This scholar is a bit cruel

Chapter 109: Flowers all along the way, discussing Buddhism in the temple
"boom--"

Suddenly, there was a thunder in the sky.

It looks like it's really going to rain.

The driver quickly waved his whip, urged the horse, and quickened his pace.

in the carriage.

The girls who had been chatting and laughing along the way now all looked sad.

"I finally got out, but it's going to rain."

"I wanted to go to the lake at the foot of the mountain, but it seems I can't go."

"This weather is really strange. It was fine this morning."

"If it really rains, I'm afraid I won't be able to return to the city today. But that's good, I can play outside for one more day."

"Cough cough cough..."

"Daiyu, you are weak, put on your coat quickly. Xiangyun, the wind is strong, close the curtain quickly."

The carriage picked up speed, making the ride even more bumpy.

Following in the last carriage, after Luo Zijun finished telling the story in vivid detail, the little maids all had red faces, with expressions of being unsatisfied.

Zhi Yuan laughed and said, "Sir, your story is not accurate. No matter how pretty or talented a maid is, she is just a maid. Even if the rich young man likes her, he can't really marry her as his wife. The wife must be of equal status, otherwise...ah!"

Before she could finish, the carriage suddenly passed a pothole, her body swayed, and she fell into Luo Zijun's arms.

The other maids in the carriage were also staggering.

"Ah, it hurts me so much..."

Some of the maids hit their heads and groaned.

Luo Zijun supported Zhiyuan.

Just as she was about to get up with a red face, the carriage suddenly bumped again. She screamed "Ah", fell on his legs, and her whole face hit him.

"hiss……"

Luo Zijun immediately gasped in pain and quickly held her head up.

Zhiyuan blushed immediately and hugged his arms tightly in panic.

The driver shouted outside, "Girls, sit tight. There are potholes everywhere on this road. Just get through them."

The carriage continued to jolt.

The maids in the carriage were all hugging and supporting each other, going up and down, left and right, in a mess.

But no one was angry. Instead, everyone laughed at their own and each other's embarrassed looks.

Zhiyuan couldn't laugh, she lowered her head, her face flushed, and she was flustered.

Luo Zijun held her soft body in his arms, rocking her back and forth. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, bumping and rubbing against each other constantly.

After a long time.

The bad road was finally over and the carriage began to stabilize.

Zhiyuan's face was already flushed and she was as beautiful as a flower. She hurriedly left the other person's arms and moved away shyly.

Yun'er, who was sitting next to her, smiled and whispered, "Zhiyuan, don't squeeze me, go squeeze into Young Master Luo's arms."

Zhiyuan pinched her with a red face.

Yun'er also pinched her with a smile.

The two of them were playfully pinching each other, and the other maids were also laughing.

After a while.

Zhi Yuan Fang blushed and stole a glance at the boy next to her. Seeing that he had his legs tightly clamped together with a serious look on his face, she immediately burst out laughing and became even more shy and embarrassed.

"Sir, are you...are you okay?"

The force of her collision just now was quite strong, even though it was on the face.

Luo Zijun hissed again and said, "It's okay. I'm fine."

Zhiyuan immediately lowered her head again, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing secretly. Her fair face was full of hot blushes, like a blooming flower.

"Cough cough..."

Luo Zijun turned around, pushed aside the curtain and looked outside.

“It seems to be almost there.”

Zhiyuan also turned around to look outside and said, "Well, we are almost at the foot of the mountain. We still have to climb the mountain later. The steps are a bit long. Is it okay, young master?"

Luo Zijun looked at her beautiful red face and said, "What's the problem with me? It's just climbing a mountain. I can climb it in one breath."

Yun'er beside him laughed and said, "Mr. Luo, you are just bragging. We can't even climb up that mountain in one breath, let alone you."

Luo Zijun looked at her and said, "I am not as good as you?"

Yun'er smiled and said, "Mr. Luo is naturally better than us in studying, but if we compare strength, Mr. Luo may not be as good as us."

Tao Er also laughed and said, "Scholars are very weak. They are out of breath after walking a few steps. We maids often do things and walk, so we must be stronger than you."

The other maids all smiled and agreed.

Luo Zijun said: "How about we compete later?"

Yun'er smiled and said, "How do you want to compete, Mr. Luo?"

