After the date was agreed upon, Chen Zhi and Pang Wei quickly set off for West Bund City. West Bund City is a famous tourist city with a constant flow of foreigners, because the mission this time was just to meet, and the meeting place was in a public place and involved many things.
There was no danger, so Guidao didn't go with them.
In order not to attract attention, the two of them did not bring any other people. They just bought two sets of clean and formal Tang suits and put them on. They looked like two young men with devout faith in Buddhism.
It was around 9 a.m. when they arrived in West Bank City. The original plan was to meet Master Pu Hang at 10:30, but an urgent schedule was added in the morning. In the end, they waited in the guest house hall of Tianfa Temple for a long time until the afternoon.
Around two o'clock, the assistant monk came out and said they could go in.
The assistant monk led them all the way to the depths of Tianfa Temple, and talked to them about the rules of meeting. Along the way, they saw various Buddhist monuments, including stone tablets from the Tang and Song Dynasties, Buddha statues, and even inscriptions from the emperor.
Plaque.
The assistant monk told them all the way, saying that Master Puhang had a very high status. He was the chief abbot of Tianfa Temple and the president of the World Buddhist Association. He asked them to pay attention to their tone when speaking, not to ask too many questions, and Master Puhang's age.
When you are older and in poor health, you should not speak too hastily.
The assistant looked at Pang Wei worriedly. Pang Wei specially wore a beige Tang suit today, with his hair neatly combed to one side. He looked as formal as a blind date, but it still couldn't hide his scornful look.
The assistant monk looked at Fat Wei and frowned, and specifically told him to speak politely, not to speak out, and not to make Master Puhang angry.
Under the instructions of his assistant, Pang Wei walked very nervously along the way. After passing through several halls, they finally entered the reception hall of Tianfa Temple...
As soon as he entered, Chen Zhi smelled a strong scent of sandalwood. The room was very empty, with a few futons on the ground and an old monk sitting there quietly.
Before this, Chen Zhi had imagined the scene of this meeting countless times. In today's society, no matter how pure and pure the enlightened monk is, he will inevitably be tainted by the smell of copper.
Like many famous Buddhist guest rooms, Master Puhang should be wearing a red cassock, sitting in a gorgeously decorated hall, surrounded by gorgeously carved Buddhist murals, holding a valuable red sandalwood Buddha.
He may talk about Buddhism and morality, or he may be full of otherworldly nobility, but Chen Zhi will eventually find his loopholes, force him to show his flaws, and discover his ugly face hidden behind the monk's robe.
But what he didn't expect was... when Chen Zhi entered the room, he didn't see any valuable Buddhist beads or golden Buddha statues. There wasn't even any decorative furniture here.
This room is very simple, with nothing else except a few futons and a small wooden table in the middle.
The table was very small, with a small porcelain teapot and several teacups placed on it. One of the teacups had a hole in it.
There was an old incense burner placed on the table, with a stick of sandalwood burning on it. The fragrance was slowly emitting, filling the whole room with fragrant mist.
In the center of the room, there is an old man. He holds the precepts on his head and sits cross-legged on a futon. He is not wearing a cassock, only a coarse monk's clothes. The clothes are no longer new.
It is old, and the corners of his clothes are full of white marks. The old man is holding a string of old wooden rosary beads with black oil in his hand. The white eyebrows are drooped on the old face, which is full of traces of time. He is closing his eyes to meditate.
But for such a simple and peaceful old monk, Chen Zhi and Pang Wei actually felt oppressed and did not dare to invade. The old monk obviously did not notice them coming in and had been meditating with his eyes closed.
Time passed by second by second, and their time was very limited. In the end, Fat Wei couldn't bear it anymore.
"Hey! Chengzi, this old monk may have fallen asleep. How about..., let's go call him?" Fat Wei looked at Chen Zhi in a gesture.
Chen Zhi nodded slightly to agree, and Fat Wei took a few steps forward.
"Hey! Master Puhang...".
Fat Wei called softly but did not dare to get too close.
But the old monk in front didn't seem to hear, and still had his eyes closed. His eyebrows were white and long, almost covering his eyes.
Fat Wei called twice more, but the other party still didn't respond, motionless like a clay Buddha statue.
In the end, Fat Wei had no choice but to walk over and push the old monk on the shoulder, "Hey! Master..., Master Puhang..., Lafayette?"
Fat Wei pushed with his hand, and Master Puhang's eyes slowly opened, and then he yawned.
"Amitabha, I just fell asleep. It's so good, so good~~~".
This almost irritated Fatty Wei to death. He thought to himself that this old monk was really big-hearted and would sleep whenever he wanted.
After Fat Wei and Chen Zhi introduced themselves, they each found a futon to sit down. Master Puhang was very humble and had no airs, but he was indeed old. He took down two tea bowls from the small table with trembling hands.
Pour tea for Chen Zhi and Pang Wei with your own hands.
This behavior of Master Pu Hang undoubtedly increased Chen Zhi and Pang Wei's good impression of him, especially Pang Wei. He even respected the old monk a little and forgot what he was here for.
"What do you want when you two come here?" Master Puhang seemed to be in poor health, and he kept coughing as he spoke!
"oh!",
I don’t know why, but Chen Zhi was a little nervous in front of the old monk. After he calmed down, he said,
"I have heard about the reputation of Master Puhang for a long time, so I came all the way today to ask for advice on Buddhism! We are both dull people. Although we always want to enter Buddhism, we can't figure it out. I hope the master can give us some guidance..."
"Those who enter Buddhism do not need to be intelligent, they only need to have no distracting thoughts and no lies! And what you are saying now is not what you think in your heart...",
After Master Puhang finished speaking, he lowered his eyes and did not even raise his eyes to look at Chen Zhi and Pang Wei.
"Think again! What are your intentions on this trip? Stop lying..."
"us……",
Chen Zhi was suddenly at a loss for words. He could no longer say the words he had prepared before. In front of this plainly dressed old monk, Chen Zhi actually trembled a little and did not dare to speak out...
Master Puhang raised his head and glanced at Chen Zhi calmly. The calmness in his eyes was beyond words. He then picked up his teacup, shook it slowly, closed his eyes and recited a sutra before drinking the tea.
.
"Master, do you still want to chant sutras before drinking tea?",
Fat Wei felt a little embarrassed when he saw the situation, and hurriedly smoothed things over with a playful smile.
"This is atonement..." the old monk said in a low voice.
"The Buddha observes that there are eighty-four thousand insects in a bowl of water. If you do not hold this mantra, it is like eating the flesh of living beings. When I drink this water, I am drinking the flesh of these water insects, so I feel ashamed of them. All living beings, the sword-wielding man
There are more than ten million people. If there is a demonic obstacle in the heart, killing will be as easy as flipping a finger!"
After the old monk finished speaking, his cloudy eyes slowly raised and looked at Chen Zhi again.
"The donor came here today to eliminate evil, right? So in your eyes, am I evil?"