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墨書 Inktalez
On this day, Seongjin arrived at Dongting Lake, breaking through the shimmering surface of the water and entering the Crystal Palace. Upon hearing of Seongjin's arrival, the Dragon King was overjoyed and personally came out to greet him, welcoming Seongjin into the palace and taking their seats. Seongjin stood up to bow to the Dragon King, conveying his master's greetings and gratitude. After hearing this, the Dragon King ordered a feast to be prepared for Seongjin. The banquet table was filled with various rare fruits and delicacies that made one's mouth water. The Dragon King personally poured wine for Seongjin and said, "Holy monk, you have traveled a long way and must be tired. Please drink this cup!" Seeing this, Seongjin hurriedly declined, saying, "Wine is a thing that leads to chaos; the Buddhist precepts are strict, and I dare not drink." The Dragon King laughed and replied, "Indeed, one of the Five Precepts forbids drinking alcohol; how could I not know? However, my wine is different from the strong liquors of the mortal realm; it only has nourishing properties and no intoxicating effects. Do you not consider my good intentions?" Seeing the Dragon King's sincerity, Seongjin found it hard to refuse and ended up drinking three cups.
After bidding farewell to the Dragon King, Seongjin left the underwater palace and walked towards Lotus Peak against the cool breeze. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he felt a wave of intoxication wash over him, his vision blurring as he muttered to himself, "If Master sees my flushed cheeks, he will surely scold me." He then sat by the stream, took off his outer robe and placed it on the clean sand, splashed some water on his face. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of an unusual fragrance; it was neither the scent of orchids nor that of flowers and grass. He felt invigorated as any lingering melancholy dissipated, leaving him feeling open-hearted and light as if he were floating. He then said to himself, "There must be some extraordinary flowers or herbs upstream; I must go find them." With that thought in mind, he tidied his clothes and walked upstream against the current.
At that moment, the Eight Immortals Maiden happened to be on a stone bridge and encountered Seongjin. Seongjin put down his staff and approached respectfully, saying, "Greetings to you, Bodhisattvas. I am a disciple of Lotus Temple's Master Liuguan and have come down from the mountain on my master's orders. I am now returning to the temple. This bridge is narrow; since you ladies are here first, it may be inconvenient for me to pass through. I kindly ask you to step aside so that I may go through." The Eight Immortals Maiden returned his greeting and said, "We are maidens serving Consort Wei and have come here to pay our respects to Master. We stopped here for a brief rest. We have heard that ancient customs dictate: 'On the road, men should keep left while women should keep right.' This bridge is already narrow; since we arrived first, if you were to pass through here now, it would be improper according to etiquette. It would be better for you to find another route." Seongjin replied, "The stream is deep; there is no other way for me to cross." The maidens responded, "In ancient times, even Bodhidharma could cross the sea by stepping on reeds. Since you are a disciple of Master Liuguan, you must possess exceptional skills; crossing this small stream should pose no difficulty for you. Why must you insist on contending with us women for passage?" Seongjin smiled and said, "It seems that you ladies wish to charge me a toll for passage. However, I have no money; all I can offer are these eight luminous pearls as payment." Saying this, he held a peach blossom in front of them and tossed it away. In an instant, four pairs of crimson buds transformed into eight luminous pearls that shone brightly on the ground like treasures birthed from celestial oysters. The Eight Fairies each picked up a pearl and turned back with a charming smile at Seongjin before riding the wind away into the sky.
Seongjin stood at the bridgehead gazing at the sky for a long time until the clouds disappeared and the fragrant breeze faded before he reluctantly left with a sense of loss in his heart as he returned to the temple filled with melancholy. Master Liuguan asked why he had returned late; Seongjin then recounted his encounter with the Dragon King. After listening quietly without responding, Master Liuguan instructed him to rest.
