You won’t be afraid if you learn mathematics, physics and chemistry well and cultivate immortality

The carriage was walking along a road that was not a thoroughfare. The carriage made of spirit wood had many advantages, not to mention its durability. Even if it accidentally rolled over on a narrow road, it would still not be damaged at all.

He walked around looking for some trails and headed towards the nearest mountain. In the distance you can vaguely see a building being built on the top of the mountain.

I heard from the little monk Wuchen that there is an ancient temple hidden deep in the mountain, and I still know the old abbot inside. So the traveling five-person group came to the foot of the mountain and looked up. There were two paths. One was to go up the smooth stone steps to the temple entrance, or they could take the gravel-paved horse path along the mountainside. Circling upwards, in order not to tire out the hard-working Dahuang, these little carrot heads jumped off the carriage one after another and followed around the mountain. Fortunately, there were green trees on both sides of the road, and the wind blew cool and pleasant as we went up. There were some birds chirping and playing in the trees, and cute squirrels curiously tilted their heads to look at the group of climbing guests.

Fortunately, these people were all street runners in Majia Village, and they were used to being wild. They chased and fought along the opened mountain road. There were many stone forests standing on the roadside, and there were records on them of how much money a certain benefactor donated and how much food they donated. Monument of merit.

Further ahead there is a stone tablet inscribed with limericks:

The Buddhist charm of the Zen temple is efficacious, and pilgrims like clouds pray for it. Meditate and comprehend the wonders of Zen, and your soul will be blessed and lightened.

The candlelight in the temple reflects the red sun, and the Buddhist teachings of eminent monks are as wide as the sea. The Bodhisattva has compassion for his followers, and auspiciousness always surrounds all living beings.

The incense in the temple is as dim as smoke, and the sea of ​​Dharma of the eminent monk is vast. If you are sincere in your heart, you will worship the Tathagata in spirit, and everything will go smoothly before your eyes.

………….

This traveling group of five people looked at each other arm in arm, and from time to time they would comment on which one was well written.

Going up is the pavilion, and next to it is a moso bamboo forest. Those poor literati and poets are unambiguous. After all, it costs a lot of money to carve words on stone tablets, but it is much cheaper to carve words blindly on moso bamboo. When I got closer, I saw some words densely engraved on it, such as "someone came here for a visit". So-and-so, I like you, and I won’t marry you unless you are the one in this life. Of course, most of these words are not signed.

………….

This made these little guys who had never seen the world laugh and giggle.

Walking up, we arrived at the side entrance of the temple. I tied the psychic rhubarb casually under a tree, carried my valuables and walked towards the front door under the leadership of the little monk Wuchen. These little guys were following behind. I looked at this temple with great curiosity. I saw that it was an ancient temple that had been around for a long time. The murals on the walls of the temple had been mottled and fell off, and it was vaguely visible that they depicted the grand and spectacular scenes of the past. There were some cracks on the wall that had been mended after years of repairs. Despite the wind and rain, it still stands firm, as if telling the story of hundreds of years of vicissitudes.

Walking around the wall to the front of the temple, there are three large characters on the plaque: "Gaoshan Temple" written in majestic gilt lacquer. However, the door looks a bit old at first glance. The copper nails on the door are mottled by wind and rain. It was still patinaed, but the copper ring was shiny. The pair of stone lions on both sides of the door look majestic and spiritual. Their surface is smooth and delicate. It is not difficult to see that it is the result of frequent wiping.

Today is neither the first nor the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, so it seems to be deserted. Only the young novices have time to clean the temple carefully. The appearance of the Traveling Five quickly attracted the young novice who was cleaning the courtyard. The young novice was stunned for a moment, then threw his broom in the corner and trotted over, bowing respectfully.

"Amitabha, Master Wuchen, you are here! Good, good! Amitabha! Master was always talking about you a while ago."

"Amitabha, Master Jingxin, my nephew is fine. It's not bad that I haven't seen your master this year."

………….

Come on, the next step is to talk about business, and it turns out that we met an acquaintance. The traveling five-person group greeted the enthusiastic young monk Jingxin.

The young novice led the way into the gate of Gaoshan Temple, and what came into view was a wide courtyard. In the center of the courtyard, an ancient locust tree stands tall with lush branches and leaves, adding a bit of vitality to this ancient temple. The ground of the courtyard is covered with bluestone slabs, covered with moss, which looks simple and solemn. In the corner of the courtyard, there is a lotus pond. This is the season when the lotus flowers are in full bloom. From time to time, the koi carp in it will appear and stir up the water, causing ripples. The ancient well surrounded by stones next to it has cold and clear water flowing out of it. For a long time on the mountain road, many people went over to wash their faces with a handful of water or drank it, which was like a divine help to relieve their fatigue.

After a cursory look around, the young novice happily led him inside, introducing everyone to the steps at his feet.

"This is a thousand-story ladder, with a total of nine hundred and ninety-nine steps going up. On the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, many believers will climb up the steps here and perform three prostrations and nine kowtows."

No wonder the bluestone slab was so smooth. People often knelt down and polished it. Everyone walked up the steps and looked around curiously. It took them a while to burn incense before climbing to the square above. The square is not too big. There is a bell and drum tower, and a huge incense burner in the middle. It is filled with burned incense roots. It looks like the incense is not bad.

After being led towards the main hall, the scent of sandalwood hit my face as I stepped into the threshold of the Main Hall. The gold paint of the Buddha statues in the hall is mottled, and the lotus paint under the feet also looks a bit old. However, the face of the Buddha statue is kind and his eyes are slightly closed, as if he is watching everything in the world silently. The arms and legs of the Buddha statue have some weather damage, but this does not affect its solemnity and sanctity. On the walls of the main hall, there are exquisite murals depicting Buddhist stories and legends. I don’t know if the color of the mural is due to the age or the smoke from the incense fire. Now it looks not bright enough and dark, but the superb painting craftsmanship of that year can still be seen.

This was the first time for the four people from Majia Village to enter the Buddhist hall. Jingxin, a novice monk, had already run back to find his master, leaving the Traveling Five to wait in the main hall.

The sage has a saying: When you meet a temple, you burn incense, and when you meet a Buddha, you worship him. Now that he has arrived, he who is designated to burn a stick of incense for the Buddha should be at peace with him. This is because of the desire. Although there is no desire, it does not prevent you from following the local customs.

Each person took out three sticks of incense from the incense compartment on the side, lit them, bowed three times and kowtowed devoutly, and then inserted them into the incense burner on the altar.

The class representative said: Burning three sticks of incense in the temple represents precepts, concentration, and wisdom. It can also mean making offerings to the three permanent treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. And in Taoist etiquette, three sticks of incense are used to mean making offerings to Yuqing and Shangqing. , Taiqing these three elders. In folk customs, three sticks of incense represent heaven, earth, and people, and also express a kind of awe and piety. Therefore, offering incense and three sticks is a common practice among the people. It is not considered a mistake to worship anywhere.