Although this system was abolished during the democratic reforms in Tibet in 1959, the Tibetan people are almost universally religious, which makes the land of Tibet full of mystery. Before Zhuang Rui came to Tibet, he had heard a lot about things like the reincarnation of Living Buddhas, which some people thought were impossible, but here, everyone believed in them.
Because he couldn't absorb the spiritual energy from the murals downstairs, Zhuang Rui was a little apprehensive about this place, fearing he might have violated some taboo by wandering around recklessly. He wanted to ask someone where he was, but looking around, he was all alone. He couldn't even see a lama.
Looking at the little creature still tugging at his trouser leg, Zhuang Rui thought there was no harm in going in to take a look. Besides, dogs are intelligent, and this little guy wouldn't hurt him, would he? As he pondered this, Zhuang Rui walked to the door and reached out to push the heavy-looking mahogany door.
The seemingly bulky wooden door was surprisingly flexible; it opened with a gentle push. A wooden room of about thirty square meters appeared before Zhuang Rui, and the little guy on the floor had already darted inside as soon as the door opened.
The moment the wooden door opened, the spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes suddenly became lively, like a greedy child encountering delicious food, stirring and flowing rapidly in Zhuang Rui's eyes, as if it might overflow at any moment.
Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy. He didn't know where this wooden house was, nor did he know whether the sudden change in the spiritual energy in his eyes was good or bad. But since he had already come here and the little guy refused to come out, he had to go in no matter what.
Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Rui stepped into the room.
Something unexpected happened. As soon as Zhuang Rui entered the room, he clearly sensed that there was a large amount of spiritual energy in every space of the wooden house, as omnipresent as air. The spiritual energy in his eyes circulated faster, and every time it circled around his eye sockets, Zhuang Rui could feel a trace of extremely weak spiritual energy from the room merging into it.
Although the spiritual energy that entered Zhuang Rui's eyes was negligible in the grand scheme of things, for him, it was like drinking the finest elixir. Every pore on his body opened, and he almost groaned with pleasure. This pleasure was endless; as the spiritual energy flowed through his eyes, wisps of invisible spiritual energy also continuously entered them.
Zhuang Rui had heard people say that drug users experience a kind of euphoric high. Zhuang Rui had never used drugs, but he was absolutely certain that even drug users could not feel the euphoria he was experiencing now. This euphoria was not only physical but also mental. At this moment, there was no thought in Zhuang Rui's mind. Everything in the mundane world seemed to have nothing to do with him. He was simply immersed in this indescribable pleasure.
If an outsider were to enter this room at this moment, they would find a young man standing there blankly, his eyes lifeless, seemingly devoid of intelligence, merely an empty shell of a body. The little white lion that had entered the room first has also vanished.
After leading Zhuang Rui into the room, the little guy slipped out through a half-open door at the other end of the room. Behind that door was a long corridor. As if some voice was calling to the little white lion, it ran straight to the end of the corridor and scratched at a door in front of it with its paws.
It seemed that the person inside heard the noise and opened the door. Standing in the doorway was a young lama. Upon seeing the white lion cub, he exclaimed in surprise to someone behind him.
The little white lion ignored the little lama at the door and ran straight into the room. The room was small, only about 20 square meters. There was a bed and a desk inside. Around the bed, there were bookshelves that filled the entire room. Most of them were thread-bound books, old and slightly yellowed.
The room had a faint scent of sandalwood and was dimly lit. On the bed, an elderly lama lay half-reclined. It was difficult to tell his age from his appearance, as his skin was wrinkled and covered with age spots. However, his eyes were very bright and even had a childlike innocence. If you only looked at his eyes, many people would probably think he was a child.
The old lama's hair was slightly disheveled, his figure was thin, his face was aged, and his complexion was not very good. However, when he saw the little white lion running into the room, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he sat up from the bed with all his might.
When the young lama who opened the door saw the old man sit up, he quickly went forward to help him up, saying, "Zhubigu, you're not feeling well, you should lie down."
If any believers saw this scene, they would surely kneel down and worship the old man. It's hard to believe that this old lama is actually one of the only two reincarnated Living Buddhas remaining in Jokhang Temple. You should know that there are more than a thousand Living Buddhas in Tibet, but only about twenty of them have been reincarnated and continued to exist. These twenty-odd Living Buddhas are all people who are revered by the masses and are people of great wisdom.
"It's alright, the children from the snowy mountain have come, I want to personally entertain them."
