Fangzheng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when he saw this. What was this? He had seen many people who refused to pay their debts, but this was the first time he had seen someone who refused to pay their debts.
With no other choice, Fangzheng could only thank her. He chose two bundles of yellow paper money, a few candles, and some nails before bidding her farewell.
The last stop was Wang Yougui's place. The moment he entered, he saw Wang Yougui busy himself. Dog Song, Lame Ma, Accountant Yang Ping, Yang Ping's elder brother, Yang Hua, Secretary Tan Juguo, Jiang Zhou, Fan Qing, Qiu Xiaoye, and Guan Xiangfeng were all in the yard chatting.
Upon seeing Fangzheng, everyone hurriedly got up.
Wang Yougui smiled. "Abbot Fangzheng, you came just in time. We were just discussing. How big do you think we should make the altar? In the past, when our village was poor, we could only fool around. Now that we have money, we can't fool around again, right? At the very least, you should make her the prettiest one in all the villages. "
Fangzheng shook his head helplessly. "There's no need to put on such a grand show when honoring our ancestors. Honoring our ancestors is like worshipping Buddha. Let me give you a simple example. Almsgiver Tan, do you want your grandson and granddaughter to buy you a mansion and a luxury car but not come back once a year to be filial? "
Tan Juguo shook his head decisively and said, "I'd rather those little bastards come back to see me, chat with me, and let me scold them. I can give them money … "
Fangzheng nodded. "The ancestors were about the same. It wasn't easy for them to return. What they wanted was to see sincere filial piety, not a pile of food or a tall platform. He's already gone, so what's the point of looking at this? "
Wang Yougui said, "Make it bigger so that our ancestors can also bask in the glory."
"That's what you think it is. Have you seen what it looks like down there?" returned Fangzheng.
Wang Yougui was speechless …
Fangzheng continued. "This Penniless Monk has never been there either. The living have no idea what it's like down there. Using the eyes of the living to see the world of the dead is like putting a pair of comfortable shoes on an elephant's feet. Would it be comfortable? Since he didn't know, he might as well be filial to them with sincerity. Whether it is the world of the living or the world of the dead, there is one thing that does not change, and that is true love. "
Everyone was enlightened …
Jiang Zhou said, "I've lived for so long, but this is the first time I've heard such a thing. The masters and wealthy families he met in the city all wished they could burn gold and silver to show their filial piety. Now that I think about it, they weren't really filial. They were just showing off … "
Guan Xiangfeng said, "I've only seen a rich tycoon burn ten Ferraris in one go … Now that I think about it, he was truly a retard."
Fangzheng smiled. "No matter how much you burn, apart from polluting the air and promoting the concept of money, there's no value. Perhaps they could give face to the living, but what about their ancestors? If his heart was not there, no matter how many treasures he burned, it would be useless. In the end, he would still be unfilial. If our ancestors knew about this from the underworld, they would most likely be the ones who were mocked … "
With that said, Fangzheng paused. "No one knows if there are souls in the world, but since ancient times, honoring ancestors has been a form of filial piety. If honoring ancestors becomes purely a show of flaunting, without filial piety, a family clan will lose its cultural heritage. Without heritage, no matter how much money they have, they will drown sooner or later."
Hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought and nodded.
Jiang Zhou said with a sigh, "Venerable Fangzheng, what you said should be said in class."
Fangzheng shook his head. "This Penniless Monk doesn't have the nerve to stand on a podium. Those who know better know better than me. For those who don't, This Penniless Monk's words might not be of any use."
Everyone fell into deep thought.
With the topic diverted, things became simple since the altar did not need to be too extravagant. Everyone brought the materials to the village entrance and began building the altar. Fangzheng did it himself, and Jiang Zhou cooperated. With everyone working together, a simple yet plain and Buddha-like altar was built.
Although it was called an altar, it was in fact called the Lone Almsgiving Platform. There was a Buddhist seat on the Lone Almsgiving Platform. In front of the Buddhist seat was a statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who had released all the evil spirits in the underworld. Beneath the statue were plates of rice, peaches, and other items. Also on the Lone Almsgiving Platform were three spirit tablets and a soul-summoning banner. Fangzheng inserted a blue, red, and green triangular paper flag on each offering. On it were the words "Yulan Rai Festival" and "Ganlu Door Opens." With that, the Lone Almsgiving Platform was built.
As he looked at the completed Lone Almsgiving Platform, a scene flashed in Fangzheng's mind. Zen Master One Finger had once said that One Finger Village did not pay much attention to such things in its early years. It was just a simple ritual of burning paper money. These things came from the south. As for who brought them here, Zen Master One Finger did not say. Only a few villages near Mt. One Finger celebrated the Yulan Rai Festival this way. Furthermore, Zen Master One Finger would bring Fangzheng to these villages every time he did so. The villages that Zen Master One Finger had never been to were basically not that particular. From the looks of it, this particular ritual was likely brought here by Zen Master One Finger.
After the Lone Almsgiving Platform was set up, there was still the opening of the altar. First, Fangzheng had to perform the Dharma. He had to face the Buddhist altar and recite the Great Compassion Mantra, the Ten Minor Mantras, the Heart Sutra, and other scriptures. Thankfully, although Fangzheng did not know them in the past, the Internet was very advanced. He had read and recited these scriptures on the Internet, so he was no stranger to them.
Then, he would write a note and pray for Buddha and Bodhisattva's benevolent guidance.
