Da Zaojun

Song Wuji stepped forward, but what he was thinking was, could this big white goose be a demon or monster?

However, the faint crescent moon behind his head represents his divinity.

After all, flames could also manifest behind Song Wuji's head.

However, this thing is definitely a "pet" of Buddhism.

There are too many famous animals associated with Buddhism: blue lions, white elephants, garudas, goldfish, golden-haired lions, yellow-haired weasels...

Of course, these are all impressions from Song Wuji's reading of Journey to the West, but this big white goose is really a bit "uncommon".

However, the big white goose woke up from its nap, bent its neck forward, and made a "goose, goose, goose!" sound.

This made Song Wuji want to respond with the line, "With a curved neck, it sings to the sky. White feathers float on green water, and red palms stir clear waves."

The white goose is endearing, waddling along with a full moon behind its head, yet it carries a mysterious sense of Buddha-like nature and holiness.

The large white goose spread its wings and twisted towards Song Wuji.

But Song Wuji grabbed him by the neck.

I've already decided whether to braise or stew it.

"Amitabha!"

But then, a clear figure appeared from within the cracked statue; it was none other than the Bodhisattva.

Song Wuji immediately thought of what Master Xu Jia had said: "Before Maitreya's descent, during the Dharma-ending Age, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will have entered Nirvana. Only the Bodhisattva Moonlight will lead all the Buddhas to retreat to the mountains and forests to preserve the flame of Buddhism and wait for the next kalpa to arrive. When Maitreya is born, at the Dragon Flower Assembly, the Dharma of the previous kalpa will be passed on to Maitreya."

"Could this Rakshasa Karma Market be the sacred site of the Moonlight Bodhisattva?"

"By the way, the Heavenly Weaver Girl was originally a celestial weaver girl who was sent down to the mortal world by the Queen Mother of the West. Then the Three Realms were thrown into chaos and the Six Paths collapsed."

"To escape the final calamity, the Weaver Girl turned to Buddhism and practiced the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. She shed her Weaver Girl form and transformed into a giant spider of cause and effect, weaving a web of karma."

"In Buddhism, those who have comprehended the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination are called Pratyekabuddhas or non-Buddhist Buddhas."

This means that the Buddha is not included in the Pure Land Buddhist tradition of the West.

Even the Buddhas of the Western Pure Land have fallen, such as Manjushri and Maitreya whom Song Wuji saw...

On the contrary, some Buddhists who are not physically present in the body, through their own wisdom, can think the same way as the Buddha and share the same aspirations, and thus naturally attain the status of Pratyekabuddha.

Although Pratyekabuddhas have a very low status, some are even lower than Arhats, let alone Bodhisattvas, Venerables, and so on.

But it is precisely because the Dharma-ending Age is approaching that the Buddha, as a Pratyekabuddha, can preserve the flame of Buddhism.

For some reason, the Bodhisattva of Moonlight became the protector of the Buddhist path who guarded the fire.

Thinking of this, Song Wuji examined the cracked Bodhisattva statue and understood that the Moonlight Bodhisattva had probably suffered a lot and could only barely survive here.

As for the large white goose, it must be some kind of pet of the Moon Goddess.

But then he saw the illusory figure of the Bodhisattva looking at Song Wuji, or perhaps looking elsewhere.

It's like when people look at the moon in the sky; as people walk, the moon seems to follow them.

The mind moves with things, and things move with the mind.

Everything, everything, has its cause and effect echoes as soon as a thought arises; a thought is like a falling rock or startled water.

"This precious dragon tree was entrusted to this humble monk by the World-Honored One, to await the future."

"Now that you have arrived, please take what you need!"

The phantom image vanished, and the Bodhisattva statue shattered completely.

The temple inscribed with "Eastern Pure Land of Glazed Moonlight" is also cracked.

A pale yellow full moon appeared.

Within the pale yellow full moon, there stood a Dragon Flower Tree. Enveloped in moonlight, the entire precious tree shimmered with fiery brilliance and radiance. [The Dragon Flower Tree]
[Moon-purified relics]

The two things fell, and the goose cried out, "Screech! Screech!"

