Seven hundred and twenty-four - seven hundred and twenty-five chapters Buddha (2)
Chapter 724-725 Buddhist Instruments (2)
Balang Street is a must-see for anyone traveling to Lhasa. It is very prosperous, and the shops here are naturally very expensive.
The handicraft shop that Zheng Hua brought Zhuang Rui and others to was not very big, only about ten square meters. The products displayed inside were all common handicrafts in Tibet. The only unique thing was that the boss was a foreigner.
To be precise, the boss here is a foreign girl, not very old, with a fair face with a few freckles, wearing a braid, and is using English and gestures to bargain with the customers.
"Brother Zheng, there shouldn't be any old items here. Let's go to some shops opened by locals..."
Zhuang Rui took a look at the products displayed at the entrance of the store. The hadas tied together in bundles, and some thangka small hidden knives and other objects were obviously made with modern craftsmanship and were not of much interest.
Among the customers who were wandering around the store, eight or nine out of ten were attracted by the proprietress.
"Hello Lei, please come in..."
When the foreign girl saw Zhuang Rui and his party standing at the door, she quickly came out and said hello. Although her Chinese was not very authentic, the enthusiasm on her face was not fake.
As the saying goes, don't hit someone with a smiling face. This foreign girl was so enthusiastic that turning away and leaving would not be in line with the way Chinese people treat guests. Zhuang Rui and others could only walk into the store, thinking about walking around before going out.
Although Lama Gegu and Section Chief Zhang did not follow, the place was not big in the first place. After Zhuang Rui and the other three entered, they still felt a bit crowded. There were people queuing up at the door waiting to pay. A Tibetan girl of eighteen or nineteen years old was there.
Collection.
However, as soon as the white lion entered the store, the foreign tourists were so frightened that they all hid on both sides, leaving a large space for Zhuang Rui and others.
"Go inside and have a look..."
Zhuang Rui saw that on the innermost row of shelves, there were many objects that seemed to be of some age. He quickly greeted Zheng Hua and walked over.
"Hey, the things here are pretty good..."
Zhuang Rui picked up an ornament made of Tibetan silver, with a look of surprise on his face.
"Brother Zhuang, what's wrong? Didn't you say that these are all modern handicrafts?"
Zheng Hua, who was following Zhuang Rui, asked. He also pretended to take a Tibetan silver necklace from the shelf and looked at it.
Zhuang Rui shook his head and said: "It's different, Brother Zheng, go trick this boss and ask her where these things come from..."
Zhuang Rui hasn't looked at the other items yet, but the thirty or forty pieces of Tibetan silver jewelry displayed here are real old Tibetan silver, at least a hundred years old, and can be considered antiques.
"Okay, I'll go ask..."
Zheng Hua walked directly to the door and started chatting with the foreign girl in English.
Zhuang Rui turned to Peng Fei and said: "Peng Fei, these are good things. They are all from Lao Zangyin. You can pick some for your wife to take with you..."
In the words of Tibetans, Tibetan silver is actually white copper, which contains very little silver. The silver content of old Tibetan silver is generally 30% silver and 70% copper, while modern imitations
For this product, even the 30% of the silver was removed, and the whole thing was made of white copper.
The origin of Tibetan silver jewelry is that before liberation, Tibet was very poor and backward, and the amount of silver was very scarce. In order to avoid alkaline corrosion, silver was added to other metals. Over time, it became a craft
.
Sterling silver jewelry is more delicate, and the stones inlaid with it are mostly real turquoise, red coral, etc. The quality of the stone is better, and its brightness is stronger than that of Tibetan silver. In comparison, Tibetan silver is more primitive and primitive.
Pure silver jewelry made with modern technology is more expensive than Tibetan silver, but old Tibetan silver jewelry is extremely precious and rare, and is rarely seen in the market.
The jewelry Zhuang Rui looked at had a touch of white aura inside, which meant that these Tibetan silver jewelry should be made according to traditional craftsmanship and have certain collection value.
"Brother, I asked clearly..."
When Zhuang Rui was picking out these Tibetan silver jewelry, Zheng Hua squeezed back and said: "That foreign girl is British. Because she likes Tibet, after traveling here, she is not willing to go back, so she opened a restaurant like this
shop……"
"Brother Zheng, I didn't ask you to pick up girls, why are you talking to me?"
Zhuang Rui interrupted Zheng Hua dumbfounded. Which country this foreign girl is from has nothing to do with Zhuang Rui.
However, the character of these foreigners makes it difficult for Zhuang Rui to understand. When you come to a strange place, you feel good and don't want to leave. This is very different from the Chinese people who cannot leave their homeland. At least Zhuang Rui can't do it.
This kind of thing.
