Chapter 550 - Down the Mountain (1/2)

Chapter 550: Down the Mountain

Translator: CKtalon <i class="_hr">Editor: CKtalon

Fangzheng so In China, Buddhis periods of ties and discarded their disadvantages, resulting in the present day Buddhism and Daoism The core point of both of theood and less evil

“It is said that these festivals originate froion’s three days on which the Three Offices tour the lower realion believes this day is the day for the Office of Earth’s Emperor of Purity Void Who Liberates froh official descends to observe the people and correct the wrongly judged or to redress any injustices On this day, Daoists chant sutras to receive the descent of the Office of Earth to liberate the evil ghosts, also perfor to that is what the coates to hell are opened, which happens in the middle of the seventh lunar month

“Cohost ates actually open on the first and close on the fifteenth of thethe silence of spring and suain This is why it’s described as the opening of the gates to hell Ghosts travel the night as they go helter-skelter To prevent any haranize various activities to placate the ghosts Similarly, on this day, the ancestors return from the underworld Their descendants receive their ancestors and honor the Day

“As for the name ‘Yulanpen Festival,’ it comes from Buddhism In the Buddhist classic, the Yulanpen Sutra, there is such a story:

“After one of the ten alyayana, achieved Abhijñā, he wished to thank his parents for bringing him up He used his newfound powers to search for his deceased parents In the end, Maudgalyayana found hisShe was just bones and looked nothing like a huift her a bowl of rice Unfortunately as a preta, she was unable to eat the rice as it was transfor coal It burnt herpain

“Helpless, Maudgalyayana sought the help of Buddha to save his mother Buddha said, ‘The roots of your mother’s sins are deep and tenacious It is not within your power as a single individual to do anything about it… On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when the assembled ather food of one hundred flavors… and offer it to the assereat virtue of the ten directions’

“Therefore Maudgalyayana did according to the Buddha’s advice and extricated his host

“Buddha also preached, ‘All disciples of the Buddha who practice filial devotion ht of their parents and seven generations of ancestors Each year on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, out of filial devotion and coave birth to theenerations of ancestors, they should always ha to repay the kindness bestowed by parents in nurturing and caring for them All disciples of the Buddha must carry out this law’

“This resulted in the the Yulanpen Festival It so coincided that all three events happen on the fifteenth of the seventh month and that they all honor one’s ancestors to spread the culture of filial piety

“As such, the so-called Middle Prime Festival is a term from Daoism, while the Yulanpen Festival is a terry Ghost Festival, that is the term used by commoners

“Daoism has the Middle Prime Festival while Buddhism has the Yulanpen Festival What about the common people? When there are so many festivals that it turns cootten and abandoned or ether Therefore, the particularities of this festival are no longer different froion to another in the co, did not say a word The Yulanpen Festival was a huge festival in his world In his world, it was a day when the gates to hell were truly open Tens of thousands of ghosts would climb out of the chas for the souls It was a grand sight! However, as they were fro better to say

“I see Master, then e be doing that day?” asked Lone Wolf out of curiosity

Fangzheng said, “You will knohen it co finished his sentence, the village accountant, Yang Ping, ca to the side to discuss so He left immediately after he finished

“Master, why did Patron Yang come?” asked Squirrel curiously

“He came to talk about toot you to carve?” asked Fangzheng as he diverted the topic

Squirrel shrank his neck back in embarrassment when he heard that He left to carve his lotus floithout a fuss When Fangzheng saw this, he shook his head helplessly Squirrel was hyperactive by nature It was indeed difficult to force hi his brief period of enthusias left theMonkey followed closely behind As for Red Boy, he had no interest in joining them down thesaw that the village was already beginning to put up decorations There was an offering table at every fa tables, there were black lines draith ashes The lines separated the yards fro tables

“Master, what’s that for?” asked Monkey when he saw that