little city

Jing Shu soon joined the Zen Society. I thought I was stupid and had no connection with Buddha, so I resisted, but I wanted to be with Jing Shu, so I joined the Zen Society together.

On Wednesday night, we participated in the orientation ceremony of the Zen Society.

The welcome ceremony was held in the small lecture theater on the first floor of the Faculty of Arts. Not many people came, there were more than a dozen newcomers, seven or eight senior brothers and sisters, and Professor Du also specially attended.

Before the ceremony began, each person was given a cup of Zen tea, smelling the long-lasting fragrance, and immediately felt a sense of peace of mind.Brother Zhou Yangming, the president of the Zen Society, introduced the various situations of the Zen Society.I smelled the fragrance of tea, and my mind wandered to nowhere. The only thing I was interested in was going to the temple for meditation.

After that, the brother asked everyone to sit quietly for 3 minutes and listen to their hearts.During these 3 minutes, my thoughts started from the theory of biological evolution, from the ancient apes to the modern self, from the childhood I can remember to the current university, from the small courtyard in my hometown to the campus in a small city, as if in the cycle of time and space , took a trip, this may be the power of peace of mind.

What I don't understand is that when I was a monkey, I seemed to be very happy. I played with Jing Shu in the yard of my hometown, but when I evolved into a modern human, I lost the simple happiness. I lost the courage to confess to Jingshu, but after another thought, if we really want to go back to ancient times, Jingshu can only belong to the muscular monkey king, so wouldn’t it be even more difficult for a thin person like me to have a chance? up?I began to feel depressed. The quiet monkey in the yard turned into a snot-nosed Cuihua in the village in an instant.

Professor Du gave the new members the first class, which was easy to understand about the basic knowledge of Zen and the meaning of practicing Zen.After class, Professor Du invited everyone to visit his home on weekends.

On Saturday afternoon, Jing Shu and I went to Professor Du's house, along with several new classmates.Professor Du's home is in the family area next to the school, at the foot of Daishan Mountain. It is an old building in the 80s and [-]s. The walls are seriously peeled off. The walls have become dark yellow or even dark brown due to perennial humidity.We walked carefully through a section of concrete steps. There were a lot of weeds on the side of the road. Moss grew from the stones on the road, which was mottled. There were some potted chrysanthemums on both sides of the road, which decorated the whole path full of interest.

On a stone bench by the side of the road, sat a white-haired old man, squinting his eyes serenely.I knew he was a well-known old professor in the school, and we walked over respectfully, for fear of affecting the professor's intoxicated time.

Professor Du’s house is on the top floor and there is no elevator. We climbed the stairs, and the corridor was dark and messy, but when we entered Professor Du’s house, it was a different world. There were various green plants in the house and on the balcony, including clematis and pothos.The furniture in the house is antique and full of charm.There is a large bookcase on the side of the balcony, which contains some thread-bound ancient books. The waxy yellow color makes the room smell like a book, and you can clearly see some Buddhist books and ancient classics.A statue of Buddha is placed in the topmost grid, which is even more mysterious and solemn.The professor's desk is also mahogany, and there are sculptures of Yushan and a rosewood pen holder on the table.

In such an environment, I was cautious, for fear of disturbing the gods and damaging this dignity.

Professor Du was the same as before, eloquent, quick thinking, and enthusiastic.From the history of Western philosophy to Eastern civilization, from Buddhism to Confucianism, he can always quote classics and answer questions.Jingshu listened to all this devoutly. Sometimes I listened to it, but sometimes I didn't know where my mind wandered, and I always felt a little depressed.

As a student of the Department of Biology, I know that the theory of biological evolution essentially explains many phenomena of the origin and development of life on earth, and with the development of molecular biology, it has played a greater role in promoting evolutionary biology.The genetic material of most organisms is DNA, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid, a biological macromolecule composed of four deoxynucleotides, which has nothing to do with religion and theology.

