During the Han Dynasty, in order to maintain the stability of the capital, the hinterland of Guanzhong, located in the capital, was divided into three. Jingzhaoyin, Fengyi on the left, and Fufeng on the right were respectively established. They were collectively called the Three Assistants in Guanzhong, and the name of Fufeng County was passed down from this.
Down.
If we push back another thousand years, this was the early capital of the Zhou people. Not far away is Fengming Qishan. It was on this land that the Western Zhou Dynasty established its earliest cities, palaces and ancestral temples.
Li Yan was walking on the streets of Fufeng and felt like he was alive.
He once thought that drinking the tea soup of this period was the most challenging thing, but he soon discovered that traveling in ancient times was the real torture.
Especially when marching with a large army.
This time Pei Sijian, the governor of Liangzhou, led a team and returned to Beijing to report on their duties together with Qiu Ying, the leader of the Neiwei Pavilion, and Li Yan, the Wudewei.
In name, he was escorting the Tibetan envoys, but in reality he was escorting Liangzhou prisoner Jia Sibo and other Tibetan spies.
A group of more than 800 people set out from Liangzhou, passed through Lanzhou and Tianshui, and finally arrived in Guanzhong after more than half a month.
Since Li Yan was also a court official, he could not move around freely on the road, and he had to guard criminals, so his daily life was boring and monotonous.
Fortunately, after arriving at Qizhou Post House, the delegation could finally be handed over to the guards from Chang'an, and Li Yan was relieved.
So, after simply placing his luggage in the upper hall room, he immediately took a few of his followers out for a walk.
The flow of people in Qizhou is obviously not as prosperous as in Liangzhou, but the number of monks on the street has obviously increased, with pious expressions on their faces, and they are gathering in one direction.
Fufeng County was a famous archaeological place in later generations, with a large number of Western Zhou bronzes unearthed, and a Buddhist holy site. It is a national 5a-level scenic spot, representing world-class quality.
Li Yan followed the direction in which the monks were traveling and soon saw a series of temples. He could vaguely see a tall tower rising from the center: "That's Famen Temple, right! Is that tall tower a stupa?"
Qiu Shenji, who was following behind him, hurriedly acted as a tour guide: "Liu Lang has a sharp eye. This Famen Temple was built in the late Han Dynasty. At that time, Buddhism had just been introduced to the Central Plains, so it is also called the ancestor of Guanzhong Pagoda Temple."
"This temple was called 'Ashoka Temple' before the Zhou and Wei Dynasties. It was renamed 'Chengshi Taoist Temple' during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. It was not until Emperor Gaozu that it was renamed 'Famen Temple'."
"And what is enshrined in that stupa is the true body relic of Buddha Sakyamuni."
Qiu Shenji looked at the stupa with awe in his expression: "Unfortunately, there was a fire in the temple. After the flames reached the sky, only the base of the stupa was burned. Only the pedestal enshrining the Buddha's bones and relics was safe and sound.
There are no traces of scorch..."
Li Yan raised his eyebrows: "Is there still such a thing?"
"It's absolutely true!"
Qiu Shenji’s words were precise: “In the fifth year of Xianqing’s reign (660), the saint welcomed the relics to Luoyang, the eastern capital, and made offerings to them for three years. I was still young at that time, and I was fortunate enough to bathe in the light of the Buddha’s relics. I suddenly felt peaceful all over my body. I was originally sick.
My body is also much healthier.”
"It's really amazing..."
Li Yan responded perfunctorily, without hesitation in his heart.
After the great rise of Buddhism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it became deeply ingrained in the hearts of many families. The names and characters used for their children were all based on Buddhism.
Not to mention others, his grandfather Li Jing, whose nickname is Medicine Master, is a standard Buddhist name. He hopes to be blessed by Medicine Master Buddha.
And the finger bones in this stupa are related to Sakyamuni. No matter how miraculous it is, it cannot be overstated.
It's okay at this time, but in the late Tang Dynasty, the scene of welcoming the Buddha's bones was called fanaticism.
Civil and military officials and wealthy families competed to donate gold and silk. People from all over the world came to pay homage to the Buddha with their young and old. Many people even cut off their arms and fingers on the spot just to show their devotion to the Buddha.
Qiu Shenji was also a Buddhist. Seeing that Li Yan seemed interested, the conversation became lively.
Through his narration, Li Yan also learned that at the same time that the relics were brought to Luoyang, the temple that was burned by the fire also began to be renovated.
In order to show his attention, Li Zhi took the lead and rewarded 5,000 coins and 5,000 pieces of silk, equivalent to about 15 million yuan in later generations, and then called on ministers to donate materials and money.
I donated it, you can do whatever you want.
Who dares to be free?
Therefore, in less than ten years, Famen Temple has been transformed from a ruin after the fire into the magnificent and continuous temple it is today, with stupas also erected.
Just as he was thinking about it, there was a noise in front of him. Li Yan took a few steps further and saw a monk with red lips and white teeth, surrounded by several strong monks, and the atmosphere was tense.
"Kumara?"
This arrogant and arrogant little Ming King of Tubo has been reclusive among the envoys since he made one appearance when the Tibetan ambassador died.
Li Yan had seen him from a distance several times, always practicing his seal skills. He suddenly felt pressured and quickly found a place to practice martial arts.
Now Kumarajiva came to Famen Temple and said: "I heard that Zhongtu practiced Zen and taught Dharma, opened the convenience door and carried the boat of compassion, and the young monk came to pay homage. Why did he stop me in front of the door?"
