Looking around, people in the yard were lying on the ground, all dead. Men and women, old and young, some of their corpses were piled on top of each other and huddled on the edge of the well; some were huddled together under the stone wall of the watchtower; and some were exposed to the scorching heat in the middle of the yard. Under the sun, it begins to rot. The air was filled with a suffocating fishy smell, which entered Tashi's nostrils.
"That little living Buddha was right again! It's unbelievable!" Tashi's scalp felt tight for a while. The child who was less than ten years old and spoke with a babyish voice, his second prediction also came true.
Fletcher Tashi is the lama of Duojilin Monastery. This monastery is half a day's walk from Lhasa and is hidden deep in a mountain valley among the Pengbogra peaks. From the age of seven, Tashi spent more than 20 years here. He was the son of a Chaba from the Qushui Sect. In the Year of the Fire Sheep in the Tibetan calendar, his father paid all the highland barley harvested to the lord for usury. Before the winter passed, the whole family ran out of food. Tashi almost starved to death, but fortunately he met the Living Buddha Duojilin. That day, the Living Buddha was performing a ritual by the Yangtso Yong Lake. He led a group of lamas to recite scriptures with concentration. Suddenly, he saw a dirty little hand sticking out from under his monk's robe. The Living Buddha was surprised and said nothing. He stared at it. With that little hand, he grabbed a piece of dried meat from the hiding table and quickly retracted it. Living Buddha Duojilin lowered his head and looked at the hem of his monk's robe. No matter how he looked, he couldn't tell that there was a person hidden inside. At that time, Tashi was very skinny, no taller than a sweeping broom, and probably not much thicker than a broom. The Living Buddha was compassionate and took Tashi back to Lhasa and stayed with him. Tashi became a child monk who served the living Buddha in his daily life. Little Tashi was so smart that he secretly learned to recite the "Lectures on the Righteous Principles" within a year of entering the monastery. This made the living Buddha happy. He exempted Tashi from the daily chores and made an exception for him to join the ranks of monks. He began to systematically study the three studies and practice Buddhism.
When Tashi was supposed to study the Five Great Treatises, the Living Buddha sent Tashi to the Rezhen Temple of Linzhou Zong and asked him to listen to the scriptures in front of the Rezhen Living Buddha. After Tashi received the bhikkhu ordination, he was no longer satisfied with the routine life in the monastery, and decided to travel alone in India to visit the holy sites left by the Buddha Sakyamuni. This journey lasted for ten years. He wandered around India, leaving his footprints in Kalimpong, Calcutta, Bombay, and Delhi. He got to know the promiscuous people on this continent, including the bossy British knights, clothing and clothing. From the luxurious Indian kings to the porters walking in the streets and the ascetics begging in the market. Of course, the people Tashi had the most contact with were Tibetans living in India, who came from Lhasa, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Tashi received donations from them, and in return, he painted thangkas for them. When someone died, he would go to their home to chant sutras and save the souls.
Three months ago, Tashi came to Nalanda in northern India. It was once a world-famous Buddhist study center and one of the earliest universities in the world. When it was at its peak, there were more than 10,000 monks studying there, and the sound of debates on scripture and Taoism continued for years, even melting the clouds and mists above the parish. In the twelfth century, Islamic armies from Turkey and Afghanistan invaded India, and this Buddhist holy site was destroyed overnight. It was already evening when Tashi approached Nalanda. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the ruins of the walls that had been carved by time appeared in front of Tashi, making him unable to control his expression, as if a power from the sky stirred his heart, allowing him to talk to the Buddha through the vast time and space. He felt that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were around him, and he waved his arms, high-fived and stamped his feet without knowing his strength, intending to start a debate with the gods.
While Tashi was dancing and talking, someone was laughing wildly behind him. That was not the voice of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, but a human voice, the childish laughter of a child. Tashi was a little unhappy. He turned around and saw a child wearing a crimson monk's robe standing on the steps of the ruins. From the brocade ridge on his upper body, we can conclude that he is not an ordinary little lama, but a little living Buddha from a lineage of the Gelug sect. It is rare to meet a fellow countryman in such a desolate place.
