Xiangzi glanced at County Magistrate Liu hesitantly, and County Magistrate Liu immediately smiled "hehe" and said, "When Buddhist friends meet each other, they are very affectionate, you can go, and I will go back to the government by myself." ”

Kong Qingwen hurriedly came over and said, "I'll send you back to the county office." ”

Xiangzi followed Xiuzhi to the Buddhist hall in the inner courtyard, and before entering the door, there was a faint scent of sandalwood coming to his face.

The main wall of the Buddhist hall is hung with the portraits of the three saints of the West, which is the handwriting of Kong Qingwen at a glance. Under the portrait of the three saints, a delicate long offering table is placed with various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and several statues of ghosts and gods.

Seeing Xiangzi come in, Mrs. Kong hurriedly stood up from the futon and said with a smile, "I didn't delay your business, did you?" ”

Shoko smiled softly and said, "Out of the way, out of the way." ”

As he spoke, he glanced thoughtfully at the Buddha Hall.

Seeing this, Mrs. Kong asked sincerely, "Look at the layout of this Buddhist hall, is there anything wrong?" ”

Xiangzi smiled modestly and said, "The portrait of the three saints of the West is very good, and the statue of the god on the offering table has some words. ”

Mrs. Kong looked pious and said, "Please give me some advice, I don't know anything about this." ”

Xiangzi smiled at her and said, "The statue of ghosts and gods cannot be offered together with the statue of Buddha and Bodhisattva." Because ghosts and gods, like us, are all beings of the six realms, and they are students of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and they cannot be on an equal footing with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. ”

Old Mrs. Kong, with a somewhat panicked face, said: "I really don't know about these, I asked the old man to buy the statue when he came across it when he went out to do business." These were all bought from the ancient city. ”

Xiangzi selected one of them, a bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and a porcelain statue of Guanyin, and placed them in the center. He also piled aside the rest of the others, such as the Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor and the Dragon King, and said, "These don't need to be placed on the altar." ”

Mrs. Kong hurriedly asked, "Where do you put them?" ”

Shoko smiled and said, "If it's a valuable antique, leave it for collectibles." The rest, can be sent to the corresponding temple for offerings. ”

When Mrs. Kong heard this, she smiled happily and said, "Oh, I only know that I change fresh fruits for them to eat every day, burn incense and kowtow to them, and I don't know that there are so many exquisite miles." ”

Xiangzi smiled gently at her and said, "Actually, the offerings in the Buddha Hall are all used to speak the Dharma. ”

Seeing that the old lady was listening intently, she walked to the offering table and continued: "The Buddha hall is the same as the temple, and all offerings, including the statues of the Buddha and Bodhisattva, are used to express the Dharma. The Buddha statue is enshrined because the Buddha and Bodhisattva are our teachers, and the Buddha statue reminds us not to be ungrateful to our teacher;

Offering flowers and fruits means that everything is inseparable from cause and effect. The flower shows the cause, and the effect shows the effect, that is, there is a cause to have an effect; The water supply in front of the Buddha means that our hearts should be as quiet and equal as water;

Offering lamps and candles reminds us to be like lamps and candles, selfless and fearless, burning ourselves and illuminating others; When reciting in the morning and evening, it reminds us to keep the precepts and seek wisdom and firm faith. If you don't understand these truths, you can easily fall into superstition. ”

After listening to Xiangzi's story, the old lady was stunned for a while, and then as if she suddenly realized, she patted her knee and said, "If you don't say it, I'll still be in the dark." I thought it was a Buddha and a Bodhisattva who wanted to eat and drink, but I really didn't know that there were these things in it. I can't imagine that you know so much at such a young age. ”

Xiangzi smiled modestly and said, "I lived in the monastery for a while and listened to the master. ”

The old lady muttered to herself contemplatively, "No wonder. ”

After being silent for a while, the old lady said thoughtfully: "The master who listened to the lecture said that reciting the Buddha can purify people's hearts, and they can be reborn in the Western Elysium in the future. But I have to recite at least 1,000 Buddha names every day, and I have been chanting them for several years. My mouth is dry all day long, and my heart is still messy, I don't know what's going on. ”

Seeing the old lady, she looked aggrieved and confused. Shoko smiled softly at her, helped the old man to sit on the futon, took the futon herself, and sat opposite the old lady.