The monk who knows guests at Famen Temple is also very diplomatic: "Your Excellency has come from afar, and our temple should welcome you. However, as an envoy, you need to go to Xijing to obtain a public examination, so that we can receive you."
Kumarajiva did not leave: "Buddha has no borders and saves all living beings."
The monk who knew the guest replied: "Buddha has no national borders, but people have national boundaries."
"It's good!"
Li Yan looked secretly amused.
The Tibetan envoys came to the Tang Dynasty not to pursue the use of force. Fighting with real swords and guns was a matter for the army. In addition to diplomatic negotiations, their duty was to defeat the Tang Dynasty in other fields.
Such as polo.
Such as Buddhism.
Kumara came here just to discuss the Dharma. If he could defeat the eminent monks from the Tang Dynasty, his prestige would be completely different after returning home.
But Famen Temple is a thief. It just doesn't accept the attack head-on. It sticks to the official identity certificate and drags it out, which makes Kumara useless.
The two sides debated for a few more words, and Kumarajiva raised his head and stared deeply at the stupa in the distance, clasped his hands together, and turned to leave.
After turning around and walking a few steps, he saw Li Yan watching the fun in the crowd and waved to him.
Kumarajiva's face was expressionless and he left with a slightly faster pace.
"This little monk is not happy. The bright mirror produces dust. He has not practiced Buddhism well enough!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Seeing that the other party was embarrassed, Li Yan was so happy: "Come on, let's go into the temple and walk around."
After hearing this, Qiu Shenji walked quickly and came to Zhike Monk. After informing him of his name, he handed over some yellow things.
The Zhike monk weighed the portions, a solemn smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he opened the door: "Donor please!"
Li Yan walked in leisurely with his hands behind his back and began to visit.
To be fair, there's nothing interesting to see.
The fire a few decades ago was so severe that the temple and the stupa were almost burned to the ground.
It was slightly repaired during the Zhenguan period, and the formal reconstruction began eight years ago. The scale has become larger, but it is not grand enough.
If it weren't for the reputation of the Buddha's bone relics, the interior decoration of this temple would probably not be ranked among the Buddhist temples in the country.
It can be seen that Li Zhi's support for Buddhism was limited. Only this saint knew how much of the purpose of building a temple with the Buddha's bones was to believe in Buddhism and how much of it was to call on ministers to donate money to achieve some political goals.
Realizing that Li Yan had not been influenced by Buddhism, and seeing that he had an extraordinary bearing, even his followers looked like masters, the monk Zhike winked, and the young monk next to him immediately withdrew.
Not long after, a kind-hearted old monk replaced the middle-aged monk who knew the guests and came to welcome the wealthy guests.
Li Yan said: "I am deeply honored to be welcomed by an eminent monk from a famous temple. I don't know the master's name?"
The old monk had a calm face and clasped his hands together: "I dare not call you a master, but the old monk is a wise man."
Li Yan smiled and said: "It turns out to be Master Faming."
The two started chatting. As expected of a master, the old monk introduced the history of the temple and was much more professional than the Zhike monk just now.
Qiu Shenji, who was behind, listened and felt that not accepting the donation as a gift to the Buddha was a disgrace to the conscience of heaven and earth.
Li Yan didn't have a good impression of Buddhism in his heart. He smiled and listened, nodding his head from time to time to cheer up the atmosphere, but he never spoke.
Fa Ming saw that the idea was tedious, but he did not panic. It happened to be noon, so he invited: "Please come and use some fast food."
"good!"
This was exactly what Li Yan wanted. When the vegetarian meal was on the table, he said, "I also like to drink tea. I have recently figured out some unique ways to drink tea. Please try it too!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another inner guard took out the tea cakes and utensils that had been prepared, and Li Yan began to cook tea smoothly.
Fa Ming was stunned.
Everyone who has tasted the monk's morning tea knows that this young man has such a strong taste?
"Eh? This fragrance..."
But soon, without explanation, even the other monks around him stretched their necks in surprise and inhaled the tea-scented steam.
Why is it different from the medicine we drink!
When the tea was finished, Li Yan took a spoon and drank it himself: "Please!"
The old monk Fa Ming took a sip and showed surprise.
Although it is not particularly delicious, the refreshing effect is preserved and the taste is much better, which is really amazing.
He also understood that this young man was here to sell tea products, so no wonder he refused to let go.
However, there are two major groups in the world that are so poor that they only have money, one is called Hanmen, and the other is Buddhism.
The latter is often more exaggerated because believers pay donations to the Buddha.
Even though Famen Temple is far from its heyday, there is no shortage of money. I just want to order more.
If this tea can really become fragrant and pleasant, Faming will be happy to buy some, even if it costs some money.
However, after everyone finished tasting the tea, Li Yan nodded slightly, and the inner guard put down the tea cakes and tea sets: "This is a gift for me to give to your temple to express my gratitude. I hope the master will accept it!"
Fa Ming was surprised and clasped his hands together: "Thank you so much, donor!"
Li Yan smiled slightly, said a few polite words, and turned to leave.
The journey to bring the goods was very long. Every time he and his cronies went to a temple, they would ask the monks to taste new tea to let them know what the hell they were drinking before.
What is merit? This is called merit.
***The author has something to say***
Thanks to the book friends "Recalling Dreams of Changning", "Tianjing Huntian Baojian", "Revolution of Tianming", "Missing Her in Every Dream", "It's a Cool Day", "Yiguan Yiguan" and "Book Friends" for their rewards.