cicada

Chapter 157 Blessing Ceremony
Tiantong Temple was built in the first year of Yongkang. It is one of the five famous temples of Zen Buddhism. It is known as the Southeast Buddhist Kingdom and is located at the foot of the mountainous Taibai Mountain.

According to legend, a monk traveled here and saw the beautiful mountains and rivers here, so he started to practice. At that time, there was a boy who offered money every day. Later, when he said goodbye, he claimed to be the incarnation of Taibai Jinxing, who was sent by the Jade Emperor to protect him. Since then, the mountain has been named Taibai. The name of the temple is Tiantong.

Zuo Zhong didn't know why the Jade Emperor sent someone to help a monk, but the scenery here is indeed beautiful, and the incense is more prosperous than in memory, probably because the Spring Festival is approaching.

The Zhike monk saw them from a long distance. The long car was very impressive. Knowing that the wealthy pilgrims were coming, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet them with a smile.

"I have seen the donor."

"I have met the little master. We are here to sacrifice and pray for blessings. Please help arrange it."

Zuo Zhong asked the Zhike monk to name his intentions. He had no intention of crowding in the main hall with other devotees. It would be inconvenient and unsafe. Tiantong Temple must have such a business, a service industry.

Sure enough, the Zhike monk kept smiling and said, "Okay, all benefactors, please, this matter needs the approval of the prison temple, but if he can pray for good people, the prison temple will not refuse."

Leaving a group of people to guard the vehicles, the group boarded the lush and lush Wansong Avenue and walked towards the monastery. The road was rugged. Zuo Zhong saw that Zuo Xuechen was a little tired, so he directly carried him on his back.

Seeing this scene, the Zhike monk recited Amitabha: "This little benefactor is really filial. I don't know where the distinguished guests come from, and who do you want to offer sacrifices to and pray for?"

Zuo Shanwen glanced at his son and nodded with satisfaction: "We are all from Ningbo, and we want to pray for my deceased mother. She often came to your temple to offer incense and worship Buddha when she was alive."

The Zhike monk stopped talking after listening, and led the way ahead with a flat expression. He entered the temple gate, bypassed the main hall, and continued to walk deep into the temple. The number of wandering pilgrims gradually decreased.

In front of a small Buddhist hall, the Zhike monk stopped and clasped his hands together: "Please wait here, the honored guests. The monk is going to Tongbaojian Temple. There are stone benches here for rest."

Zuo Zhong, sweating profusely, put Zuo Xuechen down, and helped him to sit on the stone bench. If it wasn't for the training from the police academy and the Secret Service, he really wouldn't be able to last such a long distance.

He Yijun at the side saw that Zuo Zhong was covered with sweat, so he quietly handed him a handkerchief, Zuo Zhong took it and wiped it off, as the mountain wind blew, it was really cold.

Zuo Xuechen looked at Zuo Zhong with a smile on his face. At his age, money is all fake, family harmony and filial piety are the most important.

He said with emotion: "Zuo Zhong, you should also sit down and have a rest. You are exhausted. After all, you are old. When I accompanied your grandmother to offer incense, I could walk here from the foot of the mountain in one breath."

Zuo Shanwen and his wife snickered, the old man was talking about how many years ago, when he was still in his prime, walking a few steps was of course nothing.

Zuo Zhong just wanted to comfort his grandfather, when he saw the Zhike monk coming out of the hall with a troubled expression on his face, could it be that Tiantong Temple is unwilling to pray for the Zuo family, he felt a little worried at once.

Zhike monk walked up to the crowd, put his palms together and said, "I'm really sorry for keeping the benefactors waiting for a long time. Today, the temple is entertaining colleagues from the northern Zen sect, so it may be inconvenient to pray for blessings."

It turned out that the monk came to relatives, so it's not good to criticize too much, Zuo Zhong had no choice but to say in a deep voice: "If that's the case, then let's take our leave first, and come to trouble your temple again in the future."

He was so busy right now that he hit the back of his head, and finally found time, but when he encountered this kind of thing, it seemed that he could only find time again.

The Zhike monk bowed his palms together again. Today, the eminent monks of the northern Zen sect gave lectures, and all the stewards in the temple were listening. There was indeed no suitable person to preside over the blessing ceremony.

The crowd had no choice but to get up and prepare to leave. At this time, a young novice came out of the palace gate. Seeing that Zuo Zhong and the others were about to leave, he hurriedly ran over, out of breath, and said, "All benefactors, wait a moment. Let me tell you, he will preside over the blessings of the benevolent people later."

Hosted by Hongwu?The host of Tiantong Temple?
This is a great virtuous and eminent monk who is famous all over the south of the Yangtze River. When he reached the other party's level, he would no longer be moved by foreign objects. Even if the Zuo family was rich and powerful, they would not care. Why did he take the initiative to preside over the blessing?
Zuo Xuechen couldn't believe it: "This little master, is Hong Wu the presiding officer praying in person?"

The little novice said reverently: "Yes, the presiding officer has long been incapable of doing things, but just now I heard that someone came from the mountain with their elders on their backs, and I felt something, so I sent me to inform the benefactors."

The excited faces of Zuo Shanwen and Mei Huizhen actually made Master Hongwu come to pray for blessings in person. This is something that many people in Ningbo can only wish for. It seems that their son is really a blessed person.

Zuo Zhong felt that the master was a little too arbitrary, but maybe this is an eminent monk. I don't know what that Japanese spy is like?

