Seeking Buddha
On a sweltering summer day, the courtyard becomes the hottest place. Although various trees are planted around to provide occasional cool breezes, it still cannot alleviate the intense heat. Yet, one would rather have someone stand in the courtyard of the main hall of Chenxiang Temple for two hours at a time.
A calm mind brings coolness; compared to the courtyard, the monks' meditation rooms offer a tranquil and refreshing coolness. The sandalwood incense burned during prayers and chanting has burned down to its last bit. A gentle breeze blows, and the ash slowly drifts into the incense burner, a few specks landing on the table, brightening that small area.
Daoyun glanced at the table discreetly, then quietly poured the spilled incense ash back into the incense burner. If the table was not clean, one's heart would be filled with dust and impurities, and one would have distracting thoughts, forcing one to start reciting the scriptures all over again.
Dao Yun didn't want to trouble Jiang Yufan, the Buddhist nun who had followed him for eight years, so he quietly gathered the incense ash in his hand, only to gasp slightly as he was burned. His good intentions had backfired, resulting in more direct interference. Jiang Yufan's prayer beads returned to the very first one. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Dao Yun's embarrassed expression.
"I didn't mean to, I just wanted to help." Daoyun had already put the incense ash into the incense burner, and her palms were still a little red. Jiang Yufan reached out his hand to her, beckoning her to come over.
It's nothing serious. Jiang Yufan didn't say anything, but just glanced at Daoyun: "The incense ash is hot to the touch, but it's also a good omen. Just take it as a blessing. Don't do it again next time."
"Yes, the Buddha Maiden is kind-hearted. Others would not have tolerated me either." Dao Yun felt that his palm was no longer so painful. It was only because Jiang Yu Fan touched it. He did not expect that this Buddha Maiden with the appearance of Guanyin really had some divine power. No wonder everyone came to worship.
Even today, there's still one standing outside.
Jiang Yufan shouldn't have been living in the temple. It was just a ridiculous coincidence. When she was eight years old, she met a fortune teller who talked nonsense at a stall. He claimed to have a third eye, be able to communicate with the gods, and know the past and the future. He said that Jiang Yufan had a connection with Buddhism, but she had to enter the temple to survive, otherwise she would endanger her parents.
Jiang Yufan, born into an official family, should have been enjoying the comforts of a life of luxury and ease. However, upon hearing the words "threatening her parents," even the most precious daughter would be abandoned. But abandoning her to a nunnery was too far away, and they couldn't take care of her.
The fortune teller had figured it out: the Jiang family had once built a temple for clan ancestral worship, accommodating visiting monks—this was Chenxiang Temple. However, since the temple also served the Jiang family's ancestral worship, it could simply be called a temple. The Jiang family's daughter, residing in the temple, didn't actually need to practice; she only needed to practice with her hair intact.
Chenxiang Temple is far away in the suburbs of Beijing. This way, as the fortune teller said, she could leave her daughter behind to become a Buddhist practitioner, without having to travel too far, and could visit occasionally when she missed her. However, the fortune teller specifically instructed that since she was a practitioner, in order to alleviate the suffering of herself and her family, she had to sever ties with her family and not see them often. If she could not do this, it would still endanger her family.
The fortune teller said that if the Jiang family encounters any misfortune or trouble, they can resolve it by visiting a temple and offering prayers.
Those who practice in temples will receive blessings.
Jiang Yufan spent eight years here clinging to this absurd lie. Naturally, she didn't believe that someone else's words could determine her entire life. She had been cruelly abandoned here by her parents, and she had thought about escaping. One day, she even saw the fortune teller from that day living in the temple, which made her even more convinced that her life had been so easily ruined by a swindler.
What fortune teller? The temple is just short-handed and needs someone like Jiang Yufan, so they approached the Jiang family to get them to abandon Jiang Yufan.
Whether a temple is efficacious or not, and whether its incense burns brightly or not, depends on whether there are divine interventions. Jiang Yufan became the most unlucky one because she had the appearance of Guanyin. They wanted Jiang Yufan to learn Buddhist scriptures in the temple, play the role of Guanyin, answer people's questions, and fulfill their requests to ensure the prosperity of the temple.
Jiang Yufan considered escaping; she wanted to expose the lie, to prove that the idea that monks never lie was wrong. But after she escaped, everyone thought she was crazy, and no one believed her words. Eight years passed, and Jiang Yufan gradually stopped running away, spending her days like a puppet copying and reciting those scriptures.
Although she was obedient, she was still in pain inside. She became cold and distant, and would not say anything nice to anyone who came. It was these people who had wronged her first, so what was wrong with her saying something? The entire temple depended on her for support, and no one else could do anything to her.
It was precisely because of this that Jiang Yufan was so successful in always fulfilling the wishes of ordinary people that some people gradually came to believe that Jiang Yufan was Guanyin incarnate. Whether it was true or not, sometimes even monks from temples would come to Jiang Yufan for help.
The world is in chaos. Jiang Yufan knows the truth in her heart. She feels that these people have lived their lives in a daze, without any clarity, and without knowing why they live. Women can live in temples, and fake Guanyin can impersonate real Bodhisattvas, but no one says anything. When someone respectfully bows and makes a vow, everyone will step forward and believe that it is all real.
They're all idiots.
