Chapter 1,242 Mount Wutai

Yelu Shensi and Xiao Weixin discussed in a low voice for a few words, and Xiao Weixin said: "If this is the case, your Majesty may agree, but as for the monks...can they not be sent by the Daxiangguo Temple, but from Mount Wutai?"

Xue Tong smiled and said: "Don't worry about it after you stay. Half of the medicines you urgently need will have to fall on the head of Daxiangguo Temple. The monks in Wutai Mountain are not knowledgeable in medicine. Why go to Liao Kingdom? To be saved?"

Yelu thought deeply and said, "Is it possible to let the monks from Wutai Mountain join in? One more person will add more strength."

Xue Zhong knew very well that Dou Shunqing had long received intelligence from merchants, saying that Khitan sent people from Wei, Ying, Wu, Shuo and other states to Wutai Mountain to become monks in order to investigate side affairs.

But I don’t know how to pretend: "It would be great if we could invite the Zen masters from Mount Wutai to participate. Mount Wutai is close to the Liao Kingdom, and many Zen masters must be well-known in the Liao Kingdom. This will also alleviate the burden on the people of your country."

Resistance to us.”

"But this is hard work. Zen masters practice meditation every day. They are afraid that they will not live a hard life, so they have to volunteer. I will go back and report it to the officials and let them post the poster."

"One more thing." Yelu Shensi said: "Brother Xue, before help arrives, can Sitong lend me some food for a few days?"

Xue Zhong sighed: "Well, the situation south of the Great Wall was a bit tragic this time. If the locusts had not been able to cross the sea, even Ludao Zhangzi Island would not have been able to escape. I did prepare some food there to raise tens of thousands of stones for my brother.

No problem.”

"But there is a saying in my hometown that helping people in need does not help the poor. Besides, I am just a manager and can't be more in charge."

"You two officials, can you actually think of a solution on your own?"

Yelu Shensi asked anxiously: "If there is a way, can I still borrow food from you, Brother Xue?"

Xue Zhong picked at his chin with little beard: "Actually... By the way, pull the silk money over here this time. What do you think of the horses guarded by our Sitong caravan?"

Yelu Shensi said: "Those horses are quite good."

Xue Zhong smiled and said: "Look, there is actually no shortage of good horses in the Song Dynasty now. Since there is no shortage of horses, can your country's horse ban be lifted? The unfriendly law of horses entering the Song Dynasty and killing the whole family is

Can’t we go there?”

Yelu Shensi and Xiao Weixin looked at each other. If nothing else, they were jealous of the horse that the damn fat man rode this time. The fat man said that it was sent to Zhangzi Island for trade by straight women.

Xue Zhong said: "You are doing this, except for freeing straight women, and there is no benefit. Their horses are no worse than yours, and they have no scruples."

"For me, buying from them is the same as buying from you."

"On the south bank of the Yalu River, your country's power is also weak. Nowadays, the straight women transport horses from there to our boats at the mouth of the river. That business is..."

"But in this way, the Song Dynasty will have the trouble and loss of two hundred miles of sea transportation. If it can be purchased from Baigou Hall, brother, my performance will be beautiful."

"How about you two talk to your Majesty? What if your Majesty agrees?"

Yelv Shen thought the same way and said: "This idea is good. We can give it a try. If Your Majesty agrees, it will solve two major problems."

Xue Zhong said: "Then let's each do our own thing and strive to save the people of Li from suffering as soon as possible!"

…

Mount Wutai has been a Buddhist holy land and Manjusri Taoist temple since the Tang Dynasty.

After the Buddhist Movement of the Later Zhou Dynasty, Mount Wutai declined for a time.

When the Song Dynasty was founded, Emperor Taizong had just conquered the Jin Dynasty. He went to Pingjin Temple in Taiyuan and met with Shamen Ruijian of Luquan Temple in Wutai Mountain. He asked about the reason for the construction of Taishan Mountain, and gave him a lot of property and ordered the construction of Taiping Xingguo Temple.

An edict was issued: "Wutai has deep forests and large valleys. Zen advocates secluded dwellings, and all taxes are collected."

In the fifth year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign, Emperor Taizong also ordered the construction of the Five True Rong, Huayan, Shouning, Xingguo, Bamboo Forest, Golden Pavilion, Lotus, Secret, Spiritual Realm, and Daxian ten temples.

In the seventh year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign, the construction of ten temples was completed, and Luquan Temple was given the title of Taiping Xingguo Temple.

From then on, the temples in Mount Wutai were "renovated with carved beams and wooden buildings," and Buddhism began to flourish again.

In the fourth year of Jingde reign, Emperor Zhenzong ordered the Zhenrong Courtyard in Mount Wutai to build a heavy pavilion with a statue of Manjusri, and also granted him the "Fengzhen Pavilion". Its "brilliant beauty, reflecting the light of the forest valley" was very prosperous for a while.