The Living Buddha waved his hand, and with the help of the young lama, put on his shoes and sat down in front of the desk.
Chapter 83 Changes in Spiritual Energy
As dusk settled, the setting sun cast its golden rays upon the Jokhang Temple, bathing the temple, prayer wheels, and even the visitors in a mesmerizing golden glow, adding an aura of light and holiness to the entire temple complex.
“You brought the person here, and more than five hours have passed since then. If we don’t ask you for the person back, who else are we supposed to ask?”
A loud voice rang out in a room in the Jokhang Temple administration office. The speaker was Liu Chuan, Zhou Ruibo, Meng An, Qin Xuanbing, and several other women. They were all in the room at the moment. From the Jokhang Temple side, besides the Gegu Lama who brought Zhuang Rui in, there were several young lamas and a government staff member who were explaining things to the group.
“I brought him into the Jokhang Temple because I was afraid he would be retaliated against. As for where he went afterward, I don’t know.”
Gegu Lama spoke in broken Mandarin. He knew from Barkhor Street that the Tibetan was cheating customers, and this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. However, when he saw the stall owner brandish a knife, he was afraid Zhuang Rui would be taken advantage of, so he brought him into the Jokhang Temple. For this reason, Gegu left without asking Zhuang Rui anything.
However, Gegu did not expect that Zhuang Rui would mysteriously disappear inside the Jokhang Temple, and that his friends would come looking for him.
In fact, Liu Chuan and the others arrived at the Jokhang Temple less than an hour after Zhuang Rui entered. They immediately asked the gatekeeper lama and learned that Gegu Lama had brought someone into the Jokhang Temple. However, after finding Gegu Lama, they learned that Zhuang Rui had already left alone. At the time, they didn't pay much attention, assuming that Zhuang Rui had gone sightseeing with the other tourists. But after waiting for several hours, they realized something was wrong. Several groups of tourists had come and gone from the Jokhang Temple, and they still hadn't seen Zhuang Rui come out.
Now Liu Chuan and the others were anxious. They found Gegu Lama again and sent people to search the temple, but they couldn't find any trace of Zhuang Rui. If it weren't for the fact that a case could only be filed after 48 hours of disappearance, Liu Chuan might have already gone to the police station to report the case.
They had suspected that the stall owner was retaliating against Zhuang Rui by kidnapping him, but later they saw the stall owner at the Jokhang Temple. The man was kowtowing before the Buddha, repenting for his mistakes, and it was clear that Zhuang Rui's disappearance had nothing to do with him.
"It's all my fault. I should have given him a phone. Why didn't I think of that?"
Qin Xuanbing said with some self-reproach that all three girls had their phones with them at the time, but Zhuang Rui left in a hurry and none of them thought to give him one. The phone that Qin Xuanbing gave to Zhuang Rui a few days ago could not be used because it did not have a SIM card.
"Don't worry, everyone. Zhuang Rui has probably already gone back to the hotel. Let's wait here a little longer. If the lamas at the temple still can't find Zhuang Rui, we'll go back to the hotel to check."
Bai Meng'an comforted Qin Xuanbing, saying that although he felt a little jealous seeing her anxious about Zhuang Rui, he and Zhuang Rui had gotten along quite well these past few days, and he had no intention of gloating.
“We arrived at the temple before 2 o’clock and have been keeping watch here. If Zhuang Rui goes out, he will definitely see us. He should still be inside the temple.”
Zhou Rui, who had been silent until now, spoke up. They were currently at the entrance of the Jokhang Temple, next to the toll booth. People coming in and out all had to pass through here. In addition, since the group was focused, if Zhuang Rui went out from here, even if Zhuang Rui couldn't see them, they would see him.
"The Jokhang Temple has several exits, and you can also go out through the side gate."
Gegu Lama spoke up, saying that he meant well but he didn't expect this to happen. As the Iron Staff Lama of Jokhang Temple, he was also very upset and had already sent many junior lamas to search for him at various scenic spots in the temple.
A person's disappearance within the temple would likely damage the reputation of the Jokhang Temple. Therefore, many lamas were searching for a tourist named Zhuang Rui. As evening approached, most tourists had already left the Jokhang Temple, but the lamas searched the various halls and scenic spots for a long time without success. They found no trace of Zhuang Rui. ...
The room where Zhuang Rui was located had only one window near the first-floor corridor; the rest was closed. The walls around the room were covered with Thangkas. Some of these Thangkas were woven with satin as the ground and several colors of silk as the weft, interlaced in jacquard patterns, and pasted onto the fabric. Others were made of various colored satins, cut into various figures and patterns, and pasted onto the fabric.
