Chapter 8 The world is safe and sound, and the Dharma will not fail the Tathagata and not the Qing

It was already noon when we came out of the Great Sutra Hall.We climbed to the highest level, standing on the platform, we can smell the smell of incense.Condescending, what you see are layers of temples, and various colors complement each other.Praying deeply in the "Vatican" deep in the mountains, you will feel that your faith is gradually becoming clearer.The tranquility here brings peace of mind. When walking down the mountain, there was already smoke everywhere.Sensen and Yuanyuan saw some black piggies walking, and curiously followed the piggies.It is said that animals use their sense of smell to distinguish things, so they keep approaching the little black pig's buttocks and sniffing hard.After walking a long distance, he couldn't tell who the other party was, so he looked at Guan Yuan for help.

The animals here seem to be mostly black, black Tibetan dogs, black pigs, and white domestic animals are rarely seen.So, when we were looking for lunch along the resident's residence, the uncles and aunts next to us came up and asked with a smile: "Is this the big white wolf?" Guan Yuan shook his head and said: "This is a Samoyed, not a wolf, but a dog. "No matter how many times we pronounce it, they don't understand what a Samoyed is. They just smiled and walked towards Sensen and Yuanyuan, saying in difficult Chinese: "Big White Wolf, come here, come here!"

Sensen and Yuanyuan made the three of us keep returning 100% of the time. The shopkeeper, who was basking in the sun, approached us and joked, "Take my Tibetan dog in exchange for you! You can choose whatever you want." I don't know whether it's because living in such a holy place makes people's hearts pure like children, or it's because the place has been away from the city for generations, so it keeps the simplicity and authenticity. Everyone we meet is kind and kind. Life is full of stories.When Shi Yan told us her story, time seemed to freeze.With her understatement, both Guan Yuan and I were caught in our own emotions, unable to extricate ourselves.

When she was studying in college, Shiyan fell in love with Ning Cheng, a senior who was two years older than herself.They are all from Beijing.Therefore, after Ning Cheng graduated, Shi Yan could still see him.Later, due to poor career development, Ning Cheng went to Guangdong alone.When I first arrived, I had no money or land, so I had to go to my friends.This friend has believed in Buddhism for many years, and Buddhist books can be found everywhere in the small rented house.During the day, Ning Cheng was alone in the room, with nothing to do, and read those Buddhist stories. Gradually, he found that he became more and more interested in scriptures, but he was really infatuated with Buddhism because he saw a diary of his own journey of life written by a friend.

During that summer vacation, Ning Cheng took Shi Yan to many places. When he chatted with the Zen master, she sat quietly aside. Although she couldn't understand what they were talking about, she was already very satisfied to be by his side. Another year passed, and a friend in Guangdong brought Ning Cheng a message that the abbot of a certain monastery invited him to live for a while, and he could bring friends along.This news made Ning Cheng very excited. He didn't have time to inform anyone, so he hurried to Guangdong to join his friends. The host was over forty years old, and he warmly received Ning Cheng and his friends.In the following days, the host chatted with them about the future with great interest every day.He plans to double the size of the library in the monastery, connect it to broadband, and build a website to promote Buddhism.I don't know if it was really Ning Cheng who had a Buddha-like face on his face, or whether the host saw that he was interested and kept lobbying him to stay, saying that he had attainments and was suitable for in-depth research.

To the surprise of my friends, Ning Chengzhen decided to stay.He took a fancy to the library in the monastery, which contained a large collection of Buddhist books, which he had never seen outside. Buddhism calls it opportunity.When the opportunity comes, everything will break down by itself.No matter how his friends persuaded him, Ning Cheng no longer hesitated, and made up his mind to lead Falun Gong in the monastery. The host was very happy. He really bought books everywhere, expanded the library, bought more than a dozen new computers, and pulled up the network cable.Ning Cheng stayed like this.

