Chapter 950: Thank me before today

It's cold at the top.

The eaves of the Hanging Temple are covered with white snow all year round, only melting on the annual Binghuo Day, but the Bodhi tree in the temple is still lush, occasionally with white frost hanging on a few leaves.

The old monk wore a patchwork robe, held Buddhist beads, and walked through the center of the crowd that was divided into two sides like a tide.

His sleeves fluttered.

Everyone stood up silently, bowing to welcome him.

Whether they are Buddhist believers or not, since they came to listen to the scriptures today, they all have basic respect for the strong.

The old monk put his hands together, faced left and right, returned the salute one by one, passed through the crowd, walked straight to the Bodhi tree, lifted his hem on the knotted tree roots, sat cross-legged, and picked up the scriptures on the table.

At this moment, the little novices wrapped in robes held a pile of pages and shuttled through the crowd, distributing one to each person, like distributing textbooks to waiting students.

"Jin Gang Jing."

Liang Qu touched the big characters on the pages.

The first scripture explained at today's scripture lecture assembly has a long history and can be called a classic of Buddhism, which must be read.

Opening it, the ink fragrance was rich, and in some places, if you touched it, you could still rub out the shadows of the characters.

Newly printed.

The cold wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

The old monk held up the "Jin Gang Jing" in his hand, showed it to the four directions, and the voice clearly and powerfully spread throughout Bodhi Island, not from big to small, but ringing in everyone's ears with the exact same volume.

"Before lecturing on scriptures today, I must first thank one person."

Daoist Priest Ge, the "lecturer" sitting below, waved his whisk: "Who does the Bright King want to thank?"

"Donor Liang." The old monk reached out and pointed to the golden brocade cushion five steps away from the table.

Countless gazes converged across the air.

This...

Thank me?

Liang Qu was confused, just feeling that under the "Eye Consciousness Law", his back was itchy and unbearable, and he wanted to reach out and scratch it.

"Two hundred years ago, movable type printing appeared, which was far superior to woodblock printing in form, but it did not replace woodblock printing. There were many reasons for this. The old monk is not proficient in this way and cannot say it clearly."

"Whether it was unclear printing, or mud type and lead type being easily damaged, copper type being too expensive, easily stolen, not as cheap and beautiful as woodblock printing, but all the above are small, one main reason is that the craftsmen of printing were illiterate."

Printing craftsmen would be illiterate?

Everyone was stunned.

Everyone in the field was a noble person, lacquerware toilets were only used by white buttocks, never carried by hand, how could they know such details? Only those who manage the size of the sect know.

"Literacy takes several years, you need to go to the academy. With this kind of family background, you would definitely not be a printing craftsman."

"So that's it..."

"There is such a thing, then our sect..."

"Master, our secret books are all hand-copied, not printed. How can we pass through other people's hands? In the name of reciting, letting disciples copy ten copies is enough."

Liang Qu flipped through the pages in his hand, vaguely guessing what the old monk was going to say.

A few years ago, he went to the Imperial Capital and seemed to hear someone mention it. What phonetic method was taught in the east of the city to train literate craftsmen to learn movable type printing?

"Woodblock, craftsmen only need to know how to carve 'pictures'. Movable type, however, requires craftsmen to know characters, recognize characters, and arrange characters. With the appearance of the phonetic method, they can explore it themselves in half a year, and can get started in a year."

"The 63,800 copies of the Jin Gang Jing distributed to you today are all printed with movable type in Datong Prefecture, which can be said to spread the classics and history of the world."

Everyone suddenly realized.

Never thought it was for this reason.

Speaking of the event halo on Liang Qu, there are too many, but forgot this "small object" from the humble time, which caused such waves a few years later.

"In this way, my Louguan Terrace indeed bears this sentiment. In the past two or three years, there have been many movable type printed classics. Louguan Terrace thanks Baron Xingyi here." Daoist Priest Ge bowed to thank him.

The sects of the world are respected by the orthodoxies, and the Buddhist and Daoist sects are the leaders among the orthodoxies.

Whoosh.

The crowd rose again.

The five great orthodoxies, plus the Yunhe Valley, Beiling Sword Sect, Canghai Gate...

"You are polite, you are polite. It was created by the teachers and mountain chiefs of the academy, I dare not take credit."

Liang Qu grinned and returned the salute.

Regardless of whether they are sincere or not, everyone raised the sedan chair twice.

Popularizing classics and letting people read books is a public order and a moral high ground. If anyone really sings the opposite, they must be pulled out and spat on.

After the opening episode.

The old monk opened the "Jin Gang Jing".

Everyone restrained their thoughts and listened carefully.

"Looking at the 'Jin Gang Jing', there are thousands of principles, but one cannot ignore a word here: 'Those who speak of the Dharma, have no Dharma to speak of'."

That is, the true Buddhist Dharma cannot be fully carried by language. Everyone needs to break the attachment to the words and sentences of the scriptures, like 'abandoning the boat after crossing the river'. The Buddhist Dharma is only a tool for enlightenment, not the purpose.

