The melodious bells echoed in the mountains, and corresponding to the bells, there were cooking fires rising in the distance.
Shikamaru, who was sitting cross-legged on a futon, slowly opened his eyes. The faint shouts and chirping of birds coming from outside the window reminded him that a new day had arrived.
The early morning sunlight shined unbridled into this simple wooden house and fell on Shikamaru's body, making him feel a little dazzling and he couldn't help but raise his hand to block it.
Crunch!
The old wooden door was pushed open by Shikamaru from the inside. Breathing in the fresh air, he stretched exaggeratedly and meditated on the futon all night. His body felt somewhat uncomfortable. This movement caused his bones to make a series of crisp sounds.
"Sir!" From a distance, a young novice monk saw the door of the room where Shikamaru lived opened and ran over. His thin body was wearing an uncoordinated long coat, which looked quite funny.
The little novice monk looked like he was seven or eight years old. His clothes were patched and didn't fit well. He had obviously inherited the property of his senior brothers. He was a little afraid of strangers, but he still forced himself to calm down and bowed to Shikamaru, and then said:
"Breakfast is about to be served in the temple, and the abbot asked me to remind you."
"Thank you." Shikamaru said with a smile after returning the gift seriously.
The little novice monk scratched his head, not very polite, clasped his hands together, silently bowed to Shikamaru again, then turned around and ran away.
Shikamaru looked at the little novice monk's figure running away, and the smile on his face gradually faded away.
The place where he is now is a temple of unknown reputation. It is in a remote location, with few monks. There are only a few small villages around, and there is not much incense. More importantly, the monks in this temple have always abided by the precepts, except for
Apart from basic maintenance, they rarely charge any money for incense, and the monks who enter the temple are all children of poor families in the surrounding areas, or orphans.
It is really different from the Temple of Fire.
Shikamaru found a quiet place outside the temple and did morning exercises. Before he came here, he had observed the environment of the Fire Temple from a distance. As a temple supported by the fire country's daimyo, it was famous and wealthy. There were monks specializing in martial arts in the temple.
There were many ninja monks and there was an endless stream of travelers coming to offer incense, which made Shikamaru give up the idea of going there to take a look. After all, he was still a rebellious ninja.
In the previous battle in the Kingdom of Water, Shikamaru also suffered some minor injuries, so he wanted to find a quiet place to recuperate and study new techniques. He searched many places and finally settled on this place.
Put your feet down.
After finishing the morning training, Shikamaru, who was sweating profusely, just washed his body with cold water, and then went to the dining hall to have breakfast with the monks in groups of twos and threes.
There are not many monks in the temple, most of them are young novices and old monks. The rest of the people basically go to the outside world to seek alms and travel. After all, this temple is located in the mountains, there is not much arable land, and it cannot support so many people.
There were a lot of people waiting, and the dining hall was quiet when the meal started. Even Shikamaru was not in the mood to talk.
Breakfast was just a simple rice porridge with vegetables that Shikamaru didn't recognize and some minced meat here and there. It could barely fill the stomach, but it definitely had nothing to do with the taste.
Shikamaru took a sip without taking it seriously. Buddhist vegetarianism was the product of tampering by descendants in the previous life. Naturally, there is no such custom in this world. Even though the monks in this temple strictly abide by the precept of not killing, there are also some
You can eat whatever you want. The only old monk who insists on a vegetarian diet is also because he insists on practicing hard and has been sharpening his mind.
After breakfast, Shikamaru followed the host and the two old monks to the quiet room. Shikamaru did not believe in Buddhism, but after living here for a few days, he really enjoyed playing tricks with these three old monks.
Interestingly, these old but clear-minded monks can often clear up the confusion in his heart, and sometimes even make him feel enlightened.
"Master." After the skinny abbot entered the quiet room, he found an abacus and a ledger, and was busy calculating the accounts. Shikamaru looked unconcerned and asked
He picked up a futon and sat down cross-legged, and asked: "Not long ago, I gave the temple a sum of money for incense, why don't you improve the food for everyone?"
Naturally, Shikamaru would not live here for free. He had a lot of money with him, and he had added a lot of money to this temple not long ago. However, in the past two days, he found that even the food in the temple had not changed.
If he hadn't known that the three old monks in the temple were not greedy and fraudulent people, he would have asked them a long time ago.
"Some of the Buddha statues in the temple are a little worn out, and the houses are also damaged. The abbot is going to spend money to hire someone to decorate them," said the old monk sitting on a futon opposite Shikamaru. The hidden areas of his cassock were also patched.
, with a haggard body, as if a gust of wind could blow him down: "This way the craftsmen in several surrounding villages can also earn some money."
Shikamaru nodded clearly. No wonder the abbot had started his accounts early in the morning. However, this abbot seemed a bit strange in Shikamaru's eyes. Shikamaru rarely saw him preaching or reciting scriptures. He saw him a few times.
He was either checking accounts and settling accounts, or wandering around the temple, which made Shikamaru a little confused.
Thinking that he might have to leave here soon, Shikamaru spoke up about this issue directly. He remembered that there were many unruly monks in his previous life, who had unique views on things. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng didn't even know how to read. Maybe
This old abbot is also this kind of 'master'. Listening to his reasons may give you some insights.
Hearing Shikamaru's question, the two old monks did not say anything. Instead, they looked at the abbot himself. At this time, he had also heard Shikamaru's question, so he stopped and looked at Shikamaru deeply, and then
He said in a deep voice: "I don't believe in Buddhism."
