The Little Officials of the Song Dynasty Chapter 5: Children, are you a monk?

April 8th is the Buddha Bathing Festival. This day is the birthday of the Buddha Sakyamuni. It is said that when the Buddha was born, a dragon spit out perfume to bathe him, so this day is called the Bathing Buddha Festival, also known as the Buddha's Birthday. The most important festival of the year.

On this day, many people in Bianliang will bathe and change clothes, go to temples to worship Buddha and offer incense. Moreover, due to the secular evolution of the Buddha Bathing Festival, many people not only go to pray for blessings and children, but actually go shopping.

As for temples, in addition to bathing Buddha statues with fragrant soup, they will also fry fragrant medicine and sugar water to give to pilgrims to form a good relationship. This sugar water has a name, called Bathing Buddha Water.

Such events are rarely seen after the Southern Song Dynasty.

On this day, Zheng Ping woke Yun Yanhui and Shuangyi early. She had changed into men's clothes so she could walk. He carried Xiaobao to Hu Sanniang next door, and took the two children to Xiuxiang.

Because of the Buddha Bathing Festival, there are a lot of people on the streets today, but there are very few people in Embroidery Lane. They all go to Daxiangguo Temple, and they also go there to set up stalls to sell embroidery pieces.

Zheng Ping received the money after delivery, chatted with the people at the embroidery shop, and went to Xiangguo Temple.

The Daxiangguo Temple in this era covers an area of ​​more than 500 acres. It is decorated with beams and painted buildings, and it is magnificent. Because of this prosperous day, it is everywhere. for spectacular.

People may be used to seeing it at that time, but as a modern person, seeing such an authentic and gorgeous ancient building complex, Yunyan is a little more shocked.

It was already crowded at this time, and Zheng Ping was not in a hurry. She brought her two children in, bought some snacks, and walked slowly.

By this time, the Buddha bathing ceremony in the temple was halfway through.

Ping Zheng didn't intend to take the children to drill inside, so she led them to look at it from a distance.

Yun Yanhui stretched her neck and saw many monks worshipping around a Buddha statue, which was placed in a large golden basin with one finger to the sky and the other to the ground.

Because everyone was watching with bated breath, even from such a distance, the resounding voice of a monk singing praise could still be faintly heard.

"...watching the four directions around the world for seven steps, pointing to the sky and pointing to the earth, respecting the hero, nine dragons spitting out water and showing mercy, all methods are authentic..."

Then the monks sang the Sanskrit voice together: "I will irrigate the Tathagata, pure wisdom and solemn merits will gather. The filthy sentient beings will be freed from defilements, and they will also realize the Tathagata's pure Dharma body."

Monks bathed the Buddha with perfume, threw flower petals into it, bowed, and then gave a lengthy hymn to the Buddha.

The believers all listened attentively, but Yun Yanhui and Shuang Yi gradually got bored and pulled Zheng Ping to ask to look elsewhere.

Zheng Ping seemed to be very interested in this, her expression was a little dazed, and when she regained her senses, she pulled them to other places.

……

The Daxiangguo Temple is bustling with hawkers.

Yunyan walked back and watched, treating herself as a visiting tourist. The Daxiangguo Temple is really too big, no wonder it can hold such a large temple fair, and it is also divided into categories.

For example, Dasanmen sells all kinds of animals, from birds and beasts, from cats and dogs to tigers and leopards. Some of them were domesticated, and they were even performed by the stall owner, which attracted bursts of applause.

In front of Zisheng Gate sells pen, ink, calligraphy, painting, play, etc. The people who visit this area are generally scholars.

There are many other kinds of jewelry, clothes, food, and food.

There is another place, all of which are singing, acrobatics, storytelling, etc. Yun Yanhui also saw a puppet show. The woodcut villain was manipulated to perform, kicking, dancing and other actions.

Yun Yanhui and Shuang Yi opened their eyes sharply, dizzying.

There are many things that Yun Yanhui doesn't know at all. Fortunately, he is a child now, so even if he asks, he will not be suspected.

Zheng Ping specially prepared a portion of the money today, promising that everyone could pick three things. Shuang Yi is sensible, and Yun Yanhui has an adult mind, so they all choose things that are cheap and they like.

Shuangyi buys all toys, but Yun Yanhui chooses to eat, and they are storable.

After walking around for a while, Zheng Ping took them to the main hall again. "After the Buddha bathing, some monks should start to distribute the Buddha bathing water. Mother, take you to get some."

Although the Buddha bathing water given by the monks is sugar water, it is mixed with the fragrant soup that the monks used to bathe the Buddha before, so it really lives up to its name.

