A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 307 The Buddha first saw the Tao and was saved by the heavenly master
Faced with the Taoist priest's hostility, Fran didn't pay attention. Instead, he made a slight Buddhist salute, turned around and walked up the mountain.

The guide next to me saw that this was wrong. Aren’t we here for a visit? Not a friend? Why are you still fighting? Did I do something wrong?

He hurriedly came to Frank and blocked the way: "Master, what do you mean? Didn't you say you came to visit Tianshi Mansion? Why are you kicking someone else's Taoist temple? You have hurt me."

The guide even started crying as he said this. Was he considered a spy? Did he offend the gods? The guide felt extremely guilty at this time.

Fran comforted him: "Donor, don't worry. The poor monk is indeed here to visit and debate. The benefactor doesn't have to worry about being punished by the gods and Buddhas. The gods and Buddhas will even thank the benefactor."

The guide was doubtful. Seeing that he didn't believe it, Frank asked him to ask the Taoist priest at the guest booth.

The guide hurried over to ask. Seeing that he was a believer, and hearing that he was afraid of being blamed by the gods for leading the way for pagans, the Taoist smiled and comforted:
"Folks, don't worry. God is a god, and he is the most philanthropic. Maybe this is what the gods have arranged. You don't have to take it to heart. Just let everything take its course."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Then follow Fran and go up the mountain together.

Halfway through the journey, which took an hour, there was a plaque on the mountain gate, with large wooden pillars and a ridgeless hall on top as a shelter from the rain. There was a wooden plaque made of precious wood that read "Baide Mountain Tianshi Mansion".

Under the door plaque, next to the pillar on the left, there is a small Taoist boy. There are two wooden barrels at the Taoist boy's feet, with wooden covers to cover the scene inside the barrels.

The little Taoist boy is sitting cross-legged, holding a gourd and ladle in one hand, leaning his head on the wooden pillar, and is soundly asleep.

The guide had climbed the mountain for an hour and walked for half a day. He was already thirsty. When he saw a wooden barrel with clear water in it, he wanted to drink it, but Flan stopped him.

"Little benefactor!" "Little benefactor!"

"Ah, I didn't sleep, master, really, I was just resting my mind and didn't sleep!"

The little Taoist boy immediately sat upright. Seeing that there was no movement for a long time, he opened one eye slightly and saw only a bald man and a pilgrim.

"Fortunately it's not the master."

Then I opened my eyes, this end is so bright. This was the Taoist boy's first thought when he opened his eyes. It was noon, the sun was high in the sky, and Flan was in direct sunlight again, and the entire top of his head was illuminated by the sun. Shine.

"Ah, you pilgrims going up the mountain, you must be extremely tired after walking all the way. I have two buckets of water here. You drink some quickly to quench your thirst. After you drink it, I will pick it up."

After speaking, the Taoist boy took out two wooden bowls from behind and handed them to Fran and the two. Then he opened the wooden lids and used gourds and gourds to add water to the two of them.

"Thank you so much, little benefactor." "Thank you very much, little Taoist priest."

Fran and the two were really thirsty, so they drank three bowls in a row before they felt relieved.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm just here, waiting for pilgrims like you who go up the mountain." The little Taoist replied with a smile, took the wooden bowls from the two of them, and put them into a bamboo basket behind him.

"By the way, you can take a rest here, or you can continue up the mountain directly. We are only half an hour away from the top of the mountain."

Fran saluted and said: "Namo Amitabha, thank you so much to the little benefactor."

After another hour, Fran and the two rested and rested, and finally saw the Taoist temple. It had a two-meter-high blue brick wall and a gate that could accommodate five people passing together. On the door was a mahogany door plaque with "Tianshi's Mansion" hanging on it. .

A Taoist priest came up to us and made a Taoist salute: "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, these two laymen are here to offer incense, so you can come with me as a Taoist."

Fran replied: "Namo Amitabha, a poor monk from Tianzhu, is a Buddhist monk. He was invited by His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to come to the Han Dynasty to teach the Dharma. Now I have been invited by King Bai to come to Guibao Temple to debate scriptures for me. Buddhism was looking for a way out in the Han Dynasty.

