Chapter 399 The World Honored One Opens His Eyes (6k)
Huhu——
The cold wind rolled up the flag on the high platform, and the two words "Challenge" painted in gold were particularly eye-catching under the light of the Buddha in the sky.
"Zhao Duan?!"
On the high platform, the Red Sect master and Bianji monk, who were sitting cross-legged and meditating opposite each other, looked stunned. The latter even made a rare lapse and called out his name.
There was an uproar in the square.
The plump nun sitting in the front row of the chair was stunned for a moment. Her "intelligent eyes" stared at the young man as if a god had descended, and her expression became extremely strange.
Prajna Bodhisattva turned his head and glanced at Abbot Xuanyin beside him.
Well...it is worthy of being the leader of the Shenlong Temple in the realm of gods and humans. The old monk Xuanyin just frowned slightly and did not express any opinion.
As Xuan Yin, I will not express my opinion on the fate of such changes.
"Zhao Duan!" With a roar that was almost like a tiger's roar, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva suddenly stood up, with majesty appearing on his beardless face:
"Today I am debating Buddhist scriptures from East and West, and you disrupt the meeting. What do you want to do?"
After Zhao Duan scolded him arrogantly, he heard the sound and looked down at Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, whose muscles were knotted and he didn't know when he was holding the crescent moon Zen staff in his hand.
It was the first time that the two parties met, but their portraits of each other were already familiar to each other.
"Nagarjuna Bodhisattva asked well, but I also want to ask, what did your Shenlong Temple want to do when I went south before?" Zhao Duan asked back with a cold face.
Longshu felt depressed for a while, then heard Zhao Duan continue to say loudly:
"Also, Shenlong Temple promised to arrest and bring the guilty monk who assassinated me to justice. After so long, where is he?! Is he missing or hiding?"
"Zhao Shijun!"
On the stage, Bianji couldn't help but stand up, raised his hand to stop the rising anger of Nagarjuna, clasped his hands together, and said seriously:
"It is natural for you to feel angry. I, the Shenlong Temple, are also deeply ashamed of the improper act of ghusl. The abbot had earlier ordered that monks from various temples go out to track this person and compensate him accordingly. I, the Shenlong Temple, have also taken the responsibility. ……
Today is a sutra debate meeting. Please leave first. When the sutra debate is over, if you have any questions, come back to the temple to discuss it. ”
The other monks, including the nobles who were watching, also spoke out to persuade him.
Everyone thought that Zhao Duan was still angry after being assassinated before, so he launched a surprise attack on this critical day.
In front of the people from the Western Regions, he reprimanded Shenlong Temple to vent his anger.
Make the latter lose face.
"You all seem to have misunderstood. Do you think that I came here today specifically to disrupt the scripture debate and come to Luo Shenlong Temple's face?" Zhao Duan smiled, "Everyone in the capital doesn't know that I have a broad mind. How could I do that? Doing such boring things?”
Broad-minded... Everyone was choked up and couldn't answer the question.
Zhao Duan held the flag beside him with a serious expression:
"I am here today not for personal vendetta, but to reason!"
He swept over the monks and said loudly:
"Maybe you didn't hear clearly just now, but let me reiterate again that I am here today just to debate the scriptures! In my opinion, all Buddhist teachings misinterpret the true meaning of the Buddhist teachings, and arrogantly fighting for the so-called 'orthodoxy' is simply ridiculous! I It’s not about anyone, but you...and you..."
Zhao Duan raised his hand, pointing to the Shenlong Temple, and then to the five monk groups in the Western Regions, with an arrogant expression:
“It’s all rubbish!”
boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the square. The red sect master's smile froze at the excitement, and his eyes were confused.
This male favorite of the female emperor, a military attache of the Yu Kingdom, publicly declared that both Eastern and Western Buddhism were wrong? And want to debate the Bible?
One-on-one, arguing against the two of them together?
"Arrogant!"
"This thief is disgusting!"
"Drive him off!"
Many strong-blooded monks were furious and shouted loudly, but Zhao Duan remained motionless, acting like he would take action if he had the ability.
"Abbot... you think about what to do..." Monk Nagarjuna was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he thought of, but his anger dissipated.
He turned around and asked Xuan Yin for instructions.
