Mixed in the heavens, merits and virtues become immortals

Chapter 382 You Cultivate the Dao

Zhenjiang, Jinshan Temple.

Holding a bamboo staff and wearing a Taoist robe, Gu Qing announced to the guest monk that he wanted to see Fahai.

"Our abbot has gone to the mountains for a period of seclusion."

The monk in charge of receiving guests said, "He will probably be back in the evening."

Gu Qing nodded, holding his bamboo staff, and walked into Jinshan Temple. He strolled around, stopping and enjoying the sights. The monks of Jinshan Temple originally wanted to stop him, but seeing Gu Qing disappear in a few steps, they immediately knew that the newcomer was a cultivator and could not act rashly. So they let Gu Qing have his way. They watched as Gu Qing revealed himself and walked leisurely to the abbot's room.

The Medicine Buddha Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Surangama Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Dirgha Agamas...

Gu Qing browsed the scriptures on the bookshelf, casually pulled out a scroll, flipped through the contents, and saw that it was exactly the same as the Buddhist scriptures in other worlds, so he returned these scriptures again. He felt that there really was a god in the dark protecting the copyright of the scriptures in various worlds.

"Greetings, Daoist Master."

A sound came from inside the room. Gu Qing turned around and saw three monks inside: one with a stern face, one hunched over, and the youngest one with a beaming smile.

"I am the Wooden Monk."

“I am a bhikkhu.”

"I am Zhu Luohan."

After the wooden monk, the bhikkhu, and the arhat Zhu introduced themselves to Gu Qing, Gu Qing nodded and said, "I am Gu Qing from the Daoist sect."

"Which sect of Taoism?"

"The Arhat asked."

"As long as one can become an immortal, does it matter which sect one belongs to?"

Gu Qing calmly countered with a question.

"There is a difference."

The wooden monk said, "Our Buddhist sect is divided into Tantric Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Vinaya Buddhism... with different beliefs."

Do you know why beliefs differ?

Gu Qing asked the wooden monk.

The wooden monk shook his head.

"Because the methods of making money are different."

Gu Qing said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the wooden monk looked distressed and immediately tried to defend himself, saying that slandering the Buddha would send him to hell, and that the Buddhists only wanted the people to be liberated and relieve their suffering. Gu Qing, however, just smiled and nodded repeatedly at the wooden monk, as if he agreed that what he said was true.

"If you don't believe me, you can come and look through the Buddhist scriptures here."

The wooden monk picked up the scriptures beside him and said, "These are the scriptures about retribution..."

Gu Qing nodded, watching the wooden monk hurriedly flipping through the scriptures, letting Gu Qing see the contents written in the scriptures to prove that what he said was absolutely correct and all of it was based on evidence.

"I don't like reading these scriptures."

Gu Qing shook his head and said, "The so-called scriptures are nothing more than what the Buddha dictated. Once these things are recorded on paper, they have lost the spirit that the Buddha taught. So I'm too lazy to read them. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng was illiterate, so I guess he didn't know many Buddhist scriptures, but he was able to achieve great things and become a sage monk. Why can't I?"

Upon hearing Gu Qing's argument, the wooden monk, the bhikkhu, and the arhat Zhu all retorted, saying, "Master Huineng's enlightenment is rare in the world. How dare you compare yourself to Master Huineng?"

"Yes, don't be too confident." The wooden monk, the bhikkhu, and the arhat kept talking, but Gu Qing just smiled calmly when she heard them.

"This makes people confident and focused."

Gu Qing asked, "Isn't this what Buddhism teaches?"

Upon hearing this, the wooden monk, the bhikkhu, and the rosary were all stunned. The three looked at each other, feeling that Gu Qing's words left them speechless. Finally, a flash of golden light appeared, and everything in the room returned to normal. It turned out that the wooden monk was the wooden fish that Fahai usually struck, the bhikkhu was the bookshelf in the room, and the rosary was the prayer beads that Fahai placed on the table.

These three spiritual objects, having been around for a long time, had developed a spiritual nature. After being enlightened by Fahai, they were able to transform into human form in a short period of time. Because of Fahai, they knew Gu Qing's appearance and naturally harbored prejudice against her, wanting to make things difficult for her. However, Gu Qing's words left them helpless.

This also fulfilled the three spirits' desire to debate.

Gu Qing sat in Fahai's original spot and heard rapid footsteps outside. The door was pushed open with a bang, and Fahai walked in.

[Fulfill Fahai's wish to see you, merit +1]

Gu Qingzhen didn't expect that she could accumulate merit points just by meeting Fahai, which shows that the hatred she felt for Fahai had penetrated to the bone.

"Master Gu, it's been many days since we last met. We're finally reunited."

Fahai, draped in a cassock and holding a golden alms bowl, looked at Gu Qing and spoke slowly and deliberately, each word resounding throughout the heavens and earth.

"You've been looking for me."

Gu Qing nodded and said, "He really wants to fight me."

Fahai laughed heartily and said, "Back then, when I was cultivating diligently in the mountains, I moved God, who bestowed upon me an elixir and even wanted to grant me immortality. However, Bai Suzhen stole the elixir, directly ruining my years of hard work. This grudge must be avenged!"

Gu Qing listened to these words, nodded, and walked outside, saying, "Jinshan Temple was obtained from the Liang Prince's Mansion by you, so you certainly don't want us to destroy it in one go."

What Gu Qing said is reasonable.

Fahai, holding a tin staff in one hand and a golden bowl in the other, followed behind Gu Qing to an open area. He stared intently at Gu Qing, afraid that she might run away.

Seeing Fahai's state, Gu Qing shook his head slightly. If it weren't for Guanyin Bodhisattva intervening on his behalf, Gu Qing would already be fighting Fahai with the Heavenly Lock and the Immortal Execution Sword.

"Fahai."

Gu Qing asked, "The last time we parted, I asked you a question that you still haven't answered: Why is Buddha Buddha?"

Fahai coldly retorted, "Because the Buddha has let go and attained enlightenment."

Gu Qing shook his head and said, "You are wrong. Everything the Buddha taught was about helping people to understand things for themselves, not to dwell on the past, and not to be burdened by the present. This is completely different from the Taoist path of purity, nature, and attaining immortality. That's why there are different supernatural powers in the world, but the Buddha's is different."

Fahai stood still, listening quietly to Gu Qing's words.

“When Buddhism was first established, it established the Three Dharma Seals: all things are impermanent, all phenomena are without self, and Nirvana is peace.”

Gu Qing brought up Buddhist matters, saying, "All Buddhist scriptures must correspond to the Three Dharma Seals; any scripture without the Three Dharma Seals is a false scripture."

"Stop rambling!"

Fahai, already impatient with Gu Qing's rambling, interrupted him.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing smiled, looked at Fahai, and said, "I'm not saying this to show you my understanding of Buddhism, but to tell you that what you're actually practicing isn't Buddhism."

"You are cultivating the Tao!"

Gu Qing took out the items from the Maoshan Sect, preparing to guide Fahai through the ordeal.

(End of this chapter)