On December 3rd, a mysterious group of travelers arrived in a village next to a temple shrine in Kii's Nakusa Prefecture. Except for the first one, who wore his hair tied, the others were dressed like monks.

They did not come empty-handed, but with large quantities of food. This can be described as a relief in the snow for the people of Kii, who delayed the entire autumn harvest and had their grain stored and requisitioned. The people of the village flocked to the group of travelers, lining up to receive their food distribution. After discovering that most of them were dressed as monks, a follower of the Ichijo sect named Kintaro in the village couldn't help but ask, "Are all the masters from Shishan?" I haven't seen you in the village temple before. ”

"The poor monk came from the Western Tu Daming." The answer to Kintaro was the only monk in the crowd who had not shaved his hair, "Amitabha, good, good." ”

"Is it the master of the Celestial Empire?" In the eyes of the people of this era, the Ming Dynasty and the mysterious continent seemed to be a place where only gods could live. As soon as I heard these words, I felt longing and envy, "Then why did you come to us to give us food?" ”

"Gods and Buddhas do not sit idly by and watch any believer suffer." The leading monk replied with an unfathomable expression and an inscrutable word, "We happened to pass by, and it was fate to be able to help you. Amitabha, good, good. ”

"Thank you, master, I have thanked the master on behalf of the whole family." Kintaro took the food from the leading monk and knelt down to kowtow to the monk, but was stopped by the monk.

"Alas, alas, if you are a believer, how can you break your vows." Seeing this, the monk shook his head again and again, and looked at Kintaro with dissatisfaction, "In front of the gods and Buddhas, all beings are equal. This worship can only be worshiped to the Buddha, and how can you bow down to this monk? How can this monk bear such a big rebellion? When the Buddha knows, he will definitely punish you and me! ”

"Huh? Did the Buddha still have such rules? After hearing the monk's words, many people who wanted to leave after receiving the food stopped and gathered around the monk's side, "Master, let's talk to us again, otherwise what if you annoy the Buddha?" ”

"You monks here," the monk pointed to the temple on the hillside of the village, "Didn't I tell you?" ”

The common people shook their heads when they heard this, whispering and muttering something.

"Amitabha, sins and sins." When the monk heard this, he immediately looked very repentant, lowered his head and stirred his prayer beads, as if he was repenting for those Honganji monks, and then spoke again and whispered, "Then what did they say to you?" ”

The common people were stunned for a while when they heard this, and only then did they speak one after another under the encouragement of the monk's gaze.

"Faith is the cause, and the name is repaid."

"If a person lives for a lifetime, even if he does a lot of evil, he can transcend the Pure Land of Rebirth!"

"You don't have to shave your hair to eat fasting, you can eat meat, drink wine, marry a wife and have children, and you can practice!"

"As long as you respond to the call of the masters, contribute money and efforts for the Dharma Master and the Fang Master, and die for the Dharma Master and the Fang Master, even if the evil is full, you can go to the Pure Land of Rebirth!"

"Yes!"

"Yes, as long as you die for the Dharma Master! They will tell the Buddha about us, and they will overdo us! ”

"Yes, thanks to the masters! I don't want to live this hard life in the next life! ”

……

However, as these ordinary people talked, they found that the monks' expressions became darker and darker, and in the end they even had a little gloomy, and the rosary in his hand was also moved faster and faster by him, and there were words on his lips, as if he was confessing something.

As a result, the voices of the people became quieter and quieter, and finally it gradually fell silent. And after the monk finished reading his confession, he angrily threw the rosary to the ground and crackled and scattered to the ground, which frightened the people enough.

"How can this be true, how can this be true, Amitabha, Amitabha." The monk muttered again for a long time, then turned around and scolded in a deep voice, "These people are simply the scum of Buddhism, who deceived the Buddha and deceived the common people, and fell into the eighteenth layer of hell after death, and they will not be able to live forever!" ”

Seeing that the monk was so angry, the people looked at each other for a while. Similar condemnations, they often heard from the mouths of their lords. However, they never believed that the Honganji monks were bad people, and they respected them. Whenever there is a wedding or funeral in the village, they must be invited to recite the scriptures. Those evil lords knew that the purpose of oppressing the people was to rob the land of the temple and the people's taxes to discredit the Pure Land Shinshu. Only by believing in the Pure Land Shin Sect can you have a good life in the next life.

However, the monk from the Ming Dynasty in front of him is not quite the same. He is also a monk, so why is he so angry? Could it be that there is really something hidden?

"Master, but what is wrong with what our master here said?" Kintaro cautiously interjected while the monk was panting.

"It's not just wrong, it's a big mistake." The monk took a few deep breaths and whispered in disgust, "The Pure Land True Sect originated from the Tang Dynasty, and this monk is also a believer in the Pure Land True Sect. If you dare to tamper with the doctrine like this, the scum of Honganji Temple will never be able to live forever, and the gods and Buddhas will send down heavenly punishments! Amitabha, sins and sins. ”

"Huh?" The people were shocked when they heard this, and they couldn't speak for a long time. After a while, the chatter gradually sounded in the crowd, and some people began to shout for the monk to explain clearly.

