Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 317: The Buddha Dharma is extinguished and the Buddha Way is born

If you want to tame the monkey in your heart, you must learn the word "calm".

If you want to collect gold, you must be honest.

It is said that words from the heart are sincere and moving. Only by using the fire of sincerity to forge the furnace of the heart can you attract the golden man.

"Pong!"

The fire in your heart rises, and your financial bones are consumed.

The so-called five internal organs and five spirits are not really five living creatures, but the five hearts of human beings.

To forge the gold man is to forge one's own heart. The brilliant primordial fire can naturally burn everything.

Even the ladle of real water given by Laojun to protect the body and mind was quickly burned and evaporated, but this real water was in endless supply.

Since the primordial fire can burn everything, then let you burn to your heart's content.

Outside the interior scene, inside the small courtyard, Zhou Cheng’s face turned pale as his heart fire burned.

The pain of a burning heart is truly soul-destroying. The heart is infinite, so the pain of a burning heart is also infinite.

After a moment, Zhou Cheng opened his eyes. His face was extremely pale and he was sweating profusely.

"My friend, how does it taste?" Laojun asked with a smile.

Zhou Cheng forced a smile: "It's true... it's not an exaggeration to say that I'm in so much pain that I want to die."

Laojun nodded, stroked his beard and said: "The heart of seeking the Tao must not only be calm, but also sincere."

"What is sincerity? Three visits to the thatched cottage is sincerity, standing in the snow outside the door of Master Cheng is sincerity. It is said that the sharpness of a sword comes from the sharpening of a grindstone, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Only when you endure what ordinary people cannot endure and bear what ordinary people cannot bear can you be called sincere."

"My friend, you have great sincerity and perseverance, but you have never understood the word sincerity. Therefore, the greater your sincerity, the deeper your suffering will be. You will not stop until you understand the word sincerity. Once you give up halfway, your sincerity will no longer appear, and you will not be able to achieve the golden elixir."

Laojun's words become an allusion for later generations, which is of course normal.

For those who have attained the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, time has no meaning anymore. They can see the past and the present. What’s more, Laojun is the beginning of all worlds.

"I will keep in mind what Mr. Boyang said." Zhou Cheng bowed.

Laojun nodded with satisfaction: "In this case, we should leave the pass now. The journey to the west will begin from now on."

……

Fu Jingong is a person who works very hard. It takes time to realize the word "sincerity" in the midst of great pain.

Fortunately, what Zhou Cheng has the most is time.

After passing through Hangu Pass to the west, what follows is the vast Gobi Desert, a desolate and uninhabited area with endless sand as the only sight.

"I heard that Master Boyang went west through Hangu Pass and converted the barbarians into Buddhas. But when I looked into Lingshan Mountain, I saw the Buddha's brilliant light. There is already a Buddha. I don't know what this conversion of the barbarians into Buddhas means."

Facing Zhou Cheng's question, Laojun groaned twice and said, "Yes and no."

"Now on Mount Lingshan, the teachings are Hinayana Buddhism, which is just Buddhist theory. I will go west through Hangu Pass to spread Mahayana Buddhism, so that I can teach them the Buddhist path."

"The Hinayana Buddhism is about the dharma of nirvana. Only by realizing it and practicing it yourself, and attaining nirvana in the dharma of nirvana, can one be liberated. This dharma is easy to enter but difficult to achieve."

"The Mahayana Buddhism is called Zen. It does not establish scriptures or pass on written words. It only passes on Zen. Those who are enlightened are Buddhas. This path is difficult to enter but easy to achieve."

Zhou Cheng thought about it after hearing this, and immediately understood the difference between the two.

In later Buddhist legends, there are two famous Buddhist verses.

One of them, Shenxiu, said: The body is a bodhi tree, the mind is like a bright mirror, always wipe it diligently and do not let it accumulate dust.

Secondly, Huineng said: There is no Bodhi tree, and the bright mirror is not a stand. There is nothing originally, so where can dust gather?
The difference in their realms is obvious.

