pappabearbooks 161
161
Chapter 161: Being regarded as a thief?Dharma is different from Buddhism!
As the monk said, the beams inside the temple have collapsed, and the entire house is in danger of collapsing at any time.
No wonder we are not allowed to visit for the time being.
Walking inside the ancient temple, a sense of history hits your face!
The beams are made of cedar wood and are prepared to be insect-proof. As the country can independently produce steel, it has become difficult to see houses with wooden structures.
It is obvious that this ancient temple must have been built before the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Lin Ran was shocked when he looked at the paintings on the wall.
He had only seen the mural in front of him in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang!
If you guessed correctly, this is the Feitian mural that flourished in the Tang Dynasty!
It is rumored that Feitian came from ancient India, and the paintings Feitian painted are two of the "Eight Dragons" that accompanied the Buddha.
The God of Xiangyin lives in the stamens of flowers and is responsible for keeping the flowers in front of the Buddha undefeated and the lamps never extinguished.
The God of Tiange is responsible for stroking strings and singing, bringing joy to all Buddhist disciples.
Lin Ran initially judged that this was a Feitian mural from the early Tang Dynasty.
The mural shows the Buddha preaching the Dharma, the God Xiangyin accompanying the Buddha, chanting sutras and praising the Buddha, and the goddess scattering flowers.
It is both peaceful and tranquil, with a solemn atmosphere of morning bells and evening drums.
In the early Tang Dynasty, when Buddhism was at its most popular, Feitian murals showed the temperament of the heavenly dynasty and all nations paying tribute.
Then, the old monk followed him in.
The old monk said: "Donor, outsiders are not allowed to come in here. If you are finished reading, please leave immediately."
Lin Ran was a little reluctant to part with it. After seeing the Feitian mural in the early Tang Dynasty, he was even more certain that there were a lot of treasures in it!
Just when Lin Ran was trying to find an excuse to stay and continue exploring, an angry voice came from the door of the ancient temple.
"Who is it! Who allowed you to enter the temple!"
"You are blasphemous!"
Looking back, I saw a middle-aged monk at the door, with angry eyes and a strong figure.
The old monk hurriedly said: "Junior Brother Zhi Neng, it was I who invited Donor Lin to visit, and please be accommodating."
"Senior Brother Zhikong, I think you are confused!"
"There are many ancient relics in the inner courtyard. If it gives thieves an opportunity to take advantage of it or has evil thoughts, how should you apologize to the Bodhisattva!"
The middle-aged monk ignored the old monk's request and instead summoned his fellow disciples.
"Catch him and take him to the host!"
"Yes, Uncle Master!" The four monks couldn't help but said, escorting Lin Ran to the main hall.
Lin Ran was a little helpless: "Don't hold me down, I can just go on my own."
Being escorted by them felt like he had done something wrong, but Lin Ran had a clear conscience and was naturally unwilling to accept such grievances.
Seeing that he was quite honest, the four monks did not use violence, but stood around him to prevent him from escaping.
Lin Ran sighed, he was indeed a little abrupt.
Because now is the peak period for stealing cultural relics, and it is estimated that many temples have been stolen, and they hate thieves.
Thinking that they stole the treasure of the temple.
Even if he could stand nearby with a pole, he wouldn't mind breaking Lin Ran's legs as long as he made a move to escape.
Lin Ran was not afraid of being regarded as a thief, but he was worried that his sister and mother would be frightened, so he needed to end the problem quickly.
……
When we arrived at the main hall, the abbot was sitting on a futon, chanting sutras and meditating. A group of monks gathered around him, chanting something along with him.
As Zhi Neng led people in, he stopped what he was doing and asked, "Zhi Neng, what's the matter?"
I saw Zhi Neng saying angrily: "Recently, a group of thieves have poured into the temple and stolen many of our treasures. Now I have caught them."
Lin Ran cupped his hands and said, "Abbott, I'm just interested in the monuments and temples of the Tang Dynasty. I have no intention of stealing anything."
