Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 208 Dharani (Part 1)

"What the master said is only a Buddhist doctrine,"

Lu Shang stood up, and his blood and qi seemed to respond, emitting a slight rumble. He said, "In my humble opinion, all living beings in the world, and all phenomena, are manifestations of the Great Dao."

"The so-called physical body, soul, true spirit, and even immortals, Buddhas, and saints are all part of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and all have the opportunity to transcend. Cultivating the way of the physical body also has the possibility of transcendence."

"Although the master said that the physical body is formed by the combination of earth, water, fire and wind, and is difficult to escape the waxing and waning of yin and yang, I still want to give it a try."

A hint of surprise flashed in Faming's eyes. He lowered his head, clasped his hands together, and sighed, "Your Majesty's resolve is as firm as diamond. I came here today to advise you that the path to becoming a martial arts immortal is bleak, and you should convert to Buddhism and seek transcendence through Buddhist teachings. But now it seems that I was the one who was attached to appearances."

"Everyone has their own way of doing things, regardless of right or wrong."

Lü Shang said softly, "I am already grateful that you came to congratulate me on my enlightenment. As for the matter of taking refuge, there is no need to mention it again."

Upon hearing this, Faming's gaze lingered on Lü Shang's face for a moment. He slowly lowered his clasped hands, then reached into his wide robe sleeves, touched something, and slowly took it out—a yellowed scripture.

The edges of the pages of this sutra are slightly worn, giving it an extremely ancient and serene appearance. The cover has an inscription in cinnabar, which reads "The Dharani Sutra of the Secret Whole Body Relic Box Seal of the Heart of All Tathagatas".

"This sutra is a Mahayana classic from India. Its meaning encompasses the merits, vows, and wisdom of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the three thousand worlds, and symbolizes their compassion and power."

Faming handed the scripture to Lü Shang with a peaceful gaze and said, “Since Your Excellency’s faith in the Way is firm, you should know that all paths lead to the Way. Although I cannot lead Your Excellency into Buddhism, I hope that this scripture can serve as a mirror for Your Excellency’s path.”

"Mahayana scriptures?"

Lu Shang gazed at the sutra in Fa Ming's hand. The vermilion characters on the cover shone with a warm luster under the moonlight, as if Buddhist chants were flowing between the characters.

Contrary to popular belief, Mahayana Buddhism originated with Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty. In fact, Mahayana Buddhism had already been introduced to Jambudvipa (the southern continent) as early as the Later Han Dynasty.

During the reign of Emperor Ling of the Later Han Dynasty, Zhi Loujiachen, a Yuezhi man, traveled to Luoyang and translated the "Daoxing Prajna Sutra," the "Shurangama Samadhi Sutra," and the "Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra." This marked the beginning of Mahayana Buddhism's introduction to Jambudvipa (the southern continent).

Although there is Mahayana Buddhism in Jambudvipa, the monks there mainly practice Theravada Buddhism.

In fact, the term "Hinayana" is the Mahayana Buddhist term for early Buddhism and sectarian Buddhism; its true name should be Theravada Buddhism.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Master. Learning from others can be invaluable; I, Lü, will certainly study it carefully."

Lu Shang reached out and took the scripture. It was warm to the touch. As the pages turned, an invisible Buddhist light seemed to emanate from between the lines, then dissipated, leaving only a wisp of sandalwood fragrance lingering in his nose.

Seeing that Lü Shang accepted it so readily, Fa Ming's eyes revealed a hint of appreciation. He said, "Excellent, excellent. It is a blessing that the governor can hold this intention. This Precious Box Seal Sutra is a secret transmission within my sect, with commentaries from past masters. It contains not only Buddhist explanations but also some methods of cultivation for the 'living Buddha.' I hope the governor can have his wish fulfilled."

Lu Shang ran his hand over the yellowed pages of the book, the vermilion ink seeming to seep into his fingertips with warmth. He looked up at Fa Ming and said, "Master, this gift is far too precious!"

Faming clasped his hands together and said, "The fact that this scripture came into the hands of the governor is due to its karmic connection."

