When Fangzheng saw this, he frowned slightly. Then, as though he had thought of something, he relaxed his brows.
Salted Fish and Red Boy frowned when they saw the huge stone incense cauldron.
Salted Fish mumbled. "Reverend, are you sure this is an incense cauldron and not a donkey trough?"
Fangzheng gave him a knock on the head and glared at him. "Is your donkey trough that beautiful?"
Fangzheng wasn't bragging. Although the incense cauldron looked simple and unadorned, if one looked carefully, they could tell that it was ingenious. The natural patterns on it vaguely outlined the Mahavira Hall and the scene of Gautama Buddha being worshipped by all Buddhas! From another angle, the scene of a lotus flower blooming and a koi spitting out auspicious words was truly a rare treasure! The only pity was that it was made of stone … However, when Fangzheng carefully observed it, he was surprised to discover that it wasn't made of stone! Instead, it was a special porcelain product made of clay and burning paper! However, its appearance was no different from stone! This also meant that the painting on it wasn't natural, but someone had burned it with amazing craftsmanship!
That was impressive. Fangzheng had never heard of anyone being able to do that!
Salted Fish didn't feel any pain from the knock on his head. Instead, he continued in his undying manner. "I'm being serious. Although the incense cauldrons I saw on Mount Numinous were also made of stone, they were basically round! I've really never seen one like this … Master, were you cheated by someone to use a donkey trough as a scapegoat? "
Red Boy added. "Master, I've never seen such an incense cauldron either. This incense cauldron is clearly square, but it only has three legs. It looks like a cauldron no matter how I look at it! "
Red Boy's words were rather vague, so Fangzheng couldn't flare up. Seeing the curious looks on their faces, he could only patiently explain. "That's something you don't understand. In ancient China, cauldrons were used to cook food and offer sacrifices. How can a cooking utensil not have a lid? Therefore, cauldrons typically have lids. Furthermore, cauldrons are typically made of bronze or metal. Metal easily conducts heat, so it's easy to cook food. "
Salted Fish mumbled. "I get it. The fellow who gave you the cauldron took a commission and took the lid! Or maybe he left it at home and didn't send it to you! Great Master, you can't tolerate this. How can you give someone something half as a gift? "
Fangzheng couldn't be bothered with him as he continued, "Take a look. What material is this incense cauldron made of?"
The group of animals came over. Lone Wolf, Squirrel, and Monkey had never seen much of the world, so they naturally couldn't tell what was going on. They called him Stone.
Red Boy, on the other hand, was different. He had grown up surrounded by all kinds of Dharma artifacts and treasures. His eyes were still vicious. After looking for a while, he shouted, "This is porcelain!"
Fangzheng nodded. "That's right. This is indeed porcelain."
"Master, what's wrong with porcelain? What's so special about that? "Squirrel really couldn't figure it out. Couldn't something used to burn incense be big enough? What was the point of using different materials?
Fangzheng shook his head and said, "Although Buddhism came from the West, after countless years of assimilation, people have long done as the Romans do. Many ideologies are deeply influenced by Chinese culture. They have abandoned things of the past and fused with Chinese culture. China pays particular attention to the fact that the sky is round and the earth is square. Therefore, the incense cauldrons are different depending on the offerings offered. "Just as Salted Fish said, there are more round incense cauldrons on Mount Numinous because Buddhas don't burn incense to gods, but to the heavens! "Mortals also use round incense cauldrons to worship the heavens. These incense cauldrons are mostly carved from stone or made from metal.
"As for square incense cauldrons, they are used to worship the earth, the mortal world, and all living beings to pray for their blessings. "Such incense cauldrons are mostly made from the earth's soil, which is also known as porcelain. "However, the principles behind this need to be clear. "Our porcelain incense cauldrons follow the principles of China.
"I often say that the Buddha we worship isn't the Buddha that flies in the sky or the Buddha that sits on a mountain, but the Buddha in the hearts of all living beings. It's the beginning of man after seeing his true nature, the source of goodness. "Therefore, the devotees who come to our monastery to worship Buddha, instead of saying that they are worshipping Buddha, it's better to say that they are seeing their true nature and worshipping themselves. "Therefore, it's quite suitable for us to use this square incense cauldron.
"As for the three legs of this cauldron, it's something commonly used by Buddhists. The three legs represent the three treasures of Buddhism. When placed, there's one at the front and two at the back. It's a very particular arrangement. "However, this is more commonly seen in round incense cauldrons. To be honest, I've never seen a square incense cauldron with three legs.
"Of course, there's no need to be so particular now. There's no need to be so meticulous. Metal, stone, and porcelain can be used freely. At the very least, many monasteries don't pay particular attention to this … "
With that said, Red Boy nodded. "Indeed, in the eyes of some people, this is just a form of feudal superstition. In this era of information explosion, it's only natural to do what's convenient. Anyway, it's fine as long as the meaning is conveyed."
Salted Fish shook his head when he heard that.
Squirrel looked adorable as he said in puzzlement, "Results from sincerity? I think there's nothing wrong with that, right?"
Upon hearing that, Fangzheng's eyes turned a little desolate. He shook his head slightly and said, "Results from sincerity. That's the attitude of worshipping Buddha. But this is different from that … "
With that said, Fangzheng shook his head and walked to the backyard. His figure looked a little desolate.
Squirrel immediately followed and asked, "Master, why don't you explain?"
Fangzheng waved his hand and said, "The heritage of culture is embodied in rituals. When the rituals are simplified or even omitted, what's left is just empty words that can't be seen. Eventually, they will be blown away by the wind in the river of history, never to be found again. "These details might not seem like much, but they embody China's culture. When all of this is gone, culture is gone.
"It's just like how people often say that the Chinese New Year no longer has a festive atmosphere. Is that really the case? "It's your New Year that has been diluted. All the rituals have been simplified and eliminated. All that's left is a new year's dinner. "In this era of ample food and clothing, what can be eaten during the new year's dinner can be eaten during normal times? "When the new year's dinner loses its allure, what's left of the New Year?
"In the past, the New Year was decorated with lanterns and colored banners. Firecrackers were set off at the right time. People would hang or stick them inside and outside the house. When people met each other, they would turn on the lights and stay up all night. They would set off firecrackers in the middle of the night, and the whole family would eat dumplings. The children would kowtow to their parents to thank them for their kindness, and their parents would give them red packets. It was a joyous and harmonious life. But now, it had become a situation where everyone had a cell phone. No one watched the Spring Festival Gala. The dumplings were finished early, and they couldn't be bothered to set off the firecrackers. They slept early. Just like that, the New Year passed unknowingly.
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