Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1095 A Piece of Cake! (Two Chapters Combined)

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I don't understand."

“I think the guru is right!”

"No, the master is thinking. It's the young monks from the Central Plains who have the upper hand!"

Harsh words.

The hustle and bustle suddenly fell silent, and the dark-skinned middle-aged man turned his head to stare at the young master who had the upper hand.

A cold wind blew by, carrying with it the smell of greasy hair from the crowded people and the sulfurous odor of last night's firecrackers.

"how do you know?"

The dark-skinned middle-aged man scratched the back of his head, his rough index finger pointing towards the central platform: "Isn't the little monk rebuking the master? Naturally, he has the upper hand. After the little monk finished speaking, the master was also thinking and did not answer immediately."

"fart."

"Nonsense!"

The surrounding devout believers were immediately angered and rebuked them sternly.

"That little monk is so ill-mannered! He's so loud! You roughneck, if you don't know what you're talking about, don't spout nonsense!"

"That's right! Nonsense! Let's not hold it against him, Master! Isn't that reasonable? Isn't that reasonable..."

"It's reasonable, don't raise your voice!"

"Correct!"

The middle-aged man opened his mouth, scratched his itchy scalp, scraped some dander and lice from under his fingernails, wanted to refute but was afraid of arousing public anger and being beaten by the crowd, so he pursed his lips.

The nobles in the inner circle paid no attention to the commotion of the villagers in the outer circle. They looked at Sangye's disciples. Previously, the monks were arrogant, but now they were all as if facing a formidable enemy, as if they knew the answer to the battle.

"This Buddhist disciple at the Hanging Temple... is truly remarkable!"

Bai Mingzhe glanced sideways at the dark-skinned, rough-looking man, secretly surprised.

The two were several times different in age and experience, and their levels of cultivation were far inferior. They were unknown in Hantai. Not only did the other party establish his own sect first, but the other party was also able to make him fall into a deep thought within a few rounds!
Holding the seal of fearlessness in emptiness, without joy or sorrow.

……

"It's noisy."

In the Ice Crystal Hut, after finishing his second bowl of silver thread noodles, Liang Qu scooped out the vegetables, slurped down a mouthful of hot noodle soup, exhaled hot steam, and asked Awei why he was silent.

"Thinking, ha, two rounds and it's not enough! What a bunch of weaklings, Awei, tell Huaikong, the key is to suppress him with sheer force of will, the more arrogant the better!"

Liang Qukong, chopsticks in hand, looked energetic.

What is strength?

While eating noodles and drinking tea, he easily subdued the master opposite him!

The people of Hantai live on the frontier, in a cold and harsh environment with a much lower literacy rate than those in the Central Plains. Being able to write and read one's own name is already considered a remarkable achievement. What is their religion? Is it Buddhist scriptures? The doctrines of the scriptures? Philosophical speculation?

It's a story!
It's a benefit!
Whoever weaves the most truthful, fitting, and vivid stories, providing the people with greater spiritual comfort and support, will become a respected and admired figure!
This is why the influence of the Lotus School is difficult to change. Just as stories need to be adapted to local conditions, beliefs and legends in various places have local characteristics. The root cause can be explained by climate, geography, and crop growth. Forcibly changing a belief will only lead to incompatibility and may even result in the local area absorbing the teachings and making up for its shortcomings, making the teachings even more impeccable.

Could the common people of Hantai Prefecture understand the debate between Huaikong and Sangjie on "understanding the emptiness of all phenomena is the foundation of right view" and "the profound principle of emptiness"?
They don't understand!
Let alone the common people, even Liang Qu, a half-Buddhist disciple who acted as a transit point, couldn't understand it.

If you don't understand, why argue?
Answer: A sense of superiority!

If you observe carefully in daily life, you'll find that when three-year-olds argue, they often bring up their parents and relatives.

Your father can eat a pig, my father can eat a cow!

Adults become farmers, seemingly mature, but their beliefs clash, and their rhetoric remains essentially the same despite variations in wording.

Your god can withstand one mountain, my god can withstand ten mountains, and each mountain has a hundred thousand more mountains, and on those mountains are a hundred thousand trees, each leaf a world in itself, with boundless divine power.

Where are the real, proper religious masters?