He was angry at first because he thought Zhao Duan was here to cause trouble for him.
Now that he discovered that this lunatic had abandoned him and ignored him, he immediately realized that there was no need for him to get involved in this matter and that he should leave it to Xuan Yin and give him a headache.
Prajna Bodhisattva saw the excitement and did not think it was a big deal. He suppressed the weirdness in his heart and said:
"Abbott, please make up your mind."
The old monk Xuanyin glanced at the two of them and suddenly spoke, his old voice suppressing the commotion in the square:
"Buddha is not the Buddha of one person, but the Buddha of the world. Debating sutras is not just the opinion of two families. It can also cover everything. Since the donor has a different opinion, you might as well give it a try."
Many people were stunned for a moment, but they didn't expect Abbot Xuanyin to agree!
However, upon thinking about it carefully, it is not surprising.
Zhao Duan's identity is too special, and not long ago, the empress killed the Shenlong Temple with her sword for Zhao Duan. At this point, conflicts must be avoided.
Moreover, the traditional rules of Buddhist debate do not set any restrictions. It is not uncommon in history for even non-Buddhists to participate in Buddhist debates.
"Holy Monk...look..."
Bianji's expression changed, a little uneasy.
He had witnessed with his own eyes the last time Mr. Zhengyang surrendered without a fight and Xinxue was born, so he knew that Zhao Duan was very evil.
But the abbot had already spoken, so he could only look at the monks from the Western Regions expectantly - if the other party objected, it would be best for the Western Regions people to come forward and drive Zhao Duan away.
However, after the initial astonishment of the Red Sect master, his old monkey-like face suddenly looked at Zhao Duan for a moment, and nodded unexpectedly:
"I have also heard long ago that Ambassador Zhao of the Yu State has profound knowledge and opened a new river of Confucianism. Now that Abbot Xuanyin has spoken, what if we postpone the debate between the West and the East for the time being? I also want to hear it first. Ambassador Zhao What’s your opinion?”
The holy monk from the Western Region also agreed? !
Bianji took a deep breath, suppressed his anxiety, folded his sleeves and sat down cross-legged again, saying coldly:
"My envoy said that my Eastern and Western Buddhist teachings are totally wrong. How do you explain it?"
Zhao Duan smiled slightly and saw that the square was quiet. His first sentence made the monks look surprised.
"I heard that this is not the first time that Eastern and Western Buddhists have debated scriptures. The so-called differences between orthodoxies are nothing more than the 'practice method'."
"Buddhism in the ancestral courts of the Western Regions has far-reaching origins. It originated from the sacrifices made by ignorant sentient beings to the Buddha, the World Honored God... Because it originated from sacrifices, it evolved into many rituals and rituals...
Therefore, the monks in the ancestral court in the Western Regions focus on "Zhixiang" in their practice, that is, strictly abide by the rituals of worshiping the gods. Whether they cast spells or practice daily meditation, they all follow the ancient methods...
Then, Buddhism spread eastward. Thousands of years ago, Maya practitioners traveled from west to east, and there were Buddhist believers above the Central Plains... This is the source of Shenlong Temple. After Maya practitioners spread to the east, their understanding of Buddhism also changed..."< br>
"The opening chapter of "Avalokitesvara Sutra" may ask: If someone aspires to pursue the Buddhist path, what method should be practiced in the most simple and simple way?"
"Maya Practitioner replied: It is most important to observe the mind in one way and to take in all the actions. What is the mind observation? The heart is the root of all dharmas. All dharmas are born from the mind. If the mind can be understood, all actions will be fulfilled. …”
Zhao Duan stood on the high platform, talked eloquently, and took the lead in explaining the process of the evolution and divergence of Eastern and Western Buddhism in this world.
"What does it mean? Maya practitioners believe that the foundation of Buddhism lies in sitting in meditation, observing the mind, clearly distinguishing good and evil, and using the wisdom given by the World Honored One to cut off evil and practice good. Only then can we 'see the nature of the mind' and obtain the 'Buddha nature'...
The most important thing about reciting Buddha’s name lies in the effort of ‘reciting’ Amitabha. It is not about saying Amitabha Buddha verbally, but what you are thinking in your heart, and getting close to the Buddha nature...
