Chapter 119: Toshodaiji Temple, "One Hundred Lanterns"
The Heijokyo Ruins are Japan's first World Cultural Heritage Site and are the remains of an old royal castle from the Nara period.
Under the baptism of time, only the outermost low city wall may still remain in its original appearance, while other buildings have long been destroyed and disappeared in the long river of history.
The current building is a later replica and restoration, with the new building standing on the old site.
The construction style of the entire Heijokyo was influenced by the Tang Dynasty's Chang'an City and Luoyang City of the same period. The Suzaku Gate is the main gate, and the other buildings are symmetrical along the axis on both sides of the Suzaku Avenue.
It is divided into Zuojing, Youjing, East Market and West Market, and there are a large number of Buddhist temples preserved inside.
For example, the famous Todaiji Temple and Saidaiji Temple, as well as the Tang Dynasty Shodaiji Temple where Jianzhen traveled to the east.
In the center is the Heijō Palace, which also has a Taiji Hall.
Today, there is a railway, the Kintetsu Nara Line, passing through the area between Suzaku Gate and Taigiden.
The night is gloomy and dark, it is the darkest moment before the day.
Da da da.
It was the sound of monks walking through the streets.
They hold a lotus lamp in their left hand and a string of Buddhist beads in their right hand.
They jogged along while chanting Buddhist scriptures in unison.
When the lotus lanterns in their hands formed a swastika seal due to their formation, the monks stopped running and sat cross-legged on the ground.
They placed the lotus lamps in their hands on the open space in front of them, held the Buddhist beads in both hands, and continued to chant Buddhist scriptures.
The center of the swastika seal is the Taijiden, the royal palace of the Heijokyo ruins.
Golden lines that were difficult for ordinary people to see began to spread in all directions with the lotus lamp as the center, as if forming a golden cover that enveloped the Tai Chi Palace.
The chanted Buddhist scriptures turned into light golden mantras, like flying flowers rising into the sky, covering the nearby sky.
Inside the golden Buddha light cover, a gloomy and eerie aura lingered in the Tai Chi Hall for a long time, and there were even faint signs that the Buddha light cover was about to burst outward.
"Evil creature! Why didn't you enter reincarnation earlier? Instead, you stayed in this world and killed people!"
A huge golden bronze bell dropped from the sky, gathering the surrounding light golden spells. The mouth of the bell expanded and enveloped the entire Tai Chi Hall.
All the unusual movements disappeared and everything returned to normal.
In the sky, the night was gradually driven away by the day, and a scorching sun slowly rose from the other side of the mountain, casting golden light.
"Amitabha."
At the first light of dawn, all the monks surrounding the Taiji Hall chanted the Buddha's name in unison, took the almost extinguished lotus lanterns, and began to leave the Taiji Hall in an orderly manner.
The huge golden bronze bell shrank in size at this moment and turned into a small bronze bell the size of a palm, hanging in front of the main hall door of the Taiji Hall.
As the sun shines, it sways gently and the sound of clear bells can be heard.
"It's over."
On a high ground outside the Suzaku Gate, the Moon Doll sitting on Pinggong Qianye's right shoulder murmured reluctantly.
The sun came out and it was time for her to leave.
"You should go back and rest."
"Well, see you tonight."
After saying this, the Moon Doll fell forward. Pinggong Qianye held it in his right hand and put it back into the bag.
"It's time for you to leave too."
Pinggong Qianye glanced at the shivering female ghost hiding in his own shadow.
"Don't you need me to lead the way?"
“No need. There are so many monks handling the affairs here. They must know more than you do. Besides, it is not a good thing for ghosts to stay in the world of the living for a long time.”
"Then can I be born into a good family in my next life?"
The female ghost looked up at Pinggong Qianye, with hope and pleading in her eyes.
"Before the afterlife, who can be sure what is good and what is bad?"
The female ghost wanted to say something else, but Pinggong Qianye's Dharma bowl shook gently, sucking the female ghost into the bowl, and chanted the "Nirvana Mantra" to help her to be reborn.
If Buddhist practitioners could decide whether the deceased would be reborn into a good or bad life in the next life, then the worst people would be the practitioners themselves.
The so-called salvation for the deceased is just to prevent any accidents from happening during the journey of reincarnation.
"Let's go to Toshodaiji Temple first."