The abbot looked at Lin Ran and asked curiously: "Donor, how do you know that the temple was handed down from the Tang Dynasty?"
After rounds of suppression, he is now the only elder in the temple.
Only he heard from his master that their temple was built a thousand and two hundred years ago. The exact year is unknown, but it can be determined that it was built in the early Tang Dynasty.
Lin Ran said: "I saw Feitian murals in the ancient temple, which are exactly the style of the early Tang Dynasty."
The abbot was thoughtful, pointed to the futon in front of him, and motioned for Lin Ran to sit down.
"The donor came to the temple not for spiritual practice or to obtain Buddhist scriptures. What do you mean?"
If he hadn't dealt with monks from Wutai Mountain, Shaolin Temple and other places, Lin Ran might have been confused by the question.
But it was obvious that the other party was asking questions on the surface, but actually wanted to have a discussion with him.
Lin Ran sat upright on the futon and said: "You can practice it, but you can practice it very much. The so-called true sutra is just the ultimate method to achieve the Nirvana of Silence. It can be understood but not practiced!"
Lin Ran cleverly integrated Taoist and Buddhist views on seeking the Tao.
Simply talking about Buddhist scriptures, how could he be the opponent of the abbot in front of him?
Others were four times his age and had already seen a lot.
But I have a vision that is decades ahead of the times, which is certainly true!
The abbot stroked his beard and seemed somewhat satisfied, and then asked: "The donor said there is no true scripture in the world, so why do we need to practice Buddhism?"
"What the abbot said is wrong." Lin Ran clasped his hands and said, "The true scriptures are not illusory existences. The process of exploring the true scriptures often lies in thinking and understanding. Draw inferences from one example and combine them with practical progress. You must not follow the pictures and stick to dogma. As the saying goes, knowing It’s true, but we also need to know why.”
The abbot then asked: "If you don't want to become a Buddha, why is it called Buddhism?"
Lin Ran replied: "Buddhists call perfect mind-nature Buddha, and divide the realm into realms. Perfection is the end point of practice. It saves people by leading them to good deeds. This is the perfect combination of Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism, and only both are connected. , can you become a Buddha!"
The abbot had some thoughts after hearing this.
He smiled and said: "Although the donor's research on Buddhism is not as good as that of Lao Na, I can see that the donor combines dialectical thinking, which is really admirable."
Lin Ran said: "Indeed, younger generations believe that Buddhism should include Dharma, but Dharma is different from Buddhism."
"What's the explanation?" The abbot became interested. This was the first time he heard such an explanation.
People around him thought that Lin Ran was disrespectful to Buddhism, so they did not expel him from the main hall because of the abbot's face.
Lin Ran said: "Buddhism has the cultural characteristics of fatalism and greed, but it has declined and been obscured by the secular world. If Buddhism can break through its own obstacles with Buddhist teachings, it will no longer stick to personal Buddhahood, but can integrate into the secular world and explain productivity and civilization. Relationship."
After a pause, Lin Ran said: "Buddhist thought should go far beyond Buddhism. Buddhism should become a wisdom and discipline that benefits people's livelihood. It is a popular religion that saves all living beings and truly realizes the Mahayana Dharma of enlightenment for all living beings."
After Lin Ran finished speaking, the abbot was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.
"What the donor said is absolutely true!" Then he stood up and said to Zhanneng: "Zhenneng, this donor is proficient in Buddhism. Although he is not a member of my Buddhism, there is no problem in going to the temple."
Even though he bowed his head, he still wanted to argue, but considering that the other party was the abbot, he nodded and agreed.
When he came to Lin Ran, he lowered his head and apologized: "Donor, I have offended you so much just now, please forgive me."
"Good!" Lin Ran greeted with a smile, but he didn't take it to heart.
Afterwards, the abbot said to them: "Ji Neng, please take the people and leave first. I still have something to discuss with the donor!"