Chapter 44: Tianlong Temple

By evening, Zhao Ti took Zhou Dong and the other person out for a stroll.

Along the way, common folk were seen clapping and singing loudly, and young men and women were singing and dancing.

Dali had many ethnic groups, which the Central Plains regarded as barbarian lands, with quite different customs and etiquette; on the streets men and women walked hand in hand, flirting and laughing as if no one else were present, and no one found it strange.

Zhao Ti thought to himself, everyone says Duan Zhengchun is amorous, and the people of Dali are lively and passionate; he is also a member of the Duan imperial clan, so being amorous is hardly surprising.

Next he went to look for Wuwei Temple, thinking that when Mu Wanqing came in a few days he could return her black horse; after asking along the way and approaching, he found it was an ancient temple whose incense was not overly flourishing, yet people still came and went.

Zhou Dong said, "Young Master, the temples in Dali close later than those in the Central Plains, so we can go in and look around."

Zhao Ti nodded, then entered; he saw two or three worshippers in the Mahavira Hall offering evening incense, so he told Su Da to go buy a bundle and offered it himself.

Then he left the temple, walked around to familiarize himself with the city's terrain, and returned to the inn to rest.

Early the next morning, after finishing preparations, Zhao Ti said, "You two come with me to Tianlong Temple for a visit."

Zhou Dong hurriedly said upon hearing this, "Young Master, Tianlong Temple is the royal temple of Dali and is normally not open to outsiders. There is one public scripture lecture each month, but by my reckoning the day has not yet come; going now would likely be a wasted trip."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Guangzu is too honest; I already have a way to get in."

Zhou Dong blushed and said, "Please excuse me, Young Master."

When Zhao Ti went to Wuwei Temple last night, he had already figured out a way to enter Tianlong Temple, and at the same time thought of a person.

By his calculation, the Great Wheel Temple's Great Wheel Ming Wang, Ji Mo Zhi, from Dali Snow Mountain should be arriving very soon.

Ji Mo Zhi sent a yellow and white gold card to Tianlong Temple, saying he wished to use precious gifts to request the sword scripture of the Six Meridian Divine Sword, to be burned before the grave of his old friend Murong Bo.

Because the Great Wheel Temple's fame in the Western Regions and Tianzhu was immense, and Ji Mo Zhi's prestige spread far and wide, Tianlong Temple behaved as if facing a great enemy, feeling uncertain, and even spoke of protecting the scripture and defending the temple, inviting Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengming, to jointly practice the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Since that was the case, could he find a way to fish in troubled waters?

He was not interested in the Six Meridian Divine Sword; after all, unless he seized it by force, there was absolutely no chance Tianlong Temple would offer it voluntarily, and even if he seized it he could not use it, as the internal force required was simply too great.

As for the One Yang Finger, however, it was different; after all, there was the later example of Master Yideng, who not only passed it to Wang Chongyang but also to the four disciples of Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, and Scholar; and his interest in the One Yang Finger was greater, wanting to compare it with the Phantom Yin Finger.

Leaving the inn's gate, he headed straight out of the city; Tianlong Temple of Dali lay to the north of Diancang Mountain, with Cang Mountain at its back and Erhai Lake before it, vast and splendid within, described as having three pavilions, seven towers, nine halls, and a hundred chambers, exquisitely constructed.

Successive generations of Duan family emperors and royal family members often became monks here, so Tianlong Temple was the ancestral temple of the Dali imperial house, the most revered among all the temples of the kingdom.

The three rode horses to the outside of Tianlong Temple and saw only tranquil scenery, expansive architecture, exceedingly elegant.

After tying up the horses, Zhou Dong went to knock on the door; before long a novice monk came out and said, "This is a royal temple and does not receive outside guests; the three patrons should please return."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Go and report to Abbot Benyin; say that a scion of the Dasong imperial clan, a close friend of Great Master Lingde, Abbot of Daxiangguo Temple in Dongjing, requests an audience to discuss Buddhist teachings."

The novice monk was startled upon hearing this; Dali and the Great Song were friendly, though they had no tributary relationship, yet every few years Dali sent gifts and memorials to the Great Song, wishing to become a vassal; although repeatedly refused by the Great Song, they had persisted for a hundred years.

And Daxiangguo Temple was currently the foremost of all temples under heaven, holding annual lecture assemblies; all temples under heaven flocked to it, eminent monks and great virtues gathered, debating scriptures and difficulties, studying the inner teachings, all departing with joy and praise.

The novice monk hurriedly said, "The three honored guests please wait a moment while this little monk reports."

A moment later a welcoming monk quickly walked out from within the temple, and at the door proclaimed a Buddhist name and said, "May I ask this Young Master, are you truly of the Central Plains Huang Sect?"

