God Gu

The blue sky is sparse and clear, empty and clear, like a boundless water mirror reflecting all things in the world, occasionally a bird or two flutters its wings and passes by leisurely, and when it goes away, it becomes a solid black spot , and it seems that there is nothing in a trance.Huge and verdant trees stand silently, with intertwined roots sticking out, and vigorous and thick branches extending upwards, topping the sky-high canopy, like solemn mountains and rivers.

The wooden gate of Shaolin Temple looms in the gloomy blue color, and there are loud bells ringing in the dense ancient trees.Although it is midsummer, the Shaolin Temple in the dense forest of Shaoshi Mountain is quiet and cool regardless of spring and summer, even the cicadas here are noisy and restrained like the atmosphere.

In the early morning of Xiwei, amidst the sound of the bell striking, the sound of chanting scriptures can already be heard slightly.

In the main hall, there is a faint fragrance of red sandalwood on the wooden edge. Under the huge and bright red "Zen" character, we sit cross-legged with the abbot, eyes closed, and the beads in his hands are round and smooth, turning one by one with the rhythm of the abbot's caress.All the Shaolin disciples in the hall closed their eyes and folded their palms together, chanting complicated and difficult scriptures in unison, the buzzing sound echoed in the empty hall without any shock.

Suddenly, Abbot Tongbei gave a light pause to the hand that was turning the prayer beads, and then he returned to normal. After that pause, a little novice monk in gray robes ran from outside the main hall, entered the hall and bowed eleven times, saying: " Abbot, the female benefactor is here again, waiting in front of the temple gate."

These words caused a slight commotion in the hall, but the commotion was only for a moment. With the abbot's sigh, everyone put away their minds, and the hall returned to calm.

Abbot Tong Bei's face was calm, he only nodded slightly and said: "Please come in."

It didn't take a moment for a figure to appear in front of the main hall where the disciples of Shaolin Temple chanted sutras every day. Her shadow was only half exposed, but accompanied by the crisp sound of silverware colliding, everyone knew that she had lifted her foot and crossed the threshold. Standing on top of the hall.It was a Miaojiang woman, and one could tell at a glance that the purple clothes were covered with handmade silverware, and the wrists, ankles, and necks were all wearing silver ornaments without exception. Dazzling.

She Shi Shi ran tall and tall, did not put her palms together, just bowed respectfully, and said: "Abbot, I am here again." The abbot opened his eyes with grief, and his calm face was still like a Buddha. A sign of compassion. "Don't you give up, the benefactor?" The woman from Miao Jiang smiled and said, "I came here to listen to Buddhism, so why give up?"

After hearing this, the abbot let out a long sigh, and said slowly: "The female benefactor is a disciple of the Five Immortals sect. It is my fortune to be willing to discuss Buddhism with me in Shaolin. But," the abbot stopped turning the beads in his hand, "every day, I will share with you in Shaolin. It has been more than a month since the two disciples discussed the Dharma. Has the Dharma that the female benefactor seeks is not clear in her heart?"

The Miao Jiang woman's face didn't fluctuate when she heard these words, she was still smiling, she seemed to inadvertently glanced at all the Shaolin disciples, and said: "The Dharma I seek in my heart is always the same, but I haven't found the true meaning of Buddhism yet. If the masters can't solve the confusion in the little girl's heart, the little girl also wants to learn from Bodhidharma to face the wall for ten years.

As soon as this remark came out, all four were shocked.Some people wondered in a low voice: "Learning from Patriarch Bodhidharma to face the wall? Is it true that it requires ten years of Dharma?" Shaolin is not easy to explain." "Yes, Buddhism is a pure place, any woman can come to visit at will, this..."

The Miao Jiang woman stood peacefully, not paying any attention to the voices of the audience, just caressing a bone flute hanging from her waist, lowering her eyebrows and chuckling.

Abbot Tongbei turned the prayer beads again, and after a while, he looked at his disciples and raised his voice, "Which one of you will discuss Buddhism with this female benefactor today?"

The main hall, which was still noisy just now, is now quiet, and the sound of long breathing has also become a little lighter. The summer cicadas outside the door are chirping endlessly, and the sun has risen a little higher.

