Chapter 469 Buddhist Business
Chapter 469 Buddhist Business
None of the people in charge present ate vegetarian food or worshipped Buddha.
The monk abbot in a cassock was short of money and food, and had no control over anything.
The so-called Buddha is nothing more than a clay sculpture, and offering incense to him is nothing more than a business.
Even the Po Lin Monastery, although named as an ancient temple, has actually become a company.
Yin Zhaotang came to Lantau Island to meet with several representatives just to fulfill a vow and thank the gods.
The condition of the Yiziyun is to double the economic income of a housing estate within two years. It can be any housing estate, not necessarily Lantau Island. It just so happened that the Hong Kong government was helping to raise funds to restart the Po Lin Monastery project, which caught Yin Zhaotang's attention.
Mr. Yin originally wanted to cooperate with "Wong Wah Bakery" in Yuen Long, New Territories, to open a gift cake factory and sell moon cakes, wife cakes, gift cakes, egg rolls and other businesses.
Learn from the model of Maxim's Group and supply goods to the mainland.
There is no need to pursue expansion. As long as we build our reputation and get purchase orders from government agencies, it will be enough to boost the economy of several villages in Yuen Long, such as On Lok, Lang Ping and Fung Chi.
This was back in the 1980s. After the 1990s, the mainland's economy grew rapidly, and Hong Kong-brand mooncakes were highly praised in the southern coastal provinces. They were expensive and considered prestigious gifts.
The income from the Mid-Autumn Festival alone can support a bakery factory with thousands of employees.
Besides, the profit margin of daily snacks such as wife cakes and egg rolls is over 70%. However, the old owner of Ronghua Bakery, Liu Peiling, held back the secret recipe of "white lotus seed paste mooncakes" and refused to sell it.
Although Yin Zhaotang had the support of the major shareholder Zhao Yuxiu, the negotiations were not smooth. In order to ensure that the gods were rewarded on schedule, he turned to the Po Lin Monastery project.
A businessman cannot put all his eggs in one basket. If he has the chance to have the best of both worlds, why should he be so stubborn?
Lantau Island is now deserted, but in history, after the Tian Tan Buddha was built, it attracted many pilgrims and became a tourist attraction. In the 1990s, the Hong Kong government approved the "Airport Core Plan", spending 10 billion Hong Kong dollars to reclaim land and build an international airport.
In 98, the plan to build Disneyland was approved.
It is the closest outlying island to Hong Kong Island and the largest in Hong Kong.
Lantau Island will take over the large-scale land use projects that overflow from Hong Kong Island and has good development potential. If it takes over the Po Lin Monastery project, it will take the lead in boosting the economy of the entire island.
The economic income of Ngong Ping Village halfway up the mountain alone could increase several times.
Yin Zhaotang came to boost GDP, not to do charity. He invested money to get the property rights. The income from incense and tourism in the Zen temple will all go into the pocket of Zhongyi Group.
At the same time, it is really rude to build a big Buddha for Erye's project. It must be changed to Guandi statue, even if Guandi belief is only a medium-sized belief in the world.
Far fewer than Buddhists.
But foreign monks will not go to the jungles of Hong Kong Island to worship. They are all doing Chinese business, so there is no difference between building a Guandi statue and building a big Buddha.
Moreover, after the completion of the Guandi statue in the Temple of Heaven, there is no doubt that it will promote faith and gain more believers.
Building wonders was originally a way to spread faith.
Like the airport and Disneyland, the Tian Tan Buddha project already had Hong Kong government investment and shares. Of the HK$60 million construction plan, Cai Dong had pledged to invest HK$43 million.
The Hong Kong government invested 10 million and the temple invested 6 million. Now that Cai Dong is dead, he cannot make up the 28 million gap, and the Hong Kong government dares not inject capital. The "Po Lian Development Company" with the temple as the main body owes a large number of labor and bank loans.
