"Tuk! Tuk!" The voice was dull, as if most of it was absorbed by the wooden door. It made people doubt whether the people in the temple could hear it.
Every breath of waiting made people uneasy. Yang Zhaoxi looked around and saw a half-human, half-eagle god painted in gold paint on the door lintel, surrounded by flame patterns painted in red paint, and dots of hooks.
The Chinese inscriptions from the Western Regions give people a sense of novelty and mystery.
The person who opened the door was wearing a crimson lotus robe, a moon-white turban, and a pair of deep eyes, showing scrutiny and caution: "Brother and brother, why are you here? We have never met. If you are not a brother of my religion, it is inconvenient to go inside and take a look."
The language was ancient, but Yang Chaoxi found it difficult to answer. The Zen master took a step forward with a warm smile: "Come and worship Ahura Mazda, the Lord of God, and Vishpakar and Daena... all the gods, only
May the holy fire burn brightly and burn away all evil in the world."
After hearing this, the man in the lotus cloth opened his pupils slightly, made a flame shape with his palms, and placed it on his chest: "It's my brother! Mage is praying in the fire house. Brother and brother can follow me in, but they must keep silent. Mage
After expressing your wishes to the holy fire, you can bring your brothers and sisters to kowtow to the Lord."
Yang Chaoxi, without seeing the man in lotus robes, the Zen master only opened a gap in the wooden door, just big enough for a single person to pass through, then followed the local customs and entered the Zoroastrian Temple sideways.
In the courtyard of the Zoroastrian Temple is a square fire altar, with a large house built on huge stones. The large house has a dome, arches on all sides, but no door panels. A figure can be vaguely seen, playing with the flames.
On both sides of the big house are corridors leading to the backyard. The walls of the corridors are painted with serial murals: The main god Ahura Mazda created the void of the universe, created fire, created water, created the earth, created plants, animals, humans... Ahura
Ra fights with the evil god Angola...Ahura teaches all living beings not to do evil and to do good...
At the end of the corridor are two black dogs, sitting on the ground, sticking out their tongues, with white eyebrows on their cold eyes, watching everything in the courtyard with cold eyes. These black dogs are very similar to the black dogs in a village in Xiong'er Mountain more than a month ago.
Yang Zhaoxi saw it in her eyes, and a chill ran down her back.
After burning incense, Mage finally finished her prayers and slowly walked out of the fire house wearing a dark purple lotus robe. A moon-white scarf covered her cheeks, covering her mouth, nose, and neck, and she revealed a pair of clear eyes washed away by the beauty.
, shooting straight at the two of them.
The moment they looked at each other, Yang Chaoxi had the illusion that someone knew everything. He quickly turned his head to the side, but saw that the monk still had a gentle smile, and his eyes were neither evasive nor sharp, and he actually looked into Mage's eyes.
When the eyes met, invisible sparks burst out, like the trial and collision of two beliefs.
But after two breaths, Mage finally spoke: "Brothers, the Lord God has just sent down the revelation through the Holy Fire: Two guests are coming today, one is an enemy and the other is a friend, and it is right for them to be present. We, the Zoroastrian Church,
Good deeds drive away evil. Please tell me where you came from, two brothers."
Yang Chaoxi thought for a while and said: "I am a hunter in Mangshan Mountain. I shoot animals and birds for daily life, cook meat for food, and boil water for drinking. Although there are three no-kills: young animals are not killed, pregnant animals are not killed, and rare animals are not killed."
Kill, but after all, killing is too serious a crime and damages one's moral character. When he heard that the Zoroastrian followers performed one good deed every day, they broke their bows and arrows and came to seek refuge."
Zen Master Bujing said: "I heard that Zoroastrian believers 'do good deeds without worrying about the future'. They can best understand their hearts and see their nature, and encourage evil to do good. So I changed my family, and I am willing to join the Zoroastrian family, worship fire as the honor, and eliminate evil."
Evil."
Yang Chaoxi, before the Zen master spoke, the man in lotus clothes had already attached himself to Mage's ear and reported the situation of the two people entering the house one by one.
