Chapter 167 But do good deeds (seeking votes at the end of the month) Fodingshan Temple, as the name suggests, is a temple on Foding Mountain. Unlike other temples, the buildings here are all made of wood and are said to have been passed down for hundreds of years. This is the place where fishermen come to pray and burn incense. The reason is somewhat sad. Many fishermen who died in the sea have no bodies at all. The families of these people hope that they can stand higher when praying so that the wandering souls can see their way home. road. With the blessing of a thick stack of banknotes, the destined person Zuo Zhongshun met Master Benji. Under the leadership of a monk, he and Shen Dongxin climbed to the highest point of Fodingshan Temple. “Two benefactors, this is where Master Benji meditates, please come in.” The monk stopped at the door of a small courtyard on the top of the mountain. “Thank you very much.” Zuo Zhong thanked him, opened the door and walked into the courtyard. Shen Dongxin was still standing outside. As soon as he entered, Zuo Zhong saw several large vats, which were prepared for putting out fires. After all, the Fodingshan Temple was made of wood. Once a fire broke out, there would be no time to get water. This is very common in Chinese houses. It’s just that the young monk in the temple was a little lazy, and there was only a shallow layer of water in the tank. If it caught on fire, this centuries-old temple would be in danger. Master Benzhi was lying on his side under a dead tree in the courtyard. He seemed to be asleep. His body was shaking slightly with his breathing. The monk's robe was blown up by the strong wind on the top of the mountain, giving him a feeling of being fluttering.
But is it really not cold like this? This master is a bit pretentious, his nose is obviously white from the cold, and he has to play Reclining Buddha in the wind. In this era of pneumonia, not even the Buddha can save him. Zuo Zhong was too lazy to act with him. After standing still, he shouted loudly: "Dai from Ningbo, I have met the master." Ben didn't move at all, and even snored. Zuo Zhong sneered, glanced at the big vat, then walked over and wet his hands. “Master, I’m offended.” After Zuo Zhong said this, he grabbed his neck with his hand. "Hiss!" I seemed to wake up all of a sudden. I looked at Zuo Zhong sleepily and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Who are you and why are you in my courtyard?" It seems that a master must have good acting skills. Zuo Zhong took back his hand and said respectfully: "Master, Dai's father went to Nanyang to do business. This time he returned to Ningbo to rebuild his ancestral home. He wanted to invite a consecrated Buddha statue back to worship. Please take action yourself.” Hearing the words, Ben Zhi waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, I'm not good at consecrating rituals. You can go to Putuo Mountain Temple to find Master Zhanjing, or Guanyin Temple to preside over it." After saying that, he got up and wanted to leave. Without saying much, Zuo Zhong took out a stack of . dollars from his pocket: "Here are five hundred . dollars. When I first came up, I saw that the building of your temple was a little dilapidated. Dai's family has a small amount of property in Nanyang. I am willing to spend all my money for this." Please give me some extra money for your kindness.” Master Benzhi stopped in his tracks. He looked back at the colorful . dollars, and then at Zuo Zhong, who had a serious look on his face. There was a hint of embarrassment on his face. It wasn't his excuse. He was really not good at consecration, and his skills were limited. Specialize, don’t shoot randomly. Zuo Zhong saw that he had stopped talking, so he took out another . dollar bill from his pocket and put it in his hand, and then added another. Now the incense money had reached 700 . dollars, which is more than 1,600 yuan. This money, plus the money donated by some charitable people, is enough to rebuild a main hall in Fodingshan Temple. Master Benji thought for a while and finally couldn't help but said: "Donor Dai, if you insist, although the poor monk is not good at consecrating , but willing to give it a try.” Zuo Zhong was even more happy, and handed the incense money directly to me with both hands. I turned around as if seeing a snake and scorpion, and said: "Amitabha, please take the donor's merit box to the main hall." “It’s my fault. I only heard that the master doesn’t like to follow strict rules and regulations. I didn’t expect him to care so much about keeping the precept of not catching money.” Zuo Zhong seemed to be regretful, but his eyes secretly glanced at Ben Zhi, wanting to hear his explanation. Ben only smiled casually: "Some of the rules and precepts are remembered by poor monks, but some are forgotten." This reason is very good and powerful. If you obey it, you will remember it. If you don't obey it, you will forget it. Zuo Zhong's eyes showed admiration: "Master is indeed an expert, and he is not comparable to ordinary people like us." "Donor Dai, I'm being serious." Ben shook his head repeatedly, and suddenly seemed to think of something, and asked, "Where did Donor Dai come back from in Nanyang? How is the development of Buddhism there?" Zuo Zhong's heart was moved. He only asked what this meant. Was he trying to find out what he was doing? So he replied: "Dai's family does some department store business in Penang, Malay. Europeans and Americans are very wary of me as a Chinese, but they are still relatively relaxed about Buddhism. The largest temple in the local area is the Kek Lok Temple founded by Master Miao Lian. It is located in Baihe Mountain.”
