Under the dry light of the Zen room, Su Jin and Master Shanxiang, the abbot of Daming Temple, sat across from each other. Chao Chao and others were sent outside to be on guard. This somewhat reduced Master Shanxiang's panic, and his expression became calmer. Fastest update
"Master, I have some Buddhist questions that I can't figure out, so I came here to ask for advice. I have a strange problem. I have trouble sleeping when I have something on my mind. That's why I came here late at night and asked Master to help me.
Clear up confusion.”
Shanxiang said: "I see, please tell me little donor, I will try my best to clear up your doubts."
Su Jin said: "Thank you very much, Master. I would like to ask you, is Buddhism inclusive? Anyone can take refuge in Buddhism and seek the blessings of the Buddha."
Shanxiang thought for a while and said: "My Buddha is compassionate and saves all living beings. In the eyes of the Buddha, people in the world are not distinguished by beauty, ugliness, high or low. No matter high or low, good or evil, as long as they are devoted to the Buddha, the Buddha will naturally tolerate them."
Su Jin said: "In this case, if someone commits all kinds of evil, kills people, and creates endless sins, and then he wants to convert, Buddha will not blame him and just accept it?"
Shanxiang said: "Buddhism is a pure land, and this purity refers to the pure land in the heart. No matter what sins a person has committed, as long as he puts down the butcher's knife and is kind in his heart, Buddhism will still accept him."
Su Jin smiled and said: "Master said it very well. Can I understand it this way? To enter Buddhism, you only need to have no evil thoughts, and everything in the past can be forgiven."
"Exactly, the little benefactor is smart, that's exactly what I meant."
Su Jin smiled and said: "This raises a question. How does Buddhism judge whether these people have sincerely changed their minds? Are there people who are duplicitous?"
Shanxiang was stunned, then stroked his beard and said: "There is no standard for how to judge, but it comes from the heart. Whether a person is good or not can always be seen from the appearance. But then again, the heart is different from the belly, and the heart is difficult.
The prediction is comparable to the changes in the sky, and no one can guarantee whether he is sincere or not."
Su Jindao: "In other words, you don't know which of the monks in your temple are sincere and good-hearted, and which of them are harboring evil intentions?"
Shanxiang was startled and said: "That's true. Buddhism emphasizes that if you have a Buddha in your heart, those who are pious will be protected. Those who are dishonest will be rejected by the Buddha. This is fair."
Su Jin chuckled and said: "After all, it is not Buddhism or a pure land. It may even be a place where filth and evil are stored, right? You can't say anything disrespectful to the Buddha. Whether the Buddha protects you or not, Master, you can't do it.
And know.”
Shanxiang suddenly changed his expression and stood up, shouted angrily: "Little donor, what are you saying? How can the Buddhist pure land say such blasphemous words? You are not asking for advice, but slandering. If you say this again
If so, please leave this place immediately to avoid being blamed by the Buddha."
Su Jin waved his hand and said: "Master, there is no need to be excited. I have evidence for what I say. Master, please sit down. How can a Buddhist monk be so impatient? Master's self-cultivation is even worse than mine."
Shanxiang said angrily: "What the donor said is different. If it were Lao Na himself, you would never fight back even if you scolded him. But what you insulted was Zhutian Buddha. How could I be calm?"
Su Jin said seriously: "Sure enough, the Buddha cannot be insulted?"
Shanxiang said: "Nature cannot be blasphemed."
Su Jin said: "You can blaspheme, but I can't? Don't you only allow the state officials to set fires, but not the people to light lamps?"
Shanxiang said in astonishment: "How could I ever blaspheme the Buddha? Although I am not profound in the Buddhist teachings, I asked myself that I have been practicing in the temple since I was six years old and have served the Buddha devoutly for more than 50 years. I have never had any second thoughts. How can I blaspheme the Buddha?"
"
Su Jin thought: What a shame for this old monk. He has been a monk all his life and has never experienced the flowers and plants in the world. It is really a pity for him.
"Master, think about it carefully and you will understand."
"I have a clear conscience, why do you need to think too much?" Shanxiang finally got angry. The young man pretended to come here and started talking nonsense in the middle of the night. Even the clay figurine was going to get angry.
"Well, since the master refuses to admit it, I have offended you. I dare to ask the master, is it an act of blasphemy to accept someone as a disciple of Buddhism despite knowing that they have evil intentions?"
"Who accepted the evil-minded person? Please make it clear to the donor."
Su Jin sneered: "You won't shed tears until you see the coffin, right? Do you have to point me out?"
Shanxiang was about to go berserk, and he couldn't care less about the image of the eminent Buddhist monk. He picked up the mallet and knocked on the wooden fish loudly.
