Wizards begin with Occlumency.

The remnants of Buddhist civilization are just remnants, not a sign of ignorance.

Two out of the twelve habitable worlds have experienced major disturbances in succession, which is definitely not a simple matter.

The three Buddhas, who are like the sun, are located across the starry sky: the Medicine Buddha in the east, Shakyamuni Buddha in the center, and Amitabha Buddha in the west. They are high above and can ignore the affairs of the human world.

Those Buddhas who act on behalf of the three Buddhas and manage the affairs of the twelve habitable worlds, as well as the Bodhisattvas of special status (peak of the ninth level of great sages), cannot be ignored.

In response to the flames of war ignited between the two worlds, one Buddhist edict and one Bodhisattva edict after another were issued, demanding that local Buddhist temples extinguish the flames as soon as possible and restore the peace of the past.

In this situation, Forrest and Medici's room for maneuver continued to shrink, and Iris also faced greater pressure.

Fortunately, none of the three were easy to deal with.

They can persist for a long time before a monk who has attained the status of a Bodhisattva (great sage) personally takes the stage.

Iris even has the capacity to further expand and solidify the scale and foundation of the Lotus Society.

For this, Iris has to thank those who used the name of "Lotus Society" to carry out rebellions.

These people not only shared the pressure, but also gave Iris the opportunity to hide the core members of the True Lotus Society, and provided a large number of prospective members for the True Lotus Society.

In such a situation, one can only say that every sip and every bite is preordained.

If the Buddhist community had not exploited and oppressed others to the extreme, it would not have been possible for Iris to have garnered such widespread support and followers even before she raised her voice.

This perfectly illustrates the saying, "Those who reap what they sow will not live."

After several days of lively and bustling activities by Iris, Forrest, and Medici, the excitement at the Guanglin Prince's Mansion finally arrived.

All the Buddhist temples, large and small, within the Song Kingdom received invitations from the Prince of Guanglin, sincerely inviting promising young monks to attend the remnant of the Prince of Guanglin's marriage recruitment ceremony.

Given the special status of the Prince of Guanglin, and the fact that Buddhism needs one, several, or even many secular courts to oppress and exploit the people, all Buddhist temples within the Song Kingdom sent their own young talents to the gathering after receiving the invitation.

Some Buddhist temples are closer to Guanglin Prefecture, such as Baima Zen Temple, so you can get there faster and earlier.

Some Buddhist temples were far from Guanglin Prefecture, such as Ci'en Temple in Bianjing, so people would arrive later and take longer to get there.

Thirteen days after Link arrived at the Guanglin Prince's Mansion, all the eligible monks who were confirmed to attend the meeting finally arrived, and the marriage selection ceremony began.

The venue was set up in a small square specially opened up by the Prince's Mansion.

More than 300 monks arrived at the small square in a certain order and took their seats according to the signs.

The final arrival was none other than the monk Nengqing, a direct disciple of the abbot of Ci'en Temple in Bianjing.

Legend has it that the Prince of Guanglin had long taken a liking to the monk Nengqing and wanted to marry him, so he asked the monk to marry the princess.

Young monks from other Buddhist temples are just there to accompany the bride; they have no chance of winning her heart.

This rumor, fueled by a well-meaning person, reached Link's ears early on.

Link simply chuckled and remained indifferent, only glancing at the monk Nengqing a little longer when he saw him.

"Junior brother, do you have a problem with him?"

The monk Liaochen keenly sensed something was amiss and asked suspiciously.

After that day, Monk Liaochen locked himself in his room for three whole days, losing his appetite and pondering deeply.

Finally, unable to come up with a solution, Monk Liaochen became furious and decided indignantly to stop obsessing over trivial matters.

Forget about practicing Buddhism and worshipping Buddha, forget about the Master of No Birth or the Master of Birth, forget about the Buddhist Land on Earth or the Sea of ​​Suffering on Earth—get out of my way!

All compassion, pity, and doubt were suppressed in the heart of the monk Liaochen.

When he reappeared in Link's sight, he seemed to be unharmed.

Link declined to comment, neither surprised nor opposed, accepting the situation casually.

Upon hearing Monk Chen's question, Link smiled but did not answer.

Seeing this, Monk Liaochen knew that his junior brother, who had become increasingly different since recovering from his injuries, was unwilling to answer the question. He said to himself, "Even if you have a problem with him, you have to keep it to yourself. Our White Horse Zen Temple can't afford to offend Ci'en Temple."

"Um."

Link nodded slightly, indicating that he understood Monk Chen's meaning and had no intention of causing trouble for Monk Nengqing.

In the princess's boudoir.

Lottesno's voice came from behind the dressing mirror and reached Jasmine's ears:

"Look, look, my cheap older brother isn't jealous at all."

Oh, you cheap sister-in-law, and you cheap brother, I really feel sorry for you.