Luo Zijun said, "When we climb the mountain later, whoever can't climb anymore will bark like a puppy, how about that?"

"Giggle cluck..."

When the maids heard this, they all laughed.

Yun'er immediately raised her hand and said, "Okay, I will compete with you, sir! Whoever stops to rest first loses."

Zijuan, Taoer, and other maids also raised their hands.

"We are also competing with Master Luo!"

But Zhiyuan, who was standing next to him, did not raise her hand. She smiled and said, "I will not compete anymore. I am afraid that you will lose later. With so many people around, your voice will become hoarse."

"Hahahahaha..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the maids all burst into laughter.

About half a quarter of an hour passed.

The carriage bumped along for a while and finally arrived at the foot of the mountain and slowly stopped.

Everyone got off the carriage quickly.

Zhiyuan jumped down lightly, then stretched out her white and tender hand and said with a smile: "Sir, let me help you."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but sneak a peek at his lower body, biting her lip and trying not to laugh.

Luo Zijun held her soft little hand and got off the carriage carefully.

If you want to pretend, then pretend to be more realistic.

There was a long line of carriages.

Luo Zijun looked up, but could not see anyone in front of him. He only saw carriages, guards, maids, and servants, standing in a long line in an orderly manner.

After a while.

The team began to move slowly.

The person in front should already be climbing the stairs.

Everyone began to relax, talking and climbing the mountain.

At this time, the mountain wind was howling, and the sky above was becoming increasingly gloomy.

Maids wearing skirts of various colors followed behind, talking and laughing excitedly. Their skirts swayed and their sleeves fluttered in the wind. Their voices were soft and crisp, forming a beautiful landscape in the mountains.

Seeing that it was about to rain, the other tourists all hurried down the mountain.

The servants of the Jia and Bai families, most of the maids and nannies, and the guards stayed at the foot of the mountain and set up tents in the open space nearby.

The temple is a quiet place, so naturally not everyone can go up the mountain.

Bai Qingtong even specially asked her maid Doukou to come over and tell Luo Zijun to go up and play with them.

Zhiyuan was Luo Zijun's maid, so naturally she followed.

Tao'er, Yun'er and several maids also followed behind.

"Master Luo, it's about to begin!"

Yun'er smiled and started climbing the stairs.

The other little maids also followed behind with a smile.

Zhiyuan followed Luo Zijun, keeping an eye on him all the time, and seemed ready to support him at any time.

"Sir, walk slowly and don't fall. It hurts your knees if you bump them. If you lose, you lose. Just ignore them."

She speaks softly and is exceptionally gentle.

Luo Zijun said: "It's okay, you should be careful too."

Zhiyuan smiled and nodded.

The team was very long and after climbing for a while, someone in front stopped.

A maidservant reminded everyone from top to bottom: "Take a break, take a break."

So the whole team stopped.

Yun'er, Tao'er and other maids had no choice but to stop.

At this time, they also had some leg pain.

But when they turned around and looked at the boy behind them, they burst out laughing.

At this time, Luo Zijun was already sitting on the steps to rest.

Yun'er smiled and said, "Mr. Luo, are you no longer able to do it? If you are no longer able to do it, you can take the initiative to admit defeat."

The other maids all covered their mouths and laughed.

Luo Zijun quickly said: "How could that be? I still have endless energy."

How can a man say no?

Besides, he is really okay now.

"Giggle cluck..."

The maids all giggled when they saw that he was obviously so tired that he sat down, but still insisted on being stubborn and saving face.

Zhiyuan quickly smiled and said, "Alright, this competition ends here. Everyone is taking a break, and Master Luo didn't lose."

Yun'er laughed and said, "Zhiyuan is now turning her elbow outward. She doesn't kiss us, but only kisses Master Luo. She keeps speaking for Master Luo."

"That's right, it's ok that this little girl clung to Master Luo in the carriage, but now when we're climbing the mountain, she clung to him tightly, almost wanting to hang on to Master Luo."

"Giggle cluck..."

The other maids were laughing and supporting each other, and were about to fall down.

The maids became familiar with the young man along the way. Seeing that he was approachable and humorous, they dared to joke with him.

Zhiyuan's face immediately turned red and she ran over to pinch them.