It let out a pitiful cry, and tears even streamed from its eyes.

[Longhua Precious Tree]
The treasure for Maitreya's enlightenment: Collect all eight tree ferns to initiate the [Three Assemblies of Longhua] ritual and complete the [Maitreya's Descent to Earth] Buddhahood ceremony.

[The First Assembly at Longhua] Ritual for the Three Grades of Bodhisattvas
[The Second Assembly of Longhua] Ritual for Attaining Buddhahood at the Second Grade
[The Three Assemblies of Longhua] The First Grade World-Honored One Ritual

[Maitreya's Descent]
Past, future, present.

The central Jambudvipa world, the western Sumeru world, and the eastern Lapis Lazuli world.

They will all converge into one, and that will be the Saha world.

The Saha world is the world where Maitreya attained enlightenment. The past, present, and future are all integrated, and time repeats like a circle.

The three great worlds of Jambudvipa, Sumeru, and Lapis Lazuli will also merge into one Saha world.

All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past will return and take their places in the Saha world, becoming Buddhas.

This includes Amitabha Buddha, Dipankara Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Prabhutaratna Buddha, and others.

Bodhisattvas who have not yet attained Buddhahood due to their great vows and aspirations will also attain Buddhahood in the Saha world.

For example, Bodhisattvas such as Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteshvara, and Ksitigarbha.

Because the Saha world is a pure land on earth, everyone is a sage and no longer needs to be taught, thus one can attain perfect Buddhahood.

Those who are destined to become Buddhas in the future will also attain Buddhahood in this Saha world, because "all sentient beings are Buddhas".

In this world, there is nothing that is eternal and will not decay, nothing that is formed, exists, decays, or empties. All Buddhas reside in the world, each preaching and expounding the Dharma, which everyone can hear.

It is the true meaning of "paradise on earth".

Song Wuji only needed to examine the [Dragon Flower Treasure Tree] to understand the rituals for becoming a Bodhisattva, a Buddha, and a World Honored One. He then felt his whole being become clear and serene, as if he had entered a supreme world of wisdom, receiving the wisdom of all Buddhas from past kalpas.

Fortunately, the stove was hot for Song Wuji, and the goose rushed up and pinched Song Wuji's flesh. The pain made him sober up, and he finally woke up from the temptation of becoming a Buddha.

He sighed deeply, "This thing is really strange! How could it appear in the Rakshasa Karma City?"

As for the Moon-Pure Relic, it is a relic imbued with the cleansing power of moonlight. It was left by the Moonlight Bodhisattva and can emit the pure and bright light of the moon, making the soul clear and the wisdom function.

"The Bodhisattva path is originally the opportunity to choose the Buddhist path, and according to each person's different karmic conditions, they will receive different Buddhist lineages."

"But what does this mean? You're just giving me the Dragon Flower Tree? And the Buddhahood ritual too?"

That's the ritual for going from the third rank to the first rank!
Song Wuji estimated that even the rituals for the Kitchen God might not have such a broad scope.

If it weren't for a strong enough heart to uphold the Dao and a constant focus on the human path, I'm afraid I would have already thrown myself into it.

"No, that's precisely the deceptive aspect of Buddhism. Perhaps the Dragon Flower Tree and the Buddhahood ritual are mass-produced, making those who obtain them believe they are Maitreya."

"There are so many false Buddhas and Maitreyas in this world, each of them promoting the Three Assemblies of Longhua, it's like fishing with a straight hook!"

With a kick, Song Wuji suppressed his greed, neither touching the Moon Relic nor the Dragon Flower Tree.

He frantically activated the Kitchen God's Inner Power Technique to calm his mind and left the place.

The goose that had been kicked away became even angrier and chased after Song Wuji, eventually leaving the Bodhisattva Path together.

As soon as Song Wuji left, the passageway to the Bodhisattva Path began to collapse and disappeared.

Only the human realm and the hungry ghost realm remain.

After leaving the Bodhisattva Path, the goose suddenly showed a compassionate look in its eyes, stopped attacking Song Wuji, and followed closely behind him.

(End of this chapter)