Chapter 83 Chapter 25 Bodhi One Sword

It is located on the highland of the South Ridge of the Great Siming Peak.Not to mention the east tower and west tower, even the valley of Hengchuan and the dining room can be seen.The river with the turbid muddy water of the Three Realms meanders in the mist.It was still a severe cold season, and the lamp on Mount Rui felt lonely, and the buds had just sprouted on the trees, and no birdsong could be heard yet. Wudong Temple is located in the clouds, and the mountain springs are still shrouded in silence—the silent forest spring of Wudong Temple is above the white clouds. The ten lines of Avalokitesvara scriptures spread from the back garden of Wudong Temple.The voice didn't sound like chanting scriptures or singing a cappella, but rather a natural whisper.

The voice whispering alone, sometimes high, sometimes low. On the shiny black corridor, a young monk in white walked towards the room where the sound of chanting Buddha was heard, holding a vegetarian meal in both hands. "donor!" The monk put the vegetarian food in the corner of the room.Called again: "donor!" The monk knelt on the floor.The benefactor bent his back to the monk, not noticing someone coming in behind. A few mornings ago, a practitioner covered in blood staggered here on crutches. You must have guessed who it was. If you go down the mountain from Nanling to the east, you will reach Bainiaopo in Xuetai Village; if you go down the mountain to the west, you can go directly to Baihe Village in Xiuyuan - from here you can lead to Micapo and Xiasong.

"Benefactor, I brought the lunch and put it here." Musashi finally heard it.He stretched himself, and looked back at the little monk who brought the vegetarian meal: "Thank you very much!" He sat up straight and thanked him. There were white sawdust scattered around his feet.Finer wood chips were scattered on the straw mats and beside the beds.There seems to be a scent of plum sandalwood in the air. "Would you like to eat right away?" "Yes, I will use it now." "Then, I will serve you!" "Thank you!" Musashi took the job and started to eat.The little monk stared straight at the shiny knife behind Musashi, and the five-inch piece of wood he had just taken off his lap.

"Benefactor, what are you engraving?" "Buddha statue." "Is it a statue of Amitabha?" "No, I want to carve Avalokitesvara. But I've never carved it before, so not only can I not do it well, but I've been killing my fingers!" He stretched out his hand to show the monk the wound on his finger.When the monk looked at Musashi's fingers, he was attracted by the bandaged elbow under his cuff.The monk frowned. "How are you recovering from your foot and wrist injuries?" "Ah! Thanks to you, these injuries are no longer serious. Please say thank you to the abbot for me."

"If you want to carve Avalokitesvara, you'd better go to the central hall. There is a statue of Avalokitesvara carved by famous people there! You can go there after dinner to have a look." "I really want to take a look. How can I get to Zhongtang?" The monk replied: "From here to Zhongtang, it's only about one kilometer." "So close?" So, Musashi decided to take the monk to the root hall of the East Pagoda after dinner.He has not stepped on the ground for more than ten days. I thought the wound was completely healed, but I didn't expect that the knife mark on my left foot would still hurt when I stepped on the ground.The scar on his wrist was also aching when the mountain wind blew.

Seeing the mountain cherry petals fluttering among the branches and leaves blown by the mountain breeze, and the sky also showing the color of early summer, Musashi felt that the sprouting branches in his body were full of the instinct to stretch outward, and the cells of the whole body also became active. "donor!" The monk looked at his face: "You are a practitioner of the art of war!" "That's right!" "Why do you want to carve a statue of Avalokitesvara?" "..." "Why don't you use the time you spend learning how to carve Buddha statues to practice swords!"

Childlike and innocent questions, sometimes it sounds very heart-wrenching. Compared with the knife wound on his hands and feet, the words of the monk hurt Musashi's heart more.What's more, the young monk who asked the question was only thirteen or fourteen years old. Musashi went on a killing spree under the lower pine tree, and the first one hacked to death the young Genjiro—his age and build were about the same as the young monk in front of him. How many people did he kill and wound that day?How many more people were killed? Musashi can't remember how he killed the enemy now?And how to escape from the hell valley of death?Only fragmentary memories of these.

