Once upon a time there was a hermit who lived in a forest at the foot of the mountain and spent his days praying and doing good deeds. In order to worship God www.biquge.info he had to carry two loads of water up the mountain every night. The wind is tight and water is scarce, so even the fearful wild birds hover in the air, using their piercing eyes to find a drink, and the animals and plants are nourished and watered. Because of the hermit's devotion to him, an angel of God appeared and went up the mountain with him every day, counting his steps, and when he was finished, the angel gave him something to eat, just as the old prophet had been fed by ravens according to the will of God. The hermit was always so devout, and at last he grew old. Once, when he saw from afar a poor criminal being taken to the gallows, he muttered, "That man deserves it!" That very night, when he was carrying water up the mountain, the angel who had been with him disappeared, and no food was brought to him afterwards. He was frightened, and quickly reflected on himself, thinking that he must have sinned and enslaved God, but he didn't know that he had committed a sin there. So he lay on the ground without eating or drinking, and prayed day and night. One day he was weeping in the forest again, and he heard a little bird singing so sweetly, that his mood became even more sorrowful, and he said, "Behold how glad you sing, God is not angry with you, alas! If you can tell me how I have sinned against him, and I can atone for my sins, then my heart will be happy. "Thou hast done unrighteousness, thou hast cursed a coward who has been brought to the gallows, and therefore God is angry, and he alone has the right to judge!" But if you repent of your sins, God will forgive you. Then the angel appeared to him again, and took a dry branch in his hand, and said, "Take this branch with you until three green sprouts come out of it; But when you go to bed at night, you have to put it under your pillow. You have to go from house to house to ask for your bread, and you can't stay in the same house for more than one night. This is God's punishment for you. ”

The hermit took the branch and returned to his long absence. He eats and drinks only alms at the doorstep of the people. But many families ignored his begging, and some simply did not open their doors, so that he sometimes did not receive even a little bread. One day he went from house to house begging, but no one gave him anything from morning till night, and none of them were willing to keep him for the night, until at last he went into a forest, and found a man-made hole, and in the cave sat an old woman.

So he said, "Kind old woman, let me stay at your house for one night!" The old man replied, "No, even if I wanted to, I would not dare, I have three sons, they are savage and vicious, they have gone out to rob now, and when they come back and find you here, we are both finished." The hermit said, "Let me stay!" They will not harm you or mine. The old woman Bodhisattva's heart was touched by what he said. When he entered, the hermit lay down at the bottom of the staircase, with the branch under his head. When the old man saw this, he asked him why, and he told her that he had to wander about with the branch in repentance, and that he had to use it as a pillow at night, and that he had seen a poor criminal being taken to the gallows, and that he had angered God by saying that he deserved it. When the old man heard this, he began to weep, and only heard her say: "If God punishes you for saying something wrong, what will happen to my sons when they are judged by God?" ”

In the middle of the night, the robbers went home with a lot of noise. They lit a fire, and the cave was immediately bright, and when they saw a man lying under the stairs, they became furious and shouted at their mother, "Who is this?" Aren't we forbidding anyone to take in? But he said, "Don't touch him, he's a wretched man, atoning for his sins!" The robbers asked in unison, "What did he do?" "Old fellow," they cried, "tell us about your sins. So the old man got up and told them how he had angered God with a word, and how he would have to repent of his sins. His words moved the robbers deeply, and they were frightened by what they had done, and began to reflect carefully, sincerely repent, and resolve to change their ways. The hermit brought the three men to their senses and went back to lie down at the bottom of the stairs. The next morning they found him dead, and on the dry branch that rested under his head, three green shoots had grown high. For God had mercy on him again and took him up to heaven. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation. (To be continued.) )