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

Chapter 661: The Abbot's Preaching, the Integration of Buddhism and Taoism, and the Enlightenment of Tao
When everyone saw Zhang Zhiwei sit down, they did not leave and sat down too. Not everyone had the opportunity to listen to the Shaolin abbot's lectures.

"If you want to stay, I welcome you. However, please ask the pilgrims and believers who are stranded on the mountain to go down first," said Master Henglin.

"That's right!" a group of people responded.

……

After what happened before, there weren't many believers left on the mountain.

Some of them were stranded here because they were too frightened and fainted.

With everyone's arrangement, they quickly went down the mountain.

It is worth mentioning that when these people were leaving, several well-dressed and seemingly prestigious people came to pay their respects to Zhang Zhiwei.

One of them was the chief of staff of a major warlord, and he said that he would visit Longhu Mountain another day.

However, Zhang Zhiwei was not very interested in these people. He just responded casually and said no more.

This attitude can be described as extremely rude, but this world is undoubtedly tolerant of the strong. They have no grudge against Zhang Zhiwei's lack of enthusiasm, but instead think that this is the demeanor of a strong person.

They gave Zhang Zhiwei enough respect and did not dwell on the issue too much. They bowed and went down the mountain.

Although Zhang Zhiwei seldom dealt with these warlords, he was not unfamiliar with them because they were not uncommon in Longhu Mountain.

For example, a few years ago, the Zhili warlord Wu Dashuai suffered a stroke and did not get better after various treatments. He suspected that he was possessed by evil spirits. After being recommended by someone, he came to Longhu Mountain, where he was cured by a master’s ritual.

Li Dashuai, the local governor of Jiangxi and a native of Longhu Mountain, would come to Tianshi Mansion every year to hold a birthday ceremony.

Every time he was done, he would ask his master whether he wanted money or an official position.

The master said that he had no intention of becoming an official, and just let him watch and give money. The governor gave more and more each time, and the master accepted it calmly.

And every time afterwards, Uncle Zhang Yi would complain about his master's cruel heart, because the longevity dip that his master gave Marshal Li could not prolong his life at all, at most it could drive away evil spirits and nourish the blood, which was equivalent to a psychological effect, but he charged several thousand dollars for it.

But now it seems that these people are coming for him.

Although Zhang Zhiwei doesn't care about these, he doesn't reject them either. He treats them with a normal mind. After all, they are all boys who bring wealth.

Although he didn't care about money, he would rather accept the money that came to his door. He would use the money to build the Tiantong Church, open a few more church schools, and have a church factory or something like that.

After dealing with the pilgrims and believers on the mountain and collecting the monks who had died tragically, Master Henglin meditated peacefully and began to preach the Diamond Sutra.

"Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was in the Jetavana Grove in the country of Savatthi, with a great assembly of bhikshus, numbering 1,250. At that time, the World Honored One, at mealtime, put on his robes and took his bowl, and went into the great city of Savatthi to beg for food. After begging in order in the city, he returned to his original place, ate, put away his robes and bowl, washed his feet, and sat down on a seat..."

There is nothing better than practicing Buddhism in the world, and there is nothing more difficult than eating. The Diamond Sutra begins with eating.

In the distance, Zhang Jingqing and Zuo Rutong were watching this scene secretly.

"Master Henglin hasn't given a lecture for many years. Chief Zuo, would you like to go and listen as well?" Zhang Jingqing said.

"Is this... appropriate?" Zuo Rutong was somewhat tempted, but felt that it would be inappropriate to just go ahead like that.

He and Master Henglin were not close friends. Strictly speaking, this time, it was he and Zhang Jingqing who used Buddhist tricks to force Master Henglin to come out and clean up the mess.

If he goes to listen again, will people look at him with a good face?

"No problem, this old...old monk won't care!"

Zhang Jingqing originally wanted to call him "old bald donkey", but this title could be used in person but not in private, so he changed his words.

"Then we should go!" Zuo Ruotong said with great interest: "Should we go over to pay our respects?"

"No need," Zhang Jingqing waved his hand and said, "If we listen secretly, the old monk will talk. If we go to see him openly, the old monk may not talk. He may even flatter us with his words, and we will be the ones to talk about the scriptures and the doctrines later."

Zuo Menchang laughed and said, "Zuo's teachings and discussions on the sutras are not as good as Master Henglin's."

This was not a humble remark, but Zuo Rutong's true inner thoughts.

In the past, people in the martial arts world had rumored that the Sanyi Sect was the most mysterious sect in the world. Only now did people realize that it was not even considered a mysterious sect.

However, the Shaolin Zen sect has been recognized as the world's number one monk for hundreds of years.

It is impossible to say that he has no awe in his heart.

Of course, he was in awe, but he would not feel ashamed if he were to face Master Henglin.

There is an upper limit to a sect's foundation, but there is no upper limit to its people.

Silently, several people arrived at the Tiantai Sect's Dharma Assembly venue and stood on the top of a pagoda.

