Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 659: Seeing the True Nature, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple's Purpose

The young monk Jiekong followed his master closely and walked onto the Tiantai Sect's Dharma Assembly. His little face was tense and there was a hint of uneasiness on his face.

Speaking of which, he was still very excited when he set out with his master.

He was born in Shaolin Zen Buddhism. He has been practicing in the temple over the years, often accompanied by green lamps and ancient Buddhas. He has never set foot in the world alone. Everything in the outside world is new to him.

After all, who hasn't dreamed of a life of luxury, a life of revenge, and a life of luxury when they were young? Even the young monk was the same.

The young Taoist priest was currently in the limelight. They had met once during the last trip to Mount Longhu, and he admired him.

This time he gets to meet the person he admires, and the person he admires will also come into the mountains during the Tiantai Sect's water and land ceremony. There will be a good show to watch. How can he not be excited and looking forward to it?

This anticipation continued until a human head was picked up.

The moment he held the head and looked into those eyes that were still open, his heart suddenly became heavy. This might not be a good show.

What he saw and heard after he attended the Water and Land Dharma Assembly also proved this point.

It was a mess, with a collapsed altar, broken buildings, and even the most important main hall in a temple had collapsed, the golden plaque was shattered, and there were corpses lying all around.

Among these corpses, except for a few whose heads were blown off, most of the others had a bloody hole between their eyebrows.

What is strange is that behind these corpses, there are some monks standing here and there, with their eyes closed and chanting scriptures.

It was not difficult to see their panic from their somewhat distorted facial expressions and trembling voices.

For a young monk who has lived in the temple since childhood and seldom goes out, such a scene is like a blunt knife breaking his bones, so brutal that he dare not look directly at it.

The young monk Jie Kong shuddered, and then he suddenly remembered the identity of the head in his master's hand.

That was Master Kurong, the abbot of the Tiantai Sect. They had met once before, at a Dharma assembly presided over by Shaolin.

At that time, he was responsible for serving tea and water to monks from other temples. The old monk was very kind and praised him for his wisdom. He didn't expect it to turn out like this.

No wonder he felt familiar with it before... He felt a little upset.

Was it all done by the little Taoist priest... He looked towards Zhang Zhiwei. He felt a murderous intent that was pure to the extreme from Zhang Zhiwei, which made him inexplicably feel as if a torrent of blood was rushing towards him.

His heart tightened and he quickly quickened his pace, walked to his master and stood close to him.

Master Henglin noticed Jie Kong's behavior and said calmly, "Jie Kong, I asked you to come with me before. When you heard that the Little Heavenly Master was going to be there, weren't you excited?"

"You also said that the little celestial master is someone you admire and that you will definitely take him as a role model in the future. Why do you feel so scared of him now that you see him? Could it be that what you said before was just a case of Ye Gong liking dragons more than he actually loves?"

The young monk Jie Kong was silent for a moment, and said: "Abbot, I used to really respect the young celestial master and wanted to be like him. But now, although I still respect him very much, I don't want to be like him that much. I..."

He seemed to feel a little ashamed and stammered, "I'm a little scared!"

"Being afraid is a good thing. Knowing yourself clearly is even better. It's not shameful. It's a manifestation of wisdom. Only those who know what they want can understand their true heart and see the eternal nature." Master Henglin said with a smile.

"Wisdom, understanding the original mind, seeing the original nature that is neither born nor destroyed..." the young monk Jiekong muttered to himself.

Young monk Jiekong comes from Shaolin, the ancestral temple of Zen Buddhism.

Speaking of Zen Buddhism, it is definitely the most special one among the eight sects of Buddhism.

Other monks, including Wu Man who came from the Sanlun School, all had firm faith in various Buddhist scriptures and regarded them as the truth. They would talk about the Buddha's teachings and Buddhist principles, and could discuss the Buddhist scriptures for seven days and seven nights.

The reason for this is that these sects practice Buddhist principles through Buddhist scriptures, standing on the shoulders of their predecessors. In the early stages, their progress will be rapid, but after reaching certain levels, serious "obstacles" will often arise.

What you have learned is not the same as what you have personally experienced. When your knowledge and actions are not in harmony, it is difficult to be self-consistent.

This kind of "obstacle" is difficult to overcome, even for someone as outstanding as Wu Man.

But Zen is different. Zen advocates abandoning the interpretation of words and going straight to the heart. It believes that the heart is originally pure, the Buddha nature is inherent, and enlightenment does not require external help.

They believe that "all dharmas are seen in one's own nature; the free nature of all dharmas is called the pure dharma body."