"Young benefactor, you are so unreasonable. Although Buddhism is a place of mercy, it will never allow madmen to act recklessly. You must make it clear today, otherwise...otherwise...I will never be done with you."
Su Jin laughed and said: "You are not done with me, and I am not done with you. You, an old monk, have done wrong things and still don't admit it. Let me ask you, one of the two lay disciples you accepted is called 'Puji'
One is called 'Rescue', right? Who are these two people?"
"Are you saying that I have taken in people with evil intentions?" Shanxiang pointed at his nose and said in shock.
"Isn't it you or who is it? Don't worry about talking about him, answer my question, are Puji and Jiyan the lay disciples you have accepted?"
"Amitabha, these two people are my disciples, but..."
"Don't quibble yet, let me ask you, do you know the details of these two people?"
"This... I have heard that these two people are Yangzhou merchants. I also inquired about them when I accepted disciples. These two people are good at charity and are well-known good people in Yangzhou City. They also devote themselves to Buddha. Of course I want to accept them.
.”
Su Jin said contemptuously: "Don't say it so high-sounding, okay? You said it during the day and you are not satisfied with these two people. Just because these two people helped you build a temple, you accepted them as your disciples for money."
Is it?"
Shanxiang's face was gloomy, and he sat down on the futon slumped and said: "To be honest, I agreed to accept them as lay disciples because they promised to fund the construction of Manjushri Hall and provide money and materials for the temple. Who could have imagined it?"
, who would have imagined... Amitabha, it’s a sin.”
Su Jin said: "If there's anything you shouldn't say, you've done it. Are you still afraid of people saying it?"
Shanxiang clasped his palms together and muttered a sutra, presumably begging the Buddha for forgiveness, and then slowly said: "When I accepted the disciples that day, I did send someone to the city to inquire about their conduct, but I asked a lot of questions.
People say that the two of them are good people who are good at charity. Lao Na thought to himself that since they can solve the difficulties of the temple and do not violate the Buddha's instructions, they just accept them. They are just lay disciples with a title. Who would have thought?
A few months later, Lao Na went to the city to do a dojo. He overheard people talking about Puji, saying that he was a tyrant in the city and had done many bad things. He also said that the rescuer was also with him, and the two formed a partnership.
He did a lot of things that were harmful to nature, and I was confused at the time..."
Su Jin said: "In that case, why don't you just drive these two people out of the door?"
Shanxiang said dejectedly: "It's also my fault that my six roots are not purified and I worry about gains and losses. At that time, Puji and Rescue had donated a lot of money to rebuild the Manjusri Hall, which solved the livelihood of hundreds of monks in the temple. If they were driven out of the door, what would happen?
The two people must be asking for alms. What will I give them in return? Besides, the original hall dedicated to Manjushri Bodhisattva has collapsed for a long time. The golden body of the Bodhisattva is exposed and corroded by wind and rain. How can I pass on the position of presiding to the emperor?
Senior monks? After much deliberation, they decided to make a temporary expediency. They wanted to wait until Manjusri Hall was completed and the temple's incense revenue could be self-sufficient. I thought about it and have followed it to this day."
Su Jin sighed: "A'duwu is really harmful to people. Even Buddhist monks are subject to it. However, the master is thinking about the monks in the temple, so it is understandable."
Shanxiang said: "The donor excused me, and I was very grateful, but I was afraid that I would not be able to forgive him. In order to have peace of mind, I often invited these two people to the Zen room to teach Buddhism alone, hoping that they would be influenced by Buddhism.
Wake up, if they can repent and reform, it will be considered a meritorious deed by Lao Na and may make up for their mistakes."
Su Jin said: "Master is too naive. What these two people have done is outraged by both humans and gods. If we want them to change their minds, it will only be enough if the sun rises in the west and the water of the river flows back to the mountains."
Shanxiang looked at Su Jin with a sad face and said, "Who is the donor? How come he knows these two people so well? He also knows everything about Lao Na accepting them as his disciples?"
Su Jin said: "Does Master know about the recent food shortage and famine in Yangzhou?"
Shanxiang said: "How do you not know? I even used the food stored in the temple to give porridge at the foot of the mountain for several days. However, the temple was in a tight situation and there really was no more food to help the people. Later I heard that the imperial court sent a promising official.
He came to provide relief, opened a granary, and brought a large amount of grain to the charity. This relieved the suffering of the people in Yangzhou. After hearing this, I even recited the Mahayana Infinite Life Sutra for him in front of the Buddha seven or forty-nine times.
.”
Su Jin stood up and bowed after hearing this and said, "Thank you, Master, for praying and reciting sutras for me."
Shanxiang said in shock: "You...you are...?"
Su Jin smiled and said, "I am the one who ordered Su Jin, the food envoy."