The clearer your heart is, the less your wisdom will be blinded by the world. With such profound Dharma, the closer you are to the ‘World Honored God’...the more power you gain from practicing, the stronger it will be..."
"Therefore, the so-called orthodox dispute between the Western Regions and Shenlong Temple is nothing more than a competition between two methods of practice."
After saying this, the nobles around were a little surprised:
Is Mr. Zhao really here to debate the scriptures? These words are obviously based on research into the history of Buddhism.
Bian Ji frowned and interrupted:
"What do you mean by this history? Debate is not about listening to you talk about history."
Zhao Duan smiled and ignored him at all, but the conversation suddenly changed:
"However, if we say that hundreds of years ago, at the beginning of the debate between the two schools, it was still a battle of ideas. But in the past few hundred years, with countless debates, large and small, the so-called debate has long since become a battle of ideas. A battle of words! ”
After a pause, Zhao Duan criticized angrily in a deep voice:
"Today's Buddhist stream...the home of expounding and writing, then has a complicated and complex chapter...The upper class has a green beard, and the middle and lower disciples have a white head. The text of the law is naturally in the desert, and the reading is sparse. Throughout life, disciples and disciples inherit each other and use them to achieve success
When discussing chapters and paragraphs, they should be more scientific and more scientific; when describing and concluding crimes, they should be more scientific than sentences. ...and the purpose of making it is to make it easy to understand, so how can it be used as a secret language and to make ridicule..."
In the past few days, after Zhao Duan carefully studied the Buddhism of this world, he found that it had many similarities with a certain period of history of the world he was familiar with.
There have also been lengthy debates over localized doctrines and original doctrines.
It’s not surprising, because the development of things follows certain laws.
Although the world is different, certain general laws, such as the law that dynasties must be reunited after a long time of separation, and must be divided for a long time...are still there.
His attack was the exact words refuted by the eminent monk Yijing who had gone to Tianzhu to seek Buddhist scriptures.
The general idea is that in the process of evolution, Buddhism has gradually become more and more "academic". Buddhism is limited to temples and cannot go outside the temples.
It's just a bit... heartbreaking...
Sure enough, when they heard Zhao Duan suddenly fired a cannon to attack Qian Yuguo's Dharma, the expressions of Shenlong Temple changed.
But besides being angry, there was also a hint of guilt.
Yes, guilty!
Because what Zhao Duan said was indeed a real evil.
The Red Sect master squinted his eyes and said nothing, observing the appearance of the monks of Shenlong Temple with great interest.
Monk Bianji's face was as dark as water. After Zhao Duan finished firing, he said in a deep voice:
"According to what the envoy said, Buddhism is trapped in temples today. Do you think it is wrong? Well, regardless of whether what you said is correct or not, we would like to hear it. According to your opinion, if Buddhism is not in temples, where can it be? ”
"Yes, where?" A monk in the audience echoed.
"You said it's wrong for us to study Buddhism in the temple, but tell me, where should we study it?"
Everyone was indignant.
Zhao Duan stood in the wind, facing the questions, and smiled slightly, already anticipating the immediate reaction. When the questions gradually subsided, he opened his mouth and uttered five words calmly and powerfully:
"Buddhism is in the world!"
……
Buddhism is in the world!
In the Guanshui Tower, all the civil and military officials of the imperial court gathered together. After Zhao Duan took the stage, a riot broke out here.
And because the empress did not express her attitude for a long time, the officials could only endure it, although their curiosity was like a kitten scratching.
Then, they were shocked to see that Xuanyin and the Red Sect master actually agreed to Zhao Duan's unreasonable request to participate in the debate.
Then, Zhao Duan's long bombardment was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears, and they were all calm at first.
Until this sentence "Buddhism is in the world" was uttered.
In an instant, the expressions of several of the officials suddenly changed!
Yuan Li, the imperial censor with frosty white temples and a stern expression, had the most obvious change in his demeanor.
As one of the rare court officials who was well versed in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, Yuan Li was a dissolute young man and became friends with monks and Taoists. Therefore, he realized before other officials that these seemingly ordinary five words contained something profound. Murderous intent!
"Mr. Yuan?" Mochou looked at him in surprise and humbly asked for advice:
"Is there something wrong with Mr. Zhao's words?"
