Chapter 32 Cold Winter Camellia──In memory of a deceased person(30)

I heard that when the camellia withers, the whole branch falls; with a gesture of no regrets, it leaves the branch that once bloomed completely. After winter, all the flowers are silent, only the camellia is frost-resistant and long-lasting. , it is very famous. At the Jianguo Flower Market in Taipei, I was amazed by the quiet and fiery beauty of the camellias: the white ones are unique, pure and clean; the red ones are as bright as the sunset.No wonder some people say that camellias are "proud as plums, and more beautiful than peonies". In my memory, there stands a camellia blooming in the cold wind, that is Master Jianmu.She was originally a pharmacist and a flower art professor at Chiliufang. After she became a monk in Xiangguang Temple, she served as the master of Honghua hall and was in charge of Honghua work.Her compassionate, warm, appropriate and decent reception made the believers who came to the mountain feel as happy as returning to the "Buddha's home".In addition, she tried her best to keep the gate of the monastery safe, so that the monks could practice with peace of mind.Unfortunately, she later suffered from a serious illness, and she still couldn't forget her duties in the sick bed.

I remember that there was a time when she dragged a weak and sick body to teach the layman to arrange flowers.When she was not a monk, Master Jianmu liked to arrange flowers in Buddhist temples and make offerings; after she became a monk, it was her deepest wish to pass on the Dharma by teaching flower arrangement.In order to make the fragrant flowers in the hall solemn, even though she was seriously ill, she still used her remaining strength to teach flower arrangement for Buddha. Every time after arranging the flowers and putting them on the Buddha table, she must stand in the center of the hall and look at them carefully, making sure that the flowers present the most beautiful posture.Every time I see her faltering back, I always have a lot of admiration and can't bear it.

In order to guide how to collect materials from the field, one winter afternoon, she insisted on going to the courtyard in person.The two lay monks carefully supported her and walked step by step. In just a short distance, she was sweating profusely and panting.She stood like this for a long time in front of the camellia trees in full bloom, talking about flowers and Buddhism, and the cold wind was full of joy of practice. She persisted until the last moment of her life, like a camellia in full bloom on a vigorous branch, completely dedicating herself, and then falling down without regret.

Even though Master Mu has passed away for many years, her figure in front of the camellia is deeply engraved on my heart. Su Dongpo's "Shaobo Fanxing Temple Camellia" wrote: "Who planted the camellia? I came alone in the drizzle, and I said that I would not know you, and it was as red as fire and blooming in the snow." It is the season of camellia blooming again. I can't help but think of my old friend. On the way of practice, I have to persevere like "the drizzle comes alone, and the snow blooms"! (This picture is provided by Wu Xiaodan)