There was another fool standing outside at that moment.
Daoyun told Jiang Yufan about the commotion outside. She also heard that the person who came to seek Buddha's help was sincere and determined to bring a true Bodhisattva down the mountain.
"He should go to the abbot to inquire about the matter of seeking enlightenment from the Buddha."
"No, when I came here, I heard the young monks say that the benefactor outside specifically asked for you."
"Who?" Jiang Yufan put down her pen. She had only just begun copying the scripture and hadn't even gotten her head spinning yet when she heard such strange words.
"Repeat what you just said. Who is it that wants to take whom down the mountain?"
Daoyun repeated, “The benefactor outside is named Gu Sidu. He has come several times before, but the abbot refused him each time. So today he is standing in the courtyard, insisting on inviting you down the mountain. If he cannot be invited, he will take root and grow in this temple.”
"But why was I chosen out of all these Buddhist masters in the temple?" Jiang Yufan had lost all interest in copying the scriptures. She had met the abbot when she was on the run years ago. The abbot said that she had no wisdom and was just a fake bodhisattva who had only gained the empty fame and fortune they had praised by chance. If she went down the mountain, wouldn't she be exposed?
"I don't know. It was the abbot's decision. Others might also want to leave the mountain, but the abbot didn't discuss it with them."
How could the abbot make such a mistake? Jiang Yufan threw down his pen and said to Daoyun, "Let's go see the abbot."
The chanting in the main hall had just ended. Chenxiang Temple has good feng shui, nestled against the mountains and surrounded by water. Every time the chanting ends, the turtles in the pond will climb ashore to bask in the sun. At this moment, the sunlight will suddenly shine on the main hall and on every person who seeks Buddha, making them feel that they are being bathed in Buddha's light and protected by the gods.
However, Jiang Yufan said that all of this was just an illusion.
Jiang Yufan's doubts and anger were too intense; she couldn't act like that in front of the Buddha. The kind-faced abbot looked up at Jiang Yufan and gave her a gentle smile: "I know why you've come. Come with me to the back to talk. In front of gods and Buddhas, one shouldn't speak loudly about worldly matters."
“Abbot, you know me inside and out. I’ve run away so many times over the years. Even though I’ve practiced Buddhism with my hair still intact and can recite those scriptures, I still don’t have wisdom. If you make me practice Buddhism, wouldn’t that just ruin the reputation of Chenxiang Temple and cut off its incense offerings?”
"In the past, my wishes were fulfilled with your help and support to some extent. If I were to go, it would only expose my ignorance. I don't believe in Buddhism."
How could someone who doesn't believe in Buddhism help others alleviate their suffering? Jiang Yufan couldn't understand it.
"This may not be a bad thing for you. Haven't you always wanted to leave this place? You can leave as soon as you go down the mountain. Don't you want to?" The abbot had watched Jiang Yufan grow up and he was always lenient with her. Several times she had tried to escape, and the people in the temple wanted to punish her, but only the abbot protected her.
"Aren't you in immense pain, feeling like you have nowhere to go and that life has no meaning? Now you can go down the mountain to cultivate yourself. Perhaps you will understand why there is always so much suffering in the world, and you will also understand why you are alive."
Even if I can't predict anything accurately, can't help others, even if I break the rules and violate the precepts?
Upon hearing this, the abbot smiled and said, "If your heart is not in Buddhism, why do you adhere to those precepts and dare not break them?"
“You shouldn’t have come to this temple. Now that you’re here, it’s just your fate and destiny. A Bodhisattva Guanyin once came from this temple. Some people believed in it for a year, and then people believed in it every year. This temple was not efficacious before, but now it’s efficacious. You’ve lived in this temple for so long, so naturally you will have some ability to make people believe.”
Why don't you seize this opportunity and live a more enlightened life?
This makes sense, and Jiang Yufan cannot refute it. She does indeed have many questions and confusions. All her worries are nothing compared to the abbot's concerns. They are just minor issues. It's just that Jiang Yufan lacks conviction and self-confidence.
As long as you believe, you can generate infinite divine power.
Jiang Yufan thought that perhaps she should see what this benefactor who had been standing outside for two hours looked like, why his obsession was so deep, and what difficulties he had encountered.
Jiang Yufan led Daoyun out of the main hall. It was the height of the sun, and the sunlight shone on her. As the monk finished chanting, the lingering sound echoed in the air, like a heavenly sound.
It was at this moment that Jiang Yufan saw Gu Sidu, the benefactor they had mentioned who asked her to come down the mountain.
What a handsome young man! His peach blossom eyes evoke countless romantic tales. This man is no ordinary person; his brows exude a heroic and dashing air. However, even the best person cannot stand for so long. At this moment, Gu Sidu could only see, through the double image, a person dressed in plain clothes, bathed in sunlight, walking towards him.
He strained to open his eyes and looked closely. He saw a face with the features of Guanyin. Wasn't this the Bodhisattva he had been praying to? He mustered all his strength and smiled weakly, "Bodhisattva, it's really the Bodhisattva. I've truly received what I prayed for."
After saying this, Gu Sidu fainted from the heat and collapsed to the ground.
Jiang Yufan silently looked at the person who had already fainted in front of her, pursed her lips helplessly, and shook her head.
Well, here comes another lovesick fool.
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