In front of the mountain gate, hundreds of people swarmed in and stopped outside. Inside the gate, the abbot of the temple stood at the door with more than ten strong monks. The two parties faced each other, and the situation was tense for a while. No one knew what the other party wanted.
for.
When Ma Zhou saw Fang Jun striding forward, he quickly reached out and tried to persuade Fang Jun not to be too arrogant and offend the entire Buddhist sect. Then he saw Fang Jun striding up to the mountain gate in full view of everyone.
, in the eyes of everyone who was worried about him colliding with the monk, he suddenly bowed his head to the ground and said loudly: "It turns out that it was Master Huili who was rude in front of me."
The host was slightly startled, then clasped his hands and returned the salute: "I didn't know that the Duke of Yue came to visit, and I missed the welcome. I apologize for my sin. But I don't know why the Duke of Yue mobilized troops and mobilized people like this?"
There are very few people inside and outside Chang'an who don't know Fang Jun. Even outsiders know that this powerful official has a long history with Buddhism. He is one of the few people who can go directly to Da Ci'en Temple to see Master Xuanzang.
One, so even though he didn't understand how powerful he was coming, he didn't dare to make any mistakes.
Fang Jun laughed, took two steps forward, took Master Huili's hand, and said affectionately: "Although I am not a Buddhist, I have always respected Buddhism, and I have been famous for the master for a long time. Recently I heard that the master
I was summoned by Master Xuanzang from Zhaoren Temple in Binzhou to come to Chang'an to help translate scriptures, and I was temporarily staying in Xingjiao Temple, so I took the liberty to come to visit."
Ma Zhou was a little stunned. Did your attitude change too quickly?
Master Huili took a look at the crowd of hundreds of people behind Fang Jun, and thought to himself that you are really presumptuous...
But a smile still appeared on his face, and he said with a smile: "The Duke of Yue and Master Xuanzang have a close relationship. They are friends of Buddhism. The poor monk naturally welcomes him. If you don't mind, please come in and talk about it."
Fang Jun looked pleased: "It's my wish, but I don't dare to invite you!"
Then he stepped into the mountain gate...
Master Huili pointed to the hundreds of people outside the door and hesitated slightly: "These people..."
"It's okay, master, don't pay attention. Just let them stand for a while."
Master Huili smiled bitterly and said: "I'm just a bystander, how can I let Ma Shizhong stay outside the door? Ma Shizhong, please come in and let the poor monk make tea for you."
Ma Zhou cupped his fists and returned the salute: "Well, I'm sorry for bothering you."
Huili said: "Easy to say, easy to say."
Enter with Fang Jun and Ma Zhou.
…
As soon as he entered the mountain gate, Ma Zhou saw that the spacious courtyard inside the gable wall was piled with stones. Some of them had been cut and cut, and some were still rough stones. They were so densely packed that it was almost endless as far as the eye could see. It was obvious that the reconstruction of Xingjiao Temple was necessary.
A huge project will definitely have the support of the entire Chang'an Buddhist community, and it is extremely difficult to obtain stone materials.
While walking, he looked at Fang Jun. The latter nodded slightly, then pointed at the stones and pretended to be surprised: "I wonder why there are so many stones placed here?"
Huili replied: "The poor monk was summoned to Chang'an by Master Xuanzang and was temporarily granted the title of master of the Xingjiao Temple. In addition to translating scriptures, he also took on the important task of rebuilding the Xingjiao Temple. However, the poor monk has been studying hard since he was a child.
I don’t know anything about Buddhism and how to build a dharma, so I feel really embarrassed.”
Fang Jun clicked his tongue and exclaimed: "The excavation and transportation of so many stones require a huge amount of manpower. Even if the government needs to requisition so many stones, it is not easy. Buddhism is really rich."
Ma Zhou suddenly thought, is this going to start?
Huili was a little speechless and didn't know how to answer. He could only nodded vaguely and asked the two of them to continue walking to the monastery on the side of the Main Hall.
Is Buddhism rich? The answer is naturally yes. Since ancient times, there have been times when the people were poor, and there were times when the court was poor, but there has never been a time when Buddhism was poor. In the prosperous times, Buddhism opened its doors to accept believers from all over the world, accepted donations from believers, and cultivated land.
Planting the land and making profits by issuing loan sharks can be said to make a lot of money. In times of trouble, guests are closed behind closed doors. They can cultivate themselves in a temple and have no worries about money and food. No monk has ever starved to death... But naturally, this cannot be said so straightforwardly.
Believers donate money to the Buddha, and the money is not donated to the monks, but the monks take care of it; the emphasis on reclamation is self-reliance, drinking the water you draw, eating the food you grow, tempering your will, and strengthening the Buddha's heart; as for lending, the purpose
It is not for the purpose of making money, but Buddhism’s compassion for those poor people who are in urgent need of money for medical treatment and seeds for planting. This is doing good deeds. Of course, Buddhism also has certain expenses in the process of doing good deeds. It only charges a small amount of interest to maintain operation...
Moreover, Huili never cared about these things. He was a pursuing monk who was determined to study Buddhism intensively and achieve great virtues. Therefore, he rushed to Chang'an from Zhaoren Temple in Binzhou and temporarily lived in Xingjiao Temple as the temple master. However, his main task was
It is to help Master Xuanzang translate Buddhist scriptures and promote Buddhism.
Today, Fang Jun came to the door rashly, which made him confused and had to deal with it carefully.
The so-called monastery is just a simple and dry house, with ordinary floor coverings, which have not been polished or waxed. However, long-term walking has made the floor surface a little smooth, and the wood texture is clearly visible.