Heimiya Chiye walked towards the ruins of Heijokyo in front of him.
This time when she came to Nara, the first place Chiye Heimiya wanted to go was Toshodaiji Temple, and then famous temples such as Todaiji Temple.
Because Toshodaiji Temple was a temple built under the leadership of the famous monk Master Jianzhen, it has a strong Tang Dynasty architectural style.
In the past, King Nagaya of Japan admired Buddhism and ordered people to make 1000 robes, which were sent to the eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty along with the Tang envoys, hoping that they could spread Buddhism to Japan.
It is said that each cassock has a sentence like this: "Mountains and rivers are different, but the wind and moon are the same. We are all children of Buddha, and we have formed a bond together."
When Master Jianzhen of Daming Temple in Yangzhou saw these words, he was moved by Prince Nagaya's devotion to Buddhism, which led to his six trips to Japan to spread Buddhism over the next 12 years.
After Master Jianzhen's sixth voyage to Japan, he began to lead the construction of the Toshodaiji Temple.
The red banner "Tōshōdaiji Temple" on the temple gate was written by the then Japanese Empress Koken in the style of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi.
Pinggong Qianye looked up and followed the tourists and believers around him into the gate of Toshodaiji Temple.
The first thing that catches your eye is the Golden Hall of Toshodaiji Temple, where a statue of Vairocana, the main Buddha, is enshrined. On both sides are standing statues of Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Buddha and Medicine Buddha.
In front of the three large Buddha statues, there are two small statues of Brahma and Indra, as well as wooden statues of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Next to the Golden Hall is the Drum Tower. Legend has it that the relics brought by Master Jianzhen from Japan are enshrined in this Drum Tower.
It's a pity that people are not allowed to go up to the Drum Tower for a visit.
After strolling around Toshodaiji Temple for a while, Heimiya Chiye soon attracted the attention of the monks in the temple. Two young monks came to chat with Heimiya Chiye, and after chatting for a while, they invited Heimiya Chiye to move to the monks' rooms at the back for a detailed discussion.
The monks of Toshodaiji Temple were also very interested in Heimiya Chiye, a young monk who came from Tokyo on foot to practice. When he arrived at the monk's room, Heimiya Chiye keenly noticed that many monks were sleeping in the monk's room. They must have been seriously exhausted by what happened last night, so they needed to catch up on sleep during the day.
What kind of terrifying ghost is suppressed in that Tai Chi Temple?
The person who was responsible for meeting Heimiya Chiye in the monk's room was a monk named Ono, who was about 40 years old and very talkative.
After a few words of conversation, Pinggong Qianye asked the doubts in his heart.
"When I passed by the ruins of Heijokyo last night, I noticed a Buddha's light rising into the sky from the direction of the Taiji Hall. But what big event happened?"
"This……"
Ono Shojin was hesitant. "The matter of Taiji Hall involves a long-standing secret between our temple and Todaiji and Saidaiji. It is difficult to tell the truth."
"Buddhists in the world are all one family, so why should the abbot conceal this? Perhaps I can provide you with some help."
Pinggong Qianye spoke sincerely. When it comes to exterminating evil spirits, his ability is far beyond his age.
The monk looked embarrassed, not knowing how to answer. Then he seemed to have thought of something and said with a wry smile: "If you are the Master Liansheng on the forum, that would be great."
"Which forum?" Pinggong Qianye blinked.
"There is a forum for Buddhist disciples to communicate on the Pudu app. On the forum, there is a Master Liansheng who has the same Dharma name as you."
Seeing Pinggong Qianye's strange expression, Ono Sengzheng said with a smile: "That Master Liansheng is really a great monk with boundless magical powers. He has subdued countless demons and monsters. If that Master Liansheng can come to our temple in person, I believe he can help us solve this hidden danger."
At this point, Ono Shozheng sighed and said, "It's just that I heard that Master Liansheng is stationed in Tokyo and will not leave easily."
Pinggong Qianye chuckled and said, "Is there a possibility that Master Liansheng also likes to travel, but he just can't spare the time to leave Tokyo on weekdays?"
"Hey, you are also from Tokyo, have you ever seen Master Liansheng?"
"I am the Master Liansheng you mentioned."
Pinggong Qianye pointed at himself. Ono Shojo was stunned at first, then his face turned irritated, "Monks don't tell lies."
"Yes, so I am Master Liansheng."
"..."
