Some things, when everyone does them, become customs.
For example, chanting a Buddha's name, or choosing a few days within a year to eat vegetarian... These things make everyone feel more or less strange. When did people get used to doing these things? To commemorate Lu Yuan Bodhisattva? To be a monastic for a few days?
As human activities, holiday customs are often just an excuse for people to be busy or leisurely. People gather to do things together and enjoy the fun of socializing. As for why they do what they do, it's not important.
So, customs are actually quite annoying for some people. They don't like socializing and aren't willing to do things that seem superfluous.
But no matter what kind of person, they cannot leave the Pure Land.
The words "Pure Land" have vitality. It's difficult for anyone to simply and directly explain what the Pure Land truly represents, but it's clear that someone who cannot enter the Pure Land will be excluded. This exclusion doesn't stem from a high and mighty emotion, but simply from a generation gap. Reasoning with a deaf person or showing paintings to a blind person are both futile efforts.
Without entering the Pure Land, one knows not Skyrim.
Lu Yuan Bodhisattva created a world for the people. In this regard, commemorating Him, being grateful to Him, and holding festivals for Him are not excessive.
People always bestow all words of praise upon Lu Yuan Bodhisattva. As if it were not a wisp of historical smoke, the Bodhisattva is the long beam in everyone's heart.
...
Li Dingxun, as usual, chanted "Namo Luyuan Bodhisattva" in his room.
A prayer mat, an incense burner, a hanging scroll—the quiet room was fully equipped. The small child sat cross-legged, his voice squeezing out from his tender mouth, completely unheeded by him.
This matter had become a very procedural task. At some point, Li Dingxun heard a faint echo, as if some transparent person in a corner of the quiet room was also chanting the Buddha's name.
The sound was too soft; he only realized it now.
Li Dingxun narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings.
In the dark room, a faint, pleasant smoke lingered. There were some soft movements outside the room; the maids were tidying up the bedroom, putting away candle holders, vases, and other items, the clinking of objects making fragmented sounds.
In short, the room was very quiet.
A silence that could make a child cry.
The bright, white moonlight streamed in from the round window on the east wall, casting the shape of the window lattice onto the floor, forming a cursive "Fu" (blessing). The light slanted, illuminating the base of the wall, and the character "Fu" also bent.
Looking at the round window, some mosquitoes and other insects were flying around, but they were also afraid of the smoke, so they didn't come in to bite Li Dingxun.
He listened carefully for a while, but there was no second person's voice.
So Li Dingxun chanted the Buddha's name a few more times.
He told himself there was no one there. But then, a voice seemed to echo in his ears again.
I must leave here.
Li Dingxun stood up and walked towards the door.
Soft footsteps followed him like a shadow. Li Dingxun froze. The closer he got to the door, the heavier the second set of footsteps became.
Going back... the footsteps indeed grew softer.
Still, I must go.
Li Dingxun was silent, but he couldn't think of a solution no matter how much he pondered.
Only one thought remained in his mind—go.
Perhaps the thought was too strong, leading to a hallucination, but he felt as if something was glowing.
It wasn't just something glowing; the entire quiet room was glowing.
The darkness receded, but what was revealed were not the four walls.
Golden light, like flames on a canvas, scorched the surface world, revealing the true world.
A golden world.
Li Dingxun stared blankly at everything before him, things that wouldn't even appear in a dream.
Mountains and seas, piled with jewels, lush with vegetation.
And the high mountain at the center of that world.
Li Dingxun walked forward involuntarily, heading towards the mountain, because he saw something behind it.
There was light, and besides the light, there were branches. The light was in the center of the branches.
In the desolate world, there was only the sound of ocean waves, gently coming and going, rustling.
Li Dingxun walked cautiously. The waves on the sea made him feel as if it was a rippling, folded cloth, so he stepped onto it and indeed did not sink. Gazing at the boundless world, he quickened his pace. All travel seemed to shorten actively, to the point where a single step allowed him to hear the strong wind blowing past his ears.
A strong sense of déjà vu kept washing over him.
He ascended layer after layer of mountains. Along the mountain paths were carvings, stone statues, and inscriptions everywhere.
The statues were all of a Bodhisattva with long deer antlers, and he couldn't understand many of the inscriptions.
Some were lengthy treatises with titles like "New Edition of the diamond sutra, First Draft" and "Commentary on the New Edition of the Shurangama Sutra."
There were also some short ones, which were biographies.
Most of these inscriptions were very common and concise, but they contained a vast amount of information. Li Dingxun managed to read a few, only learning that this place was called the Sacred Pure Land and that fourteen people once lived there.
Were these statues and other things left by those fourteen people? Looking at them, covering the mountains and fields, they must have had great patience.
Continuing forward, he reached the foot of the highest mountain. Looking up, a wonderful floral fragrance fell like rain, permeating his skin drop by drop. Li Dingxun felt incredibly comfortable.
He climbed for a while and encountered a vast sea of flowers on a flat mountain clearing. Each deep blue epiphyllum was like a moon in the water, floating and rippling, yet so full of life. Though their resilient stems and petals swayed, they showed no sign of breaking or falling.
Li Dingxun wanted to pick one, but he feared these flowers would blame him for his rudeness.
So, he decided not to pick them.
He climbed the mountain and then saw the giant statue on the other side.
Amidst the intricate deer antlers, the pure white sun had dimmed somewhat, as if it were about to get dark.
What would the Pure Land be like when it was dark?
The white luminous jewel dimmed, and then the Pure Land was gradually swallowed by the night.
In the complete darkness, the jewel was like the moon, the dark purple dome was breathtakingly beautiful, the deep blue sea of flowers shimmered with light, and the sea at the foot of the mountain sparkled with faint gleams.
A perfect place, beautiful at any time.
Li Dingxun looked up. The night sky had a mysterious and extraordinarily attractive quality. The mountains on the horizon were like the sealing of a gem, tightly clasping this amethyst. Standing on the mountain, it felt as though the dome was within reach, but when he stood on tiptoe and stretched out his arms, his fingertips only touched air.
He jumped a few times, then stepped on a loose stone, and Li Dingxun stumbled and fell down the hillside.
There was no pain; it just felt like he entered a tumble dryer. Li Dingxun kept tumbling and falling down, then dropped into a hidden grotto.
Bang!
He landed with a solid impact, then got up and brushed off his clothes.
The dark cave was unusually narrow. Li Dingxun squinted, fumbling around, and soon touched a wall.
There were small pits on the wall. He carefully pressed into the indentations; these were carved words on the wall, not simple pits.
A phantom soul emerged from the wall, its tall cockscomb hat like a sharp knife, startling Li Dingxun.
"Finally, the fated one has arrived! Lad, it's you! Hurry and acknowledge me as your master, so I can impart all the boundless True Dharma to you!"
-------------------------------
Hello everyone!
I've already posted 30 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you very much!