In short, his study of Buddhist scriptures is only auxiliary. The Buddha and principles in these books are just references. Only the Buddha in his heart is real.

The Buddhist scriptures tell you to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha's name, but your heart wants you to drink alcohol and eat meat. Then drinking alcohol and eating meat is your Buddhist philosophy, and the things in the Buddhist scriptures are just a crutch to make you drink alcohol and eat meat better.

This concept has led to the emergence of some Zen monks who are very different from their secular image and difficult to understand.

For example, there are some infatuated monks who like a certain woman from the bottom of their hearts. The rules of Buddhism do not apply to them. That woman is the Zen he wants to realize.

However, some monks want to eat meat and drink wine from the bottom of their hearts. For them, eating meat and drinking wine is also a form of Zen practice. This is the case with the great monk Jigong.

Another example is the young monk Jie Kong’s later disciple, the temporary worker “Great Compassion and Great Mercy” Xiao Zizai.

This is a very conflicted person. He loves killing people, but in his heart he wants to be a good person. So he is very twisted and has turned himself into a "patient".

The reason for this is that he has not been enlightened, has not seen his true nature, does not know what he wants, cannot see through, cannot understand, and cannot let go. This is attachment and ignorance.

If one day he has an epiphany, sees his true nature, and knows his own path, then he will no longer be confused.

When the time comes, if you want to be a good person, then be a good person.

If you want to kill people, then go ahead and kill them. When you have killed enough, you will become a Buddha right away.

Although it sounds a bit abstract that if you kill enough people you can become a Buddha instantly, but in Zen Buddhism it is not abstract.

This is the case with the much-talked-about monk Lu Zhishen.

He has never done any good deeds in his life and only loves killing people and setting fires. Suddenly, the golden rope is loosened and the jade lock is broken. The tide is coming in the Qiantang River. Today, I know who I am. This is the portrayal of Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen loves killing people, not because he wants to steal money or vent his anger, he has no utilitarian motives.

It is a kind of love, just like a newborn baby who knows nothing, without any other mixture, it is a love that comes from instinct.

His master, Elder Zhizhen, said this when he met him, saying that he had two fiery eyes and a murderous heart, but this did not prevent him from being a good person.

So his master forged weapons for him, taught him the best techniques of foot combat, and then let him roll down the mountain to kill people.

Because, for Lu Zhishen, killing and arson are his Zen. He may not have realized it himself, but with a pure heart, he has been practicing his own way and cultivating his own Zen all his life. Therefore, when the tide comes, he will suddenly realize and become a Buddha directly.

This is the uniqueness of Zen Buddhism; what one worships is not the Buddha in the temple, but the Buddha in one’s heart.

Therefore, many Zen monks have a saying: If people in the world want to learn from me, it is like entering the devil's way. Although the young monk Jie Kong has not yet realized his true nature, he was shocked by Zhang Zhiwei's murderous intent by chance, and thus took a step forward.

Otherwise, he might have to travel around the world for a few years, doing all kinds of chivalrous deeds, and only after gaining fame and status would he suddenly realize that this was not what he wanted.

This is the progress in one's mind and character. Although there is no immediate effect, the future path will undoubtedly be smoother.

The arrival of Master Henglin inspired all the Buddhist monks present, as if they had found a backbone. They quickly clasped their hands together and stepped forward to pay their respects.

Master Henglin returned the greeting with one hand.

"Senior Brother Zhang, what do you say now?" Lu Ci asked.

"Master Henglin is highly respected in the martial arts world, and his reputation is comparable to that of my master. Now he comes here with Master Ku Rong's head, I'm afraid he has bad intentions!" Lu Jin said with a worried look on his face.

Although Tiantai Sect and Zen Sect are both one of the Eight Sects of Buddhism, their status are different. Abbot Master Henglin is much more valuable than Abbot Master Kurong. His status in the world is equivalent to that of Tianshi. If he wants to stand up for Tiantai Sect, it will be difficult for him to do so.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't care about Lu Jin's worries at all, and said with a smile:
"Master Henglin and my master are close friends. Now that he is here, I will naturally go over to pay my respects to him."

After saying that, he walked towards Master Henglin and bowed, saying:
"Junior Zhang Zhiwei, nice to meet you, Master."

Master Henglin put one hand on his chest and said, "Donor, you are fine. Good, good!"

Zen monks are different from monks of other sects. Monks of other sects all put their hands together, but Zen monks only put one hand together.

The reason for this comes from an allusion called the White Snow Seal Heart Bead.

Legend has it that after the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma, attained enlightenment, a monk named Shen Guang came to him and served him for a long time. He wanted to become his disciple, but Bodhidharma refused.