Before leaving, Professor Du gave us two more books to read, one is "Heart Sutra" and the other is "Diamond Sutra".

Coming out of Professor Du's house, Jing Shu looked very excited. In his eyes, Professor Du had become his spiritual mentor.Jing Shu walked in front, flipping through books while walking, she turned to me and said, "Let's read these two books one by one."

I took a copy of the "Heart Sutra" in my hand, opened it and looked at it, but I didn't know what to say.

"If you like it, you can take it and read it first, and just tell me about it after reading it. I'm stupid and can't understand it."

"It's actually very easy to read. As long as you calm down, you will definitely be able to read it."

Seeing Jingshu's serious look, I suddenly felt scared.Originally, whether we were attending classes, studying, or listening to lectures, I always thought it was a hobby outside of school, purely a curiosity, and I wouldn't go deep into it, but seeing Jing Shu's serious look, I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

The sun is setting in the west, autumn is getting stronger, and the time is quiet.Jingshu wanted to buy books, so we decided to go to the Xinhua Bookstore in the city.From the school to the Xinhua Bookstore, you can take an air-conditioned car that costs [-] yuan. There are so many people, and the air-conditioning is also very hot.I stood behind Jingshu, holding the handle with both hands, and tried my best to make a big enough space for Jingshu in front.There is a big bridge to pass along the way. Below the bridge is the muddy Grand Canal, and boats carrying sand are sailing on the river.

The bookstore is in the city center, not far from the school.After we got off the bus, we walked about 200 meters along a street full of sycamore trees, and we arrived at the largest bookstore in the small town.At the entrance of the bookstore, there was a row of students from the same school, all holding a piece of paper in front of their chest, with the word "tutor" written on it.

Occasionally, parents with young children stop by to ask questions.If you're lucky, the deal will be settled right away. If you're unlucky, you'll be able to find a job as a tutor if you come a few more times.

Jing Shu and I joked, "Should we also find a job as a tutor?"

I saw it in my eyes, kept it in my heart, and made up my mind to find a tutor to earn some living expenses.

"Is it so easy to find a tutor?" Jing Shu asked casually.

"It seems to be. As far as I know, Xiaocheng pays special attention to education. I heard that there are hundreds of academicians in Xiaocheng's hometown."

"So powerful?" Jing Shu seemed to believe it or not, and walked straight forward.

When you enter the bookstore, you can see many children sitting on the ground reading books. There are children and parents accompanying the children everywhere. It is rare to see peers like us.

The bookstore has a total of four floors, with a wide variety of books.We wandered aimlessly along the bookshelves of culture and art, and stopped to look through when we saw something we liked.Jing Shu is more interested in philosophy books. She took a "General History of Philosophy" and flipped through it for a long time, and then started to read Hegel. After that, Jing Shu picked up a copy of "Love in a Fallen City" by Zhang Ailing.

I asked her if she liked Zhang Ailing, and she said that she admired Lin Huiyin very much, but felt sorry for Xiao Hong.

"The same talented woman, but because of different personalities, different choices, and different paths in life."

"But they're all wonderful lives."

"Life suffers all kinds of hardships, and in exchange for inner peace in the end, you can reach the Paradise. Do you believe in the Paradise? You definitely don't believe it."

"I believe that nothing is difficult in the world, as long as there is a heart."

"That's because you're young."

"You're not old either."

"My heart is dead."

Jing Shu's pessimistic mood often makes me feel depressed, but at the same time feel love and pity.If you look deep through her eyes, you will find the Arctic Ocean inside.

Afterwards, we wandered to the stationery area on the fourth floor, and I picked out a writing brush and a copybook by Zhao Mengfu.At this time, there was a trace of ancient rhyme and the sound of the zither. At the corner inside, there was a teacher playing the guzheng. He was about fifty years old, with a vicissitudes of life, his hair tied in a bun, and he was quite fairy-like.The melodious sound of the piano attracts the audience to stop, and the teacher's technique is even more superb.