They are highly knowledgeable, well-educated, and have a broad perspective. They have their own system of thinking, so they don't just spout nonsense like children, which only makes them a laughing stock. Instead, they use their life experience and philosophical reasoning derived from classical texts to refute and defeat their opponents.

Therefore, whether one understands or not is never important, nor is it the point; what is needed is the atmosphere of debate!
Whoever loses wins.

Who loses ugly and embarrassingly, and who wins beautifully and cleanly?

Ordinary people can understand this.

When one's sense of superiority is shattered, one will naturally yearn for something even more "superior"!

This is the "power of discourse"!
……

Sanjay was surprised but not flustered. He fiddled with the prayer beads in his hand and thought carefully.

The Marquis of Xingyi of Da Shun wreaked havoc in Hantai Prefecture, not only killing the master of Bingjing Bodhi Temple, but also burning Yuequan Temple to the ground, leaving only scorched earth. Afterwards, he used his extraordinary strength and supernatural powers to move the Cold Ice Spring mineral vein from the temple in front of everyone, shocking the world.

Simply lawless!
This greatly shook the Lotus Sect's foundation within Hantai Prefecture, causing them to lose face.

Last year, as was customary, various families came to make offerings, and they all paid less money for ghee, whether openly or secretly.

Marquis Xingyi was at the height of his power, possessed the ability to move mountains, and had extraordinary combat strength. With the imperial court as a guarantor, the Lotus Sect originally did not want to get involved and suffer in silence. However, in this situation, it was no longer just a matter of a small temple being destroyed, and it was clearly impossible to stay out of it.

After much deliberation, they finally sent Sangye, a scholar with solid theoretical knowledge and exceptional talent, to Hantai to debate scriptures and to hold two additional water and land ceremonies to make up for the missing butter money.

In the first fifty years, Sanjay engaged in countless debates, and there were times when he was temporarily at a disadvantage. However, in the last fifty years, he has had few opponents.

Hanging Temple.

Well-deserved reputation!

Surprised by the level of the Buddhist disciple from the Central Plains, Sangjie organized his thoughts, quickly adjusted his strategy, and bowed slightly.

"The teacher's question is like a sharp rebuke, intended to break through attachments. However, the state of not thinking of good or evil is not a state of dullness and stubborn emptiness. The Madhyamika Prasangika view states: In the very moment of conceptual origination, one directly sees its inherent emptiness! This is neither annihilation nor a real existence as conceived by ordinary beings."

The so-called "seeing emptiness" is to observe the present moment of dependent origination and illusory existence with ultimate wisdom, and to thoroughly understand its lack of inherent existence. This "seeing" is neither what the eyes see nor what the mind thinks, but the direct realization that is free from all conceptual elaboration.

"Master, if we depart from this insightful observation, wouldn't the realization attained in Zen become nothing more than a state of blank emptiness?"

second round!

Sangye's disciples were invigorated.

Pretty!

As expected of Master Pema Dondrup, he easily accomplished what they could not, answering such a difficult question and throwing the question back at him!
How awesome!

Looking at the other side, Huai Kong still held the Fearless Seal and did not rush to answer.

The disciples' serious and stern expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy, transformed back into smugness.

"This person must have run out of tricks!"

"That's all! He managed to fool me just now!"

“Junior brother, if you go around to the back, you’ll see him covered in a cold sweat! Master should have questioned him just now.”

The common people, seeing the disciple's arrogance, were equally smug and full of confidence.

Yan You Yourong.

Some even looked at the middle-aged man in the beginning with disdain, trying to prove that they were right.

Bai Mingzhe, standing below the platform, was quite puzzled.

"Master Sangye is exceptionally skilled and has a calm demeanor. How come all the disciples he has trained are incompetent fools?"

These Lotus Sect disciples wore their thoughts on their faces, as if afraid that the ordinary people below the stage wouldn't be able to see the debate clearly.

"Master, what's the situation?"

Upon receiving Awei's message, Liangqu immediately relayed it to the old monk, seeking answers.

The old monk picked up the teacup, held it in his hand, and spoke calmly.

"Rinpoche has deeply grasped the essence of Madhyamaka. Zen practitioners also do not deviate from this principle! However, regarding the word 'emptiness,' the patriarchs feared that people would become attached to the appearance of emptiness, so they said: 'Do not think that no-mind is the Way, no-mind is still separated from another barrier'..."