I chose this word as the opening, hoping that all donors will keep it in mind. Today and even the scripture lecture assembly for more than twenty days are all the words of the old monk. If you feel it is right, you can taste it carefully. If you feel it is wrong, do not be attached to the appearance."

"Amitabha."

The audience responded with the Buddha's name.

"Today's first product, 'Thus I have heard, the World Honored One had a thousand people, finished eating and washed his feet, spread the seat and sat... Please turn to, the book says..." The pages rustled.

Monks like Master Huai Kong held pens to record.

The old monk chose pages and words to explain, easy to understand, deep and shallow.

The shadows on the ground gradually shortened.

Half an hour passed in a flash, from eight o'clock to nine o'clock, little novices shuttled between the cushions, carrying teapots to pour tea for people.

"Ha"

A yawn was interrupted violently halfway, like pinching a nose.

The old monk stopped turning pages.

"The third product is finished, everyone can rest for a while."

Splash!

Suddenly liberated.

Buddhist scriptures spread out, pages turned by the wind.

Low communication began in the field. Xu Zishuai turned his head to look, didn't see who yawned just now, he flipped through the scriptures in his hand in confusion, poked Liang Qu's back, and shook the pages in his hand.

"Junior Brother, how come... is it really lecturing on scriptures?"

"How fresh." Liang Qu curled his lips, "Scripture lecture assembly, scripture lecture assembly, if you don't lecture on scriptures, what are you doing? Lecturing on the seventy-two stunts of Buddhism?"

"I thought..." Xu Zishuai looked around.

Xiang Zhangsong followed up: "We thought it was lecturing on cultivation experience."

Not just the few people around, the young people of the orthodoxies behind were all thinking so.

Martial Saint lecturing on scriptures.

Excited all night last night, didn't sleep, fell asleep in a daze just before dawn, and as a result, after sleeping for a few moments, had to get up again. Today, sitting on the cushion, listened for two moments, found it was completely different from what he imagined, and couldn't help but start to get sleepy.

Datong Prefect Bian Youning laughed.

"Lecturing on scriptures is lecturing on scriptures, lecturing on principles, not Dharma, not technique. If the principles match, you can draw inferences from one instance, which is indeed beneficial to cultivation. If the principles don't match, then these twenty days are just understanding one more Buddhist scripture.

However, it is difficult to match the principles. Although it is a bit vulgar, today, everyone can take it as publicity. If you really want to look forward to it, you might as well wait for Daoist Priest Ge's 'questioning' later."

"Aba Aba..."

Fantasy shattered.

"Donor, be careful with the hot tea."

"Thank you, little master." Liang Qu took the tea, distributed it to everyone, and pointed to the table not far away, "Is that a snack on it?"

"It's an oil-fried rice cake, still hot." The little novice monk turned his head, "Does the benefactor wish to have some?"

"Take some."

Porcelain plate fell.

Everyone ate the fresh oil-fried rice cakes.

Bian Youning seized the opportunity: "Do you all know why this specific oil-fried rice cake snack is served at this Dharma assembly?"

"Is there an allusion? Please tell us, Prefect Bian."

"It is said that the high monk Deshan Xuanjian of Buddhism, whose secular surname was Zhou, was nicknamed Zhou Diamond because he loved the 'Jin Gang Jing'. He heard that Zen Buddhism in the south was prosperous and didn't need hard cultivation, just enlightenment to become a Buddha, and was very dissatisfied, so he wanted to go south to debate with others."

When he traveled to Li Zhou, he saw an old woman selling oil-fried rice cakes and wanted to buy some to eat. As it turned out, the old woman saw him carrying the *Jin Gang Jing* and said, "I'll ask you a question; if you can answer it, the snack is yours for free."

Deshan was full of confidence. So the old woman asked: The Jin Gang Jing says, 'The past mind cannot be obtained, the present mind cannot be obtained, the future mind cannot be obtained.' You want a snack, which mind are you pointing at?

Deshan was sweating profusely and couldn't answer."

"This question is not simple? I know!"

Everyone looked sideways.

"What do you know?" Yang Dongxiong was curious.

Xu Zishuai wasn't afraid of getting oil on his hands; he picked up a hot oil-fried rice cake and popped it into his mouth. With one bite, the aroma of sesame wafted out, and he said indistinctly.

"It's the glutinous rice and sesame oil-fried rice cake snack in my mouth! Mmm, it's actually quite fragrant."

"Hahaha!"

The monks under the Bodhi tree laughed.

A moment of rest.

Those who needed to go to the toilet went to the toilet, and Bodhi Island gradually returned to quiet. The old monk looked at the crowd outside the tree.

"The first section is finished, do you have any questions? Today's questioning, everyone can do it, and don't be limited to the 'Jin Gang Jing'. Buddhist scriptures, life principles, all can be asked."

No one answered.

Some people worried about becoming a "bird that sticks out".

Some people worried about making a fool of themselves.

The whisk waved.

"Since no one asks, then the poor Daoist has to throw a brick to attract jade." Daoist Priest Ge took on his role, "Today, the Bright King is a Buddhist Luo Han, known to the world. The poor Daoist wants to know, you, this great virtuous Luo Han, came by vow, or came by karma?"

"!"

Liang Qu's face tightened.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 951 =====