Too much fruit

Chapter 823: The Buddhist Debate
On a mountain peak on the border of the Buddhist country, a faint and pure Buddhist aura permeates the air.

At the top of the peak, Guanyin and Tan Wuwei were both sitting cross-legged on lotus pedestals, with Sanskrit chanting and Buddhist texts appearing all over their bodies.

From their position, they could just see the heavenly fire falling from the sky, not to mention that Tan Wuwei also had the ability to see the future, but they did nothing and ignored all the movement.

This was not only because the injuries to believers and even the destruction of Buddha statues were just minor matters that were not enough to require the intervention of two third-rank officials, but also because of the two people who had arrived not long ago.

There were two guests. One was tall and dressed in a black robe. His face was ugly but yet he had an invisible majesty and heaviness. His hair was as thick as needles and his blood was extremely strong.

The other was wearing a black robe, his face covered by a bronze mask, like a shadow, appearing and disappearing.

These two are exactly two of the four great Asura Kings in the Buddha's Hell of Fire - Rahu and Ketu.

Luohou stood with his hands behind his back. Although he was facing the direction where the sky fire was falling, he seemed to know the situation there clearly. He asked in a deep voice, "Why don't you two great Bodhisattvas go to rescue the believers in Bazheng City?"

"Goodness is goodness."

Guanyin lowered her eyebrows and eyes, with a look of compassion on her face, "I have already sent people to treat him, so there is no need for King Asura to worry about it."

"Compared to the changes in Bazheng City, the evil giant like Asura King is more of a concern to us." Tan Wuwei said slowly with a compassionate look.

"You two great masters are here to guard against a mere fourth rank monk like me? Ha."

Luohou seemed speechless, then laughed and said, "Buddhist friend Yuejing, a hundred years have passed, and you are more hypocritical than before."

Facing two third-rank officials, Luohou showed no fear at all, but instead opened his mouth to mock.

The "Yue Jing" he mentioned was exactly the Buddhist name of Guanyin a hundred years ago.

At that time, Guanyin was still the fourth-rank Moonlight Bodhisattva, so the fourth-rank Buddhas all called her by the Dharma name of Moonlight Bodhisattva. As for Guanyin before she was promoted to the fourth-rank, she had another Dharma name.

For people in the Buddhist world, changing their Dharma names is not a common occurrence, but it is not rare. Every time a person is promoted to a higher class, he or she may change his or her Dharma name in order to cooperate with the practice of the Way of Incense and the growth of the Dharma image outside the body.

Guanyin seemed to be completely unconcerned about Luohou's ridicule. She showed no anger when she heard his voice, only compassion.

She slowly said, "In my memory, King Ashura was a straightforward person. I wonder if King Ashura has changed or not after a hundred years."

"This makes me seem hypocritical."

Luohou laughed and said, "Well, I will get straight to the point. The Buddha is willing to lend a helping hand to the two of you to stop the enlightened one from achieving enlightenment."

"Just like in Bazheng City?" Tan Wuwei replied indifferently.

How could Tan Wuwei not know the details of the shocking changes in Bazheng City?

She could tell at a glance that there were evil demons and heretics at work, and most of these heretics had followed the Fire House Buddha Prison a hundred years ago. Even after a hundred years of eradication, the heretics of the Buddha State were still able to revive, and this was not without the help of the Fire House Buddha Prison.

Tan Wuwei has reason to suspect that some of the revived heterodox forces are just the guise of the Buddha's Hell of Fire, and the people inside are actually the demon sons and grandsons of Rāhu.

“But this is indeed a means of dragging down the Awakened One, isn’t it?”

Luohou was frank and admitted the matter directly. He said, "You two, if you want to succeed, you need strong support. The Buddha is the old enemy of the awakened one. It will be beneficial to cooperate with us. This is all I have to say. You two, please give it more consideration."

After saying that, Luohou nodded slightly to the two of them, and he and Jidu took a step back at the same time.

Faint ripples appeared, and in a trance, it seemed as if a corner of a huge roulette wheel was revealed, and the two Asura Kings of the Fire House Buddha Hell disappeared on the spot.

"Similar to the method of vacuum hometown..."

Tan Wuwei's eyes lit up. He had foreseen the disappearance of Luohou and the other two, so he focused his attention and found a clue from the traces of their disappearance.

"He was the chief of the guardian gods a hundred years ago. At that time, Guangli and Wei Tuo were both fifth-rank generals, helping him."

Guanyin's face no longer showed compassion, but instead revealed a solemn expression, "Back then, his strength was similar to mine. A hundred years have passed, and I have been promoted to the third rank, while he is still at the fourth rank, but his strength is definitely still improving. Even..."

Guanyin did not say the rest, but Tan Wuwei understood what she was going to say.

"The abode of Karma Tathagata..." Tan Wuwei lowered his voice subconsciously.

After learning about the relationship between Awakened One and Karma Tathagata from a pirated monkey, Tan Wuwei naturally would not hide it from the Heavenly Lord.

