There are cracks along the edge of the bowl, and the bamboo chopsticks have faded and turned white, I don't know how long they have been used.

"I'm tired of the donor. ”

Holding the pair of dishes and chopsticks, the old monk stood up and handed the bowl to the middle-aged man who paused.

"This ......"

Looking at the bowl handed over by the old monk, the middle-aged man turned his head again and looked at his mother,

"Master, it's all at home, so you don't have to be so polite, just give the master a bowl of porridge, it should be our inhospitable hospitality. ”

The old lady stood up and persuaded,

"My wife, I am also a believer in Buddhism, this monk has come here, and I am still willing to eat a meal. Master, don't worry, these stir-fried dishes are vegetarian, on weekdays, my wife and I eat this on the fifteenth day of the new year, if the master is not used to eating these, I will fry two more. ”

"The donor can give a bowl of porridge, and the poor monk is already grateful, and he doesn't dare to ask for it anymore. The old monk shook his head.

"That'...... I'll ask Decheng to serve you a bowl of porridge first, master, look, if you want to eat something, you can clip it yourself. The old lady spoke, and looked at her son,

When the middle-aged man heard this, he took the bowl handed over by the old monk,

"Then master, I'll go and serve you a bowl of porridge. ”

"Thank you, donor. The old monk bowed and thanked him.

"The master is polite. The middle-aged man answered, took the bowl, and turned his head to look at Lian Ge,

"That young man, do you drink saliva first, or do you ......?"

"Just pour a bowl of water. Thank you. Lian Ge looked at the middle-aged man and responded.

"Nacheng, master, little brother, you two wait ......"

Nodding, the middle-aged man turned and walked into the kitchen.

......

“...... The master came all the way from out of town?"

Looking at the old monk's bag and the branch, the old lady asked aloud,

When the old monk heard this, he nodded,

"Master, where are you going?"

"Go to my Buddha's place. The old monk turned his head, and through the door of the hidden hall, he seemed to look into the distance, and replied,

"Amitabha Buddha ......"

"Amitabha. ”

When the old lady heard this, she folded her hands and chanted, and the old monk also folded her hands and bowed her head to chant.

......

On the side, Lian Ge heard the voice, glanced at the old monk, and paused.

Withdrawing his gaze, he didn't say much.

"Young man, you're from out of town, aren't you?"

The old lady turned her head and said to Lian Ge,

"Come out and take a look. Lian Ge nodded and responded,

"Come out and take a look......" the old lady replied, paused, then turned her head and looked at the old monk,

“...... It's been a while since the master came out, right?"

Looking at the old monk, the old lady accosted,

"It's been a while. The old monk nodded, and responded,

When the old lady heard this, she was about to continue talking,

The middle-aged man walked out of the kitchen again with a bowl of porridge and a bowl of water.

......

"Master, this is your porridge, little brother, this is the water you want. ”

The middle-aged man handed the bowl of porridge to the old monk, and handed the bowl of water to Lian Ge,

"Thank you. Lian Ge took the water, thanked him, took a sip, turned his gaze, and then looked at the old monk,

The old monk also took the porridge and thanked the middle-aged man.

"Thank you, donor. ”

"You're welcome, master, little brother. ”

The middle-aged man shook his head, withdrew his hand, and sat down next to his wife.

......

The old monk took the bowl of porridge, did not put it down on the table, did not pick up the vegetables, took the pair of somewhat faded chopsticks, gently plucked it on the porridge, and then leaned over and lowered his head to eat.

"Master, let's have some food. ”

Seeing this, the old lady greeted her and said,

"Thank you, but a bowl of porridge for the poor monk is enough. A few donors can eat, and if the poor monks disturb them, then ......"

The old monk took the bowl of porridge, answered the voice, and was ready to get up.

"Don't bother, don't bother...... The master is good at his own convenience. The old lady hurriedly spoke up and picked up the chopsticks again.

......

