bullyxtreme 403
403
Chapter 4: The front edge of Sera Monastery?
It was Jiang Wuhua who knocked on the door.
He said anxiously: "Boss Lin, a strange monk came to the store and said some strange words."
It could be heard that Jiang Wuhua was a little angry.
Lin Ran signaled him not to be anxious and to stay calm.
Jiang Wuhua waited for a while before telling Lin Ran the whole story.
"Wearing a strapless monk's robe and a cockscomb hat?" After hearing the description, Lin Ran thought it was a typical lama's attire.
So, he followed Jiang Wuhua to the store.
Sure enough, it was a lama, praying with his hands clasped together and muttering something in front of a Tang Sancai handicraft.
The customers next to him wanted to laugh and pointed, but the lama seemed not to hear and continued to do his own thing.
It reminded him of the first time he saw Tenzin Ozu.
"Master, how can I help you?" Lin Ran stepped forward and asked.
The clerks next to him finally felt relieved when they saw that it was the boss. They were worried that the monk would affect the store's business, but they did not dare to drive him away.
After all, in their impression, monks are good at martial arts.
Whether it was because the prayer ceremony was over or because he heard Lin Ran's inquiry, the lama slowly put down his hand and looked at Lin Ran.
"I didn't expect to see the Buddha statue of Master Wu Xuan in the capital. It was indeed a worthwhile trip." His face was full of piety.
Following his gaze, it was just a Tang Sancai Buddha statue made by Wei Chengbin.
Wei Chengbin didn't know the origin of this Buddha statue. He just studied it based on the pattern in the book.
Knowing that people liked Buddha statues, we stepped up efforts to produce them.
"Master, what is Master Wuxuan?" Lin Ran thought to himself that this should be the culture of Tibetan Buddhism. He was not very clear about it. Now that he had encountered it, he wanted to take the opportunity to find out more.
"Amitabha." The lama explained, "In fact, Master Wu Xuan is the Buddha mentioned in ancient scriptures. In fact, I only know the name of Jingzen Sect and a leftover portrait."
His face was full of sadness: "All history stopped 1000 or two hundred years ago."
1000 two hundred years ago?
Lin Ran calculated in his mind that it was the era of Tang Wuzong's rule.
He suddenly realized that in the early Tang Dynasty, Buddhism flourished.
However, when he took office, the country's economy was already stretched thin.
At the same time, due to long-term war and oppression, people are more inclined to pray to gods and Buddhas to protect themselves.
In this context, Tang Wuzong, who was at the apex of secular power, began to resent the Sangha economy represented by monasteries.
During the Tang Dynasty, the number of temples increased rapidly.
Especially during the Wu Zhou period, Empress Wu Zetian, in order to show that power came from destiny, downplayed people's rebellious mentality towards her ascendancy.
She began to promote Buddhism vigorously. She only used Buddhist ideas to publicize public opinion among the people and whitewash herself.
He also built Yunyuan on a large scale across the country and granted land.
According to the law at that time, each monk could be allocated thirty acres of land, and nuns could also be allocated twenty acres.
The most serious situation at that time was Luoyang. For a time, eighty percent of the land and houses in the world belonged to monks.
However, under this kind of propaganda, the people had the idea of converting to Buddhism, but instead despised the royal power.
As a result, a vigorous campaign to exterminate the Buddha was launched.
A large number of temples were overthrown, monks were killed, Buddha statues were torn down, and books were burned. The scale was actually no less than the burning of books and the entrapment of Confucians.
Lin Ran looked at the Buddha statue thoughtfully.
Wei Chengbin's level is really high, and his imitations can even be worshiped by lamas.
The lama continued: "No wonder the abbot spared no effort to come to the capital. He didn't expect that there are so many fates hidden here."
Then, he directly took out a Dzi Bead and handed it to Lin Ran.
Lin Ran was shocked: "Master, what are you doing?"
"I don't have anything valuable on me. This dzi bead is my most precious item. I hope it can be exchanged for that Buddha statue." The lama clasped his hands together and said, "I also ask the donor to help me."
Lin Ran took the dzi bead and held it between his fingers. When he looked carefully, he saw that it was a six-eyed dzi bead!
He immediately waved his hand and said: "Master, you are really losing money by exchanging Dzi beads for Buddha statues."
Everyone else in the store was stunned.
Some knowledgeable people among them knew that the beads in Lin Ran's hands were the legendary Dzi beads, each of which was priceless, and they couldn't help but be shocked.
The young monk's attack was neither light nor heavy.
The lama sighed and explained: "Donor, I really don't have any money. Can you please bear the pain and transfer the Buddha statue to me?"
He misunderstood what Lin Ran meant. After all, in the eyes of monks, the status of Buddha statues was far different from that in ordinary eyes.
The smart customers around him had already reacted. They all thought that Lin Ran would accept the Dzi Bead.
Judging from his appearance, it is very likely that the Dzi Bead is real.
This is an absolute bargain!
Lin Ran smiled and returned the dzi beads to the lama: "Master, the price of dzi beads is far more valuable than that Buddha statue. I can't accept your dzi beads."
"Ah?" When the lama saw that Lin Ran refused to accept the Dzi beads, he couldn't help showing a somewhat frustrated expression.
As expected, he was a young monk, and his state of mind was not at home yet.
At this time, a customer with ulterior motives came to the counter and said to the clerk: "Sell me that Buddha statue."
The Buddha statue only costs 30 yuan, but you can exchange it with the lama for dzi beads, so you can make money no matter how you think about it.
Since the boss doesn't make this money, they won't mind.
Unexpectedly, Lin Ran said to the customer: "This master has not given up the goods and cannot give them to you."
"I said it would be interesting for you to open a store, but you won't sell it to him or me. What do you want?" The customer was a little anxious. He knew the price of Dzi beads.
Lin Ran asked the clerk to take down the Buddha statue, handed it to the lama, and said, "Actually, this is not the real Master Wu Xuan, but a copy made by our craftsmen."
With that said, he showed the signature on the base of the handicraft to the lama.
When the lama saw the signature, he immediately understood that it was a fake.
He didn't know that this was a handicraft store. The writing he learned was very different from that of the Han people. He just saw the historical atmosphere here and wanted to come in and take a tour.
"Hey, if the real Master Wu Xuan can be brought back to the temple, the abbot should be relieved." The lama sighed.
"What happened to your abbot?" Lin Ran asked curiously.
"The abbot left something in the capital and felt sorry for the Dharma King. He stayed up all day without eating or sleeping... The young monk came to the capital just to find a solution." The lama sighed.
"Abandoned in the capital? Abbot?"
This is not an era of high-speed rail. There are very few Tibetan Buddhist abbots who come to the capital.
"Master, which temple do you come from?"
"The poor monk comes from Sera Monastery in Tibetan area."
Sera Monastery?
Lin Ran felt as if he had been struck by lightning and asked, "Is the abbot you are talking about Tenzin Odup?"
Instantly, it was the Lama's turn to be surprised.
"Donor, how do you know the abbot's common name?"