"Listen up!" The monk seemed to be very unhappy with the noise of the crowd and shouted loudly, immediately calming the crowd. When the crowd was quiet again, the monk spoke again: "There is only one doctrine of the Pure Land True Sect, you remember—"

The monk dragged out his voice, satisfying everyone's appetite, and then said aloud:

"Justification by faith!"

·

"Master, what do you mean?" Kintaro obviously didn't understand the new word, and asked in surprise.

"Even you, the believers, regardless of men, women, children, good or evil, good or evil, personal practice, do not care about donating money to Honganji and responding to the call of the Lord to fight for Honganji. All of you—" the monk paused, and drew a large circle with his hand, enclosing everyone inside, "you can go directly to the Pure Land by faith!" As long as you believe in the Buddha in your heart, you can get the transcendence of the gods and Buddhas! ”

The monk's remarks caused an uproar in the crowd, and everyone was amazed. They exchanged heads and talked with each other, looking at the monk from the Ming Dynasty in disbelief, as if they didn't believe what they were hearing was true.

"Then you don't have to donate money to the owner in the future?"

"No, you don't."

"You don't have to give the land to the temple anymore?"

"No, you don't."

"In the future, the owner of the workshop will launch a fight, and we don't have to go?"

"No, neither." The monk waved his hand and shouted to the crowd, "As long as you believe in the Buddha in your heart, the Buddha will understand your mind and will take you beyond the Pure Land!" This is the doctrine of my Pure Land Shinshu! ”

"But we don't do anything for the gods and Buddhas, why do the gods and Buddhas overtake us?" Kintaro still couldn't believe in the good things that came to his door—could they really go to the Pure Land of the afterlife without doing anything?

"The gods and Buddhas have long seen through the red dust and cut off the relationship with the dust. What kind of money, earth, in his eyes is meaningless, and the conquest and killing is strictly forbidden by the Buddha, how can he ask you to respond? The head of the monk said in a loud voice, "If this is the case, isn't the Buddha like those vulgar warriors?" Do you think the Buddha would be such a person? ”

As soon as Yu Qiuping said this, these ordinary people who believed in Buddhism shook their heads again and again - how could the gods and Buddhas be the same as those warrior lords?

"But... If there were no owners and masters to tell the gods and Buddhas about us for us, how would the gods and Buddhas know that we believe in the Buddhas? Another middle-aged farmer asked, "Let's have to do something to let the gods and Buddhas know." ”

"No, no. The Buddha is omnipotent and omniscient. He knew 500 years ago, and 500 years later. Anything in this world, the Buddha knew. Not to mention what happened, even if it was any small thought in your heart, the Buddha knew it in his heart. With such a powerful Buddha, how could it be that the monks of Honganji Temple need to report to know whether you believe in Buddhism in your hearts or not? ”

The monk's words caused the people to ponder, and everyone was silent for a long time before finally realizing that the monk was indeed right. Gods and Buddhas are omnipotent, so how can they need to be reported by others? Everyone, you look at me, I look at you, you all have a question in your heart, but no one dares to ask. After a long time, Kintaro finally couldn't help it, and asked in a low voice:

"That's... Why do our masters and owners deceive us? Isn't the Dharma Master a good person? ”

As soon as this remark came out, it immediately attracted the scolding of the big guy. However, although everyone scolded him, they all thought about the same problem in their hearts, and they all set their eyes on Yu Qiuping, hoping that he could give an explanation.

"The Dharma Master is naturally a good person, and many monks are also good people. Without their preaching, all sentient beings would not know the existence of the Buddha and would not know that believing in the Buddha would lead to rebirth in the Pure Land. The monk shook his head and said, "But some monks have been bewitched by demons and monsters and betrayed the Buddha. It is their lust for profit and their obsession with money that they encourage you to donate money and land and follow them to war! If you do these things, you are violating the teachings of the Pure Land True Sect, and you will be punished by the gods and Buddhas! ”

"If you want to be reborn in the Pure Land, stop doing all these things. Believe in the vast and omniscient gods and Buddhas! As long as you believe in the Buddha in your heart, the gods and Buddhas will surpass you! Anyone who asks you to do things in the name of gods and Buddhas is a scum of Buddhism, a person who uses the Buddha to make profits! Because the true gods and Buddhas are compassionate, they only think about saving you, and they will not ask you to do anything! ”

·

Leaving a stunned crowd at the entrance of the village, the monk led his entourage out of the village and on their way to the next place on the trip.

"Did you learn it, that's it!" The monk pulled out a handful of rosaries from his bosom again and said to his entourage, "I can't take you all the villages, so you can learn from me for two or three days, and then go your own way!" ”

"Yes, Your Highness." The ninjas dressed as monks should be in unison, and they secretly admired the eloquence of the leader.

At this moment, the people at the entrance of the village woke up from a dream, and Kintaro, who was the most active just now, ran over, followed by several other people. Only these ninjas know that this Kintaro is actually a ninja in disguise, and he is arranged in the crowd, and he will answer the call and mobilize the emotions of the crowd.

"This master, dare to ask your honorable name!" Kintaro ran up to the monk and asked excitedly at him. Behind him, a few unsuspecting people surrounded him from the bottom of their hearts, begging the monks to keep his name.

"Mamachi Rude."