A vow of compromise

In the case of surrendering from modern life, the so-called hermitage is just a state of mind.

Fifteen years ago when Chen Tiango exercised on this trail, there was almost no one there every day. Now, because there are too many morning walkers on the mountain, the municipality has made a road that is barely staggered by two cars. The slope against the mountain shaved into a grimacing cross-section, suffused with weeds and shrubs, uneven, like a fresh haircut.

The climate in March and April has not yet allowed the low herbs to thrive, scattered efforts to sprout a watery green. Said hiking is actually walking down a diffuse slope, not even an effective work of lifting the leg. The good thing is that the pine trees into the forest, bushes, also counted on the air is fresh.

Chen Tiango did not dare to spread out the run, with a pile of morning walkers like, wandering around eyes again and again caressing over the dew. Years of accustomed to the distance and the way has not allowed him to be able to sweat like others, that even from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain without stopping is only slightly hot.

"Xiao Chen is still great."

"If you do this day in and day out for ten years or so, you'll be just like me."

Every day these few words, familiar people, familiar road, familiar words. Are tired of the heart, especially boring, but also have to smile and play haha. A sentence said kindly repeat a few thousand times can also fade out of the bird, said all forget what the meaning, so, he said how a, you how a back.

"21 minutes, no fun ah." Chen Tiango looked at the watch and muttered. The average person forty to fifty minutes of travel he even pressed again can not use half the time.

"The old rules?"

"The old rules" a bowl of small rice, a plate of shredded potatoes, a plate of radish pickles. He has not changed since he came to Changzhi more than a decade ago this place breakfast, even sitting on the same stool orientation.

"Brother Tian, finished also go to the drop valley temple? That monk Yuan Zhen is a bragging (pie) goods"

"I am also a bragging goods, and strive to brag that he no longer dare to brag with people."

"Brother Tian, the monk is stingy. See the day people looking for his fortune telling, are some bosses, repairing the temple or from the top to ask for money. No children, he clutches money for what? Unlike brother Tian, eat rice are pre-saved two thousand."

"I am too lazy to load change, sloppy easy to lose change."

"Hey," Er Gangzi busy to greet more and more morning walkers. Chen Tiange also ate smartly and stood up to go. Greeting also do not need to play, than the family mixed dinner children also save time. Again, he went to repeat his days of mixing food and waiting for death.

Chen Tiango passed by here from 2000 and thought it was good to stay, when there was just how to buy a house on the interface. Fifteen years, in addition to the morning exercise nostalgia for the mountain roads of the North Wudang Mountains, has been when here is the ancestral home.

A few years ago went back, the incense of the Taoist temple has long been not when the ragged look, seventy to eighty brothers are greasy, the Taoist robe wrapped in no longer the original Taoist heart, holding the hand passed over is no longer the original sentiment, estimated that the brothers no longer will use the Taoist rituals, exquisite so-called vegetarian meal full of expression of the bullying model.

The original winding steep road full of people stuffed, step by step to move to the Taoist temple, even he himself is also bought tickets, but that is home ah, at that time, especially understand Pu Yi back to the Forbidden City to buy tickets to the taste.

The "old circle" Chen Tiango did not care whether there should be wandering to the backyard. The monk said that is the Zen garden. Chen Tiange's call round true is also corrected many times, to no avail, and then no longer entangled. Chen Tiango think anyway is a monk, what the surname does not matter, called what is what. Monk speechless, but also have to pretend to be profound that Chen Daoist Zen infinite.

Dripping Valley Temple is a three quadrangle, except for the door opens in the middle, the rest is not much different from the quadrangle. The main hall is also called the Mahamudra Hall, where past Buddhas, present Buddhas and future Buddhas are crowded like that, tall and grand and solemn. Unfortunately, it was surrounded by red curtains and red streamers by devout priests, making it especially festive. East and west compartments, even the south compartment on both sides of the main entrance was also created by the old round the name of the establishment of inexplicable statues.

"Lao Yuan, I've been reading blindly for a while and heard that you have Pure Land Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Mahayana, Hinayana, Tantric Buddhism and so on. Which one are you?"

"I am of the native sect, different from those foreign ones. I am of the same sect as your Taoism, and I belong to the Hierarchy." Old Yuan originally said a cassock, poor monk, then Chen Tiange caught a fierce spittle spray a face no longer old and poor. Also, he is really a monk will not be thinking about the I Ching every day with the four pillars and eight trigrams to tell people's fortunes.

"Aigoo, why don't you say you call the wind and rain?"

"Can you say that Honjun Laozu does not exist?"

