Zhu Xian: Learn from the Great Ying Immortal and rebuild the Trinity School

The sun sets in the west,

The entire Mount Sumeru is looming in the misty clouds, facing the glow of the setting sun, wrapped in golden red.

Tianyin Taoist Temple, Jialan Baodi.

There was less than half an hour left before the evening drum sounded.

In front of the temple gate, believers and pilgrims who came to worship Buddha left one after another, and a few novice monks, under the guidance of the great monk, were sweeping the floor intensively.

Because dinner time is almost here.

There was a young monk who might be lazy and had not been working properly since just now.

He was leaning on a broom, twisting his waist and shaking his buttocks, with his left hand tucked into his sleeve and his face flushed.

In fact, he was holding a scorpion in his left hand, which he had just swept out from the crevice in the rock.

He was afraid that it would be trampled to death by pilgrims, and also worried that if he rashly released it, his teachers would mistake it for a lazy donkey, so he held it in his hands, thinking that he would release it secretly after finishing this work.

What a simple-minded little monk!

He didn't even think about the fact that the insect had a hook on its tail, and just dared to hold it in his hand.

As expected, he suffered. It felt like he was holding a ball of red-hot charcoal in his palm, which stung him and made him grimace.

Suddenly, he couldn't stand it anymore and threw away the broom, jumping up and down and shouting:

"It stung me to death!"

This caused all the fellow disciples around him to look at him sideways.

"Huikong, why don't you work hard instead of making loud noises and being unbecoming?"

A middle-aged monk scolded.

The young monk was extremely embarrassed and bowed his head to beg for mercy:

"Uncle Fa-Master Fa Ming, I know I was wrong."

His raised left hand was still clenched tightly, but it was shaking constantly.

"I, I want to put down the grass..."

"Eh……"

Seeing how lazy he was, the great monk shook his head helplessly and waved his hand:
"Okay, go ahead."

The little monk quickly bowed and ran away like the wind.

He trotted all the way to the mountain gate, found a secluded rocky area, and placed the scorpion carefully into a crevice.

"When sweeping the floor, one should be careful not to hurt the lives of ants; when covering the lamp with gauze, one should be careful not to kill moths. How good... How good..."

The young monk felt accomplished and satisfied, as he felt that he had done a small good deed.

But when he raised his hand, he saw that the palm of his left hand was red and swollen from the sting, and there was a big bump.

The young monk had a bitter look on his face and was about to say something to comfort himself,
But suddenly I thought about how I was stung by it in order to save it, and how I was scolded by my teacher.

Is it worth it just to save a bug?
Suddenly, a surge of anger surged in the little monk's heart, and he showed his ferocious side. He turned around to find a sharp stone and smash the scorpion to death in the crack of the stone to vent his hatred!

at this time,

"Little master."

Someone called out from behind. The young monk was startled and turned around, just in time to meet a pair of bright and restrained eyes.

This is a man dressed in white. Although his facial features look young, his hair is gray at the temples.

Looking into his peaceful and gentle eyes, the young monk suddenly felt a chill in his heart, and he actually developed an inexplicable liking for this man.

"Amitabha."

He clasped his hands together,
"My dear donor, I apologize for being rude."

"Haha, you're too polite, young master."

The little monk continued:
"If you want to burn incense and worship Buddha, it is already past the time and the way down the mountain is long. You can stay at this temple, enjoy some vegetarian food, and then worship Buddha tomorrow."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master, but I am here for..."

--------

In the Mahavira Hall,
An old monk in yellow robes was holding a thorn stick and whipping a burly monk with his upper body naked on the back.

After a few whips, several bloody marks were left on the back.

The one being beaten neither cried out in pain nor begged for mercy.

He just kept his head down and recited "Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form, form is emptiness, emptiness is form". He kept repeating these words over and over again like a wheel.

At one side, a monk dressed in a moon-white robe, acting as the abbot, stood by.

Looking at the bloody back of the monk, his face was filled with grief that could not be hidden.

Directly in front of him is the abbot of Tianyin Temple, Master Puhong, wearing a colorful cassock.

"It is recorded in the Agama Sutra that the demon king Poxun tried his best to find an opportunity to disrupt the Buddha's practice..."

As the whipping sound continued, Puhong told a story from the Buddhist scriptures:

"One night, he saw the Buddha sitting upright in the meditation hall after finishing his walking meditation in the Vulture Peak Mountain in Rajgir. He then transformed into a python as big as a ship, and wrapped around the Buddha's Dharma body with lightning speed, emitting a deafening roar that was truly terrifying.

