Hearing Master Pushan talking about the saint who had practiced for nine lifetimes, Xu Chunniang was shocked and shook her head.
"I know very well that I am just an ordinary person. Apart from having more memories than others, there is nothing special about me. I hope the master can help me solve this puzzle."
“When you are in a game and don’t know the situation, you are already an outsider.”
Master Pushan reached out, took a fallen leaf blown by the wind, and smiled slightly.
"In the cycle of reincarnation, you and I are all living beings. The sea of suffering is endless. Why not use our bodies as rafts? Only by transcending life and death can we reach the other shore.
If you cannot transcend, you will be forever trapped in the sea of suffering and will never be able to be liberated. "
After listening to Master Pushan's words, Xu Chunniang felt confused.
The Buddhist principles the master talked about were too obscure and she couldn’t quite understand them.
She bowed deeply and said, "I hope the master can speak clearly."
Master Pushan shook his head slightly and said, "This is your fate, and you need to figure it out on your own. The secret cannot be revealed, so I can only give you a brief introduction.
Please don't forget where you came from, lady donor."
After saying this, he clasped his hands together, bowed, and left.
Disaster... Origin...
Xu Chunniang seemed to have realized something, and stood there for a long time, looking in the direction the master left.
The coachman not far away waited for a while, and seeing that it was getting darker, he pulled the carriage forward.
"Miss Xu San, it's getting late. We have to go back to the city. If we go any later, we won't be able to see the road clearly."
Xu Chunniang came to her senses, suddenly realized something, and hurriedly got on the carriage.
She hurried all the way back to Xu's house. When she reached the side door, the gatekeeper kept winking at her.
Xu Chunniang thought to herself that something was wrong and was about to retreat when the side door was suddenly opened and Mrs. Xu, who was dressed elegantly, stepped out.
"Third sister, where are you going so late?"
Xu Chunniang's back stiffened, and she slowly turned around, forcing a smile on her face, "The weather was nice, so I decided to digest my food and look at the moon..."
"Look at the moon?"
Mrs. Xu raised her head and glanced at the dark sky, with a half-smile on her face.
"I heard from Xiao Si'er that you were not feeling well and hadn't eaten all day. Now you are interested in appreciating the moon here."
Under her mother's interrogation, Xu Chunniang felt uneasy. She knew she couldn't escape, so she had to confess.
"I went to Puhua Temple."
Mrs. Xu showed a hint of surprise on her face. "It's rare that you have such a heart. I made a special trip to Puhua Temple to pray for your second sister. Okay, come in quickly."
Xu Chunniang opened her mouth to explain, but then she thought of something and tactfully closed her mouth and followed silently.
After walking all the way to the hall and exchanging glances with the fourth sister who was standing as punishment, they both lowered their heads.
Mrs. Xu caught a glimpse of this scene and shook her head angrily and helplessly.
They are about to reach the age of marriage, but the third and fourth sisters are still childish. How can she let them get married
She first looked at the fourth child, "Little Fourth, do you know your mistake?"
The fourth sister nodded tactfully and said, "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have helped the third sister to deceive mother."
Madam Xu pinched her brows and asked, "What else?"
The fourth sister lowered her head further and stammered, "Also... I shouldn't have offended the guests at home."
"Alright, it's good that you admit your mistake. As a punishment, you are not allowed to go out for a month and practice needlework."
The fourth sister immediately looked sad. What she hated most was needlework. It was really annoying.
After dealing with Xiao Si, Mrs. Xu looked at Xu Chunniang again.
It's rare that the third sister has such a heart, but she left home without permission and asked the fourth sister to help her cover up the lie. That's really rude of her.
"Third sister, do you know your mistake?"
Xu Chunniang nodded and said, "I shouldn't have sneaked out and asked my fourth sister to help deceive mother."
"Since you have admitted your mistake, I will punish you by making you go to the Buddhist temple and copy the Diamond Sutra thirty times to pray for your family."
Hearing the punishment from her third sister, the fourth sister looked at her with sympathy.
The Diamond Sutra is so long, how long will it take to copy it thirty times!
Xu Chunniang didn't feel it was hard. After coming out of the hall, she went to the Buddhist temple.
The maidservants who served her couldn't bear to watch it anymore and tried to persuade her while grinding ink.
"It's so late, miss, you should start from tomorrow, so as not to damage your eyes."
"You should go and rest first."
Xu Chunniang shook her head. After listening to Master Pushan's words, she felt as if she was in a fog.
Everything around her was clearly real, but she had a sense of confusion, like Zhuang Zhou dreaming of being a butterfly. Was it a dream or not
Master Pushan reminded her not to forget where she came from.
The first thing she could remember was a weed.
No, that's not right.
At first, she was just a seed, buried in thick soil, unable to move.
What was she before she became a seed
Xu Chunniang tried hard to recall, but her mind was blank and she couldn't remember anything.
The flickering candlelight brought her back to her thoughts. She picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and copied down the first line of the scripture.
"Thus I have heard: Once upon a time, the Buddha was in the Jetavana Grove in the country of Savatthi..."
When she picked up the pen, thousands of thoughts were in her mind, but after she put pen to paper, all the complicated thoughts disappeared.
All that remains are the black words constantly moving on the white paper and the increasingly calm mood.
The full name of the Diamond Sutra is the Diamond Prajna Paramita Sutra, which has a total of 5,180 words.
After copying for three whole days, Xu Chunniang finally finished the first pass.
At this rate, it would take three full months to copy the Diamond Sutra thirty times.
In the second month, her fourth sister, who was released from house arrest, came to see her.
Looking at the tall stack of scriptures filled with words, the fourth sister's scalp tingled.
"Third sister, there are so many scriptures, are you really going to copy them?"
Xu Chunniang put down her pen and glanced at her, "What else?"
"Just write two words randomly, and play around. Mother won't really punish us anyway."
After taking a look at the thick scriptures, the fourth sister felt both admiration and sympathy.
"Mother has already calmed down. If you beg for mercy and show some mercy, she will definitely spare you the punishment."
"I feel that this place is comfortable and peaceful, but my hands are a little sore from copying scriptures for so long."
Xu Chunniang shook her arms, waited for the newly copied ink to dry, put it aside, and took a piece of white paper to start writing.
The fourth sister was speechless when she saw this scene.
"Third sister, you always sneak into Puhua Temple, and now you are so keen on copying scriptures. Are you really planning to become a nun?"
Xu Chunniang paused and asked, "Do you think mother will agree?"
The fourth sister shook her head, "Of course I won't agree. If others knew that my daughter was going to be a nun, who knows what they would think!"
Xu Chunniang's eyes fell back on the paper, "So I plan to go to the manor."
"What?"
The fourth sister was horrified, "Third sister, are you crazy?"
Zhuangzi is located in the suburbs and is not as prosperous as Kyoto. Only those who have done something wrong will be sent to Zhuangzi to spend the rest of their lives.
That’s how those restless concubines were sent away before.
This was the first time she met someone who took the initiative to ask to go to the manor.
Xu Chunniang remained silent. She had experienced nine lifetimes, and her thoughts and ideas were different from those of other people.
People in the world pursue fame and fortune, covet wealth and splendor, and like fine clothes and fine wine.
Having experienced eight lifetimes of life and death, she had long lost interest in these things.
In her heart, only...
Xu Chunniang frowned, with a confused look in her eyes.
She seemed to have forgotten something very important.