"Donor Sakaki Ryunosuke asked me, will you go to paradise when you are alive? Or will you go to paradise when you die?"
The red-robed monk shook his head and sighed:
"If you two donors knew the meaning of my teachings on Zen, you should understand the meaning of the word bliss. The real bliss is not having both suffering and happiness, but having neither suffering nor happiness. Suffering is happiness, happiness is happiness. Having neither suffering nor happiness is also happiness. This is bliss."
"At its core, bliss is a state of peace where nothing matters to you."
Miss Miyano said softly:
“Suffering is not suffering, happiness is not happiness, suffering is happiness, happiness is also suffering, this is an extremely profound state.”
"The donor is right..."
The red-robed monk nodded:
"At that time, I could sense that Sakaki Ryunosuke had not yet reached the state of bliss. What he was about to do next brought him pain, so he wanted to seek answers from the old monk."
"What was your response then, Mr. Fujiwara?"
"I don't have any answers."
The red monk said:
"To cultivate Buddhism is to cultivate the mind. If the mind is disturbed, it will be disturbed. If the mind is right, it will be right. The Dharma is neither good nor evil, neither ungood nor evil. It is both good and evil."
"The question raised by Sakaki Ryunosuke has no answer. Or maybe he has already made his own decision. I am stupid and it took me 18 years to figure it out."
“No regrets…”
Miss Miyano's pupils suddenly contracted:
"You mean, uncle doesn't regret what he's going to do next?"
"Namo.... The donor is very intelligent and has revealed the secret of heaven with one sentence."
The red-robed monk had a blank expression on his face, neither happy nor sad. He seemed to have the answer to this question himself. He was unable to answer Sakaki Ryunosuke's question at the beginning, but now he could answer it. However, he was unable to tell the other party in person. This was a pity, and once one had regrets, one would not be able to reach true bliss.
"Now that things have come to this, I have a question that I would like to ask you two donors."
"Host, please speak."
"Donor Sakaki Ryunosuke...did he realize his wish?"
“Although the result was delayed a lot…”
Sakaki Makoto said calmly:
"But I think he did."
"good."
The red monk smiled, took out a yellowed piece of paper from his sleeve and put it on the table:
"Before he left, Sakaki Ryunosuke left this note behind. There was also another sentence."
"What did my father say?"
"He said it was a treasure that could not be stolen."
Sakaki opened the note and found only four words written on it:
Sukawa Dam.
"Thank you very much."
Sakaki Makoto put away the note, stood up and said:
"Master Fujiwara, we will take our leave now."
The red-robed monk put his palms together, lowered his head, and saluted in silence.
After getting the clue, Makoto Sakaki and Miss Miyano left the backyard without stopping, planning to meet up with Kid and others first, and then go to Sukawa Reservoir.
There....
There must be some secret hidden!
But just as they walked to the main hall in the front yard, a dull bell rang suddenly in the sky, seven times in a row.
A monk who was sweeping the floor nearby heard the bell and immediately stood still, clasped his hands together and chanted:
“Namo…”
"What's going on?"
Miss Miyano asked in confusion:
"Seven bells, what does it mean?"
"Many religious sects have the custom of ringing bells in the morning and evening."
Sakaki looked back at the sky in the backyard and sighed:
"Generally speaking, four bell rings represent a funeral. The more bells there are, the higher the status of the deceased. Seven bell rings...means the abbot of the temple has passed away."
"Why did Fujiwara no Taiji suddenly pass away? Wasn't he fine just now?"
"In Buddhist terms, he has let go of all his regrets and is heading for paradise... Let's go."
Pulling up his girlfriend's slightly cold hand, Sakaki Makoto said:
"His problems have been solved by others, but our problems can only be solved by ourselves."
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