PureInsight | March 27, 2024
[PureInsight.org] During meditation, Meng Gang saw countless deities and buddhas in the sky, gazing upon the capital city of the Motian Kingdom. Knowing that various immortals were helping in the construction of the pagoda, Meng Gang requested that the King issue a decree for the whole country to sincerely recite the Buddha's name and pray for divine protection for the pagoda's construction.
Mo Le directed Venida to transport stones, while Mo Cai instructed Meinijia to apply a solution of black stones to the stones. Mo Le and the craftsmen discussed the construction of the pagoda, and Mo Le accepted any good suggestions proposed by anyone, and asked the priest Meng Gang to make the final decision. Under Meng Gang's guidance, Motian Kingdom began to build the pagoda.
Throughout the construction of the pagoda, the King and Queen lived separately. The Queen devoutedly worshipped the Buddha, and her example was followed by the royal officials and even the common people. The entire country paid attention to the construction of the pagoda. At that time, the people of the Motian Kingdom were simple and pure, with courteous men and virtuous women.
The construction of the pagoda was entirely done by manpower. Four giants could easily lift a large stone. After the foundation was dug, downward steps were built on both sides, and the Venida transported the stones to the bottom to begin building the pagoda. After the bottom layer was completed, people used diamond wood (a type of very dense and compact wood) to build a scaffolding in a step shape around the perimeter, which the giants called the "Heavenly Ladder". The Venida wore shoes woven from orchid grass, which were sturdy, durable, and had strong adhesion. When they carried stones upwards, the Venida sometimes felt like they were stepping on clouds, as if something was supporting them. They called this phenomenon "Cloud Stepping Feet" and believed that there was divine protection.
During the construction of the pagoda, famous musicians and singers from all over the country gathered in the capital city to create the best music and sing the most beautiful songs to celebrate the construction of the Buddhist tower. Meng Gang personally composed the music and wrote the lyrics, and gave them to the musicians and singers. Soon, these songs spread widely throughout the kingdom. Among them, the most magnificent song was "The Song of the Gods". Other songs, such as "God Saves the World", "The Compassion of the Buddha", and "Waiting for God's Arrival", were also very impressive. A famous soprano singer sang with a voice that seemed to come from heaven, covering a certain area. While a famous bass singer's voice was marvellous and wonderful, like erupting from the ground, with the heaviness of the earth and a sense of extension, yet not lacking in strength.
During the construction of the pagoda, the weather in the Motian Kingdom was also excellent. It often rained at night and was sunny during the day. The construction site did not receive rain, but the air was very fresh. During the day, the sun overhead did not feel too hot, and the occasional cool breeze made people feel very comfortable. The older people said: it was the umbrella of the Umbrella Goddess (a deity in Chinese mythology) that was sheltering them.
During breaks, people brought drinks made from berries and mountain spring water. Beautiful singing would always sound during these times, and the singing voices of these singers could make people forget their fatigue and feel happy.
During the rest at night, the Venida and Meinijia both sat cross-legged, quietly reciting the Buddhist mantra "Ju Xi Le Buddha" for about an hour. In the middle of the night, the green-skirted goddess Suoyi held a cloud bottle with a plant inside, seemingly ordinary. However, when she took it out, the plant immediately grew a thousand vines, each with a small leaf on which a crystal-clear droplet sat. Suoyi waved the plant, and the droplets fell on the giants, removing their fatigue. The yellow-clothed fairy boy played a musical instrument that emitted golden notes that flew towards the giants' dreams. In the morning, the Venida said, "After a night's rest, we are filled with strength." Someone also said, "I heard beautiful music."
After five months of tower construction, one night, Mo Le and Mo Cai were resting on a platform near the pagoda. Mo Cai said to her brother, "I think the pagoda is already shining with light." After a pause, Mo Cai said again, "Brother, the night is so beautiful. I feel my heart is filled with joy and lightness, flying in the air, overlooking the earth." Mo Le smiled and nodded.
After eight months of construction, Meng Gang said to Mo Le, "The Buddha pagoda is built and will bring boundless merit, but the King must continue to practice virtue diligently." Mo Le was surprised and said, "Honorable priest, if there is any flaw in my virtue, please let me know." Meng Gang replied, "That's not what I mean. During my meditation, I saw three visions: in the first one, the golden pagoda was built with a phoenix hovering in the sky; in the second one, the golden pagoda was built and all the people submitted; in the third one, the golden pagoda was built and the earth was bountiful with myriad auspicious signs appearing in the sky. I believe that the completion of the Buddha pagoda will bring even more blessings to the Motian Kingdom, and therefore, the King must continue to lead and educate your people with diligence." Mo Le nodded in agreement.