You've put so much effort into planning and sacrificing for him, and yet he won't even deal with a lowly monk like Nengqing, simply because Baima Temple can't afford to offend Ci'en Temple.

Oh my God!

What is Ci'en Temple?

They just burned it down to settle the matter.

"Your cheap brother really doesn't value you at all, my cheap sister-in-law."

As Lotesno continued his rambling, Jasmine's brows furrowed deeper, and an impatient look appeared on her face. She transmitted her voice and scolded, "Can you shut up? All you do is talk about cheap deals all day long, isn't it annoying?"

"Oh dear...tsk tsk tsk..."

Lotesno showed no embarrassment at being scolded and continued his playful telepathic communication, "You get all worked up when it comes to your cheap older brother. Tsk tsk tsk..."

With a bang.

Not wanting to waste words with Lottesno, Jasmine slammed the dressing mirror onto the dressing table, severing the telepathic connection.

The maid standing nearby was startled, wondering if the marriage selection ceremony was about to officially begin and the princess had finally given up after enduring so much.

Should we immediately inform the Prince to prevent the Princess from acting recklessly?

While the maid hesitated, Jasmine regained her composure and continued to monitor the marriage selection event using the secret methods taught by Lotesno.

The auspicious hour had arrived. Prince Guanglin stood on the preaching platform in the center of the small square and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Welcome, esteemed monks, to the Prince's residence."

Xiao Wang is tongue-tied and doesn't know how to speak well, so the daughter's search for a husband is about to officially begin.

The process is very simple: each eminent monk goes on stage to give a discourse on Buddhist teachings.

The three monks whom Xiao Wang thought spoke well, and whom the other monks also thought spoke well, are the final candidates.

My daughter will choose one of the three candidates to be her husband.

After he finished speaking, the more than three hundred monks present, as well as Lotesno who was observing in secret, and Jasmine who was in her boudoir, all looked at Prince Guanglin with some strange eyes.

Is this how the first in line to the throne of a country should behave?

It's not that they're mentally challenged, but it's just too embarrassing.

It's clearly a great thing, but coming from the mouth of Prince Guanglin, it sounds like a sales pitch or a pick-and-pick in a market.

(╯□╰)

"cough……"

Under the many strange gazes, Prince Guanglin seemed to sense something, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. He cleared his throat to cover up this emotion, and then said, "Let's begin."

After uttering these words, the Prince of Guanglin almost fled from the lecture platform.

More than half of the three hundred monks looked at Prince Guanglin with even more strange expressions.

The host is leaving already?

There are no rules set for who will start the first sermon, how long they will last, or the order in which the sermons will proceed.

It's settled, but you forgot to mention it?

However, the Prince of Guanglin seemed oblivious to this strangeness. Despite the many strange gazes, he sat calmly in the main seat, his eyes downcast and his mind at peace.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the small square was quite peculiar.

Lotesno, who was secretly observing, changed his gaze as he looked at Prince Guanglin.

hey-hey……

interesting.

Among the more than three hundred monks sitting around the preaching platform, Link thought the same thing to himself.

If anyone were to say to him again that the Prince of Guanglin was a good-for-nothing, he would definitely retort sarcastically that the person who thought the Prince of Guanglin was a good-for-nothing was the real good-for-nothing.

They might be shrewdly pretending to be foolish, playing dumb to outsmart others.

Whether it was true or not, Link didn't care. He just wanted to use this Guanglin Princess's husband-recruitment event to do something.

Thinking this, Link ignored Monk Chen's surprise, stood up, broke the strange atmosphere of the small square, and walked steadily onto the preaching platform.

The crabs were just sitting there; they'd have to be eaten eventually. Since no one else dared to eat them, he decided to be the first.

Standing on the preaching platform, Link clasped his hands together, circled once to show proper respect, and then spoke: "Liaofan of Baima Zen Temple greets fellow practitioners. I have a question that I would like to ask for your answers at the Guanglin Princess's Marriage Selection Ceremony."

After a pause, Link ignored the somewhat strange looks he was receiving from the more than three hundred monks and said loudly:

"I have heard that there are three vehicles of Buddhism: the vehicle of the Śrāvaka, the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddha, and the vehicle of the Bodhisattva."

The Śrāvakayāna (the path of the Śrāvakas) cultivates the Four Noble Truths. From ordinary beings to Arhats, the time required ranges from three lifetimes to sixty kalpas. There are seven expedient means for their practice, and four fruits are attained: Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna), Once-returner (Sakadāgāmin), Non-returner (Anāgāmin), and Arhat.

The Pratyekabuddha path cultivates the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, progressing from ordinary beings to Pratyekabuddhas. In terms of time, the fastest progress takes four lifetimes, while the slowest takes a hundred kalpas. The emphasis of their practice is on enlightenment and realization. Where one is enlightened, one is realized; therefore, there are no clear ranks to speak of.