But how can ordinary people realize the state where there is no Bodhi tree?
This is enlightenment and awakening. Enlightenment is Buddha, and after that there will be no more difficulties in practice.

For almost everyone, the highest level is like Shenxiu. Being able to wipe it frequently and avoid dust is already commendable.

Similar to Shenxiu, it is more like the method of Nirvana, self-cultivation and self-realization, which can be regarded as Hinayana Buddhism.

As for Huineng, he was enlightened to become a Buddha and realized the Zen, which is naturally Mahayana Buddhism.

Seeing that Zhou Cheng was contemplating on his own, Laojun did not disturb him. He sat lazily on the green ox and walked slowly towards the west.

As the sun sets, the figures of the two men and the cow become extremely long and narrow, gradually crossing the border between the two continents.

At the same time, above the Lingshan Temple.

I saw the Tathagata sitting upright on a lotus platform, with a hundred precious lights emerging from his fleshy bun, and a thousand-petaled lotus emerging from the light.

There is a transformed Tathagata sitting in a precious flower, with ten rays of light from a hundred treasures emanating from his head. Each and every light manifests an area as numerous as ten Ganges sands.

In the main hall, the Vajra Secret Traces, holding up a mountain and holding a pestle, filled the void. The crowd looked up, fearing and loving, praying for the Buddha's mercy, and listening attentively to the Buddha's invisible top, radiating light, and reciting the sutra.

Suddenly, purple air was seen coming from the east for 30,000 miles, vastly spreading over Niuhezhou.

For a moment, all the Buddhas were shocked, all the Bodhisattvas were stunned, the five hundred Arhats, three thousand Vajras, and countless monks and nuns were in a state of panic.

"quiet."

The Buddha's voice echoed, and for a moment all Buddhas were at peace and Bodhisattvas had clear minds.

Among the Bodhisattvas, the teacher of the seven Buddhas stepped out, clasped his hands and bowed to the Buddha, "May I ask, Buddha, will it be a disaster if we enter the Western Continent now?"

The Buddha observed with his own eyes and knew what was happening. He said, "The Buddha Dharma will be extinguished, and the Buddhist path will be born. The future Buddha will return to his position, and Buddhism will flourish. This is a good thing, so don't worry about it."

"Now my Niuhezhou no longer has the ancient beauty. A body of sixteen cubits is hard to be seen by living people. All Bodhisattvas should enter the world, spread the subtleties of Buddhism, save all living beings, and help them escape from the sea of ​​suffering."

"Those who realize the Buddha's path have great merit and will attain Anuttara Samyaksambodhi and become future Buddhas."

All of a sudden, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas showed joy on their faces, clasped their hands together and said, "We will follow the instructions of the Buddha."

The Lotus Sutra is brilliant and descends from Mount Lingshan, collecting all the mysterious Buddha lights and walking between Niuhe Continent, doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, comprehending the Dharma, in order to realize the Buddha's way and attain Bodhi.

“Why doesn’t Guanyin go?”

The old Buddha looked at the thousand-armed and thousand-eyed Bodhisattva.

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the chief of all Bodhisattvas. He once enlightened seven Buddhas and is known as the teacher of seven Buddhas and the compassionate master.

"The Buddha has a wise eye. I have seen the suffering of the world and have made a great vow to save all suffering. As long as the sea of ​​suffering does not dry up, I will not be a Buddha."

"The world of Saha is filled with sufferings. How can the sufferings end in one day?"

"Therefore, the disciple cannot become a Buddha."

What a compassionate leader, the teacher of the seven Buddhas. Such compassion deserves the title of the Five Elders.

"Good, since that is the case, I will tell you a sutra, called the Sutra on the Extinction of Dharma."

"I wish to listen to the Buddha's teachings."

As he spoke, the murmuring of Sanskrit sounds echoed, the sound of scriptures rang out, and the great bright Tathagata appeared, each one mysterious and full of wisdom, illuminating the ten directions of the void and the infinite Dharma realm.

