Chen stood up, and was about to walk off when he...
- Posted at 6:06 AM on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 by oh6j3ome
Chen stood up, and was about to walk off when he suddenly swayed and stumbled and hurriedly leant against the wall for supportHeavenly Mirror helped him to sit down again
"Rest here for a moment and catch your breath," he said"It won't affect matters
Chen close his eyes and did as the monk said
"Where did you learn that style of kung fu?" Heavenly Mirror asked
"I never guessed that the standard of kung fu would be so high in the western border regionsIf you had used that style from the start you would not have hurt your arm
"Seeing as I am hurt, I am sure I will not be able to make it through the last hall," Chen said"What does Your Reverence suggest I do?"
"If you can't make it through, turn back
Chen's martial training made it impossible for him to accept defeat so easilyHe stood up and bowed to Heavenly Mirror, then strode bravely towards the last hall
He was surprised to find it was in fact only a tiny room cheap chanel purse in the centre of which sat the abbot of the Shaolin Monastery, Heavenly RainbowChen wondered how he could possibly overcome the best kung fu fighter in the Shaolin Monastery if his junior, Heavenly Mirror, was already so formidable"Please be seated," he saidA steady stream of sandlewood-scented smoke rose from a small incense stove on a table between themOn the wall opposite Chen, was a painting of two monks which, although executed with only a few brush-strokes, was full of vitality
Heavenly Rainbow meditated for a moment, then said: "There was once a man who was very successful at goat-herdingHe became very rich, but he was by nature very miserly
Hearing the abbot begin to tell a story, Chen was greatly puzzled, but he concentrated on what the old man was saying: "An acquaintance of the goatherd knew he was very stupid, and also that he badly wanted to find a wifeSo he cheated the goatherd, saying: 'I know a girl who is very shop for chanel bags beautifulI can arrange for her to marry you' The goatherd was delighted and gave him a large amount of moneyA year past, and the man said to him: 'Your wife has given birth to your son' The goatherd hadn't even seen the woman, but hearing he had a son, he was even more pleased and gave the man another large sum of moneyLater, the man came to him again and said: 'Your son has died!' The goatherd cried uncontrollably, heart-broken in the extreme
Chen had a fairly good general education, and knew he was quoting from the Hundred Parables Sutra of the Mahayana school of Buddhism
"In fact all worldly matters are like this," the abbot continued"Power and riches are like the wife and child of the goatherd: just fantasiesWhat is the point of wasting effort to obtain them when losing them will only cause sorrow?"
"There was once a husband and wife who had three cakes," Chen replied"They ate one cake each, but could not decide who should eat fake louis vuitton bags monogram manhattan the thirdFinally, they agreed that whoever talked first would lose the chance to eat the cake
Hearing Chen relate another story from the Hundred Parables Sutra, Heavenly Rainbow nodded
"The two stared at each other in silenceSoon after, a thief entered and ransacked the house for the couple's valuables, but because of their agreement, the couple continued to stare at each other without saying a wordSeeing them thus, the thief became even more bold and violated the wife in front of the husbandThe husband made no complaint at all about what was happening, but in the end, the wife could stand it no longer and cried outThe thief grabbed up the valuables and fled, while the husband clapped his hands and shouted triumphantly: 'You lose! The cake is mine!'"
Heavenly Rainbow could not help but smile, even though he knew the story well
"He ignored great suffering for the sake of minor personal satisfaction, allowing the thief to steal cheap chanel bags for sale his possessions and violate his wife in order to satisfy his appetiteAccording to Buddhist tenets, one should try to help all living things and should not think only of oneself
Heavenly Rainbow sighed, and quoted from the Buddhist scriptures: "There are no rules to regulate behaviour, there are no rules to which I am subjectMan is at a standstill until acted upon by a forceThose with no desires, will not be troubled by dreams and fantasies
"Life for most people is full of hardship," Chen replied"The monk Zhi Daolin once said: 'Emperors are cruel and evil by natureHow can one stand idly by?'"
The abbot could see Chen's determination to carry out his duty and help ease the people's burden, and was full of respect for him
"Your enthusiasm is commendable, Master Chen," he said"I will set you one more question, and then you can have your way
Chen bowed his head in acknowledgement
"An old woman was once lying under a tree, chanel tote bags resti
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