Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 246 Tongtai Temple

Purple Mountain rises from the plain, with towering peaks, like a dragon entrenched in the east of Jiankang City, and is particularly majestic. Because the rocks are purple, there are often purple clouds on the top of the mountain, which is why it is called Purple Mountain.

The mountains and forests are moistened by the purple clouds, and are always green and lush. Flowers bloom all year round and fruits are abundant. There are gurgling streams in the mountains, and monkeys, cranes, and deer roam leisurely. It is truly a paradise on earth.

Since ancient times, Purple Mountain has been regarded as the seat of royal aura in Jinling, the residence of the emperor, and a symbol of imperial power, and outsiders have never been allowed to interfere.

But after the founding of the dynasty, Xiao Yan gave Purple Mountain to Buddhism and built a large Buddhist temple on the mountain. Over 20 years, he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build a grand temple forest of steles. Xiao Yan personally named it "Tongtai Temple", which means to prosper with the country.

The gate of Tongtai Temple faces south and is majestic and solemn, like the gate to heaven leading to the Buddhist kingdom.

In the early morning, flocks of cranes flapped their wings and flew out from the depths of the forest. Their pure white feathers shone with a soft halo under the interweaving of morning light and fairy mist. Their high-pitched calls echoed through the valley, awakening the sleeping Purple Mountain.

Faint Buddhist sounds came from Tongtai Temple on the top of the mountain. The melodious chanting continued at night, containing great compassion and great power. It protected the people of Jiankang City day and night, keeping them away from nightmares and feeling the Buddha's compassion at all times.

Passing through the mountain gate, climbing up the stone steps that seem to be opened by magic, you can see eight hundred Arhat stone sculptures on both sides of the road. Those Arhat statues of different shapes, some majestic, some compassionate, and some indifferent, contain powerful magic power far beyond the stone statues, guarding the only way up the mountain. All evil demons and heretics have no hope of climbing to Tongtai Temple on the top of the mountain!
The top of Zijin Mountain was leveled by divine power to build this magnificent Buddhist temple.

The most eye-catching thing in Tongtai Temple is the towering Buddha statue in the square in front of the temple. It is a hundred feet high, with a solemn appearance, one hand pointing to the sky and the other pointing to the ground, which means "I am the only one in heaven and on earth"!
At the feet of the giant Buddha statue, there are golden statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, with their eyes wide open and holding various magical instruments in their hands, suppressing all evil spirits in the world.

Under the watchful eyes of the Buddha and the Four Heavenly Kings, the 9,990 chanting monks of Tongtai Temple sat cross-legged in the huge square, chanting day and night, regardless of cold or heat, rain or shine.

Although chanting sutras in front of the Buddha is very tiring, it is of great benefit to one’s personal practice and is a great honor. Only the most pious and steadfast monks are qualified to become chanting monks.

A novice monk like Faxiu who has just entered the temple is not qualified to sit there and chant sutras all day long. He must first practice Buddhism for a few years and do miscellaneous work for a few years.

He got up before dawn, followed a group of newly initiated brothers to do morning lessons, and began to sweep the temple at dawn. Now that the sky was bright, he carried a bucket and followed a group of brothers to Toudao Ridge to fetch water.

When he passed by the square in front of the temple, although he had seen it many times, he was still shocked by the scene of thousands of monks chanting scriptures.

He endured it all the way out of the temple, and then he couldn't help asking the senior brother in charge, "Aren't those chanting monks tired or hungry?"

"Of course." The manager brother said as a matter of course: "With the blessing of Buddhism, they can go without food, drink, or sleep."

"That's awesome! When can I join?" The other brothers were envious when they heard this.

"First, you must behave well and don't be lazy when working and practicing. The head master will see this and will naturally give priority to recommending you." The senior brother took the opportunity to preach, paused and said, "Second, you must wait for a senior brother to pass away and a vacancy will be vacated."

"After passing away, can we really be taken to the Western Paradise by the Buddha?" Faxiu asked curiously.