……

Xiniu Hezhou is a mysterious and pure land.

I saw a sacred tree growing, emitting infinite light and spreading all kinds of wisdom.

"That is the Bodhi tree. It was originally a banyan tree, but because the Buddha attained enlightenment here, it was named after wisdom."

The green ox walked forward slowly, and Laojun raised his hand and pointed at the sacred tree that was emitting infinite light.

Zhou Cheng just took a quick look at it. The tree was originally an ordinary tree, and the so-called infinite light was just the glory of the Buddhist master's enlightenment.

The so-called Bodhi tree refers to the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

"Om!" The brilliant Dharma Lotus light sublimated to the extreme in an instant, and then restrained itself.

Then, a monk in yellow linen robe appeared and bowed to Zhou Cheng and Laojun.

"Subhuti, I have met three great sages."

The three great virtues naturally also included the Green Ox.

Subhuti, one of the ten disciples of the Tathagata, is known as the best in understanding emptiness.

Zhou Cheng didn't know who the mysterious Master Subhuti was in other worlds where there was Sun Wukong.

But at least in this world, the mysterious ancestor is the Subhuti in front of Zhou Cheng, because he has already seen that scene in the future.

"Why did the Bodhisattva come here?" Laojun looked at Subhuti and asked directly.

The monk in yellow bowed his head and said, "The Buddha once said that the saints came here to bring great wisdom to enlighten the Buddhist path. I am willing to follow the saints to understand the Buddhist path."

"Little friend, what do you think?"

In response to Laojun's question, Zhou Cheng said: "Zhuangzi said: Keep your nature intact and don't burden your body with things. I like this very much. Therefore, Mr. Boyang doesn't need to ask for my opinion. It has nothing to do with me."

The Quanxing School of later generations was founded on this sentence.

However, there are very few people who can truly achieve the state of maintaining complete authenticity.

Who can be so stingy as to not take even a penny?
Human beings are born to be supported by heaven and earth, so it is difficult to talk about not taking anything at all, and one needs to repay.

In other words, it is outsiders like Zhou Cheng who offer the Great Wuji Dao Fruit to this world, but it is this world that owes them all kinds of principles and mysteries that they have never had before.

"Then, Bodhisattva, please follow me if you wish. I have nothing to teach you."

Laojun's words are quite meaningful.

Subhuti heard this and a look of joy appeared on his face. He said, "Thank you very much, Saint. Thank you very much, great virtue."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and bowed once again to Zhou Cheng and Laojun.

And so, we continued our journey westward.

As time went by, another monk came on foot and met Laojun and his party.

"I am Maitreya, the young monk, nice to meet you all."

This is a thin Bodhisattva with a bitter face and a compassionate look.

"You are Maitreya Bodhisattva, why are you here?"

Facing Laojun's question, the compassionate Bodhisattva bowed slightly and said, "It is to seek the Buddhist path."

At this time, Subhuti clasped his hands together towards Maitreya Bodhisattva and said, "The truth is before our eyes. Brother Maitreya, why don't you ask for the saint's grace to follow you?"

"I have this in mind, but I dare not speak out of turn, for fear of displeasing the Saint."

The Laojun on the back of the green ox did not say much, but just said "good".

Soon, the three men and the cow set out on their journey again, but they never met any other Buddhas or Bodhisattvas after that.

The land of Xiniuhezhou is extremely poor. There are no people with a height of sixteen cubits and a lifespan of five hundred years as recorded in ancient books. They look no different from the people of Nanshanbuzhou, but even more miserable.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, several years had passed. The group arrived at a surging river.

This river is vast, with a width of eight hundred miles and roaring as it flows, as if dividing the entire Xiniu Hezhou into two.

“Saints and great virtues, this is the Tongtian River, which has the power of weak water. It is said that goose feathers cannot float but reed flowers will sink to the bottom.” Subhuti said with his hands clasped together and bowed.

Laojun nodded slightly and looked towards the other side of Tongtian River, as if observing something.