The maids immediately ran away laughing, chasing each other, laughing and making a lot of noise, it was really lively.

After a while.

The team started to restart and continued to climb the mountain.

Luo Zijun looked up and could only see in the front: maids and nannies holding many umbrellas, surrounding a group of nobles, walking up the mountain carefully.

As for who is who, it is definitely unclear.

"Ah, it's raining!" At this time, someone shouted.

The others immediately raised their heads and looked towards the sky.

The sky darkened and raindrops began to fall.

Sure enough it was raining.

The maid above hurriedly shouted: "Everyone hurry up and go up to avoid the rain!"

Everyone stopped playing around and immediately started climbing the mountain seriously.

Fortunately, the rain was not too heavy.

Everyone rested for a while, then climbed up with all their might.

When the last few people entered the temple, the rain just started to fall, quickly wetting the bluestone slabs on the ground.

The nobles from the Jia and Bai mansions were personally welcomed into the main hall by Master Fayuan, the abbot of Jinshan Temple.

The other maids, nannies, and guards stopped in various corridors to take shelter from the rain.

Some maids and nannies went to the side hall to worship Buddha and draw lots.

Of course, you can't avoid giving some incense money.

“Pangbang…”

After a while, the raindrops became bigger and bigger, and the rain became heavier.

Some of the maids were wearing thin clothes, and when the cold mountain wind blew, they began to sneeze and shiver.

A monk saw it and hurried into the hall to report.

Then a maid came out to announce, "The masters are in the main hall praying and burning incense, and they won't be out for a while. Everyone go to the guest room and wait, so as not to stand outside in the wind and rain and get cold."

Several monks came out immediately and took the maids and nannies to the guest rooms in the backyard.

Soon, hot tea was served.

At this time, it was already noon.

After everyone chatted for a while, another monk brought in steaming hot vegetarian noodles.

After Luo Zijun finished eating, he told Zhiyuan that he wanted to go out for a walk.

The room was filled with maids and nannies.

It's not convenient for him, a grown man, to stay here.

Zhiyuan originally wanted to accompany him out, but she sneezed several times in succession and seemed to have caught a cold, so she had to stay in the house obediently.

After Luo Zijun came out, he wandered around several halls for a while.

When you meet a monk, take the initiative to greet him.

When he arrived at the bell tower and saw a young monk, he immediately stepped forward to greet him, and then asked casually, "I heard that there is a master in your temple who is very proficient in Buddhism. His name is Fahai. Is he in the temple now?"

The little monk clasped his hands together, bowed his head and said, "Amitabha, Master Fahai has gone down the mountain a few days ago. I guess he won't be back for a few days."

Luo Zijun said: "It's a pity that we have no chance to meet today."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the little monk lowered his head and left.

Luo Zijun felt a little disappointed, but he was also certain that there was indeed Fahai in the Jinshan Temple. Although he was not the abbot, it seemed that he was of a high rank.

The little monk Fahai went down the mountain a few days ago. He didn't say anything about begging for alms, performing rituals, or anything else.

Could it be that he went down the mountain to exorcise demons and monsters?
Thinking of this, he went up the corridor and continued to wander towards other parts of the temple.

The rain was falling faster at this time, and the bluestone slabs were crackling.

Unconsciously, he arrived in front of an attic. Looking up, he found it was the Sutra Library of Jinshan Temple.

Normally, outsiders are not allowed to enter the scripture repository of a temple alone.

He walked to the door, took a look, and was about to leave, but he heard two voices arguing in the corner of the room.

"Your temple preaches Buddhism and is compassionate. However, your Buddhist practice is to abandon worldly desires and practice the supreme path of enlightenment. My Taoist practice values ​​tranquility and inaction, and follows nature. Isn't this more in line with the way of heaven?"

"Master, you haven't understood what I said. The practice of Buddhism is not only to abandon worldly desires, but also to directly point to the nature of the mind and ultimately to liberation. If you say it is in harmony, then all things arise and perish due to causes and conditions, and all living beings float in the sea of ​​suffering. The 'purity' that Taoists talk about has not actually transcended the origin of life and death, so how can you say it is transcendent?"

"The monk talks about life and death, but the universe has its own order, spring is born and autumn is dead, and the cycle never stops. My Taoist philosophy of 'holding the origin and guarding the unity' is in line with the essence of Taoism, and life and death are also natural changes, so why should we deliberately seek to escape?"

