Myriad Paths

After arriving at the back mountain, Li Qi saw a square not long after.

That is not a Buddha statue, but a place of execution.

In the execution ground, there were hundreds of demons and villains, all of whom were suppressed.

Some demons were hooked with iron hooks, piercing the upper and lower jaws, and the mouths were forcibly opened, and red-hot iron balls were put into their mouths to scorch their lips and tongue.

When it was put in, only a hissing sound was heard, but the lips and tongue were rotten, and the throat was blocked. I couldn't moan at all. I could only hum with my nose. It was painful and painful, but I couldn't scream.

Some demons are pierced by iron thorns. The iron thorns are very thin, like hairs, so the thorns are very deep and numerous. They can be said to be transparent both internally and externally. From the outside, the whole person looks like his whole body, including his eyeballs and mouth, is covered with silver. White hair.

There are also evil people who were devoured by jackals, tigers and leopards. They were dragged, bitten, chewed and regurgitated. Their flesh was broken into their bones, their skin and flesh were rotten, pus and blood flowed out, and they kept wailing.

Li Qi, who was passing by here, frowned when he saw this, and couldn't help but ask the wolf demon in front of him: "This behavior...isn't this Buddhism based on compassion?"

Unexpectedly, the wolf demon said matter-of-factly: "It is out of compassion that we punish them. With the Buddha's light shining all over us, it is just a little physical torture and pain. Compared with the evil they committed in the first place, it is nothing." ?”

As he spoke, he pointed at a naked evil man wearing iron clothes.

It was a human race, an unqualified practitioner, and he seemed to be of the ghost-witch lineage.

His punishment was to wear an iron coat.

This is not an ordinary iron suit, but a set of straitjacket made of iron chains. The iron chains are burned by real fire, and they are bright red and bright like lanterns.

The red-hot iron clothes covered the body, burning the skin and flesh, scorching the bones and boiling the marrow. The bitterness and bitterness were incalculable. The wailing echoed through the sky, and the scalps of those who listened were numb.

"This man kidnapped young children, used the innate energy of reincarnation to cultivate, and killed seventeen people. He was caught by the eminent monks of Fengtoku Temple and came here to suppress him."

"This man often eats people's brains, so he can survive torture. You see, although he is in pain, he is far from dead."

The wolf demon said this: "Those who are being tortured here have their reasons. Those who are being tortured by acupuncture over there are sexually promiscuous and poisonous. They gathered a crowd to brand their wives and then whipped them naked, leaving their bodies intact."

"The man who was punished with a knife dug up a family's grave, stole twenty-four coffins, destroyed his ancestral tombs, took bricks and tiles and sold them. This angered the ghosts and made the whole family angry. He was tied up and sent to the temple."

The wolf demon pointed and told Li Qi the deeds of various victims.

The wolf demon clasped his hands together and said piously: "The eminent monk of Fengde Temple is compassionate, uses physical punishment to stop evil, and then uses Buddhist teachings to influence him, and finally turns evil into good. This is called justice."

Li Qi looked at the group of people who were being tortured, and then at the headband on the wolf demon's head, and asked boldly: "So... the protector is also?"

"Except for those masters, there is no one here." The wolf demon said seriously.

"The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the end. Although you can't become a Buddha by putting down the butcher's knife, it can make people feel more at ease. Isn't it more painful than just corporal punishment, being entangled in evil thoughts, and being unable to extricate yourself all day long?"

"It is our blessing to be able to achieve great enlightenment after suffering such an experience. There are countless people in the world who are entangled by evil thoughts in their hearts, sinking into a sea of ​​suffering, and cannot find a way to escape. We have a master to save us and teach Buddhism. What else can we be dissatisfied about? ?" the wolf demon said in a calm tone.

As he spoke, he had already passed the mountain behind and passed those who were being tortured.

Li Qi just hummed a few times perfunctorily, and then fell into deep thought.

Buddhism...is this kind of virtue?

Those places he just passed by were not taboo. He could see many people passing by and watching. In other words, anyone could come to that square. Although it was protected by magic and could not touch the execution ground, everyone could come. can see.

In fact, Li Qi also observed a lot of people just now, who seemed to be family members of the victims, looking at the monsters inside with hatred but pleasure.

Did you do something wrong?

Li Qi thought it was okay. Although there was no life for a life, such a horrific punishment was enough to satisfy most people. At least it would not give rise to any unfair feeling.

In fact, it is estimated that many people will feel that instead of suffering this kind of punishment, it is better to die and have a happy life, so most of the victims' families have no objections.

The repentance afterwards was also very good. Whether it was forced or sincere repentance, these demons would definitely not go out to do those things again anyway. They all converted to Buddhism and became the protectors of Fengtoku Temple.