Soon, Laojun looked at Zhou Cheng and said, "My friend, your old friend is just ahead. You don't have to follow me all the way."

At this time, Zhou Cheng also saw the country on the other side of the Tongtian River, and he suddenly realized something.

"In that case, please go ahead, Mr. Boyang."

Laojun nodded and said, "This is your chance. You have a chance to subdue Lord Jin. If you can conquer three of the five palms, you will have the initial stage of Dao heart. Even if you no longer practice the Golden Elixir Orthodoxy, you should have the perseverance to practice the Great Nirvana."

"Since I have embarked on this path, I will complete the Golden Elixir Method. Is it my character to give up halfway?"

Laojun nodded, then took out a brocade bag with two stripes and gave it to Zhou Cheng.

"This is an opportunity I give to your two old friends. It is also your opportunity. You must not look at it or know it, otherwise you will lose the chance to get the horse."

"I will follow Mr. Boyang's instructions."

Zhou Cheng put the two brocade bags into his sleeves, and then bowed slightly to Laojun.

At this time, Maitreya Bodhisattva, who had not spoken a word, suddenly asked: "Chushi Zhenren, are you going to perform the Great Nirvana?"

As Laojun just said, only when the heart of Tao is initially formed can one have the perseverance to practice the great nirvana.

The so-called Great Nirvana is the highest state pursued by the Nirvana Dharma. However, to this day, this Great Nirvana only exists in the scriptures spoken by the Buddha, and no one has ever truly seen Nirvana after the Great Nirvana.

"That's true." Zhou Cheng nodded in response.

Upon hearing this, Maitreya Bodhisattva bowed to Laojun and said, "I thank the saint for his teachings. I wish to follow the original saint and see the great nirvana. I hope the saint will forgive me for my impoliteness."

"That's as it should be. Go away." Laojun laughed and waved his hand.

Immediately, Zhou Cheng turned into a brilliant light, crossing the 800-li Tongtian River. Seeing this, Maitreya Bodhisattva also followed Zhou Cheng.

"Venerable Subhuti, aren't you going?" Laojun looked at Subhuti Bodhisattva at this time.

The great Bodhisattva just shook his head.

This is different from the ascetic monk he was before he followed Laojun several years ago.

Today, Master Subhuti carries a Taoist robe with him, has a solemn appearance, and is surrounded by the light of Buddha and Tao, as well as all kinds of mysterious qualities.

There are Buddhist chants, the ethereal sounds of Taoism, and the rituals of Confucianism. This is exactly the way the three are coordinated.

"During the time I have been serving the Saint and the True Man, I have also had the opportunity to see the Buddhist teachings that came from the East. I am afraid it is from the True Man. However... I do not seek the position of a future Buddha. I only seek to understand the Three Schools and realize my own mind."

"Good, the Buddha is called the Golden Immortal."

……

On the other side of the Tongtian River, there is a small river flowing into the vast Tongtian River. This river is called Zimu River.

On the bank of the Zimu River, a strange country was established, called the Xiliang Women's Kingdom.

This Xiliang Women's Kingdom is full of women, without a single man, which is quite weird.

Zhou Cheng looked at Maitreya Bodhisattva and asked, "Bodhisattva, do you know the origin of this Zimu River?"

With just one glance, Zhou Cheng saw that the water in the Zimu River was full of evil energy.

Even the fetuses conceived with the water of the Zi Mu River are abnormal, and their six senses are probably frighteningly serious.

Maitreya Bodhisattva shook his head and said, "You think highly of me, Immortal. I have not practiced for long and am not as good as other Bodhisattvas. Perhaps Brother Subhuti, as one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha, has some understanding."

Seeing this, Zhou Cheng stopped asking any more questions.

"Forget it, Quan Xing Bao Zhen, what does it have to do with me?"

After saying that, Zhou Cheng no longer hesitated. His figure turned into a beam of light, disappeared from the spot, and appeared directly in the country of the Xiliang Women's Kingdom.

Zhou Cheng’s old friend is in the capital of the Xiliang Women’s Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)