When the Heavenly King heard this secret, he had already determined that the Awakened One and Karma Tathagata were originally one.

As a powerful person, he didn't believe that there would be another person who could cultivate to such a level without anyone noticing, even if this person was the disciple or even brother of the enlightened one. He had some suspicions back then, after all, the Heavenly Monarch had also been in the Buddhist Kingdom. Now that he knew the secret, he naturally confirmed the relationship between the two.

At that time, the Lord of Heaven said that Rāhu, who had mastered the "Buddha's Sutra on the Warrior Who Moves Mountains", might be the hut prepared by Karma Tathagata.

"Others don't know about the great war a hundred years ago, but we, the Buddha Bodhisattvas, know about it," Guanyin said in a low voice, "Karma Tathagata ultimately failed to defeat the Awakened One and was suppressed by the Awakened One. However, it was impossible for the Awakened One to kill Karma Tathagata. The two sides fought, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties, and in the end the Awakened One took the initiative to make a covenant with Karma Tathagata."

——The enlightened one will not appear in the world, and the Tathagata will not leave seclusion.

Karma Tathagata is at a disadvantage, so the condition for breaking the covenant is whether the enlightened one is born, not whether Karma Tathagata comes out of retreat.

The initiative lies in the hands of the awakened ones.

At that time, Guanyin could not see the specific details of the battle between the two strongest men, but after knowing that the two were originally one, and hearing the words of the Heavenly King, she understood why Karma Tathagata was at a disadvantage.

Because Karma Tathagata lacks a physical body.

Now that Karma Tathagata is going to fight the Awakened One again, he will certainly make up for his weaknesses. And Rāhu may be one of Karma Tathagata's compensation plans.

Based on this, it can be inferred that Rāhu has been stuck at the fourth level for many years, perhaps not because he cannot be promoted, but because he is unwilling to be promoted in order not to repel Karma Tathagata. If he were at the third level, Karma Tathagata might not be able to easily control Rāhu's body.

Even if he didn't get promoted, Luohou's strength still didn't stop improving, and Guanyin would not underestimate this old colleague of his.

After all, a certain person named Jiang raised the upper limit of the fourth rank by several times. Although Guanyin felt that Luohou was not as evil as Jiang Li, judging from the fact that the four Asura Kings had previously entered Lingtai Mountain, he did have the ability to harm a third rank.

Of course, the more crucial one is Karma Tathagata.

"Buddhist friends, are you interested in cooperating with Huozhai Buddha Prison?" Tan Wuwei had already seen Guanyin's intention and nodded, "Cooperating with them is indeed beneficial in the short term."

"It's not really cooperation, at most we each take what we need. From the very beginning, our plan was to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, wasn't it?" Guanyin said.

On the surface, they use Manjushri's death to denounce the enlightened one, making it difficult for him to take action, so as not to disturb the hearts of the people in the Buddhist kingdom. Secretly, it is to make things easier for the Buddha's hell of fire.

In this way, even if the Enlightened One was not burdened by fame, he would definitely not have the time to take action against the two of them.

"That's true, but Karma Tathagata can be said to be another enlightened being, and he will not allow us to reap the benefits." Tan Wuwei nodded and shook his head.

They have the Heavenly Monarch behind them, and Ye Tathagata may not be unaware of it. The main purpose of coming here to form an alliance today may be to bring down the Heavenly Monarch. Guanyin is not unaware of this, but she has not retreated because of this. "It is still unknown who will win or lose. Since it is the end, if you don't fight, you will die. Fighting will give you a chance of success."

The voice was resounding and echoed among the mountains. Although she was a woman, she showed extraordinary courage.

Tan Wuwei seemed to be quite touched when he heard this.

She closed her eyes slightly, hiding the strange color in them, and whispered, "Yes, there is no turning back..."

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The deeper you go into the Buddhist kingdom, the more you can feel the rich atmosphere.

Last time, Jiang Li was in a hurry to get to Lingtai Mountain and did not take a close look, but this time when he came again, he was able to discover a characteristic unique to the Buddhist country.

The houses have an exotic style different from that of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the characteristics of Buddhism can be seen in various places. For example, the houses look like temples, with lotus flowers carved on the roofs and doors, or rows of "卍" characters carved out.

Buddhism has penetrated into every corner of this country and has become an inseparable part of it.

Here, it is not as difficult to get incense as in the Great Zhou. Just stand there and people will come to worship.

Few people would resist Tan Wuwei and Guanyin's salvation. As long as the Sanskrit chanting is played, the believers will actively accept the salvation.

Therefore, the two of them took believers as their winning point.

The Buddha's hell of fire and the heterodox teachings will also disrupt Buddhism as the starting point.

Although the enlightened one does not need incense, his obsession is still with the Buddha Kingdom. To disrupt the Buddha is to hinder the enlightened one.

Moreover, this will make it difficult for the awakened ones to take action.

We can't ask the enlightened one to kill those believers.

Although he had no intention of saving the world, he could not commit massacres.