Today, there are a total of 73 temples in Mount Wutai, which have almost restored the scale of the Tang Dynasty.

In Zhenrong Temple, a middle-aged Confucian scholar and his wife were admiring the exquisite statue of Manjusri.

The two walls on the left and right of the pavilion are carved with images of the three-headed and six-armed Chunti Buddha and the eight-armed statue of Mali.

The mother of Buddha clasped her hands together in front of her, holding the sun and moon in each of her upper hands. She held a mirror in her left hand and a seal in her right hand. The seal was engraved with the four characters "immortals and Buddhas from the same clan".

Each of the eight arms holding the sky holds the sun, moon, bell, symbol, rope and other magical objects, corresponding to the mother of the Buddha from a distance, with an angry look on her face.

On the back wall of the main hall, there is a sculpture of the changeable Fifty-Three Ginseng of the Good Wealth Boy, which is lively and cute, forming a sharp contrast with the Buddha Mother and Zhitian on both sides.

In the middle of the main hall, sits Manjusri Bodhisattva riding a lion.

The five buns on the top of the Bodhisattva's head represent the five kinds of wisdom of Manjushri Bodhisattva: the wisdom of the great round mirror, the wisdom of wonderful observation, the wisdom of equality, the wisdom of accomplishment, and the wisdom of the body of the Dharma Realm;

And the Buddhas of the five directions: Akho Buddha in the east, Amitabha Buddha in the west, Precious Buddha in the south, Avalokiteshvara Buddha in the north, and Vairocana Buddha in the center.

One hand holds Ruyi, which symbolizes wisdom and achievement. The other hand holds a classic, which represents wise thinking.

The lion under the seat means majesty, fierceness, invincibility, invincibility, and invincibility.

Although this hall is far away from Hebei Province, its craftsmanship is that of top palace generals. Although it is smaller in scale, its exquisiteness is no less than the three holy statues in the Main Hall of Daxiangguo Temple.

The scholar looked at the solemn and exquisite statue of Bodhisattva and asked, "What kind of Buddha is this in the hearts of the world?"

The wife held her husband's arm and said with a smile: "Didn't you say there was no Buddha back then?"

The scholar looked at his clever wife and said, "My shortcomings have been exposed again. To this day, I don't know whether there is a Buddha or not."

The wife smiled slightly and stopped talking.

The scholar is Zhang Shangying. This person's official career is extremely unscientific.

When he met Zhang Dun, he was admired by the extremely proud Zhang Dun and recommended him to be an admonisher.

Later, Zhang Shangying recommended Shu Quan and others to join Yushitai.

When Zhang Shangying was in office, he attacked the Privy Council. Wen Yanbo, Wu Chong and Cai Ting were all appointed to the Privy Council. Zhao Xu demoted them to Jingnan in order to balance the government.

Zhang Dun participated in politics and appointed Zhang Shangying again. As a result, Shu Yu took power. In order to remove Zhang Shangying from the admonition court, he reported the private letter Zhang Shangying requested for his relatives to Zhao Xu. As a result, Zhang Shangying was dismissed from his post again and was demoted to Jiangling County.

Tax.

Until now, Zhang Shangying's thoughts on his official career have become much less important, and he does not go to his post, but takes his wife for leisurely travels.

As a result, I received a private letter from Su You in Xiangzhou. After reading it, Zhang Shangying tossed and turned all night, and finally came to Mount Wutai.

The couple visited the Buddhist temple and unknowingly thought about that time.

Not long after Zhang Shangying first became an official, he entered a Buddhist temple one day and saw the Tripitaka arranged solemnly and neatly in the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion. He was very unhappy and said: "My teachings of Confucius are not as good as those of the barbarians." Book?"

Back home, Zhang Shangying laid out pen and paper and sat down at night to think.

His wife asked Xiang, "Why don't you go to sleep?"

Zhang Shangying replied: "I am planning to write about the non-Buddha theory."

Xiang said: "Since you say there is no Buddha, why do you need to comment? When you have the intention to comment, doesn't it already prove that there is a Buddha?"

Zhang Shangying remained silent.

Later, I saw the "Vimalakīrti Sutra" used by my wife in front of the Buddhist niche. I opened my eyes and read the sentence above: "This is neither the earth nor the earth." I suddenly understood, so I took it down and read it carefully.

His wife Xiang asked him again: "Do you have to read this sutra first before writing about non-Buddhism?"

Shang Ying was enlightened after hearing this, and began to read scriptures and study Buddhism with his wife. He even gave himself the name "Endless layman".

Although his official career was in decline, he had a wise and good wife as his companion, and there were many sweet things in the past.

Zhang Shangying was reminiscing when he heard a Buddha call from behind him: "What the layman said just now is that one is ten thousand, and ten thousand are one. One after another, ten thousand after ten thousand, the vastness is inexhaustible, the volume is relaxed, and there is no hindrance to the harmony. Although this is extremely Then, it will be a wave without wind."
Chapter completed!