Chapter 31: The space monster is coming, where is Ultraman?
As time went by, the sky gradually darkened, and only a small patch of sky on the edge of the western horizon became increasingly dazzling.
It was a magnificent and brilliant sunset, as thick as fire and as strong as blood. It pulled out chains of light in the clouds around the setting sun, giving it to the tropical forest surrounding Bodh Gaya, the Buddhist holy land, as well as the rivers, bridges, villages and The rice fields are all covered with a dreamy brilliance...
However, even though the tired birds on the treetops have all chirped back to their nests, before darkness truly falls, the lights in the world are already connected. The street market in Bodhiya is still bustling with people wearing masks or makeup to participate in religious processions.
And at the altar venue where the Bodh Gaya Blessing Ceremony is held, the most exciting show has just begun.
——The altar where this ceremony is held is set up in the Mahabodhi Temple, the most historic landmark in Bodh Gaya and listed as a world cultural heritage. It is said that this temple has a history of more than 1,800 years. Some people say that it may have an even longer history and was built by King Asoka. Due to the passage of time and the baptism of war, the entire Daputi Temple was buried in the earth. It was later excavated and renovated in the 19th century, and finally became what it is today.
The main part of Daputi Temple is in the shape of a square platform, which is gradually reduced from the base to the upper end. On top of it is a copper conical spire, which is more than 50 meters high and is very majestic. On the arch in front of the temple, there are carvings of lions, deer, cows, elephants and other animal patterns. The workmanship is fine and the images are extremely vivid and lifelike. In the courtyard outside the temple, there are many small pagodas built by donors in the past, as well as many relic pagodas of monks. When he was in China, Wang Qiu also saw many famous mountain and ancient temples, and visited Lingyin Temple and Climbing Mountain in Hangzhou. The sealed Shaolin Temple. But none of them are as grand and majestic as the huge stone building complex of the Mahabodhi Temple in front of you. Moreover, unlike the Egyptian pyramids, which are only piles of rough stones, these Indian Buddhist megalithic buildings are all exquisitely carved, with reliefs and patterns everywhere, and even wrapped in gold and silver foil. They are really extravagant and gorgeous. The smell of wealth.
On the altar against the west wall of the temple, there is a shining gilded statue of Sakyamuni. The Buddha statue is backed by a leafy Bodhi tree surrounded by stone railings. It is the same tree where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became a Buddha. There are always many pilgrims walking under the tree, actually picking up leaves: devout Buddhists believe that the leaves that fell from the Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment have magical powers, and getting one can ensure peace.
According to the rules of the Daputi Temple, the leaves of this "sacred tree" cannot be picked, and you can only wait for it to fall. However, India has summer all year round, and Bodh Gaya is located in the windless zone of the valley. You have to wait until the leaves fall. It is easy, so anyone who can pick up the fallen leaves of this tree is a treasure.
At this moment, under the bodhi tree where the legendary Buddha attained enlightenment, a magnificent altar has been arranged. A dazzling array of candles were lit. There are hundreds of bronze incense burners burning a large amount of precious spices, and wisps of elegant smoke rise.
When night fell, above the altar set up next to the Bodhi tree, the colorful lights and spotlights on several giant light stands were lit one after another, illuminating a radius of several hundred meters as bright as day. Under the lights, there were crowds of people, except for special ones. Apart from the VIP seats on the high platform, there was almost no place to sit. After a while, amid the cheers and applause of countless spectators, the lead singer and musicians responsible for chanting sutras took their places one after another. The melodious singing came from the loudspeaker. The young monks lined up on stage and chanted along with the music. The preacher sang and clapped his hands, and the believers also responded with solemn and solemn expressions. As long as you are exposed to the scene, even those who do not originally believe in Buddhism will involuntarily enter that pious state.
Unlike the Chinese monks who were meditating and chanting on futons, these Indian monks lined up in a row facing the sacred Bodhi tree, accompanied by music and drums. They all looked upright, respectful, and dressed in gorgeous clothes. He took up the lit incense, conches, copper bells, dharma lamps, peacock feathers, yak tails and other ritual objects in turn, and danced to the music in the four directions of east, west, north and south. During this period, he also threw holy water and flower petals to the onlookers from time to time.
