Chapter 4483 Toast but not eat
In front of the mountain gate, hundreds of people swarmed in and stopped outside. Inside the gate, the abbot of the temple stood with more than ten strong monks at the door. The two parties faced each other, and the situation was tense. No one knew what the other party wanted. for.
When Ma Zhou saw Fang Jun striding forward, he quickly stretched out his hand, wanting to persuade Fang Jun not to be too arrogant and offend the entire Buddhist sect. Then he saw Fang Jun striding up to the mountain gate in full view of everyone. , in the eyes of everyone who was worried about him colliding with the monk, he suddenly bowed his hands to the ground and said loudly: "It turns out that it was Master Huili who was rude in front of me."
The host was stunned for a moment, then clasped his hands and returned the salute: "I didn't know that the Duke of Yue came to visit, but I missed the welcome from afar. I apologize for my sin. But I don't know why the Duke of Yue mobilized troops and mobilized people like this?"
There are very few people inside and outside Chang'an who don't know Fang Jun. Even outsiders know that this powerful official has a long history with Buddhism. He is one of the few people who can go directly to Da Ci'en Temple to see Master Xuanzang. One, so even though he didn't understand how powerful he was coming, he didn't dare to make any mistakes.
Fang Jun laughed, took two steps forward, took Master Huili's hand, and said affectionately: "Although I am not a Buddhist, I have always respected Buddhism, and I have been famous for the master for a long time. Recently I heard that the master I was summoned by Master Xuanzang to come to Chang'an from Zhaoren Temple in Binzhou to help translate scriptures, and I temporarily stayed in Xingjiao Temple, so I took the liberty to come to visit."
Ma Zhou was a little stunned. Did your attitude change too quickly?
Master Huili took a look at the crowd of hundreds of people behind Fang Jun, and said in his heart that you are really presumptuous...
But a smile still appeared on his face, and he said with a smile: "The Duke of Yue and Master Xuanzang have a close relationship. They are friends of Buddhism. I welcome you as a poor monk. If you don't mind, please come in and talk about it."
Fang Jun looked pleased: "I have my wish, but I dare not invite you!"
Then he stepped into the mountain gate...
Master Huili pointed to the hundreds of people outside the door and hesitated slightly: "These people..."
"It's okay, master, don't pay attention. Just let them stand for a while."
Master Huili smiled bitterly and said: "I'm just a bystander. How can I let Ma Shizhong stay outside the door? Ma Shizhong, please come in and let the poor monk make tea for you."
Ma Zhou cupped his fists and returned the salute: "Well, I'm sorry for bothering you."
Huili said: "Easy to say, easy to say."
Enter with Fang Jun and Ma Zhou.
……
As soon as he entered the mountain gate, Ma Zhou saw that the spacious courtyard inside the gable wall was piled with stones. Some of them had been cut and cut, and some were still rough stones. They were so densely packed that it was almost impossible to see the end. It was obvious that the reconstruction of Xingjiao Temple was A huge project will definitely get the support of the entire Chang'an Buddhist community. It is not easy to get the stones.
While walking, he looked at Fang Jun. The latter nodded slightly, then pointed at the stones and pretended to be surprised: "I wonder why there are so many stones placed here?"
Huili replied: "The poor monk was summoned by Master Xuanzang to come to Chang'an and was temporarily appointed as the master of the Xingjiao Temple. In addition to translating scriptures, he also took on the important task of rebuilding the Xingjiao Temple. However, the poor monk has been studying hard since he was a child. I don’t know anything about Buddhism, so I feel really embarrassed.”
Fang Jun clicked his tongue and praised: "It takes a lot of manpower to dig and transport so many stones. Even if the government needs to requisition so many stones, it is not easy. Buddhism is really rich."
Ma Zhou suddenly thought, is this going to start?
Huili was a little speechless and didn't know how to answer. He could only nodded vaguely and asked the two of them to continue walking to the monastery on the side of the Main Hall.
Is Buddhism rich? The answer is of course yes. Since ancient times, there have been times when the people were poor, and there were times when the court was poor, but there has never been a time when Buddhism was poor. In the prosperous times, Buddhism opened its doors to accept believers from all over the world, accepted donations from believers, reclaimed land for planting, and issued usury loans. Making profits can be said to be a source of wealth. In troubled times, one can thank guests behind closed doors, cultivate one's moral character in a temple, and have no worries about money and food. No monk has ever starved to death... But naturally, this cannot be said so straightforwardly.
Believers donate money to the Buddha, and the money is not donated to the monks, but the monks only take care of it; the emphasis on reclamation is self-reliance, drinking the water you draw, eating the food you grow, tempering your will and strengthening your Buddha heart; as for lending, the purpose Not for making money , but Buddhism is compassionate and considers those poor people who are in urgent need of money for medical treatment and seeds for farming. This is doing good deeds. Of course, Buddhism also has certain expenses in the process of doing good deeds. It only charges a small amount of interest to maintain operation...
Moreover, Huili never cared about these things. He was a pursuing monk who aspired to study Buddhism intensively and achieve great virtues, so he rushed to Chang'an from Zhaoren Temple in Binzhou and temporarily lived in Xingjiao Temple as the temple master. His main task was It was to help Master Xuanzang translate Buddhist scriptures and promote Buddhism.
Today, Fang Jun came to the door rashly, which made him confused and had to deal with it carefully.
The so-called monastery is just a simple and dry house with ordinary floors on the ground, which have not been polished or waxed. However, long-term walking has made the floor surface a little smooth, and the wood texture is clearly visible.
The decoration is even more primitive and simple, with a sense of indifference and simplicity everywhere, which is in perfect contrast with Huili's temperament.