The most precious thangka is a fabric thangka with colorful patterns, adorned with pearls and gemstones sewn with gold thread. The combination of pearls and gems, the shimmering gold, creates a dazzling effect. The thangkas depict various life stories and tales of Shakyamuni Buddha's past lives, as well as portraits of King Songtsen Gampo, and figures of princesses such as Princess Wencheng, Princess Jincheng, and Princess Bhrikuti. Most are portraits of people, crafted with exquisite realism.
The setting sun outside the window shone into the room, bathing it in a golden light. The figures in the paintings on the walls seemed to come alive, adding a touch of mystery to the room.
Zhuang Rui, the person involved, didn't even have time to take a good look at the room after entering it before he was swept up in that ethereal pleasure. At that moment, Zhuang Rui had already forgotten where he was and why he had come.
He naturally had no idea that the outside world was in an uproar because of him. He had no idea of the time. Zhuang Rui, who had been standing in this room for four or five hours, did not feel tired at all. On the contrary, his mental state was better than ever before.
The spiritual energy in Zhuang Rui's eyes also underwent a dramatic change. What was originally orange-yellow spiritual energy had now turned into a faint purplish-gold color. Zhuang Rui even had the illusion that his eyes had been completely replaced by spiritual energy, because he felt that the spiritual energy, which was originally just attached to his eye sockets, had now completely merged into his eyeballs.
Closing his eyes and carefully experiencing the changes, Zhuang Rui discovered that within his pupils, a small space seemed to have been created by the purplish-gold spiritual energy. Strands of spiritual energy entered his eyeballs from the outside, circled around in that space, and then returned to the area around his eye sockets. During this process, Zhuang Rui felt that each strand of spiritual energy seemed to have grown stronger.
If someone were to examine Zhuang Rui's eyes with a magnifying glass magnified several times or more, they would discover that within his pupil, there is a tiny inner pupil, a large pupil containing a smaller one, interlocking with each other. Of course, even Zhuang Rui is unaware of this change, and he would never allow anyone to examine his eyes with a magnifying glass.
Feeling that he could no longer absorb any spiritual energy from the room, Zhuang Rui slowly opened his eyes, only to find that the sun was already setting and dusk was approaching. He was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide. He clearly remembered that when he entered this room, it was only a little after one o'clock in the afternoon, a time when the sun was high in the sky and tourists were everywhere.
In Zhuang Rui's mind, he felt that he had only just stepped into this room, in the blink of an eye, but he did not expect that an afternoon had already passed. Zhuang Rui quickly looked at the watch on his wrist. Fortunately, the date had not changed, otherwise he would have doubted whether he was like the one described in the book, where a day in the mountains is equivalent to a thousand years in the world.
Suddenly, he remembered the little white lion. After so long, it would be troublesome if the little guy had run away or been captured. Zhuang Rui turned his head slightly, but when he was about to look for it, he heard his neck making a "crack" sound as his joints twisted. When he thought of lifting his foot, he felt his legs were sore and he almost fell to the ground.
Just now, Zhuang Rui was so immersed in the pleasure of upgrading his spiritual energy that he didn't feel any discomfort in his body. Now that his soul has returned to its place, he finds that there is not a single comfortable spot on his body.
You should know that even in the military, the practice of standing still is only for one or two hours, which is considered a relatively long time. For someone like Zhuang Rui to remain motionless for four or five hours, let alone stand, or even sit still, is something that probably only the highly accomplished lamas in the Jokhang Temple can do.
His mind was extremely excited, but he couldn't get rid of his physical fatigue. At this moment, Zhuang Rui was like a contradiction. His mind was crystal clear, but his body was extremely tired. He couldn't even walk normally. His sore and numb muscles made him want to sit down on the ground.
"Hey, that's really stupid."
Zhuang Rui tapped his head. The spiritual energy he had just replenished was now coming in handy. Moreover, there seemed to be no need to worry about the consumption of spiritual energy here. Although the spiritual energy in his eyes had reached its peak and he could no longer absorb it from the room, Zhuang Rui could feel that the spiritual energy in the room was still very abundant. What he had absorbed was just a drop in the ocean.
Lowering his head, Zhuang Rui first looked at his two legs. The use of spiritual energy seemed to have changed significantly. He no longer needed to concentrate on it. Zhuang Rui felt that the spiritual energy in his eyes was as flexible as his fingers. He could release it out of his body as long as he wanted, and he didn't need to deliberately control the amount released.
