PureInsight | June 23, 2024
[PureInsight.org] Regarding the altar, day by day it was cracking open, revealing the stones inside. Mo Le thanked the heavens for this blessing and once again vowed to build the Golden Pagoda with a devout heart. Mo Le selected eight hundred young Venida (meaning unmarried young men with a strong and unyielding spirit) who had exemplary appearance, conduct, and strength, while Mo Cai selected one hundred graceful and pure Meinijia (meaning pure and chaste young girls) in preparation for the tower's construction.
The various heavenly gods in the higher realms are all paying attention to the mortal world, especially to Motian Kingdom, because this time, the great Buddha will be enshrined in the pagoda to be built. Some of the gods in different levels know that the Buddha's power and virtue encompass all the gods and buddhas who have come to the Three Realms. His great body transcends countless skies, and in the boundless universe, he takes on infinite forms. He is connected with immeasurable lives, and all living beings place their hope of salvation and the remolding of their divine bodies in the great Buddha. This is an unprecedented event, so the heavenly gods are treating the construction of the tower with utmost seriousness.
Heaven's will is to build a pagoda, and everything that happens on earth related to celestial phenomena must reflect heaven's will. Heaven chose Motian Kingdom, and all aspects of the pagoda's construction, including its size, dimensions, the selection of building materials and personnel, and more, all have the participation of gods in the heavenly realm. Everything that occurs on earth is not coincidental but arranged by the gods, and not even the slightest mistake can be allowed.
In Motian Kingdom, those who participate in the construction of the pagoda have the experience of building the first Golden Pagoda, making the construction of the second one more relaxed. The King and his subjects pay more attention to cultivating their hearts and sincerity. This is because everyone knows that Tongtian chess belongs to the priest, who is the owner of Tongtian chess. When the Tongtian chessboard finds its rightful owner, the great Buddha will appear on earth, and the pagoda must enshrine the great Buddha. The great Buddha will be able to save all beings from the sea of suffering and lead them to the realm of enlightenment, free from reincarnation. Those who have heard the news are very excited, and the entire country is paying attention to the construction of the pagoda.
During the construction of the golden tower, a group of artists spontaneously formed a performing arts troupe consisting of a band and a dance team. The band composed music to praise the gods and buddhas, while the dancers choreographed grand dances to pay tribute to the gods and buddhas. The dance was named "Cloud Dance" and aimed to showcase the divine beauty of the heavens. The music, songs, and dances used to pay tribute to the gods and buddhas were all carefully prepared and rehearsed.
The construction of the golden tower was even larger than the first one and took nearly a year to complete. The statue of the giant Buddha was also sculpted and on its way to the tower. As it passed by, people lined the streets to bow and worship the Buddha, their emotions running high.
The ceremony to enshrine the Buddha was grand and solemn. The ceremony to invite the Buddha was presided over by Meng Gang, who recited Buddhist scriptures before placing the scriptures inside the Buddha statue and pasting them with paper.
Meng Gang faced the Buddha statue and said, "Great and majestic Buddha, when the Princess was suffering and in distress, you appeared in front of her with compassion. Your subjects have built the golden tower and invited you to reside in the world, to enlighten all sentient beings. Let us await your arrival with sincere hearts."
After a pause, Meng Gang continued, "Great and majestic Buddha, please listen to our prayers, protect our bodies and minds, guide our souls. In this world, I firmly believe that the light of Buddha will shine into every corner. Through your compassion, sentient beings' roots of goodness will not be covered in dust. Through your call, they will not sink. Through your teachings, they will not lose their affinity with Buddha. Through chanting your name, they will awaken. Please shine your light upon us and bestow blessings upon all sentient beings, and empower their Buddha nature!"
After Meng Gang finished speaking, everyone was staring at the Buddha statue. There were constant exclamations of surprise from the crowd as different people saw different visions. Some saw the Buddha, some saw light, some saw a lotus throne, and some saw a colorful pagoda. Mo Cai saw an image leaving Meng Gang's body and moving up to the Buddha statue. She was very surprised and the words "living Buddha" flashed before her eyes.
After Meng Gang, Mo Le also knelt before the Buddha and expressed his sincere wishes. He said, "Great Buddha, you are protecting us now, and in the future you will save us. I am willing to kneel before the Buddha with the most sincere attitude, listen to the Buddha's teachings, and I hope that my heart of worshiping the gods and buddhas will remain unchanged throughout the ages. May all of my people worship the Buddha with a sincere heart and firmly hold onto their predestined relationship with Buddha, so that they will not sink."
Wen Mei knelt before the Buddha and said, "Great Buddha, please grant me a peaceful heart in the distant future, so that I can recite the Buddha's teachings with a calm mind and be unaffected by worldly affairs. Please bless me, Buddha!"
Mo Cai prostrated herself before the Buddha and said, "Great Buddha, in the future evil era, may my memory awaken, my gratitude be most sincere, and all my fellow countrymen who have a bond with me be saved. May my respect for Buddha not be tainted by the endless cycle of reincarnation. Please awaken me then, Buddha!"
Mo Qi prostrated himself before the Buddha and said, "Great Buddha, please grant me wisdom in the future, so that I will not be lost in the crowd. Please awaken me, great Buddha!"
Ruolian prostrated herself before the Buddha and said, "Great Buddha, please grant me a pure heart, so that I will not be lost in the crowd. I am willing to revere the Buddha with all my heart. Please bless me, Buddha!"
After the royal members, Kunlun prostrated himself before the Buddha and said, "Great Buddha, in the future evil era, no matter what happens, I am willing to have a pure heart to listen to the Buddha's teachings and to build a great Buddha statue to awaken people's sleeping souls. Please bless me, Buddha!"
Mo Cai thought to herself, "If I were to see the giant Buddha at that time, I would hope to have the same great shock, remember the past, and know that the Buddha has always been blessing us."
Ninety-nine-year-old Moses knelt before the Buddha and said, "Great Buddha, in the distant future, if I am still an old person and hear your teachings, I ask for your blessing to grant me a healthy body and a wise mind. I am willing to be diligent before the Buddha with an ageless body and mind. I ask for your blessing and protection, Buddha."
Respected people from all walks of life knelt before the Buddha and made solemn promises, hoping to maintain a pure heart and be saved in the future. The gods of heaven and earth recorded the vows made by people at this moment, and the giant Buddha blessed all their wishes.
After the grand ceremony, dancers and musicians prepared themselves and went up onto the stage that had already been set up to perform, expressing their gratitude and praising the gods and buddhas. Meng Gang, the priest, personally wrote the four characters "Divine Dance of Grace" and presented them to the dancers. As the performance continued, people enjoyed the music and dance, immersed in the joy of the occasion.
(To be continued)
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/242577
