At the entrance of the village, the monthly time for monks and officials to go to the countryside has come again.
Boys and girls from every household gathered in the square and lined up to take the assessment.
"My Buddha is supreme and can rule all living beings in the three realms. The door to practice is called the Buddha Door."
"When practicing Buddhism, before attaining enlightenment, it is called a monk, and when a group of monks lives there, it is called a temple."
"The monks include Asuda, Arhat, and Amosa..."
"The Buddha's light shines everywhere, and there are twenty-four heavens above. The Buddha's kingdom is vast and boundless, with flowers, sweet springs, and goddesses..."
"The leader of the Buddhist sect is the lord of the twenty-four heavens. He will become a Buddha in the future and lead all living beings in the three realms to escape from the sea of suffering."
"Buddha said..."
Each childish and innocent voice is being tested, or reciting the content of the scriptures, or answering specific questions.
The monks and officials wear different costumes. According to their rank, they wear monk's robes and even the patterns of their shoes and socks are different.
As for rosary beads, there is a big gap. Lower-class monks use wooden beads, while higher ones use horns, ivory, and even gold, jade, and precious stones.
The monks and officials, all of them big and round, stood like mountains of flesh in front of the thin villagers.
This assessment lasted for most of the day, and the two teenagers performed best.
"The fourth son of Li Sanniu's family in the west of the village, Li Gui, is the superior."
"Li Ximan, the sixth member of Li Gouzi's family in the south of the village, is the best."
The monk held up the manual in his hand and studied it for a moment. "The two of them have been rated as top households for one year in a row. According to Buddhist regulations, these two households have been rated as top households and will be exempted from tax for one year."
After saying these words, every family in the village looked envious. How much food and money is there in a year's tax.
They worked the land early and worked hard, so it would be better if the two families gave birth to a smart, well, now called good child with a Buddhist connection.
"...In addition, each of you will read a Buddhist scripture."
Hearing this sentence, uncontrollable exclamations sounded like a tide.
The men of both families were so excited that they could enshrine a Buddhist scripture in their homes. Diseases would not enter the house, and no evil spirits of bad luck would dare to intrude. The family would surely live a happy life.
The leading monk, wearing a red robe and gold silk frame, warned the two children before leaving.
"Recite sutras well, and you will be successful in the future. Join my Buddhist sect and become a monk."
The two young men, Li Gui and Li Ximan, nodded when they heard this, their eyes showing intelligence that was not seen among their peers.
They were all children from peasant families, and their only way out was to become monks.
Simply, they were born with extraordinary intelligence, could not forget what they read, and could debate and discuss scriptures with each other.
Every month when monks and officials come to inspect them, they all rank among the best and have been listed as seeds.
As long as they reach the age of fourteen, they can participate in the entry selection and become official monks.
Being a monk brings you many privileges. You no longer have to face the earth with your back to the sky like your ancestors did. You can live in a magnificent temple, you don't have to worry about what to eat every day, and you can just chant sutras and debate. How noble is that?
Young people still remember that since they were young, they would kowtow in front of the temple with their parents from a distance, and peek inside the door. The door frame and floor tiles were all outlined with gold lines. That was pure gold, gold that could never be earned in a lifetime.
After this assessment, when each family went back, they would inevitably scold their children and complain about why they were not as good as other children.
"Etc., etc."
Li Gui was about to return home when he suddenly heard Li Ximan calling him. He looked back and stopped.
The adults had all left, leaving only two teenagers. They often argued, so the villagers were not surprised to see them.
"I have something good here, come and take a look."
Li Gui's expression changed when he heard this, "Did you know that among the eight precepts, the precept of sexual intercourse is the most important. Don't show me those secret books with colored pictures."
The two are rivals who are both enemies and friends. They have a close relationship and have a good personal relationship.
When he saw the other party's thief-like appearance, he knew that nothing good was going on.
The young man was young and full of energy. He often circulated secret books and picture albums about sexual affairs in private. He hid in a pile of straw and made his face red and his ears hot.
However, these things are poisons forbidden by Buddhism. Once discovered, the whole family will be implicated.
"It's not those things, it's a more exciting storybook."
After a while, in the straw pile.
The two teenagers hollowed out the haystack and hid inside. The outside was covered with a layer of straw mats, so it was absolutely impossible to tell that anyone was hiding.
"What I brought this time is the Storybook of Immortal Cultivation."
Li Gui was surprised and asked, "Cultivation to immortality?"
"Don't you know, before Buddhism, immortality cultivation spread throughout time, and countless sects coexisted in the world."
Li Ximan said as he opened the storybook in his hand, the villain threw something out, which glowed with light. With just a few strokes, he was dazzled by it.
The plot is vivid, the characters are lifelike, and there are all kinds of magical treasures and elixirs.
Unknowingly, the two of them were fascinated by the sight, and the light outside gradually dimmed.
"Li Gui, if you can really stop thinking about it, cultivating immortality, becoming immortal, and being carefree and invincible will be much more interesting than being a monk."
Li Ximan couldn't help but said that it was dark and he couldn't read, so the two had to put down their notebooks and chat.
Li Gui shook his head, "It's just words, they are all nonsense. Only Buddhism is the only right way in the world."
He glanced at the script and said, "The idea of cultivating immortality and immortality is just a figment of the imagination of ignorant people. It can never exist."
After saying that, he solemnly reminded Li Ximan, "Listen carefully, this is also very dangerous. Burn it after reading it, and you will never be discovered." Li Ximan still refused to give up, and then asked, "Don't you want to see the world?
Are there any immortals?"
"No, I have grown up chanting sutras since I was a child, and I am the only Buddha in my heart."
Li Gui waved his hand, "It's getting late, let's go home. Also, that's it. Don't let outsiders find out."
After a while, Li Ximan took the script and came to a place outside the village. Waiting for him on the opposite side was one of the monk officials who had just left.
"How about it? What did he say when he saw the script?"
Li Ximan told the truth, "He was unmoved and wanted me to destroy this thing."
The monk nodded with satisfaction and gently stroked the top of his head, "You are a good boy and you didn't lie."
"I use my natural ear to monitor the entire village. I missed not a single word of your conversation."
Li Ximan broke out in a cold sweat. He thought he was testing the evil spirit Li Gui this time, but it turned out that he was also involved.
"You two are very good and passed the test successfully."
The monk raised his hand to put away the script, wiped it on his palm, and it immediately turned into powder.
"Listen carefully, there is only one true Buddha in the world, the others are all demons, who will take on various shapes to tempt you."
"Only by chanting sutras and strengthening yourself, can you resist the invasion of external demons and become a supreme Buddha."
Li Ximan's eyes showed hope and he asked, "I can also become a Buddha."
"Silly boy, all sentient beings in the world can become Buddhas."
There was kindness in the monk's eyes.
At the same time, in another village, a child was bewitched by the script, became shaken, and doubted Buddhism. He was immediately discovered by the monks and the whole family was thrown into an underground prison. It was horrific. And all this, two young men, Li Ximan and Li Gui, wanted to