The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 211 Deep Mountain, Old Lama

Mr. Zhang spent five days playing this time.After fishing by the Yellow River, I went to the Kubuqi Desert and the Ordos Grassland, and then returned to Hohhot to attend the reception held by the Chamber of Commerce in the provincial capital, and flew back the next day.

The biggest gain for Lao Tan from receiving Mr. Zhang this trip is that it opened a door for management, and the layout has become bigger.

After Mr. Zhang left, he was not in a hurry to think about setting up a group. Instead, he went to Guanyin Temple on a drizzly day and chatted with Dade who came back from Youfang all afternoon.

The meditation room is simple and plain, with one door, one window, one quiet room, one bed, one table and one elegant living room.On the altar on the west wall, a single incense stick curls up, and the sandalwood burns your mind.

Dade ate the vegetarian dumplings brought by Lao Tan and drank tea, while Lao Tan drank a pot of chrysanthemum wine that he brought.The fragrance of the wine is light, seemingly absent, which arouses the great master's desire to drink.

"Pour me a glass of your wine." Dade couldn't help but said temptingly.

"Don't you don't drink?" Old Tan asked with a smile, poured a glass and handed it over.

Dade first picked up the wine glass and smelled it, and then said: "Well, it's time to soak, moisten the lungs and clear the mind." After finishing speaking, he took a sip, then put down the wine glass, and then said: "It's not spicy, it's mild and soft, but it's delicious. called tea."

"That's why you can taste the tea." Lao Tan laughed.

"Taste my tea too." Dade poured Lao Tan a cup of tea.

Old Tan picked it up and drank it all, and then said: "Tartary buckwheat, bitter and then light, and then slightly bitter, gradually goes away. It seems that you fried it yourself."

Dade smiled, picked up a dumpling and put it in his mouth.

Old Tan glanced at the half-burned Duxiang, and suddenly asked: "Master, is burning incense useful?"

"Burning incense is like sending a message with a mobile phone. As long as the message is accurate, the other party can receive it." Dade said.

"That's right—"

"Tao has the heart to learn, and the heart to spread the incense. Incense is burned in the jade furnace, and the heart is kept in front of the emperor, and the true spirit looks forward to it. Immortals are worn in Linxuan, and the ministers announce that it will last for nine days."

"This is the fragrance spectrum of Taoism—also, red lotus, white root and green lotus leaves, the three religions are originally one family."

The great virtue nodded slightly, and said slowly: "The road is as simple as it is, and all roads lead to the same goal. It's all about seeing whether a mountain is a mountain, whether a mountain is a mountain, or whether a mountain is a mountain."

"That's the thing. I was a cook ten years ago, and I thought that all the dishes in the world could be cooked. Five years ago, I was a cook, and I didn't even know how to cook. Now I look at vegetables, and I dare not cook. From the avenue to the simple, back to the basics, and after doing a circle, I realized what saltiness is, and your cause and effect lead to the same goal.” Lao Tan said with emotion.

"You're a chef now," Daedeok said.

"It's not here yet—" Lao Tan pointed to the dumplings on the plate and asked, "Can you eat the coriander flavor?"

"Six points." Dade said truthfully.

"So I can't be a teacher yet, I'm still a cook." Old Tan said sadly.

"It's the same as I only burn Duxiang---"

"Not really, it's just seeing that it hasn't been done—"

Lao Tan took a sip of the wine, and the faint taste of wine lingered in his mouth, slightly sweet, slightly pungent, and slightly floral.

"When you see it, do it, and just do it with a clear heart."

Dade then talked about how he went to a secluded practice place deep in Daqing Mountain when he came back from the tour.

The place of practice is deep in the mountain. It turned out that it was just an old lama practicing hard in a cave on the mountainside.

But the scenery on the mountain is beautiful, with evergreen pine trees, bursting forests, jagged rocks, pheasants, hares, roe deer, and of course wolves, but very few.It is an inaccessible place, and the nearby villagers rarely go there.

The old lama chose this place of practice for the sake of purity and no one would bother him.Especially in winter, the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, and the road up the mountain is impossible to walk. It is often quiet for three or two months without going out or going in.

The air on the mountain is fresh and pure, as if washed by water, and there are many trees, it is a natural oxygen bar.There are springs in the mountains, the water is pure, and the springs are not frozen in winter, and they gurgle out. They are natural mineral water.

The old lama lived in the cave with his three apprentices. The apprentices went to the foot of the mountain every month for alms, not asking for money, but just food and clothing.In addition, the old lama is proficient in Buddhism and medical skills. He travels to the mountains every year. He does penance and saves lives and heals the wounded.

Thirty years passed like this. During this period, the great virtue and the old lama had the honor to meet each other. They went to the deep mountains twice, and each time they stayed for several days.

The great virtue likes this clean place very much, but he can't leave for a while because he is also the host.In addition, Guanyin Temple is the place where he became a monk, so he has deep feelings and never gives up.It is said that being a monk has no home, and the world is home, but in fact, there is also a home.

In a flash, I haven't seen the old lama for five years. This time, I went into the mountain while I had some free time.

It's just that going into the mountain feels different this time.

There used to be asphalt roads, but they disappeared in the outer mountain pass towns, but now the first layer of low mountains has been repaired, leading to the inner villages.Out of the village is the loess road, which is much wider and smoother than before, and cars can pass through it.

The loess road went downhill and downhill, winding for more than ten miles, and came to the foot of the mountain.

