novelones Chapter 736 The Power of Faith
Chapter 736 The Power of Faith
Yangon.
This is the old capital of Myanmar and the largest city in Myanmar.
2500 years ago, this place was still called a fishing village of the Mon people, and it was famous for the Ruiguang Shwedagon Pagoda because eight hairs of Sakyamuni were enshrined in it.
To this day, it is also the most famous pagoda in Southeast Asia.
It was already the next morning when Xia Chuan and the two got off the plane.
The two of them traveled a long distance, almost from the northernmost part of Myanmar to the southernmost seaside.
And there is no boarding record, just like it disappeared into thin air.
When I walked out of the airport and looked at what I saw, it was hard to imagine that this was an international airport. It was not closed. There were houses as far as the eye could see. The prosperity during the Eagle Kingdom's rule could no longer be seen.
It's a pity that neither of them felt that sad.
"It's much cooler here than Mandalay." Xia Chuan said with a smile.
When driving to Mandalay yesterday, Xia Chuan was shocked. The temperature was 48 degrees. Fortunately, he caught the flight to Yangon, otherwise he would have turned into a mummy after a slight delay.
Yangon is closer to the equator, but it has a maritime climate, only 27 degrees.
The two of them bought some food on the roadside, then got into a taxi and headed to the Holy Mountain.
The taxis here are all second-hand Japanese cars with no air-conditioning or meter. You have to negotiate the price before getting on the bus.
The two of them were eating and looking out the window. It was like a big park, with plants, flowers and pagodas everywhere along the way.
The monk with his bare left shoulder and red cassock was floating in the street with his bare feet.The Eagle Country building left over from the colonial era has a dark red roof.Hindu temples are decorated with statues of various gods and goddesses and have moss-covered roofs.Invented by modern civilization, the top of the square box.
Pagodas, churches, pigeons playing in the sky.
The cars on the street looked like they had come from a junkyard, and most of them were rusty.Due to the Western blockade, it is difficult for Myanmar to import cars, and many cars are from the Ne Win era.
Classic cars, jeeps and old British-designed Indian-made buses abound.
Many open-air bathhouses are only separated from the street by a wall. A group of women are wrapped in skirts, and some plump shoulders are exposed on the wall. They are heard pouring water on their bodies with wooden buckets. They laugh loudly. After washing, they go to the bathroom one by one. Come outside the wall to wring the water from your hair.
At the same time, a group of monks walked by barefoot, each holding a brown-red oil paper umbrella.
……
Finally arrived at the Holy Mountain.
When the two got out of the car, the old man's eyes lit up.
The Shwedagon Pagoda is right in front of you, a hundred meters high.
The pagoda is made of bricks, and the surface of the pagoda is covered with gold foil, giving it a real golden glow.
The tower is shaped like a huge bell upside down on the ground. It has four gates. There are stone lions guarding the gates. There are jade Buddha statues inside the gates and stone stairs inside the tower.
The top of the tower is covered with a metal umbrella, and on the tip of the umbrella is a gold ball as big as a basin. The surface of the ball is inlaid with countless diamonds and rubies and sapphires.
More than a thousand gold and silver bells hang from the eaves of the tower.
Around the Shwedagon Pagoda, there are nearly a hundred small golden pagodas, similar in shape to the Shwedagon Pagoda, forming a forest of golden pagodas.
"Can you feel the eight hairs of Gautama Buddha?" Xia Chuan couldn't help but asked as he walked over.
The old Taoist asked in confusion: "What kind of hair can last for thousands of years?"
Xia Chuan showed an expression of hatred for steel and said in a low voice:
"If you can't do it, it doesn't mean that Sakyamuni can't do it. Let me tell you, legend has it that this pagoda was built by a pair of businessmen brothers who met the Buddha. They received eight hairs of the Buddha and prepared to send them to Burma for worship.
When I arrived in Myanmar, with the help of the local king, I found a sacred mountain where many Buddha treasures were enshrined.