Zheng Ping took them around to the temple gate from another road, and there were indeed rows of monks distributing the water for bathing the Buddha.

Yunyan looked around, but she wasn't very interested. She was in line with the elders to lead some unsanitary sugar water. Why bother...

But Zheng Ping was still very interested, and led them to the back of the team.

But just a few steps out, an old monk stopped them: "Donor wait."

There were so many people that Zheng Ping didn't realize at first that she was calling her, or Shuang Yi said, "Mother, that master called you."

Only then did Zheng Ping turn around, meet the old monk, and walk over hesitantly, "What's the Master's explanation?"

The old monk, who had been looking at them for a long time, pointed to Yun Yanhui, who was holding her, "Donor, today is the Buddha's birthday. I will distribute the water for bathing the Buddha for the sake of bonding. However, the poor monk seems to have a problem with Ling Lang. But it is because of a predestined relationship with the Buddha."

As if I knew everything.

Zheng Ping was shocked, "This, this..."

Yun Yanhui and the old monk looked at each other, and in less than a second, she looked away as if nothing had happened, and shouted with a smile, "Auntie wants to drink sugar water."

The old monk was stunned for a moment, and said a little depressedly: "Donor, although this is not Ling Lang, it is really Buddha-nature."

Zheng Ping: "..."

This time, Zheng Ping also understood. I'm afraid the monk was trying to deceive her just now. So he said helplessly: "Master, this is indeed my son. He is not called Auntie, but said that my daughter Yiyi wants to drink sugar water."

This is embarrassing...

There was a trace of annoyance on the old monk's face, and he said that the pair looked like mother and son!

The old monk and Zheng Ping both thought it was a misunderstanding caused by a homophone. In order to ease the embarrassment, he gave Zheng Ping some sugar water, and after watching them drink it, he said, "The name of the poor monk is clear."

Zheng Ping exclaimed: "Master is the Zen master?"

He nodded knowingly.

There are monks from Daxiangguo Temple next to this place. No one said that the registration number was wrong, so it must be correct.

Zheng Ping's attitude changed all of a sudden. Before, she still wanted to leave quickly. After knowing that the other party was the Zen master, she immediately became enthusiastic, as if the monk was deceiving him just now...

Yunyan was wondering, why, is he still a famous monk?

It's strange to say that the monks of Daxiangguo Temple should not cheat like the gangsters of the rivers and lakes, right? If you want to make money, with such a good location and background, what can you do without making money? There are many monks doing business in this temple, especially this one is a little famous, so why does he lie to women and children?

Until later, Yun Yanhui didn't know that he really felt that Yun Yanhui and Buddhism had a fate. The old monk studied each other, observed his behavior, measured his temperament, and thought about his eyes. Mind, so "love at first sight", moved my heart.

At this moment, from the conversation between Zheng Ping and Lingran, Yun Yanhui knew that this old monk was famous because of his excellent medical skills. Daxiangguo Temple often helps the poor and disasters, and it is often obliged to treat diseases for the common people, so it has a great reputation.

Because of this, Yun Yanhui has a better sense of him, although he still doesn't understand why he is making fun of others. He said he would be a monk and not lie... Well, forget it, this is a monk The age of brothels.

Besides, who doesn't have a headache, especially when the medical conditions in ancient times were so poor, it is very important to befriend a doctor.

Seeing that Zheng Ping and Ling Ran became more and more speculative in their chat, Ling Ran had already given up the job of distributing the Buddha's water, and asked to give their family of three a pulse.

If it wasn't for her clear eyes and no evil thoughts, Yun Yanhui would have thought that the old man had taken a fancy to his mother!

——When it was clear that Yun Yanhui was really suitable for being a monk, Yun Yanhui realized that the old monk was interested in people, but not his mother, but him.

Fortunately, Zheng Ping also had a soft attitude, but firmly refused to let Yun Yan go back to the monkhood. It is one thing to believe in Buddhism and to respect it, but it is another thing to let her son become a monk.

But because it was clear, she also said that in the future, Yun Yan could come back often to receive edification. It is okay to believe in Buddhism without leaving home.

Although it's a pity, I didn't cheat and didn't force it. I even sent them a few packets of traditional Chinese medicine, saying that it could prevent the epidemic, in exchange for Zheng Ping's various thanks.

This person sells Amway and delivers medicine. No matter how surprised Yun Yanhui is, he can't help but believe it. He really wants him to join the monk's team.

This really made Yun Yanhui laugh and cry. He couldn't see where he seemed to be suitable for being a monk. Could it be that he had accidentally put one finger on the sky and one finger on the ground before?