This is also the only problem.

In Fengde Temple, there are only a few great monks, but there are hundreds more protectors.

There are some who are not in the ninth grade, some who are in the ninth grade, and there are even a few in the eighth grade. As for the seventh grade and above, I have not seen them yet.

This kind of force, not counting those monks, but these guardians alone are enough to compete with the big forces in Caizhou and not fall behind.

Unknowingly, the power of Fengtoku Temple has expanded to this point.

His reputation has spread far and wide across the country, and he has secretly influenced millions of people. A hundred miles in radius has become completely private property, and there are hundreds of loyal thugs.

Even Li Qi couldn't help but sigh, this Buddhist temple does have something special.

At first glance, it seems that they have done a lot of good deeds, but in fact they have done a lot of good deeds without asking for anything in return or reward. Even the incense has been asked to be brought by the pilgrims. But unknowingly, as the good deeds are being done, this has become the world around them. Countless powerful forces.

I don’t know if it’s good or bad.

After walking another seven or eight miles, we were far away from the previous buildings and were completely deep in the mountains.

However, the number of passers-by practitioners not only did not decrease, but increased in number, and many of them were led by the guardians of Fengtoku Temple. Apparently, they all came to see the Buddhist sculptures.

Li Qi did not continue to talk, but followed him honestly. After a while, he finally arrived at the Buddha sculpture.

However, as soon as he arrived, Li Qi frowned and let out a strange low voice: "Huh?"

He saw a Buddha sculpture, but it was not the exquisitely carved Buddha sculpture that Li Qi imagined, but... something like the kind of fairy that hung a sign in a scenic spot to guide the way, Xiantao, Lion grabbing the ball, Stone shoes and stuff like that.

It's just a piece of stone, and everyone started thinking about it, and some weird name came up, but it didn't look like it anyway.

According to this logic, names can be given to those strange and broken rocks that cannot be named.

Li Qi has no such interest, so in his opinion, a stone is a stone, and there is no use in thinking about it. The so-called Buddha sculpture in front of Li Qi doesn't even have a human shape at all, it is just a piece of junk that can be picked up. Stone.

"Here is the Buddha sculpture that has been making a lot of noise recently. Is the donor satisfied?" the wolf demon asked Li Qi.

Li Qi did not answer, but looked around.

There are many people around looking at this Buddha sculpture.

Some people frowned like Li Qi, and it was clear from their expressions that they all thought they were being tricked.

It's just ridiculous, just a piece of broken rock!

Some people seem to feel that they are dull, so they carefully study the details, sit cross-legged in front of the stone carving, analyze and speculate carefully, and want to discover the secrets.

Some people sit directly and recite Buddhist scriptures, seeming to feel that there is a mystery in the stone. However, the mystery cannot be detected by looking at it carefully. Instead, one must recite the Buddha's words sincerely and sincerely, and then one can naturally obtain the Dharma in the Buddha sculpture.

Of course, some people sneered at it, looked at it a few more times, thought it was just a lie, and walked away.

Li Qi originally wanted to be one of those people who turned around and left.

But after thinking about it, he realized that this Buddha sculpture must indeed have some miraculous powers. Otherwise, could it be that the little monk he saw had clairvoyance that was fake?

He couldn't do anything fake. Li Qi believed in his own vision. Unless he was arranged by a powerful person, he would never be wrong about this kind of thing.

If a powerful person arranges for you, you can't run away no matter what. It's better to travel through the road and you can always find a way.

It might have been arranged by the other party, but at that time it was time for the elders of the division to come forward.

Besides, there are not many powerful people who are so incompetent.

Today you arrange my disciples, then I will also set up a plan to arrange your disciples. If you go back and forth, all the younger generations will die. It's just a joke. There must be rules under the table, so you won't be so random.

So, he also sat down cross-legged and looked at the Buddha sculpture.

However, the more I looked at it, the broken stone seemed to have some Buddhist meaning.

At this time, the wolf demon beside him suddenly said to Li Qi: "Did the donor see some clues?"

"It seems... there is a bit of a resemblance, but I guess I just made it up in my head." Li Qi shook his head.

"It's not a brain trick, it's a heart trick." The wolf demon suddenly said.

"How do you say this?" Li Qi asked back. He could tell that there was something in the wolf demon's words.

When the wolf demon heard this, he knelt down next to Li Qi and said piously: "Buddha is enlightenment. Self-conscious awakening, enlightenment and perfect conduct are called Buddha. If everyone has enlightenment in his heart, then everyone has Buddha in his heart." That’s right. If a clay or wood carving is called Buddha, then it is the Buddha of a foolish man and a foolish woman.”