Having said that, he looked out at the moonlight and said softly, "It's late, this humble monk should return to the temple."

Lu Shang rose to see him off, saying, "Take care, Master."

Fa Ming waved his hand and said, "Prefect, please wait."

The old monk turned and walked away, his robes gleaming softly in the moonlight. His figure disappeared into the night outside the courtyard, and even the sound of his footsteps vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there.

The heavily guarded governor's mansion was almost completely unguarded in front of someone of Faming's stature.

Only the scroll of the Precious Box Sutra on the desk in the study still exuded a faint sandalwood fragrance. After Faming left, Lü Shang picked up the sutra, slowly opened it, and the first words were "Thus have I heard".

"A subtle and effective method,"

After a cursory glance, Lü Shang lightly tapped the page with his fingertip, causing it to tremble and tiny glints of gold to seep from between the words.

Faming said that this sutra contains the practice of a living Buddha. At first glance, it seems to cater to people's tastes, but if you think about it carefully, it contains the deepest Buddhist wisdom.

It is important to understand that Buddhism teaches that "all phenomena are empty of inherent existence." This practice of becoming a Buddha through the physical body may seem to involve achieving sainthood through physical means, but in reality, it guides practitioners to realize that "form is emptiness" at every step.

Even if one cultivates to the point of indestructibility, one must eventually understand that this physical body is still illusory, and ultimately one must relinquish the skin to realize the Dharma body.

Just like this scripture, every line is filled with the principles of compassion and salvation, and every phrase "Thus have I heard" subtly guides people toward the Buddha.

"That's quite ingenious,"

Lü Shang twirled the yellowed pages of the sutra, his gaze falling on the annotations of the Buddhist teachings on the flesh.

Those ink marks were left by eminent monks throughout history. Some were marked with red ink, while others had light ink marks. Between the lines, there were insights gained from hundreds of years of spiritual practice.

This includes how to nourish relics with essence and blood, how to solidify the physical body through meditation, how to make muscles and bones as clear as crystal, and how to make internal organs as flawless as gold and jade.

Just as Lü Shang was perusing Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, Faming slowly walked out of the governor's residence.

As he reached the street corner, the old monk suddenly stopped and looked up at the bright moon. The moonlight, like water, flowed across his deeply lined face, making the frost on his white eyebrows appear even clearer.

"Using the physical body as a raft, one crosses the sea of ​​suffering to seek liberation."

The old monk murmured softly, his tranquil mind, usually as still as a deep well, now rippling with emotion.

Faming had seen countless seekers of the Way, but Lü Shang was the only one who gave him a particularly special feeling.

The old monk nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said, "Rare indeed, truly rare. To be able to transcend the theories of predecessors and remain unperturbed by the various schools of thought, achieving unity of knowledge and action—truly remarkable!"

"However, though his resolve is firm, there are many forks in the road ahead. In this world of Jambudvipa, obstacles and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. Let's see if he can forge a path that truly belongs to him in this 'form and emptiness'."

Faming was no wild monk without any background; he was able to subdue two great Indian Living Buddhas, so he must have a lineage supporting him.

He knew that if Lü Shang could truly walk the path to immortality, his future would be beyond his imagination.

It should be known that in the Jambudvipa world, there are five immortals within the heavens: gods, humans, and ghosts.

Among them, the Ghost Immortals are revered by Yama of Fengdu, the Earth Immortals are ancestral to Zhen Yuanzi, the God Immortals are governed by the Immortal Elders of the Ten Continents and Three Islands, the Celestial Immortals must pay homage to the Three Pure Ones, and only the Human Immortals have been scattered like sparks in the world of Jambudvipa since ancient times, without ever having a true leader or a systematic path to follow.

If Lü Shang truly succeeds in walking this path to becoming a human immortal, then he will be the ancestor of human immortals, and will be an honored guest in the Three Realms and Five Elements. His status will be so high that even the Buddha would not dare to underestimate him.

"Hopefully he can get through this,"

Faming lowered his eyes, his white eyebrows trembled slightly, and he turned and stepped into the deeper night.

(End of this chapter)