OBS Chapter 256 The Wonder of Taoism
Chapter 256 The Wonder of Taoism
Speaking of this Taoist Shanle, he is really a weirdo.
Taoism emphasizes: inaction, tranquility, few desires, non-contention, meditation and forgetfulness, nine observances
To put it simply, in Taoism, everything in the universe has its own "Tao", and people just need to let nature take its course.
The "root" of "Tao" is "purity and tranquility".
Taoists believe that anyone who studies Taoism can only attain enlightenment if he maintains "purity" of body and mind; in other words, "purity" is the foundation of enlightenment.
They believe that everyone has endless desires, and this is precisely the key reason why people cannot "attain the Tao and become immortals".
Therefore, if you want to achieve spiritual enlightenment, you must restrain all desires and be less selfish and have fewer desires.
The Tao Te Ching says: "There is no greater disaster than not being content, and no greater fault than wanting to gain." This is about the harm of desire. Of course, the Taoist concept of "few desires" is not the same as "absolute desire" or "no desires," but requires people not to be extreme, extravagant, or excessive.
The strange thing about this Taoist Shanle is that, although he grew up in Taoism, he prefers business and is not particularly interested in the real Taoist classics.
He was born into a poor family. This was the case in ancient times. The poorer the family, the more children they had, and the poorer they became. He was the seventh child in the family. Not long after he was born, his mother had nothing to eat or drink during the confinement period, let alone feed him.
He was sent to the Human Ancestor Temple. As he grew up and learned about his own life experience, he was fine and remained optimistic, but he was born with a talent for business.
It can be said that the fact that Renzu Temple is so popular now is largely due to his contribution. This guy is too advanced in thinking, and he understands the advertising effect without any guidance.
This is not only a good publicity, but also the stories of some pilgrims who burned incense and made wishes and actually had their dreams come true.
Gradually, the number of pilgrims to the Renzu Temple increased, and most of them came to pray for offspring and good marriage.
We also need to know that although the Temple of the Ancestors of Man is called a temple, it belongs to Taoism and worships the two gods Fuxi and Nuwa.
Fuxi and Nuwa are legendary mythological figures who made outstanding contributions to Chinese civilization.
According to legend, Fuxi and Nuwa had human faces and snake bodies. They were born after their mother Huaxu stepped on a giant's footprint in a place called Lei Ze and became pregnant for 12 years.
Later, a flood engulfed all mankind, and only Fuxi and his sister Nuwa survived.
In order to prevent human extinction, they must marry each other. But it is difficult for brother and sister to marry, so they decided to let God decide the matter.
How to decide? The brother and sister each took a large millstone and climbed up the north and south peaks of Kunlun Mountain, and then rolled the millstones down at the same time. If they fit together, it would mean that God wanted them to get married.
As a result, the millstones rolled down the mountain and merged into one. So, the two of them got married as God wanted, and the human race continued from then on.
The legend of Nuwa creating human beings is even more widely circulated. It is one of the ancient myths and legends. The goddess of creation Nuwa gave birth to all things and is therefore called the Mother of the Earth.
So everyone comes here to pray for marriage and offspring. As for the matter of having children, except for those who are born with problems, it is basically a matter of mentality. Praying and burning incense can stabilize the mentality. Then, when people relax and sleep well, they will conceive.
Let’s not talk about the superstitions for now, let’s just say that it can indeed make people feel at ease, right?
Over time, the Renzu Temple became more famous. Every year at the temple fair, more people came to pray or bring their children to fulfill their wishes. Who made the ancients attach importance to this?
In short, that's what happened. Although Taoist Shanle is in the Taoist sect, he likes to do business more. I heard that there is a kind of food at the foot of the mountain that is made of buckwheat noodles.
You should know that the buckwheat story circulating locally is similar to what Shen Youyou knows, but the Dragon King turned into Nuwa. It was Nuwa who knew about the miserable days of human beings who were not well fed, so she asked the Jade Emperor to send Hou Ji to plant buckwheat on earth.
He then had an idea and felt that the baogao came at the perfect time and could be used as a vegetarian dish in their temple!
Shanle didn't look like a great master. He walked out of the temple in a Taoist robe.
Basically, local people and people who often come to this temple know him. When they see him along the way, they will call him "Master Shanle!"
The first thing he saw was the stall set up by Old Lady Hua and her group. There was already a crowd of people surrounding it. Not to mention those who were sitting down to eat, many were even eating from bowls.
There are also many people who live close to home and take bowls from home to buy as an additional dish.
At this time, an old man noticed him and asked, "Master Shanle, are you here to eat pao gao too?"
Shanle was not very old, about the same age as Shen Zhiqiu, and he was not arrogant. "So you are Mr. Wei. I heard there is a new food made from buckwheat, so I wanted to come down and try it."
When the old man surnamed Wei heard this, he immediately called out, "Those who have bought tickets, please make way and let Taoist Master Shanle in. Why are you blocking the way so tightly?"
Old Lady Hua was busy washing bamboo bowls. When she heard the voice, she wondered, "Who is it? Why is he so arrogant?"
When I looked up, I saw a man in Taoist robes. I hurriedly called out, "Hey, Taoist priest, how many servings would you like?"
"Lady believer, just give me one first."
The old lady Hua smiled happily at the female believer's words, and she even cut him in line and served him first.
Not long after, Shanle squatted beside the stall, eating steamed cakes and chatting, and he no longer looked like the Taoist priest Chuchen.
"Female believer, if our temple orders this pao, can it be delivered?"
Old Mrs. Hua thought, we are not from here, and we will leave after the temple fair is over, so how can we send this to you?
But her answer was: "We are not from here, but we have relatives who run a post station here. I will ask them later if they can deliver it to you."
Just at this time, Shen Youyou came over with her sisters and a group of little kids. She saw her grandmother talking to a man who looked like a Taoist priest.
Only after listening closely did I understand that this person wanted to order a large amount of pao gao: "Master, are you in charge of the kitchen at Renzu Temple?"
Shanle looked up and saw a very handsome young boy, who smiled at him in a friendly manner and nodded, "That's about right. I'll take care of all the mess in the temple."
Shen Youyou pondered and thought that this was similar to the temple's purchases, managing logistics. This was a good idea. She took out a bamboo tube from the cart behind the pao cake stall, which happened to be filled with the bitter buckwheat that Shen Zhiqiu had fried yesterday:
"Master, I have a kind of tea that is perfect for your temple. This tea is golden in color, slightly bitter at first but sweet after a while, and has a strong aroma. It also has the effects of replenishing qi, strengthening the stomach, benefiting the ears and eyes, replenishing qi, lowering qi, clearing the intestines, and strengthening the body."
This really aroused Shanle's interest. He finished the pao in his hand in a few bites and said, "Little believer, there is no boiling water here. Can you come with me to the temple to talk?"
Shen Youyou was not afraid of anything, but Grandma Hua couldn't let her go. Everyone set up their stalls separately, Li Jingshu and Shen Zhiqiu were not at home, and she was busy and couldn't leave. It would be strange for her to feel at ease letting her little granddaughter go alone.