Da Zaojun

Song Wuji couldn't listen to a word the little monk said.

"One calamity comes one after another."

"The present calamity is collapsing, and the future calamity will reshape it; this is precisely the sign of great prosperity in the future."

The young monk said, "Strike the great Dharma drum, turn the great Dharma wheel. Isn't this a wonderful way to celebrate?"

Immediately, drums were struck, the Great Falun was turned, and the Great Falun bell and Great Falun chime emitted melodious sounds.

Song Wuji frowned repeatedly upon hearing this: "Are you Maitreya?"

"It is indeed the one."

The young monk said, "The Buddha once said that Maitreya will become a Buddha in the future and save humans and gods."

"This kind of Buddhist teaching only saves people, whether they become immortals or Buddhas, but it doesn't know what it means to save the heavens."

"So it turns out that he saw the end of the Dharma and the final calamity, and that the true deity was needed to reshape the world! To govern the world with the Buddha's teachings."

"Very well, very well. The Longhua Three Assemblies are now in their first session. Young friend, you have superior aptitude and exceptional understanding. Your connections are profound and unparalleled in the world. Come, come! Receive my invitation to the first session of the Longhua Dharma Assembly, awaken the heart of true faith in Mahayana, cultivate the Six Paramitas of Mahayana, and you will immediately attain the fruit of a Mahayana Bodhisattva."

"Come on, come on!"

The monk kept saying, "Come, come," but Song Wuji took a step back.

"What a wicked monk!"

“Those monks say that the bronze Buddha is the evil Maitreya, but I’m afraid they’ve already converted to this Maitreya.”

Buddhist scriptures say that in the future world, Maitreya will become a Buddha and save all sentient beings, and he will not establish any other realms such as the Buddha realm, the heavenly realm, or the underworld.

There is only one world, and that is the Dragon Flower World, where everyone can become an Arhat, those with wisdom can become Bodhisattvas, and those of even higher caliber can become Buddhas.

It is precisely because one attains Buddhahood and sainthood in the human world that the entire world will become a Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, free from hunger and famine, where everyone is wise, there is no quarreling, and there is an inexhaustible supply of food and resources.

However, this kind of doctrine, which is not grounded in reality and does not address the root cause, has given rise to many cults.

The infamous White Lotus Sect is an example of this, along with other sects such as the Longhua Society, the Heavenly Principle Sect, the Maitreya Sect, the Luo Sect, and the Ming Sect.

However, now we are truly facing the "final tribulation," with the Three Realms collapsing, the Six Paths in disarray, the Heavenly Emperor losing his throne, and the Buddha passing away... Demons and monsters are emerging one after another.

If there truly is such a savior of Buddhism, perhaps Maitreya could indeed appear.

But it's definitely not this weird thing.

After all, we are still in the final tribulation, and we have not yet seen Maitreya truly appear in the world to save the demons.

On the contrary, the *Dharma-suppression Sutra* states: "The descendants of Mara, the demonic path flourishes; the five defiled worlds..."

Among them are a group of demonic monks who kill and crave food, lack compassion, and hate and envy one another. They do not observe the precepts, covet wealth, and slander the virtuous.

This situation is exactly what it is today.

This is the initial stage, because true protectors of the Dharma, such as the Bodhisattva of Moonlight, will still enter the world to protect the seeds of the Dharma in this world, while waiting for Maitreya to descend and impart the teachings to him.

In other words, the Maitreya of today is not Maitreya.

Maitreya has not yet been born.

Maitreya is unaware that he is Maitreya.

Only after receiving the Dharma can one awaken.

If he is the true Maitreya, he will surely have the protection of the Moonlight Bodhisattva.

Therefore, this group of men, women, young and old, who claim to be from the future, must be "demons".

I just don't know what kind of demon it is.

The "demon" that Song Wuji truly encountered was actually the Dream Soul Demon of the Soul-Calling Secret Realm.

