I don't know if it was to appease the hearts of the world's literati, but everyone was concerned about the time, place and participants of the poetry meeting. The servant of Dongyue Mansion told them all in one breath.
The news came suddenly without any warning. As soon as the words came out, the entire crowded street was instantly ignited. All the literati gathered here changed their previous dullness and started talking like crazy.
"Did I hear you correctly? Does this count as announcing everything about the poetry meeting?"
"How can it be so urgent? It will start in three days?"
"Why at Thousand Buddhas Temple?"
"Didn't you hear what people said? All literati can participate in this poetry meeting. How can there be a large courtyard in the capital that can accommodate all the literati in the capital? On the contrary, the Thousand Buddha Temple is huge in scale and has thousands of Buddhist halls. It can accommodate
Let’s bring down the enthusiasm of so many of our talented people.”
While the crowd was discussing, Xia Shang had already left, found a driver on the street who was willing to travel a long distance, and went directly to Qianfo Temple without stopping.
The name Thousand Buddha Temple is not unfamiliar. There is a Thousand Buddha Temple outside Yangzhou, and there are many Thousand Buddha Temples scattered north and south of the Dahua River.
There is no such thing as a temple name that cannot be repeated, and the word "Thousand Buddhas" is particularly popular among monks.
One hundred Buddhas are too few, and ten thousand Buddhas are too many. Only Thousand Buddhas are just right, without losing humility and respect for the gods and Buddhas.
However, there are few Thousand Buddha Temples in the world that truly have Thousand Buddhas. Most temples only have a few dozen Buddha statues, and the most are only a hundred or so. Only the Thousand Buddha Temple outside the capital is truly worthy of its reputation.
Former gods and Buddhas.
It is said that Master Wujie, the host of Thousand Buddhas Temple, is a master of Buddhist sculptures. Every Buddha statue in Thousand Buddhas Temple is carved by his own hands, and each one is lifelike and exquisite. It can be said that he is famous all over the world. Many wealthy people have carved Buddha statues for him at no cost.
He asked for thousands of dollars, but no one could buy them. All the Buddha sculptures were displayed in the Thousand Buddhas Temple. He carved Buddha statues all his life. Twenty years ago, the Thousand Buddhas Temple really reached a thousand Buddha statues. In the next twenty years, he did the same
Carving is done every day. Therefore, there are far more than a thousand Buddha statues in this Thousand Buddha Temple. What is even more unimaginable is that all these thousand Buddha statues were completed by one person, so Master Wujie is also called a contemporary stone Buddha.
It's just that the personality of Master Wujie is different from that of other temple abbots. Perhaps he is too obsessed with carving and doesn't like other things at all, so he offended many pilgrims, so that this is not the first choice for people in the capital to pray for incense and worship Buddha. But
However, because the Thousand Buddhas Temple is so famous, after the Hua Dynasty, the imperial court came here every year to renovate and build new temples, making the Thousand Buddhas Temple grow bigger every year.
The distance between Qianfo Temple and the capital city is neither far nor close.
After half a day's drive, Xia Shang arrived at the foot of Yushan Mountain where Thousand Buddha Temple is located.
The mountains of Yushan are gentle, and the trees at the foot of the mountain are dense. But if you look up, you can still see Buddhist halls and temples hidden in the mountains and forests. You can even hear some bells floating from the mountains.
There were only a few scattered pilgrims at the foot of the mountain, all coming down from the mountain in a hurry.
It's a little strange to see these people looking unhappy.
Later, Xia Shang inquired and found out that these people were all the common people in the capital who were fasting in Qianfo Temple. They paid for the fragrant oil, but did not stay long enough, and then they were kicked out by the people of Qianfo Temple. It turned out to be because of the poem written three days later.
meeting.
Because there were many people coming on the day of the Poetry Festival, Thousand Buddhas Temple decided to clear the temple in advance in order to avoid congestion.
What the Thousand Buddhas Temple did was somewhat inappropriate, at least it did not take into account the feelings of the people living in the Thousand Buddhas Temple.
"This monk from Thousand Buddhas Temple is so unreasonable. Fortunately, he is still a Buddhist disciple, but he is so arrogant! No wonder no one comes here to offer incense. I will never come again in the future." said the middle-aged woman who informed Xia Shang of the situation.
He did not forget to curse and complain.
Xia Shang thanked him and was about to go up the mountain. But the woman suddenly turned around and called Xia Shang: "Boy, what are you going up the mountain for now?"
"Of course I'm going to Thousand Buddha Temple."
"Why else go? Thousand Buddhas Temple does not allow outsiders to enter now."
Xia Shang just smiled, ignored it, and still took Sophia up the mountain.
"That person said that no one can enter the Thousand Buddhas Temple."
"Hearing is false, seeing is believing. How can you feel at ease if you don't go up and take a look?"
"I know what you are thinking. You just want to live in it before others get here, so that you can seize the opportunity. But now it seems that your wishful thinking is about to come to nothing."
"The roads are all made by people. How will you know if you don't try?"
Xia Shang did not slow down his pace. Along the way, he kept passing by pilgrims coming down from the mountain. Going in the opposite direction alone always seemed a bit out of place.
But Xia Shang and Sophia were not the only ones. Not long after, Xia Shang saw another person in front of him, also going up the mountain.
The man was dressed in simple cloth, hunched over a bamboo bag used by scholars, and his head was wrapped in cloth, which was a bit strange. But he looked dusty, and it was obvious that he had come here for a long distance.
He is not a pilgrim, nor does he seem to be a scholar who comes for a poetry meeting.
Xia Shang was a little curious, so he quickly chased after him and called after him: "Brother."
The other party turned around, glanced at Xia and Shang, but said nothing.
This man had a kind face and was in his forties, but he was a little thin. He had a temperament unique to Buddhists, and Xia Shang quickly guessed that he was a monk.
"Are you a monk?"
"The donor is right."
The other party did not deny it.
"Looking at the master's appearance, he must have traveled a long distance to get here. What's the matter?"
"Returning from a wandering journey."
"So, this place is the master's home?"
"It is also."
"Then Master, can you take my master and servant to stay in the temple for two days?"
"This matter is not something that a poor monk can answer. It should be presided over..."
"Hey! That's wrong. It's fate between you and me to meet the master today. Since we are destined, why doesn't the master just follow the fate?"
"Since it is a matter of chance, the benefactor should go to the temple gate and ask for the abbot. If he can advance, he will advance; if he cannot, he will retreat. This is how he acts according to chance."
After that, the monk ignored Xia Shang and walked quickly to the front.
Seeing that Xia Shang was embarrassed, Sophia wanted to laugh a little, but she tried hard to hold it back.
Xia Shang was also a little depressed. He was going to take a look in front of the temple, but before he took a step, he suddenly noticed something falling on the ground, which should have been left by the monk in front of him.
Looking from a distance, I found that it was a human-shaped stone sculpture half the size of a palm.
When he picked it up and looked at it, Xia Shang couldn't help but be stunned.
This stone carving is of a little monk. Judging from the height and proportion, he should be a little monk in his teens. His appearance is very cute and exquisite. It even made Xia Shang feel that this little monk seemed a bit familiar.
What surprised Xia Shang even more was that the young monk wore a large black sword on his back. It was completely out of proportion to the young monk's figure, so it was placed across his waist.
Xia Shang's mind buzzed when he saw Xiaoqiao's huge black sword.
Isn’t this stone carving about floating life? (To be continued)