However, the benefactor behind me is indeed here to offer incense, please be kind enough to receive him. "

The Taoist priest stared straight at Fran, nodded after a long time, and saluted, "That's fine."

After saying that, he went in and called a Taoist priest out, and said to the guide: "Layman, you can follow my poor Taoist brother to offer incense to the gods."

Then he turned to look at Frank and gave a slight salute: "Fellow Taoist, please follow Pindao."

Fran followed the Taoist priest into the gate of Tianshi Mansion. Along the way, he kept admiring the buildings and scenery, the exquisitely carved wood carvings, the majestic main hall, and looking at the incense lingering under the statues. He couldn't help but think, "I am a Buddhist." When will we be as prosperous as this place?"

The Taoist priest introduced Flan into a room: "Fellow Taoist, this is the guest house of Tianshi Mansion. Taoist friends can rest here. There will be fasting in the morning, noon and evening every day. I will arrange for a Taoist boy to come and lead the way for you. Go to the Zhaitang and wait for Pindao to tell the Heavenly Master about the matter and see how he decides.

By the way, I should be able to get a reply probably by tomorrow at the latest. I also ask fellow Taoists not to go out as much as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble. "Namo Amitabha, poor monk, here is a letter written by King Bai Wangmian in Guibao Temple. Please also forward it to the abbot of Guibao Temple." "

The Taoist priest took the letter from King Bai with both hands: "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, I will personally deliver this letter to the Heavenly Master. My fellow Taoist, who has come all the way from Chaoge, must be tired. Please take a good rest." , Pindao, I won’t interrupt you now, I’ll take my leave.”

After seeing off the Taoist priest, Fran was indeed exhausted, so he got on the bed and began to rest.

Tianshi Mansion, Taiqing Hall

The contemporary Heavenly Master Zhang Zhenyuan is meditating here. This hall enshrines all the gods of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, occupying two-thirds of the hall. The center position is dedicated to the gods certified by the Heavenly Master's Mansion.

Distributed in a ladder shape, on the stepped wooden platform paved with red cloth, at the top, the Sanqing tablet is on the highest first floor, followed by the four immortals, the five elders of the five directions, the six emperors and the Tianshi Mansion of the past dynasties. division.

Let’s not mention the Three Pure Ones, the Four Immortals, the Five Elders, and the Six Imperial Masters for now. From the middle to the two sides, the Heavenly Masters on the fifth level are: Bai Lang, the First Heavenly Master, Xu Daokong, the Second Heavenly Master, Zhang Daoliang, the Third Heavenly Master, and Zhang Dehong, the Fourth Heavenly Master. , the fifth generation Celestial Master Liu Tongshui, the sixth generation Celestial Master Zhang Xuanjin, the seventh generation Celestial Master Zhang Xuanwu, the eighth generation Celestial Master Zhang Jingzhai.

The current one is the ninth generation Heavenly Master Zhang Zhenyuan, who is only in his forties this year.

Behind him, there are more than a dozen highly accomplished figures from the Tianshi Mansion. Among them are Zhang Zhenyuan’s senior brothers and his senior uncles. Ordinary juniors are not qualified to enter the Taiqing Palace to sit for a long time. I will come here to chant sutras during morning and evening classes.

However, not all the masters of the Tianshi Mansion are here, there are still some people traveling outside, and there is even a ninety-year-old master in the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion, who is the only remaining achievement of the Xuan generation.

The Taoist priest who received Fran came quietly behind Zhang Zhenyuan, "Master!", and then whispered something in his ear. Zhang Zhenyuan opened his eyes, arranged the fly whisk in his hand, and placed it on the ground in front of him. .

After receiving the letter from the Taoist priest, the Taoist bowed and stepped back. Zhang Zhenyuan carefully read the cloth in his hand. After reading, he sighed, "Uncle Bai!"

The Taoist priest behind Zhang Zhenyuan on the left side had white hair and beard, a thin figure, and a divine seal between his eyebrows. He slowly opened his cloudy eyes, and his body moved slightly, and the dust on his body fell off.