"To pay homage to one Buddha, you should visualize paying homage to countless Buddhas. To pay homage to the present Buddha, you should visualize paying homage to past and future Buddhas, so that as many as the Tathagatas come before you, as many as the motes of dust in the ten directions and three times of the world will come before you."

"To worship Buddha is not to worship a sculpture. What you are worshiping is the Buddha in your heart. There is a Buddha in your heart. Isn't this stone a Buddha sculpture?"

"Remember that among all the worlds, there is only one Buddha who can relieve people's suffering. The Buddha is the enlightened one, and all living beings who are enlightened are the enlightened ones. Go to the Buddha's place, bow your head and fall to the ground, and take refuge in the saints of the Buddha's Dharma with all your heart. See this way , isn’t this Buddha sculpture magical?”

The wolf demon said this to Li Qi, blinking as he spoke.

Li Qi laughed dumbly.

These sharpshooters actually hit him?

He shook his head and did not refute. After all, this is Buddhism and there is no need to refute people's face.

Because what the other party said sounds reasonable, but isn’t it actually nonsense? If one can truly become a Buddha after enlightenment, then what are those first- and second-grade true Buddhas?

However, Li Qi did not resist this statement.

Because he knew that these words were not entirely false.

Enlightenment may not necessarily lead to Buddhahood, but those who become Buddhas must be enlightened ones.

The word "enlightenment" sounds simple, but in fact it is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Maybe the secret lies in it, just like Li Qi himself.

The practice of witchcraft does not seek external things, but only the inner heart. As long as you can understand many details of many great ways, you can naturally use other resources to fill your own cultivation.

As long as the Dao foundation is solid and steady, cultivation for the witchcraft is just a matter of time and pure hard work.

Therefore, this statement actually coincides with the practice of witchcraft and has a certain degree of similarity.

However, what witchcraft requires is not self-consciousness, but an understanding of the outside world, including magic, physics, natural relationships, ecological balance, and even various metaphysics. Each of these requires a lot of time to learn. Study deeply, and be consistent with the big world of the outside world at any time, and gradually fit the outside world with your own small world of human body, and finally reach the point where the inside and outside are completely consistent, and one person is the universe.

But although this Buddhist saying also emphasizes enlightenment, Li Qi couldn't figure out what it meant. The wolf demon probably couldn't explain it himself either.

Buddhism shouts about awakening, awakening, awakening to what? Who can tell me the rules? Name a goal? What does it take to be enlightened?

This is why Li Qi scorned Buddhism.

For you to understand the witchcraft, it has a clear goal, which is the great outside world.

But Buddhism wants you to enlighten, but what is enlightenment? Play as a striker?

Shameful.

Of course, this is Li Qi's opinion. For those who practice Buddhism, I am afraid that Li Qi is the one who will be laughed at.

Li Qi was also aware of this.

Everyone's Tao is different, and their views are different. Otherwise, how could there be such a saying as "different Tao, we can't work together"?

Only those with similar interests can have a good conversation.

However, Li Qi also began to try to think differently.

He looked at the Buddha statue and fell into deep thought.

Since the two methods are similar, they both require the establishment of a rudiment of the Tao in the mind, and then using this rudiment to observe the Buddha sculptures in front of you, you may gain something.

If you want Buddhist magical powers, but you have to do it in the way of shamanism, then naturally you will not be able to achieve it. You still have to look at it from a Buddhist perspective, so that you may be able to draw parallels and gain insights.

Li Qi constructed this "enlightenment" of Buddhism in his mind, trying to simulate a real Buddha statue.

According to the Buddhist scriptures Li Qi had read, there must be thirty-two phases, which are also the basis for constructing Buddha statues.

The so-called thirty-two characteristics refer to those very obvious characteristics of the Buddha's appearance, including the thousand-spoke wheel, slender fingers, high nose, wide, long and thin tongue, etc., a total of thirty-two characteristics.

The Buddha's thirty-two appearances are superior to all noble people and can make everyone who sees the Buddha feel respectful.

Li Qi carefully observed the Buddhist sculptures that were made spontaneously.

Suddenly, he stood up, left the wolf demon, and approached the Buddha statue.

The Buddha sculpture is a strange stone with an ordinary tree growing beside it. It stands on the edge of the trunk and presses the roots of the tree.

Li Qi looked at the broken section of the tree and carefully counted the growth rings on it.

one two three……

After counting for a while, he discovered that the tree had exactly one thousand annual rings.

This is one of the thirty-two signs, the thousand-spoke wheel, which refers to the thousand round wheels on the soles of the Buddha's feet.

And this tree happened to be crushed under its feet by strange rocks.