The woman suddenly raised her head and said: "Are all the masters unwilling to discuss the Dharma with the little girl, or have they heard my Five Immortals' teachings this month, but they can't argue with it, and are they confused?"

This time, the Shaolin disciples sitting in the main hall were not only surprised, but also a little angry, and the discussion became louder, but even under righteous indignation, the Buddhists still uphold their calm and calm demeanor , and no one accused the woman of being rude.In fact, the Five Immortals Religion originated in Miaojiang, relying on animism and worshiping primitive natural gods. It is very different from the Buddhist method. There are no difficult and complicated scriptures, and there are no strict rules and regulations. In addition, most of its believers are aliens. , didn't care much about the red tape of the Central Plains, so the Five Immortals Sect had a great sense of evil in the eyes of the Jianghu people, and they called it the "Five Poisons Sect" in private.

However, different teachings have different meanings, and there is no need to pursue one belief more. This has always been a taboo that is not mentioned in teachings and laws, but when this woman said it jokingly, it immediately aroused The righteous indignation of the people.

The woman still had a slight smile on her face, her gaze stayed on the golden Buddha statue in the main hall, and she said: "I have always admired Shaolin Buddhism—even though the Central Plains is now in chaos, the Shaolin school is famous for its exquisite martial arts, but the huge Shaolin Temple has lasted for hundreds of years. , it does not rely on the kung fu of fists and feet. The Buddha said that there is no difference between nature and extinction, what do the masters think?"

The Buddhist beads of Abbot Tongbei are still turning rhythmically, and there is neither sadness nor joy on his face, as if he has merged with the Buddha statue of Mouji lying on the lotus pedestal behind him, overlooking all karma in the world.

Suddenly, a figure sitting in the front row in front of the abbot stood up slowly. The tall and thin figure stood up straight, like a seven-foot green pine isolated, with the potential to pierce the sky, but it was gentle and clean, like the luster of Buddhist beads , instantly melted away the impetuous atmosphere in the room.

He didn't turn around, the six scars on his head were clearly visible, and he was covered with a brown robe outside his plain white clothes, looking like Ananda beside the Buddha in the slanting sunlight.

When he spoke, his voice was as deep as a morning bell: "Today, little monk, come and discuss the Dharma with the benefactor."

In an instant, the silverware on the Miaojiang woman's body trembled, and the sound of jingling sounded like ripples in a pond. Her face also lit up in an instant, and a different smile overflowed her lips. The hand holding the bone flute tightened unconsciously, and a very light, very light sigh fell down as if satisfied: "You are finally willing to come out to see me."

The sound is like fallen leaves soaked in water, only you can hear it.

The young monk turned around, looked at the enchanting woman in purple clothes with clear eyes, then bowed his head and folded his palms together and said, "Poor monk Xuanhai, the almsgiver Yangyao is safe and sound."

The eyes of the purple-clothed woman named Yang Yao flickered a few times, passing through many unknown emotions, and finally she just nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "It's not time to say goodbye, I haven't seen you in half a year, Master Xuanhai still has the same demeanor."

The monk wearing a simple cassock also smiled slightly, and said: "The almsgiver mentioned just now that there is no difference between nature and extinction. It is from the three medicinal herb metaphors in the "Miaofa Lotus Sutra". Dharma, the so-called liberation phase, parting phase, extinction phase, ultimate nirvana, eternal silence and extinction phase, and finally returning to emptiness'. This is the case. The Buddha warned the world that the three thousand disturbances and pains in the world of mortals will return to emptiness when they return. Only "impermanence" is eternal. Therefore, born in the world, resentment and obsession are all self-restraints, and facing the changing things with an ordinary mind is the way to be pure."

Yang Yao raised her eyebrows calmly when she heard him say "obsessions are all self-binding", and waited until Xuan Hai finished speaking, she said, "Oh? Whether it is good or evil, whether it is a normal mind or an obsessive mind, is there no difference at the time of death?"

