The young monk was slightly taken aback as he looked at Fangzheng's back. Following that, a smile suffused across his lips.
Fangzheng sat down. The rest had nothing to do with him. With Baiyun Monastery's abbot, Zen Master Baiyun, taking the stage and giving his opening speech, the grand Spring Welcoming Blessing Dharma Assembly officially began!
Scattering petals, sprinkling holy water, chanting scriptures …
By the time all of this was over, it was already noon. Following that, the monastery opened a meal and invited everyone …
Looking at the tables placed outside the temple, there was an endless stream of pilgrims coming and going to eat. The entrances of Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Arhat Hall were even more crowded! From afar, one could see a column of green smoke rising into the sky! The incense offerings were exuberant and the grandeur of the scene left Fangzheng speechless. He secretly made up his mind. "One Finger Monastery will definitely hold a Dharma Assembly of this scale in the future … No, it should be an even bigger Dharma Assembly!"
It was not until three o 'clock in the afternoon that the grand Spring Welcoming Blessing Dharma Assembly came to an end. The worshippers were tired and dispersed one after another.
At around four o 'clock, Baiyun Temple closed its doors. But all the monks stayed behind.
Fangzheng was still unsure of what was happening. He planned on asking about the situation, but he realized that the monks' eyes were flashing with excitement. Their seriousness was in no way inferior to the blessings Dharma Assembly from before.
"Could there be other programs?" Fangzheng mumbled inwardly.
At that moment, Zen Master Hongyan came to Fangzheng's side and sat cross-legged. He said with a smile, "Abbot Fangzheng, do you have any questions?"
Zen Master Hongyan came just in time. Fangzheng was filled with questions as he hurriedly asked, "Abbot Hongyan, from the looks of it, is there going to be an event? Also, why did Baiyun Temple close before dark? "
Zen Master Hongyan said with a smile, "The Spring Welcoming Blessing Dharma Assembly has been held for many years. Praying for blessings is one of them. At the same time, it is also a gathering for many monasteries to interact. After praying for the world, it's time for us to communicate with each other. That's why we closed the mountain gate. From the moment the mountain gate closed, there were only monks and no one else in the entire monastery. "
Fangzheng was enlightened. So that was the case. He asked out of curiosity, "Then how is this exchange held? Is it casual communication, or is there another way? "
Zen Master Hongyan said, "This is a debate on the Buddhist Dharma. Everyone will express their opinions and bring out their Buddhist Dharma insights to exchange. In this way, a hundred schools of thought would contend and a hundred flowers would bloom. After the collision of ideas, there would be many insights. This was also what Zen Master Baiyun wished to see. However … this also brought about some negative effects. Many monasteries believed that by presenting new insights at the exchange and suppressing everyone, it was a way to gain fame. It could raise the reputation of their own monastery. Therefore, the exchange in the past two years had changed. People began ranking the various monasteries. Furthermore, every year, the debates were not purely about the Dharma, but about ranking battles. Sigh … This was something Zen Master Baiyun did not expect. Now that it has become a habit, I can't stop it even if I want to. "
Fangzheng looked at Zen Master Hongyan in astonishment. He never expected that such a secular conflict would occur in a land outside of Buddhism. However, Fangzheng wasn't disgusted by it. Humans would fight wherever there were people. Getting people to give up on fighting was just like war. Everyone knew that war wasn't a good thing, but it had to be admitted that war was a propeller for human progress! Many civilian technologies were created to serve the needs of war. It was the same for Buddhism. If everyone did not fight and only meditated on their own, without a clash of ideas or the motivation to compete, most people would not be able to meditate in peace.
Of course, this was Fangzheng's opinion. It might not be correct, but he believed it to be correct. He would not tell Zen Master Hongyan either because he would definitely be rebutted if he did. Fangzheng did not wish to debate with Zen Master Hongyan on such matters.
Noticing Fangzheng's silence, Zen Master Hongyan believed that Fangzheng agreed with what he said. He shook his head slightly and said, "Let's not talk about this. Let's continue talking about what happens next. The final segment of the exchange is the Buddhist rookie preaching the scriptures and discussing the Dharma. Every year, Zen Master Baiyun will choose the most outstanding young talent from the various monasteries. A disciple below the age of twenty will represent all the young disciples to preach and discuss the Dharma. It's a way of nurturing young disciples. However, those who can go up have become rookie kings. Once they go up, the reputation of the monastery they represent will soar. This is something that no one expected. "
Fangzheng shook his head slightly. Without a doubt, Zen Master Baiyun and Zen Master Hongyan were truly accomplished monks. They did not strive for fame and fortune. All they wanted was to promote the Buddhist Dharma. Unfortunately, they did not understand modern society and the human heart. Such a debate was a competition to begin with. There were winners and losers in a competition, and there was a competition for rankings. Therefore, it was inevitable that they would end up in their present state.
Similarly, Fangzheng only thought about it. He did not say a word.
Zen Master Baiyun went up to speak once again. Following that, he went straight to the point — debate!
Following that, the abbots of the various monasteries went up and described the Buddhist Dharma they had gained insights into. However, someone quickly rebutted them. Therefore, a large group of abbots began a war of words.
Fangzheng had not read many scriptures, so he did not understand most of the abbot's words. He felt like he was listening to a heavenly book. Furthermore, there were so many people. After listening for a while, Fangzheng could not bear to listen any further. He began to slack off.
Finally, two hours later, the debate of the abbots came to an end. A plump monk with a genial look obtained first place. He left in delight.
At that moment, Zen Master Baiyun went up the stage once again. After saying a few pleasantries, he went straight to the point. "Everyone, it's time for the Buddhist disciples to preach the scriptures again. This year, there was only one person who registered. He is Venerable Yi Xing from Golden Bamboo Convent. This Penniless Monk has long heard of Venerable Yi Xing's Buddhist Dharma cultivation. I believe everyone here is no stranger to him. "
The moment that was said, everyone looked at Yi Xing. Yi Xing had a humble look as he pressed his palms together and returned the bow.
Fangzheng traced everyone's gaze and was immediately stunned. Wasn't that the young monk who had asked him questions? A young monk who did not even know the difference between a monastery and a convent was a Buddhist rookie who was skilled in the Buddhist Dharma?
Fangzheng suddenly realized that something was amiss. Did he really not know or was he deliberately asking to probe? But what was the point of probing him? He was only here to be a bystander, alright? All he needed was to gain some experience and return home once he was done.
Just as Fangzheng's mind wandered, Venerable Baiyun suddenly shouted Fangzheng's name. "Abbot Fangzheng?"
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