County Town Chapter 33 Temple Debate

  Guiyuan Temple is a famous temple in the provincial capital, built by two Jiangsu and Zhejiang laymen Bai Guang and Zhu Feng. The name of the temple "Guiyuan" comes from the sentence "Guiyuan Xing Bu Er, Fangbian You Duo Men" in the Lengjia Jing, meaning that all phenomena return to one, and the methods of convenience are different. The temple is divided into five courtyards: east, west, south, north, and central. There are 28 existing halls and pavilions, with a rich collection of scriptures inside, and the incense is very prosperous.

  Most temple plaques are horizontal and suspended on the lintel of the three gates of the temple, while Guiyuan Temple is a vertical plaque, which is rare in the country and can be called a wonder of the pagoda forest. Before the Qing Daoguang period, the name of Guiyuan Temple was generally written horizontally like other temples. At some point, Emperor Daoguang heard that Bai Guang, the master of Zhushan, had accumulated good deeds and virtues, and personally bestowed a jade seal with the inscription "Imperial Gift to the 31st Generation Ancestor Master Bai Guang of the Caodong Sect" in relief on the seal. After this, the status of Guiyuan Temple was greatly elevated among the tens of thousands of temples, and the temple name was changed to vertical writing, which can only be used by buildings with imperial jade seals.

  Yi Tianxing followed Xiao to the temple gate, took a glance at the large horizontal inscribed board above the temple entrance, with three big golden characters on a red background: "Guiyuan Temple". He looked at the tourists swarming in front of him and furrowed his brow, thinking that this temple was built during the Qing Shunzhi era and was located in a densely populated area. It really didn't have any spiritual energy. If there were truly extraordinary people, how could they settle here? After a moment's consideration, he still stepped forward and entered.

  The Buddha statues in the temple are majestic, with intricate wood carvings and stone sculptures standing tall amidst the dense aroma of sandalwood. Xiao thought that this fake young master was just here to sightsee, so he made a big show of his tour guide skills, but Yitian smiled and listened for a while before sending him away. He then wandered around the temple alone, taking advantage of the tourists' distraction to head towards the more secluded areas.

  Yitian's body possessed extraordinary abilities, and he had read many Buddhist scriptures. Recently, he had also learned the method of sitting in meditation to control fire from the Three Flavors Sutra. As a result, he naturally felt a deep affinity for Chan temples. At this moment, he smelled the fragrance of sandalwood wafting around him and heard the whispers of chanting voices beside his ears. Unconsciously, his body and mind became relaxed, and he wanted to sit down on the spot and form a lotus platform to meditate quietly for a while.

  He somehow slowly walked out of the main hall and came to the backyard.

  He walked to the back garden and found that the previously small-looking Huiyuan Temple had five courtyards scattered in a well-proportioned manner, with red walls and yellow glazed tiles. It made the viewer feel that this entire temple was like a red robe with golden threads running through it, a majestic and unstoppable force that seemed to give life to the robe itself.

  Yitian Xing saw this wonderful place and couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

  A white-robed monk emerged from a small wooden door at the corner of the temple, and bowed to him. Yi Tianxing hastily returned the courtesy, looking at the monk's advanced age, his eyebrows slightly disheveled, but his eyes were clear and bright, giving off an air of a wise and accomplished person. Yi Tianxing's mind stirred slightly as he thought to himself: Could it be that the matter of searching for the ancient old man with the unforgettable voice has fallen on this suddenly appearing monk?

  The monk then said with a smile: "Donor, you have come to an improper place."

  "Where should I not go?"

  The monk's face was calm, but he had an air of superiority, and said leisurely: "The Buddhist door is quiet, how can it be disturbed by a secular son."

  Yi Tianxing saw that he spoke bluntly and couldn't help but take an interest, smiling slightly in response: "Since the convenient door is wide open, where isn't a place to pass through life?"

  The name of the temple, Yuan Temple, is derived from the Lengyan Jing. It's easy to get annoyed with others for no reason, so I'll return this sentence to you. The first sentence uses the two characters "Yuan" and "Ben" from the temple name, which implies "the nature of returning to the origin is not two, and there are many doors of convenience". The second sentence is a historical anecdote in Zen Buddhism. On that day, the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma, gave the Lengyan Jing to Huike and said: "I observe the land of Han, only this sutra, benevolent people rely on it, and attain liberation from the world". This sentence is a veiled criticism of monks being unreasonable. Since the temple name clearly indicates that one should open the doors of convenience widely, relying on the Lengyan Jing to save people and bring them to enlightenment, why must one refuse others at the door?

  The monk concentrated for a moment, then suddenly understood the meaning of this sentence. It seemed that he had not expected this young man to have such an understanding of Buddhist scriptures, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. He smiled slightly and bowed again, saying: "Donor is originally a Buddhist, I was mistaken."

  Yitian Xing also reorganized something.

  However... The monk smiled and said: "The Jingde Chuandeng Lu was compiled by Daoyuan of the Song Dynasty, and its account of the true and false Buddha's virtues is still debated among Buddhists today. Whether the Lankavatara Sutra was brought from the West by Bodhidharma or not is another story."