Do not seek it from him! Rinpoche, look at the cypress tree in front of the courtyard; is it empty, or is it real?

This time Sanjay answered very quickly.

Liang Qu didn't even have time to finish his third bowl of noodles.

"The seeds of the cypress tree come together due to causes and conditions: soil, water, seed, time, space, etc., none of which can be lacking. Therefore, in conventional truth, it appears as 'existing,' which can be named, used, and regarded as a tree..."

Scholars risk falling into a narrow and muddled view, mistakenly identifying ignorance and delusion as emptiness!

Translation complete.

"Snap." The old monk closed the teacup lid, and the teacup landed on the table.

"What a 'vague and muddled' statement! This is truly a ailment of Zen. A true Zen practitioner is not ignorant or unperceived. On the contrary, it is like this: 'Eating all day long without ever biting a single grain of rice; wearing clothes all day long without ever getting a single thread stuck in one's clothes.' 'Emptiness' is not ignorance, 'existence' is not clinging to reality..."

Rinpoche, if you wish to understand emptiness, will emptiness itself understand? What's the point of trying to understand it?!

Liang Qu rubbed his hands together: "Master, should we reprimand him?"

"No, ask Huai Kong if there's a teacup in front of him. Pick it up and smash it on his head."

"Huh?" Liang Qu paused halfway through his message, wondering if he had misheard. "Master?"

“In general, when debating scriptures, people should prepare tea for themselves. Ask Huai Kong if he has a teacup, pick it up and smash it on his head.”

"oh oh."

……

She lowered her head, gazing into the distance.

Smoke swirls around the tea leaves as they unfurl in the boiling water, producing a clear tea broth.

Debating scriptures is a matter of words, and out of courtesy and etiquette, the Bai family did prepare tea. However, since the debate had only been going on for a short time, no one went to drink it, and the tea was still warm.

Beneath his wide monk's robe, Huai Kong extended a hand, his five fingers silently cupping the teacup. He felt the warmth of the steam from the tea in his palm, recalled Awei's earlier "code," and answered calmly.

"What a fine example of 'vague and muddled'! This is truly a ailment of Zen. A true Zen practitioner is not ignorant or unperceived, but rather..."

Speech is clear.

As he listened, Sanjay's expression lost its composure and became serious.

The other party's level of Buddhist knowledge far exceeded his expectations. In two rounds and four exchanges of questions and answers, he found it difficult to deal with several times, as if he were facing not a Buddhist disciple, but an Arhat, a living Buddha!
"The cypress seed appears right now, its origin is clear, that is the true reality! Clinging to the analysis of 'emptiness' is like counting other people's treasures; returning to one's true nature and clearly seeing one's own essence is like a poor child returning home, why bother seeking externally?" Huai Kong suddenly looked up, "Rinpoche, if you want to understand emptiness, does emptiness understand itself? What's the point of understanding it?!"

Say it.

Before he could answer, Huai Kong suddenly raised his hand, grabbed the teacup in front of him, and threw it away!
No one expected this to happen. Sanjay was deep in thought when hot water was poured over his head!
Wow!

The celadon porcelain is cracked.

The teacup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, the small fragments flying away without a trace, leaving only a white dot.

The weather was cold, and the tea was poured out. At first, it was warm and spread evenly on the monk's robe. But when the wind blew, it suddenly became cold. A few tea leaves stuck to Sangye's black hair, and the pale yellow water dripped down.

Sanjay stared blankly, clutching the prayer beads in his hand tightly.

Awei quickly sent a live message.

The old monk immediately replied, "This cup exists in space and time before it is broken; if it is smashed to pieces, then which space and time do you think is the true void?"

Huai Kong flung the tea away, stood up straight, and shouted sharply, "This cup hasn't shattered spacetime, but if you smash it to pieces, then tell me, which spacetime is truly empty?!"

boom!
Sanjay's mind exploded. He stared intently at the broken teacup, completely ignoring the tea leaves on his face and the dripping tea.

"Be bold!"

"You have insulted my Lotus School Guru! Prepare to die!"

Sangjie was oblivious and dazed. Sangjie's disciples suddenly jumped out, extremely anxious, and attacked in anger. However, Huai Kong was no pushover. The dignified Buddhist disciple of the Hanging Temple could not defeat the hundred-year-old Grandmaster Sangjie, nor could he defeat a group of Sangjie's disciples.
The true energy surged forth, scraping away a layer of bricks and stones.