Zheng Hua was a little embarrassed by what Zhuang Rui said, and replied with a smile: "Brother, you are too underestimated, right? We are just looking for someone, at least it must be someone from the British royal family..."
Zheng Hua is really not bragging. With the influence of the Zheng family in Hong Kong and the UK, it is not impossible to find a distant princess with some royal blood.
"Okay, don't be so embarrassed, let's talk about the origins of these things..."
Zheng Hua doesn't have the arrogance of those "gentlemen" in Sijiucheng. He has dated Zhuang Rui several times. The relationship between the two is not bad, so Zhuang Rui talks more casually.
"Well, all the things on this shelf were collected by the foreign girl from herdsmen and temples in Tibetan areas. She often goes back to the pastoral areas and interacts with those Tibetans..."
Zheng Hua's words made Zhuang Rui relieved. No wonder there were so many old objects. When Zhuang Rui chatted with Rinchen Tsomo before, he heard him mention that when a Tibetan girl gets married, she has to go with many exaggeratedly colored gold, silver, pearls and jade ornaments.
of.
This has been passed down from generation to generation, and many Tibetans will have some items such as jewelry made of Tibetan silver in their homes.
"Hao Lei, what do you want to buy? Cheap!"
Zhuang Rui was talking to Zheng Hua when the foreign landlady came over at some point. She was not afraid of the white lion next to Zhuang Rui and took the initiative to say hello.
"Use English..."
Seeing that the landlady was struggling to speak Chinese, Zhuang Rui said in English: "I like these things very much. How much does it cost in total?"
"You want them all?" the foreign girl shouted in surprise.
You know, there are thirty or forty pieces of Tibetan silver jewelry on the shelf alone, plus a few thangkas, turquoise, and ashtrays made of yak bones, there are a total of sixty or seventy handicrafts.
of.
"Yes, that's all..."
Zhuang Rui nodded. It is still relatively difficult to buy authentic handicrafts made by Tibetans. Like the handicrafts displayed on the other shelves, most likely they came from Yiwu, Zhejiang, the one on Beijing East Road in Lhasa City.
There are a lot of such things in the small commodity wholesale market.
Could it be that after seeing so many old handicrafts, Zhuang Rui would definitely buy them all if he had this opportunity. It would also be good to take them back and give them away. It is said that the people living in his courtyard can digest most of them.
"Oh, you are so generous, I want to do some calculations..."
The foreign boss lady was so surprised that she ran to the door and took the calculator in her hand. She was calculating in her mouth while looking at the things on the shelf from time to time.
In fact, these are all for Zhuang Rui and others to see. Last month, the boss lady went to the homes of herdsmen in Tibetan areas to receive these things, which cost a total of more than 9,000 RMB. What the boss lady is thinking about now is, in this nine
Should I add a zero after the thousand, or should I double it several times and sell it to Zhuang Rui and others?
"Well, the total is 80,000 yuan, of course, it's RBM."
After some consideration, the proprietress gave the price. She sold these jewelry and handicrafts for about 500 yuan each, but not many people bought them. It took more than a month to collect them, but she only sold a few pieces.
Now that Zhuang Rui wanted to package it, the proprietress simply doubled the retail price and offered this price. Who said foreigners can't do business?
"Oh, no, beautiful lady, you don't look like a Jew? The price is too high..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. Normally, these Tibetan silver jewelry are only three to four hundred yuan each. The rest of the handicrafts are also in the price range of several hundred yuan. Seventy or eighty items are only worth thirty to fifty thousand yuan at most.
Money, this foreign girl is as big as a lion.
"Forty thousand, the most I can pay is 40,000 RMB..."
Zhuang Rui held out four fingers. Although he was rich, he was not a wealthy man. Only fools these days would spend huge sums of money to show their wealth.
"Forty thousand? Oh, no, you can't buy these things..."
British girls who are more Jewish are obviously very good at bargaining in China, especially when the other party can understand English.
"Bang!"
Just when Zhuang Rui was about to let this foreign girl learn how good a Chinese man's bargaining was, something suddenly fell from the shelf and made a crisp sound when it fell to the ground.
"Well, you go on, I'll look through it casually..."
Peng Fei bent down and picked up the thing. It was placed among several old hadas. When he was flipping the hadas, he accidentally knocked it to the ground.
The proprietress obviously didn't notice that Zhuang Rui's eyes were attracted by the objects in Peng Fei's hand, and he was still chattering: "Sir, the things I have here are all pure handicrafts, and they are the same as those from outside."
They are sold differently. You have to know that if you are in the UK, these things will be more expensive..."
"Fifty thousand, all of it. If there's more, I'll go to the Tibetan people's homes to collect it myself..."
Zhuang Rui withdrew his eyes and extended a slap with a very firm gaze, although he knew that even if this foreign girl wanted 100,000, he would obediently pay for it.
