Chapter 31: Causality (I)

Since July 1st, the Yanjia Temple in Yangzhou City has seen an endless stream of pilgrims.
Built during the earlier Sui Dynasty, this temple had fallen into disrepair after centuries of weathering. Yet, perhaps due to the great appeal of Mahayana Buddhism among those who went to Jiangdu to spread its teachings, many believers flocked here to offer incense and make wishes, hoping to become disciples of Mahayana Buddhism.
To the delight of these believers, the Tibetan monks did not turn them away but welcomed them all. Unlike the compassionate approach of the Northern and Southern schools of Buddhism in the Central Plains, Mahayana Buddhism places greater emphasis on compassion and redemption for individuals. Although its teachings may seem unconventional and even contrary to the emperor’s policy of serving the state, they are more in line with human nature, earning it widespread support among the common people.
Wearing white robes and living off a meager income, one can retreat to Buddhism in search of peace.
Becoming a lay disciple and enjoying the Buddha’s eternal protection seems like a sure-win deal.
Of course, admitting so many lay disciples incurs significant expenses for food, clothing, and other needs at Yanjia Temple. To ease this burden, the Tibetan monk Wu Jie decided to take advantage of the large number of believers to hold an Ullambana festival at the temple, collecting offerings in return. (Note 1) This includes purifying the altar, offering sacrifices, and providing food for the monks.
These are the basic procedures of the Ullambana festival, and even the Tibetans from distant lands could not change them.
Under the leadership of Master Wu Jie, a series of ten days of chanting and prayers greatly enhanced Yanjia Temple’s reputation. By the time of the Ghost Festival, officials, nobles, and gentlemen who originally planned to go to the three major temples in Yangzhou came to Yanjia Temple by carriage and horse to draw lots to determine who could enter the temple.
Since ancient times, the Central Plains have followed the example set by the elite. With these wealthy people leading the way, ordinary people also became interested in hearing the Buddhist teachings. After all, filial piety is paramount. In these peaceful times, why not fulfill one’s duties to parents and chant Buddhist scriptures to liberate the souls of the deceased?
Early on the morning of July 15th, a group of sixteen monks, accompanied by the sound of suona instruments, emerged from the Mahavira Hall one after another, greeted by the cheers of many believers.
Thanks to generous donations from many high-status pilgrims, the Ullambana festival at Yanjia Temple was lavishly decorated. Three days earlier, Master Wu Jie had ordered the creation of flower waxes, vases, and artificial fruit trees, which were placed in front of the Buddha hall as offerings as usual.
Early on the morning of July 15th, a group of sixteen monks, accompanied by the sound of suona instruments, emerged from the Mahavira Hall one after another, greeted by the cheers of many believers.

Feeling such a strong festive atmosphere, crowds from all over the city came to visit the temple, creating a truly spectacular scene. Master Wuji stepped forward holding a bell, glanced around at the arrangements, and nodded in satisfaction. By this time, dignitaries from various sectors in Jiangdu City had already gathered at Yanjia Temple, eagerly awaiting to see how this eminent monk would organize the Ullambana Festival.

Running north from the central courtyard, there was a altar on the stone steps, with a measuring stick placed on it. Master Wuji nodded to the monks behind him, who then began their purification rituals—fifteen monks holding large drums, wooden fish, chimes, cymbals, gongs, and small hand drums. At the start, the monks recited the “Great Compassion Mantra” and the “Ten Minor Mantras” in front of the Buddha altar, followed by the “Heart Sutra.” Seeing that it was just right, Master Wuji then recited the prayers written on red paper, asking the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to descend and guide them.

Several lotus-shaped plaques were set up for the wandering souls. After purifying the altar, a ritual to guide the souls was performed, with prayers written on yellow paper to lead the ghosts into the altar. After reading the prayers, the “Heart Sutra,” the “Rebirth Mantra,” and the “Three Mantras” were recited. Finally, Master Wuji, as the organizer of the event, marked the announcement board with red ink, signaling the completion of the ritual.

This elaborate process was just the beginning. Under Master Wuji’s leadership, a confession ceremony was held in the afternoon. Following the rituals described in the “Compassionate Water Confession,” the monks of Yanjia Temple recited prayers throughout the afternoon, interspersed with offerings and meals for the monks at noon. By the time the confession ceremony ended, dusk had fallen…

Of course, the highlight of the Ullambana Festival was the evening almsgiving ceremony. There happened to be a small river flowing outside Yanjia Temple, providing Master Wuji with the opportunity to release river lanterns, burn ritual boats, and burn paper models, as per traditional customs. To save the ghosts in the water, he ordered believers to create several river lanterns in the shape of lotus petals, filled with paper lanterns and small wax lamps, which were placed in the gently flowing river. For a moment, the river resembled a sky full of twinkling stars, extremely beautiful.

