pappabearbooks 159
159
Chapter 159: Dilapidated temple, repair problems
At four o'clock in the morning, the three members of the Lin family had already set off.
They were going to Gexian Mountain on foot.
Father Lin had to stay at home alone due to inconvenience in his legs and feet.
The primary purpose of this prayer is to hope that Ge Xian will bless Lin's father and restore his health as soon as possible.
It is said that Ge Xian is a Buddhist deity who protects the landscape. In the early morning, it looks like clouds and smoke, and the fairy spirit is vivid on the paper.
There are occasional straw huts where mountain people live on the mountain. Most of the local mountain people make a living by raising bees and cutting rosin on the mountain.
The temperature in the mountains was very low, but it was already light and the trees were thick. Did mice and birds run by? Lin Wanjun was startled.
After seeing the mouse, Lin Wanjun refused to move forward no matter what, and followed Lin Ran behind.
Lin Ran held two bags in his hands and walked in front with a smile.
"Xiaoran, are you tired of carrying things? Why don't you give me a bag?" Mother Lin asked with some distress.
"No, I'm not tired."
In order to prevent them from working too hard, Lin Ran took the initiative to grab the bag and carry it.
Climbing a mountain is very hard work. As a man, he felt that it was right to help his sister and mother share the physical work.
The closer you get to the top of the mountain, the harder it is to walk on the mountain road. There are no paved roads now, and the soft rocks on the ground are the best hospitality given by the locals.
"Xiao Ran, are you here yet?" Lin Wanjun was already panting from exhaustion. She asked Lin Ran who was walking at the front.
Mother Lin told him that he could see it as long as he kept walking along the mountain road.
Lin Ran raised his head and was about to answer "Not yet", but as far as he could see, an ancient temple had already appeared.
But Lin Ran smiled, this ancient temple was too simple!
Continuing to walk forward, there is a low wooden door at the entrance of Gexian Temple, and many people are queuing at the door.
They have to wash their hands in the nearby mountain spring before being allowed in, so they are queuing now.
Lin Ran and the three of them were lining up and adjusting their breathing.
Lin Ran couldn't help but marvel at his mother's physical condition, which allowed her to climb a mountain for so long without taking a breath.
Both he and Lin Wanjun were tired.
While waiting to enter the ancient temple, Lin Ran began to look at the ancient buildings in front of him.
The temple is very simple. The outer walls of the temple are made of wooden boards and there is a low door leading to the inside.
Inside is a simple temple, which looks strange because it is neither classical nor novel. It looks like it is built on scaffolding.
Lin Ran immediately figured it out. This was obviously a transitional building!
The old temple was in disrepair due to the earthquake, and the new temple had not yet been built, so this was built as a temporary building.
After the hand-washing ceremony, Lin Ran and the others entered the main hall.
In the middle, there is a statue of Buddha.
There is a round arch-shaped Buddhist niche on the wall. The middle part of the top of the niche is a horizontal rectangular flat top, painted with round patterns and flat chess patterns.
The back screen decoration includes Buddha backlight, headlight and canopy of Bodhi tree on top.
The decoration complements the Buddha statue, with a phoenix wrapped around his head, sitting on a grass pattern, and birds hovering around it.
Looks incredibly gorgeous!
Lin Ran was amazed. This ingenious craftsmanship looked very much like the curly grass pattern of the late Tang Dynasty!
However, he was not sure whether it was an original sculpture from the Tang Dynasty because it was too far away to be played with.
After all, the destruction of Buddhist statues some time ago had a wide-reaching impact, and many cultural treasures were washed away by the torrent of time.
After arriving at the main hall, Mother Lin and Lin Wanjun lit incense and worshiped in front of the Buddha statue.
A monk was chanting sutras and praying. He couldn't understand what he was saying, but Lin Ran watched with interest.
"Xiaoran, come, come and worship God." Seeing that he was unmoved, Mother Lin lit a stick of incense and called him to kneel down in front of the Buddha.
Lin Ran responded expressionlessly, then knelt down on the futon and bowed three times.
Afterwards, Lin's mother and Lin Wanjun chanted sutras along with the monks. Lin Ran didn't know what he was reciting, so he naturally didn't get involved.
In Gexian Temple, in addition to the monks who lead the bullying, there are also monks who are responsible for management.
Lin Ran saw a monk looking at the merit box with a frown on his face.
He walked over and threw in a one-dollar bill.
The monk immediately smiled broadly, looked at Lin Ran and bowed, "Thank you so much, donor."
Seeing that he seemed to have nothing to do, he was looking at the merit box and worrying.
Lin Ran stepped forward and asked, "Master, what's going on with your temple? It looks like it's being repaired?"
The monk replied: "It's good. This temple does have plans to repair it, but the funds and capabilities are limited. At present, it can only go so far."
Lin Ran said: "I see, but your temple is very popular, so it shouldn't be difficult to repair it."
"Donor, money is not the only difficulty." The monk smiled. "We put up a shelf outside the temple because the outer wall fell off to prevent tourists from being injured."
It turns out that what looked like scaffolding was built by the monks themselves.
"It's a good idea, but if it's just too arrogant and unsightly, it will also affect the image of the temple, right?" Lin Ran asked.
"Hey." The monk sighed: "We also want to repair it, but the paint and materials used for the exterior walls are no longer available in the market. I'm afraid we can only tear it down and rebuild it, but the abbot will definitely not agree."
It makes a monk with six pure senses sigh, it seems that he is really in trouble.
Gexian Temple had another meaning in Lin Ran's heart. He remembered that the repair work was completed in his previous life, which meant that there must be a way to restore it as before.
Lin Ran wanted to ask about the situation again, but the monk had already been called away by his fellow disciples.
Lin Ran shrugged and returned to Mother Lin and others.
The temple has already started the second round of prayer ceremony. Several monks are knocking on wooden fish and meditating. People in the temple are all standing there with their hands clasped together and praying.
The monks recited the "Prayer Sutra", but it should have been compiled by them themselves. Lin Ran had never seen it on the tree before.
After a while, the monk came to Mrs. Lin and asked, "Donor, are you here to pray as a family?"
"Yes, Master Lao." Mother Lin quickly replied, and then pulled Lin Ran and Lin Wanjun to her side.
"Okay, three of you, please come with me." The monk led them to the Buddha statue.
Looking at the bronze statue of God Ge Xian, Mother Lin pulled Lin Ran and Wan Jun and knelt down together.
They chanted along with the monk's prayers.
"The Great God Ge Xian, the Great Merciful and Compassionate God, bless the villagers of Xialin Village, Lin Ran and Lin Wanjun, for a safe life. I am willing to support you for the rest of my life without regrets."
As she finished reciting the prayer, she kowtowed heavily.
The monk also rang the bronze bell at this time.
Boom...boom!
The melodious bells echoed in the temple and did not disperse for a long time.
After kneeling for about 5 minutes, they were allowed to stand up.
Lin Ran felt some pain in his knees and knelt down on the cement floor. It felt really bad.
The god in front of us is the mountain god. In the folklore of Xialin Village, he controls the mountain spirit, and all life on the mountain is under his control, whether plants or animals.
After Lin Ran got up, the monk handed the incense to them and guided them to burn the incense to complete the blessing ceremony.
"Thank you, Master!"
After saying this, Mother Lin took the two of them and clasped their hands together to thank them.
The person behind him had a solemn expression and inserted the incense into the incense burner with awe and piety!