Ever-changing - Part Four
Xinyuan Temple is located on a dangerous peak called "Xingshan" in the far suburbs of the capital. People could drive their own horses to the "Xingshan Inn" at the foot of the mountain. After leaving their horses or carriages at the inn, they would transfer to a carriage driven by monks from Xinyuan Temple to go up the mountain.
Note that walking, riding a horse, or driving a carriage up the mountain are all strictly prohibited here. It is said that even princes visiting Shingenji Temple had to transfer to a carriage provided by Shingenji Temple at the foot of the mountain.
According to Xinyuan Temple, the journey up the mountain is treacherous, and this regulation was established for the safety of the local people. The fact that only a small fee is charged for the horse-drawn carriages going up the mountain seems to confirm the temple's explanation.
Ayu arrived a day early and rested at the Xingshan Temple Inn for the night. The next morning, she boarded one of the first carriages to go up the mountain. Although it wasn't as convenient as riding a horse herself, it was still an experience. As for the fare, she had rarely thought about money since entering the Liuli Palace, especially since Xinyuan Temple had only charged a pittance.
The carriage ascended the winding mountain road. On the inner side of the road were wet, angular rocks. On the outer side were patches of green bamboo, though not so dense as to obstruct the view. Through the gaps in the bamboo, one could enjoy a wide view, including the distant mountains and the villages still sleeping in the valleys.
Sitting to Ayu's left and right were two elderly peasant women. One of them held a Buddhist rosary, constantly fiddling with it and muttering incantations. Ayu didn't study Buddhist scriptures and didn't know which book or passage the woman was reciting, or what kind of aspiration it symbolized.
The other woman, like Ayu and most of the passengers sitting opposite her, would sometimes look at the road ahead of the carriage, and sometimes turn her head to look through the tall bamboo and towards the village and mountains a hundred miles away, or perhaps even further.
At first, the carriage traveled smoothly, but as the villages in the distance grew smaller, the carriage began to sway. The bends in the road became more numerous and sharper.
After Ayu glimpsed a tea plantation nearby through the gaps in the green bamboo, the carriage began to sway more violently. Several times she felt as if she was about to be thrown off. Along the way, she also saw many other travelers. These people seemed to be the original inhabitants of the mountains, who had lived there before Xinyuan Temple arrived.
The carriage wound its way through countless bends before finally arriving at the entrance to Shingenji Temple. Ayu's palms, gripping the edge of the seat, were already drenched in sweat.
After passing through a winding stone corridor built along the same mountainside, Ayu saw a huge, majestic stone tablet inscribed with the words "The Origin of the Buddha's Heart".
We've arrived at Xinyuan Temple.
Beyond the stone tablet, there was an incense burner, and ahead lay the first hall where the Buddha statue was enshrined. Like the others, Ayu paused here briefly and offered a simple prayer. Then she pushed through the crowd and continued forward, taking the small door to the left of the hall to explore deeper into the temple.
Upon entering through the small gate, a monk had set up a long wooden table to distribute incense. A-Yu walked over and, imitating the others, put his hands together in prayer. He humbly asked, "Master, how many copper coins is this stick of incense?"
"How many girls are there?" the older monk asked.
Ah Yu looked around and said, "Gentlemen. My friend has already left, so please give me this first."
The monk handed over three sticks of incense, revealing a warm smile: "Here are three sticks of incense for you. Your friend can come and collect them later. This is free of charge."
Beyond the small gate lies a spacious open area, much larger than the one in front of Ping'an Temple. In front of the open area stands the Shakyamuni Hall, with four strings of rain chains hanging in front of it, seemingly swaying slightly in the wind.
Holding the incense he had just received, Ayu went to the center of the open space. The people lit the incense there, devoutly bowed in all directions, and finally placed the incense sticks into the incense burner.
Ayu naturally followed suit, doing as the locals do.
Continuing past the Shakyamuni Hall, and crossing another open space, you reach the Medicine Buddha Hall. This open space is much smaller. Ayu didn't rush forward, but instead went to the dining hall next to the Medicine Buddha Hall and spent a few copper coins to eat a bowl of vegetarian noodles.
The noodles are topped with shredded melon and sliced dried bamboo shoots. The dried bamboo shoots are carefully arranged in a circle, just like the way meat slices are arranged in noodle shops in Beijing.
The dried bamboo shoots were very crisp. After finishing their meal, Ayu walked across the open space to the hand-washing pool, also known as the "Dragon Well," located diagonally opposite the dining hall. The hand-washing pool was square in shape, with a dragon's head carved in the center. Clear water flowed continuously from the dragon's mouth.
After carefully washing her hands, Ayu returned to the dining hall. She then climbed the stone steps beside the dining hall to reach the Tingchao Pavilion, a higher vantage point where worshippers could copy Buddhist scriptures.
Ayu's day was well-planned, and everything proceeded smoothly. With a mix of trepidation and excitement, she crossed the threshold of Tingchao Pavilion and entered a tranquil world.
Meanwhile, the backyard of Xinyuan Temple, where pilgrims stop.
"Child, don't run away." Monk Duku's voice sounded slightly anxious.
A child, barely reaching his knees, ran in. He wouldn't cause any serious trouble, but he was incredibly agile, leaping and bounding about, making him impossible to catch. Just when he was about to catch him, the child would run around the corner and disappear from sight.
Seeing the child running deeper and deeper into the abbot's room, Du Ku couldn't help but feel anxious and quickened his pace.