Coming out of the bookstore, Jing Shu suggested walking back, which was not too far away.Of course I am willing to walk, saying that I used to be a member of the long-distance running team.

"Really? Can't you see it?"

"Really, don't lie to you."

"Then you must be running fast."

"Wrong, I don't run fast."

"Then why did you get into the long-distance running team?"

"This story begins in junior high school. At that time, our school had a long-distance running team. Every year, a group of players were selected. After training, the players who performed well were eligible to participate in the city's cross-country competition for middle school students. Because long-distance running is tiring, most students I didn’t want to participate, so I deliberately ran very slowly on the day of the selection, but I was stupid and charged in front with a big man, and I ran across the finish line first, so I was selected for the long-distance running team.”

"Oh, so, do you have any regrets?"

"I definitely don't regret it. Long-distance running is really tiring. I have to run more than ten kilometers every day. Regardless of whether it is cold or hot, I run around the county's ring road. But because I was in poor health when I was young, my health has improved since I practiced long-distance running. And long-distance running also developed my perseverance, so I am very grateful for this experience.”

We walked back along the side road covered with sycamore leaves. Looking around, the sycamore trees on the side of the road were covered with large white and yellow spots. The leaves were huge. The warm sun shone on the leaves with distinct layers. Light refracts an illusory circle of light.Jing Shu stretched her arms, walking lightly, smiling, and walked forward slowly.

"Do you have phoenix trees in your hometown?"

"Our place is full of poplars and locust trees,"

"I don't like poplars. I'm allergic to poplars, but it's a sycamore tree. The big leaves can provide shade in summer, and the yellow leaves cover the streets in autumn. It's so beautiful."

"Then you have never been to the high slope of the loess, you have learned it from "Praise of the Poplar". On the barren hillside, a poplar tree standing proudly is also very beautiful, a lonely and desolate beauty."

"Wouldn't it be more beautiful if there were a group of sheep grazing and a shepherd sitting under the tree smoking tobacco?"

"It seems that you understand."

"Because of the activities of people, the scenery is beautiful, just like a group of lovers walking hand in hand under the plane tree, isn't it the most beautiful?"

"Like now? Shall we try?"

Jing Shu smiled and walked to the front.

I chased after him and said, "Walking alone like you is very beautiful."

Before we knew it, we came to the side of the canal bridge. At the end of the bridge, there was an old man pushing a tricycle full of waste products, and he was walking forward.I rushed over without hesitation and helped the uncle push together, and Jing Shu also came to help.When we got to the top of the bridge, the uncle was already sweating profusely. He kept saying thank you, got on the bike and rushed down the bridge.

The two of us stood on the bridge, leaning against the pier, looked down the bridge, we could see the hull moving out of the bridge hole little by little, the people on the boat could see clearly, the man was driving, the woman seemed to be busy Washing the vegetables, the boat gradually became clear, and then it went further and further away. Slowly, the hull of the boat disappeared at the end of our sight.

"The boating job is also very good. The family is together, the boat is the home, the water is the living, and the time troubles are forgotten."

"It feels good, but after a long time, it's quite boring."

"No matter what you do, it will be boring after a long time. The key is inner peace."

"Then why am I not bored when I'm with you?"

"That's because we haven't been around long enough."

"I do not believe."

"That's because you're still young."

"Aren't you too old?"

"But I have experienced life and death."

Jing Shu didn't continue talking, I really wanted to ask again, but I was speechless, I just felt that the iceberg in the Arctic Ocean in her eyes was about to melt.

After getting off the bridge, the weather gradually turned dark. They went to a Sichuan restaurant near the school for dinner, and then took a walk to the gazebo. The weather was getting colder, and there were fewer and fewer people in the English Corner.We walked around the gazebo, feeling uninterested, and went back to our dorms.