Chapter 8 Vajra Realm Mandala
4 points in the early hours.

Pinggong Chiye got up from bed and headed for the temple.

Come to the bathroom and start taking a bath with clean water, usually using 10 buckets of water for cleaning.

After taking a bath, he changed into robes, a set of yellow cassocks.

Then the first bell of the temple is rung.

At this time, it was only 5 o’clock in the morning and the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The Weilian Ancient Temple is brightly lit, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Under normal circumstances, Pinggong Qianye would not be so grand, after all, he has to rush to go to school.

Only during the two days of rest on weekends would he choose one day to put on his robes and take on the responsibilities of presiding over the temple.

When people had already come to pay their respects in the main hall, Heimiya Chiye left the bell ringing area and returned to the main hall.

In this era, the only believers who can get up so early to worship are elderly people.

The young man, who had suffered from five days of hard work, was still sleeping soundly.

Their rest time is often similar to that of Horii Suzune, staying up late and then sleeping until noon.

The people who came to worship today were Grandma Yamano and her sister who lived in the Yamano family 150 meters away from here.

Grandma Yamano once raised a son, but unfortunately he passed away 5 years ago. Her husband died in 12, and her grandson and his family moved to Shinjuku District.

She was old and had no one to take care of her, so her sister, who had the same experience as her, came here to keep her company.

The two sisters can be said to be the most devout believers of Weilian Ancient Temple.

I come here to worship before dawn every day.

After the formal worship, Heimiya Chiye chatted with them for a while, and then watched them go to the side hall to fold a thousand paper cranes to pray for blessings.

Weilian Ancient Temple is a small temple, and most of the paper cranes needed for praying are folded by the believers themselves.

Unlike some temples, which have hired special staff to take charge of this matter.

Chiye Heimiya stayed in the main hall for an hour and received a 72-year-old believer.

When it was 6: in the morning, Chiye Hiramiya left the main hall and went to the ossuary, where believers placed urns.

Some people like to be buried in cemeteries, while others like to be worshipped in temples.

The fees for bone donation are a relatively stable source of income for Weilian Ancient Temple.

After chanting sutras for the deceased’s souls to be liberated, Pinggong Qianye came to the side hall.

Grandma Shanye and her sister had already gone back, and only his mother was still here folding paper cranes.

Pinggong Chiye doesn’t like folding paper cranes because such things have no other function except to move herself.

Send paper cranes to see a doctor, send paper cranes for disaster relief, send paper cranes to express grief, send paper cranes for blessings, and use paper cranes to pray for blessings…

Pinggong Qianye really wanted to say that the small body of the thousand paper cranes could not bear such a heavy burden.

Despite her complaints, Hiramiya Chiya would still follow her mother in folding paper cranes.

The strings of paper cranes, either white, pink, or two-color paper cranes, neatly folded and placed, are really pleasing to the eye.

Pinggong Qianye folded a string of thousand paper cranes, then left the side hall and went to the cemetery area at the back for a tour.

A cemetery of 1500 square meters is not big. Assuming each grave is 3 square meters, it can only accommodate 500 graves.

In the history of Weilian Ancient Temple, nearly 200 tombs have been buried here.

Currently, only 25 graves are required to pay cemetery management fees.

Each grave site requires an annual payment of 5000 yen, and the annual income from this alone is 125000 yen.

The income is not high, but it is stable.

It was almost 8 o’clock when Chiye Heimiya left the temple and went to have breakfast.

After breakfast and a short rest, around 9 o’clock, Heimiya Chiye returned to the main hall and led two or three believers who came to worship to start chanting scriptures and praying.

The scriptures recited generally include: “Heart Sutra”, “Mantra for Eliminating Disasters and Auspiciousness”, “Medicine Buddha Initiation Mantra”, etc.

Chanting sutras and praying lasted until 11 o’clock. Pinggong Qianye answered some questions of several believers and popularized some Buddhist knowledge that they could understand.

It was after 12 o’clock that Hiramiya Chiye could finally rest.

After lunch, he went to the side hall again.

At noon, few believers come to worship in the temple unless there are special circumstances.

There is a drawing table in the side hall that is specially used for drawing mandalas.

On it are placed canvas, watercolor pens, fountain pens, pencils, erasers, paints, palettes, protractors, compasses, rulers and other tools.

Hiramiya Chiye put away the protractor, compass and other auxiliary drawing tools and put them aside.

He has been drawing mandalas since he was a child and no longer needs these auxiliary tools. He can easily outline whether it is a circle or a square.

It is said that today’s temples have begun to draw mandalas using computer programs.

Large quantity, accurate and efficient.

However, if you want a mandala to truly play the role of exorcising evil spirits and suppressing demons, it should still be drawn by a monk himself.

As the brush strokes move, Buddhist meaning is hidden and magical power flows.

Only a mandala drawn in this way can have great light, great wisdom and great magical power.

Hiramiya Chiya took down the Vajra Realm Mandala that had been two-thirds painted from the shelf. This was the one that Horii Suzune had ordered.

A commission of 50 yen cannot be taken lightly.

