OBS Chapter 1622 Framing
Chapter 1622 Framing
Master Xingchen, wearing a kasaya, sat at the table.
An old copy of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra lay open on the table.
Master Xingchen did not recite the text. Instead, he picked up a small wolf-hair brush and slowly wrote on a piece of cut Xuan paper.
His handwriting at this moment was about 80-90% similar to Master Huichen's usual handwriting.
The contents on the paper were not scriptures, but rather scattered words and markings.
Among them, the characters “褚”, “宫”, “秘”, and “嗣” appeared.
Although they don't form a complete sentence, when put together, they are enough to evoke a wealth of thoughts in the eyes of a discerning person...
After finishing writing, Master Xingchen gently blew the ink dry and picked up a small jade seal from the side.
This is a private seal that Master Huichen carved and played with many years ago, but later lost by chance and was picked up by Master Xingchen.
The inscription bears the Dharma name of Master Huichen.
Master Xingchen pressed the seal onto the inkpad and firmly stamped it onto the page.
The paper was carefully inserted into the middle page of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, and then the sutra was closed and placed aside.
Then, Master Xingchen took out a flat wooden box from deep inside the cabinet.
Inside, there were several pieces of women's jewelry.
A plain silver hairpin.
A pair of ordinary-quality pearl earrings.
There was also an old handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers.
These things, viewed individually, are unremarkable. But when placed together with the page of paper containing cryptic words, they become ambiguous "evidence."
Master Xingchen carefully wrapped the items, along with the marked scripture, in a clean blue cloth.
At 11:45 AM, the monks in the temple were in the deepest sleep.
Master Xingchen left Chengxin Pavilion quietly, skillfully avoiding the routes of the patrolling monks, passing through several courtyards, and arriving at the row of secluded rooms behind the Discipline Hall.
One of them was the residence of Master Huichen.
The copper lock on the window frame was gently opened by Master Xingchen using a thin wire in his hand.
He slipped inside and emerged empty-handed moments later. The copper lock was restored to its original state, as if no one had ever been there.
Inside the room, the blue cloth bundle had been stuffed into the top shelf of the bookshelf, behind several thick scrolls of scriptures.
During regular cleaning, you would never touch that spot.
Having done all this, Master Xingchen departed quietly, just as he had done before.
In the days that followed, everything at Fatu Temple continued as usual.
The people from the palace continued to "check and register" throughout the temple every day, and "chat and ask questions" with the monks.
Master Xingchen received us calmly, answered all our questions, and was very humble.
Master Huichen also put aside his past greed and enforced the law impartially in the monastic discipline hall, reprimanding the lazy novice monks.
A few days later.
Manager Tao walked slowly along the alleyway surrounding the monastery.
He was wearing a dark blue cotton robe, with a vest over it, and a warm hat on his head.
Holding a thick notebook and a pen, he would stop from time to time to draw a few lines in the notebook, referring to the simple map provided by the temple, or look up and examine the surrounding architectural layout and wall conditions.
Manager Tao muttered to himself from time to time, "The grout in the corner of the wall needs to be patched up."
"The roof tiles there seem to be loose."
He appeared to be diligently checking and inspecting the details of the repairs.
His gaze casually swept over the closed doors and windows, the winding paths, and the occasional monk passing by. He memorized every detail he saw.
Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the bamboo forest.
Manager Tao's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't stop walking.
A young novice monk, about twelve or thirteen years old, came out from around the corner.
"boom!"
He crashed solidly into Steward Tao's arms.
Manager Tao, on the other hand, had a stable stance and only swayed slightly.
The young novice monk cried out "Ouch!" and fell to the ground with a thud, scattering the things he was holding all over the floor.
It consists of several scriptures.
The scriptures have now been scattered.
"My scriptures!"
The young novice monk, ignoring his sore bottom, turned pale at the sight of the scattered scriptures on the ground and hurriedly went to pick them up.
Manager Tao looked down at the young novice monk in front of him.
The young novice was terrified, flustered and confused, with tears welling up in his eyes, clearly knowing he had caused trouble.
"Don't panic, pick them up slowly, as long as they're not broken."
As he spoke, Steward Tao bent down to help pick up the scriptures, his eyes carefully examining them.
The Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Surangama Sutra are all common scriptures. Some of the edges are worn, indicating that they were frequently used.
"I'm so sorry! Sir, I didn't mean to..."
The young novice monk picked up the scriptures while stealing glances at Steward Tao.
He recognized the attire; it belonged to officials from the palace who had come to conduct an inspection. He became even more frightened.
"It's nothing, it's just a small matter."
Manager Tao straightened the scriptures he had picked up and looked in the direction the young novice had come from: "Are you from the Disciplinary Hall?"
"Yes, yes, this humble monk does some sweeping and errand-running work in the monastic discipline hall."
The young novice monk said timidly, "These scriptures were requested by my senior brother Huichen during his morning prayers. He asked me to fetch them."
Master Huichen.
Manager Tao silently recited the name in his mind, but his face remained expressionless as he smiled slightly: "I see."
"The road is slippery, so be careful. Dropping the scriptures is a minor matter, but if you injure your bones, wouldn't that delay your practice?"
Seeing his kind tone, the young novice relaxed a bit and quickly nodded, "This humble monk will remember."
Just as Steward Tao was about to return the sutra to the young novice, he suddenly noticed a corner of a piece of Xuan paper peeking out from between the pages of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra.
There were a few lines of messy handwriting on the paper. Manager Tao only glanced at it before his heart tightened!
He didn't show it on his face, still appearing eager to help.
While the young novice monk was brushing the dust off his robes, Steward Tao hid the paper in his sleeve.
"Here you go, take it carefully."
Manager Tao handed the neatly arranged scriptures to the young novice and said gently, "Go."
The young novice nodded repeatedly, hurriedly bowed while holding the scriptures, and then ran away.
Manager Tao stood there, watching the young novice monk's figure disappear at the edge of the bamboo forest, before slowly straightening up. His gaze was deep as he looked at the gray-tiled roof of the disciplinary hall.
Next, Manager Tao began to "inspect" Fatu Temple even more frequently.
His focus shifted away from the walls and halls, and he began to chat with the monks in various courtyards, intentionally or unintentionally. The conversation gradually moved from the renovation of temple properties to the personnel within the temple.
One afternoon, while chatting casually with an old monk in charge of the scripture library, Manager Tao asked, seemingly unintentionally, "...I've heard that Master Huichen of the Vinaya Academy is profound in Buddhist teachings and strict in disciplining his disciples?"
The old monk fiddled with the prayer beads in his hand and sighed, "Nephew Huichen has Buddhist cultivation, but he is too strict, and his disciples are afraid of him."
"Oh?"
Manager Tao then asked, "During my stay at Fatu Temple, I heard that Master Huichen often interprets divination slips and preaches to worshippers?"