The three of them sat opposite each other on the futon. On one of the desks, Master Huili boiled water and took out a can of tea. He said with a smile: "The poor monk doesn't have a taste for words. When he is tired while chanting sutras, he often drinks wild tea from wild trees." Remind me, this jar of tea was a gift from Master Xuanzang when I went back to Daci'en Temple. It is said that it was a gift from the Duke of Yue. The poor monk borrowed flowers to offer to the Buddha today. "
Ma Zhou knew how to be generous to others: "The Duke of Yue is the richest in the world, how can he drink the master's good tea for free? I will definitely give him twice as much in the future."
Huili was obviously a second-rate person, and did not have much of the so-called spirit of escaping from the world. Hearing this, he smiled and said: "If that's the case, then the poor monk will be waiting for you."
The hands kept working, and after the kettle boiled, water was added to make tea. An ordinary iron teapot, a few clay cups, the tea was fragrant, and the monastery was quiet and quite ancient. Being there, one had a vague sense of forgetting the secular world.
Fang Jun took the tea cup, took a sip, and said: "It is appropriate to give the master a few cans of tea, but Buddhism has always been rich, but the master, as the temple master, is so frugal, which is beyond my expectation."
Huili said leisurely: "As a monk, you are outside the realm, why do you need to worry about money? With a jar and a bowl, you will have no worries about food and clothing. Besides, although Buddhism has a little money, it still needs to spend money everywhere. For example, this Xingjiao Temple has already It is dilapidated and could collapse at any time if not repaired. Chang'an Buddhist Temple raised funds to repair it, which would cost a lot of money just for the stones outside, and it would also require hiring craftsmen, which is very expensive."
After meeting today, Fang Jun mentioned money many times, which made him wary, but he also couldn't figure out whether Buddhism was poor or rich. What did it have to do with him as a court official?
No matter how much money you have, it is all donated by believers. If it is not stolen or stolen, the court has nothing to do with it...
Fang Jun nodded and agreed: "This is exactly what I said. For building a house, the cost of using stone is much greater than that of wood. Sometimes stone is difficult to build and not beautiful, so it may not be suitable."
Ma Zhou thought: Here comes the question.
Huili made tea by himself, shook his head and said: "Wood is also difficult to get. Not only does it have to be cut down in the mountains, but it also needs to be dried for at least one or two years, otherwise the wood will deform when it is wet. But where can I find such a thing in such a hurry? How much dry wood can we use instead of stone?”
Although he was a master of Buddhism, Huili did not blindly delve into Buddhism and ignore secular affairs. Otherwise, he would not have been appointed by Master Xuanzang as the temple master of Xingjiao Temple.
Fang Jun Tuqian saw: "I brought back some sandalwood from Nanyang. It has been dried for many years. What would the master think if it were donated to a Buddhist temple?"
Ma Zhou was surprised. This was such a big deal. A Buddhist temple required a lot of wood. Even if it was just sandalwood to carve Buddha statues and make doors and windows, it would be extremely expensive. However, if enough stones could be exchanged to save the flood, it would indeed be a great success. worth.
Huili was greatly moved.
Rosewood, sandalwood and Buddhism have always had an inseparable bond. Together with sandalwood, they are called the spiritual wood of Buddhism. For example, the best Buddhist beads must be carved from rosewood or sandalwood, and the best Buddha statues are also carved from rosewood or sandalwood. Gold, looking at the thousands of Buddhist temples in China during the Tang Dynasty, only a few have sandalwood Buddhist temples.
But how can there be good without reason in this world? After all, I have never heard that Fang Erlang is a Buddhist believer. Since he donates so generously, he must have a big purpose...
After thinking for a while, he tentatively said: "Sandalwood is the king of trees and is very valuable. The Duke of Yue is so generous, but he doesn't know how Buddhism can repay him?"
Fang Jun didn't beat around the bush, pointed to the stones outside the window, and said: "I'm drinking water now
When the embankment burst, the river flooded into the ocean. Not only did it submerge large areas of farmland and houses on both sides of the river, drowning countless people and livestock, it also poured into the Qingming Canal, causing the water level of the Qingming Canal to skyrocket. Once the flood could not be contained, it would inevitably endanger the entire city of Chang'an and even the Taiji Palace. . Buddhism has the virtue of living well, how can we just watch the people suffer? If some of those stones can be donated to build embankments, the merit will be immeasurable, and the people in Guanzhong will be grateful for the compassion of Buddhism. ”
He didn't get straight to the point as soon as he came in, because he was afraid that Huili would refuse politely. Once the refusal was spoken, it would be difficult to reverse it, so he spared a detour and donated sandalwood to a Buddhist temple in exchange for stones, which was considered a gift. This leaves both sides with room for maneuver. As for making things more difficult, after all, the reason why Huili served as the temple master of this Xingjiao Temple was to rebuild the temple under the order of Master Xuanzang. Even if he got a Buddhist temple, if Fang Jun asked for too many stones, the temple would not be built. There was insufficient stone material, and Huili was suspected of neglecting his duty.
However, what he didn't expect was that even though he expressed his intention in an extremely tactful way, Huili still refused outright: "Chang'an is at the feet of the emperor, and the welfare of the people should be managed by the government. If Buddhism is involved, wouldn't it be an act of superstition?" ? Buddhism is compassionate, but it is also independent of the world. It believes that the government has the ability to cure floods and save the people from water and fire. ”
Fang Jun's face darkened. If you don't eat the toast, you'll have to drink as a penalty, right?
Then don't blame me for being polite before fighting. (End of chapter)