After that day, he often faintly heard Genjiro yelling at the place where the pine was in his sleep: "very scary!" With the cry, Genjiro's head rolled to the ground together with the pine bark. The corpse looked extremely pitiful. "No tolerance, no mercy." After Musashi chopped it down mercilessly with this thought in mind, the surviving self often asked himself: Why should I kill him? Musashi regretted it too late. It's not that he must be killed! He hated what he had done. "I will never regret what I have done." He once wrote such an oath in his diary.However, only the killing of Genjiro, no matter how reasonable it was at the time, still cannot escape the torture and sorrow in his heart.When I think of the absoluteness of the sword—and the need to eliminate the thorns on the road of cultivation, I feel that my actions are too cruel and inhuman.

Musashi even thought: "Simply break the sword!" Especially during the few days when I lived on the mountain, I was in the Buddha's world, and I woke up from the bloody storm.Thinking of what I have done, I can't help but have the compassionate thought of Bodhi in my heart. While he was waiting for his injured hands and feet to heal, he tried carving Kannon statues in honor of Genjiro.However, the main reason is that he feels repentance of his own soul, and he has done Bodhi for atonement. "Little master!" Musashi finally spoke. "Why are there so many Buddha statues carved by Yuanxin monks and Master Hongbo on this mountain?"

The little monk tilted his head and said: "Well! After you mentioned it like this, it reminds me of many monks who can both draw and carve." Although Musashi didn't understand for a moment, he nodded in agreement. "That's why it is said that those who dance with swords carve Buddha statues to ponder the true meaning of the sword, while those who learn Buddhism carve with knives because they want to approach Amitabha's heart from the state of ecstasy. Whether it is painting or calligraphy, everyone looks up at the same bright moon. Some people go through a lot of confusion before climbing a high mountain, and some people take a long detour. But no matter what, they all end up with the same goal in the end. These are just means to make themselves more complete."