However, the Buddha knew that this was a disturbance from the devil, so he remained unmoved and said, "I am in meditation, and my state of mind is as peaceful and at ease as that of the Buddhas of the past. Even if there are demons disturbing me, from ferocious and violent venomous snakes and beasts to graceful and charming women, none of them can touch me in the slightest, let alone make my heart waver.
Even if the sky collapses, the earth shakes, and all living beings are terrified, I will not be a coward! Even if a poisonous arrow pierces my heart, I will not be frightened! '"

"When the demon king Mara heard what the Buddha said, he was overwhelmed by the Buddha's clear and pure heart. He was filled with sorrow and remorse. He felt ashamed of himself and immediately revealed his true form and fled back to heaven."

The whipping sound continued for a long time, and there seemed to be no good piece of meat on the man's back, until -

"Two hundred lashes have been awarded, the punishment is complete, Fashan, you may stand up now."

The kneeling man said:
"I have violated the precepts of chastity, and am willing to accept a heavier punishment. I also ask the master to have mercy on me and punish me more severely to atone for my sins."

"Ugh……"

Puhong closed his eyes and lamented:
"You want to find peace by destroying your body. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"

"But Master!"

Fashan raised his head, tears streaming down his face:
"My disciple was incompetent and could not control himself, which led to a serious mistake and ruined the thousand-year reputation of the temple. Shouldn't he be severely punished?"

Pu Hong shook his head:

"With your current level of Great Brahma Prajna, how could you not be able to control the lustful instincts of your flesh? The reason you broke the precepts is because of your mental illness."

"People are always curious or afraid of unknown things. This is instinctive. Our practice as a monk is a process of constantly overcoming our instincts."

"There are bound to be many temptations and fears on this road, but this is the only way to liberation. Before the Buddha passed away, he earnestly warned the great monks: Don't be superstitious about anyone or any idol on the road to seeking the truth. Even if the Buddha himself stands in front of you, you should think carefully and act firmly, without moving or wavering..."

Puhong stepped forward and stroked Fashan's cheek, with a look of pity on his face:

"Your path is no longer in Tianyin. Go down the mountain and live a good life for a few decades, ending this earthly relationship."

"Master!"

Fashan kowtowed heavily and cried incessantly:
"I don't want to go down the mountain no matter what! Master, please have mercy on me!"

"Silly disciple, it's the same whether you are a monk or a layperson. What's the point of you staying in the mountains?"

When these words were spoken, Fashan was speechless and could only cry deeply.

……

It is said that half a month ago, Fashan went down the mountain to visit a farmer's family and gave ordination to a child who had just recovered from a serious illness by touching his head.

It was a cloudy afternoon. He walked into the farmer's yard and saw smoke coming out of the side wing. The window was slightly open.

Out of curiosity, he took a quick glance and saw the farmer's daughter taking a bath. Just one glance made his heart beat wildly like a drum.

In the misty white smoke and curling steam, the girl sat in a wooden barrel, holding up a ladle to water her body.

Those white feet, pear-shaped breasts, and round legs...

The instinct that had been suppressed for many years was suddenly aroused, and desire was like a flame climbing up the weeds, burning abnormally and savagely, and it was difficult to stop.

Fortunately, decades of practice helped a lot. I recited scriptures in my mind and finally stopped my restlessness.

Fashan also treated the farmers' children until the evening.

Unexpectedly, it rained heavily that night, and the child had a relapse of high fever for unknown reasons.

So the farmer tried to persuade him again and again, begging him to stay overnight and leave after the rain stopped in the morning.

If we follow the old ways, we would definitely not agree to this.

But after that quick glance, Fashang somehow stayed.

That night, he tossed and turned on the couch, the erotic scene still lingering in his mind.

It was late at night, and just when he was about to go to sleep, a naked, warm body crawled into his bed...

After a night of rain,

The next day, Fashan hurried back to the temple and stayed indoors until he came out.

Just three days ago,
The woman suddenly came up the mountain to complain, accusing the monk Fashan from Tianyin Temple of having raped her and destroyed her innocence.

Now she is an unclean woman, laughed at by her fellow villagers and neighbors, and has no face to live as a human being.

If Tianyin Temple does not give her an explanation, she will kill herself by hitting her head against the wall in the main hall, in front of the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni.

Fashan felt like the sky was falling.

This even surprised the old monks.

Fashan is the direct disciple of Master Puhong, the abbot of Tianyin Temple. How could he not investigate this matter thoroughly?
Fortunately, Tianyin Temple has great influence in this area and the truth was quickly found out.

It was later discovered that the woman was coerced by a demon and deliberately seduced Fashan, which led to her committing this crime.

But in the final analysis, it was Fashan's fault that he failed to control his little brother in his crotch, which led to him being taken advantage of.

