My enemies became my companions

Chapter 203 Most Hungry Ghosts

"The donor must be confused. Why do we see abundant crops along the way, but here everyone looks like hungry ghosts?"

After the deception disappeared, the old abbot's true face was revealed in front of the incense of Maitreya Buddha. His skin supported his bones, which were hanging down. He was as thin as a dry skeleton and looked like a walking Buddha in the flesh.

Chen Yi's hand was still on the hilt of the knife.

Yin Tingxue poked his collar and whispered:
"He meant no harm, I can hear that."

After Chen Yi heard this, he looked around and saw that the abbots looked ashamed, especially the abbot who accidentally drooled, who kept chanting scriptures.

"What's going on?"

Chen Yi finally asked.

"Namo the future Maitreya Buddha. You may not know that this is the realm of hungry ghosts, one of the three evil realms."

The old abbot said respectfully,

"All those who live in this village were sinful and greedy in their previous lives. After being reincarnated in the six realms of reincarnation, they came here and became hungry ghosts."

After hearing this, the faces of several people varied. The daughter of King Xiang had a look of pity, the nun was more surprised, and Donggong Ruoshu was full of naive curiosity.

Before Chen Yi could continue to ask, Donggong Ruoshu said:
"Didn't you have a good harvest this year? Why don't you eat the food? Are you exchanging it for Buddha statues?"

Chen Yi nodded secretly when he heard this.

There are surprisingly many golden Buddha statues along the way.

The old abbot just smiled sadly and said:

"Those lands are called Buddha's Fields, and what grows there is not grain but gold."

"Gold?"

"In this hungry ghost realm, all the people are greedy and sinful in their past lives. What is the best thing? Naturally, it is gold. Therefore, in this hungry ghost realm, gold is as plentiful as dirt, but food is almost just a drop in the ocean."

The old abbot explained.

People couldn't help but be amazed when hearing this. No one could have imagined that the hungry ghost realm would be like this.

Donggong Ruoshu was even more curious, and she kept asking:
"Then how do you live?"

Such a straightforward question went unanswered.

The old abbot was not angry. He was skinny and bony, with his dry hands clasped together with distinct knuckles. He knelt in front of the Maitreya Buddha and chanted a Buddhist scripture to pray for blessings.

"I was born from the right side, and you, Maitreya, were born from the top of my head. Just as my life span is a hundred years, Maitreya's life span is eighty-four thousand years. My land is earth, and your land is gold. My land is suffering, and your land is happiness."

After that, he stood up and said frankly:

"Namo the future Maitreya Buddha. The people here will not die of hunger. They just recite the Buddhist scriptures thousands of times, and they will naturally live like this."

Not to mention Miss Donggong who was full of disbelief, even Chen Yi's pupils shrank slightly after hearing it.

“Everyone lives like this here. The fields cannot grow food, only gold. So we erect Buddha statues, build temples, chant the Buddha’s name, and practice the Dharma, just to attain enlightenment and liberation as soon as possible.

All that gold is used for worshipping Buddha and not for other purposes. We are just looking at these shabby houses to wake ourselves up."

The old abbot spoke in a calm and gentle voice, slowly and calmly describing the scene of Thousand Buddha Village.

He glanced at the vegetarian meal in front of him and said softly:
"Even if you are old and hungry, and your children are hungry, you can recite the Buddha's teachings when you are hungry, and chant the scriptures when you are hungry. Listening to the gurgling of your five internal organs like the sound of a wooden fish, you can still feel at ease."

The four of them all understood.

This Thousand Buddha Village,

There are many Arhats, many Bodhisattvas, and many Buddhas.

There are the most hungry ghosts.

..............................

They did not use the vegetarian meals, but ate the dry food they brought with them.

At dusk, Chen Yi looked out at the golden fields. They were as brilliant as a golden ocean, and it really was a golden ocean.

The villagers, big and small, were all skin and bones. What they saw before them was a small world rather than an illusion, which meant that there were living people with souls inside.

Children were playing around the Buddha statues on the roadside, while adults were standing in rows outside the temple to burn incense. At dusk, the place was bustling with people talking about family matters, and from time to time they would discuss Buddhism and chant the Buddha's name with their hands clasped together.

In the outside world, even in the Western Jin Dynasty, which worshipped Buddhism, there have never been so many devout believers, let alone such piety.

“Only after becoming a hungry ghost did I know how to chant the Buddha’s name and recite the Dharma.”

Chen Yi sneered.

The daughter of King Xiang beside her pursed her lips after hearing this.

After a while, she mustered up the courage to whisper, "They may not have a choice."

Chen Yi glanced at the little fox.

“…People are changed by their environment.”

Yin Tingxue looked at his expression and said softly:

"For example, in troubled times, how can you survive without being greedy or stealing?"

"Do you believe that human nature is good?"

"Believe it."

Yin Tingxue said softly.

Chen Yi smiled and stroked her head gently.

I don’t think I’m a good person, but it’s great that my little fox is a kind and compassionate person.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi was in a very good mood.

She loves to bully her because she is a good person. No matter how she bullies her, she will not have any cruel or vicious thoughts, so she can bully her with confidence.

Yin Tingxue saw that Chen Yi did not answer, so she asked again:
"Don't you believe it?"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not."

Chen Yi has always been on guard against others.

Yin Tingxue rolled her eyes, took Chen Yi's hand, held it in front of her, and said in a soft voice:

"I believe it."

She had clearly said this once before, but she said it again.

What she meant was that she believed that Chen Yi, this bad guy, was actually kind-hearted.

Human nature is good, so what?

So be nice to her and bully her less.

This is the little fox's thought, full of twists and turns.

Chen Yi also liked the way she expressed her feelings. Recently, she had become bolder and told him a lot of her inner thoughts.

She seemed to realize unconsciously that she really could never leave this person, and she became more dependent on him.

Yin Tingxue looked at the starving people in the distance and felt bad.

"You want them to be liberated?"

Chen Yi guessed what she was thinking.

"Well...if it's possible, it can be considered as accumulating some good deeds for our family."

Yin Tingxue said this and looked at Chen Yi expectantly.

Chen Yi did not express his opinion.

In the distance, the old abbot walked slowly towards them.

The skinny old man, wearing a monk's robe, came up to Chen Yi and bowed, then said:
"We have offended you before, and if you have any requests now, we will do our best to compensate you."

The old abbot did not feel any hatred towards Chen Yi for killing dozens of villagers.

Buddhism talks about the six realms of reincarnation. Chen Yi kills these hungry ghosts to help them attain liberation and allow their souls to be reborn in this small world.

They cannot kill each other either, because it is a deliberate act to escape the retribution for their evil deeds. Not only will it be impossible for them to be reborn into a good life, but it will make things worse.

"How do I leave your little world?"

Chen Yi asked directly.

Yin Tingxue lowered her brows in disappointment.

The old abbot pondered for a while and said slowly:

"When all the people in this Thousand Buddha Village have attained enlightenment and liberation, you can leave."

At dusk, the ground was littered with starving people.

This is like the chicken eating all the rice, the dog licking all the noodles, and the fire burning through the lock.

I will make a rule for adding more chapters later, and then increase the chapters based on the monthly votes and subscriptions.

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(End of this chapter)