Minister

42【Six Years of Jiankang】

Sure enough, no one brought the dinner, but fortunately, almost everyone in the temple could speak Chinese, so after asking left and right, they managed to get a meal.When leaving the dining hall, Wei Chi began to worry about the next day's breakfast.

"It's also because of the sacrifice tonight that I will neglect my lord, and someone will send it over tomorrow morning."

Wei Chi looked at the very kind young monk and smiled. He wanted to inquire more, but he was afraid of being rash, so he had to hold back his questions and go back to the room.The living room assigned to him is actually huge, even Chen Hu has a big bedroom.After walking for a day, even though he was sitting, he was tired from the bumps. After washing and grooming, Wei Chi ordered him to sleep.Chen Hu was a little bored by the mushroom soup in the dining hall, so he went to bed after receiving the order.In the middle of the night, at an unknown time, when he woke up, he could vaguely see that the light in Wei Chi's room was still on.Chen Hu sighed—he must be still approving documents, and he had persuaded the adults to pay attention to his body, but the young man just laughed.In fact, he is only a seventeen-year-old child, but he is capable of torturing himself like this.Knowing that persuasion was useless, Chen Hu just watched silently through the crack of the door for a while, turned around and made a pot of hot tea, and tiptoed in to change the cold tea.Walking past that person, I saw his pen and ink frowning, his pen and ink flying, and he didn't even lift his head.

In the morning of the second day, before Chen Hu prepared the tea, Shui Weichi had already packed it up.

"It's nothing, why don't you rest for a while?"

"Get used to it." Wei Chi took the sweat towel and put it on his face: "Chen Hu, you've been fine for the past two days. I brought a Three Character Classic, and you memorized it. I'm going to test you on the way back."

"Ah?" Chen Hu is from Hexi Langzi, where he is rich.As the saying goes, there are unruly people in poor villages. It has been hundreds of years, but there really has not been any unruly people there.Like Chen Hu, it can be considered that he has grown a sturdy face for nothing, and letting him go into battle is a two-way product that almost wants to leave first.But Sheng was rich in that place, and his children went to school more or less to survive.Although Chen Hu could only read a few words, he was better than those illiterate ones.It was because of this that he stayed in the rear army all year round and became a deputy non-commissioned officer who could not be promoted or demoted.

Of course, Chen Hu is not a material for reading, and asking him to memorize the Three Character Classic within two days is already cruelly poisoning him.

Holding the Three-Character Classic in one hand, and Chen Hu who was earlier in the other hand wanted to cry without tears.Wei Chi smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "It's not difficult, just memorize it well."

After Wei Chi finished eating and drinking, he left Chen Hu who was struggling to swallow, took the tea cup and went back to his bedroom, closed his eyes and rested his mind.Enter the hall with Luan, Qi Qige, why don't you write down the time by the way?Make me dare not run around...

Before Wei Chi became confused, a group of monks rushed into the inner room.Wei Chi stared wide-eyed at Chen Hu who belatedly squeezed in, and Chen Hu also stared at him.After staring enough, Chen Hu finally came to his senses: "What's the matter, everyone?"

The leading monk made a gesture of invitation.

'Please enter the urn'?Wei Chi got up from the cushion, wondering if these prairie monks wanted to take him to stewed mushrooms for dinner... Seeing that the other party said nothing, Wei Chi, who thought he was the "turtle in the urn", shot He flicked his sleeves and walked towards the door in a righteous manner.

"My lord..." Chen Hu was a little uneasy when he saw Wei Chi's 'turtle' expression.

"Well, you go back and recite the book carefully."

After going out the door, Wei Chi was caught in a group of monks and walked in a daze for [-] quarters of an hour. When he left the inner room, Wei Chi who was standing in the garden was even more puzzled.The monks didn't stop, and walked forward quickly. As they walked, the road became more and more familiar-wait a minute, isn't this the square they walked through when they came here?

Saul Hahan just got out of the first hall when he saw a person standing at the gate of the palace from a distance, his posture was a bit like a "green tree facing the wind".

"It's been a long time." Saul Hahan ran a few steps.

The man had a serious face.

"I was really busy last night, so I couldn't take care of you. I'm free today, and I wanted to show you this Flodama Palace. Unfortunately, I met an old friend on the road just now, and it was too late to say a few words. Yesterday That letter is useful, right? I think you acted quite generously, how can you thank me?"

The man became more serious: "My guard, forgot to give me the letter..."

"..."

"So, thank you for free."

"Master Wei scared you yesterday." Saul Hahan suppressed a smile.

"Scared me!" Wei Chi sighed.

"It's a pity, it's a pity, if I knew you were in a mess, I should have looked at you more. I missed the good show yesterday." Saul Hahan also sighed like that.

