The Shaolin Abbot Born in the 1980s

Chapter 40: An Invitation from the Dharma King Temple

Dharma King Temple had been promoting itself for quite some time. Dozens of monks, both senior and junior, roamed the villages and towns daily, performing free religious rituals for the people while spreading the word that a miracle had occurred at the Dharma King Temple and that a temple fair would be held on the eighth day of the seventh lunar month to celebrate the consecration of the miraculous Great Hero Hall. During this time, many people had indeed gone to Dharma King Temple to burn incense, but the area behind the temple remained off-limits—it was said that the Great Hall of the Buddha, a miraculous structure that had descended from the heavens, stood there. Everything has been proceeding according to the Dharma King Temple’s plan, and it all seems to be going perfectly. The only fly in the ointment was that yesterday, a miracle had actually occurred again at the Shaolin Temple—a bell tower had descended right before the eyes of hundreds of onlookers. Although the miracle at Dharma King Temple was a Great Hall of the Buddha, it wasn’t witnessed by the public at the moment of its descent. Consequently, rumors inevitably began to spread, with many claiming that Dharma King Temple’s miracle was a hoax. “Look at Shaolin Temple,” they said, “their miracle appeared right before everyone’s eyes—that can’t possibly be faked.” The situation began to take a turn for the worse for Dharma King Temple. Left with no other choice, Dharma King Temple introduced a new initiative: distributing free congee. Anyone attending the Dharma King Temple fair could receive free rice porridge and steamed buns—there was enough for everyone. At that time, there were still many poor families. Upon hearing that going to burn incense would not only allow them to witness a miracle but also receive a free meal, many people were immediately drawn to the event. Whether the divine miracle was real or fake didn’t matter—as long as they could get something to eat. Combined with the fact that Dharma King Temple had been promoting the event for a long time, the entire southern entrance to Shaoshi Mountain had already been taken over by vendors well in advance. Just after the Qixi Festival, before dawn had even broken, the area was already bustling with people coming and going. Monks emerging from Dharma King Temple also announced some wonderful news: Zen Master Lizhi, the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple in The Capital and senior monk to Dharma King Temple’s abbot, Dharma King Likong, would personally attend the temple’s miraculous consecration ceremony. Daxiangguo Temple was considered the foremost Buddhist temple of the High Tang Dynasty, as it was an imperial temple where the imperial family’s religious ceremonies were routinely conducted. Perhaps in terms of martial prowess and standing within the martial arts world, the Daxiangguo Temple was not considered the foremost, but in terms of renown, as an imperial temple, it was indeed unrivaled. Generally speaking, temples have an abbot but not necessarily a head monk; the position of head monk can only be held by those with profound Buddhist scholarship and high moral standing. It is virtually unheard of for someone as young as Huo Yuanzhen to hold the position of head monk. But setting aside a young abbot like Huo Yuanzhen from a small temple, even an abbot of the stature of Dharma King Likong cannot compare to the status of Abbot Li Zhi. The abbot of the Daxiangguo Temple, as the temple’s second-in-command, is not required to perform formal courtesies when meeting the emperor—such is the stature of his position. Yet here he was, personally traveling to Henan to attend the consecration ceremony for the miraculous relic at Dharma King Temple. It seemed the story of this miraculous relic could not possibly be false. The monks of Dharma King Temple spread the news as quickly as possible, and before long, everyone attending the consecration ceremony had heard it. Eager to catch a glimpse of the eminent monk, people jostled to move forward. The already bustling area was now teeming with a sea of people, and the small vendors were grinning from ear to ear. Not only was the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple coming, but even the Prefect of Zhengzhou Prefecture was set to attend, as both the Prefect and his wife were devout Buddhists who had frequently visited Dharma King Temple to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha in the past. The Prefect had