Xuan Hai closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, and said: "Buddha talks about karma, everything today is the cause of the day before, and all the results in the next life are the karma of this life. Those who do good or evil will have corresponding retributions in the future. The moment of death, everything is empty and all things are equal. , but it does not mean that the things you did during your lifetime can be bought and sold in one lump sum, if this is the case, wouldn’t it be confusing good and evil? "

"But isn't Buddhism always taking 'crossing people' as its mission? A bully with blood-stained hands can also be shaved and recite scriptures, so will his evil deeds be wiped out?"

"No. The poor monk thought that he could help the wicked to realize the mistakes of the past. He recited scriptures and repented in the Buddhist scripture hall, and used the blue lamp scriptures in the second half of his life to repay the blood debt he once had, instead of simply thanking him with death. When he died, he could repay the debt. If it is exhausted, it will be scattered in smoke, and if it cannot be repaid, there will be an afterlife. In this way, the evildoers will die with tender and kind thoughts, and only then can they be regarded as the real 'crossing people'."

Yang Yao listened quietly to what he said without saying a word for a long while.Xuan Hai lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, his body was as motionless as a mountain, his body didn't have the slightest trace of violence, like a clear and clear spring, agile and gentle, but unexpectedly contained a latent vigor, containing wisdom and strength like an abyss .

Yang Yao suddenly tilted her head, and looked away from Xuanhai. She said, "Master's Dharma is exquisite, but I don't understand one thing. The Buddha said that all things are endless, but in countless scriptures, it comes down to extinction and nothingness. I would like to use myself to save others, and see all things impermanent and changing with cold eyes, then, can the Buddha understand the joy of life?" She slowly shifted her gaze back to the handsome monk's face in front of her, gradually sharpening and sticking, like jumping into a strange mountain and beautiful water Get rid of the mysterious charm, innocent and stubborn.

"Master Xuanhai, you have mastered thousands of Buddhist teachings and comprehended the supreme mantra, but do you truly understand the joy of life?"

The majestic is not empty, the mountain is between the sea of ​​clouds.

After bathing in blood that day, the enchanting woman in purple clothes with a bone flute in her hand asked the same question: "Master Xuanhai, the Buddhist scriptures are vast, and the supreme Tathagata looks down on all living beings without sorrow or joy, but do they understand the joy of life? Flowers can laugh, trees can laugh. They can cry, the breeze blowing through their hair can sing, and the stone sitting on the top of the mountain also has secrets, do these Buddhas know?"

"Living in this world, have you ever experienced the great joy of life?"

The young monk whose cassock was stained with blood looked at the mountains in the distance, with the staff in his hand standing in front of him, silent.Suddenly a flock of birds flew by, and their chirping sounds resounded across the sky. The woman smiled and said, "Did you hear that? How cheerful their chirping is."

Yes, this kind of joy, does the Buddha know?

The red sandalwood in the copper furnace was almost burnt out, and the lingering blue smoke seemed to be turbulent clouds, and there seemed to be gusts of wind in his ears, Xuanhai clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, raised his head and smiled and said: " Xuan Hai doesn't understand unbridled joy, but since he has entered Buddhism, he must give up ordinary people's ordinary joy, and he is willing to use his body to save others in this life, regardless of gains or losses."

Yang Yao looked at him and smiled quietly like a bodhi, lowered her head abruptly, tightly clutched the bone flute at her waist, the monk's straw sandals appeared from the hem of her clothes in front of her, covered with dust, but his heart was not stained with dust .

Is that really the case?Yang Yao asked herself in her heart.

You have killed people and crossed people in this life, can you cross yourself, and can you cross me?

Yang Yao left, just like when she came here for more than a month, the silverware on her body jingled, and the abbot looked at the leaving figure of the purple-clothed Miaojiang woman, and then looked back at his most proud disciple who sat down with his eyes closed and hands down Looking tired, there was a wave of fluctuation on his usually calm face, the Buddhist beads in his hand were slightly out of rhythm in an instant, and a long sigh fell in his heart, seeing through life and death, but sometimes he couldn't find out the cause and effect.

"Continue to chant, that female benefactor will not come again."

The orderly and low voice of chanting resounded again in Shaolin Temple.

The author has something to say: The Buddhist scriptures are a bit difficult to understand. This story is really difficult until I start writing it. .