Burning ritual boats was meant to help the ghosts ascend to the Buddha’s realm and receive his protection. As for burning spirit houses, according to old folk traditions, it was done during the time when the gates of hell were open and wandering souls roamed, so as to send the deceased’s dwelling, servants, and daily necessities to another world, allowing them to live more comfortably there.

At this time, Li Kuo was burning a “spirit house” lantern.

According to the young novice who led him into the temple, for poor Buddhist disciples like them to be able to listen to Master Wu Jie preach Buddhism was a great honor in their lifetime. But nothing comes for free—those wealthy youths, who could afford to offer large sums of money for incense, didn’t have to do such hard labor. But those of them who toiled hard to seek the Buddha’s blessings naturally had to put in some effort.
And “burning the spirit houses” was one of the most crucial steps in this process.
Facing the paper baskets delivered by the servants of those wealthy young masters, Li Kuo was both amused and exasperated. If it weren’t to uncover the cause of the massive riot at the Wu family’s manor on the outskirts of the city and the truth behind the sudden fire at the silk shop in the southern part of the city, how could he, as a military commander from Huainan, pretend to be a follower of Mahayana Buddhism and burn spirit houses for those wealthy young masters by the Yudai River during the Ullambana Festival?
“Qilang, in my opinion, this demon monk Wu Jie is extremely calm. Even after you’ve been missing for so long, they haven’t taken any proactive measures.”
Zhou Wucui threw a three-story paper house into the burning iron basin and sighed deeply.
It had been six or seven days since they infiltrated Yanjia Temple under the guise of Mahayana Buddhist lay disciples. Yet, led by Wu Jie, those Tibetan monks not only showed no signs of panic but also organized the Ullambana Festival in an orderly manner.
“I know that too,” Li Kuo said, shaking his head. “It’s just that we don’t have any evidence yet. If we forcefully lead troops to capture Wu Jie and his group, it might provoke criticism from both the court and the public, and the emperor would also face considerable pressure from Tibet.”
By now, Li Kuo was convinced that the Tibetan monks were behind the series of strange incidents in Yangzhou recently. But he couldn’t use his authority as a military commander to arrest Wu Jie—after all, he had no evidence!
Evidence—those two words seemed simple, but gathering sufficient evidence was by no means easy!
“Heh, in my view, there’s no point in reasoning with these barbarians. They’ve done such beastly things—they deserve to be killed! Pah! I, Pu Da Chui, can take them down with just one swing!”
Pu Da Chui threw down a load of spirit houses and roared loudly. Those demon monks were clearly trying to deceive people while putting on a pretense of compassion—utter despicable.
“Don’t get so agitated. If force could solve everything, the commander would have ordered action long ago. We still have to consider the emperor’s feelings. Without solid evidence, the commander can’t just act rashly.”
Dou Qing, the most experienced among them, hurried to calm Pu Da Chui when he grew angry.

It was clearly too late for him to speak; Pu Dachui’s roar attracted a young monk. This man must be someone close to Master Wuji. Though young, he carried an extremely arrogant air.

“You, and you too—instead of properly burning the spirit chambers, what are you whispering to each other here? If you miss the deadline and the ghosts suffer from cold and hunger due to the lack of offerings from their families, who will take responsibility? Master Wuji sent you here to burn the spirit chambers out of respect for you—don’t disgrace him! Humans aren’t animals; they should at least have some sense of shame. Don’t think our Mahayana Buddhism is a free resource for you to act recklessly!”

His words were extremely harsh, practically an insult to everyone’s dignity. Pu Dachui was already furious by the time he heard half of it. If not for Dou Qing and Li Sheng holding him back, he would have rushed forward to fight that young monk.

“Esteemed young master, my friend has some issues with his mind. Perhaps the heavy yin energy tonight scared him!”

Li Kuo didn’t want to escalate the situation, so he bowed slightly and smiled apologetically at the young monk.

The young monk snorted coldly and said, “I’m too lazy to say more. These fifty or sixty baskets of spirit chambers must be burned before the third round of music. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I turn my back on you!”

With that, he waved his sleeve and strode away.

Note 1: The Ullambana Festival, commonly known as the Ghost Festival, is usually held on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. It typically lasts one day. The rituals are based on the Ullambana Sutra and were initiated by Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan. In the fourth year of Daxing (538), he held an Ullambana fast at Tongtai Temple. This practice spread rapidly among the people. During the Tang Dynasty, the royal family would send offerings to official temples, along with various items, accompanied by music, processions, and officials in charge. Ordinary people also brought offerings and various items to temples. During the Tang Dynasty, the Ullambana offerings were extremely luxurious, often adorned with gold and jade.