Sun Qiancheng was taken aback. He never expected that offering incense required so much attention. He could not help but give Fangzheng a thumbs up. "Thanks for the lesson."
Therefore, Sun Qiancheng followed Fangzheng's instructions and offered one incense stick after another, silently reciting the words.
Fangzheng helped recite the scriptures by the side.
By the time all the procedures were done, the sky was gradually turning dark. Sun Qiancheng invited Fangzheng to his place for a meal, but Fangzheng declined. Although he was starving, Fangzheng still wished to return to eat.
After bidding Sun Qiancheng farewell, Fangzheng returned to One Finger Monastery while listening to the sound of firecrackers in the village. He boiled a pot of rice and had an uneventful night.
The next day, it began to drizzle at dawn. Following the rumbling of spring thunder, Fangzheng knew that Tomb-Sweeping Day was over. The weather would soon turn hot. At the same time, One Finger Monastery's construction was also brought forward.
After the Qingming Festival, April became more leisurely. However, there were also some special Buddhist days in this month. The twelfth day of the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar and the sixteenth day of the third month of the lunar calendar were the Birthday of Zhunti Bodhisattva. This is a big festival of Buddhism. Zhunti Bodhisattva, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Manjushri Bodhisattva are the four most famous Bodhisattvas. Fangzheng's monastery consecrated two Guan Yin Bodhisattva. However, Fangzheng did not hold a Dharma Assembly on Guan Yin Bodhisattva's birthday. All he did was chant the scriptures and consecrate her.
There was no other way around it. Although the System could support him if he insisted on conjuring a Dharma Assembly, Fangzheng had no experience in conjuring a Dharma Assembly. Wouldn't it be even more troublesome if he randomly conjured one and caused a mess? Moreover, the Dharma Assembly was only a way to spread the Dharma, not the only way.
After Guan Yin Bodhisattva's birthday was Samantabhadra's birthday. Fangzheng did not consecrate it, so he did not celebrate it. He recited the scriptures to consecrate Bodhisattva.
As the days passed, another Bodhisattva's Christmas was approaching. Fangzheng finally had an idea. Should he hold a Dharma Assembly? However, what should one prepare for a spell assembly? What should one do? Fangzheng suddenly realized that although he had participated in one of Baiyun Monastery's large-scale Dharma Assemblies, he was unable to participate in the entire process due to how large it was. The things he learned were pathetic. Now that he was holding a dharma assembly, he was completely clueless as to where to start.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the monastery. Fangzheng looked up and saw an old acquaintance. It was Hu Tan from Express Way. Hu Tan ran in, panting. Before he came to a stop, he took out a package and shouted, "Venerable Fangzheng, it's your package. It's here. Take a look. I still have urgent matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first … "After putting down the invitation, Hu Tan rushed off again.
When Fangzheng saw this, he immediately turned anxious. "What if the things inside are damaged? You're leaving just like that? Why don't you take a look? This Penniless Monk hasn't signed the bill yet. "
"There's no need to sign. I trust Master's character. I'll bear the brunt of anything." As he spoke, Hu Tan had already run far away.
Fangzheng rubbed his nose and chuckled. "If there's a gold brick here, This Penniless Monk will hide it. When the time comes, I'll make this punk cry. Hehe …"
In other words, it was just a big envelope. Even a fool would know that there wouldn't be any gold bars inside. Fangzheng casually opened it and was immediately stunned …
"Zhun Ti Bodhisattva's Christmas Dharma Assembly invites Abbot Fangzheng. The inviter is Zen Master Hongyan. "
It was an invitation! After reading the contents, Fangzheng sighed. Indeed, it was related to the upcoming festival. However, Fangzheng did not plan on holding such a celebration in One Finger Monastery. Although the System provided all sorts of things, there was no one! After the 8th of April, the weather turned warmer. The villagers, who had been lazy the entire winter, began preparing for the spring plowing.
There were people testing the motor wells, planting seedlings in greenhouses, plowing the fields … Instantly, the entire village busied themselves. It would have been fine if a Dharma Assembly was held near a big city. The people in the city did not need to farm. Be it for an outing, to join in the fun, or to pay respects to Buddha, they would come to watch. It was a grand event.
However, in a place like One Finger Monastery, the main devotees were the villagers. They were the kind that would not come for no reason. Under such circumstances, who would put down their chores at home to participate in the Dharma Assembly?
Therefore, it was not only One Finger Monastery. Even Hongyan Monastery probably did not have many people. At most, people from Songwu County would come to join in the fun. This was also because Hongyan Monastery was rather famous and Zen Master Hongyan was influential. As for One Finger Monastery, it was unlikely that many people would come even if it was held.
Furthermore, One Finger Monastery did not consecrate Zhun Ti Bodhisattva. Such a Dharma Assembly felt like a sham.
In addition, with Fangzheng lacking experience, he did not dare to hold a Dharma Assembly that was larger in scale. Now that Hongyan Monastery was open, he could observe and learn from it. With this in mind, Fangzheng happily accepted the invitation and prepared to head to Hongyan Monastery to participate in the Dharma Assembly.
After making up his mind, Fangzheng carried the wooden fish to the back of the monastery. It was time to recite the scriptures to his Crystal Rice seedlings. Seeing that Fangzheng was about to recite the scriptures, Lone Wolf, Squirrel, and Monkey immediately followed. They sat at the edge of the field and struck the wooden fish as they recited the scriptures. The three animals listened intently.
A few days passed in a flash. One morning, Fangzheng woke up early. After settling matters at the monastery, he had breakfast and left with Monkey. His destination was Hongyan Monastery. It was not too far from One Finger Monastery. If he rode a motorcycle, it would take about an hour. If he walked, it would be quite a distance.
Therefore, Fangzheng did not plan on walking. He went down the mountain and headed straight for Wang Yougui's house. He had contacted him the day before. Wang Yougui happened to be heading to Hongyan Village for a meeting, so Fangzheng could hitch a ride.
Indeed, Wang Yougui had already prepared everything. He was just waiting for Fangzheng. Upon seeing Fangzheng arrive, he patted his motorcycle and chuckled. "Venerable Fangzheng, you are finally here. We were all waiting for you."
Fangzheng smiled. "This Penniless Monk isn't late, right?"
"Not late, not late. It's just that this old fellow is anxious. Ignore him! " Wang Yougui's wife walked out. She carried a basin of leftover rice and corn. Before she did anything, a huge flock of chickens ran over. All of them raised their heads in anticipation of eating.
Wang Yougui smiled. "Can you not tear down my act for no reason? I'm a village chief after all. Can't you give me some face? "
"Can some face be used as a shoe cushion? If you can, you can walk barefoot in the future. I don't care, "said Wang Yougui's wife.
Wang Yougui immediately surrendered. He said to Fangzheng, "Alright, let's go if you are ready. By the way, this monkey of yours … "
"It's fine. He's smart. He knows what to do."
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