, it can be cast in the capital, so why should I come here to beg for it? It has to be visually stunning and unmatched by others. If the image is good enough, I will continue to come here to beg for it in the coming year! "
After hearing this, Li Tai quickly signaled his followers to stop, and when he turned over again, he almost reached the armor under the cage. He lifted the frame of the carriage and said to the old monk with a bold face: "I am tired of carrying these vulgar goods. People are not shallow. The best techniques in the temple are to be able to hold all the Buddha’s treasures in your arms!”
"Mr. Lang is joking, but sincerity is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. The old monk and others are preaching the Dharma, and they will naturally thank and accept every sincerity in respecting the Buddha!"
The old monk said with a smile on his face and full of confidence: "There happens to be a new Dharma form of Lord Maitreya in the temple. Sir, would you like to go and observe it?"
After hearing the words, Li Tai did not refuse and left most of his entourage here to guard. Then he took Zhang Shinu and a dozen other people to follow the group of monks straight to the temple, taking in a panoramic view of the temple's architectural pattern along the way.
This temple is indeed bustling with people. Li Tai alone saw hundreds of monks of different levels scattered throughout the temple along the way.
Bypassing the majestic hall, behind the temple was a large casting workshop, where slave workers were doing various kinds of work. At a glance, there were probably thousands of them, and Li Tai suddenly swallowed his saliva.
A group of people walked into a shack, where there was a bronze statue of Maitreya that was more than ten feet tall. At first glance, it made people feel that the treasure was solemn, which showed that the craftsmanship was indeed excellent. There are more than a dozen people around the bronze statue busy polishing and carving details.
Li Tai walked around the bronze statue and looked at it. He didn't need to pretend, but he couldn't put it down. Leaving aside the craftsmanship of the statue, the copper and tin materials used alone probably weighed thousands of kilograms.
"The craftsmanship is indeed exquisite and impressive. It is worthy of being a famous temple in the north and in Gyeonggi Province. Master, how many days of work does it take to cast such a big statue in the temple? I think the craftsmen here must have two thousand disciples. It would not be beautiful if I welcomed it away with joy and the next day a new image was cast to compete with me!"
Li Tai looked at the old monk with both joy and worry and said.
After hearing this, the old monk smiled and replied: "Please rest assured, Sir, it is not easy to make this statue. There are more than 1,500 craftsmen in the temple, and there is no shortage of those who are skilled in casting. It will take ten days to complete it if you have enough materials." Apart from this, there are few people in Weibei who have this kind of workmanship, and it is difficult to imitate it elsewhere. If Mr. Lang can sincerely prove that this Buddha's connection with the Buddha's teachings is profound, no one in the temple will bid farewell to him."
Li Tai felt happy again after hearing this. Do you need to pay more to buy the monopoly on love?
In line with his current character, he immediately made the decision to get this Dharma statue. At the same time, he said: "The Dharma statue is heavy and difficult to transport. It is so precious that thieves may come to snatch it away. I have few escorts on this trip. Can you borrow it? Let the powerful men from the temple accompany you? After the Dharma Minister enters the capital, there will be additional supplies and generous gifts for the monks and soldiers to transport back!"
When the old monk heard this, the image of gold and silk piled up and shining in the cage appeared in his mind, and he nodded and said with a smile: "Of course, Sir, please rest assured, there are thousands of monks and soldiers in the temple, enough to protect you!"
"That's great! I will stay in the guest house today, and tomorrow morning I will send all the gifts for inspection and then set off immediately."
After hearing this, Li Tai clapped his hands and laughed again, then pointed at the bronze statue and said: "The mountain road is uneven and transportation is inconvenient. Can you transport the Dharma to the foot of the mountain today so as not to delay tomorrow's trip?"
Such a large-scale transaction is not common in the temple. Of course, the old monk must satisfy this wealthy man. After a moment of pondering, he nodded and agreed. There are temples nearby, so just send some monk soldiers to guard them.
If something unexpected happens, the bell in the temple will ring and all the disciples will respond, so there is no need to worry. All the belongings of this wealthy man's subordinates are in the temple, and there is no fear that he will default on his debt and run away.