Chapter 484: Chilling(1/2)
The monks were very efficient. In the afternoon of that day, a Buddhist temple named Wanying Hall opened its doors in the town. By distributing rice, it attracted a large number of villagers to queue up to receive rice, so that within a short time
In a short period of time, the name of Wanying Hall was resounding throughout Gantian Town.
From then on, taking advantage of the golden period when they became the center of the town's conversation, the monks from Wanying Hall built bridges and paved roads in the town, performed many charitable deeds, and deeply imprinted the positive image of charity into everyone's hearts.
.
Then, the monk leader Atisha led people to find Director Song and said that they could provide free student aid. As long as Gantian Town could provide a venue, they monks could teach the children to read and write and impart knowledge to them.
At that time, Director Song had a good impression of these monks. After some negotiation, he quickly contacted the villagers and lent the ancestral hall to the monks to open a school.
As for the issue of students, there is no need to worry. Ever since I heard that the schools run by the monks not only do not charge tuition fees, but also take care of the students' food and accommodation, the people in the whole town who have children at home are looking forward to the school opening as soon as possible.
"Reaching a school for free takes time, effort and money. Master, what do you think those monks are trying to do?"
One morning, Ah Chu held a feather duster in his hand, dusting off the dust on the portrait of his ancestor, and asked doubtfully.
"Maybe it's out of the Buddha's kind thoughts?" Mao Xiaofang subconsciously thought of people in a good light.
At the door of the hall, Qin Yao, who was cleaning the villagers' poison, couldn't help laughing and asked: "Master Mao, I have a question."
"What?" Mao Xiaofang looked up.
"Where do these monks get their money?" Qin Yao asked with a smile.
Mao Xiaofang was slightly startled.
Then I thought about it carefully, and the more I thought about it, the more wrong I became.
It's obviously a good deed, but when money is involved, why does it start to look more and more like speculation?
Build bridges and pave roads, create characters, open schools, and gain followers. When the time is right, all kinds of donations will naturally come in.
How do they get their money? It cannot be from farming.
This is not to say that all monks do not farm, but it means that in the current environment, simply farming cannot generate the wealth needed to travel around the country, promote Buddhism, open Buddhist temples, and build schools.
Of course, in addition to farming, there are many ways to obtain wealth, such as doing business. However, the question is, are monks who do business still considered simple monks?
Even if your body is covered with the smell of copper, can you still devote yourself to the Buddha?
"Actually, it's very simple to judge their nature."
While Mao Xiaofang's master and apprentice were deep in thought, Qin Yao smiled slightly and said, "Aren't they going to build a school? Just look at what knowledge they teach.
If they teach literacy, the Four Books and Five Classics, and the principles of life, then they are purely running a school with kind hearts and thoughts.
But what do you think if what they instill in a group of children is Buddhist scriptures?"
Mao Xiaofang: "..."
"Achu, is the school open?" After a long silence, Mao Xiaofang suddenly asked.
"It just opened today, so I brought up this topic." Ah Chu replied.
"After school, find someone to ask what knowledge the children learned in the school." Mao Xiaofang ordered.
"Yes, Master."
That evening.
Ah Chu walked into the rice store opened by Black Rose after she reformed her evil ways, and asked: "Sister Gui, did Xiao Xiami go to the ancestral hall to go to school?"
Black Rose walked out from behind the counter and said with a smile: "Here we go. Not only do we teach knowledge, we also take care of the students' food and accommodation. Who wouldn't be willing to take advantage of this?"
"Oh." Ah Chu nodded and said with a smile, "Isn't school over yet?"
"It said school is over at half past five, so it's almost time." As he said that, a look of confusion appeared on Black Rose's face: "Why are you asking?"
"Master asked me to ask." Ah Chu said, "Taoist Master Qin feels that those monks have ulterior motives, and Master wants to ask for proof."
Black Rose's heart thumped, and she quickly asked him to sit down, with a tight expression on her face: "Taoist Master Qin is a capable person, and he never makes unintended consequences. Tell me quickly, what purpose does he suspect those monks have?"
"What Taoist Master Qin means is that if those monks teach literacy and life principles in the school, then it is good.
But if they are taught Buddhist scriptures and memorize Buddhist scriptures in school, when they grow up, even if they do not become monks, they will become loyal believers in the shrine."
black Rose:"……"
"Sister Gui, I'm back." While she was absent-minded, Xiao Xiami walked into the rice store with a schoolbag on his back and a smile on his face.
Black Rose woke up from a dream and quickly pulled Xiao Xiami to her side: "Xia Mi, let me ask you, what did you learn in school today?"
