558: Chapter 98 Chu People 558: Chapter 98 Chu People Moonlight spilled over Yuan Guang Temple.
Everyone watched in silence as Fa Cheng, the emaciated and withered abbot, gestured vigorously with his hands.
He pointed at the moon above, then at the threshold beneath.
“…”
The monks looked at each other, not quite understanding Fa Cheng’s meaning.
A young monk, speculating cautiously, said, “Is the abbot trying to say that the Bodhisattva Golden Body is as inviolable as the moon above?”
Fa Cheng shook his head.
He went to the long-worshiped, rusted statue and tapped it gently.
Clang!
Clang!
The Golden Body of the statue emitted a crisp ringing sound.
Yuan Guang Temple had a history of many years.
The statue had already been there before Fa Cheng went to Fan Yin Temple for further study.
Yuan Province was impoverished and could not afford a real golden statue; therefore, it was only a bronze statue.
But that did not hinder the faithful from coming over the years, offering incense, making prayers, and fulfilling vows.
Exposed to wind and rain, years passed, and the surface of the bronze statue developed a faint mottled patina.
But its dignity remained intact.
It was a statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
In times of chaos, the mighty power of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva could eliminate karmic obstacles, ensuring the peace and health of family elders, and aid the souls of the deceased to be reborn in bliss.
Fa Cheng, with a sincere expression, made a bow, and then gestured to everyone a motion of toppling.
Everyone was shocked.
“Abbot?”
An old monk, trembling, asked, “Are you truly going to topple the temple and the revered statue of the Bodhisattva?”
Fa Cheng nodded calmly.
He picked up a withered branch and slowly wrote on the ground with clear, even strokes.
Halfway through writing,
upon a mere glance, Mi Yun directly spoke out, uttering the intent behind Fa Cheng’s words.
“Though the Golden Body falls, the Bodhisattva remains.”
Fa Cheng looked surprised, gazing at this ragged child with admiration and joy.
This was the very principle he wanted to express.
Buddhism resides in the heart.
The destruction of a Buddhist Temple means nothing.
Temples are inanimate objects, which can be rebuilt.
But once people die, they cannot be brought back to life.
If Nalan Xuance is truly determined to carry out “Destroying Buddha,” then Yuan Province will soon face an unprecedented trial by the Iron Cavalry…
Rather than sticking to conventions, or defending Yuan Guang Temple to the death, he would prefer to take the initiative to topple it, in exchange for a chance at survival for the monks within.
“If one keeps the Buddhist Law in their heart, then even without dwelling in temples or donning monk robes, one is still a Buddhist Cultivator, still practicing in the world.”
“Without Buddha in the heart, one might reside in the Great Hall and enjoy the offerings of thousands, yet still cannot forge a Golden Body.”
“Now, in the face of great calamity, to push down this Golden Body, to cast off these monk robes, is to exchange for a life.”
“If the Bodhisattva is aware, there will be no blame, only consolation.”
Mi Yun lowered his eyes, speaking word by word.
His voice was faint, yet it clearly echoed throughout Yuan Guang Temple.
Only at this moment,
did the monks of Yuan Guang Temple take notice of the child brought by Mr.
Xiao Xie.
This child was one with a “hard life,” so young yet without the use of both legs, but his words were remarkably sound, belying his age.
The old monk, voice quivering, repeated the words several times over.
Ultimately, he had nothing more to say.
The stance of the other monks gradually changed as well.
Finally, a monk, with a reluctant expression, looked at the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and cautiously confirmed, “Topple?”
Those old monks who opposed, no longer spoke, silently stepping back.
Fa Cheng, standing before the statue, nodded.
…
…
Yuan Guang Temple was founded a hundred years ago by a Loose Cultivator from Fan Yin Temple who roamed here.
People in this world are like flowers.
The wind blows, spreading branches and leaves.
Buddhist cause and effect flourished over these years, spreading far and wide from the south of the river to the west of Chu and the east of Li.
The collapse of Yuan Guang Temple, in a single moment,
was just like the blossom of a flower, blooming and withering, all in an instant.
That night, not a soul in Taoyuan Village could sleep, and refugees who had just begun to live “good days” came to Yuan Guang Temple, their expressions complex as they watched the majestic Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Statue fall with a thunderous crash, dust flying everywhere.
The moonlight mingled with the thick dust clouds.
As the long night waned and the dawn’s light spilled, settling the dust, Yuan Guang Temple was levelled to the ground.
At the end of the long night, at the horizon, “just so happened” to come a troop of Iron Cavalry.
This troop of Iron Cavalry was not the elite of Yuzi Camp or Camp Cang, but merely ordinary soldiers from Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry.
This was a scout troop.
Due to invasions and famine, the marked villages on the map of Yuan Province often changed.
This reconnoitre camp was clearly ordered to come to ascertain the situation…
The presence of this reconnoitre camp verified the “Destroying Buddha” decree was no idle rumor.
The monks, having shed their robes and temporarily residing in straw huts, turned pale as the reconnoitre camp did not inquire too deeply; Yuan Guang Temple was already crumbling, and after being toppled, nothing remained but rubble.
Especially since the most conspicuous statue had been buried overnight in a deep pit, there seemed little reason to linger over these remains of a small village, merely rubble and ruins.
After a brief questioning, the reconnoitre camp moved on.
This ordeal was now passed.
When the dust had completely settled and the sound of hooves had faded,
the hidden monks slowly emerged.
They were still shaken, reflecting on the previous night’s debate, grateful that they had made the timely decision to “topple the Buddha statue.”
Some wished to pay a visit to thank Mr.
Xiao Xie and Doctor Chu, only to discover that the two were not in the village.
…
…
Behind Taoyuan Village,
a breeze wafted by, and butterflies flitted across the hillside.
Deng Baiyi held Mi Yun, sitting on the grass, watching the dawn light surge from the sea of clouds.
She pushed a wheelchair, but it was not Xie Xuanyi’s wheelchair.
“Miss Deng,”
Old Zheng, sitting in the wheelchair, inhaling the fragrant air, suddenly said, “You aren’t from Li Country, are you?”
“I…”
Deng Baiyi was taken aback.
She wanted to find an excuse to brush off the question.