PureInsight | May 16, 2024
[PureInsight.org] Mo Cai returned to the capital and was overjoyed to see her sister-in-law and nephew. After resting and bathing, she went to see the priest Meng Gang. Upon seeing him, Mo Cai could not help but shed tears. The priest's face was very serene, and his kind gaze stopped Mo Cai's tears.
After bowing to the gods and buddhas, in the priest's quiet room, Mo Cai said, "Honorable priest, I heard a nursery rhyme in the royal capital that mentioned “Holy Chess.” Is the Holy Chess the same as Tongtian Chess?" (Translator's note: Tongtian can be literally translated to: “Connection/Communication to Heaven”). The priest smiled and said, "The princess brought back the Tongtian chessboard, which has elements of the heavenly realm. In fact, many people and things come from the heavenly realm. In the heavenly realm, there is a heavenly Kingdom called the Tongtian World, ruled by the Tongtian Buddha. In this world, there are many treasures, including Tongtian Chess and the Tongtian Ladder. The princess was once a chess master in the Tongtian World and carried the Tongtian chessboard with the Tongtian Buddha when descending to the mortal world. As for the Tongtian Ladder, it has different manifestations in the mortal world. People who have devout faith in gods and buddhas, and who are kind and benevolent, are walking upon the Tongtian Ladder."
Mo Cai listened and said excitedly, "Yue Chen said that you are the owner of the Tongtian chessboard. I think, great priest, you must be the great Tongtian Buddha who has come to the mortal world to guide us to worship the gods and buddhas and not be lost in the world." After speaking, Mo Cai knelt before the priest.
The priest said, "Child, in my meditation, I have seen many things in the heavens, and I will tell you about them. In different heavenly realms, the Tongtian Buddha has different forms. He appears in different identities in the mortal world. God compassionately guards, enlightens, and guides people in different forms, leading them to return. Therefore, we must firmly believe in Buddha, have devout faith in Buddha, and never betray Buddha. If necessary, we must defend Buddha with our lives." The priest's words shook Mo Cai's mind and body greatly, as if a powerful lightning bolt had broken through the layers of worldly constraints on her body. Mo Cai saw her true heart and believed that her life was for her faith in Buddha.
The priest continued, "The princess is a celestial being who was given a mission in the heavenly realm before coming to the human world. The human world's greed, anger, and attachments can cloud one's spiritual wisdom. Humans have their own lives, and because they lose their way, they forget their heavenly mission and harbor resentment. Some may even harm themselves or others. To avoid losing one's way, one must follow their heavenly mission and not complain about their human life."
"The princess had a brief encounter with Dai Le, but it was fated. You formed a bond with the Kingdom of Jule and then with the Kingdom of Modi, bringing the Tongtian chessboard back. All of this was arranged long ago."
After hearing this, Mo Cai pondered and said, "I want to sincerely thank Buddha for his guidance. When I heard the news of Dai Le's murder in Jule, I was in great pain and lamented my fate. However, when the great Buddha appeared, his compassionate light alleviated my pain. Buddha's teachings on heavenly principles awakened me and reminded me of my responsibilities. Your words have made me understand that I should prioritize my heavenly mission over my human life and fulfill the mission bestowed upon me by the gods. Thank you for your guidance, priest."
Mo Cai presented the Tongtian chessboard to the priest, who asked the princess to come back the next day.
At night, the priest took out the Tongtian chessboard and struck the left side of the board with the chess piece marked "heaven". A white-robed boy appeared on the board, kneeling and addressing the priest as "master". The priest then struck the right side of the board with the chess piece marked "earth", and a black-robed boy appeared, also kneeling and addressing the priest as "master". The priest asked, "Tell me about your wait."
The white-robed boy said, "We have been trapped in the chessboard for too long, waiting for our master. We have gone through many priests until one day, the Chess Fairy arrived. She picked up the chess pieces, and the chess spirits were all revived. We knew that we would soon meet our master." The priest smiled.
The next day, Mo Cai went to the Buddha pagoda and prayed to the gods and buddhas. Then, the priest said, "I would like to invite the princess to play another game of chess." Mo Cai and the priest set up the chess pieces, and the priest said, "Princess, please pay attention." He picked up the chess pieces with the characters "heaven" and "earth" and knocked on the left and right sides of the chessboard. Two children, one dressed in white and the other in black, appeared from the chessboard and bowed to them before standing on either side of the board. Then, all the chess spirits came out, and Mo Cai was very surprised. With a wave of the priest's hand, all the chess spirits returned to the board.
Mo Cai was happy and said, "Can I tell my brother about this?" Meng Gang said, "In the distant future, you can write it down and let people know everything you have learned. When you carried the Tongtian chessboard in the heavens, you created a world of chess in that world where the Tongtian chessboard was the treasure. When the chessboard was brought down to the human world, the incredible power of the Tongtian chessboard was sealed, but it still contains the essence of communication with heaven. Therefore, the priest of Jule Kingdom, Yue Chen, could use it to predict the country's destiny. However, Yue Chen does not know that the chessboard can be divided into five parts: east, west, south, north, and center, which can all be played separately. When playing chess, the chess spirit can sense your thoughts and the chess pieces will automatically be placed without the need to move them."
The priest began to play chess and sure enough, he did not need to move the pieces, they automatically fell into the positions he wanted them to be in. Mo Cai tried the priest's method and it worked. Mo Cai could not help but laugh, and her mind returned to the innocent state she had when she was younger.
(To be continued)
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/242457
