What Zhao Ran was talking about was not the specific Taoist scriptures, Taoist teachings and techniques, or the religious rituals. He was talking about the inheritance of Taoism, the difference between learning and skills, and the question of what Taoism is.
Being able to preach Taoism to the monks in Tianlongyuan as a Taoist monk is the first time that Tianlongyuan has been established for more than 500 years. Unfortunately, it is not a formal preaching, otherwise it would be recorded in the history of Buddhism.
Although there were only a dozen monks listening to the lecture, Zhao Ran felt proud!
After the lecture, the monks in the Bodhi Hall clasped their hands and sent Zhao Ran off respectfully.
In the next few days, more and more monks were allowed to visit Guanyi, including Mingjue, Wenda, Yangfan and other monks who often came to ask Zhao Ran for advice. Zhang Juzheng, who lived next to him, was very concerned about the monks coming to ask Zhao Ran for advice.
The Taoist scholar was very surprised and joined the audience.
On the seventh day, Zhao Ran was invited to participate in Master Xuanci's Dharma Ceremony. On that day, the sky was covered with dark clouds and drizzle fell. Mingjue said that this was a Dharma phenomenon born from the influence of heaven and earth.
There was a sea of people inside and outside Tianlongyuan. Countless eminent monks, dignitaries, and good men and women came to Tianlongyuan to present Xuanci Hongti.
According to the last wish in the letter sent by Master Xuanci to Wen Yin and others before leaving, the rainbow body will be burned and the relics will be handed over to Tianlongyuan for disposal. This is an act of great mercy and is praised by Buddhism.
At noon, the Hongti of Master Xuanci, who had been worshiping for seven days, was sitting in the Buddhist niche and was carried out by four monks from Taici Temple, including Guangfa and Guangzhen. Eighteen monks were leading the way and protecting eighteen monks behind them, each holding heaven.
Umbrellas, incense burners, lotus lanterns, flower cages, wishful thinking, whisks and other things were accompanying them. Xuan Sheng was holding a ring plate in front of him. On the plate was Master Xuan Ci's golden bowl of enlightenment.
The queue came out of the Main Hall and headed west along Xingqing Main Street, bypassing the rippling Jinbo Lake. The willow branches on the lakeside were swaying lightly in the wind, as if they were also saying goodbye to Xuanci.
The group left the west gate and headed towards Tallinn outside the city.
On both sides of the road from Tianlongyuan out of the city to Talin, monks from major temples came out together to stand by the road and recite scriptures. The imperial city officials and the Yiwei Imperial Guards guarded the passage of the road.
.Behind them were hundreds of thousands of Xingqing people and surrounding tribesmen, all of whom came spontaneously to see Xuanci Hongti off.
The pagoda forest is not far from the city, just over two miles away. After entering, more monks and believers gathered in front of the temple, all waiting silently.
Guangfa, Guangzhen and other disciples of Taici Temple carried the Buddhist niche forward, passed through the crowd, and placed the Buddhist niche on the altar that had been set up. Led by Master Xuansheng, the Taici Temple monks placed the golden bowl on Xuan Sheng.
In front of the compassionate knees, I burn incense one by one and kneel down sincerely.
Master Yin Guang presided over the Dabi ceremony on behalf of Buddhism. He leaned on his staff and preached: "Everything has to be exchanged between life and death. The cold and heat come one after another. When it comes, the sky will be electrified. When it goes, the waves will clear the sea. On that day, there will be a new nirvana and enlightenment."
Great Monk Xuanci, the fate of this world has been exhausted. The great dream has moved, and the impermanence of all actions has been eliminated. I feel happy in silence, and want to go to the grand ceremony of Dabi. Since I follow the fate and obey the silence, I use Dabi and burn it.
After two hundred and seventy years of teaching and asceticism, I have entered the state of nirvana. I only hope that the mirror of wisdom will separate the brilliance and the true wind will scatter the colors. In the Bodhi Garden, the flower of enlightenment will spread out and in the sea of Dharma nature, the dirt of the heart will be cleansed.
"
After finishing the sermon, Master Yin Guang held up the "Samadhi Fire" and uttered the Dabi Dharma: "All actions are impermanent, this is the law of birth and death, birth and death have ceased, and cessation is the joy - burn!"
The "Samadhi Fire" hit the altar, and the altar suddenly became hot and flames. At the same time, dozens of eminent monks cast spells together and used Buddha's fire to help the flames.
At that moment, the dense dark clouds in the sky suddenly opened a hole, and the sunlight, like a tangible substance, shrouded the altar in a circle of light.
Zhao Ran looked at this ray of sunlight and couldn't help but be touched in his heart, secretly thinking that this Buddhist gate really does have a big doorway.