Du Ku's hand missed again, and the child slipped through a hole in the artificial hill in the yard. Du Ku could only watch helplessly as the child ran past the last corner.
After passing the artificial hill, when Du Ku arrived at the abbot's room, the abbot was already holding the child's hand and had him sit on a stool in his room.
Upon seeing Duku arrive, Abbot Wuwei of Xinyuan Temple instructed, "Duku, go and fetch some candied fruit."
"Yes, Master." Du Ku withdrew respectfully.
"Child," Wuwei's gaze returned to the child, and he asked kindly, "What's your name?"
“My mother calls me Dog,” the child replied, pouting.
"Okay, dog." Wuwei asked, "How did you end up here?"
“A sister said she wanted to play hide-and-seek with me.” Gou’er replied defiantly, “If you hadn’t held me back, Grandpa, I would have already caught her.”
Wuwei immediately understood that someone had deliberately led the child to his room.
"Oh. That was Grandpa's fault." Wuwei said slowly, "How about Grandpa makes it up to you?"
The dog tried to break free from Wuwei's grasp. Even though Wuwei wasn't using any force, he couldn't pull away. The dog said timidly, "I'm going to find my sister. She said if I catch her, she'll give me candy."
"Grandpa will give you candy." Wuwei said, "Tell Grandpa what else your sister said to you, okay?"
"Really?"
"Really." Wuwei's eyes were incredibly sincere.
That wrinkled, kind face immediately won the dog's trust.
"My sister told me a secret, that I could only tell it to the oldest grandfather in this courtyard."
“I’m the oldest grandpa,” Wuwei said, pointing to himself like a child.
Just then, Du Ku returned carrying a plate of candied fruit. Gou'er instinctively tried to dodge, but Wu Wei immediately shielded him and reassured him, "Don't be afraid, this brother is here to bring you candy."
Wuwei took the candied fruit and fed a bite to the dog. After gesturing for Duku to leave, he continued, "Tell Grandpa the story."
"My sister said the Buddha statue in the temple is fake."
"Oh?" Wuwei looked very serious. "That's quite a secret. You haven't told anyone else, have you?"
"No." The dog proudly raised its chin.
"Did your sister tell you where the real Buddha is?"
“The Buddha has truly returned to the Western Paradise,” the dog said confidently.
"What can we do then? From now on, we can only worship fake Buddhas."
"My sister told me secretly," Gou'er whispered in Wuwei's ear, "The relic has been born, and now is the time to welcome him."
Did your sister tell you where she is?
“No,” Gou’er ate another candied fruit and continued, “Sister said that only Grandpa knows where the relic is. If you were that Grandpa, you should know.”
"Now that the relics have been brought back, what should be done about the fake Buddha?"
"The fake Buddha has already passed away," the dog replied absentmindedly, swinging its legs as it sat in the chair.
Wuwei released the dog's hand and walked outside the room, looking around. As far as he could see, only his disciple Duku was there.
"Du Ku," Wuwei asked, "did you see anyone else when you chased after them?"
"No, Master."
Wuwei paused for a moment, then instructed, "Take a bag, fill it with some candied fruit, pack it up, and send this young friend out."
"Yes, Master."
"Also," Wuwei said, "go to the capital and find out if anything major has happened in the palace recently."
*
"You can write your name at the end," the monk collecting scriptures reminded them in the Listening Tide Pavilion.
Looking at the copied scriptures on the table, the handwriting wasn't exactly beautiful, but every character was the result of painstaking effort. With each stroke, my mind grew more at peace.
Ayu hesitated, wondering whether to add her name to the end of the scripture. She felt like she was becoming strange, not at all like a disciple of the Glazed Palace. Sometimes she even wondered why she had to fight for the world.
If I were just an ordinary woman, I would probably leave my name without hesitation at this moment. Whether it's because I genuinely want to seek Buddha's blessing, or simply because I listened to the monk's advice, or because I'm just following the crowd and imitating others.
Ayu sighed and, as if possessed, turned back to look at the entrance of Tingchao Hall. Pei Jiangxi was standing there, and when she saw Ayu turn around, she immediately waved with a smile.
"Has the Palace Master always been like this?" Ayu asked herself. But she quickly dismissed the thought: "She was also puzzled. When did someone who used to be so sharp and aggressive become so approachable?"
Ayu picked up the copied scriptures and placed them on the table at the innermost part of Tingchao Pavilion where scriptures were collected. Then she returned the way she came to the entrance.
"How was it?" Pei Jiangxi asked as soon as they came out. "How did it feel?"
“Hmm…” Ayu thought for a moment and replied, “It feels very peaceful.”
"What a pity," Pei Jiangxi sighed. "I don't have time today. I'll try again another time if I have the chance."
That's right. Ah Yu remembered now, it was after she met Han Yizhi and Wang Boyu. From that day on, Pei Jiangxi changed.
“It felt like…” Ayu frowned involuntarily, thinking, “It was like a completely different person.”
Pei Jiangxi cupped her face, smoothed her brows with her fingers, and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Didn't you say you were very peaceful?"
"nothing."
Isn't this good enough? Ayu thought.
On the table where scriptures are collected in Tingchao Pavilion, the topmost scripture has slightly clumsy handwriting, but you can see the scribe's dedication.
Like most pilgrims, he left his name at the end of the sutra. Lan Luoyu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