Zhang Zhenyuan turned slightly and handed the letter to him with both hands, "There is a letter from Bai Mansion."

Bai Jingting's eyes flashed, and he took the letter with both hands. After reading it quickly, he handed it back to Zhang Zhenyuan.

Zhang Zhenyuan put the letter away and waited for Bai Jingting to digest it.

Bai Jingting is the cousin of the current Bai King, that is, the third son of the Bai family. Judging from the ranking of the Bai clan in the clan, he can also be the fifth brother of Bai Qi (among the entire Bai clan with divine seals, according to the order of birth , ranked fifth among his peers).

When Bai Jingting was young, he came into contact with Taoist theory in Bai Xue, and then he got out of control. Later, he entered Haoling Temple in the north of Chaoge to study Taoism, and became his teacher, Wang Xuanlin, the master of Haoling Temple.

Haoling Temple mainly enshrines one of the five elders, the Western White Emperor Haoling Emperor Lao Qiqi Tianjun, which is also the name of the ancestor of the Bai family, Bai Zhi, who ascended to immortality and became a god.

The master of the temple, Wang Xuanlin, is the younger brother of the sixth-generation Celestial Master Zhang Xuanjin and the third disciple of the fifth-generation Celestial Master Liu Tongshui. After being tested by the Tianshi Mansion, he believed that he was qualified to serve as the master of a temple and help the people solve their doubts. Therefore, he was granted an ultimatum and became the Haoling Temple. host.

In Tianshi Mansion, there will be an examination every three years, which mainly tests Taoist scriptures and Taoist skills. Nine high-ranking masters of Tianshi Mansion serve as examiners. Those who pass can go out to serve as temple masters, or stay in Tianshi Mansion has become a highly successful person.

In the internal division of Tianshi Mansion, according to the degree of understanding of Taoist scriptures and mastery of Taoist skills, they are divided into Taoist boys who have just entered Taoism, Taoist priests who have been recognized by a high-level gong, and high-level gong who have passed the school examination.

The Celestial Masters of Tianshi Mansion and the masters of various temples under their jurisdiction all require high skills to be able to serve.

If you want to become a Taoist boy, you only need to worship in a Taoist temple or have a basic understanding of Taoism and Taoism. Then you can stay in the Taoist temple and receive further Taoist education.

If you have talent and hard work, you can be accepted as a disciple by a high master. After a series of apprenticeship ceremonies, witnessed by three high masters, you can be awarded a Taoist priest and become a Taoist priest.

A Taoist priest's legal status is like the nationality of the Bai Kingdom, which is recognized by the Bai Kingdom officials and the Han Dynasty court. Then you can study deeper Taoist scriptures and the teachings of a highly skilled master.

As their knowledge deepens, those who have become Taoist priests in other places and are on the list of Taoists in Tianshi Mansion can go to Tianshi Mansion to receive the Celestial Master's Degree every three years. Those who can withstand the exams of the nine high-gong masters will After passing the exam, you will be awarded a certificate representing high merit.

Then you will be free. You can either stay in the Tianshi Mansion, or go to the world to seek the way and serve as the master of any Taoist temple. You can also go and set up a Taoist temple in places where there are no Taoist temples.

And Bai Jingting went from Haoling Temple to become a high-ranking master of Tianshi Mansion, which shows his intelligence. It stands to reason that he should inherit his master's mantle and become the master of Haoling Temple.

But fortunately, one of his senior brothers and a junior brother have also become high-level practitioners, so he can decide where he wants to go. A three-high skill is not common in grassroots Taoist temples with incomplete Taoist scriptures.

Many Taoist temples in the Bai Kingdom were established mainly through three methods. First, they were built on the initiative of the Bai Kingdom government, and the Tianshi Mansion sent high officials to settle in; second, the Tianshi Mansion believed that this place could be used to establish a Taoist temple, and funded and sent High merit is established;
Third, Gao Gong traveled to a place and wanted to settle there. After preaching, he invited local believers to jointly fund the establishment. This method is also the strongest way of belief.

(End of this chapter)