Sariras! They were the holy objects that Buddhists were most proud of. Throughout history, only high monks had Buddhist bone Sariras. According to the Buddhist scriptures, Sariras were formed from the merits of the monks when they were alive.
There were also folk legends that said that monks who abstained from sex for a long time would have strong Sariras when they were full of essence.
Although Buddhists believed that Sariras did not have any supernatural powers, they believed that they were formed from the benevolent wisdom of the monks who had saved money. The appearance of Abbot Ci 'en's Sariras immediately caused a sensation in Chang' an.
Not only did countless monks come to see them, but the common people were also extremely enthusiastic. They all flocked to the Great Mercy Temple to see the Buddhist bone Sariras.
"I heard that there are many Sariras in Abbot Ci 'en's Sariras this time. Many of them are extremely hard and have different colors. It's very magical.
"These Sariras are the merit of the master's life. Master Ci 'en is indeed a high monk. It seems that we have misunderstood the Great Mercy Temple."
Almost in an instant, the reputation of the Great Mercy Temple rose to new heights. Once Master Ci 'en's Buddhist bone Sariras appeared, all the doubts were swept away. There were no more Sariras that could prove Master Ci' en's Buddhist teachings and benevolence. Naturally, they were wrong to have doubted the Great Mercy Temple before.
"We were foolish to have doubted Master Ci 'en."
"Back then, I was even indebted to Master Ci 'en."
Many believers of the Great Mercy Temple fell into self-blame. Soon, this self-blame turned into guilt. Many believers even donated their considerable savings to the Great Mercy Temple to build a shrine for Master Ci 'en's Sariras.
"We will definitely not disappoint Abbot Ci 'en!"
In the Great Mercy Temple, a group of monks looked at the Great Mercy Temple that was thriving again and could not help but bow their heads and clasp their hands.
Just as Master Ci 'en had expected, once the Buddhist bone Sariras appeared, the Great Mercy Temple immediately flourished. However, all of this was in exchange for Abbot Ci' en's sacrifice.
"No, Abbot Ci 'en's efforts cannot end like this." Abbot Tongren could not help but grit his teeth and say.
"Abbot, you mean …" A group of monks did not understand.
Abbot Tongren gritted his teeth and looked up. "Now, the Great Mercy Temple is indeed better than before. However, in the secular world, Buddhism's reputation is still damaged. I'm afraid that this is not what Master Ci 'en wanted."
Many monks couldn't help but nod. In the secular world, the reputation of Buddhism had fallen to the bottom.
"Then what should we do? Abbot, please enlighten us." The monks asked.
"Hold a Sarira Dharma Assembly so that everyone can pay homage to Abbot Ci 'en's merits," Tong Ren said word by word.
"Sarira Dharma Assembly!" All of a sudden, the monks were moved. Thinking about how the Great Mercy Temple had gained great prestige and benefits because of the sarira, they couldn't help but be tempted.
Another monk asked hesitantly, "Is it about Master Falyn?"
Abbot Tongren hesitated for a moment before saying firmly, "If the School of Mohism can hold an exhibition of Mohism, why can't the Buddhists hold a Sarira Dharma Assembly? I'm doing this for the reputation of the Buddhists. Even Master Falin has nothing to say."
"Yes!" The monks from the Great Mercy Temple no longer hesitated and began to move.
Boom!
When the solemn guard of honor escorted the Buddha's bone relic out of the Great Mercy Temple, the entire Chang 'an City was in an uproar. Countless people rushed to spread the news. Some were even willing to spend large sums of money to bring it home to pray for blessings.
There were even rich people who donated hundreds of taels of gold on the spot, hoping to keep the Buddha's bone relic at home for half a day to perform a ritual.
In an instant, the entire Chang 'an City was in an uproar because of Master Ci' en's bone relic. The reputation of the Buddhists in Chang 'an City skyrocketed, attracting the attention of the various schools.
"The Buddhists!"
All of the people from the various schools looked at the Buddhists' desperate counterattack with mixed feelings. Once the Buddha's bone relic appeared, there was no way to counter it.
Below Yu Zhuangyuan, a grand Buddhist ritual was in progress. The Buddhists who came to watch immediately crowded the streets. Based on the situation, it was probably not inferior to a military parade.
