Chapter 223 Teaching One Side
On the way back to Taiyi Temple, I received a call from Shu Lao: "Yifan said you're back?"
"Yes, I was thinking of visiting you soon."
"Please set a date so I can select some patients to serve as examples for you."
"Okay, let's put it this way. On odd days, I'll go to Taiyi Temple to preach in the evening. On even days, I'll come to your place to learn the techniques."
"Okay. Then come over tomorrow night at eight."
Back at Taiyi Temple, Shiyu asked the cook to hurry up and prepare the meal. After dinner, the main gate was closed, and the Taoists each brought a mat and sat in the main hall.
Shiyu had already placed a mat for me, and I sat cross-legged.
"Fellow Taoists, if this temple wants its incense to last long, everyone must have a heart that helps the people. Be kind-hearted and pursue benevolence. Taoism has always emphasized Taoist medicine, so we all need to learn some remedies that can benefit the people.
We are not doctors and try not to prescribe medicine for others, but Taoists can prescribe single prescriptions. The so-called single prescription is a single medicine to treat the disease.
I will spend ten nights teaching you some common prescriptions. Please take notes. Next, I will talk about the respiratory system. Please cooperate, Shiyu."
When they heard that it was a one-sided case, everyone looked happy.
Shiyu moved the mat to my left. He sat cross-legged and said, "Everyone can take turns to ask the abbot for advice. I will demonstrate first."
Everyone nodded.
Shiyu said, "Master, I have a cold, fever, sore throat, dry mouth, and cough. Please give me some medicine."
"Houttuynia cordata, do you know it?"
"I know him. I saw him by the pond."
"Use 120 grams of Houttuynia cordata, mash it, squeeze out the juice with gauze, add appropriate amount of honey, and take it twice."
"Thank you, Master."
Shiyu retreated to his seat. Another Taoist priest came up and said, "Hello, Master. I have a runny nose, a headache, and body aches, but no sweating. Please prescribe some medicine."
"Your symptoms are in the early stages of a cold. Use the white end of a scallion, making sure the stems are attached. 10 to 15 grams. Chop it up and boil it in water."
The trail recedes.
Another older Taoist priest came forward and sat down.
"Master, I smoke a lot and I cough a lot. I have a lot of white phlegm and my chest feels stuffy. Please give me some medicine."
"Boil orange peels in water and drink it instead of tea."
…
As everyone becomes familiar with this format, the speed of asking questions becomes faster and faster.
"Master, my condition is that I have little phlegm and a dry throat."
"Use 15-30 grams of Polygonatum odoratum, cook it with lean pork, add a small amount of salt to taste, and take it."
"Master, my situation is different. My phlegm is very special. It is yellow and thick."
"Use 60 grams of fresh cactus, mash it to extract the juice, add a spoonful of honey, and take it morning and evening."
"Master, is there a simpler way to cure a cough?"
"Yes, mix raw alum with vinegar and apply it to the center of your feet."
"Master, is there any medicine that can cure any cough, regardless of whether it's a cold or hot cough or a deficiency or excess cough?"
"Yes. Take fish gallbladder, dry it in the shade, grind it into powder, and take it with warm water, once in the morning and once in the evening. Take one pill each time.
…
I taught dozens of single prescriptions in a row. Finally, I said, "That's all I'll teach you tonight. There's a long way to go. I'll teach you slowly, and you can learn slowly. Just digest it first."
Back in the dormitory, I said to Shiyu, "These prescriptions are from a book compiled by my grandmaster and master after verification. Feel free to use them. I only got this book a few days ago and spent three hours reading it last night. I'm also learning as I teach."
Shiyu said, "That's great! Everyone knows some recipes. The people living nearby will benefit first, and then they will spread the word."
"Yes. Most temples nowadays are run as private companies, hiring a few so-called masters to sit there and rip people off."
Shiyu said: "Let me tell you a story from the past. At that time, I had not yet followed Master Nanxi to learn Taoism.
One autumn, I went on a trip with a group of friends, a total of ten of us. The tour guide tricked us into going to a temple.
I laughed and said, "The tour guide praised the monk to the skies, claiming he was from the Western Regions."
Shiyu clapped his hands and said, "That's exactly the situation. We are in our twenties, very curious, and we also want to meet the monk."
I responded, "The tour guide said that for the most compatible person, the monk might touch your head."
Shiyu smiled and said, "Yes, that's what he said." As a result, we were taken into a house by the tour guide. A senior monk sat on a lotus platform, looking at us with kind eyes. There was a monk next to him who helped the senior monk pass on his message.
The monk asked us to stand in a line, and then said: one, three, eight, ten, these four stand out. The monk said that you are the most filial people to your parents, please go to the main hall to burn incense at 688 yuan per stick, and wish your parents good health.
The four friends were overjoyed, as the monk had seen through their filial piety. They immediately went to burn incense with great joy. The six of us who were left behind were all terrified.
I laughed and said, "There's no specific standard for filial piety. If you're filial, then you're filial. If you're not, just give me an example."
Shiyu said, "Yes. The monk said that the six of you should be more filial to your parents in the future. If you didn't do well in the past, each of you should burn a stick of incense for 888 yuan to atone for your past unfilial behavior and ask the Bodhisattva for forgiveness. In the future, you must improve your behavior."
I laughed and said, “The monk next to you will definitely try to smooth things over, saying that the senior monk didn’t mean that you were disobedient to your parents, but that you didn’t do a good job in some details.
For example, if you rarely call your parents to say hello, or have never washed their feet or massaged their backs, it's not a big mistake. Go and atone your sins, and the Bodhisattva will forgive you."
Shiyu laughed and said, "You seem to be there. In the end, all ten of us, filial and unfilial, were extorted by them."
I sighed and said, "Buddhism is no longer clean. We Taoist temples must strictly abide by morality. People pay voluntarily, and the amount is arbitrary. Only in this way can it last forever.
You must tell the Taoists about this every day, every month, and every year, until their ears are callused. Only then will it be effective."
Shiyu said, "Don't worry, Master. It's so late, you can go back."
I walked out of the Taoist temple, stood in the front yard, and looked into the distance. The lights of Shangzhou City were faintly visible.
It was already nine o'clock in the evening.
I got in the car and drove down the mountain. I rolled down the windows and felt the cool mountain breeze. Although I had to travel between the hotel and Taiyi Temple every day, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
Mr. Chen has delegated power, and Shiyu has been able to do his job. I must build Taiyi Temple into a clean Taoist temple.
At this time, the phone rang.
"Teacher Wan, are you still in Wuxiang?"
When I heard it was Shengsheng's voice, I was a little surprised because he had never called me before.
"I'm no longer in Wuxiang. I'm now in the provincial capital, Zhouzhou, working for a company called Rising Sun Group."
"Send me the location. I thought you were still in Black Country, so I drove here and found the shop had changed owners. You're upstate, so I'll come see you tomorrow."
"you……?"
"Let's meet tomorrow at noon to discuss in detail."
After hanging up the phone, I suddenly had a premonition: Shengsheng must have regained his former glory. Has he really been reborn from the ashes?
I was driving alone on this lonely mountain road, and I couldn't help but shout at the top of my lungs:
"Rebirth, I'll wait for you in Shangzhou—"
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