Northern Dynasties

Chapter 193
Hongfa Temple is located on Chentou Mountain in the east of Yunyang County. It is a well-known temple in the area.

There are many villages scattered between Gouling, Terrace and Plateau. At first glance, they are not much different from other rural villages, except that there are many cages for Buddha inside and outside the villages. From time to time, believers can be seen kneeling and praying in front of the cages. A peaceful picture of worshiping Buddha.

But there are some other scenes that are a bit weird. There are some ragged corpses lying on the hay and reed mats. Next to them, there are monks leading the villagers to perform the ritual of reciting souls. Although the family members of the deceased are extremely sad, they can only endure Tears, dare not cry.

These villages are inhabited by monks who are attached to temples, and the more standard title is temple slaves.As far as anyone can see, their houses, land, belongings, bodies, and even their emotions are all offered to the recluses without selfishness.

Within the scope of this temple, in addition to the temple buildings full of religious colors on the hills, there are also large and small earth and stone caves distributed among the walls of the ravines.

Some caves have to be excavated on very high mountain walls in order to avoid all kinds of dirt from the human world. Naturally, these monks are the ones who do the work.A rope hangs from the cliff, so don’t panic even if you miss it and fall, there will be a mage at the bottom of the cliff chanting sutras on the spot, and the souls of the dead can get blessings.

Every year from autumn to spring, it is a busy season for digging caves and worshiping Buddha.After the autumn harvest, those monks have to pack their tools and go to the mountains to dig caves and make statues. They toil from beginning to end all year long, just to accumulate a lot of blessings to enjoy in the next life.

Every time a cave is dug, it means that another rich asset of worshiping Buddha has entered the temple. The temple can use it to operate and expand the dojo of worshiping Buddha, and create a Buddhist kingdom on earth from small to large.

Hongfa Temple itself is not famous for its profound Buddhist teachings and eminent monks. Its best skill is casting various Buddha statues.

There are thousands of temples, large and small, in Kansai. Even if there are believers everywhere, they must have their own core competitiveness to stand out among all Buddhist temples and win the support and worship of more believers.

The Buddha statues cast by Hongfa Temple have solemn treasures and different styles, and enjoy a high reputation in Beidi County and even the whole Weibei.Every year, the Buddha Statue Ceremony ranks among the best in the nearby temples.

Therefore, many monks and believers come here every year, hoping to respectfully invite a Buddha statue to bring back for worship.

Today, a team of nearly a hundred people appeared on the mountain path to pray for Dharma and worship Buddha, escorting five large carts. The knights surrounded a handsome young man in sable fur and fine clothes, and headed for the mountain gate of Hongfa Temple.

Sitting on the horseback, Li Tai looked left and right at the scale of the temple and the mountain scenery, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart.If those religious characteristics are ignored, there is no sense of disobedience to say that this is a place ruled by a powerful and powerful clan.

Here he was sighing with emotion, on the opposite mountain road, a group of novice monks holding sticks was coming at a fast pace, the number of them was only a lot more than them, and each of these monks and soldiers was big and three rough, powerful, and there were even some shamans when they walked. A bit of military temperament.

"Visitors stop!"

A white-robed monk should be the leader of this group of monks, and they shouted loudly when they were still more than ten feet away from each other.

Li Tai made a slight signal with his gaze, and Zhang Shinu rode up behind him, and shouted loudly: "I am a traveler from Chang'an, and my family's master is an official of the imperial court. The Great Master learned that the statues in the Hongfa Temple in this area are beautiful, so he knocked on the door with the Great Master’s ultimatum and begged for a visit to welcome a large statue of the master to participate in the Chang’an Walking Buddha Ceremony!”

When the monks heard that it was a business visit, the vigilance on their faces subsided a little. The head monk pondered for a while before he spoke again: "The honored guest is here, and it is a long way to welcome him. But I want to disappoint the honored guest. The recent Buddhist events in the temple I'm busy, and I have suspended the cast and delivery of the Buddha."

After Li Tai heard this, he immediately stepped forward, put on an arrogant and foolish face and sneered: "There are many people who come here to welcome the Buddha statues in the capital, why is it not allowed here? It's Tanyi in Beijing Is there not enough face of the great master monk, or is my position not enough to be scary? I endured the suffering of wind and sand and trekked across the country, but I was turned away without seeing the face of the Buddha. Are you and other tricky monks trying to make me a laughing stock in Gyeonggi?"

The yellow-robed monk heard that his tone was not kind, and saw that all the attendants were dressed in fresh clothes, angry horses, and ready with bows and knives. He hesitated for a while, and then said after a moment of pondering: "Don't dare, the honored guests come to visit, and the gate of the mountain shines brightly." The journey is far, so please guests and the group go to the Courtyard of Rites to rest for a while, let the little monk report to the presiding mage, and then negotiate."

So led by the group of monks and soldiers, Li Tai and his party were able to enter the living room in the temple.Along the way, the yellow-robed monk was still inquiring, wanting to find out about Li Tai's background and the depth of his relationship with those eminent monks in Beijing.

Li Tai was originally an expert in making big banners out of tiger skins. He boasted half-truths, as if he owned most of Chang'an City, and he knew all the princes and dignitaries in Beijing.

As for the eminent monks of the famous temple in Chang'an City, he also said it with confidence.After all, although he doesn't worship monks and Buddhas, Li Xiaoyong in Longshouyuan is still searching for information.

After some conversation, in the eyes of the yellow-robed monk, Li Tai seemed to be a well-known nobleman who had a lot of friends and respected monks, and his attitude became a little more friendly.

After the group settled down, the yellow-robed monk apologized and left first, but the monks and soldiers still stayed in the guest courtyard.