After Tumi's religious ceremony, the monks came forward to tidy up the Dharma altar and obtained a total of sixty-nine relics. The relics were made by Buddhist monks who gathered the power of precepts, concentration and wisdom. They are the appearance of the unity of the heart and the Buddha. Each relic looks like glass crystal.
, as solid as a rock, containing supreme magic power.
Zhao Ran secretly speculated that from a utilitarian perspective, this might be one of the main reasons why Buddhism values Xuanci Hongti.
I heard Mingjue sigh: "There are so many relics and their quality is so solemn. It shows that Master Xuanci's cultivation is profound and his merits are immeasurable. He should be ranked among the top three of our Xixia Buddhist sect in the past six hundred years!"
"What to do with these relics?" Zhao Ran asked.
Mingjue said: "According to the rules, nine are usually selected to be placed in the pagoda forest to replace the original body of the rainbow body, but it is a bit unexpected to get so many. I am afraid that eighteen will be selected for burial. The rest are handed over to the Bodhi Hall.
Maybe I’ll give two or three to Taici Temple as a souvenir.”
After picking up the relics, a ceremony for entering the relics into the pagoda was held in the pagoda forest. The monks recited one volume of the Amitabha Sutra, three mantras each three times, and respectfully invited the relics to be sealed in the pagoda. As expected, eighteen relics were sealed.
Zhao Ran wanted to see if the golden bowl had changed again, but he couldn't find it anymore. It must have been collected by Master Xuansheng.
In this way, Zhao Ran's official duties as an envoy will be completed. After your Majesty bids farewell to the Xixia leader Li Qianshun the next day, he can set off to return to the Ming Dynasty. And the date of meeting your Majesty is set for tomorrow, which seems very rushed.
It kind of means "get out of here".
Zhao Ran sometimes also thought, maybe this was the attitude of the young and ambitious king towards the emergence of Da Mingming?
But it's no wonder. After just conquering hundreds of miles of land east of Baihe, it's not normal for you to be "hospitable", right? It just doesn't seem necessary to be so impetuous.
That night, Zhao Ran and Zhang Juzheng met and ordered the twelve personal guards to pack their bags and return to Ming Dynasty after His Majesty's resignation tomorrow.
The place where Li Qianshun, the leader of the Xixia Kingdom, met Zhao Ran was in the Daqing Hall, Zhongshu Province, Privy Council, Third Division, Yushitai Kaifeng Palace, Yiwei Division, Official Accounting Division, Collection Division, Farmland Division, Qunhu Division, Feilong Courtyard, etc.
When all the civil and military officials of Xixia gathered in the main hall, they were accompanied by eminent monks from Tianlongyuan, Gaotai Temple, Jietai Temple and other major temples.
After Zhao Ran ascended the palace, as a Taoist monk, he clasped his fists and bowed to the king Li Qianshun on the throne, while Zhang Juzheng kowtowed to the ground as a foreign minister.
After the salute, the eunuch came out to ask Zhao Ran, asking whether his visit to Xingqing went smoothly, whether he had eaten well, whether he had completed his mission, etc. During this period, Li Qianshun in the throne did not say a word.
Zhang Juzheng also presented a congratulatory gift from the Emperor of Heaven to the Xixia King. The gift was also very thin. It was nothing more than some fine gold and silver, and the total value would never exceed one thousand taels. Given the current situation in Mingxia, giving gifts was nothing more than a token of his side.
In order to show his magnanimity, the eunuch in the palace rewarded the Emperor of Heaven with two hundred oxen and one hundred horses on behalf of the king.
The cows and horses were originally negotiated by Zhao Ran, but Li Qianshun brought them as "return gifts". Zhao Ran secretly sneered. This was by no means a matter of stinginess, but a matter of the king's magnanimity.
The speech ended in less than half an hour. Zhao Ran raised his eyes generously and observed Li Qianshun sitting upright on the throne in the palace. His thin body and fair face made him look a little frail, but he must not be deceived by his frail appearance. , this young king is said to be very "high-spirited"!
After coming out of the palace, as soon as I returned to the official post, a young eunuch came to my door.
"I've met Taoist Zhao. This servant is from Xiaohuangmen of Yanfu Palace. I'm here to ask you a long question by order of the Queen Mother."
Yanfu Palace is the head of the Sixth Palace in the West, and is the palace where Empress Dowager Gao currently lives. But I don’t know why Empress Dowager Gao sent someone to find her?
"I see, I wonder how you should call me father-in-law?"
"Taoist Master Zhao is too polite. It's humiliating to listen to me with a humble name. How can I taint Taoist Priest's ears?"
Zhao Ran smiled gently: "Young father-in-law is too polite. You don't have a cheap name or a bad name. People in spiritual practice don't talk about this."
"Yes. This slave entered the palace last year. Her real surname is Niu. Because she was unknown, she was given a nickname by the chief steward, Shaoyi."
This name is really... confusing...
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Please remember the first domain name of this book: ..:m.