But this thing conceals its origins, so Song Wuji cannot see its true name or calculate it. He only sees countless changes, seemingly conforming to the concept of "Buddha has no form," but it lacks the Buddha's meaning of the eighty perfections. It should be the "Formless Heavenly Demon."

The meaning is derived from the Diamond Sutra: "The Buddha has no form, no self, no person, and no sentient being."

The word "appearance" originally refers to attachment, which is why there is another saying, "attachment to appearances."

However, the demon misinterpreted it as having no form or appearance.

These kinds of demons are best at changing other people's perceptions. If anyone questions them, they will simply say, "Buddha has no form."

The fact that these monks worship him so much, believing him to be the incarnation of Maitreya, shows that their minds have been "tainted by dust" and they have been completely deceived.

"This is truly unbelievable. We thought we could find the secret realm where Prince Ning forged his weapons, but we never expected that this Buddhist temple would have two secret realms. After killing that bronze Buddha, another evil Buddha appeared!"

Seeing that Song Wuji was not listening to him and even took a step back, the evil Buddha was furious: "I am now bestowing upon you a lotus throne, yet you refuse to accept it?"

Seeing that his many tricks seemed to all come from his mouth, and that his body never left the lotus platform, Song Wuji thought to himself, "That Bodhisattva Xiao before was also a hungry ghost sitting on the lotus platform, and was an incarnation of a Bodhisattva. This formless demon may also be the same. After all, the lotus platform is a standard accessory for a person's status. Once he gets off the lotus platform, I'm afraid he won't be able to deceive the masses anymore."

However, killing this guy won't be easy. Song Wuji has many treasures, especially the stove, which is a great radiant light that can generate light and protect the soul. Therefore, he won't be affected by Song Wuji's flowery words. In addition, he has always been firm in his beliefs and always guards against Buddhism and Taoism, so he won't fall for Song Wuji's tricks.

However, these monks, and even Chen Xiu, could not control themselves; their eyes were fixed on the urge to climb onto the lotus platform.

Song Wuji slapped Chen Xiu awake, and Chen Xiu jolted awake.

"Damn it, this little thing is wicked!"

Song Wuji sighed, "I must learn a special ability called the Heavenly Eye next time, otherwise I'll always be able to conceal my true form and real name from these people with connections, and they'll be hard to subdue!"

They immediately went on a killing spree, killing all the monks before leaving the temple.

These monks who were killed offered no resistance whatsoever. After a short while, as if time had reversed, they returned to their original forms, with even more intense Buddhist light shining from behind their heads.

"Killing me for one act will create the karmic connection to my Buddhahood. How wonderful!"

Song Wuji's expression immediately darkened. This monk was like a leech; killing him would create karmic debt within Buddhism, and he could be resurrected after that.

Upon examining the cause and effect, I indeed saw several golden threads that were connected to the lotus platform.

The chanting of sutras, following the path of cause and effect, echoed: "Why should one abandon evil paths and not follow evil teachers?"

"This is called: Vajra Samadhi."

It is said that one's dwelling place leads to the attainment of Samadhi.

It is said: One has attained the Samadhi of skillful instruction.

It is said that one attains the Samadhi of having and not having thoughts.

It is said that one attains the universal Samadhi of the world.

It is said that one attains the samadhi of equality between suffering and joy.

It is said that one attains the Samadhi of the Precious Moon.

It is said that one attains the Samadhi of Moonlight.

It is said that one attains the Samadhi of Illumination.

It is said that one attains the two kinds of stillness and samadhi.

It is complete in all dharmas!

The chanting of scriptures reached Song Wuji, but he quickly grabbed a sword—the very sword of Manjushri Bodhisattva!
After severing karma with his sword, Song Wuji lost his voice, but he also realized that his family was probably highly sought after by the Buddhist sect.

Just like those classic lines in novels: "Benefactor, you have a connection with my Western religion!"
"This place is evil, no, all places involving temples and monasteries are evil!"

Song Wuji said, "There is a formless demon in here who can change your perception and turn people into demons. On the surface, they may convert to Buddhism, but in reality, they are converting to the demon king."

(End of this chapter)