"Okay, deal!"
The foreign landlady was obviously well versed in the ways of doing business in China and knew enough was enough. After some eye contact with Zhuang Rui, she readily agreed.
"This bag is given to you. Come and visit me again when you have time..."
The foreign landlady knows how to give customers a small advantage in order to cultivate repeat customers. After Zhuang Rui swiped his card and paid the bill, she handed Zhuang Rui a travel bag made of canvas.
"Thank you……"
Zhuang Rui took the bag and walked to the shelf, threw it to Peng Fei, and said: "Pack it all up, brother Zheng, if you have any favorite items, just pick them out and take them back as gifts. Well, this item is an exception...
…”
While talking, Zhuang Rui took the thing that Peng Fei had just picked up in his hand and looked at it without blinking, for fear of breaking something.
"Brother Zhuang, is this prayer wheel valuable?"
After Zheng Hua saw Zhuang Rui's actions, he seemed to understand something, and he also came to Zhuang Rui's side and looked at the prayer wheel in Zhuang Rui's hand.
That's right, what fell to the ground just now is a small hand-held prayer wheel. The wheel body is brass-colored. The wooden handle underneath looks dark and slightly purple. It is covered with dust. It looks like it has not been there for a long time.
Used it.
"Hey, this is not a question of whether it is worth money or not. Even if you have money, you can't buy it. This prayer wheel still needs to be verified, but it should be at least more than a thousand years old..."
Zhuang Rui looked at the prayer wheel with only seven short verses on it, and his eyes shone with a strange look.
Because just when the prayer wheel fell to the ground and was picked up by Peng Fei, Zhuang Rui accidentally saw that the prayer wheel actually contained rich aspiration power.
Moreover, these vows are completely different from those generated by lamas chanting sutras. They condense in the prayer wheel and are purple-gold in color. When Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy comes into contact with these vows, there is an ethereal feeling in the heart.
A feeling of peace.
"The Buddhist utensils must have been used by a certain eminent monk. Maybe they were used by those legendary figures..."
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed and handed the prayer wheel to Qin Xuanbing, believing that the aspiration power inside would be good for his wife and his unidentified child. At the very least, it would make people's minds quiet.
"Brother Zhuang, I heard that the more scriptures on this prayer wheel, the better? There seems to be only a few sentences on it?"
Zheng Hua came close to observe it for a while and raised his own questions. Apart from being more exquisitely made, this thing didn't seem to be anything special.
Moreover, there were only seven lines of scripture on it, and each line of scripture contained seven characters. Zheng Hua saw dozens or even hundreds of times more scriptures on other prayer wheels than this one, so he was a little disapproving.
"Brother Zheng, this thing is extraordinary..."
Zhuang Rui smiled proudly, like a child who got a long-awaited toy.
"Peng Fei, give me the mineral water..."
Zhuang Rui asked Peng Fei for a bottle of mineral water, and then took out a pair of glasses cases from his handbag. This was a pair of sunglasses Qin Xuanbing bought specially for Zhuang Rui because she was afraid that he would be exposed to excessive ultraviolet radiation in Tibet.
Taking out the glasses cloth from the glasses case, Zhuang Rui poured a little water on it, and then wiped it against the slightly dark body of the prayer wheel.
"Why...how did this change color?"
As the color of Zhuang Rui's wiped wheel appeared, everyone around Zhuang Rui was shocked. Even Peng Fei, who was stuffing things into his bag, stopped and stared blankly.
Holding the prayer wheel.
The wheel body, which was originally a bit yellow and dim in color, showed a golden color after being wiped by Zhuang Rui. The sunlight outside the house shone through the glass window on the prayer wheel, shining brightly and dazzlingly.
"This is not brass, this is gold!" Peng Fei said in a deep voice.
Peng Fei, who had once transported tons of gold with Zhuang Rui, recognized at a glance that this prayer wheel was made of gold.
"gold?!"
Zheng Hua exclaimed in surprise. He was also a knowledgeable person. Such a small amount of gold did not put it in his eyes, but the meaning behind it was great. In Tibet, gold can be used to make prayer wheels.
What kind of identity will that be?
"That's right, it's gold. Haha, I found a treasure..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and nodded, and after wiping the wooden handle underneath, he said: "Not only is the prayer wheel made of gold, but the handle below is also made of fine rosewood. This prayer wheel,
It is very likely that it was left over from the Sui and Tang Dynasties..." (According to personal research, red sandalwood appeared in the Tang Dynasty, uh, unofficial history, unofficial history)
Before Zhuang Rui finished speaking, there was a sound of breathing in the store. If this prayer wheel is really from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it might even have been used by Buddha.