Until one day, Bodhidharma was in meditation in the pavilion, Shen Guang was standing outside the pavilion, and heavy snow fell from the sky, reaching above Shen Guang's knees.

Bodhidharma opened his eyes and asked Shen Guang why he didn't leave. Shen Guang said he wanted to take him as his master.

Bodhidharma said that if he wanted him to be his disciple, the only way would be for it to snow red from the sky. Upon hearing this, Shen Guang cut off his left arm with a knife without saying a word. The blood flowed so profusely that it dyed the surrounding white snow red.

Seeing his sincerity, Bodhidharma accepted him as his disciple, changed his name to Huike, and made him the second patriarch of Zen Buddhism.

The Second Patriarch had only one hand and could not put both palms together, so Shaolin changed the rules and only put one palm in front of the chest to salute.

"I wonder what your purpose is in going up the mountain this time?" Zhang Zhiwei took a look at the head in Master Henglin's hand and said straight to the point.

Master Henglin said in a deep voice: "I came here to resolve a dispute, but a good friend told me that everything in the world has cause and effect."

"Kurong sowed the seeds of killing you, so he must bear the consequences. It would be bad if I interfered."

"But if I do nothing, my conscience will be uneasy, so I will send someone to persuade you."

"If the little celestial master is not so determined to go into the mountains and is willing to repay evil with kindness, then naturally the big thing will be reduced to a small one."

"If the little celestial master insists on going up the mountain to avenge his grievances, then I will not interfere."

Master Henglin asked, "I wonder if justice has been sought for Little Heavenly Master?"

Master Henglin's handling of the matter is somewhat similar to Zhang Jingqing's handling of the Sanyi Sect incident in the plot. He wanted to help, but after asking the parties involved for their opinions and learning that they did not want him to intervene, he would not interfere.

Zhang Zhiwei groaned for a moment and said, "I have nothing to lose here, but as for them..."

"It's good that both parties are cleared, it's good that both parties are cleared!" Master Henglin nodded repeatedly.

Then he lifted up Ku Rong's head and reached out to close his eyes, but failed after several attempts.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't understand what the old monk was planning.

Master Henglin said as he wiped the dirt, "We old fellows all know something about the Tiantai Sect. When the Unobstructed Conference was held in the temple, I had a brief talk with him, but in the end it was just a conversation between a chicken and a duck, and it didn't have any effect. This time, the young Tianshi came up the mountain and used his thundering methods, which also relieved me of a worry."

Zhang Zhiwei exclaimed: "Master, you are really courageous. No wonder you are Master's best friend."

Then he asked, "Master, the friend who dissuaded you just now, is he my master?"

Master Henglin shook his head and said, "No, it was Master Zhending who came to persuade you that day, the abbot of Ci'en Temple."

He continued, "If your master came to me and told me about this, I would throw my cassock over his head, beat him up, and then send him back to Longhu Mountain."

Zhang Zhiwei scratched his head, not knowing what to say. He certainly wouldn't scold Master Henglin for such a small matter.

He could tell that the other party had a very good relationship with his master, and he estimated that if he really beat his master up and gave him a black eye, his master would say that his face was swollen accidentally when he was practicing Qi.

Master Henglin continued, "But I dare to cut your master, but I dare not cut you, Little Heavenly Master."

"Master, what are you saying... In your old life, what was there that you didn't dare to do? Do you think I dare to fight back? Otherwise..."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and said, "Why don't you give me a try?"

After these words were spoken, everyone was speechless. Look at what you said, who would dare to cut you? I'm afraid you will die if you try, right?

Even Master Henglin was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "In some aspects, you are indeed very similar to your master!"

After laughing, he wiped Ku Rong's eyes again, but still didn't wipe them off, and said:

"He still has obsessions and refuses to close his eyes."

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at Ku Rong's head. Ku Rong's dull eyes were staring at Zhang Zhiwei, as if he had some unfulfilled wishes, so he refused to close his eyes.

"There seems to be something in his mind?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Master Henglin nodded: "Yes, although he is dead, part of his consciousness still exists, and he still has something to pass on."

Zhang Zhiwei's heart moved. As far as he knew, almost all the major sects that had produced saints had passed down their own things. In the plot, Wang Ye had also tried to test this point.

When he killed Ku Rong before, he had wondered, if he did not give Ku Rong time and opportunity, would the Tiantai Sect’s inheritance in that area be cut off?

Now it seems, no.

"Senior, are you here just to help Tiantai Sect to pass on the ordination?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

(End of this chapter)