I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 77 Past Events

Dao Ni then lit three more incense sticks and offered them before the Buddha, then sat on the worn cushion and began his evening prayers.

Li Ming used his eyes to observe and secretly opened his spiritual eyes. Sure enough, there was a five-colored knot on the forehead of this person, and his whole body was filled with three parts of faint Buddha light in his spiritual eyes. This was a manifestation of extremely high Buddhist practice.

Dao Nu's chanting of scriptures also had a certain charm. At this moment, outside the wilderness, there was a big house with a dilapidated Buddha statue and an old monk chanting scriptures.

This scene was really full of Zen. Li Ming was stunned for a moment and unconsciously recited a few sentences of scriptures from the main world.

At this time, Dao Nu frowned and asked, "I wonder what sutra you are reciting?"

Li Ming wanted to slap himself twice. He had been a Taoist priest for more than ten years, but he couldn't help himself when he heard others chanting Buddhist scriptures. It must be the "Arhat Magic Skill" that misled him. Damn it. He must change his practice when he finds a more powerful mental method. If he continues like this, his Buddha nature will become more and more profound.

The image of myself wearing a bright red cassock, with a long white beard and a bald head appeared in my mind again, causing a palpitation in my heart.

But his expression remained calm, he just smiled and said, "This is the true teaching of Zen Buddhism, the Heart Sutra. Seeing the old monk reciting the sutra, my heart was moved. It is my fault for disturbing the old monk's evening class."

Dao Nu said without hesitation: "I don't think I've heard of Zen Buddhism. Please help me solve my doubts."

Li Ming smiled and said, "I came across this scripture by chance. I know very little about Zen Buddhism, but this scripture is indeed profound, so I wrote it down."

Dao Nu then said, "Please forgive my rudeness. I hope you can recite it again to help me resolve the confusion in my heart."

Li Ming nodded and recited the Heart Sutra in its entirety.

"When Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva practiced the profound Prajnaparamita, he saw that the five aggregates were empty and was able to transcend all suffering."

When I recite it again at this moment, I feel a surge of insights in my heart.

Dao Nu's expression changed several times after hearing this. He seemed puzzled and bewildered, but then turned to joy. After that, he said to himself: "To understand the mind and see the nature, to see the nature and become a Buddha, wonderful, wonderful!"

Chang Miaoze asked, "Brother, which chapter is this? Why don't I remember Master teaching this?"

"It's just a coincidence. Don't ask. Those who understand will understand. If you don't understand, it's useless to ask. Do you understand?" Li Ming rolled his eyes.

"So do I understand it or not?" Chang Miao tilted his head and thought for a while.

By this time, Dao Nu had figured it out. He simply bowed to Li Ming and said, "Thank you for teaching me the Dharma!"

Li Ming said quickly, "No, no, it's just a coincidence. This sutra is useless in my hands. Since the old master can obtain it, it means you have a connection with it. I am just passing it on to you today. Why thank me?" Dao Nu smiled again after hearing this and said, "My friend, you really have a deep Buddhist nature. It's a pity to be a Taoist priest."

Li Ming quickly laughed and said, "Old Master, please don't tease me. However, with your cultivation level, you are more than qualified to be the abbot of a temple. You can educate the people of the area, which is also a great merit."

Dao Nu did not respond immediately after hearing this, but seemed to be lost in his memories. After a long while, he said, "I know you have some doubts, but it doesn't matter if you talk about it now. I say I am saving others, but in fact I am saving myself!"

"When I was young, my family was not well off, so I worked hard and, perhaps through good luck, I built a large fortune. However, because I was so busy with business, I never married. Later, my parents became anxious and found a girl for me. I didn't have anyone I liked at the time, so I simply fulfilled my parents' wish. Anyway, with my parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, and after three letters and six ceremonies, I married Wanshan home in a sedan chair carried by eight people."

"Wanshan was gentle and kind, just like her name. We had a very happy life after marriage, and soon she had a child. But then my parents found out that she was no longer a virgin before she married me. I was too foolish and too stubborn at the time. Under pressure from my parents, I divorced Wanshan and kicked her out of the house."

"But it wasn't long before I regretted it. I realized I really loved Wanshan. I went to her house again, but there was only a body. The next day after I got home, she had committed suicide by jumping into a well. There were two bodies."

Although many years have passed, Dao Nu was still very sad when talking about this incident, and the Buddhist beads in his hand were spinning rapidly, which seemed to imply that the owner's heart was not at peace.

After a while, Dao Niu continued, "I was heartbroken, so I became a monk and a floor-sweeping monk at Pudu Temple. My life went on like this, but one day, I heard that a mother was planning to abort her child. I was heartbroken. It turned out that chanting Buddha's name couldn't resolve my inner anxiety and pain."

"I approached her and started a conversation. I learned she was a member of the red-light district. If she got pregnant, not only would she starve to death, not to mention the child, so she planned to abort the baby. She then confessed her sins before the Buddha. I tried my best to persuade her not to give up on this life. I also learned that there were many women like her in the red-light district, and I knew I couldn't just stand by and watch."

"From that day on, I often went to the red-light district to preach, hoping to persuade them to keep their lives. Finally, someone was convinced by me, and the child was given to me to raise. After one, there were two. I raised more and more children, and later on..."

Dao Nu smiled, and there seemed to be a hint of helplessness in his laughter.

"But even the abbot couldn't stand the rumors, so I was expelled from the monkhood and driven out of the temple. So I built this Wanshan Temple and raised those children here. Some parents simply couldn't afford it at the time, and later they took their children back. That's what I most want to see, but unfortunately not every child is so lucky."

"Of course, compared to those children who don't even have the right to see this world, they are also lucky. For me, saving just one child is the greatest achievement, and the joy in my heart is beyond measure."

Having said that, Dao Niu's face was filled with smile again.

After hearing Dao Nu's story, Li Ming and Chang Miao could not help but stand in awe and praised him, "The old master has done immeasurable good deeds."

Dao Nu just smiled, but in Li Ming's eyes, the Buddha's light on him became three points more complete.

After talking about Buddhism and Taoism for a few more sentences, Dao Niu cleared out a room for the two of them to rest, and he himself made a bed on the floor in the lobby. Although Li Ming tried to dissuade him again and again, Dao Niu said that it was unreasonable to let guests sleep in the lobby. Seeing that Dao Niu was so persistent, Li Ming had no choice but to agree with him.

(End of this chapter)