"Let's go! I don't want to embarrass myself at this door! Those two gatekeepers have been staring at me for a long time, and my face can't bear it anymore!" Wei Chi shook his sleeves.

Only then did Saul Hahan see that the eyes of the two disciples were indeed too curious, and he couldn't bear to laugh anymore, and led Wei Chi inside.Looking around, Wei Chi couldn't help but sigh with emotion, it's really a pity that he left in a hurry yesterday and didn't savor this treasure hall carefully.It was still early, the sun was still hidden in the clouds, and the whole palace was immersed in a faint red, mysterious and solemn.It was only when I climbed up the steps that I realized why Saul Hahan led him to the gate—every step I took, the light in front of my eyes became brighter. After walking up the three hundred stone steps and looking back, I saw the dark garden just now. The mottled flower shadows could be seen, and the stone slab in front of the gate where they stood just now was covered with all kinds of bird feathers and clouds, and the two disciples seemed to be standing in the air.At the end of the stone steps is a grand hall, with gold inlaid Monan language written on the temple forehead.

"Somennona Hall, the Hall of Light, every morning, this palace welcomes the first sunshine." Saul Hahan raised his hand and pointed to the balcony at the corner of the hall: "I saw the golden bell and the monk Is it? When the first ray of light passes through the golden ring in front of the bell and hits the bell, the monk will ring the bell. After the ringing of the bell is over, all the halls will ring the bells, and then the day of the temple will be considered to have begun. .”

Wei Chi followed Saul Hahan to the terrace, and saw the monk standing like a golden rooster, with a golden hammer in his hand, staring at the north.Following the monk's gaze, the sea of ​​clouds among the mountains is surging and the colors are changing.Suddenly, a ray of dawn light shines directly on the terrace through the sea of ​​clouds, and at the same time as this ray of light shakes his eyes, the monk not far away raised the golden hammer and rang the big bell.

"Dang!" The sound of the golden bell seemed to penetrate the body and shake the soul!

"Dang! Dang! Dang!" The sound of the big bell resounded through the earth, and in the solemn bell, the sun seemed to be inspired, and emerged from the chaotic sea of ​​clouds.

"Clang!" No.12 sounded!The sun's rays poured a hundredfold enthusiasm into the entire valley, showing the splendor of the Phrodama Palace to the world.With the reverberation of the hall bell, Saul Hahan took Wei Chi's hand and approached Baiyu's guardrail.The gate of the Frodama Palace creaked and roared open, and the believers who were at the bottom of the mountain yesterday knelt down and knelt in. The sound of chanting from the halls behind them followed the bells, mixed with the noble sunshine and made it holy. Straight into the sky.

"Frodama Palace - Holy Church, really deserves its name!" Wei Chi put his hands on his heart.

Saul Hahan looked sideways at Wei Chi's peaceful face: "You want to become a believer too?"

"Oops!" Wei Chi also turned his head and smiled: "I think I am now."

After all, the two laughed for a while, and walked into the Somenona Hall.There are no gods and Buddhas enshrined in the hall, but circles and circles are filled with embroidered scripture banners. When I got closer, I found that those banners were all knotted on the branches of a giant tree.

"God! There is such a big tree in this palace?" Wei Chi was surprised, and couldn't help but take a closer look: "Could it be possible that this palace was built directly on the mud? Not like that! There are so many stone steps outside, Look, the foundation shouldn't be thin!"

When Wei Chi was surprised, many monks came in again and raised the windows of the hall one by one. The hall was brightened instantly, and the giant tree stretched its branches and trembled slightly in the breeze.Wei Chi looked up - the highest end of the roof was not sealed, and the end of the giant tree protruded from the highest point.There is a circle of reliefs of goddesses on every other floor of the roof. The goddesses are similar in shape, and they all make a gesture of "holding mirrors". What is even more surprising is that thousands of mirrors are actually real!It doesn't look small from such a distance, but I don't know how big it will be if you look at it up close!Layers of mirrors refracted the light coming in from the palace windows, even though it was inside the house, it was able to clearly illuminate the tallest branches and leaves!

"It's amazing!" Wei Chi pointed to those mirrors and asked: "It can take such a clear picture of the top, look like that, more than twenty battles!"

"How can it be?" Sol Hahan whispered, "Those mirrors, some are mirrors, some are glass made of charcoal, how can the light coming in from the palace windows alone be enough?"

It was too high, and Wei Chi couldn't see it clearly even if he wanted to. After looking at it for a while, he asked again: "Didn't falling rocks smash the glass?"

"There are small cornices on every other floor. The glass and mirrors are installed differently. The glass is installed vertically. Although it is damaged every year, it is only a few sides."