After listening to this, Ben seemed to be lost in memories. After a while, he apologized: "I'm really sorry. A good friend of Lingyin Temple went to Nanyang and has passed away now, so I am a little emotional." "It's okay, it's okay. It's okay for a master to care about his old friends. Please show your condolences." Zuo Zhong said with a smile. What I said was too coincidental. I clasped my hands together and said, "Then please wait a moment, the donor, while the poor monk prepares the tools for the consecration. The donor can rest in the courtyard and he will be fine soon." Zuo Zhong smiled and watched Ben Zhi leave. The smile on his face disappeared. He walked along the yard. The ground was paved with sea sand, and there were even some shells and corals in it. This should be the result of the hard work of the charity people. You have to go up the mountain on your back. Except for dead trees, sand and water tanks, there is nothing extra in this yard. It looks very monotonous. Maybe this is the life of a master. Zuo Zhong can't stand such a life anyway. At this time, the sea wind became stronger, blowing the sea sand in one direction. Zuo Zhong lowered his head and watched as the sand was ruthlessly blown away, then hit the wall and fell to the ground to form a small sand dune. “Dang Dang Dang.” Zuo Zhong, who was in a daze, was awakened by a crisp ringing. He looked up and found that it was Master Benzhi. He climbed to the roof at some point and was inserting a huge windmill on top. When the wind blew, the little windmill on the windmill was blown away. The bell turned as hard as it could, making a loud but not harsh sound. But what does this windmill mean? Zuo Zhong saw that Master Benji was having some difficulty climbing up there, so he hurriedly walked over to prepare for help. When he got closer, he discovered that there was a ladder in Master Benji's house. People could climb directly to the roof. No wonder he didn't see it outside just now. . It would be difficult for him to help. If he wanted to help, he would have to enter the house, but without the owner's permission, it would be rude for him to go in without permission. Zuo Zhong could only stand at the door and watch Master Benzhi climb down the ladder backwards, although I was out of breath from exhaustion, but nothing happened after all. “Master, can Dai come in?” “Donor Dai is truly a gentleman, come in.” With permission, Zuo Zhong quickly walked in, held Ben Zhi's arm, and helped him sit down next to the stool. In just a few steps, Zuo Zhong took a general look at the layout and furnishings of the room. There is an extremely simple wooden bed against the west wall. The bed is made of coarse cloth and looks to be old. There is an old apricot-yellow futon in the center of the room, which has been dug out of the pit. It seems that it has been used by Master Benji. To the east is a whole wall of Buddhist scriptures, various magical instruments, tables, chairs and benches. Zuo Zhong supported me here and slowly sat down. Ben only sat down and breathed a long sigh of relief: "Thank you very much, Donor Dai. Please sit down." Zuo Zhong smiled and nodded. From the corner of his eyes, he saw scriptures, pens, ink, paper and inkstones, an abacus and a ruler on the table. He didn't realize that the old monk was still a math enthusiast. It was too difficult to live such a boring life without finding some hobbies. But what happened to the windmill just now? Is this also the old monk's hobby? Then this hobby is too childlike and dangerous. If you have to climb to the roof in such a strong wind, even Zhen Jigong can't bear it if he falls. Ben just sat down and rested for a while, and his breathing returned to steady. Seeing Zuo Zhong looking at him a little strange, he understood the reason for this, smiled slightly and said, "Donor Dai is curious about the windmill, right?" “Yes.” Zuo Zhong admitted honestly. Ben seemed to be lost in memories again. He pondered for a long time and mentioned the reason: "Donor Dai is from the local area and has been in Nanyang for a long time. He should know how dangerous it is for fishermen in windy days. If you are not careful, your boat will be destroyed and people will die." ending." What Ben Zhi said is correct. Zuo Zhong saw such a scene many times when he was a child. After a strong wind, the coast was full of men, women and children wearing sackcloth and mourning. This was the fishermen who were calling for the souls of their family members who died in the strong wind. They were crying and shouting at the scene. There was a sound. He said with a sad face: "Yes, fishermen are gambling with God with their lives. If they win, their warehouses are full of fish and shrimps, but if they lose, they will have no bones left." There was a touch of sadness on Ben's face: "So every time there is a strong wind, I put the windmill on the roof of the house. This is the highest place on Putuo Mountain. I hope those poor people wandering in the sea can see and hear. go home." When Zuo Zhong heard this, he stood up and said in awe: "Master is compassionate and compassionate, and his merits are immeasurable. Dai, who has no talent, is willing to contribute another thousand US dollars to build a windmill for your temple. Please don't refuse, Master." " He understood why those benevolent people were willing to spread the sea sand they had worked hard to carry up the mountain to pave the ground for me. Jigong's imitation show alone could not do this. It must be because of his kind deeds. Ben only stood up and gave a salute: "Donor Dai is a compassionate and upright gentleman. I am incompetent and can only do some trivial things."
"Master, I'm serious." Zuo Zhong quickly waved his hand and stood up to avoid his salute. The two of them were humble again. Zuo Zhong took the initiative to let Ben only lead him to the abbot of Fodingshan Temple. When the abbot heard that Zuo Zhong had donated 1,700 US dollars, his eyes almost popped out of his head. Four thousand dollars, which is the annual income of Fodingshan Temple. With this money, not to mention building the windmill, the restoration of the main hall can also be completed. “Thank you very much, donor Dai, and please leave your name. Our temple must engrave the name of the distinguished guest on the windmill for future generations to remember.” The host is very knowledgeable. Zuo Zhong did not hesitate and said happily: "Then remember the good people, but don't worry about the future when you do good deeds, what does this master think?" “Amitabha, what the donor said is quite Buddhist.” I clasped my hands together. .
(End of this chapter)