Master Troinis looked up at Leo and asked, “Using the Dragon’s Eye can indeed heal the eyes of the female donor. Does Leo know how to use it?”
If Master Troinis didn’t say it, Leo would have really forgotten about it. Even if he exchanged the Dragon’s Eye with the Dharma’s Ancient Scriptures, he wouldn’t know how to use it, and it would all be in vain.
So Leo humbly said, “Master Troinis, I really don’t know how to use it. I hope Senior Brother can teach me.”
The fat monk had not said a word since leaving the guest room of the temple, but when he heard Leo asking Master Troinis to teach him how to use the Dragon’s Eye, he coldly snorted, looking resentful.
If the abbot of the Jewelbloom Temple was this fat monk, not to mention borrowing the Dragon’s Eye, the two of them might end up fighting on the spot.
“Well, let me use the Dragon’s Eye to cure the lady’s eyes.”
With Master Troinis personally taking action, Leo naturally couldn’t be more grateful and said, “Thank you so much, Master Troinis.”
Master Troinis nodded and looked at the fat monk, “Second Junior Brother, go prepare.”
After the fat monk left, other monks started hurrying towards the Celestial Sovereign Hall one after another.
Once inside the hall, the monks lined up in an orderly manner, not saying a word, but looking solemn.
After forty-nine monks stood in the hall, a distant bronze bell rang.
Master Troinis was already dressed in a new robe, standing beside the altar in front of the Buddha statue in the Celestial Sovereign Hall. He took three red incense sticks and inserted them into the censer.
Then he clasped his hands together, bowed to the Buddha in the hall, and solemnly chanted a Buddhist mantra.
Another bell rang, and the forty-nine monks who were originally standing in the hall sat cross-legged on the ground, placing their wooden fish in front of them.
The bell rang a total of nine times.
In a monastery, ringing bells has a special significance. Generally, bells are rung in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and the number of times varies depending on the occasion.
Normally, the bells are rung three times, seven times, eighteen times, thirty-six times, or one hundred and eight times.
When monks enter the hall for meals, complete Chan meditation, or morning and evening inspections, the bell is rung three times.
When the abbot goes to the Buddha for morning and evening incense offerings or enters the monks’ lecture hall, the bell is rung seven times.
When monks enter the meal hall for meals, the bell is rung eighteen times, known as the “entrance bell,” which is sounded in order of entry.
Thirty-six times ringing combines three sets, totaling one hundred and eight times.
The significance of one hundred and eight is associated with the number “nine,” which is considered auspicious in ancient times.
Bells are used in prayers, converting, and saving sentient beings.
Temple bells are often rung in the morning and evening, with each time consisting of 18 rapid strikes, 18 slow strikes, and 18 moderate strikes, repeated twice for a total of 108 strikes.
As for why the large bell is set at 108 strikes, there are two theories.
One theory is that ringing the bell one hundred and eight times corresponds to the twelve months, twenty-four solar terms, and seventy-two pentads, totaling 108.
Symbolizing the year’s cycle, enduring forever. In agrarian societies, people hope for blessings of wealth and abundance through Buddha’s protection.
The second theory is that Buddhism believes people have one hundred and eight types of worries, and ringing the bell one hundred and eight times can alleviate sorrows.
The bell-ringing chant goes. “Hearing the bell, worries are lifted; wisdom grows, bodhi arises; away from hell, out of the fire pit; wish to become a Buddha, save sentient beings.”
Therefore, chanting or reciting mantras one hundred and eight times, using one hundred and eight prayer beads, even the Bodhisattvas are one hundred and eight in number, all aimed at alleviating people’s worries and achieving the best, auspicious meaning.
The 108 bell-rings aim to eliminate worldly worries, known in Buddhism as the “108 bells.”
Usually, the temple rings the bell and drums in the morning and evening, called the morning bell and evening drum, to alert practitioners to be diligent and not to be lax.
As for the nine slow bell-rings today, it is because a special ritual is about to take place.
After the bell rang, the forty-nine monks in the hall joined their palms together, closed their eyes slightly, and solemnly began to recite sutras.
Master Troinis turned away from the incense table, looked at the monks in the hall, and in a majestic voice said, “May Buddha’s compassion today heal the blindness of a female donor, please, Dragon’s Eye!”
Master Troinis’s voice was solemn and majestic, echoing throughout the Celestial Sovereign Hall.
The voice of the forty-nine monks reciting sutras stopped, and they all struck their wooden fish, chanting in unison, “Amitabha Buddha, may Buddha’s compassion prevail.”
Leo, who was standing aside, could clearly feel the waves of Buddha’s power transmitted from the forty-nine monks.
Although the individual cultivation of the forty-nine monks was not high, when combined, they were definitely not to be underestimated.
After Amitabha Buddha, the monks continued to chant Buddhist scriptures.
“Madame, please bring the female donor to the front cushion and sit cross-legged.” Master Troinis pointed to a cushion between the monks and himself.
Leo led Madame to the cushion and asked her to sit cross-legged in a meditative posture, then he retreated to the side.
Master Troinis reached out his right hand and placed it on Madame’s head, a powerful aura bursting out, even making his robes flutter without wind.
Madame closed her eyes tightly, appearing a bit nervous.
The chanting frequency of the forty-nine monks hastened, and the Celestial Sovereign Hall was filled with the solemn and peaceful sound of chanting that touched every corner.
Incense smoke lingered in the censer, creating an atmosphere of utmost solemnity.
A gleam of light flashed in Master Troinis’s eyes as the waves of Buddha’s power emanated from him, gradually soothing Madame’s tension.
Leo knew that Master Troinis was about to use the Dragon’s Eye to treat Madame’s eyes. He was curious about how the old abbot would use the Dragon’s Eye and watched attentively.
Master Troinis turned to face the Buddha statue, closed his eyes slightly, made a unique Buddhist hand seal, and began chanting a Buddhist mantra, “Namah, Alya, Keshidi, Gahapataya…”
With each chant, a unique aura was created.
The aura only enveloped the Celestial Sovereign Hall and vibrated in a peculiar pattern.
This unique aura vibration resonated subtly with Master Troinis’s own Buddhist power.
Amidst the ethereal chanting, the Buddha’s power in the hall became even more concentrated.
Master Troinis made another Buddhist hand seal and pointed towards a golden box on the altar.
The box opened on its own, and a surge of dragon aura burst forth but was confined to a small area by the hall’s aura.
The sound of wooden fish striking accompanied the chanting.
Master Troinis made another hand movement, and the Dragon’s Eye slowly floated out of the golden box.
He made a Buddhist hand seal into the Dragon’s Eye, and the originally dull gray Dragon’s Eye instantly emitted a golden glow.