Wei Chi looked at it carefully for a while again: "Did the tree come first or the house first? The hole in the top couldn't be because the tree was growing and the roof was leaking, right?"

"Guessing again! The roof is not sealed! As the tree grows taller, it will be built layer by layer. The taller the tree, the higher the roof will be. As for whether the tree came first or the first Fang, a smart person like Mr. Wei might as well guess it himself."

Wei Chi's neck was tired, so he had to lower his head, thought for a while, and smiled: "What kind of tree is this?"

"Anyway, it's not a fruit tree! Let's go! The worshipers should come in later, let's take a look inside."

Three sides of the Guangming Hall are walls and one side is surrounded by mountains, so there is no back door. The two walked out from the side corridor and headed south.The south part is different from the north part where Wei Chi lived yesterday. There is only one building here, but the number of floors is extremely high.Such a tall building, only a pagoda in the Central Plains can be built like this.The whole building is white, surrounded by staggered pools, gorgeous and spectacular.

"The Palace of Adalina."

"What does this mean?"

"Holy area."

"God's Domain..." Wei Chi: "As a new believer, shouldn't I go up one level at a time?"

Saul Hahan raised his eyebrows: "Well, it's a good idea. It takes a few weeks to be a newcomer, and there are 330 gods and Buddhas in it, so don't you miss it?"

"Then I'd better worship outside this hall and pay respect to all the gods and Buddhas together." After saying that, he bent down to kneel.

Saul Hahan quickly helped her up: "Okay, okay, don't play tricks here! There is really nothing to do with you."

Because we have already reached the mountainside, the stone steps become very slow. After a rough count, there are more than [-] steps.

"You guys love San very much."

"Monan Buddhists believe that all things in the world are born of three spirits and three phases. The so-called three spirits are the spirit of heaven, the spirit of earth, and the spirit of Zen. The so-called three phases are the phases of matter, quality, and reason. Heavenly spirit refers to the sky The air of four seasons, wind, snow, thunder and lightning is bred in it; the spirit of the earth refers to the air of the earth, in which crops, birds, beasts and people are bred; the spirit of Zen refers to the air of psychic, in which wisdom, love, hatred and greed are bred. The three spirits are compatible and mixed with each other , the universe can be attached. In terms of three phases, in short, you and I are the phase of matter, time and space are the phase of matter, and the spring and autumn are the phase of truth. The three phases are constant, and the universe is stable, and the three phases change, and the universe is bipolar. Staggered. Two or three is everything, and the ladder you just climbed has 330 steps."

"Then why aren't there [-] gods and Buddhas?"

"Two or three means stability. Why is it unstable? Is there a variable of three left?"

"variable?"

"The three phases remain unchanged, and the three spirits remain constant. Doesn't everything in the world live and die without reincarnation? For example, in the Central Plains, after the fall of Jin, it will be Zhao, and after Zhao dies, shouldn't it be Jin again? If this is the case, where did Da Qi come from? Or like You, Wei Chi was Wei Chi before he was alive, and he is also Wei Chi after his death. There is Wei Chi between death and immortality. Isn’t life and death the same? The temple should be built on the ‘Ding’, but the one enshrined is ‘Chang’ , Because of the change, it is unique at this moment, and because of the change, Wei Chi is unique, this is the variable."

"Taught!" Wei Chi cupped his hands: "I don't know what kind of positions these last thirty gods and Buddhas are, and they can take on this variable."

The two washed their faces in front of the hall, and removed their shoes and hats according to the etiquette.The monk at the door handed Wei Chi a blue blouse, and asked Wei Chi to wear it over his official robe.

"Why is this?"

"When you enter this temple, you are sentient beings, so please condescend to put on coarse linen clothes to show your awe."

Wei Chi secretly pointed at Saul Hahan: "Why doesn't she change?"

The monk smiled without answering, curtseyed and retreated.Wei Chi didn't feel comfortable asking, and followed Saul Hahan into the hall.

The inside of the main hall is also white, and its appearance is somewhat similar to that of the temples in the Central Plains—the gods and Buddhas are enshrined in the middle, and futon-like cushions are placed around it, and believers kneel down to worship.The first floor is very large, and in the middle is the mother of the earth - Zatler.She holds barley in her right hand and a dead horse in her left hand. A vulture stands on her shoulders, with her tongue stretched out and the end of her tongue protruding downwards. She rides a fiery beast under her body.The whole body of the statue is golden, with bright red arms.

"It's not the same as ours. Ours is much kinder."

