Chapter 18: Eastern Bodhi, Western Sala
Zhiyuan Temple is 20 miles away from the east of the city. The place is full of incense, but the incense offered is the Three Pure Ones. Fang Lin sent half of the mechanical flesh puppets out to gather information, and the rest of the group pretended to be a medium-sized merchant caravan. Such a large-scale caravan would be quite eye-catching in other countries, but it is very common in Chechi Kingdom, and almost no one even glanced at them.
The reason for this is that the Silk Road runs through Chechi Kingdom, and the collection of past commercial taxes is an important source of income for the country. Therefore, as long as the passing caravans pay taxes according to the rules, the country's policies are very generous. Although the king of Chechi Kingdom was deceived by the magic of the three demons who were named the national teacher, he was only stupid and not incompetent. Therefore, even if the three demons controlled the government for 20 years, his fate was still not over.
The purpose of Fang Lin's trip was, on the one hand, to explore the terrain, and on the other hand, he wanted to find out the strength and hiding place of the group of reincarnations in the power of the three demons. From another perspective, whether Fang Lin intends to rescue Tang Sanzang or not, dealing with the hostile reincarnations is always the first thing to do - with them making trouble behind the scenes and attacking people at critical moments, it is really like a thorn in the back and a bone stuck in the throat, and it is not comfortable until you get rid of it.
The closer you get to Zhiyuan Temple, the more you can hear Ruo Lei's shouts. Listen carefully, the five words "Great Power King Bodhisattva" are clearly identifiable. This is another famous allusion in Chechi Kingdom, called the Five Hundred Slaves of Monks.
It turns out that twenty years ago, the Buddhist sect failed miserably in praying for rain, and all the monks across the country were forced to return to secular life and become slaves of Taoist priests. Twenty years have passed. Among the more than 2,000 monks near the capital of Chechi State, about 1,500 of them committed suicide due to the torture. A few monks were able to establish connections with the Taoist sect and successfully changed jobs. Only these 500 monks were left to survive, carrying wood and stones to expand Zhiyuan Temple as long-term workers. They ate porridge made of brown rice every day and slept on the beach at night. It was very miserable.
Fang Lin and others walked closer and saw that there were indeed a lot of monks pushing carts to carry wood and stones back and forth. The carts were loaded with bricks, tiles, wood plants and adobes. The uphill slope on the beach was the highest, and the road was small and steep, with a steep cliff. The monks were dressed in rags, and looked very embarrassed and miserable. There was a river next to them and they were exhausted, but no one dared to stop and drink half a sip. It can be seen that the punishment was harsh.
According to the current geographical location, Chechi Kingdom should be located in the western part of Central Asia, so drought is inevitable. Fortunately, there is a big river flowing through the country. The river is turbulent and there are jagged reefs in it. Even if a goose feather is washed down by the rushing water, I am afraid there is no chance to float. The residents on both sides of the river suffered greatly. Later, a Bodhisattva appeared and used his great magical powers to open a passage in the river so that the ferry could travel back and forth. Therefore, the people nearby built such a temple, and since then, incense has been constantly burning and the induction has been continuous. The Chechi Kingdom also lived by the water and set its capital here.
In order to express gratitude for the arrival of the Bodhisattva, the former king of Chechi Kingdom expanded and renovated such a Buddhist temple. The two words Zhiyuan mean that the river is wise and no longer floods. Because of this, the former king was also enshrined in the temple after his death. Even if it has been changed to Sanqing Temple now, it still enjoys incense and sacrifices.
As Fang Lin and his companions walked forward, they felt that there were more and more people, and the air was already filled with the strong smell of sandalwood. After a short pause, the mechanical flesh puppet that was listening for information received news that today was the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the time for burning incense.
The three demon fairies, Lu Li, Yang Li, and Hu Li, were quite intelligent demons. They knew the principle of slow and steady progress, and often fulfilled their vows by eating a few people. At that time, transportation was inconvenient, information was blocked, and there were many thieves. The disappearance of a few people was not a big deal. With the help of the state power, those foolish people intentionally or unintentionally spread the magic power of the "Three Saints". Therefore, although it was a huge demon's nest, it became the most prosperous and lively place in the vicinity of a thousand miles.
Every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, there were huge crowds of people, and it was impossible to get through. Apart from other things, the nearby restaurants alone would light up the fire and start cooking at the second watch to prepare the steamed dumplings for the day. If it is the birthday of the Three Pure Ones, there will be an endless stream of people making wishes and burning incense. The workers and bosses in the shops will be busy until dark. Whether it is the boss's net profit or the employees' tips, the harvest on that day alone can catch up with the income of a normal month.
The small stalls nearby are making so much money, and the amount of incense money in Zhiyuan Temple can be imagined. The three demons have no use for these worldly things, so they use them to expand this already spacious and majestic religious garden. It didn't take much effort to transform Zhiyuan Temple into Sanqing Temple, but after 20 years of operation, the Sanqing Temple is now ten times the size of the previous Zhiyuan Temple, and the specifications of the building are taller, more magnificent and gorgeous.
