I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

This is how Zen debates in Buddhism work: one side poses a question, and the other side tries to answer it, until the other side can no longer answer the question, at which point the Zen debate ends and the winner is completely determined!

Ning Chen had already broken Jin Chi's trap, so now it was his turn to ask the question.

Ning Chen was not complacent after winning the first game; his expression remained calm and composed.

Ning Chen pondered for a moment, then glanced at the various expressions on the faces of the crowd and posed an age-old, unsolvable problem.

"Very well, then this disciple will ask the elder: If there is a person who is innocent and has not done any evil, and killing this person could save tens of thousands of lives in the city from devastation, then elder, should this person be killed or not?"

The moment this question was posed, the air in the quiet room seemed to be instantly sucked out!

Kill one to save ten thousand?

It seems like a great deed, but what did the innocent do wrong?

Not kill?

How could you bear to watch thousands die?

This is a desperate interrogation that puts compassion and abstaining from killing, small acts of kindness and great acts of kindness, cause and effect and choices on the fire!

This problem points directly to one of the most brutal moral dilemmas.

To save thousands, even tens of thousands, is it acceptable to sacrifice one innocent person?

Elder Jinchi trembled violently, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

He subconsciously took a half step back, his face turning from pale to ashen.

This question is more incisive and penetrating than any Buddhist koan!

It has no standard answer, yet it can place people's hearts on the edge of a knife, cutting them repeatedly.

"This...this..."

Elder Jinchi's forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, and his voice trembled.

"May the Buddha have mercy! How can you recklessly entertain thoughts of killing? Killing is a grave offense. This person is innocent. If you kill him, wouldn't you be creating boundless evil karma and falling into the hell realm..."

Ning Chen pressed on relentlessly, his tone calm yet each word carrying immense weight.

"So, according to the elder, you would rather watch tens of thousands of innocent lives perish than betray this vow of not killing a single person? Is the life of one person worth more than the lives of tens of thousands? Is the life or death of one person a small act of kindness, while the survival of tens of thousands is a great act of kindness? If so, wouldn't the Buddhist vow to universally save all sentient beings become empty talk? Where does the compassionate heart of 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' lie?"

"No! That's not it!"

Elder Jinchi's forehead veins bulged as he hastily retorted.

"How could I, an old monk, stand idly by! I must do my utmost to mediate and avert this calamity! Or perhaps I can move people with compassion..."

"What if disaster is imminent, and all attempts at intervention and persuasion are ineffective?"

Ning Chen interrupted him without hesitation.

"The elder is doing his best to mediate and resolve the situation. If he fails, the elder himself will be unharmed, but tens of thousands of lives will die because the elder is unwilling to break the precept. Can the elder bear this karmic burden?"

"I...I...then I'll kill this one man to save the city!"

Elder Jinchi was speechless, his monk's robes soaked with cold sweat, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Kill him."

"If an elder believes that a person should be killed, it is out of great compassion, sacrificing a small act of kindness for a greater one."

Ning Chen abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Then, who decides this person's life or death? The elders? Or Buddha? If this precedent is set, then anyone can slaughter one person at will in the name of saving ten thousand. Wouldn't that person become a sacrifice to be discarded at any time? With the gates of indiscriminate killing wide open, where is the dignity of Buddhist precepts? Where is the bottom line of human nature?"

This is a dilemma of the century. Whether Elder Jinchi chooses to kill or not, he will be questioned by Ning Chen and forced into a logical and moral dead end.

Elder Jinchi was at a loss for words and kept glancing at the two monks, Guangmou and Guangzhi.

But even he couldn't answer it, let alone those two good-for-nothings, Guangmou and Guangzhi.

Even Guanyin Bodhisattva in the clouds couldn't help but frown slightly and lower her head in silence.

Ning Chen smiled without saying a word. "Talking about Zen and sutras? I'm not good at that. Debating and arguing? You're not good at that..."

With the development of the internet in later generations, there are no fixed opinions, and no matter who comes, Ning Chen has a way to argue until they are speechless.

After a long while, Elder Jinchi seemed to have used up his last bit of strength to bow deeply to Ning Chen, his voice hoarse.

"Master's words are sharp and incisive, probing the heart of the matter. This humble monk is utterly exhausted and speechless. There is no Zen to discuss here. This humble monk is completely convinced..."

Before he could finish speaking, Elder Jinchi swayed and almost couldn't stand. He was hurriedly supported by Guangzhi and Guangmou, and was completely defeated.

Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't help but shake her head when she saw this scene. To be fair, Elder Jinchi had performed well today, but unfortunately, Ning Chen was just too monstrous!

In the first round, Ning Chen's answer was flawless, and he even uttered the famous line: "Originally there was nothing, so where can dust settle?" which will be passed down through the ages.

The second question was an unsolvable problem. Guanyin Bodhisattva was confident that even if she personally intervened, she could not provide a perfect answer to this question.

She sighed, and her figure gradually disappeared.

Having already lost two out of three matches, she had no choice but to let Ning Chen and the others pass, despite her immense helplessness.

Elder Jinchi chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Amitabha Buddha, you have already won two out of three matches. Will you still participate in the third match?"

Old Luo clenched his huge fist so tightly it cracked, and grinned maliciously.

"Of course we should compete!"

He made up his mind that tomorrow's duel would surely be his turn to make a move.

Ning Chen's cultivation level is too high; he cannot participate.

Those two bald monks beside the abbot were just looking down on people; he'll make them kneel down and sing "Conquer"!

He was going to use all seventy-two Shaolin skills on these bald monks one by one!

.......

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

Deep within the Guanyin Temple, candlelight flickered in the abbot's meditation room, illuminating Elder Jinchi's sorrowful and gloomy old face.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, tapping the wooden fish. The sound of the wooden fish was no longer as calm as before.

The frustration of losing two matches in a row, and the guilt of failing to fulfill the Bodhisattva's request, caused Elder Jinchi immense inner turmoil.

"Oh dear! What are we going to do!"

Elder Jinchi sighed heavily, his voice hoarse.

"The Bodhisattva commanded me to engage in three contests with these distinguished guests, leaving one of them to remain as a constant companion. But after only two rounds, I have already suffered a crushing defeat! Tomorrow, after the contest, they will simply leave. How can I, this humble monk, possibly explain myself to the Bodhisattva?!"

He became more and more anxious as he spoke, and there seemed to be tears glistening in his eyes.

Guangmou, the eldest disciple who was standing to the side, rolled his triangular eyes and had an idea in mind. He leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Master, please don't worry! Your disciple has a way to solve this once and for all!"

"Oh? Tell me quickly!"

Elder Jinchi seemed to grasp at a straw and turned around abruptly.

A fierce glint flashed in Guangmou's eyes. He made a throat-slitting gesture and lowered his voice.

"Why don't we take advantage of the dark and windy night, gather the monks in the temple, prepare dry firewood and tung oil, and quietly surround their lodging room, burning it to the ground! Forget about their profound Taoist magic or their protective robes; once they're burned to ashes, they won't be able to pass! How can dead people travel west?"

"You wicked child! Shut up!"

Elder Jinchi was so angry that he trembled all over, his white beard shaking wildly. He then smacked Guangmou on the forehead with a sharp rap.

"You brainless idiot! Guanyin Bodhisattva's eyes are all-seeing; she might be watching from heaven right now! With such wicked intentions, setting fire to and killing our honored guest? How could the Bodhisattva forgive you? Are you trying to kill your teacher and drag all the monks of the temple down to the eighteenth level of hell? Get out! You're infuriating me!"

Guangmou clutched his forehead, wincing in pain, and shrank back, no longer daring to utter a sound.