In everyone's anticipation, the presiding officer Hongwu came, wearing a gray monk robe, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, looking at five or sixty years old, and saluted after seeing the group of people: "All benefactors, please come with me."

Praying for the deceased, it was not convenient for the intelligence department to be present, only Zuo Zhong's family followed Master Hongwu, Gui Youguang was still a little worried, and wanted to follow, Zuo Zhong shook his head at him.

My parents had met Hong Wu before, and their excited expressions just now showed that the other party was not a fake. Since he was a real person, there was no need to be afraid.

Zuo Zhong observed habitually, and he found that the left foot of Chairman Hongwu must have been injured, his movements were slightly deformed when walking, and the middle of the spine seemed to be not right, giving people a very stiff feeling.

Walking to a side hall, the presiding officer Hong Wu walked in first, preparing to set up the tools for performing rituals. Zuo Zhong knelt on the futon with his family and continued to quietly look at Hong Wu. Of course he would not think that a master with clear details was a Japanese spy, but I want to see what a real Chinese eminent monk is like, so that we can have a comparison in future investigations.

At this time, the host Hong Wu suddenly turned around, staring at Zuo Zhong with a smile: "This little benefactor, you are the one who came to this temple with your elder on your back, not bad."

Zuo Zhong was taken aback, knowing that his observation had been discovered by the other party, he did not expect the old monk to be so sensitive, and respectfully said: "Yes, grandfather is old, as a junior, he should be like this."

The host Hong Wu said slowly: "Please wait a moment after the blessing is over, the poor monk has something to say to you." After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes and recited the scriptures.

Zuo Zhong and his family were at a loss, but when they saw the ceremony started, they had to gather their spirits and pray devoutly. This kneeling lasted for three hours, not to mention the old and frail Zuo Xuechen, even Zuo Zhong couldn't bear it.

Finally, when the ceremony was over, everyone supported each other and stood up. The little novice led them to the meditation room to rest for a while, while Zuo Zhong stayed behind. He wanted to hear what the other party had to say to him.

Host Hongwu is not young, and he was also very tired from praying just now. He sat on the futon and rested for a while before opening his eyes, and found that Zuo Zhong was staring at him intently, with a smile on his face.

"Little benefactor, I don't know what's good about the old monk?"

Zuo Zhong was sitting upright on the futon, with a serious expression: "I just looked at the master's demeanor, but I found that he was no different from ordinary people, so I was inevitably a little confused."

"Oh?" Host Hongwu nodded, "I don't know what doubts the little benefactor has?"

Zuo Zhong expressed his confusion: "Someone who is familiar with Buddhist scriptures but has no compassion, can he also become an eminent monk? There is no difference between an eminent monk and an ordinary person. How to distinguish such a thing?"

Host Hongwu smiled after hearing this and said, "Zen stresses breaking down attachments. What is attachment? What you think is good, force others to feel good; what you think is bad, force others to think bad. This is attachment.

If you want to distinguish the same attachment, then cut off hope and fear, love and hatred, understand that all phenomena are just projections of the human mind, and you will recognize that all relative phenomena in front of you are just a phantom. "

What the old monk said was cloudy and foggy, but Zuo Zhong caught a word, "people's heart", which was the same as his speculation. The key point of the problem was how to find the inner weakness of the Japanese spy.

Zuo Zhong thought for a while: "If a person has a reason he agrees with but can't express it, is this his attachment?"

Host Hong Wu did not answer directly: "Everyone has attachments."

Zuo Zhong fell into deep thought. That Japanese monk was tortured by the attachment of belief. Since he is familiar with Buddhist principles, he should think of a way to overcome it.

This is the flaw in his heart!

Cutting off hope and fear, love and hatred, this old monk has some knowledge, Zuo Zhong thought of something, looked up and saw Hongwu presiding over with a smile on his face.

Hongwu presided over the clapping: "It seems that the benefactor is already broken, I wonder if I want the poor monk to help?"

Zuo Zhong didn't expect someone to see through his thoughts, so he asked in horror, "How did the host know?"

Host Hongwu laughed: "I think your subordinates should all come from the army, and the benefactor has an extraordinary demeanor, so he should be a member of the public family, which shows that you seem to have a gloomy air.

That's why I asked the benefactor to stay after praying. I wanted to clear things up for you, but I didn't expect you to ask the poor monk instead. The question you asked was very interesting.

You have thought about it for a long time, and your face is relaxed. It seems that the fake eminent monk is the reason for your depression. Whether it is public or private, I can't let others destroy my reputation of Buddhism. "

Zuo Zhong understood that this eminent monk was at least a psychological expert, and he had made some reasonable speculations through his facial expressions and movements, so he had to pay attention, if he was facing Japanese intelligence personnel, these subtleties would have betrayed him.

Zuo Zhong got up and bowed to Hongwu, and said in a low voice, "To tell you the truth, there is a Japanese monk hiding in Putuo Mountain in disguise. To lure this person out so that we can catch him."

Host Hongwu clasped his hands together: "Two years ago, the poor monk organized a monk rescue team and opened a refugee shelter in Shanghai. The injuries on his body were suffered at that time. Please benefactor Zuo bluntly tell us how to lure him out."

Zuo Zhong didn't expect his injury to have this story, so he said two words: "Perseverance."

"Obsession, obsession?"

The host Hong Wu muttered a few words, his eyes gradually brightened, and then he looked at Zuo Zhong and smiled.

(End of this chapter)