Every day, workers come to collect debts, desecrating the Lotus Land, causing fewer and fewer pilgrims and even less income. The foreign director's talk about the Virgin Mary is no joke. But at this moment, Yin Zhaotang's eyes passed through the two of them and fell on Monk Huiming. He asked with a sharp gaze, "Can we talk, Master?"
"Amitabha, Guandijun was originally a Buddhist guardian monastery, and was King Gesar's different manifestations in the Han Dynasty. He was manifested by the body of Manjusri Bodhisattva, the speech of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the mind of Vajrapani Bodhisattva, and the merits and deeds of Padmasambhava. He is the wisdom body of the four Bodhisattvas."
"Mr. Yin believes in Guandi and has a connection with Buddha. There is nothing wrong with building a Guandi Temple in the Po Lin Monastery." Monk Huiming said this with certainty and a pious look on his face. Huo Zhengting, Danta and Zuoshou were all stunned.
"So shameless?"
Yin Zhaotang, however, looked appreciative and nodded slowly: "Master is a respectable man."
Monk Huiming looked thoughtful and said, "The Baolian Temple can be renamed Baolian Palace to blur the boundary between Buddhism and Taoism. The main hall will continue to worship Sakyamuni, and the Heavenly King Hall and other halls should all be retained."
"Another palace will be set up to worship the Three Pure Ones of Taoism and the Han gods that Yin Sheng believed in. The Tiantan Buddha will be renamed Tiantan Emperor. Those who have a connection with Buddha can go to the Great Hall to worship the guardian Jialan. Those who worship Taoism can go to the Three Pure Ones Temple to worship Guandijun."
Huo Zhengting suddenly felt that there was always someone better than him, and there was a business genius hidden in the mountain temple. Jiang Kailin was full of surprise and nodded repeatedly: "Master, what you said makes sense, it makes sense."
Yin Zhaotang stared at Monk Huiming and suddenly laughed: "Master is really a smart man. Okay, let's do as you say. I will first send an auditor to the Zen temple to verify the accounts, and then make a quotation."
He came to buy a tourism project at a low price. How could he give up the opportunity to worship Guandi and make more money at the same time? Monk Huiming led the monks to bow and chant Buddhist mantras.
When several core disciples of the monks stood behind the master, they had no joy on their faces and complicated expressions. Currently, the master only retains the right to operate the temple, but still has no way to negotiate the price with the big boss.
The acquirer is a veteran in the business world, and he has come up with a plan of auditing first and paying later. It is very difficult to drive up the price, and the replacement of the Buddha with Guan Gong requires all the design, modeling, and production to be done from scratch. It is very difficult to get the money, so how can the temple pay off its debts?
We used the time of a vegetarian meal to discuss preliminary opinions with the Development Bureau and the temple.
Yin Zhaotang did not linger any longer. He led his men out of the mountain and boarded the airship. He named Huo Zhengting as the person in charge of the acquisition and instructed him, "Keep the acquisition amount to 10 million, and the price of the Guandi statue at the Temple of Heaven should not exceed 20 million."
"My money is not as easy to earn as a drug dealer."
Huo Zhengting is experienced and knows what he is doing: "A total investment of 30 million is enough."
A clay statue can be made with 60 million or 6 million. An investment of 20 million is enough to create the effect of 60 million.
He is not a sucker.
After seeing Jiang Kailin and the Development Bureau officials off, Monk Huiming looked back at the dilapidated Temple of Heaven with a dejected look on his face, and uttered a wise saying: "Without money, even the purest place is no longer pure."
The first disciple, Monk Shengxiu, had a gloomy expression and wolf-like eyes. He whispered, "Master, the day when Baolian Palace opens its doors to welcome guests will be the day we are driven out of Baolian Peak."
"The 8 million high-interest loan I borrowed from the number for the 'pickpocket' is due next month."
Monk Huiming looked at his disciple with a sidelong glance and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, I have already done the accounts."
(End of this chapter)