After the two of them finished speaking, Mage's eyes showed a smile: "Brothers, I am a Zoroastrian who is not strict with words, but knows his heart and is sincere. If you want to worship the gods, come with me."
After Yang Zhaoxi and Master Bujing heard this, they followed Mage through the corridor and came to a row of stone houses in the backyard.
In the narrow open space in front of the stone house, there is a row of stone sculptures standing from the middle to both sides. The largest in the middle, more than eight feet high, is the main god Ahura Mazda; followed by the minor gods Vishpaka, Da on both sides.
Aina, Asha, Wohu Mana, Heshatra, Almeti, Hulvatat, Ameretat, Srusha, Ahi, Mithra, etc.; the last stone sculpture, off the ground
It's only two feet tall, so I can't recognize what kind of god it is.
Mage knelt down and bowed to the ground, starting from the middle stone sculpture and bowing to the right one by one; then he turned back to the main god and bowed to the left one by one.
After Mage bowed, the man who was wearing a crimson lotus robe also bowed to the ground, bowed for a while, and then walked over to Mage and said: "Father Kang, I still need to go back to Nanshi to unload a batch of spices. I'll come back someday."
, for my father to drive around."
Mage turned his palms into flames and put them on his chest and said: "It doesn't matter. As long as the holy fire remains blazing, the Lord God will bless us to benefit from wealth, have many wives and children, and go to the kingdom of light, justice and truth."
After the man in lotus clothes left, Yang Chaoxi and the monk Bujing also worshiped the Zoroastrian gods, returned to the front yard, and walked up to Mage.
Yang Chaoxi learned the Zoroastrian etiquette, put her palms together on her chest to form flames, and said humbly: "We want to join Zoroastrianism, worship the sacred fire, and have our hearts towards the light. I don't know what to do, so please let Mage explain in detail!"
Mage replied with a smile: "If your heart is bright, you will not be afraid of the long dark night. The holy fire will help you drive away the evil spirits and darkness, and the gods will guide you to the glorious land. The omniscient and omnipotent God has accepted you, and I have been shown by the God.
,Introducing another brother to Zoroastrianism..."
Mage kept talking for a long time, but the smile on Yang Chaoxi's increasingly humble face had already hardened. He thought to himself: This Zoroastrian rhetoric is even more embarrassing than a Taoist priest reciting a curse in the street!
At this moment, Mage finally finished speaking about the Lord's instructions, but pointed his right arm and said to Zen Master Bujing: "The Lord doesn't welcome you, don't come again and pollute my holy fire!"
After the Zen master listened, Yun Danfengqing's face finally changed: he was surprised, stunned, dull, and depressed...
It was as if this sentence sentenced this fair-weather monk to the punishment of hell.
The weather was getting higher and higher, and the air was slightly warm. There was silence for a moment in the temple, and only the rustling of leaves outside the wall could be heard.
Unexpectedly, the monk's eyes widened, his beard slightly spread, and anger surged in his chest. After three breaths, he forced himself to calm down and said, "I wonder what Mage said?"
Mage Zhengse said: "There is a saying in China, 'If we have different ways, we will not conspire with each other.' The monks of the Buddhist sect are all people who sit and eat. They do not engage in farming and mulberry cultivation, and do not engage in business. Marriage leave is prohibited, which is very contrary to our Zoroastrian religious rituals."
.Since you are a member of the Buddhist sect, you should be good at eating raw food and chanting Buddha's name. How can you try to join our Zoroastrianism and pollute the holy fire?"
"Amitabha! Since Mage has such prejudice against me, the monk, I have nothing to say. Say goodbye!" The monk glared at Mage for a long time, then said the next sentence, turned around and left.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward. Yang Chaoxi coughed lightly and said respectfully: "My surname is Yang and my first name is Chaoxi. I haven't asked Mage's name yet. In addition, I have just entered Zoroastrianism. I don't know how to worship the sacred fire?"
