Chapter 33: Amitabha, Mountain Mushrooms Are Delicious!
Yuan Ye and the others waited for a moment, and then the young monk Chijō entered.
He was only about eight or nine years old, with a shaved head, no monastic scars, a fair face, and red lips. He was a very delicate young monk, dressed in sweeping dung clothes and wearing wooden clogs. He looked quite presentable—sweeping dung clothes were a type of monastic robe, made from discarded scraps of cloth that others treated as worthless, not that they were actually meant for sweeping dung.
Moreover, Japanese monks are quite wealthy; it’s just a name, and they aren’t truly sewn from rags.
Upon entering, the young monk Chijō clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, saying, “Namo Amitabha, this humble monk greets all devotees.”
“Praise Namo Three!” Maeda Toshiharu seemed familiar with him, casually returning the bow and asking with a smile, “Young Master Chijō, what brings you here?”
The young monk Chijō looked up, scanned the room, and his gaze fell upon Yuan Ye with curiosity. However, he quickly turned his attention back to his host and said to Maeda Toshiharu, “My Master heard that Devotee Yuan Ye has arrived, and also that the plum blossoms in the temple are blooming beautifully. He wishes to invite Devotee Yuan Ye to join him in appreciating them!”
As expected of neighbors, Yuan Ye had been in Aragiko Castle for less than half a day, and Aragiko Kannon Temple already knew.
“He wants to invite Lord Yuan Ye to visit?” Maeda Toshiharu wasn’t surprised, nor did he object. Aragiko Castle and Aragiko Kannon Temple had a relationship of mutual support; they weren’t outsiders. However, he looked at Yuan Ye, waiting for his decision, not making it for him.
Yuan Ye asked the young monk Chijō curiously, “Does Master Kaishin want to see me for any other reason?”
The young monk Chijō clasped his hands again and bowed, “I don’t know. My Master only said that the spring plum blossoms are blooming beautifully.”
Yuan Ye surmised that Aragiko Kannon Temple also had patients. Hearing that he, the “master of medical skills,” had arrived, they wanted to take advantage of a doctor to treat illnesses. It was the same effort to herd one sheep as it was to herd two; it wouldn’t hurt to go. After all, he had nothing else to do at the moment.
Moreover, he was quite interested in the temples of the Japanese Medieval Period.
He thought for a moment, then stood up and said to Maeda Toshiharu, “In that case, I will go and visit Master Kaishin and admire the spring plum blossoms at the temple.”
“That would be good!” Maeda Toshiharu had no objections. Aragiko Kannon Temple was at the other end of the village anyway, and if anything happened, it would be easy to find him again. It wouldn’t take much time.
Thus, Yuan Ye took A Qing with him, A Qing carrying the medicine box, and they followed the young monk Chijō.
Along the way, Chijō dutifully led the way, not saying much to Yuan Ye, appearing very well-behaved. As Yuan Ye left Aragiko Castle, he suddenly remembered something. He took out two rice balls wrapped in hemp leaves from his pocket and handed them to A Qing, saying gently, “Have something to eat first!”
In this era, women didn’t sit at the table. A Qing had been kneeling behind him the whole time and hadn’t had a drop to drink or a bite to eat. This was the custom of the time, and he couldn’t do anything about it. He had hinted to A Qing that she could quietly withdraw; no one would draw a sword and attack him while he was eating, so he didn’t need a bodyguard. But A Qing, being so stubborn, simply didn’t understand his hints and didn’t move.
He had always treated those around him well; after all, he still relied on them to work for him and shield him from harm. He had to be meticulous in his daily dealings. So now, he had to take out the “emergency rations” he had brought from home, just in case, to let her make do for now and avoid getting sick from hunger.
When the rice ball was presented, A Qing was slightly taken aback. She looked up at him with a clear, cool gaze. She didn’t refuse his kindness, lowered her eyelids, and extended her small hand to take a rice ball. She held it in her small hands and ate it quietly, implying that one was enough.
Yuan Ye didn’t mind; it was just to fill her stomach for now. As he was about to put the remaining one back into his pocket, he noticed that the young monk Chijō was staring at the rice ball, his throat bobbing slightly, seemingly wanting to eat it.
