Water Margin people

Chapter 1678: The Enlightened Monk

"Today's Buddhist temples are different from what they used to be. Buddhism must also be governed by state laws."

Dao Ji looked at Duan Yu and said.

"What? Buddhism is governed by laws? Temples are places away from the world, places of purity for Buddhism..."

Duan Yu quickly said that Buddhism has always been managed by itself, and as long as one becomes a monk, even a murderer can be pardoned.

"Donor, you are wrong. Temples exist within the country, so how can they be considered as a place outside the world? Monks are also human beings, so how can a monk's temple be considered a pure land?"

Dao Ji shook his head and said that everything was just an excuse, just a selfish excuse, and the current emperor would not allow Buddhism to act recklessly.

"We in Dali..."

Duan Yu's face turned pale. Dali already belonged to Qi, so naturally it had to abide by the laws of Qi. That was to say, Tianlong Temple would become Huanglian Temple.

"This……"

Duan Yu wanted to speak, but didn't know how to say it.

"Although the situation in your Tianlong Temple is different, the result is the same. If you want to preserve the temple, you should explain the situation as soon as possible. The Buddhist temples in the Central Plains have already accepted the supervision of the court."

Dao Ji looked at Duan Yu and said, there are many ancient temples in the Central Plains, even Daxiangguo Temple, White Horse Temple and other temples with profound heritage, but now it is Qi State, Buddhism must make changes,

In Dao Ji's mind, Buddhism should have changed long ago. In recent years, Buddhism has become more and more greedy, and has been demanding land and money without limit. If it continues like this, it will be a way to death.

"Master Dao Ji, I can accept it, but my uncles and elders may not agree!"

Duan Yu said helplessly that although he was the former king of Dali, the situation in Dali was different from that in the Central Plains. The royal family were all monks, and the absolute power lay in the Tianlong Temple.

"The original intention of Buddhism is to guide people to be good. Accepting alms is to accept the law of cause and effect. But monks are human after all. Being human means greed, anger, and ignorance. Excessive demands are like competing with the country for profit. Buddhism has been destroyed several times because of greed, anger, and ignorance!"

Dao Ji looked at Duan Yu and said that he used the metaphor of the Three Wus and One Sect destroying Buddhism to tell Duan Yu that if he did not accept it, he would be destroyed.

"Coptis chinensis is bitter, just like life, but it is also a medicine that can cure all poisons! This Huanglian Temple represents the end of suffering and the beginning of happiness, the beginning of liberation!"

Dao Ji said with a smile.

"Duan Yu is learning from you!"

Duan Yu bowed and said.

"The Buddhist scriptures are in the Sutra Library at the back. The donor can go there anytime if he wants to copy them."

Dao Ji bowed to Duan Yu and went out to answer the doubts of the believers.

Duan Yu listened to everything. This solution was more like an enlightenment to believers. People always have times when they can't figure things out, and Dao Ji was able to resolve them with Buddhism.

Duan Yu silently went to the Sutra Library of Huanglian Temple. He flipped through the Indian Buddhist scriptures that he had been longing for, but the more he read, the more boring he found it. The Indian Buddhist scriptures were not as profound as he had imagined. Some of them even made him feel that they were full of mistakes and contradictions.

"Aren't you the Duan Yu?"

Just when Duan Yu felt bored, a steady voice sounded.

"Shangzhu Kingdom!"

Duan Yu looked up and saw that it was Lu Zhishen, and immediately stood up and saluted.

"So you like to watch these, how boring!"

When Lu Zhishen saw the Buddhist scriptures in Duan Yu's hand, he shook his head. These Buddhist scriptures were too complicated. He still liked the simple ones that he learned first.

"The Supreme State is also a monk, so why is he not interested in Buddhist scriptures?"

Duan Yu was very confused. Monks should chant sutras, and Lu Zhishen was a monk from a legitimate family, so how could he not read Buddhist scriptures?

"I cultivate my mind, not books. It's useless to read too much of these things. You have to understand the Dharma yourself. It's not in the books!"

After Lu Zhishen finished speaking, he went to the side hall to rest. He came here to have a drink with Dao Ji today, but Dao Ji was answering questions for the people, so he could only wait.

"Daoji, it's fine if you worship my statue, but you should at least make it more beautiful. You are humiliating me by making it a clay figurine!"

Just as Duan Yu was lost in thought, he heard the emperor's voice. He hurried to the front hall and saw the emperor pointing at the clay statue in the hall with dissatisfaction.

"In the Three Thousand Worlds, all things have Buddha nature. Your Majesty is also a Buddha! A clay figure is also a Buddha!" "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, everything is false. There is no difference between a clay figure and a golden figure."

Dao Ji spoke.

"What do you mean there is no difference? It makes me sick! Isn't this like a clay Buddha crossing the river and unable to save himself? I will convict you of cursing the emperor!"

Sun Lei glared at Dao Ji. This guy was so talkative that he would not be his match unless he was unreasonable.

"This clay figure dissolved in water, just like ice and snow melting. It did not disappear, but just continued to exist in a different form!"

Dao Ji was not angry and spoke slowly and calmly.

Sun Lei didn't expect Dao Ji to improve so quickly, and for a moment he couldn't control himself.

"Your trip was not in vain!"

Sun Lei looked at Dao Ji, who was still as thin as ever, always smiling, giving people a sense of reassurance with his kind face.

"Your Majesty taught me this truth. Meditation and contemplation in a temple are nothing but a prison. If you want to see through the world, you must first enter it!"

Dao Ji said that he had traveled around the world before, but only around temples and never went far. But after traveling west, he met many people, witnessed many things, and also saw mountains, seas, Gobi Deserts, and he realized that the world is vast, human hearts are like the sea, he himself is insignificant, and the Dharma is boundless.

"Are you going to become... a Buddha?"

Sun Lei rolled his eyes at Dao Ji and wanted to say that he was a demon, but seeing how serious Dao Ji looked, he stopped being sarcastic.

However, Sun Lei could clearly feel Dao Ji's progress. His Buddhist knowledge alone was improving by leaps and bounds, and it was only a matter of time before he became a living Buddha.

Duan Yu was stunned. Master Dao Ji was so calm in front of the Emperor and even explained it with Buddhism. Even a high monk could not do that.

"I don't care about anything else, just do it seriously! Gold is too expensive, copper will do, or at worst carve one out of stone!"

Sun Lei still insisted that his statue should look good, at least it couldn't be made of mud.

"Amitabha!"

Dao Ji bowed to show his agreement.

"I brought some wine for you today, please don't keep Master Lu waiting for too long."

Sun Lei said with a smile.

When Dao Ji heard about drinking, he smiled happily, which was rare for him. He couldn't give up drinking and eating meat, nor did he want to give up. This was his way of enlightenment.

"Well, why are you here?"

Only then did Sun Lei see Duan Yu standing in the distance like a wooden sculpture.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Duan Yu quickly saluted Sun Lei.

"Donor Duan is here to borrow scriptures."

Dao Ji spoke.

"I see, how about having a drink?"

Sun Lei didn't care and invited Duan Yu.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Duan Yu hurriedly thanked him.

Sun Lei took the two of them to the side hall in the backyard.

"What took so long? My throat is smoking!"