Mage drove away the monk Bu Jing. The coldness in his eyes gradually disappeared. He slowly took off his scarf, revealing a face from the Western Regions: "My Chinese name is Kang Saiyin, and my Hu name is also Kang Saiyin. I am Zhaowu Jiu."
The surname is Hu. 'Mage' is a Hu language, and the Chinese meaning is 'priest'. Its main mission is to keep the holy fire burning so that it can be used to pray for the congregation at any time. If you want to worship the holy fire, go to Li, Nanshi
I want to buy some willow wood for my work. I need this wood as a matchmaker for the sacred fire of Zoroastrianism, so that it can have magical effects."
Yang Chaoxi nodded and took notes, then asked: "What are the Zoroastrian rituals? When will the boy come so that he will not neglect the god?"
Kamage's brows are high, his eye sockets are deep, and the goat's beard under his chin trembles: "The god blesses the living beings. Zoroastrian rituals include the fire ceremony, the new birth ceremony, the wedding, the purification ceremony, the bird funeral... The believers beg the god.
When providing protection, corresponding ceremonies will be held in the Zoroastrian Temple, and other believers will not be forced to participate. The Lord God has decreed that business, nomadism, and farming are the foundation of people's livelihood and cannot be abolished. Therefore, they will not interfere with believers in doing these things.
"
Yang Chaoxi nodded and thought to himself: It seems that Zoroastrianism's teachings are enlightened and do not restrict the daily words and deeds of believers. But I don't know what the precepts are?
So, Yang Chaoxi continued to ask: "What are the precepts in the religion? The boy must write them down to avoid violating them accidentally."
"Zoroastrianism regards fire, water, and earth as the most pure things. Therefore, it is forbidden to step on ashes, and it is forbidden to be buried in the ground, cremated, and water buried." Kang Mage smiled as before and said without getting tired of it.
Yang Zhaoxi asked many more questions that he was curious about and did not understand, and Kangmage explained them to him in detail. During this period, some believers came in silently, left some cakes and grains, prayed on the holy fire altar, and then went
The gods were worshiped in the backyard. Kang Mage just nodded slightly and did not guide or interfere.
After chatting for nearly half an hour, Yang Zhaoxi turned his palms into flames again, performed a holy fire ceremony, and said goodbye to Kang Mage.
However, Kang Mage stopped him and said, "Xi boy, I look at your body, you seem to have practiced boxing and kicking. Exactly seven days later, the congregation of the three Zoroastrian Temples in Luoyang City will go to welcome an important visitor ten miles west of the city.
.If nothing happens, we will go together then."
Yang Chaoxi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Father Kang, I will definitely come over."
After leaving the Xiushanfang Zoroastrian Temple, Yang Chaoxi saw a monk not far away under the shade of a tree, standing in awe with his hands lowered, chanting something in his mouth, and flicking the catalpa beads in his hand from time to time. Although this fat monk had bad habits, he recited the "Rebirth Mantra"
"The appearance, no matter from which angle you look at it, looks extremely pious.
Seeing him coming, the monk said hurriedly: "Amitabha! How is the situation of Donor Yang? Did Mage mention any useful news?"
"I'm just saying that in seven days, I'm going to meet someone ten miles west of Luoyang City. I'm not sure yet whether it's the Zoroastrian saint we want to intercept." Yang Zhaoxi answered truthfully, "If you take this news back to the Cui Mansion, I'm sure the head of the family will
I won’t blame you for being ineffective. Haha!”
"Donor Yang, stop making fun of the poor monk! The teachings are different, and they are incompatible with each other. But it is not something that the poor monk can convince with just a few words." Zen Master Bu Jing said with a bitter smile.
"Zen Master, please don't be overly concerned. The Heshang Winery is right in this Xiuxianfang, why don't we go and have some wine and food together?" Yang Chaoxi invited.
"That's fine! The poor monk has just been ridiculed by the barbarians in the Zoroastrian Temple, and he wants to repay the evil with kindness and save the barbarians in the Western Regions... Hahaha!" The Zen master laughed heartily despite not tabooing meat and vegetables.
The two of them had decided on their plan, so they strode side by side towards the Heshang Wine Shop.