Chapter 21 Justice (Part 2)
"Thank you very much for saving our lives, sir. Thank you very much for saving our lives." Seeing that all the bandits were killed, only a few clever ones escaped. After another half a moment , the people finally came to their senses. The patriarch, who had read a few books and knew a few words, stepped forward and said.
"Why thank you? I just met you by chance." Zhang Xuanning said with a smile. He slowly sheathed his sword and bowed: "No need to be polite, old man."
"I cannot repay you for saving my life, may I know your name and where you are going?" The clan leader asked, bowing deeply.
"I am Zhang Xuanning, from Yangzhou. I went to study along the way and now I am going to Chang'an." Zhang Xuanning waved his hand and said, "You don't have to thank me. I just happened to meet you. Now that the enemy has been eliminated, you should take care of your people first. I will leave first."
Having said that, he prepared to leave.
I am not a true knight, so how can I have the time to clean up the mess for them? Moreover, only in this way can I make them wake up and stop treating me as a scapegoat.
"Sir, please go slowly. Sir, please go slowly. Sir, you are going to Chang'an. Can you take a little more detour and take me to the county town? My clan has some relatives there, so we can live in peace. Otherwise, if you leave, the bandits will come again, and we will die without a burial place." The clan leader saw that he was really going to leave, and he immediately became anxious. He knelt on the ground with a "thump". "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Although my clan is small, we should repay you with a big gift."
"Well, there is no need for a big gift. However, since the old man has this idea, I will take you all to the outside of the county. After all, it is very troublesome to enter the city now." Zhang Xuanning was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "It will only take a few moments to get to the outside of the county. I will escort you all there."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. There is a Langjia Temple outside the county town. Two of my family members have become monks there and can stay there for a few days. Please take us there!"
Not far from the county town is a small hill, built on the hillside of Xiaolin Mountain. Entering from the mountain gate, passing the three halls in front, middle and back, exiting the small corner gate, and going up along the bluestone path, you can reach the bell and drum tower on the top of the mountain.
"Okay, let's go over there!" It would take three hours to walk out of the county. It was not until dusk that we saw the hill. The hill was only a hundred meters high, and the temple on the mountain could be seen from the foot of the mountain.
A group of villagers reluctantly went up. Although it was early winter in Linshan, there were still a large number of people burning incense in the temple on the mountain, and the sounds of beating chimes and chanting scriptures were endless. Looking at everyone's pious expressions, Zhang Xuanning remained silent.
Times of chaos and disasters actually give rise to the flourishing of religions.
The top of the mountain was where the temple was. Everyone in the crowd bought some incense for a few coins and went forward to pay their respects. They saw a group of refugees coming, including some who were carrying people on their backs. A monk came forward and said, "Amitabha, good, good. Please come in quickly and your injuries will be healed."
As they were talking, some young monks came forward and led the injured to a yard.
"Thank you, Bodhisattva, thank you, Master." The clan leader was full of praise, and his attitude was much more pious than before towards Zhang Xuanning.
After a few novice monks came over, a middle-aged monk appeared. The clan leader hurriedly stepped forward and explained everything. It seemed that he was a relative of the clan.
"Thank you, donor Zhang, for saving the villagers. Your merits are immeasurable. Amitabha." This middle-aged monk was of high status. He chanted the Buddha's name and then said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please come in and rest."
Zhang Xuanning looked at them and felt secretly horrified, realizing that although these monks and novices were not very skilled in martial arts, they all had some skills. No wonder they were not afraid of the rebels at this moment. As for the large forces, as long as they had a bit of brains, they would not rashly go to war with all the temples in the world.
During this time of war and chaos in the world, although one may have other intentions in mind, one has to admit that it is indeed a rare pure land. At this time, the temple is not corrupt, and there are many true believers, and it is thriving.
In real history, after the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism had become a formidable force, and Li Shimin destroyed Buddhism for this reason. In this world, Buddhism is even more powerful. I didn’t have a direct understanding of it before, but now when I see it, I feel shuddering in my heart. You know, this is just a drop in the ocean!
Let’s not talk about how he was taken care of outside. A novice monk served him vegetarian meals and a pair of thick cloth shoes. It seemed that the person in charge was very careful and saw that he was not wearing shoes.
Zhang Xuanning smiled and refused: "No need, I studied in the mountains and rivers, vowed not to wear shoes, stepped on the earth, and received the response of heaven and earth, you can take these shoes back!"
The novice monk was very surprised when he heard this, and immediately put his hands together and chanted: "Amitabha!"
Soon after finishing the meal, it was time for evening lessons. I could hear the sound of a bell, which resonated with the vast space nearby. It was so mellow and continuous that it touched my heart.
"Amitabha, has the donor finished his meal?" There was a knock on the door.
"It's all used up. Please come in, Master." Zhang Xuanning was genuinely shocked. He couldn't feel his presence before he spoke. He was so wild and in tune with the heaven and earth, how could this be?
When the door was opened, an old monk was standing in front of it. His face was calm and he exuded an aura of neither joy nor fear. Just his "Amitabha" made people feel that he was detached from the world and full of compassion.
The old monk did not come in either, but just looked at them with his eyes and said, "Before I was seven years old, before I became a monk, I was one of the villagers you saved today. Today I would like to thank you very much."
After the old monk finished speaking, he clasped his hands together as a gesture of respect towards Zhang Xuan.
Zhang Xuanning immediately bowed his hands as a gesture of greeting, saying, "If you see a tiger or a leopard on the road, a gentleman must kill it. It's just a trivial matter, so why should you worry about it?"
After a pause, he asked again: "I haven't read the Buddhist scriptures, but I have heard that we should break all appearances. Why do you thank me, Master?"
"When I shaved my head and became a novice monk, I knew that I wanted to attain the Pure Land in the West. After studying Buddhism for forty years, I thought that I had to break through all dharmas. But in the past ten years, I have realized that we share the same compassion and the same sympathy. Of course, I can also thank Mr. Zhang for this."
After saying this, the old monk looked at Zhang Xuanning and said, "Donor Zhang, I see blood between your brows. If you walk too much in the future, you will surely encounter disasters. It is better for you to take refuge in my temple. After two years, you will be free from worries."
"The Buddha said, there is no self, no person, no living being, no life, and the way I have learned is based on diligence and courage. I should no longer have this thought - I should seek good fortune and avoid disaster." Zhang Xuanning laughed and said, "Delusion is Bodhi. If there is a disaster, isn't it the cause of enlightenment?"
The old monk smiled when he heard this and said, "Amitabha."
They put their hands together as a gesture of greeting and then left.
After he left, Zhang Xuanning sneered and felt some cold sweat on his back.
When I was reading about the Tang Dynasty, I always felt that Cihang Jingzhai was extremely domineering. It actually commanded the white way, influenced the world, and chose a wise leader. I didn't agree with it . But now, just by looking at this temple, I know how many temples there are all over the world over the past hundreds of years.
At this time, the temples had their own properties, and a large number of monks could practice Buddhism and martial arts with peace of mind. Coupled with the millions of believers across the world, their strength was truly extraordinary.
If the foundation of Cihang Jingzhai was built on this, it is no wonder that it has the qualifications to rule the world.
All his so-called justice and strategies were nothing but clowns in the face of such a vast force.
For a moment, it was as if I had suddenly been enlightened. I broke out in a cold sweat at how crazy I had been these days. Was this forced transfer of destiny driving me crazy?
When I thought of this, I suddenly felt enlightened and a chill ran down my spine.