“This… the rice ball has shredded pork floss inside.” Yuan Ye was quite “luxurious” in his daily life and a bit picky in this era. His rice balls always had some hidden extras; they contained shredded pork floss made from pounded dried meat. He felt it wasn’t very suitable to give to a young monk—most monks in modern Japan have hair, wives, and eat meat and drink alcohol without any taboos, but he couldn’t be sure about ancient times. At least this young monk Chijō was truly bald.
Chijō’s expression showed a hint of disappointment, but his nose twitched, and he looked at the rice ball again, saying, “Really? Devotee, please don’t deceive this humble monk!”
“It’s true!” Yuan Ye handed him the rice ball to show him, indicating that he wasn’t being stingy, but that he genuinely couldn’t eat it.
Chijō was indeed not polite. He took the rice ball, broke it open, and his eyes flickered. He said softly, “It seems there’s no shredded pork floss inside. It looks like mountain mushrooms…”
“Mountain mushrooms?” Yuan Ye didn’t believe it. The rice balls were prepared by Yayoi, and it was impossible for “innate little maid sacred body” like Yayoi to make a mistake.
Chijō had already opened his mouth wide and stuffed the rice ball into it, mumbling, “It’s mountain mushrooms, indeed. Ascetics do not lie!”
Yuan Ye was speechless for a moment, then chuckled and nodded, “Alright, it is indeed mountain mushrooms. I remembered incorrectly!”
“Namo Amitabha, mountain mushrooms are delicious!” Chijō ate quickly, and after finishing, he licked his lips, seemingly still wanting more.
“Delicious or not, there are no more. I only brought two,” Yuan Ye said with a smile, greatly appreciating this young monk—he was quite promising, with a very flexible bottom line!
“Greed, hatred, and delusion are the three poisons of life. This humble monk dares not ask for more!” Chijō clasped his hands and bowed to Yuan Ye. “Thank you, Devotee. This humble monk hasn’t eaten… mountain mushrooms for a long time! Namo Amitabha, thank you, Devotee. May Devotee attain the fruit of great wisdom and enjoy eternal peace and joy.”
“Then thank you for your good wishes, Young Master!” Yuan Ye didn’t understand Buddhist teachings at all and couldn’t figure out what the “fruit of great wisdom” was. But seeing the young monk’s serious demeanor, he smiled and returned the bow.
…………
Chijō finished the rice ball, licking his lips as he savored it. Then, he honestly led the way, and soon their group arrived at the temple gate.
The temple gate was supported by four large raw wood pillars, with a double-eaved hip-and-gable black tile roof above and three layers of long bluestone steps below. It was quite high, making it difficult for ordinary people to ascend. In the center hung a plaque with three large characters written in Chinese characters: “Guanyin Temple.” The calligraphy was surprisingly skillful.
Chijō was young and short, and it was difficult for him to climb the first step. However, he turned back to introduce them, “Devotees, these are the three steps of the mountain gate: no self, no thought, no desire. Crossing these three steps, one can seek liberation.”
“I see. Thank you for your guidance, Young Master!” Yuan Ye replied, taking his gaze off the plaque. With his meager knowledge of Buddhism, combined with what he had read in online novels and Journey to the West, he casually asked, “After passing through the mountain gate, does it mean we have entered Guanyin Bodhisattva’s domain?”
Chijō, who was struggling to climb the steps, froze. A Qing also looked at Yuan Ye with surprise.
Yuan Ye knew he had spoken out of turn but didn’t know where he had gone wrong. He could only pretend nothing was amiss, nod to himself, and step through the mountain gate. He had miscalculated. He hadn’t expected to come to Aragiko Kannon Temple and hadn’t asked A Man for information beforehand. He had probably said something foolish!
Indeed, one should not speak casually in areas they don’t understand. This was a lesson learned!
A Qing often heard A Man whispering about Yuan Ye in bed, knowing he was a young master ignorant of worldly affairs and often lacked common sense. Seeing him visit others without even recognizing which sect they belonged to, she worried he might say something even more bizarre later, which would be quite bad!