As the completion of the Buddha pagoda approached, Mo Le had a dream in which he held a stone in his hand and placed it on the top of the tower. When he woke up, Mo Le decided to follow the guidance of the divine and personally collect fresh fruits, wash them, and offer them to the temple. He spent a long time prostrating and praying for the protection and blessings of the gods and Buddha.
The subjects knew that the Buddhist pagoda was about to be completed and came early to see it. Many of them stood near the pagoda, watching the King dressed in plain clothes with amazement. Soon, they learned that the King was going to place the stone at the top of the pagoda. The subjects were excited and waited for everything that was about to happen, silently praying for the King in their hearts.
When Mo Le chose four powerful men to assist him in placing the stone at the top of the pagoda, the huge stone was brought up. Mo Le prayed for the protection of the gods in his heart, his mind pure, and his heart set on placing the stone. He lifted the stone with his right hand in the middle and held the edge with his left hand. The giants below were all amazed and stared intently at everything that was happening.
At this moment, both the priest Meng Gang and Mo Cai saw the shining light on Mo Le's right wrist covering the stone. The light on Mo Le's right wrist was originally transformed from a celestial dan, or fairy pill. The fairy pill was a unique treasure of the strong gods in the upper realm. It was refined through nine months and the strong god repeatedly infused divine power into it. It was given to Mo Tan by the goddess Charophy. When Mo Le was placing the stone, the light on his wrist gave him unparalleled divine power, which could also protect the stone, making it even more sturdy. Not only Meng Gang and Mo Cai saw the light, but also some other people saw the light on the King's body. Mo Le successfully placed nine giant stones.
During this process, Meng Gang saw that the sky was full of eyes watching the construction of the pagoda. He saw Mo Le lifting the stone, and there were many angels with long wings around the stone, emitting dazzling light. Mo Cai felt a lotus flower turning in her heart, emitting a soft light. She looked at her brother and saw a circle of purple light flashing on his body, and lightning emitting within the light. The words "thunderbolt" came to her mind, and she wondered what word should come after it. There was a word that seemed familiar, but she could not remember it. A heavenly immortal laughed and said, "The Five-Colored Lotus Queen forgot the name of the Thunderbolt Vajra!"
On this day, Queen Wen Mei devoted herself to worshipping Buddha and praying for divine power to be bestowed upon the King. Suddenly, she felt infinite joy in her heart and knew that the construction of the pagoda was about to be completed. After finishing her worship, she went to the pagoda and happened to witness the final placement of the topmost giant stone by Mo Le. As soon as the top was in place, Mo Le descended from the top of the pagoda, and Wen Mei saw a group of gods surrounding him. At that moment, Mo Le appeared to be like a deity in Wen Mei's eyes. She knelt down in front of Mo Le with noble etiquette, and all the subjects followed suit, full of infinite admiration for the King. Mo Le and Mo Cai also knelt down and thanked the heavenly and earthly gods for their protection in the construction of the pagoda.
The Buddhist pagoda was built over a period of nine months, and three days after its completion, a grand ceremony was held by Mo Le to enshrine the new Buddha and deity statues in the pagoda. Priest Meng Gang presided over the solemn "inviting Buddha" ceremony. At that time, people believed that the Buddha resided in the heavenly realm and had countless incarnations. When people devoutly revered and offered worship to the Buddha, the Buddha in the heavenly realm would sense it and send out an incarnation to come to the Buddha statue, endowing it with the same compassion and supernatural power as the principal deity. Only those of high virtue could "invite Buddha".
Meng Gang said, "Great and compassionate Buddha, please listen to the heartfelt voice of the people: with devout hearts, we request that you stay in the world. The hearts of people are easily covered by dust, but the compassion of Buddha is unchanging for eternity. May Buddha hear our sincere prayers and come to the world. The people of the world will listen to Buddha's teachings, bathe in Buddha's light, and avoid falling into the sea of suffering, waiting for salvation." After speaking, Meng Gang put a scripture into the Buddha statue, pasted it with paper, and then recited Buddhist scriptures.
At this moment, a colorful auspicious cloud appeared in the sky, a phoenix flew over, and birds gathered in the sky. The giants were thrilled to see this spectacle.
The Ju Xi Le Buddha statue that was enshrined in the pagoda is a seated Buddha, with the earth goddess Momǔ and the war god Lìtiān on either side. The Ju Xi Le Buddha is a great Buddha in the heavenly world who bestows happiness and auspiciousness upon the country. The image of Momǔ is dignified and solemn, and her role is to guide and transform the morality of the people. The image of Lìtiān is majestic, and he blesses Motian Kingdom to achieve military success, expand its territory, and subjugate other countries through war, forming a bond with Motian Kingdom.
(To be continued)
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/241879