Then, in a calm tone, he said, "The chanting of the Buddha is composed of the words 'Jin' and 'Heart'. In other words, reciting the Buddha is reciting with the mind of the moment, not from the mouth. Gu Dade said: The heart of the mouth is scattered, and it is in vain to shout the throat. In other words, we should recite the Buddha in our hearts. ”

The old lady looked a little impetuous and said, "When I recite the Buddha, my mind just can't calm down. It seems that when I don't recite it, I don't have so many delusions, and when I start reciting the Buddha, the delusions go out one after another, and I can't do anything about it. ”

The old lady said, looking depressed.

Xiangzi smiled comfortingly at her and said, "It's normal to have delusions when reciting Buddha. When you recite the Buddha, you feel that there are more delusions than usual, because when you recite the Buddha, your mind is relatively quiet, and the delusions are easier to perceive. So, you'll feel more than usual. ”

After a pause, Shoko continued: "Actually, chanting Buddha is a very relaxing and enjoyable thing, and there is no need to have any burden. ”

The old lady rushed to say with an aggrieved face: "I'm just anxious, I want to read a famous hall as soon as possible, and I have some confidence in my future life." ”

Xiangzi nodded and said with a smile: "There are many old people, all in the same mood as you. As a result, the more I miss the Buddha's kung fu, the more anxious and irritable I become. This is also the truth that the ancients said, if you want to hurry, you can't reach it. ”

After being silent for a while, Xiangzi smiled kindly at the old lady and said, "I heard that there is a Dharma recitation, which is simple and easy and effective. ”

The old lady's spirits suddenly perked up, and she couldn't wait to say, "Come and listen." ”

Xiangzi smiled slightly and said, "This method of chanting the Buddha is called 'watching the thief' and reciting the Dharma. To recite the Buddha is to ask for a pure mind, and to be delusional is to steal a pure mind. Except for morning and evening classes, you usually don't need to deliberately recite the Buddha horn enough, but focus on watching the thief.

The thief doesn't move, you don't move. If the thief moves, immediately lift the Buddha's name and drive it away. The thief runs, stops the Buddha's name, and continues to pay attention to awareness. Reciting the Buddha in this way, over time, the number of thieves will gradually decrease, and the mind will naturally become more and more calm. The key to this method is: not afraid to remember, only afraid to wake up late. ”

The old lady closed her eyes and felt it for a while, then smiled happily and said, "Well, it really works!" ”

Xiangzi smiled with relief and said: "This method is very simple, as long as you are sitting and lying on the line, always be vigilant against that thief, there is no pressure at all." ”

The old lady said happily, "Oh, thanks to you today, otherwise, I would have been so confused, and I don't know where I would be reborn in the future." You need to take the time to talk to me more. ”

Xiangzi said goodbye happily, and the old lady hurriedly asked Xiuzhi to send Xiangzi out.

When she arrived at the gate of the courtyard, Xiuzhi looked at Xiangzi with strange eyes and said, "I can't see it, you are still a rare all-rounder."

Not only is the martial arts strong, but the courage is outstanding. Moreover, I am well versed in Buddhism, and our family has been impressed by you from old age to young age. ”

Xiangzi smiled at her modestly and said, "It's not as mysterious as you say, it's all skin." ”

Xiuzhi groaned slightly, as if she had mustered up her courage, blushed slightly, and snorted: "You promised your aunt to come often, it won't be perfunctory, right?" ”

Shoko listened and paused slightly. Looking at Xiuzhi's appearance of wanting to speak and stopping, he smiled gently and said, "I will come often." ”

When Xiuzhi heard this, she twisted her body slightly happily and said hesitantly, "I want to worship you as a teacher." ”

Xiangzi couldn't help but laugh, looked at her suspiciously, and said, "What can I teach you?" ”

Xiuzhi swept away the shy color and said: "I want to learn from you how to ride a horse and shoot a gun, as well as martial arts." ”

The smile on Shoko's face suddenly froze. He muttered to himself, "It's all hard work, learn what to do." ”

Xiuzhi shook her graceful body coquettishly. muttered: "Don't underestimate people, I'm a school athlete, sprint and long jump, all the champions of the school." ”

Shoko glanced at her suspiciously and smiled at her noncommittally.

Xiuzhi clapped her hands happily and said, "Great, you agreed." ”

Looking at Xiuzhi, a childlike and cheerful appearance, Xiangzi couldn't bear to say anything more.

He smiled and nodded at her, and stepped off his horse.