Tashi turned around and asked with concern: "Where are you from?"
The little living Buddha said with a smile: "I come from Rajagaha."
Tashi asked again: "Are you alone?" There was no adult accompanying this little compatriot, which made Tashi puzzled. Did he fall from the sky?
"They dawdle and fall behind."
After hearing this, Tashi felt confident that this little living Buddha must have come to India from Lhasa to worship the holy relics like himself. Rajagaha is the place where the Buddha practiced before his enlightenment and preached the Dharma after his enlightenment. In the history of Buddhism, the first monastery of the Sangha was located in this city. The little living Buddha ignored Tashi. He climbed up a short wall and started jumping and playing on it.
The last ray of skylight dimmed. Tashi looked around and saw no one accompanying the little living Buddha. Tashi had no choice but to stop this playful child: "It's dark and it's dangerous for you to be here alone. I also want to go to Rajagaha, so you can come with me."
Seeing Tashi's doubts, the little living Buddha still said with a smile: "You don't have to worry about me, I'm worried about you."
"What do I have to worry about?"
The little living Buddha pointed to the looming mountains in the north and said: "Over the Himalayas, over there is Lhasa. Don't you want to go back?"
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"Our temple is over there. No matter how long we leave, we have to go back."
Tashi thinks this child is very wise. Crossing the Himalayas in winter is indeed an adventure. Severe cold, storms, and avalanches are likely to occur unexpectedly. Pilgrims lose their lives on the mountain road every year.
Seeing Tashi's disapproval, the little living Buddha suddenly became serious and stared at Tashi with big eyes: "The sixteenth year of the Rooster is at the turn of the year of the Water Rooster and the Year of the Wood Dog. There are unavoidable bad omens in Lhasa. You go back at this time. , they all caught up."
Tashi found this child even more interesting. Judging from his age, he is almost the same as when he entered the temple. Maybe he has just started chanting sutras and has a little understanding of Buddhism. He can predict the future mysteriously, just like a young adult.
Tashi teased him: "Tell me, what bad omen will there be in Lhasa?"
The little living Buddha said mischievously: "I won't tell you."
Tashi smiled: "Look at you, you don't know anything!"
"I have revealed three prophecies to you. You must keep them secret, but you are not allowed to tell others or reveal the secrets." The little living Buddha said mysteriously.
Seeing the serious and dignified look on the little living Buddha's face, Tashi felt even more amused: "You can tell me, I'll keep it a secret."
"The Lama of Lhasa is about to die." He was afraid that Tashi would not believe it, so he added, "I saw butter lamps placed in rows on the golden roof of the Potala Palace, one by one, almost lighting up the sky. The masters were still Beat the Dharma drum."
Tashi's heart sank. In Lhasa, this happens only when the Lhasa Lama passes away. The low and sad sound of the Dharma drum is used to announce the death of the monks and lay people. Coming from a child, these words sounded like a joke. What happened soon after was beyond Tashi's expectation. As soon as Tashi entered Yadong Town in Lhasa, he heard a caravan from Lhasa saying that the 13th Lhasa Lama had passed away. He couldn't believe his ears. The prophecy of the little living Buddha really came true. Tashi couldn't help but feel the cold wind on the back of his neck, because the second prophecy of the little living Buddha was that there would be a big plague on the plateau and many people would die. The third prophecy is about Tashi. You have the evil spirit of blood in your body. I don’t know whether it is the disaster of prison or the pain of flesh and blood.
That night on the ruins, until late at night, Tashi did not wait for the little living Buddha to accompany him, so the two of them found a sheltered corner under a broken wall and fell asleep. When Tashi woke up, it was already early in the morning, and he found that the little living Buddha was missing. The strange thing was that he did not leave any traces, and even the grass where he leaned was not suppressed. The little living Buddha is like the morning mist, light and gradually dissipating as the sun rises. Tashi was in a daze. Did he really see this person yesterday, or to be precise, last night? Is it my own hallucination or a dream?