"I haven't consulted yet, Master. ”

At the table, the old lady's family was eating, the middle-aged man was sandwiching vegetables to his wife from time to time, and the old lady was eating, talking to Lian Ge and the old monk from time to time.

The old monk sat a little farther away, drinking porridge,

Lian Ge sat aside, holding the bowl of water, and didn't say anything, watching quietly,

"The poor monks are empty. The old monk paused and replied to the old lady,

"Zen Master Junkong. The old lady folded her hands and bowed slightly towards the old monk.

"I don't dare to call myself a Zen master, the poor monk is just a monk who has been ordained in a barren mountain and wild temple. The old monk shook his head and said.

When the old lady heard this, she hesitated, and seemed to know what to call it,

"Ascetic and diligent, ragged and dusty, but dustless in the heart, can naturally be regarded as a Zen master. ”

On the side, Lian Ge glanced at the old monk and the old lady, picked up the bowl of water and took another sip, smiled slightly, turned his gaze back, and said in a calm tone,

Hearing this, the old monk and the old lady turned their heads and looked at Lian Ge,

"This little brother is right, in order to seek Buddha, Zen Master Jiekong has walked so far and deserves the title of Zen master. ”

The old lady turned her head and said with a smile at the old monk.

"Amitabha Buddha ......"

When the old monk heard this, he was silent, shook his head, and just read it again.

......

"Zen Master Jikong, my wife and I are also a believer in Buddhism, on weekdays, I also eat fasting and recite Buddha, and I always have a few Buddhist scriptures at home. When I have free time, I also go to the town next door, and the great monk in the temple will unravel it.

This time it is rare to meet a Zen master, and I don't know if I can ask the Zen master for some Buddhism. The old lady smiled on her face, didn't pick up the dishes again, just held the chopsticks,

"Amitabha, the poor monk's Dharma is shallow, if you don't understand the true meaning, I hope the donor will forgive me. When the old monk heard this, he put down the dishes and chopsticks and folded his hands.

"Amitabha. The old lady also chanted, and then, she raised her head, looked at the old monk, and asked confused,

"Zen Master Junkong, my wife and I have believed in Buddhism since I was a child, and I need a concern in my heart because of the impermanence of the sea and the impermanence of the sea...... Since I was a child, I have followed my mother to eat fasting and pray to the Buddha, worship the Bodhisattva, and until now, it has been about 70 years...... After so many years, I can't seem to figure out what a Buddha is......" The old lady was a little confused in her eyes.

Hearing this, the old monk fell silent, looked at the old lady, and lowered his head again,

“...... The donor, the poor monk, don't know, don't know what the Buddha is. ”

After being silent for a long time, the old monk said again,

“...... Since the poor monk became a monk when he was young, Master has told me what a Buddha is. When he was still young, the poor monk thought that if he saw the nature with a clear mind and obtained all the Dharma, he would be a Buddha.

The older I get, the more I see, the more confused I become, and it's just because I can't figure out what a Buddha is, so the poor monk leaves the temple......"

“...... Although the poor monk does not know what a Buddha is, he knows that if he accumulates good thoughts and does good deeds, he will eventually get closer to the Buddha. ”

After another pause, the old monk spoke up.

"Amitabha Buddha ......" The old lady was silent, then folded her hands and chanted to the old monk,

"Thank you to Zen Master Jiekong for your explanation...... Where is the Buddha?"

After a pause, the old lady asked again,

Hearing this, the old monk fell silent again, turned his head, and seemed to look farther through the door of the hall.

In the hall, there was some quiet,

......

"The poor monk is looking for ...... The poor monk thought that where his heart aspires, is where my Buddha is. ”

After a long time, the old monk said again.

"Amitabha Buddha ......"

When the old lady heard this, she folded her hands together and recited a sentence.

"The Buddha is in the sea of suffering, not on the other side. ”

On the side, Lian Ge glanced at the old monk, picked up the bowl of water, took another sip, and said in a calm tone.