"Although the heaven and earth have their order, all living beings are still trapped in suffering and have not escaped from their troubles. My Buddhist teachings can help them to get rid of their sufferings, bring them peace, cultivate their minds, break their attachments, and realize the root of life and death. Taoists only care about themselves by keeping quiet. Where is their heart to save all living beings?

"The monk's words are good, but your Buddhism is based on great compassion, but it is also attached to sentient beings. If there are no sentient beings to save, where does compassion come from? Taoism's inaction does not mean that it ignores sentient beings, but that it transforms action into inaction, and sentient beings return to nature. Isn't this the truth?"

"The Taoist's words are profound and interesting, but insisting on inaction is not true inaction. Inaction is inseparable from action, just as emptiness is inseparable from existence. All living beings are Buddhas, and Buddhas are all living beings. This is the great way of harmony."

When Luo Zijun heard the argument, he couldn't help but stop and take a look.

Sitting on the cushion in the corner were a monk and a Taoist priest, both of whom seemed to be very old.

At this point, the debate suddenly stopped.

The monk and the Taoist priest all turned their heads and looked towards the door.

Luo Zijun quickly bowed and apologized: "I was just strolling and didn't mean to disturb you. I hope you can forgive me."

After that, he was ready to leave.

The old Taoist suddenly asked, "Sir, who do you think is right, between me and this bald donkey?"

The old monk also put his hands together and said "Amitabha" with a kind smile on his face.

Luo Zijun didn't want to answer, but suddenly thought of the disasters that he and the White Snake would face in the future. It was very likely that they were related to Jinshan Temple and Fahai. He hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "I think that Taoism and Buddhism are both seeking the great way. You two are both right."

"Oh?"

The old Taoist asked inquiringly.

The old monk also smiled and watched.

Luo Zijun said solemnly: "Taoism and Buddhism have different paths, but they all lead to the same principle. Buddha is originally Taoism, and Taoism is Buddha."

When these words were spoken, both of them were stunned.

The old monk quickly clasped his hands together, bowed his head and said, "Young Master, please come in and talk."

Luo Zijun glanced at him and walked in.

The old Taoist sneered and asked, "Why do you say that, young man? Buddha is Buddha, and Tao is Tao. How can they be confused? If Buddha is Tao, and Tao is Buddha, why do we need to argue about Taoism and Buddhism for thousands of years?"

The old monk also said: "Please explain, young master."

Luo Zijun was just speaking off the cuff, but seeing that the topic had come to this point, he could only explain casually: "Tao is the origin of the universe, the root of the universe. Tao gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, and three gave birth to all things. Tao is believed to transcend the form and language of all things. If we look at it from this perspective, the nirvana or reality pursued by Buddhism is similar to the Tao of Taoism. Both are ontological truths that transcend the secular world and cannot be expressed in words..."

The old Taoist was stunned, and muttered: "Tao gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, and three gave birth to all things..."

Luo Zijun continued: "Buddhism talks about 'Dependent Origination and Emptiness of Nature', believing that all phenomena are caused by conditions and have no fixed self-nature; Taoism involves 'doing nothing but achieving everything', explaining that one should follow nature and not interfere with human intervention. Both emphasize the insight into and compliance with the laws of the universe, and both pursue the path to liberation that transcends limitations. For example, the 'Prajna wisdom' of Buddhism and the 'purity and inaction' of Taoism, to some extent, both reflect the understanding of the essence of life and the truth of the universe, which is also the similarity between the two."

The old monk lowered his head in thought.

Luo Zijun added: "Buddhism talks about 'all things return to one', Taoism talks about 'all things return to the Tao', both pursue the ultimate truth of the universe, but they show it differently in the Tao. If we look at it from the perspective of transcending sects, both have the same commonality and ultimate pursuit in the cosmic view, view and path of liberation, as well as the transcendence of things and the harmonious unity of heaven, earth and all things..."

“So I think that Buddha is originally Tao, and Tao is Buddha.”

Finished.

The monk and the Taoist priest both had thoughtful expressions in their eyes and remained silent.

Luo Zijun didn't dare to disturb him any further. He bowed and prepared to leave.

