Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 242 Not Ignoring Cause and Effect
The old monk had probably carried this broom in his hand for over forty years, changing the broom head countless times, but the bamboo handle, worn smooth by time, was like a piece of topaz, until now, when he casually discarded it.

Kumārajīva was taken aback. He hadn't been up to any good; he had deliberately intended to mock the other party. If this great master were to suffer a sudden mental breakdown and go astray because of this, he would be very pleased.

Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly understood after hearing his words and became unhappy.

Although he was a Tibetan monk, he was extremely knowledgeable and knew that the Chan school in China was divided into North and South after the Fifth Patriarch, with the Southern school being the sudden enlightenment school and the Northern school the gradual enlightenment school.

"Sudden enlightenment" refers to sudden enlightenment. It is based on the Prajnaparamita Sutra and emphasizes pointing directly to the mind, seeing one's true nature and becoming a Buddha. This is the advocacy of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng.
The term "gradual enlightenment" refers to gradual awakening. It is based on the Lankavatara Sutra and emphasizes meditation and cultivating concentration, focusing the mind on purity. This was the doctrine of Shenxiu, the first disciple of the Fifth Patriarch.

The Northern School was once favored by Empress Wu Zetian and flourished for a time, but later gradually declined. The Southern School, on the other hand, blossomed into five branches: Linji, Caodong, Weiyang, Yunmen, and Fayan, which spread throughout East Asia and became the mainstream of Chan Buddhism.

In fact, the so-called gradual enlightenment of the Northern School is the verse by Shenxiu that is familiar to everyone: "The body is like a Bodhi tree, the mind like a bright mirror stand; constantly wipe it clean, lest it be stained with dust."

The nameless old monk used sweeping as a method of spiritual practice, sweeping the courtyard outside and the mind inside. Strictly speaking, this was a method of gradual enlightenment.

Kumārajīva was incredibly talented, quick-witted, and considered himself to have exceptional comprehension. He was the kind of person who was born a top student, so naturally he looked down on this kind of "hard work".

Therefore, he was extremely unwilling to accept that his sarcastic remark had caused the old monk, who had spent forty-three years of painstaking effort, to suddenly have an epiphany and recite the verse, "The clear mirror is not a mirror; where does the dust come from?"

When Huineng defeated Shenxiu and took over the mantle of the Fifth Patriarch, he relied on a verse that directly countered Shenxiu's: "Bodhi is not a tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand; originally there is nothing, so where can dust settle?"
In Kumārajīva's view, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng was also a genius with extremely high comprehension, thus realizing the profound truth that "originally there is nothing, where can dust settle?" And this old monk who relied on hard work to cultivate actually realized the same state and came ahead of him. This feeling was truly bittersweet.

What angered him most was that the old monk's verse contained the line "Past lives and events have long been swept away," which was enough to show that the old monk's forty-three years of effort had not been in vain. The old monk did not have the enlightenment of the Sixth Patriarch, but he relied on forty-three years of hard work to sweep away his ego and then reach the state of "a clear mirror is not a mirror, where is the dust?" So, wasn't his joke about the old monk a joke?
In an instant, the Great Wheel King, his seven emotions running high, roared in uncontrollable rage: "You're practicing unorthodox Zen! This is unorthodox Zen!"

Azi perked up, reached out and tugged at Jiang Mingzhe, whispering, "Big Jiang, you're such a genius. If wild foxes can cultivate Zen, can't white snakes also cultivate Zen? Did Bai Suzhen cultivate the Great White Snake Zen?"

Jiang Mingzhe was pondering the meaning of the old monk's verse when he was suddenly interrupted by Azi. He was both amused and exasperated, knowing that if he said yes, the White and Green Twin Demons of Kunlun Mountain would probably become the White Nun and Green Monk of Kunlun Mountain. He quickly said, "That's not what I meant. Wild Fox Zen, Wild Fox Zen... Third Brother, your sister wants to test you. What does Wild Fox Zen mean?"