When Shi Yan talked to us, her face was flat, as if she was telling someone else's story.Guan Yuan and I felt an indescribable feeling stuck in our chest, and it became difficult to breathe. Everything in this world seems to be about men and women.Either the man left and the woman stayed, or the woman ran away and the man stayed alone.The strange thing is that a man can leave for any reason, not necessarily the existence of another person; while a woman leaves, it must be because she no longer loves, or falls in love with someone else. I seem to be beginning to understand the meaning of Shiyan Walking Gannan Alone.The people living in this area are inseparable from the influence of Buddhism from birth to death.Here, all residents act and think with a Zen edge.

Shiyan said that every year from the 4th to the 16th of the first lunar month in the Tibetan calendar, a large Dharma assembly is held here. This is the largest and most solemn religious festival in Labrang Monastery in a year.At that time, believers will bring their families and gather here from all over the world. The thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the Tibetan calendar is the Dharma Expo, and all the lamas inside and outside the monastery can personally carry the thangkas collected in the Sutra Hall.There are tens of thousands of Thangka Buddha statues preserved in Labrang Monastery, and all the thangka Buddha statues are embroidered by the lamas of the past dynasties.

Thangka is a transliteration of Tibetan, which refers to religious scroll paintings that are mounted in colorful satin and hung for worship.This is a unique art form of painting in Tibetan culture. Its subject matter involves many fields such as Tibetan history, politics, culture and social life. It can be called an encyclopedia of Tibetan people. Because the ceremony was to be held before noon, many monks gathered under the promenade outside the temple early.Some Tibetans live in pastoral areas, and the transportation is inconvenient. When they come to participate in the Buddha Sun Festival, they can also visit relatives and friends, and then buy some daily necessities to go home.

The horse team dressed in costumes appeared in the square, that is, the Dharma drying ceremony began.Buddhist music resounded solemnly in the sky, and many monks, under the guidance of the horse team and the band, sent huge thangkas to the altar.On the road of several hundred meters, believers followed the team closely, or worshiped enthusiastically. Everyone rushed to throw khatas on the Buddha, and some even put their bodies on the thangka, hoping that God would bless him. The 15th night of the first lunar month in the Tibetan calendar is the Butter Lantern Festival, which is held on the last day of the Chuanzhao Dharma Assembly.Lamas in Labrang Monastery started making butter flowers a few months ago.The temperature in Gannan in winter is very low. In order to prevent the ghee from melting due to body temperature, lamas soak their hands in cold water when making ghee flowers.

There are many legends about ghee flowers. It is said that when Princess Wencheng and Songtsan Gampo got married, the people of Tubo made flowers from the purest ghee on the grassland to worship.It is also said that because Sakyamuni saw flying flowers all over the sky in a dream, so every major monastery will present lanterns on this day.There is also a legend that the leaders of the Gelug Sect held a vow to pray for Sakyamuni in memory of Sakyamuni. During the Dharma meeting, they dreamed that the thorns and weeds on the ground turned into bright lights and flowers. After waking up, they asked the monks to make butter flowers and worship them. In front of the Buddha statue. I think all legends are just legends.Butter is an indispensable part of Tibetan life. Foods such as fried noodles with butter, butter tea, butter cakes, etc. are all treasures that Tibetans rely on to survive.They hold the food that sustains their lives to a sacred height and look up at it.This is a feeling of gratitude.Thank you for the earth, for the air, and for the food on the table.In their view, all of these are God's gifts to mankind. On the day of the festival, the temple will hold dances such as dancing to the gods. The dancers in embroidered robes and masks will sing and dance to the accompaniment of Tibetan lama suona cowhide drums.During the day, people go to temples to worship and pray, and at night, they go to the streets to watch lanterns.Immortals, birds and beasts, characters, flowers and trees, various images, and various colors, are like a sea of ​​stars after being lit, full of romantic and sacred atmosphere. After tonight, we will leave Labrang Monastery. Guan Yuan asked Shiyan if she would like to go with our car and share the gas expenses on the road. Shiyan smiled and shook her head, thanking us for our kindness.She wants to stay here and finish the Butter Lantern Festival. Guan Yuan and I both felt a little regretful.People on a journey rarely travel together because everyone has a different destination.For Shiyan, all Buddhist holy places are her travel destinations. As a farewell gift, Shi Yan told us a long love story.