Behind Huai Kong appeared a six-tusked white elephant and a blue-haired star ape.

The three-zhang-high debate platform was teetering on the verge of collapse.

"kill him!"

"The Lotus Sect cannot be humiliated!"

"Stop! Disciples of the Lotus Sect, let's talk this out!"

"Master Huaikong, what are you doing?"

The Bai family master immediately intervened to stabilize the situation.

“Rinpoche has gone astray, this is a wake-up call.” Huai Kong remained calm. He believed that Liang would not deceive him, so he would do as Vajra King said, and he could not go wrong.

The people were in uproar.

"If you can't win an argument, you resort to dirty tricks!"

"Cut off his head! Pull out his intestines! Strangle him!"

Huai Kong remained unmoved, put his hands together, and looked at the person opposite him again: "Pema Dondrup Yangjin Chokyi Rinpoche".

Sanjay murmured to himself: "When the cup is not broken, its nature is emptiness; when it is broken into dust, its nature is still emptiness! Emptiness is inherently like this, and has never changed... When you smash the cup and ask about emptiness, emptiness does not need to be sought externally."

"Master!"

The disciple was anxious and stepped forward, stepping on the broken porcelain shards.

"That kid broke the rules! Let's cut off his head and make it into a magic bowl!"

"That's right, he's a Buddhist disciple of the Hanging Temple, born with indestructible bones and a Bodhi heart! He's perfect material for making a ritual bowl!"

Sanjay remained silent.

For a moment, apart from the two parties involved, everyone was very loud, and the huge square became a sea of ​​noise.

"Homage to the great and virtuous teacher! Well done, you fell!"

Everyone suddenly looked up.

On the high platform.

Sanjay clasped his hands together in prayer.

"'Ego' is like a mountain range, and twenty years of logic is used as a staff to try to climb it; 'attachment to the Dharma' is like a deep ravine, and eighty thousand verses are used as a boat to try to cross it. With a single blow and a shout, the staff and boat are shattered, and the ravine is split open! Only then can one see that the sky is clear and bright, and there is nothing to climb!"

Sanjay falls off the dais.

The disciples were all shocked and speechless.

The people were like headless flies.

How many rounds have they gone? Less than ten sentences in total, why did they leave?
They considered that the young monk was arrogant and would leave after a short time, and they considered that the young monk was very capable, and that the two sides debated for three days and three nights, and that the young monk would eventually have an epiphany. The only thing they did not expect was that in such a short time, it would be Master Sangye who would leave!
A sense of absurdity arose in my mind, a sense of absurdity I didn't want to believe.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did the master leave?"

“The master has admitted defeat,” a dark-skinned middle-aged man in the crowd said again.

"You fart!"

"Cut off his head!"

The crowd was furious, their emotions almost reaching their peak.

The dark-skinned man said calmly, "A loss is a loss. Throwing the teacup was a wake-up call, a veiled remark. When the master said 'I bow to the great spiritual teacher,' it meant that I had learned something and was thanking the young monk!"

The people felt something was off. How could a peasant like you know so much?

You can't argue with them.

"Quick, tear his mouth apart!"

"Where is he? Where did he go?"

Inside the alley, a dark-skinned man leaned against a wooden door, rubbing his face. Suddenly, someone came chasing from the alley entrance, and a large hand reached out from inside the house and grabbed him, pulling him inside.

"Are you alright?" Fan Zixuan asked.

"It's nothing, they're just a bunch of troublemakers!" Cha Qing wiped his face and removed his makeup. "I didn't realize that the little monk accompanying the Marquis was so good at debating scriptures. Even the master of the Lotus Sect admitted defeat."

“Anyone who can follow the Marquis is no ordinary person.” Fan Zixuan said matter-of-factly, “After all, he is a disciple of the Hanging Temple.”

The Bai family maintained order in the square.

Sanjay's disciples looked back at the empty platform, all of them lost in thought, their faith crumbling.

Two rounds.

Master actually admitted defeat?
The person opposite is just a Buddhist disciple!

The crowd was in a state of chaos, but as they watched Sangjie's disciples looking distraught, the noise gradually subsided.

Did they really lose?
"Master, they've escaped! It's as easy as pie!"

(End of this chapter)