Chapter 156
Fangzheng felt things surging into his head the very next instant . Then his mouth was no longer his . He lost complete control of it as his tongue began to wag . He began talking and explaining sutras he had never heard before . . .
Yi Xing did not believe that Fangzheng could speak so much . They were about the same age and he did not believe Fangzheng could be much better than him . He was dumbfounded once Fangzheng finally spoke!
Fangzheng was speaking Sanskrit!
The Sanskrit sounded like music . It was not spoken but sung . It was loud but not deafening . The voice seemed to contain boundless righteousness and the voice instantly dispersed all the hazy clouds in his heart! All his selfishness from before was wiped clean . Yi Xing's eyes were filled with shock! From a young age Hong Jin had often brought him along to lessons and sutra recitals but he had never heard such a delivery before!
Yi Xing did not understand Sanskrit but he knew what Fangzheng was saying as though Fangzheng wasn't speaking Sanskrit but Chinese . It also didn't feel like Chinese but something all sentient beings in the world could understand . The voice was filled with a Buddhist charm that led one to introspect and ponder deeply . . .
When Fangzheng spoke, all the monks present were taken aback . They became immersed in Fangzheng's world of Buddhist scriptures .
Two monkeys screeched . A monkey ran over from the Guan Yin Hall and sat on the roof, looking at Fangzheng with widened eyes . It was as though it was listening to the scriptures and even appeared to understand it! At times it would nod . . .
A few birds landed from the sky and landed across from Fangzheng . They stood there and cocked their heads as though they were listening too .
However no one saw any of this . Everyone was immersed in Fangzheng's preaching of the scriptures .
Fangzheng suddenly recalled a rumor . After Patriarch Bodhidharma came to China from Central Asia, he was unable to preach the Dharma as he did not know the local language . Therefore, he went up a mountain and sat there to meditate on the Zen . He did not say a word but was able to express the scriptures and Dharma . Fangzheng did not understand previously but now he had a rough idea . Language was a tool for communication but it was not the sole tool! What Fangzheng was speaking was definitely not Sanskrit, nor was it Chinese . Instead, it was of a higher level . It was a language that spoke to the heart . Anyone who heard him could understand!
This meant there was nothing strange about Patriarch Bodhidharma being able to communicate without speaking .
Fangzheng was extremely displeased when he saw everyone looking intoxicated . This was because after understanding what he was saying initially, he realized he could not hear what he was saying after a few lines! Fangzheng felt like it was a scam . He wanted to listen to the scriptures too and deepen his understanding of the Buddhist Dharma! He felt a string of curses run through his mind but he could only bear with it since he was helpless! This feeling nearly gave him a mental breakdown . It felt like he was squatting in a movie theater and an extremely boring movie was being played . Others enjoyed watching it but only he could not see the screen . Nor could he leave early . It was boring!
Seconds changed to minutes and the sun finished setting . The moon rose into the sky as its silvery glow scattered onto the land . As the monks were engrossed in listening to Fangzheng no one switched on the lights . The entire monastery was blanketed in the moonlight, making it a little blurry . It also exuded sacredness .
Fangzheng seemed to see things moving amid the crowd . Unfortunately, he couldn't make them out because they were too distant .
With the passage of time, there were objects constantly appearing and moving . When Fangzheng tried his best to discern them, there was a loud crack . A tender shoot sprouted out from the cracks of the granite ground in front of him! The tender shoot grew rapidly and began growing leaves before a flower bud appeared . Finally, it bloomed!
Fangzheng was instantly dumbfounded . It was a lotus flower!
Simultaneously, Fangzheng heard even more cracking sounds . Like mushrooms springing up after a rain, lotus flowers appeared everywhere as they bloomed in the cold winds! The silver moonlight landed on the lotus flowers leaving them sparkling . While they looked exuberant, they also appeared solemn, sacred and unfathomable!
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