On the way from Yadong to Gyantse, Tashi heard that plague had occurred in some places. He also met two groups of serfs fleeing from the plague towards southern Tibet. However, until he walked into Chamai Manor, he did not want to believe that the damn prophecy would come true again. Xiamai Manor is a large manor not far from the ancient city of Gyantse. Its lord is the famous Dele Mansion in Lhasa. When Tashi went to India that year, he passed by here and asked for alms from General Manager Xia Mai. This time he was revisiting his old place. As soon as Tashi entered the village, he felt something was wrong. The village was eerily quiet, and the streets were filled with cattle and sheep wandering around without the supervision of serfs.
"Where are the people? Where are the people in the village?" Tashi murmured in his heart, and he shouted loudly to encourage himself.
It was quiet all around, without any echo. Tashi came to the tall gatehouse of the manor. Seeing that there was no one in front of the door, he shouted inside: "Manager Xia Mai, I have come back from India. I am Tashi Lama, Fletcher Tashi..." ."
Still no one answered in the manor. Tashi pushed open the courtyard door and entered the manor, and found that everyone inside was infected with typhoid fever, and most of them had died. Only Steward Shamei and one servant were still alive. Plague, this is a great plague that has never happened in a century. Tashi regretted that he had taken a wrong look and ignored the words of the little living Buddha. Although he is young, he can predict the future and is a great practitioner. But now it's too late. After all, there were still two people alive at the moment, so Tashi didn't care so much anymore and went straight to the wine cellar under the watchtower, hoping to find some spirits. Sure enough, he found a jar of Luzhou Laojiao from Sichuan in the wine cellar. This is a good thing. It can disinfect and remove plague, and may be able to revive the summer wheat manager.
Tashi ran out of the wine cellar holding the wine jar, and bumped into the arms of a man. The man was startled and ran away in panic. Tashi shouted: "Don't go, don't go, stay and save people together!"
The man stopped and stood not far away, looking up and down at Tashi. Tashi also looked at him, a middle-aged man wearing fine Pulu. The man suddenly shouted in horror: "Master, it's you... No, who are you? Are you a human or a ghost?"
Tashi guessed that this man who barged in rashly must have been frightened out of his wits. He had no time to nag him, and he had to save people first. Tashi ran to Manager Xia Mai, took off his clothes, and began to rub his chest with white wine. This man's name is Gangzhu, and he is the manager of the mule and horse team in Dele Prefecture. He and Baxter Qimei, the young master of Dele Mansion, came back from India to handle goods. Early this morning, Gangzhu left the slow-moving pack team on his mule and walked at the head. He came to inform the general manager of Xia Mai to pick up Master Dele. Unexpectedly, everyone in the manor was dead, except for a strange lama. This lama's appearance is so similar to that of the young master, they are almost like twin brothers. Gangzhu timidly approached Tashi and imitated his example, rubbing the wine. Gangzhu asked: "Who are you?"
"I am not a ghost, but a human being. A disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha. Please call me Tashi Lama."
"You...why are you in our manor? Where did you come from?"
"I just returned to Tibet from India and passed by here. I am a monk and cannot ignore death." Tashi answered him while busy making wine.
Manager Xia Mai suddenly convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and stopped moving for a while. When Gangzhu saw that the manager was dead, he was afraid that the typhoid fever would be transmitted to him. He was so frightened that he turned around and ran away, but was pulled back by Tashi. Tashi poured some white wine into his hand, took the butter lamp on the table and brought it to Gangzhu's hand, and a ball of wine burned with a bang. Gangzhu was so frightened that he jumped on the ground and ran away.