"I have learned the Heart Sutra." Xiao Xiami said proudly: "I can even memorize it. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, after walking in the deep Prajnaparamita for a long time, he saw that the five aggregates are empty, and he can survive all the hardships..."
"Snapped."
After listening to him reciting it endlessly for a long time, Black Rose slapped him on the forehead: "Stop reciting it, what else?"
"It hurts, Sister Gui." Xiao Xiami said, rubbing his head.
"Stop talking nonsense and tell me your experience today from beginning to end." Black Rose said seriously.
Xiao Xiami didn't know why, and under the other party's gaze, he slowly said: "When we entered the school, the literate and illiterate students were each divided into a class.
The literate recited the Heart Sutra, and the illiterate listened to the monks telling stories about the Buddha, and enlightened them with the Buddhist sutras.
Then we use a stone to test our relationship with Buddha. If the stone can make the stone shine, it means that we have a relationship with Buddha. It will be registered separately in a book. It is said that we will focus on cultivating it in the future. Sister Gui, I am a person with relationship with Buddha.
"
black Rose:"……"
She has now confirmed that this is no school, it is clearly a Buddhist temple!
What the hell is having a bond with Buddha? Do you want to train her little shrimps on the path of a monk?
"Sister Gui, what's wrong with you? Your face suddenly looks ugly." Xiao Xiami asked.
Black Rose endured the panic in her heart and asked, "Xia Mi, what's your impression of them?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Xiao Xiami: "That's great. It can be seen that they are a group of very kind people. I will be like them in the future..."
These words instantly stung Black Rose's soul like a steel needle, causing her to subconsciously grab Xiami's arm and said: "Don't go to the ancestral hall to go to school anymore. I will send you to the city to go to school."
Xiao Xiami: “???”
Shortly after.
Ah Chu rushed back to Fuxi Hall, broke into the main hall, and said loudly: "Master, Master, Taoist Qin really got it right. What those monks established was not a school at all, but a Buddhist school to instill in the children
They are all based on Buddhist scriptures."
In the main room, the two people who were sipping tea put down their tea cups at the same time. Mao Xiaofang frowned, feeling a little depressed.
Although there is only one word difference between "school hall" and "Buddhist school hall", they are completely different in nature.
Children are the hope for the future of Gantian Town.
Very few of the current generation of villagers have gone to school, they are ignorant and ignorant, and they can be easily manipulated by others.
The great cause of revitalizing Gantian Town depends entirely on the next generation, namely these children.
If these children are all indoctrinated into Buddhist apprentices, and the smart ones become monks, or even taken to shrines, then what will happen to Gantian Town? Will we continue to be ignorant from generation to generation?
"I'll go find the director!" The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Mao Xiaofang simply stood up and walked away.
"etc."
Qin Yao pressed his big hand on the tea cup on the table and said suddenly: "Is it useful for you to ask the director? They have not violated any rules or disciplines. How can the director order the closure of their school?"
Even if the director asks about this matter, they can reply with just one sentence. They are monks. If they don’t teach Buddhist classics, how can they teach Taoist classics?”
Mao Xiaofang: "..."
"Aren't they deceiving the public?" Ah Chu quickly found an entry point and said.
Qin Yao: "Can you say that the Buddhist school is not a school? Some villagers asked before, what is taught in the school?
What's more, judging from the current perspective of the villagers in Gantian Town, do they really care about what their children learn in school?
You can learn to read, you can gain more knowledge, and there are people who take care of your children's two meals a day. Such a big advantage is here. As long as you don't learn bad things, no one will really hate it.
Even if someone knows about it, Master Mao, if you prevent them from taking advantage of this, they might hate you and scold you, do you believe it or not?"
Mao Xiaofang: "..."
Ah Chu: "..."
"But we can't just do nothing, right?" A Chu asked softly after a long time.
Qin Yao: "Have you asked, apart from teaching children Buddhist scriptures, what else do they do to their children?"
Ah Chu thought for a while and said: "By the way, there are also classes, separating the literate and illiterate people, and taking out a stone to test whether they have any affinity with Buddha."
"Stone, what stone?" Mao Xiaofang asked.
Ah Chu shook his head: "I don't know, I didn't ask in detail."
"It's okay..." Qin Yao suddenly said.
Master and disciple: "???"
Qin Yao: "The stone the child recounted should be a relic. Those monks used the relics to test whether they had a connection with Buddha. They obviously had ulterior motives and were not simply preaching. If they were simply preaching, it would be a trouble because you can't blame them.
To be continued...