Brush——
In an instant, everyone, including Xu Zhenguan and Princess Wenzhu, looked at Yuan Li.
Although the empress had advanced cultivation and was no less knowledgeable than any man in the world, most of Xu Zhenguan's energy was ultimately focused on cultivation and political affairs.
The so-called specialization in magic means that she is very familiar with Buddhist magic and supernatural powers, but when it comes to Buddhist theory, she may not be proficient in it.
As for Princess Manzhu, although she has been in the Western Region for a long time, to be honest... she only has a rough understanding of these difficult things.
"Can Mr. Yuan help me clear up my doubts?"
Xu Zhenguan's heart moved and he asked.
Based on her understanding of Zhao Duan, after the initial shock, she guessed that Zhao Duan's sudden appearance must have some purpose.
It was also because of this almost blind trust that she did not stop.
Yuan Li came back to his senses and looked at the empress, his expression extremely serious, even mixed with a hint of excitement: "Your Majesty, if your guess is correct, Mr. Zhao is doing a very big thing at the moment, which will benefit the country and the people, and even affect the country." A great event for generations to come!”
Xu Zhenguan was stunned, that guy...
Princess Manzhu looked suspicious, suspecting that the monarch and his ministers were playing the role of her. Wasn't it true that the promised face was just a gilded idiot? Why are you all so solemn?
"What's the big deal?"
Xu Zhenguan asked subconsciously, but Yuan Li shook his head, looked forward, and clasped the armrests of the chair with both hands:
"I'm not sure yet. I want to hear what Mr. Zhao says next."
Xu Zhenguan pursed his lips and looked forward again.
……
"Buddhism is in the world?" The Red Sect master frowned and asked:
"What do you mean by this?"
Qualified praise...
Zhao Duan smiled slightly and gradually entered the state of speech. He said loudly:
"For thousands of years, the core issue discussed in Buddhism is nothing more than 'how to become a Buddha'. Leaving aside practitioners, I would like to ask you, how do Buddhist believers become Buddhas?"
Bianji and the Red Sect master frowned and did not answer immediately.
But there was a monk in the audience who couldn't listen and said loudly: "We should give alms to cultivate blessings!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Zhao Duan smiled:
"There is a story recorded in "Tan Lun". In the previous dynasty, Emperor Liang built a temple. One day, a Maya practitioner had a conversation with Emperor Liang. The latter asked, 'What merits have I had in my life building temples to educate monks, giving alms and providing meals?' Maya said: 'Really no merit'"
"Emperor Liang built countless Buddhist temples, was so kind to Buddhism, and made so many donations, but Maya practitioners said that he had no merit... It can be seen that the merits in Buddhism are not in the cultivation of blessings, but in the Dharmakaya."
The monk was at a loss for a moment.
Zhao Duan joked: "It seems that you, a monk, don't recite Buddhist scriptures attentively. You can't even read Buddhist scriptures as well as a layman like me."
The monk's face turned red.
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "Becoming a Buddha naturally does not involve cultivating blessings. In my opinion, becoming a Buddha only takes one thought. If you are not enlightened, you are all living beings. When you are enlightened with one thought, all living beings are Buddhas!"
Become a Buddha with just one thought!
Before anyone could react, Zhao Duan's speech suddenly accelerated and he pointed at the sky:
"For example, the rain does not come from the sky. It is the Dragon King who leads the water from the rivers and seas, so that all living beings, all vegetation, all sentient beings and merciless beings are moistened. ... The wisdom of prajna in all living beings is also like this."
Translated, everyone can become a Buddha, just like all living beings can receive rain, with equal opportunity.
Bianji questioned loudly and interrupted forcefully: "No, why do you think that all living beings only need enlightenment and do not need to practice hard to become Buddhas?"
Zhao Duan said without pause, sonorously and forcefully: "The human nature of the world is as pure as the clear sky!"
He said loudly:
"The human nature of the world is pure, like the clear sky, wisdom is like the sun, wisdom is like the moon, and wisdom is always bright. In the external environment, the clouds of delusional thoughts cover it, and the self-nature cannot be understood..."
"According to this method, from now on, we have gradually established no thought as the sect, no form as the body, and no abiding as the foundation."