Pinggong Qianye mixed the paint on the palette, picked up the brush, held his breath, concentrated and calmed his mind, and then started painting.

The Vajra Realm Mandala is one of the two mandalas of the Shingon school, the other being the Garbha Realm Mandala. This mandala is based on the Vajrasekhara Sutra and consists of nine mandala chambers.

Therefore, it is also called the Nine-Assembly Mandala and the Vajra Realm Nine-Assembly Mandala.

Pinggong Chiye’s Vajra Realm Mandala has completed the first six parts.

He was used to completing it in one sitting, and it was completed in nine sittings.

At around 2 p.m., Pinggong Qianye finished the seventh meeting and put down the pen.

He waited until the paint was dry before hanging up the Vajra Realm Mandala.

He put the things on the drawing table in order, washed his hands, left the temple, and returned to his bedroom at home.

Just as I was about to take a shower and change my clothes, the phone on the bed started buzzing with messages.

I walked over, picked it up and saw that it was a message from Horii Suzune.

She sent three messages in total.

13:32 [I’m going out, please pick me up at the station in half an hour]

14:08 [I’ve arrived at Arakawa Station, where are you? ]

14:35 [I have found the Weilian Ancient Temple that your family inherited. Hiramiya-san, you are not at home, are you? (Angry face)]

…I indeed forgot.

Hiramiya Chiya sent a message to Horii Suzune on her phone: [I’ll be down right now]

I changed into casual clothes, went downstairs and opened the door. As soon as I walked to the street, I saw Horii Suzune standing outside the gate of Weilian Ancient Temple.

She wore a sky blue hat with white lace and a white short-sleeved shirt with a blue bow at the collar.

The lower body is a light blue waisted pleated skirt, which only reveals the white and delicate ankles, and is matched with sandals that reveal the delicate white toes.

Holding a small bag in both hands, she was standing in the shade of a big tree on the roadside, looking curiously in the direction of Weilian Ancient Temple.

When she saw Pinggong Qianye’s figure appear and approach, she raised her head slightly, with a dangerous light flashing in her eyes.

“Hiramiya-san, you took so long to reply to my message. You must be busy.”

“I was just busy drawing the Vajra Realm Mandala that you needed.”

Hiramiya Chiya walked up to Horii Suzune and explained naturally.

“is it finished?”

“It’s still a few days away.”

There was a look of pity in Horii Suzune’s eyes, and her gaze passed over Pinggong Chiye and looked towards Weilian Ancient Temple.

“Hiramiya-san, could you show me around your family temple?”

“this way please.”

Hiramiya Chiye led the way, taking Horii Suzune into the main hall to worship Vairocana Tathagata, then passed through the side hall, passed the ossuary, and came to the bell-ringing place and the cemetery.

After more than ten minutes, I finished the tour and returned to the main hall.

“Hiramiya-san, your family temple is so small.”

Horii Suzune’s face showed undisguised shock and confusion.

Only now did she understand why Pinggong Qianye worked so hard to make money.

Those large temples usually have buildings such as the mountain gate, Buddha Hall, Dharma Hall, Monks’ Hall, Storehouse, East Office, and Bathroom.

But here, there are only the main hall, the side hall, the ossuary and the bathroom built outside.

“The temple is small but the monk is great, the monk is small but the Buddha is great, the Buddha is small but the Dharma is great.” Pinggong Qianye said a verse with a normal expression.

“I think he’s a little brat.” Horii Suzune chuckled.

“Death is the most important thing for a person. To turn into a ghost after death is indeed a small person with a big ghost.”

“…Hiramiya-san, are you serious?”

Horii Suzune blinked, and Heimiya Chiya chanted Amitabha.

The two walked around the Weilian Ancient Temple twice more. Horii Suzune frowned slightly and said, “Hiramichi-san, if your temple wants to gain enough attention in the new era, the temple itself alone cannot attract people, especially young people. You should keep up with the times.”

“What should we do?” Pinggong Qianye became interested.

Horii Suzune smiled mysteriously and raised the phone in her hand, “Hiramiya-san, would you mind recording a few videos?”

“…”

Hiramiya Chiya doesn’t like to show up on the Internet, but for the sake of attention to his family’s temple, he still agrees to cooperate with Horii Suzune’s promotion.

“Hiramiya-san, now that we have reached a consensus, can we talk about the first round of advertising expenses?”

“I suddenly feel that there is no need for publicity.”

Pinggong Qianye was shocked.

This woman has such a great mind!

He actually wanted to make money back from him!
Horii Suzune smiled and said, “Hiramichi-san, you are only allowed to make money from me, but I am not allowed to make some money back as well?”

“I am poor and you are rich. Money is like water. It always flows from high to low.”

Pinggong Chiye said with a serious face.

Horii Suzune approached Hiramiya Chiye, raised her chin slightly, and said with the same serious expression: “Master Liansheng, the reality is that money often flows to the top, and the wealth of the rich is drawn from the millions of poor people.”

“It shows that the world is sick.”

Pinggong chanted Amitabha for a thousand nights.

(End of this chapter)