The next day, in the morning, we climbed the North Peak behind the temple to enjoy the view.
The clouds and forests are shrouded in mist, with wisps of smoke rising like woven silk.
In the light morning mist, the entire magnificent temple is hidden among the peaks and dense forests, appearing exceptionally tranquil amidst the lush greenery.
The temple has nine, eighteen pavilions, and seventy-two halls, with more than three thousand monks. It is a place of great religious prosperity.
Of the more than three thousand people, only one stood out: the extraordinary talent, aloofness, and purity: the monk Miaoseng Ruwu.
Legend has it that Ruwu's original name was not Ruwu. He became a monk three times in the first twenty years of his life, his life constantly shifting. Sometimes he wore a kasaya, chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist mantras; other times he was passionately in love with a devoted young woman. He even went through periods of self-destruction, frequenting brothels; and he also overate, resulting in stomach problems. He can be said to have broken all worldly precepts.
After twenty years of tumultuous life in the secular world, he finally saw through it all. He became a monk for the fourth time, entering the Buddhist order and spending twenty years in seclusion with only the lamp and the Buddha. Abbot Zhiqing of Lingyin Temple was moved by his enlightenment and personally bestowed upon him the Dharma name Ruwu, taken from the "Six Likenesses Verse" in the Diamond Sutra, which means "Like mist, like lightning, thus should you contemplate them."
At that time, Mo Xi had just entered the profession and was still traumatized by the killings. She often couldn't sleep at night, so she went to Lingyin Temple to chant sutras to pray for the souls of those who had died by her sword. At that time, the money she earned wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of these monks. Only Ru Wu was not interested in wealth. He had a rule that he must see the benefactor in person before chanting sutras, and he would not easily grant such an offer.
Mo Xi had finally managed to get an audience with this busy, lowly monk, fully expecting to witness a scene reminiscent of Du Mu's poem "Inscription at a Zen Temple": "Today, my temples are white by the Zen bed, tea smoke drifts lightly in the breeze carrying fallen petals." Upon entering, he indeed saw the gentle aroma of tea, but instead saw a man in a snow-white robe, with a face as refined and polished as if he were in his twenties.
Ru Wu's words startled her so much that she almost dropped the celadon lotus teacup in her hand.
From then on, the two became close friends despite their age difference.
Now that Mo Xi is skilled in his profession, there is no need for him to chant sutras for the deceased. His trip to Hangzhou was at the invitation of a friend, and he paid a visit to the city, where, as usual, they brewed tea and discussed Zen.
It is said that twenty years ago, Ruwu knelt for three days in front of the Lingyin Temple gate, seeking enlightenment. However, Abbot Zhiqing disliked his repeated attempts to return to secular life and despised his weak will, remaining unmoved. However, Buddhist teachings say: "The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore." If he refused, it would be contrary to Buddhist doctrine. So he said: "You are truly despondent, and it is disrespectful to the solemnity of the Buddha's image."
Ruwu replied, “Subhuti! What do you think? Do Bodhisattvas adorn Buddha-lands? No, World Honored One! Why? Because adorning a Buddha-land is not true adornment; it is merely called adornment.” (“Ordinary people adorn their outward appearance, while practitioners adorn their inner mind. If the inner mind is impure, what benefit is there in outward adornment? Therefore, one should adorn both the inner and outer aspects, without clinging to the outward appearance of adornment. As the saying goes, when the mind is pure, the land is pure.”)
Zhiqing could not refute it, so he agreed.
In other words, Zhiqing thought this philanderer wouldn't last long as a monk before longing for the world's pleasures and wanting to return to secular life, so he looked down on him. However, Buddhism teaches that anyone harboring evil intentions who suddenly becomes a saint must be discarded. Since he couldn't say it directly, he could only find fault with his listless appearance, saying it was disrespectful to the solemn Buddha statue. But Ruwu shut him down with a quote from the Diamond Sutra: "It's useless for ordinary people to pretend to be respectable; the important thing in cultivation is inner peace, and clinging to outward appearances is putting the cart before the horse." Zhiqing couldn't argue with him and could only accept his bad luck. It's clear that monks who are bad at talking suffer.
The unparalleled eloquence of the mist is evident in this.
Inside the meditation room.
“The young lady’s aura has grown stronger in recent years. Why don’t you fast for a few days?” Ru Wu suggested with a smile.
Mo Xi didn't answer, but casually picked up a copy of the Diamond Sutra from the table, opened it, and pointed to a sentence:
"Why is this so? Because these sentient beings no longer have the marks of self, person, sentient being, or life span. They have neither the mark of dharma nor the mark of non-dharma. Why is this so? If these sentient beings grasp at marks, they are attached to the marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span. If they grasp at the mark of dharma, they are attached to the marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span. Why is this so? If they grasp at the mark of non-dharma, they are attached to the marks of self, person, sentient being, and life span."
It means: "Do not cling to the mind, body, or environment; do not cling to existence or emptiness, nor to these concepts; without clinging, everything is unobstructed. Emptiness is not nothingness, but rather being unaffected yet full of vitality."
Mo Xi felt that although her sins were grave, since everything in the world is irreversible, she shouldn't be too attached to it. In other words, as long as she wasn't tormented by her conscience, she could completely disregard it.
Ruwu smiled and said, "Very well. I will give this scripture to you."
Mo Xi accepted it with a smile.
Why need it be light blue or deep red? It is naturally the first-class among flowers.
( ) In Hangzhou, everyone knows the Ling family's osmanthus.
The Ling family owns dozens of acres of land dedicated to growing osmanthus trees. All the osmanthus gardens inside and outside the city belong to their family, and the bonsai displays of many prominent families are also from their family.