"Didn't you hear what Grandmaster Zhendi said in person? How could it be false?" The brother in charge rolled his eyes at Faxiu, disliking him for daring to use a questioning tone.

"How long does it usually take?" The other monks were only concerned about when it would be their turn.

"It depends on your aptitude and understanding. The fastest is three or four years, but the slowest will not exceed twenty years." The senior brother said leisurely and fascinatedly, "I have been waiting for five years. The day before yesterday, my uncle said that it will be my turn soon, and asked me to be prepared. In a few years, I will go to heaven!"

"Wow, congratulations, senior brother. Congratulations, senior brother!" The young monks were extremely envious.

"Haha, you don't have to be envious. You will have opportunities if you perform well." The senior brother suppressed the upturned corners of his mouth and said to his fellow monks, "Only the most outstanding monks can pass the layers of selection and enter Tongtai Temple. You are already successful enough to stand here." "Yeah!" The young monks straightened their chests and suddenly felt that carrying water and sweeping the floor every day was also a very honorable thing.

"Brother, when I was in the Lower Academy, I heard that some lay Buddhists could also practice on Purple Gold Mountain?" Faxiu asked again, puzzled, "Why don't they have to go through the selection?"

"Indeed, some donors of noble status and with great contributions can be allowed to practice in Purple Mountain. However, they cannot live in the temple like you do, and can only live in huts in the mountains."

"Look, in front is the residence of Prince Shaoling." The senior brother pointed to a simple courtyard beside the road and said, "He would stay there when he went up the mountain to worship Buddha."

"Oh, so simple?" The monks couldn't help but click their tongues.

"Nonsense, are they here to enjoy themselves? To practice cultivation, one must abandon all material desires and be free from all desires!" The elder brother said angrily, "How could you be so superficial? You still want to be a chanting monk? Dream on!"

"Then can we bring women up the mountain?" At this time, the young monk Faxiu asked in a shocking tone.

"You're getting more and more outrageous!" The senior brother was furious when he heard this. He was about to explode, but when he saw that it was Faxiu who spoke, he suppressed his anger and said, "What do you mean?!"

"I heard that many princes and nobles are unruly and licentious, and I'm afraid that they will pollute the quiet place of Buddhism." The little monk hurriedly explained.

"Stop worrying about this." The elder brother's expression eased a little and he said, "Normally, if they don't enter the temple, it's difficult for us to check. But generally, for fear of offending the Buddha, they will consciously not bring women with them."

As he said this, he clasped his hands together, looked up at the huge Buddha statue and said, "The Buddha is watching."

"That's right. We have been in the mountain for quite a while and haven't seen a single woman. Don't worry about it." The monks also laughed.

"Didn't you really see it?" The young monk had a look of disappointment on his face, and was slapped hard on the head by his senior brother.

"what are you thinking?!"

"No, no, I didn't think about anything..." The little monk covered his head and dared not say a word.

The other monks could not help but snickering, thinking that this boy looked so tender and young, and they didn't expect that he had reached the age where he wanted women.

The young monk seemed unaware of this and continued to ask the brother in charge questions, such as whose residence is this? Who lives in the bamboo house?

Although the senior monk was very annoyed, he still answered them one by one. The monks were secretly amazed. They wondered why the normally irritable senior monk Xingping suddenly changed his temper. Could it be that the young monk really had a strong backing?
I remembered that the head master had personally instructed me to take good care of this little brother named Faxiu. Anyone who dared to touch him would be expelled from the temple and killed without a burial place.

It seems to be the truth.

ps. Yesterday, things kept happening. First, my wife had an attack of otolithiasis. She felt dizzy and I took her to the hospital in the morning. In the afternoon, I thought about my son going back to school, so I checked his homework. My blood pressure went up, and I had a splitting headache. As a result, I couldn't work.

Chapter 3 will be published a little later, around nine o'clock.

(End of this chapter)