That day, I kowtowed and prostrated on the mountain road.

During the May Day holiday, he went to Mount Jiuhua, a Buddhist holy place, with his friends. This was his insistence. I know that he has confusions in life and emotions, and he wants Buddha to give him guidance.

I think that everyone will encounter confusion more or less in life, or have obsessions that cannot be let go, or confusions that cannot be solved by themselves. Some can come out on their own, but some can never be freed and linger in our hearts, making us stop from time to time, self-reflection, self-doubt, self-denial, and even destruction.

We need Buddha, not really to ask him to save us, but to ask him to take back those confusions and obsessions that arise from the depths of life, cut off the thorns scattered on the road of our lives, and let us We can travel lightly and no longer have worries.

My friend is an only child. There was a relationship that reached the stage of marriage, but in the end, he still failed to get married. He blamed himself for this, and was often confused about that deep-rooted love due to distress. Now thinking about it, he felt that it was his fault, but it was irreversible. He wanted to tell Buddha everything, hoping to get answers and guidance, or comfort and enlightenment from Buddha.

I thought of my brief love. When falling in love, people will become extremely sensitive. If the other party has any trouble, they will be worried about it, have wild thoughts, and have trouble sleeping. From love to marriage, from houses to the future. Reality makes a relationship before it has accepted the test of life, and a grand and desirable life plan has been completed in the hearts of the two people, thinking that they can grow old together from now on and never leave. But in the end, she unilaterally broke the contract and chose to give up, leaving me immersed in the marriage building and feeling lost for a long time.

I don’t believe in Buddhism. I think that praying to Buddha and asking questions about Buddha are manifestations of people’s weakness, incompetence, inferiority and despair. Most people who pray to Buddha do so for peace of mind and to gain recognition from another world. and encouragement to regain the courage and motivation to live in this world.

Since last year, too many things have happened in my life, including changes in my family, personal problems in work and relationships, and it seems that life has dumped all the sufferings in my life on me. The dual pressure of life and work often makes me lose my desire for the future and feel confused about the present. Perhaps, I should also confide my confusion to Buddha and ask him for guidance.

My friend said that as my experience deepened, I gradually realized that I had changed. In the past, he was dull, reserved, sharp-edged, and insisted on himself. He never disdained the company of secular utilitarians. Nowadays, the edges and corners are gradually smoothed by life, and I no longer show off my sharp edge and self-admiration, but have learned to make friends with others. Suddenly, I discovered that as long as you open your heart, as long as you are willing, others are not as scary or hateful as you said before. He said enlightenedly in a hotel at the feet of Buddha.

I joked that you can solve your own confusions by yourself, and you are your own Buddha.

The next day, my friend’s local classmate came over early in the morning to be our tour guide for free and bought us several different kinds of Buddhist incense, some for good health and some for wealth. Some people are looking for marriage, and they have to go to different temples to worship and offer incense.

I have never really worshiped the Buddha. My friends and classmates taught us the simple "matters" of worshiping the Buddha.

The first step is to worship outside the temple. You should first light a pair of incense candles, then burn the incense, raise your hands to the top of your head, face the temple door to pray, silently recite the auspicious words "Borrow light, borrow light, good health", then pray clockwise in four directions, put the incense into the incense burner. Can.

The second procedure is to enter the temple and kneel down to worship. Enter the temple from the left door according to the rule of men on the left and women on the right. Put your hands together, close your eyes tightly, kneel on the futon, and those who are willing can donate incense. After bowing three times, go out from the door on the right. Go to the candlestick where the incense candle is placed, and pull the incense candle up to a position, which means "response to all requests and rise step by step".

The third procedure is insight meditation. Entering the temple, look up at the Buddha statues in the temple clockwise from left to right. Devotees can put their hands together and pay homage to all the Buddhas they see until they leave the temple.

The three of us went to four different temples.

Friends and classmates said that each temple enshrines different Buddha statues, and they have different magical powers, so they need to be worshiped separately. Visiting them randomly will not be effective.

During the visit, I saw my friends closing their eyes very seriously and devoutly, clasping their hands together, as if they were monks who had seen through the mortal world. I knew that his confusion was not a joke, let alone an empty lie. He must have handed over many of the confusions in his heart to Buddha, hoping that Buddha would keep his secrets secret and point out a way out for him.