It has already happened, and the evildoer is still being investigated, but someone has to be held accountable for this matter.

According to the rules of Tianyin Temple, Fashan must be whipped and then expelled from the temple.

……

Now that Fashan’s flogging has been completed, someone will soon pack up his belongings and drive him down the mountain.

As for whether he would wander around after returning to secular life or marry that woman.

This is unknown.

This also meant that the decades-long relationship between Puhong and him as master and disciple was severed.

The old monk is old and inevitably sentimental.

"Fashan has been my disciple since he was young and has practiced with me for decades. He has ended up like this today because I didn't teach him well. I feel guilty..."

As Puhong spoke, he actually wiped away his tears.

The Dharma Master couldn't bear to see him like this, but he didn't know how to persuade him:
"Master! Junior brother...he was just confused for a moment. It's not your fault."

"You don't know..."

Pu Hong closed his eyes and sighed, then shook his head and said:

"After this incident happened, I used his telepathy to investigate him and found that after he made a huge mistake, he was afraid of the consequences and even for a moment...he actually wanted to kill someone to silence them!"

"What!?"

Fashang almost shouted out.

Puhong continued:
"Fortunately, he kept his conscience in the end. Otherwise... wouldn't I have raised a descendant of the demon king, Mara, in these decades?"

Fashang was deep in thought, his face full of sorrow and regret.

"My junior brother has always been kind and honest, and his devotion to Buddhism has always been more devout than mine. How could he end up like this..."

Puhong Road:
"The Buddha once predicted that 1,500 years after the Buddha's death, the descendants of the demon king Mara would enter the world and transform into ordinary people, specifically to seduce and corrupt monks who practice the Dharma, thereby tainting the Dharma and causing it to become extinct. This is called the 'extinction of the Dharma', also known as the 'end of the Dharma era'... Now that I think about it, isn't it right now?"

"In this turbid world, desires flow like a torrent of poisonous fire..."

The Dharma Image sighed with a complicated expression, and then said:
"It is said that true gold can only be revealed in the fierce fire, but those who can truly stand firm in the stormy waves are rare after all. I am stupid and I know that I am not such a golden person, and I don't know who else in the world can do this."

Puhong put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist name:

"Try to cultivate yourself."

Just as the master and disciple were feeling sad and confused, a young monk suddenly came in from outside the hall and greeted them both.

"Grandmaster, Master, a donor has come down the mountain, claiming to be an old friend of yours, and wants to meet you."

Pu Hong raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, what's your name?"

The young monk Huikong quickly handed over the list.

Puhong took it and looked at it, his expression suddenly changed.

…………

Out of courtesy, Xu Zhiqiu did not go up the mountain directly.

I waited quietly outside the temple gate for about a cup of tea, and suddenly I heard the crisp sound of wind chimes ringing on the mountain.

Then the temple door was blown open by the wind. Xu looked up and saw two rows of monks quickly lining up on the thousands of stone steps.

Then several old monks in cassocks walked down the stairs in quick steps.

The one leading the group was the abbot Puhong, and beside him followed the young disciple Fashang.

On the other side are the three great monks Pu De, Pu Kong and Pu Fang.

It seems that all the senior leaders of Tianyin Temple are here.

"Master Xu!"

As soon as Puhong and others arrived at the temple gate, they all bowed to him with their palms folded.

"I have met the abbot and several other eminent monks."

Xu Zhiqiu returned the greeting with a bow, and seeing the monk Pufang, Shanze came out and greeted him:
"Master Pufang, I haven't seen you for many years. How are you?"

"Amitabha, thank you for your concern, Master Xu. I am doing fine."

Pu Hong showed some dissatisfaction:

"Why didn't Master Xu inform me in advance? That way I could prepare myself and welcome you with the courtesy of pouring clean water on the ground and sweeping the bed."

Puhong naturally treated him as an extremely distinguished guest.

But Xu Zhiqiu waved his hand and laughed:
"The reason why I came here without prior notice is that I am afraid of disturbing your temple too much. Besides, I have resigned from the position of headmaster, so you can still call me Master as before."

"Resign as the head?"

Puhong and several old monks looked at each other in surprise and confusion.

Why did the leader of Trinity, who had just saved the world and whose reputation and status were at their peak not long ago, suddenly abdicate?
Xu Zhiqiu continued:
"To be honest, I am not here just to pay a visit. In addition to paying respects to Master Puzhi who passed away long ago, I also have another favor to ask for."

Puhong nodded.
"You are so polite! Since you have made great contributions to the world, it would be a great honor for our humble temple to be able to help you. Please do not stay here and come in."

"Master's generosity." (End of this chapter)