You should know that among the monks who entered Tibet during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, many are now said to have become Buddhas. Many Buddhist figures on thangkas are based on monks from that time.
"Brother, sell this thing to me. I'll pay 10 million Hong Kong dollars. No... I'll pay 20 million Hong Kong dollars!"
Zheng Hua knew Zhuang Rui's skills in antique appraisal. Since he said it in public, the prayer wheel was most likely an item from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and he immediately offered a price.
Zheng Hua himself is not a believer in Tibetan Buddhism, but his grandfather is. The old man believes deeply in Buddhism and is very pious. His family has dozens of Buddhist utensils consecrated by living Buddha monks.
As far as Zheng Hua knows, his family has spent at least hundreds of millions on incense money over the years. If he spends 20 million to buy this object, the old man must be happy.
"Oh my God, that thing is gold?!"
Before Zhuang Rui could reply, the foreign landlady's exclamation immediately attracted everyone's attention.
It's not that the boss lady didn't realize it later, it was because she couldn't understand Chinese and was just informed by the little girl who collected the money.
"This already belongs to me..."
Zhuang Rui shook the prayer wheel in his hand at the proprietress. If it weren't for the lack of clothing in summer, Zhuang Rui would have wanted to put it in his arms.
"Well, of course, it's already yours..."
Although the landlady doesn’t know what “losing treasure” means (that is, selling something worth hundreds of thousands or even more expensive for several thousand dollars at a loss, the buyer is “missing out”), but she also knows that maybe just this
A prayer wheel cost more than the 50,000 yuan I got, so I looked a little disappointed.
"Peng Fei, hurry up..."
Zhuang Rui saw that Peng Fei was only looking at the prayer wheel, and he quickly kicked him lightly. This thing is not an ordinary object. It is true that he should take it back and put it away as soon as possible.
"Jushi Zhuang, can you show me your prayer wheel?"
Hearing that Zhuang Rui took out a prayer wheel in the store, Lama Gegu and Section Chief Zhang, who were sunbathing outside, rushed into the store. Gegu even reached out to Zhuang Rui to ask for it, wanting to see it.
This prayer wheel.
"Okay, just in time, Master Gegu, please help me see what scripture is on this..."
Zhuang Rui also took a look at the text on the prayer wheel just now, but it seemed to be more complicated than the oracle bone inscriptions and inscriptions. Just then Gegu came in and asked him to identify it. If he knew what the scripture was, he could check the description. Maybe we can know the origin of this prayer wheel.
"Jushi Zhuang, yes... I'm sorry, I don't recognize the words above either. It should be Sanskrit from ancient India, not Tibetan..."
Lama Gegu took the prayer wheel and studied it carefully for a while, and then returned the prayer wheel to Zhuang Rui with some shame. He had never attended a Buddhist college and was not very proficient in Buddhist texts, but he seemed to be familiar with some classics. , I have seen similar words.
After returning the prayer wheel to Zhuang Rui, Gegu still stared at the prayer wheel and said: "Principal Zhuang, I can feel that this prayer wheel must be the most precious treasure of our Buddhism. You can ask the great lama in the monastery to help you answer these scriptures..."
Zhuang Rui laughed when he heard this and said: "Haha, thank you, Master Gegu. No need. I will take this prayer wheel back and study it slowly. My teacher studies characters..."
Are you kidding me? Of course I know this thing is a Buddhist treasure, but if I take it back to your Jokhang Temple, I'm afraid nothing will happen to you.
In Zhuang Rui's opinion, this object is like a Buddhist relic. If someone gets it, will he want to keep it for himself? If that is the case, I am afraid that monks all over the world will fight for their lives.
"Principal Zhuang, I will ask the great lama to help you answer the question right away..."
Lama Gegu still refused to give up. Although he was only a law enforcement lama, he could still see that this gold prayer wheel was definitely a Buddhist instrument.
"Uh, there's really no need. Peng Fei, can't you hurry up? I'm tired and I need to go back and rest..."
Zhuang Rui stuffed the prayer wheel into his handbag, but found that the handbag was not big enough. He immediately reminded Peng Fei to hurry up and get out quickly. If he stayed any longer, he might be blocked by the lamas.
"This layman, can you show me the prayer wheel in your hand?"
Suddenly, a clear voice sounded from behind Gegu. Because Lama Gegu was tall, he completely blocked the man behind him. Zhuang Rui could only tell that the person speaking was not old.
"Okay, come and get it..."
As long as he doesn't go to the Jokhang Temple, Zhuang Rui is not afraid. Is it possible that someone would dare to rob this store in broad daylight?
"Thanks!"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, a young lama who was not tall and looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old walked out from behind Gegu Lama.
The little lama came to Zhuang Rui, first clasped his hands and saluted Zhuang Rui, and then took the prayer wheel.