"Oh, I forgot to ask for marriage." After some hindsight, I realized that I had forgotten another important thing. I'm joking. In fact, I never think that marriage can be sought. You will always meet when you should meet it, and you can't keep it if you miss it.

My four pilgrimages all had one theme: I wish my family good health, and I hope my father can recover as good as ever. As I grow older, I realize more and more that the important things in life are never high or far away, but right next to me. The happiness, health, safety and joy of the family are more important than anything else. People can only live in the present, the past and the future are all nothingness, only possessions are real.

In sharp contrast to the desertedness at the foot of the mountain, there is an endless stream of pilgrims on the mountain. Many well-dressed people come in private cars with their families to worship. My friend said with some disdain that driving a car to pay homage shows no sincerity towards the Buddha. If you really want to pay homage, you should walk. I asked with some concern, would so many people driving into the mountain disturb the Buddha’s retreat? A friend and classmate said that as long as there is a Buddha in your heart, there will be a Buddha everywhere. I suddenly discovered that when I was in the arms of the Buddha, everyone's words seemed to be full of Zen inspiration.

Every temple we went to was full of incense and crowded. Everyone was immersed in their incomparable devotion to the Buddha. They were crowded and waiting to kneel at the feet of the Buddha and generously offered incense. They firmly believe that after that moment, they will receive the blessing of the Buddha, helping them to achieve success, have a happy marriage, and a happy family.

Inadvertently, I heard the sound of chanting, and there seemed to be some kind of divine power immobilizing me. I couldn’t move any further, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the monks in long robes holding wooden fish in front of the Buddha statue. I chanted sutras with sadness and joy, and the sound was like the sound of nature, echoing in the sky everywhere on the top of the mountain. I seemed to see the Buddha's silent smile while holding flowers.

When we were going down the mountain, we met an ascetic monk. He knelt down and kowtowed three times, and kept chanting: Disciple Zhao Zhiliang (sound), he does not seek happiness for himself, but only wants to free all living beings from suffering. It reminded me of the pilgrims on the road to Tibet. "That year, I kowtowed and prostrated on the mountain road, not to meet you, but just to be close to your warmth."

I remembered again that Mount Jiuhua is the monastery of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva saw that all living beings were suffering, so he wanted to overcome all the suffering in the world, and made a great vow: Only by saving all living beings can he realize Bodhi. If hell is not empty, I will never become a Buddha.

As mortals, we often have many confusions. We choose to talk to the Buddha and pray for enlightenment. Share with Buddha the aspirations you want to realize, and hope that Buddha will help us realize them. And as a Buddha who can overcome all sufferings, does he have his own troubles and confusions? To whom will they speak?

"Remember to come here next year to fulfill your wish," our friends and classmates reminded us before going down the mountain. I responded silently in my heart: If it comes true, I will definitely come to visit the Buddha again.

I know that many people pay homage to the Buddha in search of refuge for their souls, comfort for their souls, and stability in this world. Some people seek marriage, some seek fame and wealth, and some seek health. They just tell the Buddha all their needs. As for whether the Buddha can fulfill it, they will not delve into it or doubt it. At least at the moment of worshiping with their eyes closed, they have There is a Buddha.

After bidding farewell to my friends and classmates, I returned to the hotel. The solemn expression on my friend’s face before going up the mountain was gone. I knew that he must feel much more relaxed and at ease. Maybe he forgave himself for the mistakes he made through the forgiving Buddha. Maybe he said some words of repentance to the Buddha and got the Buddha's forgiveness and helped him get out of the predicament in his heart, let go of his inner obsessions, and learn to face a new life. . Perhaps, he didn't say anything, he just faced the Buddha, his heart was as clear as before, spotless, and returned to his true self. He slowly found himself on the road of praying and asking the Buddha.

Before going up the mountain, my friend said, if you can't change the world, at least don't be changed by the world. After coming down the mountain, I said, if you don’t want to be changed by this world, you must first learn to make peace with life. This is not about compromising, admitting defeat, or giving up. More often than not, the world is not hostile to us, but we just want more.