even gone so far as to declare that Dharma King Temple was the true sacred site blessed by the Buddha, while the recently hyped Shaolin Temple was nothing more than a bunch of charlatan monks. He further stated that once the sacred relics at Dharma King Temple were consecrated, he would dispatch soldiers to thoroughly investigate this newly emerged Shaolin Temple. If any misconduct were found, he would immediately order the demolition of this monastery that was causing turmoil among the common people. With the support of the eminent monks from The Capital and the Prefect, the Dharma King Temple’s fame reached unprecedented heights, and more and more people gathered on the southern slopes of Shaoshi Mountain to witness the consecration ceremony. The ceremony was scheduled to begin at noon—a strategic move by the Dharma King Temple. The longer visitors and pilgrims lingered inside the temple, the more offerings they could collect. In recent times, the temple had seen a decline in pilgrims, and with the significant expenses incurred from promoting free religious services, it urgently needed an influx of new funds; otherwise, even the monks’ basic livelihoods would be in jeopardy. Huo Yuanzhen also received an invitation from Dharma King Temple. This invitation came as a complete surprise, but when Huo Yuanzhen received it, he smiled. The invitation read as follows: “From the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, the young monk Yi Jie: I am Dharma King Likong, the Abbot of Dharma King Temple. I am seventy-two years old this year. I have studied Buddhism since childhood; by the age of five, I could recite the entire Heart Sutra by heart. At nine, I took my vows and became a formal disciple of Dharma King Temple. At seventeen, I began performing religious rites for others, earning widespread acclaim. at the age of thirty, I became the abbot; at forty-two, I assumed the title of Head Monk. I have read countless Buddhist scriptures and have come to understand the true essence of Buddhism; whatever the Buddha intended, Likong has fully grasped.” “Even so, Master Dharma King Likong would never presume to claim he can communicate with the Buddha. You, a mere young monk not yet twenty years old, have served as abbot for only two days, yet you dare to spread heretical teachings to mislead the masses and deceive your neighbors. This abbot intended to reprimand you, but alas, you are not a disciple of the Dharma King Temple. However, as the Buddha has taught, those who have renounced the world must not speak falsehoods. Even though you are not a disciple of Dharma King Temple, we share the same Shaoshi Mountain. How could this abbot stand by and do nothing while you wreak havoc on the village? I have prayed day and night for the Buddha’s guidance. By a stroke of divine fortune, the Buddha took pity on us, and the Great Hall of the Buddha was sent down from heaven to Dharma King Temple—to expose your false facade and reveal the true intent of our Buddha.” “On the eighth day of the seventh month, this temple will hold a grand consecration ceremony for the divine relic. Out of compassion and with the intention of guiding you toward virtue, I, the abbot, hereby summon you to come and witness the Buddha’s true relic, to purify your sinful heart. I hope you will come to this temple at that time to listen to the teachings and set your mind and body aright.” After reading this lengthy, pompous exhortation—a disciplinary edict delivered in an arrogant tone—Huo Yuanzhen handed it to Guan Shanyue to review. After Guan Shanyue finished reading it, he was so enraged that he nearly tore the invitation to shreds on the spot, but Huo Yuanzhen stopped him. “Yichén, what do you think? Should we go?” Guan Shanyue snorted coldly: “Senior Brother Abbot, you are the one who can truly communicate with the Buddha. What is that Dharma King Temple anyway? It would be too much of an honor for them if you went. Let your junior brother go instead—he can just set their ramshackle temple ablaze.” “Why go that far? If we do that, all the preparations we made last night will have been for nothing.” Hearing Yuanzhen’s words, Guan Shanyue smiled knowingly. “Exactly. If they want to hold the consecration ceremony, let them go ahead. Let’s see how it all ends for them in the end.” “With all this commotion, we really should go check it out.” “But Abbot, we’ve only just returned.” “Never mind. Hitch the White Horse to the carriage, and let’s head back to the Dharma King Temple right now. Otherwise, our fellow travelers will laugh at us for being