"..." The little monk felt bored after hearing the big truth, so he walked forward quickly, pointed to a stone tablet in the grass and said: "Benefactor, the words on this stone tablet are written by the monk Cizhen." He volunteered to lead Musashi closer to the stele, and read the words written on the stone moss: Musashi had been standing in front of the stele, feeling that the mossy stele looked like a great prophet.Oda Nobunaga first destroyed and then built. After the drastic rectification of Mount Hiei, the Buddhist temples and temples on the other five famous mountains have been far away from the entanglement of politics and privileges. .However, some mages still do not change their past dominance, and often fight for power and profit for the throne of the abbot. Lingshan was originally a place to save all living beings, so not only did it fail to save mankind, but was used by the worldly people to maintain it by giving.Musashi stood silently in front of the stele, filled with emotion for this silent prophecy. "Let's go!" As soon as the little monk walked forward, someone waved and called from behind. It turned out to be the middle mage of Wudong Temple. The mage quickly walked up to the two of them, and said to the monk: "Qing Ran, where do you plan to take this benefactor?" "I want to take him to the nave." "do what?" "Isn't this benefactor carving Guanyin statues every day? I heard from him that he couldn't carve them well, so I suggested that he go to the central hall to see the statues of Guanyin carved by famous teachers." "So it doesn't matter if you don't go today!" "I dare not say that." The little monk was afraid that Musashi would be angry and ambiguous.Musashi apologized to the Master: "I rashly asked the little master to accompany me. I'm really sorry. Please take the little master away!" "No, I came here not to please you, but to ask you to go back." "What? Are you looking for me?" "Yes, I'm really sorry that you rarely come out for a walk." "Is anyone looking for me?" "A guest came to see you, and I said you were not here. But the man saw you just now, and said that he must see you, and asked me to invite you. This man is very stubborn, and he will never leave without seeing you of." Who is it?Musashi couldn't guess, so he had to go back with the mage. Although the rampant forces of the mountain mages have been expelled from the political arena and samurai society, their traces still remain in this mountain. Their clothes remained the same, some had high-heeled clogs, large knives across their backs, and some had long-handled knives stuck in their armpits. A group of about ten people stood in front of Wudong Temple and waited. "coming!" "Is that him?" Everyone whispered.One of them, wearing a tea-colored turban and wearing black clothes, came here. He stared straight at Musashi and the monk, as well as the mage in the middle who came to look for them. "What's the matter?" The mage who sent the message didn't know what was going on, let alone Musashi. On the way, I only heard that the other party was a member of the Dongta Mountain King's Academy, but I didn't know anything else.But none of these congregants was known to Musashi. "Thank you. Now, it's none of your business. Please retreat to the door." One of the great mages, wielding a long knife, pointed at the mage in the middle and the monk who had passed on the message. Then, he asked Musashi again: "Are you Miyamoto Musashi?" The other party did not salute, so Musashi just stood there and nodded and replied: "Exactly." The old mage took a big step forward, and said in the tone of reading the edict: "I am the judge of Zhongdo Enli Temple." "Shan Rui is a place that is both pure and spiritual. No one is allowed to hide here with grievances. It should be said that illegal duels are not allowed to lurk here. Just now, I also told the abbot of Wudong Temple, please immediately Leaving this mountain... If you violate it, you will be dealt with strictly according to the regulations of the mountain gate, please understand." "?" Musashi glanced dumbly at the other party's serious expression. Why?There must be some suspicious reason.When I first went to Wudong Temple to ask for care from the temple, I had a face-to-face meeting with Zhongtang. Zhongtang once said: "no problem." After obtaining the permission of the Zhongtang, he lived in the temple. However, now that Musashi is suddenly deported as a sinner, there must be a big story here. "I understand what you mean. It's just that I'm not prepared at all, and it's getting late. Can you let me start again tomorrow morning?" Musashi completely obeyed, but he couldn't help asking again: "Is this an order from Master Law Enforcement, or do you mean it? I have already applied to Wudong Temple and obtained permission. Now the order to expel me is really incomprehensible." "Hey! Since you asked, let me tell you! Back then we only knew that you were a samurai who single-handedly fought a duel with a large group of Yoshiokamen in Xiasong, so we were full of enthusiasm to let you stay. Who knows your bad comments No, we can no longer contain you. This is the decision of all of us." "bad review?" Musashi nodded.This seems to have been expected for a long time.It's not hard for him to imagine how the Jigangmen would slander him after the fight. Why bother arguing with these people now! Musashi said coldly: "I know. But it happened suddenly. I must leave here tomorrow morning." Musashi was about to turn around and enter the door when other mages yelled at him from behind: "Bastard!" "devil!" "Evil heretics!" "what are you saying?" Musashi must be very angry.He stopped and glared at the audience who were mocking him. "You heard it!" The person who said this was the one who just scolded Musashi behind his back.Musashi said regretfully: "Because this is an order from the monastery, I respectfully accept it. I didn't expect you to insult me ​​without any choice. Are you trying to stir up trouble on purpose?" "We who worship the Buddha have absolutely no intention of arguing with you. We just utter