Chapter 2786 Headache
Zhiren was still very happy to see the two young friends. His beard became whiter, and even his eyebrows began to turn white, making him look even more kind.
Seeing the two young friends, the three of them sat together and talked and discussed scriptures. When he learned that Bai Shan was on leave for his coming-of-age ceremony, he generously gave Bai Shan the Buddhist beads he had been turning in his hand.
Bai Shan was surprised and didn't take it. He declined, saying, "This string of Buddhist beads seems to be an old item of the master. How can I take it?"
Zhiren smiled and said, "For me, as long as I have Buddha in my heart, it doesn't matter what kind of beads I hold. But for the world, I have held this string of beads for decades, so it still has some value. My friend is not an ordinary person, but I want to give you something ordinary at this moment."
Bai Shan couldn't help but glance at Man Bao, then he took it with both hands and thanked Master Zhiren.
Jie Chen brought the tea over, put it down and bowed to the two of them, ignoring Zhi Ren's gift.
But the other monks in the temple were not so calm.
Zhiren has been holding this string of Buddhist beads in his hand for many years. In the words of the monks, it has been imbued with Buddha nature.
I don’t know how many people want to get this string of beads from Zhiren, no, one of the Buddhist beads.
Who would have thought that Master Zhiren would give it away so easily? Without even blinking an eye.
Bai Shan accepted Master Zhiren's gift, but was more enthusiastic towards Master Jiechen. "Master, I haven't learned some of the moves well enough. I would like to ask for your advice."
Master Zhiren smiled and said, "You guys go and spar with each other. I'll play chess with you, and chat."
Zhou Man actually didn't want to play chess or talk with Master Zhiren. She couldn't beat him at chess, so it was boring.
She wanted to watch Bai Shan and Master Jie Chen exchange and teach each other, but since Master Zhiren had already invited her, it would be bad to always refuse, so Manbao could only watch them leave.
Then she immediately took out the chessboard and chess pieces, intending to end the battle quickly.
Master Zhinin, who prefers to play chess slowly: ...
He shook his head helplessly and asked with a smile, "Master Zhou is still a little impatient. Didn't His Majesty ask you to temper your temper?"
"No," Manbao said, "Your Majesty should think I have a good temper."
She felt that the emperor was much more impatient than her.
Master Zhiren smiled and, without wasting any time, raised his hand and asked her to go first.
Manbao was not polite either. He picked up a chess piece and put it down.
The moves were very standard and in accordance with the rules. Master Zhiren smiled. He had seen Zhou Man and Bai Shan playing chess. When they played against each other, they really tried all kinds of moves. When they were in the Western Regions, they got bored and took out a pen and paper to try all kinds of strange moves and then wrote them down.
Master Zhiren smiled at her and played chess slowly, using chess to train her, not being affected by her impatience at all.
Manbao played this game of chess with great vigor and speed, but Master Zhiren just couldn't win. Instead, he placed his pieces slowly, surrounding her pieces in the middle, but always leaving her several ways to survive. She couldn't pretend not to see it.
Manbao scratched his head and had to continue playing. As the game went on, both of them picked up quite a few chess pieces. Manbao's heart gradually settled down and he began to take the game seriously.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Master Zhiren smiled and started to get serious.
"Master Zhou, I heard that the Imperial Medical Bureau is going to set up more medical offices in various places?"
Man Bao smiled and said, "Master, you are very well-informed. This matter has not been finalized yet. We have only brought it to the court for discussion."
Master Zhiren smiled and said to Zhou Man, "Temple after temple has always had the tradition of distributing porridge and medicine. If the Imperial Medical Bureau wants to set up local medical offices, perhaps they can cooperate with the local temples."
Manbao asked, "Is this what the master meant?"
Master Zhiren sighed and said, "The original purpose of Huguo Temple is to spread Buddhist teachings and guide people to do good."
Manbao smiled and said, "The court also emphasizes kindness, but I believe that justice and legal principles come before kindness. Only by governing the country with legal principles can the world be at peace for a long time."
If legal principles are used, religion cannot be mixed in. Whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, the doctrines of both sects are actually in line with the times and teach people to reflect on themselves and be good, but they are definitely not suitable to be entangled with government affairs.
Manbao directly rejected Master Zhiren.
Master Zhiren said, "If the Imperial Medical Bureau needs help in the future, just ask the Huguo Temple."
The Imperial Medical Bureau is different from other departments. It is mainly responsible for curing diseases and saving lives, so the Huguo Temple wants to cooperate with them.
But Zhou Man didn't want to cooperate with them.
Although in some places the influence of Buddhist temples may be greater than that of the imperial court, Manbao is not afraid. Now the country is stable and the treasury, although poor, is not empty. They can take it slow and there is no rush.
She didn't want to sow the seeds of greater disaster in the future because of her impatience.
After the game of chess, Manbao lost without any suspense, so she happily went to see Master Jiechen for guidance on Baishan.
Master Zhiren was actually a little confused. He and Zhou Man went to watch Bai Shan practice martial arts together. He couldn't understand why Zhou Man was so wary of the Buddhist temple?
Bai Shan was the same, but it was fine when they were talking about scriptures. However, as soon as it came to worldly affairs and government affairs, the two of them would instantly become hostile.
Looking back at history, Master Zhiren sighed slightly. After sending Bai Shan and Zhou Man away, he asked Jie Chen to invite the abbot of Huguo Temple. He said, "The Imperial Medical Bureau has rejected your cooperation."
The host must have anticipated this and nodded, saying, "Then we'll just provide the porridge and medicine ourselves."
Zhiren said, "In terms of medical skills, the monks in the temple cannot compare with the doctors trained by the Imperial Medical Bureau." "But believers will trust the monks in the temple more," the abbot said, "and the court may not be willing to spend too much money and medicine on ordinary people."
Zhiren sighed, closed his eyes slightly, and said, "The current ruler is a wise ruler, and Xiao Yuanzheng, the current head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, is not a greedy, cruel, or incompetent person."
He said: "If the country is good, the people of the world will be good, and the Buddha is merciful, the believers will also live a better life."
The host leaves.
Zhiren watched silently, then looked up at Jiechen, who stood quietly beside him, and sighed softly, "Master, I believe that even if I cannot fully comprehend the principles of this world, I understand them better than most people. But now, seeing the difference in understanding between you, Senior Brother Zhuge, and Zhou Manbaishan, I have many doubts."
Jie Chen didn't understand, "Master had already transcended the mundane world, so why did he suddenly let his heart drift back into the mundane world?"
Zhiren said, "Bai Shan is right. Buddhism requires involvement in the world. I practice Buddhism, study Buddhist scriptures, and translate Buddhist principles and texts in order to spread the teachings. Preaching the teachings is involvement in the world. Now that I've entered the world, how can I transcend it if my long-cherished wish hasn't been fulfilled?"
Zhiren smiled and said, "But the principles of this world are unreasonable. He says that Buddhism is about being involved in the world, but he doesn't want the people under his rule to believe in Buddhism and Taoism. He believes that Buddhism and Taoism are both deceptive and detrimental to the enlightenment of the court. But can't Buddhism and Taoism also enlighten the people?"
Jie Chen: ...My head hurts. I feel like being a monk is the easiest and the most enjoyable to fight. Otherwise, next time Bai Shan comes to ask for martial arts lessons, could you be a little gentler to him?
Me: It really hurts.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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