The only thing that made Fangzheng rejoice was that after bathing the Buddha, everyone's mental state had a subtle change. When they entered the temple, they were filled with reverence. No one threw anything, and the temple remained clean.
After he was done, he filled a vat of water. The day passed just like that. As he watched the setting sun and finished the last of the Laba Congee, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Fangzheng came to the temple hall in satisfaction and silently said, "System, receive the Merit Box!"
Buzz!
A yellow beam flashed, and in the temple hall, a red Merit Box appeared in front of the mat. On it were the words "Merit."
The Merit Box looked like it was made of wood, but it felt a little cold to the touch. However, it was not cold. It had a very nice feel to it. There was a tiny opening on it that made it easy to insert incense money.
"I finally have a Merit Box. I don't need to search the house for money anymore. Oh, I nearly forgot about the important matter! There should be quite a bit of incense money today! " Fangzheng hurriedly searched the house. Indeed, there was a stack of money on the offering table. It was rather random. There were one yuan, fifty cents, ten yuan, and a few hundred-yuan bills! However, the most eye-catching thing was the stack of money!
Fangzheng counted it. There were more than two thousand yuan! There was also change inside. From the looks of it, the person had placed all the money in his wallet there.
Fangzheng rubbed his nose. He guessed that the only person who could do such a thing was Tan Ming.
"Indeed, good people are rewarded. Yes, This Penniless Monk is still considered a good person. Amitabha." After Fangzheng gave a Buddhist proclamation, he walked out of the temple hall. He waved his hand and beckoned to Squirrel and Lone Wolf. "Let's go and have some fun!"
Meanwhile, in Hongyan Village, which was not too far from One Finger Village, there was a tiny mountain behind the village. It was not very tall, and it was surrounded by water. The scenery was beautiful, and there was a tarred road that snaked all the way to the mountaintop. On the mountaintop was a temple named Hongyan Monastery.
"How is this possible? How is this possible? Someone from my Hongyan Monastery was actually snatched away by a tiny temple? Chen Jin, let me tell you. Whether or not I can clinch the position of abbot depends on this. You have screwed up this matter. Forget it. There's nothing else to say. Our friendship is over! "A bald monk roared before hanging up.
At that moment, a middle-aged monk walked over. "Amitabha. Junior Brother Wu Ming, the abbot has summoned everyone."
"Yes, Senior Brother. This Penniless Monk will head over now." The indignant look on Wu Ming's face immediately vanished. He said with a friendly expression.
"Senior Brother, do you know why the abbot summoned us?" Wu Ming asked on the way.
Wu Xin sighed and said, "Although Hongyan Monastery can't be compared to those large monasteries in the past Dharma Assembly of Bathing Buddha in the past, there were still more than a thousand people coming and going. This year, there was a sudden decrease. The incense offerings are not as good as before. The abbot will definitely ask about it."
When Wu Ming heard this, his expression sank. He was the one who had volunteered for the Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha. He had single-handedly organized it but it ended up like this. He felt his heart skip a beat! I'm afraid it's going to be terrible …
After passing through the halls and rooms, they arrived at a spacious area. At that moment, there were already more than twenty monks sitting on the ground. An old monk in a red kasaya sat in front of them. He held prayer beads in his hands as though he was meditating.
Wu Ming and Wu Xin were done. After a while, the old monk opened his eyes.
At that moment, a monk stood up and said, "Abbot, the number of devotees for this year's Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha has decreased greatly. The incense offerings are not as good as in previous years. I wonder why."
"In the past, this matter was organized by Senior Brother Wu Xin. This year, Wu Ming was trying to show off and insisted on organizing it. In the end, it ended up like this," said another monk with a sneer.
Wu Ming's face sank. It was so gloomy that it looked like it was about to drip water.
However, Wu Ming was unwilling to be left in such a passive position. Hence, he stood up and said, "Abbot, this matter is This Penniless Monk's fault. However, this Penniless Monk is not entirely to blame. One Finger Temple that should have been disbanded this year suddenly came back to life for some unknown reason. A young monk inherited Zen Master One Finger's mantle and managed One Finger Temple. That young monk is a villager from One Finger Village. He grew up there from a young age. This year, there will be a Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha. The villagers are his elders and family, so they naturally came to support him. Furthermore, it was organized by the village …
Our Hongyan Monastery's devotees are mainly from Hongyan Village, One Finger Village, and Hongying Village. With a village gone, there will definitely be fewer people. "
"That's not a reason. We all know the situation One Finger Temple is in. When Zen Master One Finger was around, it could still be considered a temple, but it was in ruins. How can it support a Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha? Just the Laba Congee alone is not something they can afford, right? "someone said.
Wu Ming was puzzled as well. How could such a poor monastery afford a Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha? Back when he was handling the matter, he had thought of One Finger Temple. However, it was a small monastery that was in ruins and extremely poor. He would rather die than believe that there would be any problems with One Finger Temple. In the end, there really was a problem … It was too late for regrets!
"Amitabha." At that moment, the old monk suddenly gave a Buddhist proclamation. Everyone fell silent.
Zen Master Hongyan looked at Wu Ming and said, "One Finger Temple has a successor?"
Wu Ming did not understand what Zen Master Hongyan meant. He nodded and said, "Yes, it's a young monk named Fangzheng."
"Amitabha. Very good indeed. Zen Master One Finger's Buddhist Dharma is profound. He cultivates his mind and not his body. Now that he has a successor, it's a joyous matter. Why do all of you look so bitter? Fangzheng … Back when this little guy came to Hongyan Monastery, This Penniless Monk had met him. He was a clever little guy. "
The crowd never expected Zen Master Hongyan to not be angry. Instead, he smiled. All of them exchanged looks. Was the reduction in incense offerings a good thing?
At that moment, Wu Xin asked, "Abbot, so you had the chance to meet Fangzheng once. It can be considered fate."
Zen Master Hongyan nodded and said with a smile, "Back when This Penniless Monk observed Fangzheng, the child's eyes were wild and untamed like a mischievous monkey. Therefore This Penniless Monk said to Zen Master One Finger," Fangzheng is not suitable to be a monk. He has no fate with Buddhism. "In the end, Zen Master One Finger said that he was fated with Buddhism.
Now, from the looks of it, This Penniless Monk was wrong. This little guy actually managed to prop up One Finger Temple. It's quite commendable. "
"Abbot, but he snatched away our believers and incense offerings," said Wu Ming.
Zen Master Hongyan shook his head and said, "Incense offerings are meant for Buddha. Isn't it the same everywhere? The Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha is meant to cleanse one's soul, not to make anyone proud. What's the difference between One Finger Village's villagers going to One Finger Temple or Hongyan Monastery to bathe Buddha? Wu Ming, your competitive nature is too strong. In the future, you must remember not to have such foolish thoughts. "
With that said, Zen Master Hongyan stood up and said, "Let's leave this matter at that. I gathered all of you here today to discuss the gathering that will take place after the new year."
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