Zhuang Rui could even make the wisps of spiritual energy adhere to the surface of his thigh muscles without penetrating them. This feeling of complete control made Zhuang Rui overjoyed.
As expected, once the wisps of spiritual energy entered all the joints of his body, the previous feeling of fatigue vanished, and the wound on his arm was completely healed under the influence of the spiritual energy.
What surprised Zhuang Rui even more was that using so much spiritual energy only consumed one-fifth of the total spiritual energy in his eyes. Moreover, his eyes used to feel a slight soreness when using spiritual energy, but now he could no longer feel it.
Chapter 84 Initiation
"The color of the spiritual energy has changed again. Could it mean I can see through even more things?"
Zhuang Rui's heart stirred, and he raised his head to look at a Thangka hanging on the wall directly in front of him. He was four or five meters away from the Thangka, but the spiritual energy in his eyes followed his gaze and went directly into the Thangka. Zhuang Rui could clearly sense the spiritual energy flowing inside the Thangka, but what surprised him was that, just like downstairs, he was still unable to absorb this spiritual energy.
Feeling somewhat unwilling, Zhuang Rui tried again. This time, he discovered that the spiritual energy in the Thangka also had color. This was not something he saw through the spiritual energy in his eyes, but purely a feeling. He could even sense the total amount of spiritual energy contained in the Thangka.
"The spiritual energy has been upgraded, it shouldn't be a bad thing, right?"
Zhuang Rui could only console himself with this thought. Because he needed to find the little white lion, he dared not linger here any longer. If that little guy were taken away by some unscrupulous tourist, Zhuang Rui would be devastated. After spending so many days together, he had come to regard the little creature as family.
"Huh, why is the door closed?"
Zhuang Rui turned around and walked to the door he had come in through. He paused for a moment, realizing that he hadn't closed the door after coming in. Could it be that the little guy had closed it because he was afraid of being disturbed?
Zhuang Rui shook his head and chuckled to himself; the little thing simply didn't have the strength to push the door open.
The wooden door, painted red on the outside, was pulled inwards. When Zhuang Rui reached out and pulled the doorknob, he was surprised to find a young lama standing outside the door, where he had come in. Judging from his face, he looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. Zhuang Rui even saw a few youthful pimples on his face.
“Rinpoche, you’re out. ‘Zhubigu’ requests your presence.”
When the young lama saw Zhuang Rui open the door, his face lit up with joy. It seemed he had been waiting there for a long time. However, his Mandarin was not very good, and his pronunciation was mixed with Tibetan, making it a little difficult for Zhuang Rui to understand. He did understand the general meaning, though; it seemed someone had invited him to meet.
“My name is Zhuang Rui, not Rinpoche. May I ask, young master, are you sure that the ‘Zhu Bigu’ you mentioned invited me?”
Zhuang Rui was afraid that the young lama had made a mistake, so he asked him a question. He still needed to find the little white lion and didn't have time to get entangled with the young lama. Besides, Zhuang Rui was also a little guilty. After seeing the many expensive thangkas in the room, he knew that he had entered a place he shouldn't have. He was afraid that the young lama had come to settle scores with him.
"That's right, Rinpoche means... in Chinese, 'honored guest,' and 'Zhu Bigu' is not the one you're referring to. The person who invited you is 'Zhu Bigu!'"
"That's right, it's what you Han Chinese call a Living Buddha."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the young lama's face darkened, and he looked offended. His smile vanished, and he glared at Zhuang Rui with a hint of hostility. It was clear that Zhuang Rui had been extremely devout when he mentioned the name "Zhubigu."
Zhuang Rui was quite surprised when he heard the young lama's words. He knew that in Tibet, apart from the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama, the Living Buddha held the highest status. Zhuang Rui did not know that the Living Buddha who invited him was a Living Buddha who had already reincarnated for twelve years. He was a master of Buddhism and even the teacher of the current Panchen Lama. He held a very high position in the Buddhist community and Tantric Buddhism in China, far surpassing the Living Buddhas in ordinary temples.
“I’m sorry, Master, I don’t speak Tibetan. I offended the Living Buddha just now. I’m very sorry.”
After a moment of surprise, Zhuang Rui quickly apologized to the young lama. He knew the status of lamas in the hearts of Tibetans, and the Living Buddha was a figure revered by all Tibetans, including lamas. Naturally, Zhuang Rui dared not be negligent.