At this time, the old Taoist immediately stood up, holding a whisk in his hand, bowed and asked hurriedly: "May I ask your name, sir?"

Luo Zijun replied, "I don't deserve it. My surname is Luo, and my name is Zijun. I am unknown, just a scholar."

The old monk also stood up at this time, put his hands together, bowed his head and said: "Amitabha, your argument just now is so novel and amazing that it refreshed my ears and eyes, and it was as if I had seen another world."

"Luo Zijun..."

The old Taoist looked at the young man in front of him with twinkling eyes, muttering the name, as if recalling whether he had heard of it before.

A few moments.

He immediately bowed his head and asked humbly, "Sir, what you just said, 'Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things', where did it come from? Why have I never heard of it before?"

It turns out that this world doesn't even have the "Tao Te Ching".

Luo Zijun's heart moved, and he said, "I saw it in a book once. But that book is so old, I don't know where it is now."

The old Taoist asked quickly, "Sir, do you still remember the contents of the book?"

Seeing his anxious look, Luo Zijun said, "Remember some."

The old Taoist was delighted: "Sir, could you please write it down so that I can read it?"

"Amitabha……"

The old monk was about to speak when the old Taoist immediately turned around and cursed, "Shut up, bald ass!"

The old monk did not shut up, but lowered his head and said: "Mr. Luo is a guest of my temple, please do not force him."

The old Taoist frowned, hesitated for a moment, took out a piece of white jade from his sleeve, handed it to Luo Zijun, and said: "Mr. Luo is a scholar. When he studies, he may have a headache and find it difficult to concentrate. If you wear this jade, it will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, and help you concentrate. In the future, your study will be more effective. Also, if you encounter difficulties in the future and happen to meet other Taoists, just take out this jade and they will help you."

Upon seeing this, the old monk lowered his head and said nothing more.

Obviously this piece of white jade is extraordinary.

However, Luo Zijun did not immediately reach out to take it. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Taoist priest, but there are too many contents in the book. I can only remember a few sentences now. So I dare not accept this precious jade."

The "Tao Te Ching" is not an ordinary thing. How could he give it all to the old Taoist just for this piece of jade?

The old Taoist directly stuffed the white jade into his hand and said, "Even two sentences will be fine. You can think and write slowly, I am not in a hurry."

Seeing this, Luo Zijun took another look at the white jade in his hand and said, "I can only think of a few sentences today. If you don't mind, I will write them down."

The old Taoist was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone from his sleeve, put them down on the table next to him, and then began to grind the ink himself. He turned around and said, "Sir, please sit down and write."

"Amitabha……"

When the old monk saw this, he was about to speak, but the old Taoist immediately shouted angrily, "You bald thief! Don't ruin my good deeds! Otherwise, I will never let you go!"

The old monk's eyebrows twitched and he said nothing more.

Luo Zijun had no choice but to walk over, sit down in front of the desk, wait for a while, pick up the pen, dip it in ink, and write the first chapter on the rice paper.

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the real Tao; the name that can be named is not the real name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Therefore, always be without desire in order to observe its wonders; always have desire in order to observe its boundaries. These two things come from the same source but have different names; both are called mysterious; the more mysterious, the more mysterious they are; they are the door to all wonders."

As soon as he put pen to paper, the old Taoist bent down and took a closer look.

When the first sentence came out, his body suddenly shook and his eyes lit up.

When he finished writing the last sentence, he muttered it to himself several times, his face suddenly full of excitement, he couldn't help but scratch his ears and cheeks anxiously.

"What else? What else? Sir, write quickly, write quickly!"

"Gone."

Luo Zijun stopped abruptly and put down his pen.

The old Taoist's eyes suddenly widened, with a look of disbelief and difficulty accepting.

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things..."

The old monk came over at some point and looked carefully.

Then, the expression on his face changed.

"Gone???"

The old Taoist found it hard to accept it for a moment. He had an urge to pick up the boy and beat him up, but he also had an urge to hold his head and force him to continue writing day and night.

"That's all I can remember for now, kid."

Luo Zijun stood up and calmly put away the piece of white jade.

Then, he bowed and said goodbye decisively.

The old Taoist quickly picked up the rice paper on the table, lowered his head, and looked at it carefully again.

The old monk looked at the figure who had quickly walked out of the door, with a gleam in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)