"What are 'no thoughts', 'no form' and 'no dwelling'?"
Zhao Duan asks and answers:
"Those who have no thoughts about dharma see all dharma and are not attached to all dharma."
He looked around at the crowd again and said with a sneer: "Both Eastern and Western Buddhism emphasizes the practice of sitting in meditation. They think this method can make people calm, but I don't think so. Why bother to keep the precepts when the mind is calm? What's the use of practicing Zen when you walk straight?"
"...at all times, whether walking, standing, sitting or lying down, always act with a straight heart."
"In this way, concentration has no place to enter, wisdom has no support; raising hands and feet, always in the Taoist field."
……
Guanshui Tower.
As Zhao Duan was full of fire and talking, a heavy voice overwhelmed the entire audience, turning the entire Bible debate venue into his own podium.
The thoughts that the officials of the imperial court could barely keep up with at first gradually became out of touch, and their eyes gradually became blank.
"Mr. Yuan... I can still understand what Mr. Zhao just said. What do these mean now?" An official couldn't help but ask.
Xu Zhenguan also looked over.
She also couldn’t keep up!
In full view of everyone, Yuan Li's face became increasingly rosy and...excited! Excited!
"Your Majesty..."
Yuan Li swallowed, glanced at Princess Wenzhu first, and then organized his words and said:
"It is not necessary to understand the specific meaning of what Mr. Zhao said, and it is not important. Your Majesty only needs to know that what Mr. Zhao said is somewhat similar to the Zen school of Prajna Bodhisattva. However, the theories held by Prajna Bodhisattva in the past are far different. It’s not as complete as Mr. Zhao said.”
Xu Zhenguan was stunned: "Prajna... what she adheres to, the theory of enlightenment?"
Yuan Li nodded and said:
"Buddhist cultivation can be divided into gradual enlightenment and sudden enlightenment. The ancestral court of the Western Regions and the abbot Xuan Yin both adhere to the gradual enlightenment and believe that if people want to practice Buddhism, they need to practice hard over time. However, the theory of sudden enlightenment that Prajna Bodhisattva tends to emphasizes spirituality. Once enlightened, one becomes a Buddha...
However, Mr. Zhao took it one step further and believed that ordinary people's daily practice of worshiping the Buddha and every move in their daily life can be a form of spiritual practice. Enlightenment is not limited to monks in Buddhist temples. Even if monks are cultivating Buddhism and cultivating in the fields, they can also have enlightenment..."
He quickly explained the general meaning, and then said excitedly:
"However, these are not important. I just said that Mr. Zhao is doing a big thing. The real meaning is that this theory of enlightenment is of great benefit to the court! It is also good for the Western Regions!"
Princess Manzhu's ears suddenly stood up, and Xu Zhenguan looked serious:
"Mr. Yuan, please speak!"
Yuan Li said seriously:
"Does Your Majesty know that after the imperial court banned Buddhism some time ago, there were many dissatisfaction with the imperial court among the people?"
Xu Zhenguan nodded and sighed: "The imperial court forbids people from worshiping Buddha, so naturally there are complaints."
Yuan Li sighed:
"That's why the trend of worshiping Buddha has lasted for thousands of years, and it can't be banned by a decree from the imperial court.
Your Majesty's ban on Buddhism is not out of dissatisfaction with the Gods and World Honored Ones, nor with the people all over the world who worship Buddha. It is because these monks from Shenlong Temple are acting recklessly. Your Majesty is just punishing these monks with impure thoughts...
But the people don't know it, and they will only be dissatisfied with the court... If this matter is handled improperly, it will inevitably make some people feel alienated...
Mr. Zhao has obviously realized this, so he used today's sutra debate to promote the theory of becoming a Buddha in one thought and enlightenment... Once word spreads, people will no longer need to go to temples to worship Buddha, and monks all over the world will not need to gather. Practicing in the temple..."
Yuan Li said cryptically.
But the group of officials present are all human beings, so why can’t they understand?
What is the thing that scares the court the most about Shenlong Temple? Are they a group of powerful practitioners led by Xuan Yin? Yes, but also no.
Because a strong practitioner can check and balance.
What the imperial court was afraid of were the monks who gathered in temples all over the world and gradually became an uncontrollable force.