  Yi Tianxing knew that this monk was stronger than himself, and secretly sneered in his heart. He thought to himself, "How can such a competitive monk comprehend the mind of Zen?" Not even reaching his own level, how could he be the high-ranking person he sought? Thinking thus, he asked aloud, "Master, your kasaya is quite simple."

  The monk lowered his eyebrows and said calmly: "External things disturb the mind, one should hold a pure and calm view."

  Yi Tianxing had always looked down on those who pretended to be something they're not. In high school, he was surrounded by people who couldn't keep up with him, and it was rare to meet someone from the Buddhist community. He thought this person would be a truly wise and intelligent individual, but instead, they were just as pretentious. Yi Tianxing looked down on them even more and snorted in disdain: "The kasaya is divided into five robes, seven robes, and great robes, which are also known as the Antadu, Uddara, and Sangha robes. What kind of robe do you have on? It looks like a sandy beach robe, what category does it belong to?" He continued, "In the Vinaya Sutra, Chapter 8, it says: 'When the color of the bhikkhus' robes has faded, the Buddha allows them to use ten kinds of colors for dyeing: first is mud, second is the bark of the Tapo tree, third is the bark of the Pada tree, fourth is non-grass...'". As he spoke, his eyes grew more contemptuous and his speech faster, while the monk became increasingly shocked.

  "...There are also three bad colors, five bad colors, called cyan and black mixed together, taking the wrong color is called bad color. This body of yours is pure white, which kind of bad color does it count as? Not matching style or color, empty grasping at skin beauty, forgetting the law, confused." Yi Tianxing didn't give this monk any face, a string of words spat out, at this time his voice gradually grew louder, drawing out a group of monks who were quietly meditating in the back garden of Guiyuan Temple.

  Those monks saw a student-like person arguing with Ye Shang, a famous and talented monk in the temple, seemingly having the upper hand, and couldn't help but be surprised.

  That monk named Ye Xiang was scolded by Yi Tianxing, his face alternately pale and red, forcing a smile to argue: "The donor is obsessed with the style of clothing, that's really what it means to be dressed."

  Yi Tianxing hummed softly in his nose and said, "I dare to ask, what is the 40th verse of the fourth chapter of the Four Divisions of Vinaya?" Without waiting for Ye Xiang's answer, he said in a clear voice, "When the Buddha's disciple Shariputra entered the layperson's house, he was deeply afraid that the wind would blow his kasaya off his shoulders and fall to the ground. In my humble abode, I recited scriptures and annotated this passage as referring to a commoner's home, and I have always thought so. Today, seeing the great monk, I realized that this layperson's house is actually a hall in a large temple. I admire, I admire."

  After two voices of admiration and laughter, he had floated away to the gate of the Temple of Return to the Origin.

  "Please wait."

  A monk wearing a brown cassock stood sideways with his hands clasped together. The monks in the temple had seen this person before and all bowed: "Master."

  Yitian walked quietly with her eyes closed, thinking about something.

  The abbot of the Guiyuan Temple walked up to Ye Xiang, who was wearing a white robe, and sighed: "Disciple, today you were scolded by the donor, aren't you yet awakened?" Ye Xiang replied with shame: "Yes."

  Yi Tianxing smiled slightly and said: "I was wrong to be so presumptuous, young and arrogant, just trying to show off my eloquence, I hope the great master will forgive me."

  The host smiled and said, "Don't be polite, the donor's Buddhist scriptures are pure and familiar, and he is very strict with the law. Instead, I, an outsider, have some improper admiration for him. Please go to the side room to talk quietly."

  Yi Tian Xing wouldn't let go of this opportunity to delve deeper into the secrets of Guiyuan Temple, so he smiled slightly and followed the abbot to the back garden.

  The back garden of the Temple of Return has a small lake, and at this time, it suddenly started raining. The raindrops were like silk and smoke, with white mist spreading like fog, gradually sweeping across the lake surface. The entire back garden was empty and quiet, with a few new lotus leaves floating on the lake surface, separated by the water's surface, and the green trees on the opposite bank stood in rows, faintly visible in the rain.

  "Is the donor from Upper Three Days?" The host asked with a clear gaze at the water surface, seemingly unintentionally.

  Yi Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sudden surge of joy, but it was immediately followed by a pang of sadness... It wasn't until now that he finally believed the old man's words. The Upper Three Days really existed! There were indeed many beings in this world like himself, far superior to ordinary humans, and... he was not truly alone.

  Yitian Xing looked at the host, forcing himself to calm down and put on his most sincere smile. "It seems like you know a lot..." He completely forgot about asking about the voice, only wanting to figure out where his fellow traveler was.

  But as soon as he said this, the host who had been calm and composed until then let out a faint sigh.

  This sigh was like a fragment plucked from the wind, and also like a piece of lotus fragrance cut off from the surface of a lake.

  The next moment, Yi Tianxing felt a chill of unprecedented killing intent, along with this sigh, from the wind and lotus fragrance, it came to him without any gaps!