At this distance, one can hear the content of the lecture in detail without disturbing the people in the venue.

While listening, although the left sect leader did not make a sound to interrupt, he still bowed to Master Henglin from a distance, and then watched and listened quietly.

The Dharma Assembly is on site.

Master Henglin, who had a serious face when he was preaching, relaxed his frown slightly and continued to preach as if no one was around.

Zhang Zhiwei was also aware of the arrival of his master, uncle, Zuo Menchang and others.

However, when Master Henglin got to the key points, he was so absorbed in listening that he did not go to pay his respects.

At this moment, Master Henglin had already recited the Diamond Sutra.

But Buddhist scriptures are just like Taoist scriptures, they are extremely obscure. One sentence can be interpreted in thousands of different ways. But if you just listen to them once without anyone to explain them, you will just be confused and gain nothing.

Master Henglin wanted to convert the surviving monks of the Tiantai Sect, let them see their true nature, let go of the hatred in their hearts, and then pass on the salvation to them, so naturally he could not just do superficial work.

After he finished speaking once, he began to explain the content to everyone word by word.

At this moment, he was talking about the sentence in the Diamond Sutra, "The Udumbara flower has yet to bear fruit, I am no longer the same person as before in this world of dust. I smile and point to the white lotus in the quiet place, I see the spiritual pearl growing in the fragrant mud."

Master Henglin said slowly: "Udumbara is a short-lived flower. It is very beautiful, but short-lived. When the flower blooms to its most fragrant, it withers. This is what Buddhists often call a flash in the pan."

"In fact, if we look at human beings from the perspective of the universe, whether it is the life and death of an individual or the succession of dynasties, they are all short-lived."

"We have lived for decades, but looking back, decades are like a flash in the pan, neither real nor fake, neither true nor false, both empty and existent. We should understand it from this perspective."

"So..." Master Henglin asked everyone: "Since it is just a flash in the pan, then have we achieved anything after these decades of practice?" Some people said yes, while some were confused. Among them, Zhang Zhiwei said yes.

Master Henglin said with a confident look: "Yes, it definitely exists, but you cannot be attached to the appearance. It is neither real nor false."

"So, like when the Udumbara flower blooms, it is there at the time! It is beautiful and fragrant; but it disappears immediately, and everything is empty again."

"But you said it's empty, isn't it?"

"It does exist. This is what Buddhists often refer to as dust and earth. The material world is dust, and earth represents everything on the land."

"The Diamond Sutra says, 'I am not the same person I was before.' This means that in this material world, the me now is not the same person I was before, not the me of the previous life, nor the me of the next life."

"This me is a false me. I am not the same as I was before. I am not the life that I originally had. Only by leaving this me now can I find the true me that is always happy and pure!"

Zhang Zhiwei listened quietly. Although the Diamond Sutra is a Buddhist classic, the content it expounds is exactly the same as that of Taoism. Isn't this so-called true self the subjectivity that Master talked about? Isn't it the true whole nature that preserves the whole nature?

Master Henglin continued, "And where can we find the true self of life?"

"The answer in the Diamond Sutra is, 'Look at the white lotus with a smile, and you will find the spiritual pearl growing in the fragrant mud'!"

"White lotus is the incarnation of lotus. Lotus does not grow in a good place. The dirtier and more rotten the mud, the more luxuriantly the lotus blooms."

“So, the essence of Mahayana Buddhism is to enter the world. You have to enter the most miserable places to practice Buddhism in order to succeed.”

"This also applies to Taoism, so Zhengyi Sect advocates entering the world, expelling evil with righteousness, and accumulating virtue and doing good deeds."

“But running to a high mountain or to a cool place to live in a thatched hut will not lead to enlightenment! It is the Tao that wants to enlighten you, not you who wants to enlighten yourself.”

So, this is the reason why Wu Man and Wu Gensheng want to join Quan Xing. There is no worse place in the world than Quan Xing... Zhang Zhiwei thought to himself.

Master Henglin paused for a moment when he spoke here, giving everyone time to think.

At this time, Patriarch Wang seemed to be deeply touched and raised his hand and said:
"Master, I once met a man named Wu Man. At the last moment of his life, he realized that the five aggregates are empty. This is what you call a flash in the pan, right? Then what is the emptiness of the five aggregates that he realized?"

Since the last incident, the head of the Wang family has become more and more interested in Buddhist principles.

Master Henglin said: "Emptiness is a state, a state of Buddha, which is enlightenment. The enlightenment at that time is the Tao obtained through practice and verification, not a theory. It can only be achieved through hard work."

He sighed and continued, "That state cannot be described. It cannot be described. No matter how much you talk about it, it is not what it is. That is why Buddha said there is no way to describe it."

"Subhuti, one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha, also asked a similar question, but there is no way to explain emptiness, because there is really no way to explain it. If you explain it, it is no longer emptiness!"

"If we say it exists, then everything in the world will eventually become empty. Therefore, neither emptiness nor existence can be discussed. It is both empty and existent, and neither empty nor existent. In Taoism, this is called the Tao that can be spoken, but it is not the real Tao."