"The mother of the earth is in charge of life and death. The right hand is born, and the left hand is dead. The barley is the 'divine flesh', and the horse is the 'divine soul'. It begins with the birth of the flesh and ends with the death of the soul. This is life and death. The vulture is the 'divine word'." , which means that life and death are both God's knowledge. Tongue down means that life comes from the earth, and death also returns to the earth. Gold represents the boundlessness of Buddhism, and red represents fresh blood. Life and death come from divine power and mortal blood. The name of the beast she sits on is called 'Ma Bodhisattva', which is her guardian. And the ten thousand little Bodhisattvas around the hall are the gods who assist the Earth Mother to control the life of all things. If you need it, you can go to the Bodhisattva who is in charge. to worship."

At this moment, many believers have entered the main hall to worship, and they are all wearing blue blouses, step by step forward.Every time they come to a Bodhisattva, believers will take out a grain from the blouse and put it into the big urn in front of the cushion.Gradually, the surroundings were filled with kneeling people, but none of these people came to kneel down to worship Zatler.Wei Chi looked up at the tall and ferocious statue again, thinking to himself, life and death really cannot be bowed down.

The two turned to the second floor again. The Buddha statue on the second floor was no more benevolent than the Earth Mother. Wei Chi followed Solhahan's instructions and turned the small flag wheel in front of an unremarkable little Bodhisattva.

"What is this Bodhisattva in charge of?"

"Safe journey."

Wei Chi took Sol Hahan's hand and turned it around: "Your Highness, you also need this urgently."

The first and second floors are extremely spacious, and the two of them walked more slowly when they reached the third floor.

"How many floors are there?"

"Nine floors."

"Wow!" Wei Chi wiped the sweat from his brow: "I thought it would be done according to the dignity of the gods and Buddhas, but it seems that's not the case!"

"Gods and Buddhas only perform their duties, how can they be distinguished? This arrangement is only based on the distribution of the three worlds."

"You also know that my Zen theory is extremely unfamiliar, let alone the Buddhism here. You should explain it to me in detail." Wei Chi asked with a smile.

"Every three layers is the first world, the first world is the flood realm, the earth mother, King Amolun, and King Katalu are all gods in charge of ethics, and they live in the flood realm. The second world is the bone realm, Fengda Buddha, King Amijiala and Daming Bodhisattva are gods in charge of judgment, and they live in the bone realm. As for the third world, there is only one god, and that is the god in charge of the end—King Nalanjiaan.”

"Oh? What is the name of the third world?"

"none."

"Is the last three floors dedicated to a god and Buddha? Then what kind of little Bodhisattva is under him?"

"No, it's nothing. You'll know when you see it."

The two looked at each floor, and there were fewer and fewer people as they went up. When they reached the fifth floor, Sol Hahan stopped in front of a small Bodhisattva.Wei Chi took a closer look at this bodhisattva - the little bodhisattva was different from the gods and Buddhas in the middle, they were all human, smiling and angry as lifelike.After looking at it for a while, Wei Chi asked strangely, "Why is His appearance so similar to yours?"

Saul Hahan smiled: "This is the Namu forehead of the Medicine Gold Bodhisattva."

Wei Chi remained silent for a moment, then knelt down on the cushion: "This one must be worshipped!"

Saul Hahan chuckled, "Do you believe that He can protect you?"

Wei Chi stared intently at the Bodhisattva's sweet smile, and whispered: "I don't believe it." Then he turned around and asked, "What about you?"

Saul Hahan and Wei Chi looked at each other and smiled: "I...don't believe it either."

Saul Hahan pulled up Wei Chi on the cushion, took out a seed from his blouse pocket and put it into the big urn.

"I didn't expect the living Buddha to have his own statue. No wonder the monk said that I am a 'living being' and I need to put on a blouse, but you don't have to. Hehe, I really didn't expect it at that time. This Bodhisattva can reincarnate for you in the lower world. , will the Buddha in the center do the same?" Wei Chi asked, looking at the Buddha of Wind in the center of the hall—this Buddha was holding a sword and was half a lizard.

"Gods and Buddhas don't know. They are one-three, that is, there are only three phases and no three spirits. Therefore, the world can only model three phases for worship, and because there are no three spirits, people's desires of love and hatred cannot be understood, and people also It’s just worship and I don’t dare to disturb it with worship.”

"Oh, I see, so there will be [-] gods and Buddhas instead of [-]!"

"clever!"

After passing through the sixth floor, a bronze gate sealed off the pavilion.Further up is the third world - nothing.

It is not called boundless but it is called nothing.

"Want to take a look?" Saul Hahan asked Wei Chi.

"Naturally!" Wei Chi nodded.

There was no lock on the copper door, it just let out a dull roar as Saul Hahan pushed.What is nothing?Wei Chi looked at the winding stairs and thought about it, but he smiled lightly when he couldn't figure it out—it seemed that he had to visit Fang in person to understand it.