When Seongjin returned to his meditation room, night had already fallen. Since meeting those Eight Fairies, their delicate voices lingered in his ears while their beautiful forms seemed to dance before his eyes—he wanted to forget but found it impossible; he tried not to think but couldn't help himself from remembering them. For a moment he felt dazed and light-headed as if he had lost his soul entirely. He sat there weakly while silently reflecting: "A true man born into this world must learn Confucian teachings from childhood and grow up assisting wise rulers like Yao or Shun. In service one can become a general commanding armies or an official governing the realm—dressed in brocade robes with purple sashes accepting worship from others while seeking welfare for common people. What one should pursue are beautiful women seen with one's eyes and melodious music heard with one's ears—achieving ultimate wealth and fame that will be remembered through generations! But looking back at my Buddhist practice—it consists merely of one bowl of rice daily, one bottle of water along with some scriptures and prayer beads. Although Buddhism is profound with endless paths of cultivation, it can feel too lonely and dull—a life devoid of excitement! Even if I ultimately comprehend superior Buddhist teachings inheriting my master's legacy sitting upon a lotus throne—when my three souls and nine spirits turn into smoke dissipating between heaven and earth who will remember there once was a monk named Seongjin?" He thought this way for a while then that way—his heart was tumultuous like raging seas making it hard for him to calm down; as he pondered more sleep eluded him until he realized it was already very late.
Just as he was about to close his eyes in drowsiness again he saw those Eight Fairies appear before him once more; when he suddenly woke up opening his eyes there was nothing there anymore. Filled with regret inside Seongjin thought: "Buddhist practice requires tempering one's willpower conquering inner demons—that is what truly matters! I have been ordained for ten years without ever harboring any wicked thoughts—how could today turn out like this? If this continues won't it hinder my future cultivation?" With this thought in mind Seongjin quickly lit sandalwood incense sat cross-legged on his cushion forcing himself to focus as he began turning his prayer beads reciting mantras repeatedly.
While he was concentrating on chanting suddenly he heard a little monk outside calling out: "Brother are you asleep? Master wants you to come immediately." Startled by this Seongjin thought: "So late at night Master suddenly calls me over—there must be something urgent." He hurriedly followed behind the little monk rushing towards the abbot's room where Master Liuguan sat solemnly in the main hall surrounded by disciples gathered there listening intently—all wore serious expressions under bright lights adding an air of solemnity.
Master Liuguan's expression was grave as he sternly questioned: "Seongjin do you know your crime?" Hearing this made Seongjin's heart race in fear causing him to tumble down steps kneeling on the ground saying: "Disciple has served Master for ten years—I believe I have never done anything against your orders! I am foolish indeed—I truly do not know what wrong I have committed please enlighten me!" Master Liuguan replied: "Cultivation consists of three aspects: speech body mind. You attended a banquet in Dragon Palace drinking until intoxicated—upon returning crossing stone bridge encountering several women engaging in flirtatious banter exchanging glances while giving them flowers pulling at each other behaving frivolously! Even after returning here you still cannot forget them clearly having developed worldly desires! You initially indulged in beauty then became enamored with wealth envying worldly splendor while despising Buddhist tranquility—you have violated all three precepts! Your transgressions are so grave our temple can no longer accommodate you!"
Upon hearing this Seongjin quickly bowed down crying out: "Master! Master! Disciple indeed has sinned but breaking my vow against alcohol was due to overwhelming hospitality—I simply could not refuse! Speaking with those fairies was merely asking them for passage—not intentionally trying to get close—what wrong is there? Although after returning I did harbor impure thoughts about them—I soon realized my mistake! Disciple desperately restrained myself finally regaining calmness—this is what Confucians call 'realizing one's error'! If I truly committed great wrongs let Master punish me with discipline—that would also serve as guidance! Why must you directly expel me cutting off my chance for repentance? At twelve years old I left my parents family coming here following Master cultivating Buddhism—shaving my head becoming a monk wholeheartedly devoted towards Buddha! Your kindness towards me is akin to that of parents reborn—we share bonds like father-son! Lotus Temple is home for me—where else can I go?"
Master Liuguan responded: "You wish to leave—is it I who drives you away? You wish to stay—who can force you away? You say where else can you go—the place you seek is your true home." After saying this Master raised his voice asking: "Where is Yellow Turban Warrior?" A divine general descended from above responding promptly bowing down awaiting orders. The master commanded: "Take this sinner away transporting him to Fengdu handing him over to King Yama for judgment."
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