Bodhisattvas seek supreme enlightenment, vow to liberate all sentient beings, cultivate the six perfections and myriad practices, and take these six perfections as their vehicle to reach the other shore of supreme enlightenment and great Nirvana.

The first two vehicles are solely for self-benefit, without any benefit to others, and their purpose is self-perfection and liberation.

The latter vehicle is complete in benefiting both oneself and others, with the aim of bringing countless sentient beings to the other shore.

I wonder, fellow practitioners, which vehicle do you practice? And how do you practice it?

Link's words were very simple and straightforward; not only monks who had studied Buddhism for many years, but also lay practitioners could understand them.

But it is precisely because of its simplicity and straightforwardness that it is even more powerful.

Previously, the atmosphere in the small square was simply wonderful.

Now, the atmosphere in the small square is extremely awkward.

The reason is simple: the vast majority of the monks present had neither practiced the teachings of the Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna, nor the teachings of the Bodhisattvayāna!

Many monks don't even know which vehicle of Buddhism they practice, or whether it's Buddhism at all!

They blindly worshiped the Buddhist temples, eminent monks, masters, and fellow disciples without thinking or practicing.

Even though Buddhist temples, eminent monks, masters, and fellow practitioners may occasionally say that they practice Mahayana Buddhism, that is, Bodhisattva Buddhism.

but……

Seeking supreme enlightenment, wishing to liberate all sentient beings?

Any enlightened monk who has read the Buddhist scriptures of the Bodhisattva Vehicle and then observes the reality of the world will not believe that they are practicing the Bodhisattva Vehicle Buddhism.

The conflict arose from this.

Faced with this extreme contradiction, most monks chose to close off their "wisdom," blindly following the "Dharma" of Buddhist temples, eminent monks, masters, and fellow disciples, without looking at the reality of the human world.

They live in a pure land, bathed in the Buddha's light, and enjoy offerings.

It's only natural!

A very small number of monks, such as Master Wusheng who stayed at the White Horse Zen Temple, did not choose to escape, but they also lacked the wisdom and courage to cultivate the true Bodhisattva path.

Therefore, it is correct that Baima Temple said that Master Wusheng chose to reincarnate and start over because he could not become a Buddha. They were not lying.

Link's words, seemingly a request for advice, were actually a direct insult to the monks present: "Bald monks."

It completely tore away the hypocrisy of the more than 300 monks.

The monk Liaochen's feelings were very complicated at this moment.

He felt both pain at being questioned again and a sense of relief at the fact that many monks present felt the same pain.

This is an emotion that cannot be described.

The Prince of Guanglin, sitting in the host's seat, felt something was amiss.

This monk Liaofan of Baima Temple was not only highly skilled in supernatural cultivation, but also very knowledgeable in Buddhist teachings.

Although the words are simple and straightforward, they get to the heart of the matter, touching on the dark side of many monks' hearts and making many feel ashamed of themselves.

If one cannot confront their own ugly inner self, they are very likely to leave in anger.

Wouldn't that reduce the number of competitors?

That's a really good method...

Good my ass!

It is true that the Prince of Guanglin wanted to find a husband for his daughter, but it is even more true that he wanted to curry favor with Buddhism, get close to Buddhism, and seek the support of Buddhism!

The monk Liaofan may have enjoyed himself by doing this, but what about the true purpose of the Prince of Guanglin?

Forget about trying to please Buddhism, get close to Buddhism, or gain the support of Buddhism; you might even offend Buddhism!

Even more vehement than the Prince of Guanglin was the monk Nengqing from Ci'en Temple in Bianjing.

The monk Nengqing slowly stood up, clasped his hands together, his expression solemn and dignified. He looked at Link on the preaching platform, his face suddenly turning cold and stern. He coldly shouted, "What kind of evil heretic are you, daring to defile the sincere hearts of us monks who seek Buddhahood? Show your true form!"

Upon hearing this rebuke, some monks realized what was happening and immediately stood up, echoing Monk Nengqing's words, demanding, "What kind of evil spirit are you? Why don't you reveal your true form and willingly submit to destruction?"

This change was sudden and abrupt.

Prince Guanglin stared in astonishment, Monk Liaochen was speechless, Lotesno laughed incessantly, and Jasmine frowned.

Link, standing on the lecturing platform, found it extremely "reasonable".

This is what he learned about the world and even the remaining Buddhist teachings, as well as the conduct of Buddhist practitioners, during the period after his "possession"—whether through reading Buddhist scriptures, visiting Zen temples, or observing the human world.

Calling a deer a horse, turning black into white—this is exactly what it means.

Faced with the questioning from a group of monks led by Abbot Nengqing, Linke separated his clasped hands, forming the Ksitigarbha Mudra, and loudly proclaimed:

"This humble monk, Liaofan, vows to save all suffering beings from sin and lead them to Bodhi, thus attaining perfect enlightenment." (End of Chapter)