It is precisely because of this power that Shenlong Temple has the confidence to think about swallowing up the Western Region and promoting the merger.
Only Nagarjuna and the Great Pure Master had the courage to take action against the imperial court.
Therefore, after the empress realized this, she took advantage of Zhao Duan's assassination to ban Buddhism.
But if the word "forbidden" is not handled well, it will be a big trouble. Shenlong Temple is easy to control in the capital, but what about the many temples in the Nine Dao and Eighteen Prefectures of Dayu?
Can't it be blocked forever? If it is forcibly disbanded, there will be another restless force that will be exploited by the Eight Kings.
The solution given by Zhao Duan is to complete the existing but imperfect theory of Prajna Bodhisattva.
Because the saying "everyone becomes a Buddha suddenly" is too tempting to believers, once it is promoted, it will be accepted by people on their own.
Once this theory becomes popular, it means that monks can practice at home and are not required to practice in temples. This will greatly weaken the prestige of temples such as Shenlong Temple.
Distribute the authority to cultivate Buddhism from being controlled by temples to everyone.
Moreover, Zhao Duan's criticism in such a big way today is equivalent to telling everyone that the imperial court's ban on Buddhism is not to prevent you from worshiping Buddha or practicing Buddhism, but to disintegrate the small group of people in charge of the temple.
Suppress worship of Buddha in temples, but liberalize private worship.
It will also greatly alleviate the people's hostility to the imperial court.
"Therefore... Mr. Zhao's actions have very deep intentions. They are to solve hidden dangers for the court and calm public opinion. Similarly, they are also supporting Prajna in disguise..."
Yuan Li nodded and stopped.
Master Dajing's escape means that there is one less person to check and balance Xuanyin in Shenlong Temple.
Therefore, as long as you support Prajna, it is equivalent to filling the position of ghusl, so that the power in Xuanyin's hands is still divided.
Moreover, the emergence of a new theory will make the already difficult things come together and become even more impossible...
"Master Zhao, this is a multi-purpose achievement."
Yuan Li sighed with complicated eyes.
Who would have thought that the little chess piece that he carried around a few months ago could now be called "sir" sincerely by him, the leader of the party?
The empress' beautiful eyes lit up when she heard this.
Princess Manzhu next to her was already stunned.
"Now, the only critical step left is whether this rhetoric can be approved by the World Honored One. If not, I am afraid that his hard work today will be greatly reduced in effect and even in vain."
Yuan Li suddenly became worried.
Only then did everyone wake up.
Yes.
This is not a preaching, but a debate. If Zhao Duan loses, then no matter how good his words are, it will not mean much.
Thinking of this, everyone looked at the square again.
……
At this moment, Zhao Duan's long speech has come to an end.
Bianji's expression had completely changed. With his intelligence, how could he still not guess Zhao Duan's sinister intentions? I couldn't help but interrupt.
"Zhao..."
"Ahem," suddenly, the master of the Red Sect spoke up and asked before the debate opportunity: "As you said, how should ordinary monks practice?"
This Peng Nie...is so cooperative with me?
Zhao Duan glanced at the old monkey in surprise, thought for a moment, and recited seriously:
"Kindness means caring for one's parents; righteousness means caring for one another.
Giving way will lead to harmony between the humble and the humble, and tolerance will lead to no harm from all evils.
If you can lock the wood and produce fire, the mud will surely grow a red lotus.
What tastes bitter is good medicine, but what offends the ears must be true advice.
If you correct your mistakes, you will be wise, and if you protect your shortcomings, you will not be a virtuous person.
Daily practice is beneficial, enlightenment is not achieved by giving money. ”
After a pause, Zhao Duan looked around at everyone and said calmly:
"As I have heard, if you see all appearances but no appearance, then you have seen the Tathagata."
The words fell.
There was silence.
Suddenly, without warning, layers of ripples appeared in the sky. Everyone looked up in shock, only to remember that there was a huge Buddha head suspended in the sky.
The next breath, I heard someone exclaim: "World Honored One...opened his eyes!!!"
——
I corrected typos first and then corrected them. It’s a big chapter, 6,700 words, and the main content of the debate is finished.
Thank you to book friend New Sorrow for your 500-point reward for your support! !
(End of chapter)