these words from our throats unconsciously. There is no way!" At this time, the other mages also said: "It's the voice from heaven." There are so many people, they roared even more: "We act on behalf of the heavens and punish the wicked." Contemptuous eyes, sneering and cursing were all directed at Musashi.Musashi could not bear the humiliation.But he tried his best to restrain himself from remaining silent, so as not to let the other party's provocation succeed. The mage of this mountain has always been known for his rap.The so-called congregation refers to the students in the dormitory, who are full of arrogant and arrogant people who show off their knowledge. "What! There is so much publicity in the country, I thought it was some kind of powerful character! It seems that he is just a boring guy! I don't know if he is angry or what, he just keeps silent!" Musashi thought to himself that if he continued to remain silent, he would invite even more vicious words, so he changed his face slightly: "You just said that it was punishment on behalf of the heavens. Could it be that this time it is also the voice of heaven?" "That's right!" The way the man spoke was very arrogant. "what does that mean?" "Don't you understand? The judges at the mountain gate have already explained it very clearly, don't you understand?" "I don't understand." "Really? You are too dull, you are a poor fellow! But in the future, you will definitely understand what reincarnation is." "..." "Musashi... the world's comments on you are very bad. Be careful when you go down the mountain!" "I don't care what the world says, let the people say it!" "Hmph! You speak as if you were right!" "I'm not wrong! I didn't use despicable methods in that day's competition... I'm not ashamed—" "etc!" "Where did I cheat? Where was I cowardly? I swear to the sword, my tactics are not evil at all." "You are so shameless!" "If it's something else, I can turn a deaf ear to it, just listen to it. But I will never allow others to slander my sword spirit!" "In that case, let me just say it straight! I hope you can answer my question clearly. The Yoshioka Gate has indeed sent a lot of people, and you dare to go to the appointment alone. This kind of courage, or should I say violent bravery , and your act of treating death as home, we can all accept it, and even praise you for being amazing. But why did you kill a child who was only thirteen or fourteen years old? Why did you brutally kill a boy named Genjiro?" "..." Musashi's face was as cold as ice, gradually losing its color. "The second generation Seijuro lost a hand and lived in seclusion; his younger brother Denshichiro was also murdered by you. The last remaining blood... is the young Genjiro. Killing Genjiro is tantamount to breaking Incense from the Yoshioka family. How is this in line with the spirit of martial arts? Isn’t this kind of behavior too cold-blooded and too cruel... Are you still a person? In this country full of cherry blossoms, are you worthy of being called a samurai? ?” Musashi kept his head down and said nothing.The mage said again: "Shanmen hated you only after knowing the ins and outs of the matter. We can understand other things, but we can't forgive you for killing that boy. How can the warriors of this country have such cruel behaviors. The more powerful and outstanding warriors , should be more kind, considerate, and compassionate... Ruishan wants to drive you out, this is an urgent matter. I hope you will disappear from this imperial mountain as soon as possible." Musashi somewhat agreed with the other party's abuse and ridicule.After the audience finished speaking, they gradually left. "..." Musashi was finally willing to accept the criticism, and he didn't say a word until the end. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have reason to respond to criticism. "I'm not wrong, I firmly believe in my beliefs! On that occasion, you can only implement your ideas in that way." In his heart, there is absolutely no excuse.Still believe in it to this day. But why kill Genjiro? His heart can clearly explain this matter. "The head of the enemy's name is the enemy's general, and also the symbol of the flag of the three armed forces." In that case, what's wrong with killing him?In addition, he has another reason—— The enemy has about seventy people, in this competition, if he can kill ten people before he dies, he can be called a good fighter.However, even if twenty of Yoshioka's direct disciples are killed, the remaining fifty people will still sing triumphantly after the fight!Therefore, in order to win, you must first capture the head of the enemy general.If you can defeat the leader of the whole army first, even if you suffer a tragic accident, you can still prove that you are victorious afterwards. If you want to go on, there are several reasons from the absolute law and nature of the sword. However, Musashi never said a word when faced with the abuse from the audience. why?Notwithstanding these grounds of conviction, he could not escape the censure of his conscience - he felt sad and ashamed - more painful than the scolding of the audience. "Ah! Let me give up my practice!" Musashi raised his dull eyes and stood in front of the door. White mountain cherry blossoms drifted in the evening breeze.The previously undisturbed will is now like the petals floating in the air. "Then go forward with Atong..." He suddenly thought of the enjoyment of urbanites, and the happy world where Guangyue, Shaoyou and others lived. "No……" He took big steps and walked into Wudong Temple. The room was already lit.We can only stay here until tonight. "It doesn't matter whether the carving is good or bad, as long as one's heart can be conveyed to the Bodhisattva, that's enough. Let's carve it well tonight and leave it in the monastery!" Musashi sat under the lamp. He put the Avalokitesvara statue between his knees, held a carving knife in his hand and began to carve again attentively. Wudong Temple does not close its doors at night.At this time, someone crept like a cat from the corridor to