When the ceremony reaches its peak, everyone at the scene will stand up, wave their arms excitedly, and loudly praise the gods and Buddhas... The dazzling candlelight and lingering smoke will accompany the solemn chants of the monks. Chanting, floating melodiously in the sky above Bodh Gaya, the Buddhist holy land.
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However, while the Indians, Buddhists and tourists from all over the world were watching in fascination, Levi couldn't help but shake his head.
"...This is really...such a luxury. The spices and sesame oils burned during the ceremony can probably be calculated in tons, right?"
He looked around at the splendid decorations, the dazzling ornate carvings, and the gold and silver decorations everywhere. He couldn't help but muttered, "...in such a poor place as Bihar, the Buddhist temple has been made so magnificent. Your Majesty, the monks are all fat and big-headed, and they spend a lot of money on holding festivals... Are they just wantonly squeezing and exploiting the people's wealth and anointing? Is there any intention of practicing Buddhism at all?"
"... Qingxiu? Haha, just listen to this. From ancient times to the present, few monks, both at home and abroad, will take it seriously."
Wang Qiu sneered, "... Religion has been the most profitable business since ancient times. As long as you can cheat with your words, you can make a lot of money. Buddhism is no exception. I recently read some Buddhist stories and found that in the past, when Buddhism was flourishing in Tianzhu , as long as those high When great monks set up an altar to preach sutras, laypeople need to bring out gold beads and sesame oil to worship them. Some kings even paved the floor with gold bricks to invite eminent monks. When the holy monks died and burned their relics, anyone who got one would be It will take years to build a pagoda with seven ivory treasures for storage. Offering property every year is called an offering; in India and China, some ignorant kings who believed deeply in Buddhism actually sacrificed their lives to become Buddhists, and each time they had to spend a lot of money to redeem themselves... Such monks have no trace of poverty and happiness. ?root Isn’t it just a matter of greed and greed? When China tried to destroy Buddhism, countless gold, silver and silk were not confiscated? This can only be used to deceive the ignorant people, or the monks are deceiving themselves!
Of course, I am not accusing Buddhism of being too bad. As the saying goes, all the magicians in the world are as bad as others. If it were the Catholic Church in Europe, wouldn’t it ask believers to live in poverty while building churches more gorgeous than palaces? Other religions are similar in this regard, and no one can laugh at anyone..."
"...But since they can obviously get so much money and spend it all night on vain prayers to gods and Buddhas, why don't they use it to improve the city's sanitary conditions and add more doctors, medicines and equipment to public hospitals? , or distribute some cold medicine to the poor? ”
Female school doctor Marikawa Shizuka commented from a professional perspective, “...I have seen with my own eyes that many poor Indian patients are likely to recover as long as someone is willing to give them some basic cold medicine and antipyretic medicine. In the end, he was dragged to death without any treatment or medicine..."
"...Hey, India is the largest democratic country in the world, so this is the best choice to obey public opinion!" Wang Qiu shrugged.
"...I don't understand at all...What does this have to do with the democratic system?" Teacher Shizuka Marikawa puffed up her cheeks and asked with a frown.
"...Uh, well, I remember that Sir Humphrey, the protagonist in the British drama "Yes, Minister" once had a famous line, to the effect that in a true democratic country, the people should have the right to make free choices Stupid, even if you die of stupidity, since the Indian people choose. If people are superstitious about gods and do not trust science, they think incense ash and water are more trustworthy than aspirin, and burning incense and chanting sutras is more effective than taking injections and medicine. Then a responsible democratic government should fully respect the people's choices instead of forcibly arranging their lives based on science. Life.”
Wang Qiu curled his lips and replied, "...Right now, many democracy fighters in China are posting online, praising the Indian government's inaction during the influenza period, believing that this is the ultimate expression of respect for human rights in a democratic and free country..."
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When the moon reached its zenith, the grand ceremony to ward off disasters and pray for blessings in the Mahabodhi Temple finally came to an end.
The melodious music gradually stopped, the lights were extinguished one after another, and the monks stepped off the altar one by one. Some unsatisfied believers gathered around the Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment, put their hands together and prayed, and then dispersed and left.
Others paid to buy a small lantern from a vendor, made a wish and put it into a nearby river. They prayed silently and followed the lantern representing their wishes with their eyes, drifting along the current to the sacred Ganges River in the distance. Finally leading to the most beautiful ideal paradise in their hearts...