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "What purpose would falsehood serve? I am close friends with Great Master Lingde, Abbot of Daxiangguo Temple in Dongjing; having finally left home once, I secretly came to tour Dali. Great Master Lingde once said the scriptures and dharma of Tianlong Temple are profound and wondrous, hence I have come to pay a visit."

When Emperor Shenzong carried out the Yuanfeng reforms, he decreed that distant branches of the imperial clan move to the western capital Luoyang; later some moved to Nanjing Yingtianfu, and by the time of Zhao Xu's Yuanyou reign, the rules were further relaxed; though they did not reside in other places, it was very common for them to travel and leave the city.

The monk, hearing this, did not find it strange: "Young Master Zhao, please come quickly; the Abbot will receive you in the meditation hall."

Zhao Ti smiled and nodded; he was indeed on close terms with the monk Lingde of Daxiangguo Temple, but Lingde had never once mentioned Dali's Tianlong Temple; not only did Daxiangguo Temple pay it no mind, many great temples of the Central Plains regarded Dali's temples as remote minor monasteries with shallow dharma, looking down on them.

Going left all the way, passing through Ruihé Gate, Huangtian Gate, then past the Prajna Terrace, he arrived beside a long corridor; at its end was the guest meditation hall. Two novice monks outside hurriedly pulled open the door, and the welcoming monk led Zhao Ti inside.

An old monk of about sixty, with a ruddy complexion, rose in the hall, pressed his palms together and said, "Patron Zhao, your honored arrival; I have failed to greet you from afar; please take the seat of honor."

Zhao Ti knew this old monk was Benyin, who by generation was the uncle of Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengming, and smiled, saying, "Great Master Benyin is too courteous. While in Dongjing I had already heard of the Master's dharma name, and also of the name of Great Master Kurong; meeting today, the Master's Buddha countenance is dignified, truly the fruit of profound cultivation."

Benyin could not help but smile all over his face: "Patron Zhao has spoken of being of the Dasong imperial clan; may I ask which..."

Zhao Ti had long prepared his explanation, saying only that he was of the line of Prince Shang, Zhao Yuanfen, now considered a distant branch, though it was not actually a poor connection; Zhao Yuanfen was Emperor Yingzong's grandfather, so saying this was not incorrect.

At this moment tea was brought; the two drank tea, and Benyin said, "Patron Zhao, does the Abbot of Daxiangguo Temple in Dongjing also know this old monk and Great Master Kurong?"

Zhao Ti took a sip of tea: "Of course he knows; within Tianlong Temple are all Dali's abdicated sovereigns and members of the imperial house. Great Master Lingde said that those who can set aside worldly glory and splendor and take refuge in the empty gate all possess great wisdom."

Benyin smiled and said, "I have long admired Daxiangguo Temple, the foremost of all temples under heaven, with its Buddhist canon vast as a sea of smoke and waves, eminent monks emerging one after another; it is a pity I have never had the chance to go."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "That is easily arranged; if the Masters of Tianlong Temple wish to go to Daxiangguo Temple in Dongjing to study the dharma, I can act as introducer."

Benyin's expression stirred, but then he sighed and said, "Since Patron Zhao is acquainted with Great Master Lingde, you must naturally be well-versed in Buddhist teachings; might I venture to ask a thing or two?"

Zhao Ti, knowing he still had doubts in his heart, smiled and said, "By all means."

The two then went back and forth in discussion; however, after only a quarter of an hour, Benyin was drenched in sweat from head to toe.

That Zhao Ti was familiar with Lingde, Abbot of Xiangguo Temple, was no empty claim; after all, Daxiangguo Temple was also a royal temple, only no member of the Song imperial house had become a monk there. Daily management of Xiangguo Temple was lax: inscribing plaques and writing eulogies, allocating funds for repairs, the appointment and resignation of abbots of the various halls required the Emperor's decree for approval; other matters were not much interfered with.

The first time Zhao Ti left the palace he went to Daxiangguo Temple; over so many years he had been a constant honored guest, and when it came to the subtleties of Buddhist repartee the words came naturally to his lips, far beyond what a temple monk like Benyin could match.

Dali had always revered Buddhism, especially the imperial house; Duan Yu's unwillingness to practice martial arts was partly because he had read Buddhist scriptures the wrong way. At this point Benyin, questioned by Zhao Ti into being utterly speechless, sweating profusely, no longer harbored any doubts in his heart.

Just as he was about to ask about a few scriptural questions that had long puzzled him, Zhao Ti suddenly rose, his face full of apology, and said, "Great Master Benyin, I have just remembered some important matters and must take my leave and hurry back to the city."