When the two men opened the gold box and prepared to offer it, something incredible happened: the light emanating from the eight hairs seemed to penetrate heaven and hell, allowing the blind to see the light instantly and the deaf to regain their hearing immediately. , let the mute begin to speak.
Moreover, thunder and drought fell from the sky, the earth trembled, and even Mount Meru was affected. Precious stones fell from the sky like rain, reaching as deep as the knees; the trees in the Himalayas also blossomed and bore fruit even in the season when they were not blooming. "
The old Taoist was thoughtful, but asked a question that was impossible to answer: "How do you know so many things?"
Xia Chuan was stunned and then said the truth: "This is the accumulation of time."
Hahaha, the old man laughed: "You sound like you are 80 years old."
When we arrived in front of the temple gate, we may have arrived too early and there were no tourists yet, but the gate was indeed open.
The two of them bought tickets, one thousand each, which is equivalent to RMB [-]. This price is already amazing for Burmese people.
When we arrived at the door of the light tower, there were two barefoot monks standing on the left and right, looking at their feet.
The two of them took off their shoes obediently. People's rules must be followed. Entering with shoes on is looking for trouble.
But the moment the two of them stepped into the temple.
Suddenly, a golden halo of light rose from the pagoda and slowly spread into the sky, as vast as half a planet.
The two monks' eyes widened in an instant, and they hurriedly rushed to the open space and looked back up. They were sure that it was the light tower showing the saint. The two monks were immediately excited, but they didn't understand what it meant for a while.
But Xia Chuan and the other two didn't notice.
After entering the Great Light Pagoda, the two walked around in a circle. Xia Chuan looked disappointed. There were just one Buddha statue after another at a glance. How could there be any offerings?It might as well look grand from the outside.
"How do you feel? Do you have the power of faith?" Xia Chuan asked.
The old Taoist shook his head: "I don't feel it. I don't know what the power of faith is. It's like eating a bear's paw back then. It's not as good as an ordinary pig's trotter."
Xia Chuan's face was speechless. The expression on his face was obviously that you were hopeless and could no longer be saved.
"After all, you've come all the way here, so please stay a little longer."
"Well, stay for one more minute." The old man nodded.
Xia Chuan groaned and suddenly figured it out.
The temples (they call them pagodas) in Myanmar are really magical places.
In addition to being a place for people to lay flowers, worship Buddha, and listen to lectures, it also has the functions of holding wedding banquets, social gatherings, vacations and leisure, night market entertainment, political speeches, and demonstrations and rallies.
Temples are generally very solemn places, but here they are an essential part of people's lives.
Needless to say, the wedding banquet is a big place here.
For example, in the dating function, male and female friends usually go to temples for dates. Why are there so many temples here? Maybe there is no other place to go.
The trees are lush, the birds are singing, and the key is that it is relatively quiet.In the evening, a pair of men and women sat quietly under the tree and talked.
However, the Burmese people are more conservative. They hold hands at most and nothing else.
Another example is the vacation function. Larger temples have this function.They are generally located in dense forests or along streams and river valleys.A quiet and cool place.But the living conditions will be more difficult.
Usually some thin blankets and hard pillows are spread on the wooden floor, and a mosquito net is added.
Therefore, when the holidays come, you will see people traveling with large bags and small bags, perhaps bringing a complete set of sleeping equipment.
But don’t worry about eating. Two meals a day (because you don’t eat after lunch) are free, and you don’t have to wash dishes!
The most common night market entertainment function is temple festivals, which are the anniversaries of the birth of temples, and there are basically traffic jams!
How much faith is left?
Xia Chuan's mood waned and he said, "Let's go."
The two turned around, and Xia Chuan was suddenly stunned. A barefoot woman walked in at the door. It was obvious that she did not want to worship Buddha, because she walked directly towards the two of them. Her steps were light and her landing was silent. She looked so beautiful and dignified, noble and elegant, and incomparably holy.
The solemnity in her eyes was like that of a thousand-year-old nun.
The old Taoist murmured to himself: "The power of faith."