Then, just as Wang Qiu followed the trend and bought two small lanterns and prepared to put them into the river with Marikawa Shizuka, an ominous sound suddenly came from his ears, and the night sky above his head suddenly changed. It became brighter... He looked up in surprise and found that the entire sky seemed to be burning, and was a blazing red. If it was a fire cloud in the evening, it would be normal, but it was late at night now!
At the same time, there were gasps and exclamations all around him...
The next moment, an even more ridiculous scene appeared - in the center of the sky that was dyed crimson by the unknown strong light, a small black spot appeared, and fell rapidly towards the ground, becoming increasingly visible in people's field of vision. The bigger... In an instant, the ground in the crowded Bodh Gaya was filled with panic, and shouts in various languages were intertwined in a mess. Cries, shouts, car horns, alarm calls, and wailings came and went.
Those guys on the ground who were still watching the fun and taking videos suddenly went crazy when they found something falling from the sky! They screamed and scattered, pushing each other to escape. In less than a minute, at least dozens of people were trampled and injured.
On the other side, Wang Qiu and others stood there, staring blankly at the growing black shadow in the red sky, in a daze.
"...Oh! This...could it be another supernatural disaster caused by you? Xiao Qiuqiu really has the physique of a disaster star!"
Teacher Shizuka Marikawa, who was slow to react, blinked in a very cute way, stared at the huge unknown object falling in the sky with the light of fire, and muttered in a very cute tone, "...What is this? A falling meteor? A great collision between heaven and earth. ?”
"...No, "The Book of Time" shows that it is the space monster in the Japanese special photo film, the giant tyrannosaurus Godzilla is coming!"
Wang Qiu, with a look of embarrassment and collapse, held the "Book of Time Travel" he had just taken out and opened and replied, "...according to Toho Company's settings in the special films, this brother Zira is fifty meters tall and weighs 20,000 tons... What an exaggerated beast! Oh, damn, the space monster Godzilla is out again! Where? ”
——It is very regrettable that until Godzilla, the towering cosmic monster like a hill, finally landed with a crash, Ultraman, who was supposed to save the world, did not appear... With the landing of the cosmic monster, everyone stood under their feet. The ground began to shake violently, and everyone seemed to be standing on a small boat in the wind and waves. They were bumping around, and they even slipped and fell to the ground before they could react! Then he rolled into a pile with the others!
All kinds of reinforced concrete, brick, and wooden buildings began to jump and twist in an instant. It was truly a hellish scene. Even the ancient Buddhist temple built with countless heavy boulders seemed to be built with building blocks. There were violent crashing sounds, which made people change their expressions in shock and even couldn't help but scream. The small river next to the Buddhist temple seemed to have become an overturned bathtub. The turbid river water instantly splashed more than 20 meters high, carrying water plants, small fish and the lanterns that had just been put down, rushing towards the unavoidable water. People were smashed on their heads!
Before the shaking earth had completely returned to complete calm, Mr. Chandra Shukla, who invited Wang Qiu and the others to watch the festival, stood up staggeringly and turned to look at the place where the space monster Godzilla landed. Immediately, through the billowing smoke and dust, I saw with dismay that there was a bird with a similar appearance. Next to Godzilla, the extra-large pudgy version of the space monster bipedal dinosaur, the Golden Lotus Hotel where they lived before was shaking violently and a huge crack appeared, and then it was cut into two pieces like a matchstick. In an instant, it collapsed and turned into a piece of rubble...
Seeing such a scene, Mr. Chandra Shukla couldn't help but his knees weakened, fell to the ground, hugged his head and cried without caring.
Looking at Mr. Chandra who was crying bitterly, Wang Qiu couldn't help but sigh with pity - before the outbreak of the "Indian Flu", Mr. Chandra had just returned to his hometown to make an investment and bought 50% of the shares in that hotel were all wiped out now...
However, now that we are in such a doomsday situation, how can we care about extraneous things like money?
Therefore, Mr. Chandra, you should be more open-minded and follow us to find a place to take refuge! In short, in line with Lei Feng's spirit of being a good man who will fight to the end, Wang Qiu rushed over and helped Mr. Chandra up, dragging him staggering away and running away, while Marikawa Shizuka and Li Wei quickly followed behind, running away together. Just run...