The young lama, being young and untouched by worldly dust from his time in the temple, was kind-hearted. Seeing Zhuang Rui's respectful attitude, he was somewhat at a loss. After standing there for a moment, he said, "Zhubigu has been waiting for you for a long time. Come with me..."
After speaking, the young lama turned and left, leaving Zhuang Rui no time to ask more questions. He could only follow behind. When the Living Buddha summoned him, he couldn't bother looking for the little white lion anymore. After all, he was on someone else's turf. If he displeased the Living Buddha, even the spittle of his fellow Tibetans would drown him.
Zhuang Rui followed the young lama through the corridor and finally managed to find out his name. He said his name was Basang, which means Thursday in Chinese. However, when asked why the Living Buddha wanted to see him, the young lama remained silent.
The Living Buddha's residence was not far from here. After passing through a corridor, the two arrived outside a room. Basang did not knock on the door, but simply pushed it open gently.
An elderly lama, thin with age spots on his face, sitting on a hard wooden chair, came into Zhuang Rui's view. In the lama's arms, the little white lion lay peacefully. Upon seeing Zhuang Rui, the little white lion immediately jumped down from the lama's arms and ran to Zhuang Rui's feet. Once Zhuang Rui entered the room, Basang closed the door, walked behind the lama, and stood there.
The Living Buddha looked at Zhuang Rui with a kind gaze, like an elder looking at their child or grandchild, for some reason. At that moment, Zhuang Rui thought of his deceased father, and his nose suddenly felt sore, and tears uncontrollably streamed down his face.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Zhuang Rui rubbed his eyes and discovered that there was a snow-white hada (a ceremonial scarf) inside his jacket. Thinking back, he realized that Qin Xuanbing and the others must have slipped it in when they went shopping, but he hadn't noticed it until now.
Upon seeing the hada, Zhuang Rui took it out. Ignoring the little white lion that kept climbing up his trouser leg, Zhuang Rui imitated the way the herdsmen presented him with a hada, holding it with both hands, level with his head, walked up to the old lama, said "Zhalidele", and was about to hang the hada around the living Buddha's neck.
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui's actions, Basang behind the old lama burst out laughing. Even the old lama chuckled in disbelief. Zhuang Rui was somewhat bewildered. Had he done something wrong? However, the old lama's gaze did not show any reproach. It was as kind as before, only now there seemed to be a hint of mischievousness in it.
What Zhuang Rui didn't know was that when a junior presents a hada to an elder, he can only place the hada on the elder's wrist, while hanging it around the neck is a custom reserved for when an elder bestows a hada upon a junior.
The old lama smiled and didn't speak. Instead, he raised his arm, took the hada (ceremonial scarf) that Zhuang Rui offered, and then gestured for Zhuang Rui to lower his head. He then hung the hada around Zhuang Rui's neck.
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed. Even though he didn't understand Tibetan customs, he knew how honorable it was to be given a hada by the Living Buddha. Just as he was about to raise his head to thank the Living Buddha, he found a somewhat withered hand stroking his head. The Living Buddha was chanting, seemingly reciting scriptures. At the same time, he heard Basang's voice: "The Living Buddha is giving you an 'initiation.' Close your eyes and don't move."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui quickly closed his eyes. Just as the Living Buddha's hand touched the top of Zhuang Rui's head, Zhuang Rui felt as if a cool, icy liquid was poured down from the palm of that hand, seeping into his skull and brain, causing an itch all over his body. Zhuang Rui didn't know if this was his imagination or if it was really happening. Just as he was in a daze, he heard a sharp "Pah!" in his ear.
Zhuang Rui was startled awake by the sound and opened his eyes. He felt the tingling and itching sensation on his body disappear completely, and his mind was clearer than ever before.
"Tudichi, Tudichi."
Zhuang Rui put his hands together and used the Tibetan way of saying "thank you" that he had learned from Zhou Rui on the way to express his gratitude to the Living Buddha. When the old lama heard Zhuang Rui's not-so-standard Tibetan, he smiled again, thought for a moment, took off a bracelet from his wrist and handed it to Zhuang Rui.
Although he didn't know what the bracelet was made of, he figured it must be something of high quality since it was taken from the Living Buddha. Zhuang Rui quickly took it with both hands. He originally wanted to put it in his pocket to show his respect for the gift from the elder, but when he saw the Living Buddha gesturing for him to wear it, Zhuang Rui put the bracelet on his left wrist. He didn't see that Basang, who was serving him, had a look of envy in his eyes.