She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and reminded him with her eyes lowered, “Lord… Guanyin Temple belongs to the Caodong Zen school of the Southern School of Zen Buddhism. It emphasizes self-cultivation, meditation, and sudden enlightenment. Guanyin here refers to seeking wisdom and great freedom, not Guanyin Bodhisattva. Temples that chant the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva and recite the twenty-five-verse Guanyin Universal Mantra mostly belong to the Nichiren Buddhism sect, which is not in Owari Province and has a poor relationship with Zen Buddhism.”
She was unsure how to address Yuan Ye at the moment, so she spoke vaguely. She also didn’t have a detailed understanding of Caodong Zen, but she had conveyed the general meaning, and Yuan Ye quickly understood.
So that’s how it is. However, the temple’s name is too easily misunderstood. Anyone unfamiliar with Buddhism would almost certainly assume this is Guanyin Bodhisattva’s territory!
Didn’t Elder Jinchi and the Black Bear Spirit in Journey to the West live in Guanyin Zen Monastery?
But the terms Zen Buddhism, Southern School, and sudden enlightenment…
They seem to be sects originating from China. I think high school textbooks mentioned them. That poem, “Bodhi originally has no tree, the bright mirror also has no stand; originally there is nothing, where can dust alight?” seems to have been created by the Southern School of Zen Buddhism.
Terms like “a sudden shout” and “enlightenment on the spot” also seem to originate from the Southern School of Zen Buddhism.
So Aragiko Kannon Temple is the type that hits people on the head with a big stick, and with a “whoosh,” a Buddha’s light appears, and they achieve Buddhahood on the spot?
Although A Qing’s explanation was brief, Yuan Ye’s imagination ran wild for a while. Combining it with his knowledge of later generations, he roughly understood which sect Aragiko Kannon Temple belonged to and had a clearer idea.
He had always been eager to learn when he didn’t know something and corrected himself when he made a mistake. He immediately said sincerely to A Qing, “Thank you. I know now.”
A Qing looked up at him with a cool gaze, said nothing further, lowered her eyelids again, and quietly stepped back half a pace, continuing to follow him.
Yuan Ye didn’t mind and began to ponder the poem and the anecdotes of Chinese monks engaging in verbal sparring, in case he needed to practice them when talking with Master Kaishin later—since they were Zen monks, they would surely enjoy discussing these things, right?
He pondered in his mind, so engrossed that he didn’t even notice the temple scenery. He followed the young monk Chijō through corridors and halls, arriving at a meditation hall within the temple.
Outside the meditation hall was an old plum tree, and the plum blossoms were indeed blooming vibrantly.
Inside the meditation hall, sandalwood incense wafted. There were no Buddha statues, only a bald old monk in his sixties, with white eyebrows and white beard, wearing a seven-piece monastic robe, the daily attire of a monk, sitting on a meditation cushion with his eyes closed, meditating.
Chijō rushed forward a couple of steps, bowed his head, and clasped his hands, saying, “Master, Devotee Yuan Ye has arrived.”
Old Monk Haixin opened his eyes and looked at Yuan Ye. A sharp glint seemed to flash through them. Then, he lowered his head and chanted a Buddhist name, bowing and saying, “This old monk was practicing seated Zen meditation and did not come to greet you from afar. I hope Devotee Yuan will not take offense!”
“Not at all, not at all. It is an honor to visit your precious temple!” Yuan Ye sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion that Chijō had brought, offered a polite remark, and waited for a discussion of Buddhist teachings and verbal sparring. After all, even if the old monk had invited him to see a patient, they would surely chat for a while.
As expected, Old Monk Haixin did not get straight to the point. He first had Chijō serve tea, asked about the illnesses of Maeda Toshiharu and Maeda Toshihisa, and then began to lament Yuan Ye’s benevolent heart and medical ethics, praising him incessantly. Most people would have been confused by this.
Yuan Ye had great patience and responded casually. After circling around for a long time, Old Monk Haixin finally got to the main topic, saying with a look of compassion, “…Devotee Yuan’s compassionate heart is a great virtue in this world. Have you ever considered marketing your medicines abroad to save all sentient beings?”
Yuan Ye was slightly taken aback, and then his expression became strange.
I had a head full of phrases, all prepared to discuss Buddhist teachings with you, and you want to discuss business with me?
Are you really a monk?
