Chapter 157 Prayer Ceremony Tiantong Temple was built in the first year of Yongkang. It is one of the five famous temples of Zen Buddhism and is known as the Southeast Buddhist Kingdom. It is located at the foot of the mountainous Taibai Mountain. According to legend, a monk traveled here and saw the beautiful mountains and rivers here, so he made a grass to practice it. At that time, a boy offered money every day. Later, when he said goodbye, he claimed to be the incarnation of Taibai Venus and was sent by the Jade Emperor to protect him. From then on, the mountain was named Taibai. The name of the temple is Tiantong. Zuo Zhong didn’t know why the Jade Emperor sent someone to help a monk, but the scenery here was indeed beautiful and more popular than in memory, probably because it was approaching the Spring Festival. Zhi Ke Monk saw them from afar. The long car was very impressive. Knowing that the wealthy pilgrims were coming, he quickly stepped forward to greet them with a smile. “Have seen the donor.” “I’ve met the young master. We are here to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings. Please help with arrangements.” Zuo Zhong told the monk Zhike about his purpose of visit. He had no intention of crowding into the main hall with other faithful men and women. That would be inconvenient and unsafe. Presumably Tiantong Temple has this kind of business, a service industry. As expected, the smile on the Zhike monk's face did not diminish and he said: "Okay, all the donors, please come in. This matter needs the consent of the temple supervisor, but if he can pray for the good people, the temple supervisor will not refuse." Leaving a group of people to guard the vehicle, the group climbed onto the lush and lush Avenue of Ten Thousand Pines and walked towards the temple. The road was rugged. Zuo Zhong saw that Zuo Xuechen was a little tired, so he directly carried him on his back.
When the monk Zhike saw this scene, he recited something like Amitabha: "This little benefactor is really filial. I wonder where the distinguished guests come from, and who do they want to pray for?" Zuo Shanwen glanced at his son and nodded happily: "We are all from Ningbo. We want to pray for my late mother. When she was alive, she often came to your temple to offer incense and worship the Buddha." After hearing this, Zhike Monk said nothing more and led the way with a calm expression. He entered the temple gate, walked around the main hall, and continued walking towards the depths of the temple. The number of pilgrims wandering around gradually decreased. In front of a small Buddhist temple, the monk Zhike stopped and clasped his hands together: "Please wait here, distinguished guests. The young monk goes to Tongjian Temple. There are stone benches here for resting." Zuo Zhong, sweating profusely, put Zuo Xuechen down and helped him sit on the stone bench. If it weren't for the training from the police academy and the Secret Service, he would not have been able to endure such a long distance. He Yijun on the side saw that Zuo Zhong was covered with sweat, so he quietly gave him a handkerchief. Zuo Zhong took it and wiped it. The mountain wind was blowing, which made him feel a little cold. Zuo Xuechen looked at Zuo Zhong with a smile on his face. At his age, money is all fake, family harmony and filial piety from his descendants are the most important. He sighed with emotion: "Zuo Zhong, please sit down and have a rest. You must be exhausted. You are old after all. When I accompanied your grandmother to offer incense, I could walk here from the foot of the mountain in one breath." Zuo Shanwen and his wife snickered. The old man was talking about what happened so many years ago. At that time, he was still in his prime, and walking a few steps was certainly nothing. Just when Zuo Zhong wanted to comfort his grandfather, he saw the Zhike monk walking out of the main hall with a troubled face. Could it be that Tiantong Temple didn't want to pray for the Zuo family? He immediately felt worried. Zhike monk walked up to everyone, clasped his hands and said, "I'm really sorry for keeping the donors waiting for so long. Our temple is hosting fellow disciples of the Northern Zen sect today, so it may be inconvenient for us to pray." It turned out that the monk was visiting relatives. It was not easy to blame him too much. Zuo Zhong could only say in a deep voice: "That being the case, let's take our leave first and come back to disturb your temple the next day." He is so busy right now that he is hitting the back of his head and finally finds time. But when this happens, it seems he has to find more time. Zhike monk once again joined his hands and bowed. Today, a senior monk from the northern Zen sect came to give a lecture. All the officials in the temple were listening. There really was no suitable candidate to preside over the blessing ceremony. Everyone had no choice but to get up and prepare to leave. At this time, a young novice monk walked out of the hall. Seeing that Zuo Zhong and the others were about to leave, he quickly quickened his pace and ran over. He said out of breath: "Donors, please wait a moment. Hong Wu will give way." Let me tell you that he will be the one to preside over the prayers for the good people later.” Hongwu presides over it? The abbot of Tendoji Temple? This is a eminent and eminent monk who is famous all over the south of the Yangtze River. When he reaches the realm of the other party, he will no longer be moved by external things. Even if the Zuo family is rich and powerful, they won't care. Why would he take the initiative to preside over blessings? Zuo Xuechen was a little in disbelief: "Is it Master Hongwu who personally prayed for this little master?" The little novice monk said with reverence: "Yes, the abbot has stopped performing rituals for a long time, but I just heard that someone came from the mountain carrying an elder on his back. I felt something about it, so I sent me to inform all the donors."