the door of Musashi's room. The lights gradually dimmed... Musashi hastily cut off a section of the wick. Then, sit down and continue carving. As soon as the genius darkened, there was silence in the mountains.The sharp tip of the knife kept cutting the wood, and the falling sawdust made a sound like snow. Musashi's whole body was immersed in the tip of the knife.His personality is like this, as long as he decides on one thing, he will work hard.Now he carves the Avalokitesvara with such enthusiasm that he never seems to get tired. "..." While Musashi was engraving, he was also reciting the Avalokitesvara Sutra.Sometimes I would read it aloud with ecstasy, and then lower my voice vigilantly.Then cut off the wick again and start carving.Finally, he stared at the Guanyin statue respectfully. "Well! It's finally finished." He stretched himself, and at this time the big fan clock in the East Pagoda struck the second watch. "By the way, it's time to say hello, and this statue has to be handed over to the abbot tonight." Although it is a rough statue, for Musashi, it is a statue carved by his own soul and tears of shame to pray for the blessing of a dead boy.He vowed to keep it in the temple, and pay tribute to Genjiro's soul with his confession. He walked out of the room with the statue. As soon as he walked away, a young monk came in to sweep the dust on the floor, spread the quilt, and then returned to the kitchen with the broom. In the room where there should be no one at this moment, the paper door quietly opened and closed again. soon-- Unknowingly, Musashi came back to the room, took farewell gifts such as bamboo hat and straw sandals from the abbot, and put them beside his pillow, then blew out the candles and went to bed. Musashi did not close the doors and windows, so the wind blew in from all sides.The paper door reflected the starlight, which was off-white and very bright.The shadows of the trees on the paper door are reminiscent of the bleak scene by the sea. Musashi began to snore gradually, as if he had fallen asleep. After deep sleep, breathing also becomes slow.At this time, the small screen in the corner of the room moved.There was a hunchbacked figure, kneeling and moving towards the bed. Occasionally, when Musashi stopped snoring, the figure immediately lay down lower than the quilt.While measuring the depth of Musashi's breathing, he patiently waited for the right opportunity. Suddenly, the figure sat on Musashi like a piece of black cloth. "Hmph! Show me your color!" The man held a short knife and was about to stab Musashi in the throat. Then, the point of the knife suddenly flew away with a "boom", and the man also bounced towards the paper door. The person who was thrown over fell to the ground like a big package, and with only a groan, they fell out of the darkness together with the paper door. Just now Musashi felt that the man was as light as a cat, and he was surprised for a while.Although the man covered his face with a cloth, he could see silver-white hair... But Musashi didn't even look at it, and immediately picked up the big sword beside his pillow. "Wait a minute!" He jumped into the hallway. "You are here specially, so you must say hello! Come back to me." Musashi strode forward, chasing the sound of footsteps in the darkness. But Musashi didn't really want to catch up.He looked at the shaky white knife shadow and the shadow of the mage's turban, sneered, and turned back immediately. Being thrown like this, Ashanpo's body hurts tightly, and she fell to the ground and moaned.Although he knew that Musashi had folded back again, he didn't have the strength to escape at all. "Ah! Aren't you grandma?" Musashi picked her up. He was surprised that the mastermind who came to assassinate him while he was sleeping was not Yoshioka's widowed disciple, nor was he a member of the hall of this mountain, but the old mother of a friend from the same village. "Ah! I finally understand. It must be Grandma who told Zhongdang my real name and my affairs, and also said bad things about me. The hall listened to Grandma's words completely without distinction. In the end, they decided to drive me down the mountain. , and come here to help grandma in the dark..." "Oh! It hurts! Musashi! I can't do anything. The martial arts of the Tian family has declined. Come and chop off my head!" Ashanpo was in so much pain that she could only say these words. Although grandma struggled desperately, she still couldn't get rid of Musashi.The place where he hit was painful, but since he lived in the hotel in Sannianpo, A Shan has been suffering from cold and fever and his limbs are weak, and he is no longer so healthy. In addition, when she was on the way to Xiasong, she was abandoned by her son Matahachi, which not only hurt the heart of the old man, but also affected her health. "Kill me quickly! Come and get Grandma's head!" She struggled because she was both mentally and physically weak.But this is not the cry of the weak, nor the words of hubris.It's just that the matter is hopeless now, and he is dead. However, Musashi said: "Grandma, does it hurt... Where does it hurt... I'm here, please tell me!" He gently carried her to his bed.Then sit by the pillow and watch over her until dawn. As soon as the sky turned white, the bento entrusted by Musashi was delivered immediately.But it also brought the words of the abbot. "Although you are about to leave, Zhongtang said yesterday that he wants you to go down the mountain early today." That's what Musashi planned.But what about the sick old woman? Musashi mentioned this to the temple.The people in the temple also felt that keeping such a person would cause trouble, and then thought of an expedient measure. "What do you think of this method?" They said that there happened to be a cow brought by a merchant from Otsu in the temple.The businessman left the cow in the temple, and he went to Danbo Road to do business.Now, this cow can be used to carry patients down the mountain to Dajin.Just leave the cow at the head of the ferry in Otsu or at a nearby wholesaler.