Iron Spear Yang Tiexin

Chapter Two: On Mount Shaoshi

At this time of year, Shaolin Temple was still quite popular.

This place is now under the rule of the Jin Dynasty. The people have suffered greatly, and their hardships are beyond words. So they place their hopes on the ethereal Buddha and Bodhisattva.

One day, a young farmer came down from Shaoshi Mountain.

The young man was around twenty years old. Although he was dressed in coarse cloth, he was handsome with a straight nose, square mouth, and bright eyes. He was also tall and strong, with the appearance of a handsome young man.

The young man was holding a newborn baby in his arms. The little one had a chubby, fair face and was very cute. He was fast asleep in the young man's arms, occasionally smacking his lips, which was very adorable.

In his other hand, the young man led two white goats. These two goats were very tall, almost like calves, and both had large, full udders. Clearly, they were two lactating ewes.

The two goats had good appetites. Although they were being led by the young man, they would occasionally lower their heads and nibble at the dry grass by the roadside.

The young man, however, was in no hurry. He let the two goats graze as they walked, only gently tugging on the reins when they tried to descend the mountain path, pulling them back onto the right track.

On the mountain path frequented by pilgrims, the young man's appearance was quite eye-catching.

But the young man continued to do things his own way, walking along at his own unhurried pace.

By the time the young man arrived outside the Shaolin Temple gate, it was nearly noon.

Instead of going directly into the temple, the young man first led the sheep aside, tied it up, let the baby have a good nurse, then urinated on the baby, and after tidying everything up, he picked up the baby again and led the sheep toward the temple gate.

What's amazing is that throughout the whole process, the baby didn't wake up and kept simmering the pig's head.

As he slowly approached the temple gate, the young man bowed to a monk who was in charge of receiving guests and said in a low voice, "Master, my name is Mu Tiexin. I have come to your temple to pray for my daughter's safety, but I do not know how to do so. I hope you can give me some guidance!"

The visitor was none other than Yang Tiexin from Niujia Village.

The baby girl was Mu Nianci, the adopted daughter of Yang Tiexin and the orphan of his savior.

As he spoke, Yang Tiexin raised the hand holding the reins and reached into his pocket for a moment, pulling out a dozen copper coins and placing them in the palm of the guest monk.

"Please don't do this, benefactor! Please don't do this!" The monk in charge of the reception hurriedly declined.

"Master, please accept this. I know my appearance is unsightly and I'm afraid it might cause inconvenience to your temple. Besides, given my condition, perhaps you could offer me some extra help. This small token is an additional offering to you and your temple, in addition to the incense offerings! If you refuse, I will feel uneasy!"

Seeing Yang Tiexin's resolute attitude, the monk who was in charge of the reception stopped refusing and instead diligently led the young man around, explaining the process of offering incense.

As the saying goes, "Men wear Guanyin and women wear Buddha," and knowing that Mu Tiexin was carrying a daughter, the guest monk instructed Mu Tiexin to go to the Mahavira Hall to worship Buddha, saying that he could request a Buddha statue, made of wood, stone, jade, or gold, but the amount of incense money required would vary depending on the master who consecrated it.

Yang Tiexin generously replied that anything that can be solved with money is not a problem! What my daughter uses must be the best!

Under the somewhat suspicious gaze of the monk, Yang Tiexin took out a silver ingot weighing about seven or eight taels and stuffed it into the monk's hand, asking him to arrange all the matters on his behalf.

At this point, the monk realized that although the young man surnamed Mu was dressed simply, the baby girl in his arms was anything but shabby. The swaddling clothes were made of the finest silk!

Knowing that he had encountered a spendthrift son with excessive paternal love, the guest monk did not say much, but busied himself with taking care of everything for Yang Tiexin, even the two goats that acted as wet nurses were well taken care of.

Paying homage to the Buddha, inviting the Buddha statue, and consecrating it—the whole process is tedious, but as long as you have enough money, it's not too troublesome.

After acquiring a high-quality green jade Buddha statue, the guest monk was about to lead Yang Tiexin out of the temple when Yang Tiexin suddenly spoke up again, saying that he wanted to hand-copy several Buddhist scriptures for his deceased wife and daughter, and asked the guest monk to help arrange it. As he spoke, he slipped the guest monk a dozen or so copper coins.

After weighing the ten or so coins in his hand, and recalling how the young man surnamed Mu had given his daughter a jade Buddha with seven or eight cartloads of silver, the guest monk finally understood!

The young man in front of me must be the kind of poor guy who loves his family so much that he'd be willing to be ripped off and act like a big shot for his family's sake!

However, this was ultimately their own business, and the monk in charge of the guest ceremony didn't intend to interfere.

Upon hearing that this young man wanted to copy Buddhist scriptures for his deceased wife and daughter, the guest monk was not surprised and agreed almost without hesitation.

Although Buddhist scriptures are sold on the streets, it is not uncommon for pilgrims to come up the mountain to copy Buddhist scriptures in a large temple like Shaolin.

After all, seeking Buddha's help requires sincerity; sincerity brings results! Copying a Buddhist scripture yourself is also a way to sincerely seek Buddha's help.

Considering that the young man surnamed Mu was having a hard time on his own, and because of the bribe of a dozen or so coins, the guest monk did not simply dump him in a side hall like an ordinary pilgrim. Instead, he took him to the outside of the scripture pavilion, beckoned a young monk inside, gave him a few instructions, and then turned and left.

"Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk is Jueyuan! May I ask how you are addressed, benefactor?"

After bowing respectfully, the young monk spoke first.

A slight thought crossed Yang Tiexin's mind, but his face remained impassive. Holding Mu Nianci, he bowed in return and said, "My surname is Mu, and my given name is Tiexin. I am grateful to Master Jueyuan for your help!"

"Master Jueyuan, I wish to copy some scriptures. I wonder if you could instruct me?"

"Did you copy this for the young benefactor in your arms?"

"Is there any explanation?"

"If this is for the young benefactor, I think the Lotus Sutra is more suitable. If it is for the purpose of helping the deceased, then the Mahaparinirvana Sutra and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra are more appropriate. If it is for the benefactor to read himself, then, well, the Diamond Sutra is the first choice."

"Oh... well, may I ask if I may venture a question, what are the most important doctrines of your temple?"

"This temple is the ancestral temple of the Chan school, and its main texts are the Lankavatara Sutra and the Diamond Sutra."

Phew! Thank goodness, we're finally getting to the point!

However, Yang Tiexin did not rush to get entangled in the Lankavatara Sutra. Instead, he patiently picked up the Lotus Sutra and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra.

During this time, Yang Tiexin took the opportunity to settle down at Shaolin Temple. Of course, the proper offerings of incense and other prayers were indispensable!

Because he also had to take care of Mu Nianci, Yang Tiexin copied the scriptures relatively slowly. It took him a whole month to copy the Lotus Sutra and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra.

This was all thanks to Jueyuan, who saw how busy Yang Tiexin was and often took time out of his busy schedule to help Yang Tiexin herd sheep and take care of the children, allowing Yang Tiexin to concentrate on copying the scriptures.

In the past month, Yang Tiexin and Jueyuan have become extremely familiar with each other.

Yang Tiexin also inadvertently heard from Jueyuan about the Sanskrit Lankavatara Sutra handwritten by Bodhidharma, one of which was in Jueyuan's possession. Taking advantage of this topic, Yang Tiexin asked Jueyuan to lend him the Sanskrit Lankavatara Sutra.