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, terraces and plateaus. At first glance, they are not much different from other rural villages. The only difference is that there are many cages and niches for Buddha inside and outside the villages. From time to time, believers can be seen kneeling in front of the cages to pray, 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, and beside 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, belongings, bodies, and even emotions must be completely dedicated to the Samanas.
Private self.
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.
Some caves have to be dug into very high mountain walls in order to avoid being contaminated by all kinds of dirt in the world. Naturally, these monks are the ones doing the work. A rope is hung from the cliff, so there is no need to panic even if you accidentally fall.
, there will be a mage at the foot of the cliff who will recite sutras and be saved on the spot, so that the souls of the dead can receive blessings.
Every year from the end of autumn to the beginning of spring, it is a busy time for digging caves and worshiping Buddha. After the autumn harvest, the monks and priests have to pack up their tools and go into the mountains to dig caves and statues. They work hard from beginning to end for years, just to accumulate full blessings for the next life.
Enjoy.
Every time a cave is dug, it means that another rich Buddhist ritual asset has entered the temple, and 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 famous 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 must 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 whole of 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 large carts. The knights surrounded a handsome young gentleman in mink fur and fine clothes, and headed towards the gate of Hongfa Temple.
Li Tai sat on his horse and looked around at the size of the temple and the mountain scenery, feeling a lot of emotions in his heart. If you ignore those religious features, it would not be inconsistent to say that this is a place where powerful families are separatist.
He was sighing with emotion here when a group of novice monk soldiers holding sticks were approaching quickly on the mountain road opposite. There were only a lot more people than them. Moreover, these monk soldiers were all tall and strong, and they were even strong when walking.
A bit of military temperament.
"Visitors stopped!"
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 the Hongfa Temple here were beautiful, so he knocked on the door with the Great Master's ultimatum to ask for a visit and received a large statue of the Master, and participated in the Chang'an Buddha Dharma Ceremony!"
When the monks heard that business was coming to their door, the vigilance on their faces subsided slightly. The leading monk pondered for a while before speaking again: "A distinguished guest has come to the door, and it is difficult to welcome him from afar. But we must disappoint our distinguished guest. There have been Buddhist events in the temple recently.
We are very busy, so we have suspended the process of making statues and sending them to the 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 and the monks don’t have enough faces, or am I not intimidating because of my power in this area? I braved the pain of the wind and sand and trudged into the country, but I was turned away without even seeing the face of the Buddha. Are these cunning monks trying to make me a laughing stock in Gyeonggi?”
The yellow-robed monk heard that his tone was not kind, and saw that all his followers were dressed in fresh clothes, angry with their horses, and equipped with bows and knives. He hesitated for a moment, and after pondering for a while, he said: "Don't you dare, you are a distinguished guest, and the mountain gate will shine."
"Since we have traveled a long distance, I would like to invite you and your family members to go to the Li Ke Courtyard to rest for a while, and allow the young monk to report to the presiding Dharma Master before we can negotiate."
So under the guidance of the group of monk soldiers, Li Tai and his entourage 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.
The depth of the relationship.
Li Taiben was an expert at 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 told the truth. After all, although he did not worship monks and Buddhas, Li Xiaoyong in Longshou Plain was still searching for information.
After a conversation, in the eyes of the yellow-robed monk, Li Tai seemed to be a well-known nobleman with wide acquaintances 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 and rows of halls, which can accommodate at least thousands of people. It is divided into several small courtyards, and there are voices in some small courtyards. They should be the faithful men and women who live here and worship the 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 etiquette for treating guests was quite complete.
Not long after, an old monk wearing gorgeous Buddhist robes 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.
Today, I miss you very much. I wonder if Mr. Sir, can you show me the Master's ultimatum for a moment?"
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 first scolded angrily, and then ordered his followers to open the luggage compartments in the car and search them carefully.
Once these boxes and cages were opened, it was revealed that they were filled with gold, jade, brocade and other valuable goods. The monks present felt their breathing 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 omissions are inevitable. Even if there is no guide from the master, the plan of propagating the Dharma should be responsive to requests. May I ask, Mr. Lang, which Buddha's Dharma image you want to welcome?"
"The bigger the better, the more beautiful the better! If it's just an ordinary Buddhist image, it can be cast in the capital, so why should I come here to beg for it? It must 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 and stomach under the cage. He lifted the frame of the carriage and said to the old monk with a bold face: "These vulgar goods I carry are already gone."
It’s very tiring. It’s best if the temple’s techniques are exquisite and it can capture all the Buddha’s qualities!”
"Mr. Lang is joking, but being sincere is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. The old monk and others are worshiping the Buddha and spreading the Dharma, and they will naturally thank and accept every sincerity in respecting the Buddha!"
The old monk had a smile on his face and said confidently: "There happens to be a new Dharma form of Lord Maitreya in the temple. Sir, would you like to go with me to 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 and followed 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 good. There were more than a dozen people busy working around the bronze statue.
Polished and polished, carving details.
Li Tai walked around the bronze statue and looked at it. There was no need to pretend that 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 indeed 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 we have enough materials."
Apart from this, there are very few people in Weibei who have such workmanship, and it is difficult to imitate elsewhere. If Mr. Lang can sincerely prove that this Buddha's connection with the Buddha's Dharma is profound, no one in the temple will bid farewell to this Buddha's connection."
After hearing this, Li Tai felt happy again. Do you need to pay more to buy the monopoly of 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 strong men and women in the temple go with you? After the Dharma Minister enters the capital, there will be additional reinforcements and thick gifts for the monks and soldiers to transport back!"
When the old monk heard this, the image of gold and silk piled up in the cage again 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 to 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 the wealthy man. After a moment of pondering, he nodded and agreed. The temple grounds are nearby, so just send some more monk soldiers to guard it.
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, so there is no need to worry about him running away without paying. This chapter has been completed!