"Is the sarira really that magical?" In the private room of Yu Zhuangyuan, Wu Meiniang looked curiously at the fanatical believers.
Beside her, Mo Wu snorted and said, "What sarira? From what I see, it's just a stone in the human body. In my medical practice, I've seen all kinds of stones in the human body."
As a medical practitioner, Mo Wu naturally did not believe that the sarira was that magical. Thinking back to his experience, he identified the sarira as a stone.
"It can't be!" Wu Meiniang said in disbelief. She could not help but look at Meton.
Meton smiled and said, "It's just a possibility. The human body does produce all kinds of stones, but the difference between stones and sariras is too great. Furthermore, those who have stones are mostly sick people, while sariras are mostly left behind by healthy monks. It doesn't match."
Yu Er was not to be outdone and said, "From what I see, it must be because they are vegetarians. Monks eat vegetarian every day. Maybe it's because they eat vegetarian that they have sariras. Ordinary people like us don't have any."
The people from the Mo Family could not help but nod. It was very possible.
However, Meton shook his head again and said, "In essence, there is no difference between humans and animals. Some vegetarians don't have sariras when they are cremated."
Wu Meiniang's eyes suddenly lit up and said, "Then it must have something to do with fire. I'm afraid only ordinary cremation would produce sariras."
Meton nodded and said, "That's natural. If they were cremated in the furnace of the Mo Family Village, I'm afraid only ashes would be left. There wouldn't be any sarira."
Mo Wu also said in realization, "If that's the case, sariras and bones cannot be separated from dry cleaning. The bones are harder and cannot be burned during cremation. The sarira is most likely the remains of the bones."
"It's very possible." Meton agreed.
Yu Er suddenly said in surprise, "Maybe it's a funerary object. Buddhists are very rich. I heard that Abbot Ci 'en's kasaya was inlaid with gold and hung with many beautiful jades and gems. These must have been cremated. Then these sariras might be related to them."
Meton looked at the crowd with admiration. With just a few words, they were able to make all the guesses of future generations about sariras.
"Sariras are indeed mysterious. To date, no one has been able to understand the principles behind them. However, they definitely cannot be separated from stones, bones, teeth, and funerary objects." Meton nodded.
"If that's the case, Buddhist sariras aren't mysterious objects. Should we …" Mo Wu said excitedly. He wanted the Mo Family Village to report it again like yoga.
Meton smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Sariras are sacred objects of Buddhism. Ordinary people can only see them but not touch them. If you haven't even seen them, how can you report it? Furthermore, with the current standards of School of Mo and School of Medicine, it's impossible to detect the composition of a sarira."
"If that's the case, then this sarira is unsolvable." Mo Wu said in disappointment.
Meton nodded and said, "That's right. Sariras have no flaws. Sariras are the greatest trump card of Buddhism. They are the foundation of Buddhism's prosperity. How can they be easily deciphered by you?"
"Then the actions of the Great Mercy Temple …" Wu Meiniang looked at the fanatical citizens of Chang 'an City and couldn't help but frown. To them, sariras didn't have any mysterious effects. However, many worshipers worshiped them crazily and didn't hesitate to spend money just to pray for their safety.
Meton revealed a cold smile and said, "Although the sarira has no flaws, it doesn't mean that the Great Mercy Temple has no flaws. If Great Master Ci 'en's sarira was left in the Great Mercy Temple for worshipers to worship, then there would be no problem. However, the Great Mercy Temple wasn't satisfied with just that. They held a ceremony for Great Master Ci' en's sarira and attracted the worshipers of Chang 'an City. This is the biggest flaw."
"Wouldn't it be more beneficial for Buddhism if there are more worshipers? How can this be a flaw?" Mo Wu asked in confusion.
Everyone looked at Meton in confusion. Only Wu Meiniang, who was at the side, said thoughtfully, "Now that Buddhism's reputation has soared and the number of worshipers has increased, wouldn't they have stolen many worshipers from Daoism? If that's the case, how can Daoism sit still?"
"Not only Daoism, I'm afraid even Confucianism can't sit still. I'm afraid the other schools are also observing." Meton said, but his eyes couldn't help but look in the direction of Taiji Palace. It wouldn't be long before another storm of Buddhism struck.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