This courtyard is spacious and has rows of halls, which can accommodate at least thousands of people.Some of them are divided into several small courtyards, and there are voices of people in some small courtyards, which should be the devout men and women who live here and worship the Buddha.

The small courtyard where Li Tai and his party were introduced was not small among all the courtyards, and some monks and servants brought up some food and beverages, and the hospitality was considered comprehensive.

Not long after, an old monk wearing a gorgeous Buddhist robe came in under the escort of many monks and disciples. After a brief greeting to each other, the old monk said with a smile: "When I came to Beijing in the old year, I once discussed the scriptures with Master Tanyi. Day, I miss it very much, I don’t know if my lord can show the mage’s ultimatum for a while?”

After Li Tai heard the words, he raised his hand and pointed at Zhang Shinu, but Zhang Shinu shook his head and said, "Master, I feel that the legal documents are hard to find, so I have been collecting them myself."

"Nonsense, I'm all in and out, where can I store the law!"

Li Tai scolded angrily first, and then ordered his followers to open the car's cage and luggage and search carefully.

As soon as these cages were opened, they revealed the gold, jade, brocade and other valuables piled up inside, and the monks present were breathless when they saw it.

The old monk's eyes were even brighter. Seeing that these followers did not find the dharma after searching, he didn't care about it. He just smiled and said: "The Dharma should be universal to all believers. Your lord came from Chang'an. , It shows sincerity. Traveling outside, things are cumbersome, and omissions are inevitable. Even if there is no guidance from a mage, this plan of propagating the Dharma should be responsive. May I ask which Buddha Dharma you want to welcome?"

"The bigger the better, the more beautiful the better! If it's just an ordinary Dharma image, you can cast it in Beijing, so why should I come here to ask for it? It must be amazing, and people can't match it. If the appearance is good enough, I will continue to ask for it in the coming year!" "

After Li Tai heard the words, he quickly signaled his followers to stop, and when he turned over again, he was almost at the armor under the cage. He lifted the frame, and said to the old monk with a bold face: "The vulgar goods I carry are already exhausted." People are not shallow. The best techniques in the temple are exquisite, and they can hold all the Buddhas in their arms!"

"Your Majesty is joking, but being sincere is better than a thousand pieces of gold. The old monks will naturally appreciate and accept every sincerity in worshiping the Buddha!"

The old monk said with a smile on his face, full of confidence: "It just so happens that there is a Maitreya Buddha in the temple who has newly completed the Dharma. Would you like to go and observe it together?"

After Li Tai heard the words, he never refused, leaving most of his entourage here to guard, and then he took Zhang Shinu and a dozen others to follow the group of monks and walked straight into the temple, taking a panoramic view of the temple architecture along the way.

This temple is indeed thriving. Li Tai saw hundreds of monks of different ranks scattered throughout the temple alone.

Bypassing the majestic hall, behind the temple is a huge foundry workshop, where there are slave laborers doing all kinds of work. At a glance, there may be thousands of them. Li Tai swallowed his saliva immediately.

A group of people walked into a shanty, and there was a bronze statue of Maitreya, which was more than ten feet high. At a glance, it already made people feel that the treasure was solemn, and it could be seen that the craftsmanship was really good.There are more than a dozen people around the bronze statue busy polishing and carving details.

Li Tai looked around the bronze statue, and he couldn't put it down without pretending. Aside from the modeling technique of the statue, the copper and tin materials used alone would have to be as much as several thousand catties.

"It is indeed exquisite and impressive. It is worthy of being a famous temple in the north and in the capital. May I ask the master, how many days does it take to cast such a big statue in the temple? I think the craftsmen here must have [-] disciples. If I welcome it away happily, and a new image is cast to compete with me the next day, it will not be beautiful!"

Li Tai looked at the old monk with joy and worry and said.

After hearing the words, the old monk smiled and replied, "Don't worry, my lord, it is not easy to make this statue. There are more than [-] craftsmen in the temple, and there are many who are good at casting, and it will take ten days to complete the material. Apart from this, there are very few people in Weibei who own this work material, and it is difficult to imitate it elsewhere. If Mr. Lang can sincerely prove that he has a deep connection with this World-Honored Buddha, the temple will never give this Buddha connection to others."

Li Tai was amused again after hearing the words, the monopoly of feelings has to be bought with extra money?

Based on his current personality, he immediately made a decision to take this statue, and at the same time said: "The statue is heavy, and it is not easy to transport. It is so precious, and I am afraid that thieves will come and snatch it. I have few guards on this trip, can I borrow it?" Make the temple strong and strong? After the Dharma Prime Minister enters the capital, there will be extra gifts for the monks and soldiers to transport back!"

When the old monk heard this, the image of gold and silk piled up in the cage and glittering again appeared in his mind, so he also nodded and said with a smile: "Of course, sir, please rest assured, there are thousands of monks and soldiers in the temple, which are enough to provide comprehensive protection!"

"That's really great! I'll stay in the guest house today, and I'll set off immediately after delivering all the gifts and goods for inspection tomorrow morning."

After Li Tai heard the words, he clapped his hands and laughed, then pointed to the bronze statue and said, "The mountain road is uneven and transportation is inconvenient. Can we transport the Dharma Xiang down the mountain today, so as not to delay tomorrow's trip?"

Such a large transaction is not very common in the temple. Of course, the old monk wanted to satisfy the high-ranking guest, and after a moment of thought, he nodded and agreed.Nearby are the borders of temples, and it is enough to send some monks and soldiers to take care of them.

If something unexpected happens, when the Hong bell in the temple strikes, the disciples from all over the world will respond, so there is no need to worry.All the belongings of this tycoon's subordinates are in the temple, so they are not afraid that he will renege on his debt and run away.

(End of this chapter)