Zuo Shanwen and Mei Huizhen looked so excited that they were able to have Master Hongwu come and pray for them personally. This was something that many people in Ningbo could only dream of doing. It seemed that their sons were really blessed. Zuo Zhong felt that the master was a little too arbitrary, but maybe he was the eminent monk. I wonder what the Japanese spy was like? Amid everyone's expectations, Master Hong Wu arrived. He was wearing a gray monk's robe, with kind eyes, and looked to be in his fifties or sixties. When he saw the group, he bowed and said, "Dear donors, please come with me." To pray for the deceased, it was inconvenient for people from the Intelligence Department to be present. Only Zuo Zhong and his family followed Master Hongwu. Gui Youguang was still a little worried and wanted to follow, but Zuo Zhong shook his head at him. My parents have met Hongwu before, and their excited expressions just now showed that he is not a fake. Since he is a real person, there is no need to be afraid. There is a saying that a monk who can run away cannot run away from the temple. Zuo Zhong observed habitually, and he found that Hongwu's left foot should have been injured. His movements were slightly deformed when he walked, and the middle part of his spine seemed not right, making him feel very stiff. When they reached a side hall, Master Hongwu walked in first and prepared the tools for performing rituals. Zuo Zhong knelt on the futon with his family and continued to look at Hongwu quietly. Of course, he would not think that a master with clear details was a Japanese spy. I want to see what a real Chinese eminent monk is like, so that I can have a comparison in future investigations. At this time, the host Hongwu suddenly turned around and stared at Zuo Zhong with a smile: "This little benefactor, you are the one who came to this temple on your back, right?" Zuo Zhong was stunned for a moment, knowing that his observation had been discovered by the other party. He didn't expect the old monk to be so sensitive, and said respectfully: "Yes, my grandfather is already old, as a junior should be." Host Hongwu said slowly: "After the prayer, please wait a moment, the poor monk. I have something to say to you." After saying this, he closed his eyes and recited the scriptures. Zuo Zhong and his family were confused, but when they saw the ceremony begin, they had to concentrate and pray devoutly. They knelt for three hours. Not to mention the old and frail Zuo Xuechen, even Zuo Zhong could not bear it. Finally, when the ceremony was over, everyone helped each other and stood up. The young novice led everyone to the Zen room to rest temporarily, while Zuo Zhong stayed. He wanted to hear what the other party wanted to say to him. The host, Hong Wu, was quite old. He was also very tired from praying just now. He sat on the futon and rested for a while before opening his eyes and found Zuo Zhong looking at him intently with a smile on his face. “Little donor, I wonder what the old monk has to see?” Zuo Chong was sitting upright on the futon with a serious expression: "I just looked at the master's demeanor, but I found that it was no different from ordinary people, so I was inevitably a little confused." "Oh?" Host Hong Wu nodded: "I wonder what the little donor has any doubts about?" Zuo Zhong expressed his confusion: "Can someone who is familiar with Buddhist scriptures but has no compassion also become an eminent monk? There is no difference between eminent monks and ordinary people. How should we distinguish such a thing?" After hearing this, host Hongwu smiled and said: "Zen Buddhism emphasizes getting rid of attachment. What is attachment? If you think good things, you insist on others feeling good; if you think bad things, you also insist on others feeling bad. This is attachment. If you want to distinguish the same attachments, then cut off hope and fear, love and hate, and understand that all phenomena are just projections of the human heart. You will recognize that all relative phenomena in front of you are just an illusory illusion. " The old monk said that the clouds and mountains were shrouded in mist, but Zuo Zhong caught one word, "people's hearts." This was consistent with his speculation. The focus of the problem was how to find the inner flaw of the Japanese spy. Zuo Zhong thought for a while: "If a person has a truth that he agrees with but cannot express it, is this his persistence?" Host Hongwu did not answer directly: "Everyone has attachments." Zuo Zhong fell into deep thought. The Japanese monk was tortured by the persistence of faith. Since he was familiar with Buddhism, he should be able to find a way to break it. This is the flaw in his heart! The old monk has some skills in cutting off hopes and fears, likes and dislikes. Zuo Zhong thought of something and looked up just in time to see Hong Wu, the host with a smile on his face. Hong Wu presided over the meeting and said: "It seems that the donor is in a bad state. I wonder if he wants help from the poor monk?" Zuo Zhong didn't expect someone to see through his thoughts, and said in horror: "How did the host know?" Host Hongwu laughed and said, "I think all of your men should be from the military. In addition, the benefactor has an extraordinary temperament and should be from the public family. It shows that you seem to be depressed. That's why I asked you, the donor, to stay after praying. I originally wanted to help you understand something, but unexpectedly you asked the poor monk about it, and the questions you raised were very interesting.
You have thought for a long time and look relaxed. It seems that the fake eminent monk is the reason for your depression. Publicly and privately, I cannot allow others to ruin my reputation as a Buddhist. " Zuo Zhong understood that this eminent monk was at least a psychological expert. He had made some reasonable guesses through his facial expressions and movements. He had to pay attention. If he was facing a Japanese intelligence officer, these subtleties would betray him. Zuo Zhong stood up, bowed to Hongwu, and whispered: "To be honest, there is a Japanese monk lurking in Mount Putuo in disguise. This matter is of great importance. I would like to ask the host to help me and use your knowledge in Buddhism." position, lead this person out so that we can arrest him.” Hong Wu presided over the meeting and put his hands together: "Two years ago, the poor monk organized a monk rescue team and set up a refugee shelter in Shanghai. The injuries he suffered were from that time. Please tell me how to draw him out." Zuo Zhong didn’t expect this story to come from his injury, so he uttered two words: “Obsession.” “Obsession, obsession?” Host Hongwu muttered a few words, his eyes slowly brightened, and then he looked at Zuo Zhong and smiled. (End of this chapter)