Journey to the West, one of the fist saints

Chapter 12 Dharma Assembly
On this day, brocade and yellow silk cloth was hung along the streets of Chang'an City, and Buddhist mantras were written.A tall incense table is placed every ten miles, on which arhats, Bodhisattvas or Buddhas are enshrined, and the smell of incense candles fills the entire Chang'an city.

All restaurants serve fast food. From dawn onwards, a continuous stream of monks enters the city carrying incense. Every time they encounter an incense case, they stop to pay homage and offer incense to the Buddha.

The ordinary people on the side couldn't help feeling solemn when they saw it, and suddenly felt that the Buddha was watching from three feet above their heads. Even the rascals in the past were much more at ease.

Bright yellow, light blue, and dark brown monk robes filled the Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an City. The people did not discuss, but chanted different Buddhist scriptures in their mouths. Some taste of Hong Zhong Dalu.

There is a huge field from the Small Wild Goose Pagoda to the Suzaku Gate. At this time, three towering cloud platforms have been built. Representatives of various temples surrounded the three high platforms. At this moment, it is full of old monks, all of whom are famous and eminent monks.

The rest of the monks who were lucky enough to enter the venue sat on the ground and surrounded the three high platforms. At this time, there was a huge crowd of people, but due to the restraint of their respective masters, no hoarse and noisy sounds were heard.

Not far from the high platform, a new dignified and dark attic was built, with iron armored guards on both sides, all of them with evil spirits, it should be the place where the king of Tang drove.

The weather was gloomy on this day, and the sun was out. It seemed to be very suitable for casting spells to save the souls of the dead. Xuanzang followed the team of monks from the Huasheng Temple into the venue of the Water and Land Ceremony.

Perhaps because of his special status, his seat was arranged behind Zen Master Xuyun, and he got a seat on a high platform futon.

When the other old monks saw this, most of them didn't lift their eyelids, and some showed curiosity, but after hearing the introduction in a low voice, they immediately understood and closed their eyes again.

Xuanzang looked around, and saw that the old monks around him were very good-natured, kind-hearted and kind-eyed, and many of them gave birth to arhat images, presumably the Dharma has reached a certain level of proficiency.

Some old monks have earlobes that grow past their chins, some old monks have eyebrows that hang over their shoulders, some old monks have no beard or eyebrows, and their skin is like a baby, and there are even some skinny monks with long hands and long legs that look like strange people...

The shape and appearance are full of strange things, which makes people know that it is unusual at first glance.

On the outer circle of the venue are princes and nobles, officials and family members, and the outermost layer is pilgrims, common people or merchants.

At a moment's notice, the king with the bright yellow dragon flag moved over from the direction of the Suzaku Gate. There were hundreds of people, including the accompanying civil and military officials. a commotion.

The accompanying guards on both sides were responsible for clearing the road, but the person leading the way in front was a monk from the Great Mercy Temple in Chang'an City.

The King of Tang went up to the Observation Building together with several Dukes and ministers. The second floor was an open balcony. Today, due to a special occasion, the court ladies and eunuchs did not bring them along. They were accompanied by a group of guards.

As soon as King Tang took his seat, the monk who led the way walked quickly outside the building and gestured to Zen Master Xuyun.

Zen Master Xuyun nodded and smiled, then signaled a hunchbacked old monk beside him to climb up the cloud platform, all eyes were attracted by this old monk, and the surrounding became quiet.

Seeing the peace of mind around him, the old monk's mouth gradually pulled into a smile, and his eyebrows drooped a few times. He looked like an old fishing man next door, which made people feel bad.

He opened his mouth slowly and said, "The Water and Land Ceremony is about to begin, to save the souls of the dead. Please invite Zen Master Xuyun of Huasheng Temple, Master Li Zheng of Tianming Temple, and Abbot Jingkong of Jingang Temple to preach Buddhism on stage!"

The sound is not loud, but the strange thing is that it can be heard clearly no matter how far or near it is. The people around were a little shocked, and they all sat on the ground and looked towards the high platform.

"This old monk is so weird, you know why?" Tang Wang sat on the middle chair and asked the black and strong man next to him.