The Ling family now has only one seventh young lady to lead the family, and she is doing a remarkable job.
As soon as the gatekeeper opened the door in the morning, he saw a huge blue-glazed lotus pot with gold swallows and flowers displayed outside. One red lotus held a pearl, and the other a snow-white one, one pink and one white, stood side by side like two beautiful women, blooming gracefully in the water. He was greatly surprised and quickly went in to inform Ling Qi.
Ling Qi was overjoyed upon hearing this and went out to greet him personally. However, he could not see the person anywhere and sighed inwardly, thinking that this person's whereabouts were mysterious. He had no choice but to order someone to move the pot of lotus flowers into the courtyard to enjoy them.
Speaking of the most notorious womanizer in the world, that person is the one.
The first year they met, he shamelessly asked her to make him a bowl of sweet osmanthus rice balls in fermented rice wine. Although the Ling family mainly engaged in agriculture, their restaurant "Yuegui Fang" was thriving, and its various teas and pastries were famous far and wide for their use of osmanthus as an ingredient. Ling Qi was most skilled at making this sweet soup, but as the head of the family, she could not easily let someone else approach her kitchen. As the saying goes, harmony brings wealth, and Ling Qi did not want to argue. In order to make things difficult for this lecherous man, she jokingly said, "If you can find 'Azure Dragon Lying in Ink Pond,' your wish will be fulfilled." Azure Dragon Lying in Ink Pond is a famous peony variety. Its pistils are green in the center of the flower, surrounded by multiple layers of dark purple petals, resembling an azure dragon lying in the center of an ink pond, hence the name. Not to mention that this variety is extremely rare, it was autumn at the time, and the peonies had already withered for two seasons. Unexpectedly, this man had stolen this peerless flower from the Niu family, a famous peony family in Heze, and traveled a thousand miles back and forth in a single day and night.
Ling Qi was still resentful and unwilling to keep her promise. She accused him of stealing, but the man laughed and said, "This flower is a perfect match for the young lady. It would be a waste to leave it at the Niu family's house."
Ling Qi was puzzled. Why would leaving it at the host's house be considered a waste? The man replied with a smile, "If that's the case, then it's just like the saying 'a cow chewing on a peony.'"
Ling Qi had intended to tease him a bit more before he could get his way, but upon hearing this clever remark, he suppressed a laugh and replied, "What you say is absolutely right, young master." He then personally prepared the soup.
The following year, this person, without informing the Du family of Chrysanthemums, took one of each of several famous varieties—red, purple, black, and green peony—trimmed their stems and leaves, bundled them into a flower ball, and presented it as a precious gift, asking Ling Qi to make osmanthus and lychee cakes. This was all because she had read Su Shi's poem, "Traveling by Boat to Qingyuan County, Meeting Scholar Gu, and Discussing the Beauty of Huizhou's Scenery," which included the lines, "River clouds are hazy, osmanthus blossoms are wet; sea rain is misty, lychees are ripe," and suddenly had this whimsical idea. Ling Qi laughed and scolded, "What a waste of nature's bounty!" One of these chrysanthemum varieties alone was worth a thousand gold pieces, yet she had cut them all down and bundled them together like foxtail grass.
It took a month to complete the cake. Unexpectedly, it became a huge hit upon its release. Ling Qi thought this person would bring him wealth and considered him a close friend.
It was autumn again, and the two had been friends for two years. At this time, Hangzhou only had a pond of withered lotus flowers, which must have come from the hot spring pool built by the Mu family in Baiyangdian at great expense.
Two days later, Ling Qi was working with the chef at Yuegui Fang to develop new products. The manager came in and said that a handwritten letter had been placed in the "review column" set up for customers. It was written on Biluoxuan's gold osmanthus-scented stationery with a smoky osmanthus edging. Because the paper was so precious, the manager dared not open it easily and came to ask Ling Qi for his opinion.
Ling Qi's heart skipped a beat; she had already guessed it was her. Sure enough:
I invite you to my residence at Guihuawu three days from now at noon. Please prepare ham, chrysanthemum, and bamboo shoots for our tasting.
Respectfully submitted by your younger sister, Muxi.
Ham and Chrysanthemum Bamboo Shoot Stew is a famous Anhui dish, more renowned than ham and bamboo shoot stew for its elegant appearance. The ingredients are simple: ham, minced shrimp, bamboo shoot tips, broth, salt, rock sugar, and ginger juice. First, the bamboo shoot tips are carved into chrysanthemum shapes and soaked in cold water to remove bitterness. Then, minced shrimp is stuffed into the center of the bamboo shoot tips, served with broth and ham for added flavor. The finished dish resembles floating chrysanthemum blossoms, elegant and refined, with a crisp and tender texture.
Ling Qi couldn't help but laugh, exasperated. What a glutton! Who forces someone to treat them, specifying the time, place, and even the dishes? Well, they've already thanked her. Besides, you can't be too polite after accepting a gift; Hehua has been eyeing her for days. She called the chef to switch to cooking braised chrysanthemum bamboo shoots with ham. The chef was a little unsure; why were they trying Anhui cuisine again?
The two buried themselves in their research and didn't mention it.
―――――
Osmanthus Grove, noon.
The Ling family's reputation for osmanthus is truly well-deserved.
The banquet was held in a small octagonal house in the middle of the flower grove. Outside the window, various kinds of osmanthus trees stood in abundance: Jade Curtain Silver Thread Osmanthus, Vermilion Osmanthus, Purple Cloud Osmanthus, White Osmanthus, Drunken Skin Red Osmanthus, Willow Leaf Osmanthus, all of them.
Apart from the braised chrysanthemum bamboo shoots, the rest are all authentic Hangzhou dishes.