Ono Shozheng stood up and looked down at Pinggong Qianye in a rather rude manner. After a long silence, he sat down again and shook his head, "Impossible, you can't be the legendary Master Liansheng."
"why?"
Pinggong Qianye himself was curious. He had never posted any photos on the forum, so how did they have such a preconceived impression of Master Liansheng?
"I heard that Master Liansheng is a senior monk who is over 60 years old. He sits in meditation in the ancient temple every day. He will only leave the temple and go out to exorcise demons when demons and monsters appear."
This time it was Pinggong Qianye's turn to remain silent for a while, "Where did Monk Zheng hear this rumor from?"
“Isn’t that what everyone on the forum says?”
"..."
Pinggong Qianye took out his mobile phone from his bag, logged into the Pudu APP, and typed Master Liansheng into the search box of the forum. Soon, a lot of relevant information appeared.
There are many posts speculating about the identity of Guru Liansheng. If you open a few of them at random, you will find that most of them are fabricated. What happened to the saying that monks do not tell lies?
The most outrageous one said that he had one foot in the gate of hell and was in a state of life and death. His body was dead, but his spiritual will to exorcise demons remained, and he would automatically sense ghosts and kill them.
"Sengzheng, you'd better stop reading these messy posts in the future."
Pinggong Qianye put away his phone and gave a serious warning.
Then he handed his backend interface to Ono Shozheng to take a look, to prove that he was indeed the Master Padmasambhava on the forum.
In the past, he did intend to hide his true identity, but Hase Shuichi had already found him on the orders of his master, and Takeda Saburo's circle basically knew his identity, so there was no need to deliberately hide his identity anymore.
"Master Liansheng, you are so young..."
Ono Shomasa stood there in a daze for a long time. After he came to his senses, he hurriedly apologized to Heimiya Chiye and personally went to invite the abbot of the Toshodaiji Temple.
"It is truly an honor for our temple that Master Liansheng has come to visit. No wonder the magpies filled our door this morning. It turned out that they were here to bring us good news."
This abbot was even better at speaking than Ono Shojo. Before he even sat down, he said a lot of nice things with a smile on his face.
He hid the surprise in his eyes very well.
Pinggong Qianye exchanged a few simple greetings with him before beginning to inquire about what had transpired in the Taiji Palace the previous night.
After a brief thought, the head of the civil administration said, "The two ghosts have been sealed in the Taiji Hall since the Nara period, and nothing unusual has happened until 20 years ago, when the heaven and earth became abnormal, demons and monsters were rampant, and they also woke up from their slumber."
"They are becoming more and more powerful, and have begun to gradually affect the people near the Taiji Palace, killing many innocent girls. They are now gradually breaking through the seal."
"Last night, my temple joined hands with Todaiji Temple and Saidaiji Temple to perform the Hundred Lights Alliance Ring to suppress them again."
Hearing this, Pinggong Qianye looked slightly surprised, "Did you cast the Hundred Lights Ring last night?"
"Master Liansheng, have you also heard of this set of demon-suppressing formations?"
“I have heard of it occasionally.”
Pinggong Qianye put away the strange expression in his heart. He couldn't say that he heard it when watching anime in his previous life.
He had taken a look at it from a distance last night and found that there were still some differences between reality and animation.
The power of the Hundred Lamps Ring, which was arranged by a hundred monks holding lotus lamps, is not that strong.
"In this formation, one lamp goes out every day, and every ten days, one lamp goes out. Every time a lamp goes out every ten days, all the lamps go out at the same time."
The civil affairs director said with a worried look on his face, "In two days, it will be the time when the lights go out for the tenth day. On that night, the seal will be at its weakest. The two ghosts are very likely to take this opportunity to break free and wreak havoc on the world."
"I see."
Pinggong Qianye nodded. This additional explanation did not surprise him.
I think this is also the reason why the civil servant is willing to tell me so much. They need external help to be more confident in suppressing the two ghosts.
"Master Liansheng, can you stay in my temple for two days?"
The host Wen Zheng looked expectant and expressed his request.
Pinggong Qianye just smiled and said, "I just don't know if those two ghosts can recognize the Buddhist teachings from Tokyo."
The abbot was stunned for a moment and said, "I think the Buddha's teachings are boundless, and they should be able to listen to Master Liansheng's wonderful teachings."
(End of this chapter)