Reece Wang and Luo Dan threw two pieces of cow dung into the fire, and soon a pot of tea boiled. They waited for Tashi all afternoon in this abandoned ancient temple and became a little impatient. Reece Wang and Luo Dan are cousins, typical Kham men, quick-tempered and righteous. They joined the Snowland Comrades Association in Kalimpong, India, a secret group that attempted to overthrow the theocratic system in Lhasa, advocated revolution, and believed in Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles. The first time they met Tashi was in the apartment of the leader of the Comrade Association. Tashi was translating the content of an English book to the leader. Reece Wang only remembered that the book was called "Utopia". He couldn't remember the content, but it was a book about building a better society. Reece Wang is a fellow villager of the leader and a loyal and fanatical follower of the leader. Tashi was the guest of honor at the meeting, so naturally he was their fellow traveler. Half a month ago, the Xueyu Comrade Association was discovered by the police station of the British-Indian government. The British dispatched a large number of military police to search the residence of the leader of the association, and the leader was arrested. Reece Wang and Luo Dan were printing leaflets at an Indian home in the suburbs. When they heard the news, they fled in panic. I ran all the way to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, before I dared to stop.
It was definitely a coincidence that they met Tashi in a foreign land. Reece Wang and Luo Dan were like destitute wanderers. When they saw Tashi on the streets of Gangtok, they seemed to have found a fellow traveler. They begged Tashi to go to Lhasa to avenge his comrades in the Snowland Comrades Association. Although Tashi disagreed with their drastic actions, he still walked with the two of them and walked down the northern slope of the Himalayas to Gyantse, the important town of Lhasa.
When Tashi came back from Xiamai Manor, the sky was already filled with stars. His heart felt like a burden, so heavy that he couldn't breathe. He saw Reece Wang and Luo Dan packing their luggage in front of the cow dung fire. Reece Wang accidentally dropped a grenade from his baggage. Tashi immediately thought of "the evil spirit of blood". Could this be the third prophecy of the Little Living Buddha? "It's too blind and dangerous for you to go to Lhasa for revenge." Tashi quickly dissuaded Reece Wang and Luo Dan.
Reece Wang refused to listen and said angrily: "This revenge must be avenged! The leader of the association was arrested and the organization was destroyed. It was the British who were instigated by the Kashag government in Lhasa! I have inquired about it, and a Preston Dele named Rinchen reported to the British Governor. Eight telegrams were sent, and he planned the entire arrest. We must kill him this time when we return to Lhasa!"
"You want to assassinate him?"
"Yes, if we don't kill that dog official Rinchen, why are we going back to Lhasa!"
"Just the two of you? The smell of curry can be smelled from two miles upwind. Before reaching Lhasa, the officers and soldiers of the Kashag tied you up!"
Luo Dan watched the two people arguing non-stop from the side, and suddenly shouted: "You two have had an argument, is it over?"
"Tashi, you are timid, you don't dare to go, don't stop us!" After saying that, Reece Wang went to sleep, and after a while he actually started to snore. Tashi had no choice but to find a corner of the wall with no wind, leaned there and fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Tashi was woken up by the cold. He found that the cow dung fire was almost extinguished, and there was half-dead green smoke coming out. Reece Wang and Luo Dan disappeared without a trace, and their luggage was also missing. Tashi jumped up with excitement. He rushed out of the earthen wall of the ancient temple and looked around. They had disappeared. Tashi shouted into the dark night in the distance: "Reece Wang..., you idiot." Yak, Rodan, where did you two go?"
Tashi knew in his heart that it must be Reece Wang's idea to steal his luggage. Without food and supplies, Tashi would be unable to move. This was the best way to prevent him from tracking them to Lhasa. He did not want to force Tashi to participate in this risky assassination operation, which made Tashi even more uneasy. When people are carried away by hatred, they lose their reason. They are bent on revenge. Isn’t this seeking death? Tashi raised his legs to chase them, but tripped over something and fell. He stood up and looked around. It turned out that a piece of stone was exposed in the dust on the ground. The Buddha statue on the stone piece was clearly visible. Tashi reached out and picked up the stone piece. The front of the stone piece showed the compassionate image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Turning it over, there was still a Buddha image carved on the back, showing the angry image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Tashi was watching with great interest when he suddenly heard a strange noise in the wind. He looked up in panic. An earth wall in front of him collapsed, and in an instant, dust and smoke billowed.
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