cowards.” The two men hitched the White Horse to the carriage once more. Huo Yuanzhen silently directed the horse where to go, and then they both fell asleep in the carriage. The White Horse, being spiritually attuned, was able to lead them directly to the Dharma King Temple. Even with the carriage hitched to it, the horse moved faster than an ordinary rider on horseback. With no coachman needed, they galloped all the way and reached the foot of the mountain where the Dharma King Temple stood in half an hour. In truth, the Dharma King Temple had deliberately delayed sending Huo Yuanzhen the invitation because they didn’t want him to come. However, Dharma King Likong—influenced by Li Kong and Li Xuan, with whom he’d had a falling-out over a loan—had written an invitation laced with insults, solely to provoke Huo Yuanzhen. In their view, even if Huo Yuanzhen received the invitation and came,the consecration ceremony here would likely be over by then. But they never expected that not only did Huo Yuanzhen show up, but he arrived before the consecration ceremony had even begun—in fact, before the monk sent to Shaolin Temple to deliver the message had even returned. However, when Huo Yuanzhen arrived, the people at Dharma King Temple were unaware of his presence. With so many people there and everyone too busy to attend to them, they could only let the crowd move about as they pleased. Huo Yuanzhen and Guan Shanyue followed the crowd into the Dharma King Temple Compound. When others saw the two of them, they assumed they were monks from Dharma King Temple as well, so no one paid them any mind. They didn’t stop until they reached the area near the central courtyard, because any further in would lead to the Great Hall of the Buddha in the rear courtyard—the very place where the consecration ceremony was about to take place at the Dharma King Temple. “Abbot, let’s wait here for a moment. I think it’s about to begin.” “Why wait? We have invitations, don’t we? Let’s just go right in.” Not wanting to wait in the crowd, Huo Yuanzhen and Guan Shanyue made their way to the gate leading from the central courtyard to the rear courtyard, where several young monks from the Dharma King Temple were standing guard. After examining Huo Yuanzhen’s invitation, the monks all wore puzzled expressions, unsure whether they should let him in. “What’s the matter? Don’t you know the rules? How dare you block the guests invited by your own abbot!” Guan Shanyue bellowed from the side. The young monks looked somewhat intimidated but eventually stepped aside to let them through. Huo Yuanzhen and his companion entered the rear courtyard without incident. There weren’t many people inside. In the distance, the Great Hall of the Buddha was entirely draped in red silk; the cost of the silk alone had amounted to over a hundred taels of silver, having nearly depleted the stock of red silk at the nearby silk shops. In front of the Great Hall of the Buddha stood a row of tables and chairs, presumably reserved for the dignitaries; at the moment, they were still empty. Behind them were several more rows of tables and chairs for those who had received invitations. Quite a few people were already seated—high-ranking officials and dignitaries who frequently visited the Dharma King Temple and had been invited to lend their support. Further back was a spacious open area designated for spectators to stand. Huo Yuanzhen and his companion, holding their invitations, naturally made their way to the tables and chairs reserved for guests and took their seats, waiting for the consecration ceremony to begin. The crowd around them was engaged in lively discussion about the upcoming consecration of the sacred relic, and while there were some remarks disparaging the Shaolin Temple, Huo Yuanzhen simply smiled them off. Guan Shanyue, on the other hand, was growing restless and kept wanting to speak up in defense, but Huo Yuanzhen stopped him each time. “Yichen, don’t be so hasty. Look over there—those monks in saffron robes don’t seem to be from the Dharma King Temple.” Guan Shanyue followed his gaze and indeed saw several monks dressed in bright red robes seated in the front row. Though they said nothing, they exuded an air of arrogance, as if their status were a cut above everyone else’s. “They must be monks from the Daxiangguo Temple, accompanying Zen Master Lizhi. That’s what everyone outside is saying.” Huo Yuanzhen nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. With people from Daxiangguo Temple here, this affair was becoming even more fascinating and intriguing.