The decoration is even more simple and unusual, with a sense of indifference and simplicity everywhere, which is in perfect contrast with Huili's temperament.
The three of them sat opposite each other on the futon. On one of the desks, Master Huili boiled water and took out a can of tea. He said with a smile: "The poor monk doesn't like to talk. When he is tired when he is chanting sutras, he often drinks wild tea from wild trees.
Remind me, this jar of tea was given to me by Master Xuanzang when I went back to Daci'en Temple last time. It is said that it was a gift from the Duke of Yue. The poor monk actually borrowed flowers to offer to the Buddha today."
Ma Zhou knew how to be generous to others: "The Duke of Yue is the richest in the world, how can he drink the master's good tea for free? I will definitely give him twice as much in the future."
Huili was obviously a second-rate person, and did not have much of the so-called spirit of escaping from the world. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "If that's the case, then the poor monk will be waiting for you."
The hands kept working, and after the kettle boiled, water was poured in to make tea. An ordinary iron teapot, a few clay cups, the tea was fragrant, and the monastery was quiet and quite ancient. Being there, one had a vague sense of forgetfulness.
Fang Jun took the teacup, took a sip, and said: "It is appropriate to give the master a few cans of tea, but Buddhism has always been rich, but as the master of the temple, the master is so frugal, which is beyond my expectation."
Huili said leisurely: "As a monk, why should you worry about money when you are outside the realm? With a jar and a bowl, you will have no worries about food and clothing. Besides, although Buddhism has some money, it still needs to spend money everywhere. For example, this Xingjiao Temple is dilapidated.
, it could collapse at any time if not repaired. Chang'an Buddhist Gate raised funds to repair it, but the stones outside alone would cost a lot, and craftsmen would also need to be hired, which is very expensive."
After meeting today, Fang Jun mentioned money many times, which made him wary, but he also couldn't figure out whether Buddhism was poor or rich. What did it have to do with him as a court official?
No matter how much money you have, it is all donated by believers. If it is not stolen or stolen, the court has nothing to do with it...
Fang Jun nodded and agreed: "This is exactly what I said. For building a house, the cost of using stone is much greater than that of wood. Sometimes stone is difficult to build and unsightly, so it may not be suitable."
Ma Zhou thought: Here comes the question.
Huili made tea by himself, shook his head and said: "It is also difficult to get wood. Not only do you have to cut it down in the mountains, but you also need to dry it for at least one or two years, otherwise the wood will deform when it is wet. But where can we find such wood in such a hurry?
How much wood has been dried? It can only be replaced by stone."
Although he was a master of Buddhism, Huili did not blindly delve into Buddhism and was not familiar with secular affairs. Otherwise, he would not have been appointed by Master Xuanzang as the temple master of Xingjiao Temple.
Fang Juntu had a rough idea: "I brought back some sandalwood from Nanyang. It has been dried for many years. If it is donated to a Buddhist temple, what do you think?"
Ma Zhou was surprised. This was such a big deal. A Buddhist temple required a lot of wood. Even if it was only made of sandalwood to carve Buddha statues and build doors and windows, it would be extremely expensive. However, if enough stone could be exchanged to save the flood, it would indeed be a great success.
worth.
Huili was greatly moved.
Rosewood, sandalwood and Buddhism have always had an inseparable bond. Together with sandalwood, they are called the spiritual wood of Buddhism. For example, the best Buddhist beads must be carved from rosewood or sandalwood, and the best Buddha statues are also made from rosewood or sandalwood.
Gold, looking at the thousands of Buddhist temples in China during the Tang Dynasty, only a few have sandalwood Buddhist temples.
But how can there be good things without a reason in this world? After all, I have never heard that Fang Erlang is a Buddhist believer. Since he donates so generously, he must have a big intention...
After thinking for a while, he tentatively said: "Sandalwood is the king of trees and is very valuable. The Duke of Yue is so generous, but I don't know how Buddhism can repay it?"
Fang Jun didn't beat around the bush, pointed to the stones outside the window, and said: "Let's drink some water now."
When the embankment burst, the river flooded into the ocean, not only submerging large areas of farmland and houses on both sides of the river, drowning people and countless livestock, but also poured into the Qingming Canal, causing the water level of the Qingming Canal to skyrocket. Once the flood could not be contained, it would inevitably endanger the entire city of Chang'an and even the Taiji Palace.
.Buddhism has the virtue of good life, how can we just watch the people suffer disasters? If we can donate some of those stones to build the dam, the merit will be immeasurable, and the people in Guanzhong will be grateful for the compassion of Buddhism."
He didn't get straight to the point as soon as he came in, because he was afraid that Huili would refuse politely. Once the refusal was spoken, it would be difficult to reverse it, so he spared a detour and donated sandalwood to a Buddhist temple in exchange for stones, which was considered a gift.
This gave both parties a room for maneuver, so that the matter would not become stalemate. After all, the reason why Huili served as the temple master of this Xingjiao Temple was to rebuild the temple on the order of Master Xuanzang. Even if it was a Buddhist temple, if Fang Jun
Asking for too many stones resulted in insufficient stones to build the temple. Huili was suspected of dereliction of duty.
However, what he didn't expect was that even though he expressed his intention in an extremely tactful way, Huili still refused outright: "Chang'an is at the feet of the emperor, and the welfare of the people should be managed by the government. If Buddhism is involved, wouldn't it be an act of superstition?"
?Buddhists are compassionate, but they are also independent of the world. They believe that the government has the ability to cure floods and save the people from water and fire."
Fang Jun's face darkened. If you don't eat the toast, you will have to drink as a penalty, right?
Then don't blame me for being polite before fighting.