Cheng Yaojin raised his eyesight, stared at it carefully for a while, then scratched his head and said in shame: "Report to Your Majesty, I don't know!"

After finishing speaking, his embarrassing face turned even darker. Fortunately, Qin Shubao rescued him, "This old monk should have practiced closed-mouthed meditation for decades, and today's breakthrough is the reason why he is so miraculous."

King Tang nodded after hearing this, his eyes flickered, and he continued to look at the high platform.

The three eminent monks sat on the stage, each chose a Buddhist scripture, and began to preach, while the people below were listening quietly, and after hearing the wonderful things, they began to recite in a low voice.

On the stage is the loud Dharma, and the audience is buzzing to follow the recitation. The three people compete with whoever recites the most Buddhist scriptures. After a quarter of an hour, there will be a result. To be replaced by representatives of other temples.

Xuanzang felt as if he had entered a concert in his previous life, surrounded by people reciting Buddhist scriptures. Driven by this atmosphere, his Buddha heart also trembled. It seemed that some things were physical memory, as if hearing Like the prelude singer, I couldn't help but read the explanation.

One quarter of an hour……

Two quarters of an hour...

Three quarters of an hour...

……

Soon it was noon, and everyone had a fast meal.

As usual, the water and land conference lasts for two hours each time to discuss Buddhism, but this time due to the participation of other vulgar people, we had to compress the Dharma conference that could last dozens of days to three days, so the time for discussing Buddhism will naturally be shortened .

On the morning of the second day, it was the turn of Jinshan Temple representatives to go to Yuntai to give a speech.

To be honest, Xuanzang was a little apprehensive before, but after a day and a half of atmosphere, he felt that there was something stuffy in his heart.

This situation is very similar to a certain Maiba in KTV who waited so hard to finally get his own song.

Climbing up the stairs step by step, Zen Master Xuyun is still the master of the ring, and all the monks in the audience are looking at Zen Master Xuyun on the stage with admiration.

There is no other reason, this Zen master Xuyun stayed until the end of the last Water and Land Dharma Assembly, and became the final keynote speaker on Buddha's salvation.

The other person on stage was Master Jue Wang from Fahua Temple. The three of them sat on three high platforms. Master Xuyun smiled and bowed to the other two.

"Amitabha, the two mages, please!"

Xuanzang and Master Jue Wang returned the salute with a smile: "Amitabha, please!"

After finishing speaking, the three of them spoke at the same time, and the classic Buddhist teachings came out of their mouths.

I don't know if it's because of the loudspeaker array on the high platform, or because of other reasons, Xuanzang spoke at a normal volume, and everyone in the entire conference could hear it clearly.

Taking a look from the corner of the eye, the mysterious lines on the four corners of the cloud platform and the inlaid crystal stones are immediately clear, and he concentrates on teaching Buddhism regardless of other things.

"So I heard that at one time the Buddha was in Rajagha City on Mount Qijabor, together with 2000 great monks, all of whom were Arhats, known to all, and whose names were Mahakasyapa and Mahanaruta. In this way, it is the first, and together with the immeasurable Bodhisattva Mahasattva, all of them live in the non-retreating position, and are adorned by countless meritorious beings. Their names are: Wonderful Auspicious Bodhisattva, Invincible Bodhisattva, Constant Diligence Bodhisattva, Restless Bodhisattva, In this way, all the great Bodhisattvas are the first. Then there is Shi Tihuanyin, the Lord of the Bearing Realm..."

As Xuanzang talked, he gradually entered into a state of ecstasy. When he came into contact with Buddhist scriptures from a young age, even though he was very resistant to being a monk, the essence of these Buddhist scriptures was clear.

Tang Wang looked at the handsome young monk on the cloud platform, and couldn't help but became interested. All the monks in their seventies and eighties who gave lectures on Buddhism before came up, and suddenly a young monk with red lips and white teeth came up, and he couldn't help being moved.

Could it be that this is the person I am looking for?
The accompanying monk asked, "Who is that young monk on the stage?"

(End of this chapter)