The other two old monks in the room all chanted the Buddha's name in a low voice at this time, but no one thought of scolding the abbot for his sermon. Shikamaru couldn't help but frown, wondering if there was a Zen intention in the other person's words, and asked: "Abbott is staying in the temple.
"How long?" "Autumn." The abbot tilted his head and thought for a moment, then quickly replied.
"Even if you don't believe in Buddhism, why go to the temple to serve the Buddha?" The abbot never calls himself "Lao Monk" or "Poor Monk". Shikamaru has long been accustomed to it. Seeing that his expression and tone are unusually serious, his doubts only deepen, and he added
: "And became the head monk of a temple?"
"Survive and repay the favor." The abbot told Shikamaru the answer without hesitation: "Maesumi saved my whole family. I was good at arithmetic but couldn't survive, so I went up the mountain to manage his accounts and maintain the livelihood of the monks. Maesumi died.
I wanted to try my best to keep the temple from being abandoned. All my brothers and sisters knew my intentions and there was no one to compete with me. That’s why I became the abbot. I read the scriptures well, but I just followed the scriptures. I never had any intention of respecting the Buddha. I only wanted to survive and repay my kindness.
Do good.”
Shikamaru didn't know what to say. No wonder the abbot was not responsible for the usual sermons. Every day he only saw him settling accounts and wandering around. However, as the abbot, he said that he did not believe in Buddhism, but he could not make people feel contemptuous and hostile. Shikamaru
Maru knew how hard it was to manage this poor temple and maintain its traditional traditions.
It's just that an old man who doesn't believe in Buddhism has been a monk in a temple for more than forty years, and finally became the abbot. Shikamaru really felt a little bit ridiculous.
"Does the donor think it's funny?" The abbot seemed to see through Shikamaru's thoughts and asked directly and unkindly: "If you don't believe in Buddhism, you can't do good deeds? Can't you serve the Buddha?"
"I want to survive, repay kindness, and do good deeds. Buddhism teaches people to accumulate virtue, do good deeds, and love all living beings. These places are consistent with my original intention. Why can't I serve as abbot, why can't I inherit the mantle of my former residence, why can't I maintain the livelihood of the temple and teach people
Accumulate virtue and do good deeds?" The abbot said with a smile: "Why do you laugh at me, donor? Do you know what you want?"
After Shikamaru hesitated slightly, he replied: "I think people in the world live a better life."
"Is it 'Do you think people's lives are better', or 'People think their lives are better'?" the abbot asked rhetorically.
"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked with a frown.
"If you can't figure this out, it means you don't know what you want." The abbot said softly: "I want the rich to give more to the poor, the lords to collect less taxes from the poor, and the landlords to give land to the landless so that everyone can have it.
A way to survive.”
Shikamaru nodded. After leaving the Country of Fire, he truly saw the true face of this world. The feudal system relied on the power of ninja rule to become more stable, and it also gave some classes more unscrupulous capital, not to mention those who were in the gaps between big countries.
A small country struggling to survive, even within the borders of several big countries, dirty and dirty incidents are common. There is no hybrid rice and no developed technology. For many people, having enough to eat is already a luxury.
matter.
"But the rich also earn their own money. Even if they don't use it temporarily, they hope to benefit their descendants so that they can continue to be rich and not become poor. If I ask them to help the poor more, will they be willing? If I implement it
With this concept, many people who are about to become rich are worried that they will repeat the footsteps of the rich and their efforts will be in vain. Even some people who think they may be rich in the future will feel that this is poaching their future flesh. How can they feel that
Do you want to live a better life?" The abbot pointed to the old monk next to him and said: "My senior brother advises people to practice hard. I hope that the monks can polish their souls, seek transcendence, set an example for the world, and live a simple life - are all the monks willing?
?Are those believers who cannot concentrate on serving the Buddha and can only rely on incense money to buy peace of mind willing?"
"It's obviously your own ideas that are imposed on people, so why bother with the beautiful description? What you think is a good thing may be a bad thing to others. What others think is the right choice may be an extreme mistake in your opinion." Abbot
Looking at Shikamaru calmly: "So I warned the monks in the temple not to bother too much when asking for alms and admonishing the rich. We are willing to work hard for the poor, naturally regardless of gains and losses, but why do we need to impose it on others? It will offend them, but instead
It will cause trouble."
"The reason why you warned the monks in the temple to do this is because you don't have stronger power or enough ability." Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and said slightly sarcastically. Although the abbot did not directly accuse him, he always felt that the other party
There are words in the words, which makes me feel a little unhappy.
"Yes." Unexpectedly, the abbot admitted simply and generously: "If I were the leader of my country, I would definitely persecute those who are rich and unkind, embarrass them, and help the poor. This goes against the original intention of Buddhism, so I don't believe in Buddhism."
"So I don't believe in Buddhism, so I don't believe in Buddhism..." Shikamaru was stunned, touched his forehead in a daze, murmured and repeated the abbot's words, but a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, which eventually turned into a wild laugh, and pointed at the abbot.
Said: "In this case, you are not a monk at all, you are clearly a 'robber'!"
"Some people would call me a robber, but more people would call me a Bodhisattva." The abbot also laughed, then his smile faded and he sighed: "It's a pity that I can neither be a robber nor a Bodhisattva.
I can only be an 'old monk'."
"I think many people will call me a madman or a robber in the future." Shikamaru spread his hands and said, "As for whether it is true or not, we have to wait for their descendants to comment. I can only let more people call me first.
I am a 'Bodhisattva'."
(Today I was posting a debate with someone. I thought the other party was just being tortured. I posted information in a joking tone to refute the other party's childish remarks. In the end, he directly claimed to be a "leading party", which really left the servant speechless.