However, it was also because of this that the Buddhist country did not develop into an all-out war. At least on the surface, it remained relatively calm, and there was no scene of blood flowing like a river. This can be considered both good and bad.

Although if things continue to develop in this way, the fanatical belief will sooner or later cause chaos in the Buddhist country, at the moment, the chaos has not yet arrived.

"Lingtai Mountain is almost here, let's change again."

Sun Wukong, riding on his somersault cloud, suddenly gave a reminder from the front, and then turned into a black bird.

Seeing this, Jiang Li did as he was told. The two of them turned into birds and flew into Lingtai Mountain.

The previous war was not far away, and ruins could be seen everywhere on Lingtai Mountain. The statues of the Four Heavenly Kings standing in the four directions were all in ruins, and the sound of chanting the "Nirvana Sutra" echoed among the mountains.

Looking down from above, you can see monks lined up in an orderly manner on the mountain path, chanting scriptures and walking towards the shaded area of ​​Lingtai Mountain.

The mark of the Heavenly Eye was faintly visible on the white bird's head, and a temple in the shade came into view.

'Last time, there was no such temple on Lingtai Mountain...'

Jiang Li glanced at it and remembered the name of the temple - Jiuhua Temple.

Under the guidance of Sun Wukong, the two birds landed together in the Wufo Temple on the top of the mountain and flew to a roof near the back.

The enlightened one has come out of retreat, but has not left the Wufo Temple and is still staying in the original retreat location.

Under a Bodhi tree at the back of the temple, a lay Buddhist with white clothes, white hair and a face like a god was sitting on the ground and preaching.

Below him, his two disciples Huilun and Huineng, and another monk in red robes were listening to the lecture together.

As if he had sensed the arrival of Jiang Li and Sun Wukong, the Awakened One looked up at the sky, stopped preaching, and said, "We have come to this point today. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes."

The three people below nodded and saluted with their palms raised. Then Huilun asked the first question, "Master, do you intend to ban the method of seducing?"

Huilun was the eldest disciple of the Awakened One, and he also practiced the method of attracting others, and in some ways he was regarded as the leader of the new generation. This was because the Awakened One's other disciple did not practice the method of attracting others, while 99% of the practitioners in the Buddha Kingdom practiced the method of attracting others.

Because of this difference, the younger generation and the vast majority of the older generation of monks all regard Huilun as the successor of the Awakened One. They also hope that Huilun will become the next head of the Buddha Kingdom.

Now that the Awakened One has shown a tendency to restrict the method of summoning, Huilun, considering his followers and his own practice, naturally wants to ask the Awakened One first.

When the Awakened One heard Huilun's question, he smiled but did not answer. Instead, he asked, "Huilun, do you have a different opinion?"

His expression was gentle, without the majesty of a teacher, and his tone was calm, bringing a sense of security that made people feel free to speak their mind.

"Yes," Huilun nodded again and said frankly, "Humans have seven emotions and six desires, and Buddhists like us are no exception. The reason why practitioners are willing to do good deeds is not only out of kindness, but also because it is necessary for practice. If the method of seduction is banned, it will hinder the spread of Buddhism and make monks less willing to do good deeds as before."

"Brother, we Buddhists should practice kindness, not out of utilitarianism." Huineng said on the side.

"However, doing good is a good thing, and whether it is utilitarian or not, it needs support."

Huilun retorted, "There is an old saying in the Central Plains, which is to judge by deeds rather than by heart. When we judge people, we don't need to judge by their thoughts, but by their actions."

"This is a utilitarian transaction. Although it is a good thing, it hinders the cultivation of the mind," Huineng said. "It seems to be conducive to cultivation, but in fact it is harmful to the cultivation of the mind."

The two brothers argued with each other, both insisting on their own points of view.

The enlightened one smiled and listened to the two people's words quietly before speaking: "It is not the intention but the deeds that count. Doing good deeds is indeed worthy of encouragement, even if it is for utilitarian purposes. However, the power of incense and thoughts comes from a sincere heart. If a person is sincere, he will be blind and hinder his wisdom. Utilitarianism is not wrong, but if it hinders believers, then it is wrong."

"Moreover, the fruits of Buddhist practice all require doing good deeds. Even if there is no faith or offerings, there will still be people who do good deeds."

"As for the Dharma, it is there, and anyone can practice it. There is no need to pay a price, and there is no need to spread it deliberately. If someone does not want to practice, then don't practice, and just treat it as a lack of affinity."

Although he was the abbot of the Buddhist kingdom, he did not intend to be sarcastic at all. Instead, he spoke in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. Regardless of whether the two brothers were satisfied or not, they both got the corresponding answers.

At this time, the third person stood up, bowed, and asked, "May I ask, Master, do you mean to ban faith?"

When these words were spoken, Huilun and Huineng both widened their eyes in surprise.

Banning the practice of seduction only means that monks lose a way of practice, but banning faith will bring about subversive changes in the Buddhist country.

The Buddhist Kingdom is a country built on the bond of faith. Without faith, will the Buddhist Kingdom collapse?

(End of this chapter)