He said to Patriarch Wang: "When studying Buddhism or Taoism, one cannot be confined to the surface. No matter how obscure the Buddhist or Taoist scriptures are, they are easy to understand if someone explains them. But what makes them difficult to understand is not the theory, but the practice. Only when one has reached a certain level of practice can one truly be considered to have studied Buddhism or Taoism."

Patriarch Wang seemed to understand but not quite, as if he was thinking about something. Studying Buddhism and Taoism is not about learning, but about practicing and cultivating. When you reach that level, you will understand Buddhism.

If you don't practice, even if you sit in front of the Buddha and chant sutras all your life, it does not count as learning Buddhism. You are just reading books and are a fake monk.

After saying this, Zhang Huaiyi glanced at Zhang Zhiwei, pursed his lips, and suddenly raised his hand and said:
"Master, it is said that Buddha has thirty-two characteristics. If one cultivates the thirty-two characteristics, can one become an immortal or a Buddha?"

He remembered that his senior brother had cultivated several of the thirty-two aspects, so he asked this question.

Master Henglin smiled and said, "This question was also asked by Subhuti, a disciple of the Buddha, and the Buddha's answer was no."

The old monk was very wise. He looked at Zhang Huaiyi and then at Zhang Zhiwei, and suddenly he understood everything.

"When studying Buddhism and cultivating the Way, one cannot be attached to appearances. Therefore, when studying Buddhism and cultivating the Way, one is against idols. What are idols?"

He laughed and said, "Buddha is actually an idol. The Buddhas mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures are incredible. Every successful Buddha has thirty-two characteristics, thirty-two different looks from other people. The eighty good qualities are also not possessed by others."

“Everyone is pursuing the thirty-two marks and eighty virtues, but this is just an unintentional display. If you deliberately cultivate yourself to look like a Buddha, this is actually a big problem.”

“Back then, there were monks from the Vajra Sect who displayed the state of their physical bodies after their practice.”

"He asked me, 'You Zen Buddhists believe that once you are enlightened you are a Buddha, but why don't you have the thirty-two characteristics? How can you be considered a Buddha? Your so-called enlightenment is unreliable and is all fake.'"

"I told him to look carefully. Actually, everyone has 32 kinds of appearances. I definitely don't have your appearance, and you don't have my appearance either. If you grow into my appearance, you won't be yourself anymore."

"Then look at all living beings, each with its own thirty-two characteristics and eighty good qualities. If you really cling to the concept of the thirty-two characteristics, then it can only be said that it is a religious belief, but the true Dharma has been ruined by you."

"When studying Buddhism, one should not be attached to appearances. That is why the Buddha told Subhuti that even if one has cultivated the thirty-two characteristics, one is not a Buddha."

"The thirty-two characteristics of the Tathagata are actually non-characteristics, but are called the thirty-two characteristics. The Buddha said that all sentient beings who become Buddhas and have perfect merits have the thirty-two characteristics."

"This is not the form of the Dharmakaya. The Dharmakaya has no form, so it can be called the thirty-two forms or the sixty-four forms..."

Master Henglin looked at Zhang Huaiyi. He was very patient with this close friend's young apprentice and said slowly:

"Although you are a Taoist priest, if you understand one principle, you will understand all principles. If you understand the principle of the Diamond Sutra, you will also be able to comprehend the Taoist Book of Changes. The Book of Changes also has sixty-four hexagrams, which are sixty-four phases."

"So, the 64 hexagrams in the Book of Changes are actually not hexagrams, because hexagrams cannot be fixed. Hexagrams mean change, they are all transformations, changes."

"Once you understand that everything is subject to change, you will find that each of the 64 hexagrams actually corresponds to a solar term, which gives rise to the hexagram qi diagram."

"Specifically, the four main hexagrams of Kan, Li, Zhen and Dui are the main ones, matched with the four seasons. Each hexagram has six lines, totaling twenty-four lines, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms.

"The remaining sixty hexagrams represent the number of days in a year. Each hexagram represents six and seven days, so that 365 days and a quarter of a day are included in the year."

“And all of this is finally divided into seventy-two phases.”

"These 72 phases also represent the changes in the Zhoutian cycle."

"In Journey to the West, the monkey has 72 transformations. These 72 do not refer to 72 magical skills, but to all the changes within the Zhoutian."

“So, the thirty-two characteristics of the Buddha are formless, the characteristics of all living beings, and the characteristics of everything.”

Thirty-two phases... sixty-four hexagrams... twenty-four solar terms... seventy-two periods... changes in the Zhoutian... Zhang Zhiwei seemed to be thinking about something. He seemed to understand something, but he lacked the finishing touch and had not pointed it out.

Zhang Huaiyi, who asked the question, became more and more confused the more he listened, and couldn't help but say:

"Then Master, since the thirty-two marks are the marks of all living beings, why did the Buddha display the thirty-two marks instead of other marks?"

"Young donor, you are obsessed!" Master Henglin said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)