- To give a very simple example, the main hall 20 years ago has now become a Dharma Hall where Taoist fire workers gather together to work. The statues of the Three Pure Ones twenty years ago were two zhang tall, made of solid wood with bronze and silver inlay - this was already a very impressive feat. However, the statues of the Three Pure Ones today are five zhang (15 meters) tall, with gold-patterned silver robes, carved from sandalwood and will not decay for a thousand years. The cost of these three statues alone is equivalent to the total taxes levied by the Chechi Kingdom for three years!
Therefore, if you want to come in to burn incense and fulfill your vows, you have to go through four mountain gates, and the fifth mountain gate is being expanded. Five hundred monks are pulling building materials. After entering the first mountain gate, many pilgrims start to move forward. After bowing, it would be too eye-catching if we came here in groups again, so Fang Lin and others The people were divided into two waves, Fang Lin and Lin Yinxiu went together, and the rest of the group went together. This was not to facilitate their date and they were traveling as a couple, but because Lin Yinxiu's agility value was the highest among the team, and Fang Once Lin uses simulation, he can simulate a high agility value of more than 200, which is very convenient for investigation.
Since they are pretending to be pilgrims, they must buy some incense wax and burn paper. The person who can sell incense here will naturally give it to you. Even if you don't say anything, he can show off his stuff all day long. There happened to be a few cars at this time. The lavishly decorated carriage drove past. Fang Lin's eyes flashed and he asked, pretending to bargain:
"Boss, you said your incense is good and cheap, so why don't these nobles who came in on the carriage come to your place to buy some incense and candles? Are they just here for fun?
After hearing this, the boss cried out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:
"This is the Patriarch of the Sanqing Dynasty. You must have come to the temple for the first time to fulfill your vows. Those carriages were accompanied by Taoist priests from the temple. They are the wives of the ministers in the capital. These nobles were directly invited into the inner hall. I went to the Jingtang to discuss tea, and the incense they brought was sold from the Tang Dynasty in China. The fragrant wax I paid for here is three ounces of money, which will definitely not impress the nobles. "
Fang Lin's eyes flashed slightly, and he had already memorized the words "Inner Temple Hall". He smiled and said a few words, and then continued to move forward with Beauty Lin.
The four mountain gates are ten miles long. Even the palace of King Chechi is not as grand as this. On the way to the mountain gate, towering archways stand on it. The last mountain gate has gold letters on a black background. Four big characters with flying dragons and phoenixes:
"Save the common people!"
It gave people a really overwhelming feeling. Lin Yinxiu frowned and whispered:
"Do these three-headed monsters really think they are gods who can save the world?"
Fang Lin's eyes fell on the main entrance, and he couldn't help but let out a "thump" in his heart, because he immediately saw four big trees growing at the main entrance. The four big trees were built with stone platforms underneath, and they were surrounded by ten trees. There are green grass within ten feet, giving people a feeling of vitality as soon as they enter the door.
These four big trees have thick leaves like clouds and an unusual shade of green. As soon as you enter the mountain gate, you will feel a vibrant and cool feeling. The four big trees seem to have been planted in a haphazard location, but Fang Lin closed his eyes and concentrated. Feeling clear mentally The center surrounded by four trees is like a huge vortex, slowly gathering and concentrating the vitality of the surrounding heaven and earth without any leakage. It even forms a ring-shaped river of vitality underground with two ends connected, which flows continuously and goes back and forth. !
It seems that the legend is actually true. Fang Lin was still doubtful when he heard about the Bodhisattva opening a ferry with great supernatural power. Now he knows that the formation of this river of vitality has indeed the greatest effect of slowing down the water flow and changing nature. . Living and cultivating here, although not as good as that kind of fairy mountain cave, can still be regarded as a blessed place in the human world. It seems that the Bodhisattva wanted to open a Mahayana garden for Buddhist disciples to sing and practice Buddhism. Unexpectedly, it was occupied by evil spirits at this time. , turned into Laojun’s mansion!
Fang Lin took a closer look and confirmed his inference more and more, because the species of these four big trees are also particular. The two on the left are bodhi trees, and the two on the right are salas.
This bodhi tree is inextricably linked to Buddhism. When Sakyamuni saved the suffering sentient beings, he resolutely gave up inheriting the throne and a comfortable royal life, became a monk and practiced spiritual practice, seeking the true meaning of life. After many years of practice, I finally sat in meditation under the Bodhi tree for 7 days and 7 nights. I defeated all kinds of evil temptations. When the sky was about to dawn and the morning star rose, I achieved great enlightenment and finally became a Buddha.
Therefore, Buddha's enlightenment was under the Bodhi tree.
And the Buddha passed away under the Salo tree!
These four trees, two types of trees, represent the cycle of rise and fall of Buddhism, which goes back and forth.
Buddhism has always regarded the bodhi tree as a sacred tree, and uses the asparagus incense produced by the sal tree to diffuse incense. This planting method of the east bodhi tree and the west sala is also in line with the Buddhist tenet of reincarnation and immortality.