Cars can't go up the mountain here, and people have to walk.

In the past, the road up the mountain was a precipitous and unusually steep path, which had to be crawled carefully, but now it is much wider, and the four-wheel drive jeep can walk, but the slope is extremely steep, and it is still steep. If you are not careful, you will fall into the mountain stream, and the car will be destroyed. .

Dade walks to the platform at the foot of the mountain, where four high-end cars are parked. On the way up the mountain, there are more than a dozen men and women walking slowly and with difficulty, which is very strenuous.

It seems that this place was also discovered by people in the world, and they came here to offer incense and fulfill their wishes.

Dade started up the hill.

The road was obviously artificially expanded and full of gravel. It should have been crushed by heavy machinery, so it is not very painful.

After walking for half an hour, I came to a gentle place, the road was much wider, and there was a hook machine parked by the cliff, and the roar of the machine was heard not far above.

Next to the hook machine is a small pavilion that has been repaired. A dozen men and women who had gone up the mountain before were sitting and resting in it. Seeing the Dade greet them warmly, the Dade clasped his hands in return and continued to walk forward without resting.

Going up the mountain is difficult, but walking is much easier than before. It used to be climbing, but now it is walking.

An hour later, Dade came to the halfway up the mountain and was stunned by the temple in front of him.

In the past, Gelao was just a slightly larger platform, but two or three houses could be built here. Now it has been bulldozed and filled by modern machinery, and a temple has been built with blue bricks and red tiles, which is very magnificent.

Dade stood in front of the temple and looked at it for a long time. He didn't mean to enter, but just watched a few pilgrims burning incense and kowtow inside, and a few lamas were busy.

Looking up the mountain behind the temple, the higher place is the place where the great virtue went, and it is also the place where the old lamas practiced. There is also a Buddhist temple built there, but it is not as arranged as the temple below. It is just a few rooms, and the cave is still there.

Seeing this scene, the Great Virtue sighed in his heart, no place can escape the entanglement of the world, it is obviously a place of pure cultivation, but it also has a modern commercial atmosphere.

The Dharma walked slowly to the cave of the old lama on the mountain. A young lama told the master that he was in retreat.Dade smiled and said nothing.The old lama's Buddha's name came from the cave, and in an instant, the old lama slowly walked out of the cave.

The old lama led the great virtue to the Zen courtyard, sat down in the meditation room at the east end, and made tea politely.

The great virtue asked: "What's the matter with the temple below?"

The old lama said: "A pilgrim took the lead in building it. It is a good relationship. He used to make a living by fighting, and later became a real estate owner. He has a lot of money. A few years ago, he suddenly fell ill and sought medical treatment everywhere to no avail. He was introduced by someone. Come here. I left him here to practice for half a year, and he used massage and acupuncture to regulate blood stasis and transform qi, exorcise evil spirits and straighten the body, and he has improved a lot.

This man was also a man, and it was winter. He cut firewood on the mountain every day, fetched water for cooking, read Buddhist scriptures quietly, meditated and practiced in his spare time, and became attached to the Buddha again and again.Not only that, but because of walking in the mountains every day, staying with the forest, letting go of the old and inhaling the new, my high blood pressure and high blood fat are gone, and I am as strong as a young man.

After he recovered from his illness, he went down the mountain and sold all the houses, leaving only two houses for his family to live in. Then he brought funds and workers into the mountain to start building roads and temples.After four years of construction, the temple below is good.It was originally planned to be built here, but I didn't let it go. I just built five meditation rooms and twenty guest houses for the pilgrims who came to stay. "

"Those pilgrims also came here to cultivate themselves, who told you that you can cure diseases." Dade laughed.

"My medical skills are not worth mentioning. Compared with the doctors in the hospital, it is far behind. The main reason is that the air here is good and the water is good, which is suitable for health preservation. In addition, there is no signal on the mobile phone here, and the message is cut off. If the heart calms down and passes On the days when the sun rises and the sun sets and rests, the pain will naturally disappear." The old lama said.

"That's it."

"It costs a lot to build roads and temples, and it has already exceeded [-] million. Most of it was taken by that pilgrim. Yes, there are people from Fujian, Yunnan, and Guangzhou from the south, and people from the provincial capital in the north. The hook machines, bulldozers, and jeeps for driving up and down the mountains were donated by the provincial capital aircraft factory. Their two retired leaders After staying here for half a year, my high blood pressure has completely disappeared.”

"You have become a health care place."

"Almost, they don't charge money when they come here. They bring their own rice and noodles to eat. There is a cafeteria in the Xiang guest room, and they cook by themselves. They go up the mountain to cut firewood, carry water, and exercise by the way. With the addition of cleanliness, they can practice Buddhism in the room. , calm down, and naturally maintain your health. If it is really cancer, you have to go to the hospital for treatment, but not here." The old lama told the truth.

"You have immeasurable merit." The great virtue praised.

"What merits and virtues are just the creation of heaven and earth. Mountains, rivers and rivers, all things are souls, people are calm, return to nature, throw away mundane things, practice in the morning and practice in the evening, self-cultivation. Everything is also a karma, 30 years of hard work, and one day Pile cause and effect.

I have never touched yellow and white things, and now I do, I just hope that the money of the pilgrims will be used properly, and don't dirty their hands and feet.It's funny to say, but at this point in the practice, the craftsmen have been paid wages, and they have become the boss in the secular world. "

The great virtue and the old lama smiled at each other.

(End of this chapter)