Then, Fangzheng would conduct the soul guidance ritual. He would recite the text written on yellow paper to summon the spirits into the altar. Then, he would recite the Heart Sutra, the Rebirth Mantra, and the Three Truths. Finally, the Merit Lord who hosted the Yulan Rai Festival, Wang Yougui, would tap on the Dharma Assembly's notice with a red brush, indicating the completion of the opening of the festival!
After the opening of the festival, the ritual was the Repentance Prayer. Typically, it was carried out according to the Compassionate Water Repentance ritual. However, Fangzheng did not have enough manpower, so he could not set up such a large-scale ritual. Therefore, he simply recited the scriptures and recited the Repentance Prayer. In the middle, there were simple activities such as offering tributes and abstinence before the Repentance Prayer came to an end.
There was another important reason why it was so simple. If it were carried out according to the Compassionate Water Repentance, it would be pretty good if Fangzheng could complete One Finger Village in one night. There was no need for him to visit the other villages. After all, it was very complicated and troublesome to complete the entire ritual.
Of course, the lack of manpower was also a problem. Fangzheng could not do anything about it.
After setting up the Lone Alms Platform, Wang Yougui drove Fangzheng and Monkey to the other nearby villages on his motorcycle. He helped them set up the Lone Alms Platform and by the time they returned to One Finger Village, it was already evening. As there were too many villages to visit, time was tight. When the sun set and the sky turned dark, Fangzheng and Monkey ate a simple vegetarian meal and shouted towards the mountaintop. The next moment, the bell sounded, signaling the beginning of the Yulanpen Festival!
As the bell sounded, people from every household walked out of their homes. Then, they placed incense sticks at their doors. Those from well-off families would place more incense sticks. It was called Budan, a symbol of a bountiful harvest. From afar, the entire village was enveloped in a layer of green smoke. The interior was dotted with stars, giving it a somewhat dreamy feeling. It was as though the sky had hung upside down and landed in the village, lighting up the stars.
Following that, offerings of various sizes were carried out and placed on the offering tables to be consecrated to the ancestors.
Monkey carried a huge basket of tributes and followed behind Fangzheng to the Lone Alms Platform. Fangzheng took out the tributes and scattered them in all directions. This was called the Flame Mouth. The tributes that were scattered were given to the wandering ghosts to quell their grievances as a sacrifice to the dead.
Following that, Fangzheng went up the platform and sat on the Venerable Master's seat. There were some words written on the spirit tablets in front of him. There were not many spirit tablets, just enough. As for the Flame Mouth that Fangzheng had just cast, no matter how many ghosts there were, they could all be consecrated together. He recited the scriptures again …
After he finished reciting the scriptures, the Flame Mouth came to an end. Fangzheng got up and went down the altar. He nodded at the villagers and everyone came to the riverside.
Everyone held a lotus lantern and lit the candles on it. They placed it into the river and floated down. Some of the lanterns were quickly extinguished, but the crowd was not angry. Instead, they were somewhat happy.
When Monkey saw this, he was puzzled again. He whispered, "Master, why are they happy when their lanterns are extinguished?"
"Humans have human paths and ghosts have ghost paths. Humans take the Yang path, while ghosts take the Yin path. The ancients believed that it was difficult to see underwater. It was dark and damp, like hell in the netherworld. Therefore, they believed that this was the Yin path, which is also the ghost path. Tonight, a hundred ghosts are traveling at night, but it's easy to get lost. If they can't enter the netherworld, they will become wandering ghosts that wreak havoc. Therefore, we release water lanterns to help them illuminate the path and guide them to the netherworld to report. "Some places even prepare spirit boats or spirit houses. The spirit boats can carry ghosts directly to the netherworld, while the spirit houses allow them to have a place to stay in the netherworld. "However, we do not have such conditions, so we did not do it …
As for why they are happy when the lanterns are extinguished, it means that a ghost has been sent away, "explained Fangzheng softly.
Monkey was enlightened, but his eyes were still filled with puzzlement.
After releasing the water lanterns and sending away the souls, the grand Yulanpen Festival came to an end. Fangzheng hurriedly rode his motorcycle to the other villages. After circling the area, the sky was already bright by the time Fangzheng returned. While walking up the mountain, Monkey finally asked the question on his mind, "Master, you said that ghosts are in the heart … In fact, you do not believe that there are ghosts in this world. Then why do you still hold the Yulanpen Festival? Since there are no ghosts, why go through so much effort and waste so much manpower and resources? It feels like it's useless and a waste of food? "
Fangzheng shook his head slightly. "I've long said that one should not look at things on the surface. You have to look at what it brings. It's true that I do not believe in ghosts, but I've also said that everyone has a ghost in their heart. Some ghosts need to be suppressed and sacrificed; otherwise, they will come out to cause trouble. "
"I don't understand …" Monkey shook his head decisively and said bluntly.
Fangzheng rolled his eyes. "Then let's be more direct. Money is easy to earn in this world. Without a conscience, there is nothing left! Without a conscience, no matter how much money you have, you will only be a scourge! On the contrary, no matter how poor a person with a conscience is, there will be less hatred and more warmth in this world. Be it the ceremony or the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, it's to remind everyone not to forget to be filial to their parents. Filial piety is the first of all virtues. If a person is filial, they will not be too bad no matter how bad they are. Perhaps the effects of such a festival might not be able to make heinous people repent, but it can prevent problems from arising. It can remind children and those who have evil thoughts. By nurturing filial piety in their hearts from a young age, when they grow up, as long as filial piety remains, they will not be irredeemable no matter how bad they are. Do you understand now? "
PS: Requesting for subscriptions, requesting for monthly votes … My target is a godly figure. Then, I will resign and become a full-time typing dog! I need everyone's help …
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