Duan Yu immediately quoted a Zen koan: "During the Tang Dynasty, there was a Zen Master Baizhang who gave sermons every day. An old man often came to listen. One day, after finishing his sermon, the old man stayed behind and said to Zen Master Baizhang, 'Five hundred years ago, I also gave sermons here. A wandering monk asked me, "Would a practitioner like you still fall into the cycle of cause and effect?" I said no, and after death, I was reborn as a wild fox. Today, I also want to ask you a question: Would a practitioner like you still fall into the cycle of cause and effect?'"

He spoke quickly, and Azi and the others listened with great interest. Abi, in particular, seemed to be deep in thought and hurriedly asked, "What did the Zen Master say?" Duan Yu's spirits lifted, and he quickly replied with a smile, "Zen Master Baizhang said, 'Do not be ignorant of cause and effect.' The old man immediately had an epiphany and begged the Zen Master, 'I have been reborn as a wild fox. Please cremate and bury me according to the rites of a monk.' The Zen Master then led his disciples to the back mountain, found a dead black fox, and cremated and buried it according to the rites of a monk."

Fearing the women might not understand, he further explained, "This monk who was reincarnated as a fox claimed to be above cause and effect, which is a great lie, or just boasting. As a result, he was retributed and reincarnated as a fox. The Zen he practiced was not orthodox, so it is called Wild Fox Zen."

Ah Zi was terrified when she heard this. She thought to herself, "I often boast that I am the great white snake spirit of Kunlun Mountain. Is this also a great lie? Will I be reincarnated as a white snake after I die?"

In my shock, I secretly resolved never to brag like that again.

Although Duan Yu spoke in a low voice, the people around him were all experts and could naturally understand him.

The Heavenly Child Granny paused for a moment, then said with amusement, "This little bookworm is quite the storyteller. He doesn't dwell on cause and effect, nor does he ignore them. There's definitely a lot of truth in that."

Xiao Feng and his father exchanged a glance, and Xiao Feng said, "Third brother, I understand what 'not falling into cause and effect' means. It means that he will not fall into the cycle of cause and effect, and that cause and effect will have no effect on him. But do you know what 'not being ignorant of cause and effect' means?"

Duan Yu glanced at Kumārajīva and explained, "To know the cause and the effect, and to know the cause and the effect, is to be free from ignorance. In this world, it is impossible to escape the entanglement of cause and effect. However, a wise person can know that autumn is coming when he sees a leaf fall. He knows the cause of his karmic retribution and what kind of result his sows will produce. This is to be free from ignorance of cause and effect."

Xiao Yuanshan's body trembled slightly, and he said in a low voice, "So, if the calamity at Yanmen Pass was my deserved retribution, then the reason is that I was able to influence the Emperor's decisions, which is why Murong Bo wanted to harm me? Feng'er, in that case, wouldn't I be the one who harmed your mother?"

Xiao Feng quickly grabbed his hand and said, "No! That was the evil sown by Murong Bo. Today, you and I, father and son, are here, and it is the evil consequence he must suffer!"

Murong Bo frowned, about to speak, but the old monk spoke first: "No! The reason why Layman Murong plotted to harm Layman Xiao was because he was burdened by the words 'restoration of the kingdom.' These two words were inherent to him from birth, an innate evil cause. Since he could not sever them, all the consequences he caused were naturally evil. But if we talk about the root cause, this evil cause should not actually be related to him. It is all the evil cause of this old monk. Today, you are all entangled in cause and effect, and your fates have brought you together here. This old monk will simply explain the cause and effect to you, so that each of you can bear the consequences and settle your own affairs."

After saying that, he looked at Murong Bo and his son and said indifferently, "My secular name is Murong, and my given name is Kuang. I married a woman named Li Xinghe, who was the younger sister of Li Qiushui, the third disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect, and a descendant of the Southern Tang royal family. In the third year of our marriage, we had a son named Murong Bo."

At this point, Murong Fu was shocked, and Murong Bo frowned. The old monk lowered his eyelids slightly and smiled as if mocking himself: "However, more than ten years later, the old monk accidentally discovered that this son whom I cherished as a treasure was not my biological son!"

(End of this chapter)