This really can not say, Chen Tiango no matter how is there Daoist certificate, the heart again tired of covering his head God can not just take the gods bullshit. Although his master just borrowed the name of the Taoist priest to survive, but told him to raise his head three feet there are gods. What's more, he always boasted that he was a true Taoist priest in the common world, so he wouldn't compete with the false monks in the temple.

"Put the tea your disciple sent to brew, and let's break up the exposition, Tao and Buddha today." Old round all the customers (also called Chen Tiange so) in the only one driving Q5 hard by the old round lulled into a disciple. What's even more frightening is that the disciple wore a tea mirror, cut short inch, full of flesh actually shaking his head to recite the entire original text of the Zhou Yi.

Monk Yuan Zhen with a long reluctance to pose a spectrum of unique orderly bubble monkey kui, the real pine cones burn red clay, mountain springs pouring greenery. Chen Tiango dipped after also really like the taste, indeed, than the large enamel jar, stainless steel insulation cup smothered tea is much better. Chen Tiango would have liked to pull a few words about tea, especially want to praise a few words, skimmed his mouth did not make a sound. Said round true other are indifferent, can really do a high monk, with a benevolent face, not surprised or annoyed, just can not take tea jokes. His heart tea is more sacred than the Buddha.

A morning from the creation of the first spirit to Chen Tiango, from Sakyamuni to the round true, the legend resonates with the wild history, Buddhism and Taoism intermingled. If not Chen Tiango rushed to the district's chess room to see if they can put together a field should also continue, a rare few times the intention is not enough, this time is also considered.

"You should find a woman to take a partner, can not be late."

Chen Tiango froze, stepping outward did not fall outward, slanting down just to adapt the head can be positive face looking round true.

"What? You and I are not the same, the rest of my life, the aftermath of the temple has a Buddha Association. You fell alone, the original view you can not go back to, mundane not mundane Tao not Tao."

Chen Tiango shook his hand twisted and walked away. Not that he did not want to, is no one adapted to him. Every day practice, read books, scurrying around in the various stories doing the road, he felt he was cultivating sex, how to look at it is a mixed bag.

Chen Tiango settlement to buy a house at the same time purchased a store, said more than not, there are also three or five hundred thousand a year income. At that time is to give himself a guarantee of idleness, and indeed with the guarantee of idleness. He did not feel that the obsession to get ahead was the only way to live, muddling through was not. Social order should be each person to find their own position and abide by the rules of their own position, he so does not hinder the lives of others, but can not plug a long mouth. Round really from the afterlife to tell, and how is not the universal perception of the disguised statement.

Chen Tiango had a marriage, but also when he first came to Changzhi dejected that a few money, tawdry drive the car while the night in front of the university campus whistling, snapping his fingers. At that time he was impetuous drenched, down the mountain experience let him lost, although the idea of cultivating sex but do not give up the prosperity, in the wandering probe, try to figure out the way to live is their own.

The funny thing is that he never met the girl who knocked on the car window and called big brother, that way to pass the boredom can only be an interlude in the end. In a snowy night, curled up in the driver's seat awake in a daze, Chen Tiango started the car bumped into a girl, in Chen Tiango was awakened yet calm moment, the girl picked up the bike and ran away quickly. Later, Chen Tiango married her; then had a daughter; then she went to graduate school; then she took her daughter away; then Chen Tiango went out every year to visit his daughter.

Chen Tiange didn't expect his daughter to give him a pension, from the daughter's eyes can see the same disdain for her mother to wait for death. From the daughter's attitude can be seen on his father is more of an upbringing and courtesy, even without stepfather close. Chen Tiango quite enjoy the taste of others sleeping with their wives, let their daughters call their dads, because visiting his daughter without a car is not convenient for him to buy a car directly into his daughter's name, even the house also bought. In addition to decent manners is the heavy work, study, looking at the life of his ex-wife couple and daughter, Chen Tiango know that is not the day he wanted.

Once again hitchhiker is a woman who accompanies Chen Tiango to muddle through, poker friends introduced. Messy housework, lazy do-gooders, chaotic work and rest plus endless luxury. It is Chen Tiango can not stand it anymore. Throwing out millions to get rid of the time of serving people, it never went to the thought of being able to find a partner to go with them.

Chen Tiango is a mixed bag, but he did something to make himself wait for a long, long time to die. Day by day never put down the fist and foot, calm and natural mind, rules and orderly work and rest and daily reading. He is determined to be a tasteful waiting for the dead, a rich connotation of waiting for the dead, not a body.