The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 72 The Clever Argument That Turns the Tide

The old monk's gaze lingered on Du Yuan for a moment, then he suddenly asked:

"May I ask, Master, what is 'enlightenment and seeing one's true nature'?"

Du Yuan slightly raised her hand in return:

"Master, I have only read a little bit of Buddhist teachings and cannot answer your questions."

I'm just a fake monk who looks like a monk. You want me to use the Great Heavenly Dragon against demons and ghosts? That's fine.

But if you ask me about such profound Buddhist teachings, then I really don't know!
Furthermore, Du Yuan noticed that, seemingly due to the influence of the person in the temple, his Buddhist lineage skills now clearly surpassed those of Pang Yu.

In response, Du Yuan decided to temporarily set aside Buddhism and instead delve into Taoism.

It wasn't that he truly resisted Buddhism or harbored extreme hatred for monks. Rather, it was that in certain situations and matters, it was clearly more appropriate for a Taoist priest or a Confucian scholar to appear.

As the saying goes, balanced development is the best way to achieve all aspects!
The old monk carefully examined Du Yuan before him for a long time. Suddenly, he offered her his prayer beads and said:
"Master, it seems your mind is wandering and you are unable to answer. Why don't you try this? Perhaps it can help you focus your mind and answer?"

Du Yuan took the prayer beads and curiously examined the ritual implement that the monks always seemed to be holding.

Nor did it involve using prayer beads to focus the mind and count, thus failing to achieve the goal of this practice: "keeping the mind focused and eliminating distracting thoughts."

This scene, witnessed by the old monk, made him shake his head.

They don't even know what prayer beads are for!

But we waited quietly.

After Du Yuan curiously played with it for a while, she returned it to the old monk, saying:

"If you really want me to answer, Master, I can only say that these prayer beads were warm in my hands just now, but they've gone cold now."

Upon hearing this, the old monk's last scrutinizing gaze suddenly lost its luster.

He twirled the prayer beads he had retrieved, a sneer forming in his mind.

Where is the wit and insight of a Zen practitioner?
This is clearly the most superficial sensory description of ordinary people! It's like evaluating a stone or a leaf, only touching the most superficial tactile sense. This is worlds apart from the "seeing one's true nature" and "realizing the true reality" that "enlightening the mind and seeing one's true nature" refers to—it's a far cry from reality itself.
There's no mistake, I misjudged him. This guy is definitely not that remarkable cultivator from Qing County.

He was just a slightly eccentric ordinary person.

What a waste of time.

The old monk clasped his hands together, nodded slightly, and spoke in a gentle tone, but the initial enthusiasm and friendly inquiries of a fellow practitioner were gone, replaced by a distant politeness towards a stranger.

"Amitabha. This humble monk has been presumptuous. Your frankness is rare indeed. My apologies."

After saying that, he walked straight away.

They completely ignored Du Yuan's thoughts.

This reminded Du Yuan, who was looking at him, of the Taoist priest she had met at the city gate.

One is a Taoist priest, and the other is a Buddhist monk. Yet, they are remarkably similar.

However, one is directly exposed on the surface, while the other is hidden inside.

After the monk left, another voice suddenly rang out behind Du Yuan.

"That old monk is so old, it seems he really is living a foolish life. He has been practicing Buddhism for many years, but he only knows a superficial and empty theory."

The voice came abruptly, laced with sarcasm, yet each word was clear. Du Yuan turned to look at the sound. Not far away, a young man in fine clothes was walking leisurely toward him.

The young man was about twenty years old, with a handsome face, bright eyes, and a carefree smile on his lips. He casually played with a gold-painted folding fan in his hand, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.

As he slowly approached, he said:

"In that old monk's eyes, the interpretation of the four words 'enlightenment and seeing one's true nature' is nothing but a delusion born from sitting in meditation on scriptures—only profound and empty words like 'seeing one's true nature' and 'realizing true reality' are worthy of being considered. But if you ask him what true nature is? What is true reality?"

The elegantly dressed young man opened and closed his folding fan, laughing loudly:
"Ha, he himself is probably like a person lost in the clouds, feeling utterly empty."

The elegantly dressed young man continued forward with unhurried steps, but his gaze remained fixed on Du Yuan, filled with undisguised scrutiny and a hint of strange interest.

After standing still, he smiled and said:
"But you are different. Your Buddhist cultivation is truly profound. You even used the change in temperature when you held the prayer beads to create a thunderclap in silence. You demonstrated the supreme Dharma of 'impermanence of all things' so subtly, yet directly to the core!"

He leaned slightly forward, his folding fan lightly touching Du Yuan's hand that had just held the prayer beads, his tone tinged with regret:
"It's a pity that you're too arrogant! That old monk is just a mortal who only cares about appearances and whose mind is as shallow as paper. How could he possibly understand that what you casually revealed is the first principle of Buddhism—'impermanence'?"

He shook his head, as if he felt sorry for Du Yuan.

"If you can't even understand this 'impermanence,' how can you grasp the deeper meaning of your advice? You are clearly telling him: to realize one's true nature, one must first understand that all things are born and die in an instant, constantly changing! How can one be bound by a few rigid interpretations of scriptures?"

The elegantly dressed young man's expression turned solemn; he actually took half a step back and respectfully cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"You have not only skillfully answered the questions but also subtly enlightened the ignorant. Your understanding of Buddhism has truly reached a state of perfection, a true mastery!"

This flattery flowed smoothly, as if Du Yuan were truly some unparalleled Zen master. And what he just delivered was indeed a clever and witty rebuttal, subtly revealing his hidden meaning.

Then, he glanced sideways in the direction where the old monk had disappeared, scoffed, and shook his head with a smile:

"What a waste of a bright pearl! It has encountered such a stubborn, ignorant, and utterly foolish piece of rotten wood. It is utterly ignorant even when the true Dharma is right in front of it. How ridiculous!"

His expression suggested that the old monk's departure was a great loss, rather than a relief for Du Yuan.

Du Yuan listened silently to this profound discourse, her mind filled with nothing but awe and absurdity.

To claim the dead are alive is absurd.

After chuckling, Du Yuan cupped her hands and said:

“Young master, you must be overthinking it. I have only read a little bit of Buddhist teachings and cannot answer profound Zen questions.”

The elegantly dressed young man stepped forward, put his arm around Du Yuan's shoulder, and said:

"Ah, brother, you are mistaken. The one who has only superficially studied Buddhism is clearly that old bald monk. How could he be a Zen master like you who has a deep-rooted Buddhist nature and heart?"

"Come, come, I just visited a fine restaurant. It's such a pleasure to meet someone as insightful about Buddhism as you today. I wish we had met sooner. Why don't we go there for a little get-together?"

"I recently spent three days and three nights drinking with someone, and I've squandered quite a bit of money. So, I'd like to trouble you, brother, to cover it up in advance. Don't worry, I'm the esteemed son of the Langya Wang family, and I'll surely repay you handsomely in the future!"

At this point, both Du Yuan and he heard a deafening rumble from their stomachs.

Seeing this, the elegantly dressed young man chuckled twice and said:
"It's been a long time since I've had any wine or rice, please excuse my poor taste. So, brother, what do you think about that restaurant business?"

Well, so that's what it was all about.

Seeing the elegantly dressed young man rubbing his hands together, Du Yuan, who was seeing such a charming person for the first time, chuckled and nodded:

"I have some money on hand. I certainly can't afford delicacies, but I can still host a banquet for one or two people."

(End of this chapter)