Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 441 Cultivation

What is right enlightenment?

In Buddhism, the original meaning of Buddha is enlightenment, which has three layers of meaning:

The first is self-awareness, which is to realize one's own true nature; the second is to enlighten others, which is to preach the Dharma and guide people; the third is the perfection of enlightenment and practice.

Among the three vehicles of Buddhism, the Pratyekabuddha vehicle (or Solitary Buddha vehicle) is based on the understanding of causes and conditions. It has no clear hierarchy, so we will not discuss it for now.

The Śrāvakayāna Buddhism, also known as the Hinayana Buddhism, leads to the attainment of Arhatship, which is self-realization and perfect enlightenment.

The Bodhisattva Vehicle Buddhism, also known as the Mahayana Buddhism, involves attaining Bodhi, awakening oneself and others, and achieving perfect enlightenment. Its position is equivalent to that of a Buddha, but it has not yet truly become a Buddha.

Only when one awakens oneself and others, and attains perfect enlightenment and practice, can one achieve unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment and become a "Buddha".

The Buddha with three great suns above his head, the Medicine Buddha in the east, the Shakyamuni Buddha in the center, and the Amitabha Buddha in the west, is the Buddha of unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

This world, and even the twelve habitable worlds remaining from Buddhist civilization, are simply classifications of spiritual attainments based on the following levels: Novice (shaman apprentice), Vajra (formal shaman), Arhat (sage), Bodhisattva (great sage), and Buddha (a few special ninth-level great sages).

This is not a Buddhist classification of stages of enlightenment!

The attainment of a certain fruit or state of being is not the same thing.

Link had previously been confused about this, thinking that attaining the Arhatship was equivalent to attaining the Arahantship.

It wasn't until he entered the Dharma Hall for intensive study that he finally understood what the two were all about.

To put it simply, one cultivates physical strength, while the other cultivates both physical strength and, more importantly, the mind.

Faced with the outrage and condemnation from the crowd stirred up by Abbot Nengqing of Ci'en Temple in Bianjing, Link responded by forming the Ksitigarbha Mudra and making a great vow, which was to declare to everyone that he would walk the path of cultivating both physical strength and the mind.

This also signifies his separation from most Buddhist temples and monks, indicating his intention to cultivate the Bodhisattva path of Buddhism, to awaken himself and others until his enlightenment and practice are perfected, and to attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

Furthermore, it raises questions and even rebukes against this world, the remnants of Buddhist civilization, and the three great suns above, in the form of declaring great vows.

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

These words, spoken calmly and softly, echoed repeatedly in the ears and hearts of Monk Nengqing, Monk Liaochen, more than three hundred monks, and Prince Guanglin.

There seemed to be a response from heaven and earth.

The small square was peaceful and quiet, without any wind.

Monk Liaochen stared in astonishment at Link, who calmly stepped down from the preaching platform after making his great vow.

He suddenly realized that he had been too conservative!

Even the master kept it a secret!

My junior brother didn't just change after recovering from his injuries; he was completely transformed, as if he were a different person!

Even the monk Liaochen began to believe from the bottom of his heart that his junior brother was the reincarnation of Master Wusheng.

Nengqing, a monk from Ci'en Temple in Bianjing and a direct disciple of the abbot, was filled with a complex mix of shock, horror, and fear.

He wanted to point at the monk Liaofan, who was walking down from the preaching platform, and loudly rebuke him, continuing to denounce Liaofan as a heretic, an enemy of Buddha, or a scourge of Buddha.

However, an unknown force came and completely bound him, rendering him unable to move, speak, or even move his eyes.

The more than three hundred monks each had their own thoughts.

Some monks vaguely felt that Monk Liaofan's questions and wishes were full of Zen meaning, which aroused people's longing.

Some monks felt an immense sense of separation, as if their true nature was in conflict with the Buddhist teachings they had received since childhood.

Some monks suffer greatly, thinking their hearts are numb and their wounds have scabbed over, but they are not completely numb, nor are they without any impact.

Things I've seen, heard, and done before, one by one, come to mind.

Is the human world a peaceful Buddhist paradise, or an endless sea of ​​suffering...?

Are you really blind and can't see?

Some monks, like Nengqing, looked at Liaofan with shock, horror, and fear, as if they were looking at a demon, an enemy of the Buddha, or a sinner against the Buddha!

At this moment, the Prince of Guanglin could only cry.

woo woo woo...

In the princess's boudoir, Jasmine's eyes were full of stars as she looked at Link with love and pride.

This is her husband!

While she was still thinking about small-scale activities, she had already decided to do something major that would overturn the very foundations of the remnants of Buddhist civilization.

Moreover, this is a momentous matter that even the three Buddhas who manifest as the sun above cannot oppose.

Not only can we not openly oppose it, but we can't even oppose it secretly; we can only stand by and watch.

Because the three Buddhas attained supreme enlightenment before the remnants of Buddhist civilization, they could disregard the current state of the remnants of Buddhist civilization in the human world, and thus remained aloof and detached from worldly affairs.

However, we cannot ignore it and then interfere or oppose Link.

That's digging your own grave!

We are saying to all civilizations in this universe, especially the divine and demonic civilizations at the pinnacle, "Look, everyone, look! We are slapping ourselves in the face, admitting that the path we took back then was wrong, fundamentally wrong."

Moreover, is this merely a slap in the face?

This is a misguided path!

This is the collapse of the foundation of the Dao!

The celestial immortals and celestial venerables of the immortal and divine civilization, and the celestial demons and celestial monsters of the demon civilization, will definitely seize this hard-won opportunity to kill the three Buddhas whose Dao hearts are unstable!

Lottesno, who was hiding in the shadows, was also quite surprised. He had never thought that Link would take this path.

This road is both a broad and wide avenue, and fraught with peril.

Even he, when considering how to break the deadlock and what actions to take from Link's perspective, was inclined to incite unrest.

Otherwise, why would he sneak into the study of the Prince of Guanglin and leave behind a seed that would incite internal strife in the Song Dynasty, and even incite internal strife in several neighboring countries?

There's no need to openly or secretly help his cheap sister-in-law Jasmine accumulate power.

As Link stepped down from the preaching platform, he was not only outwardly calm, but inwardly even calmer.

What happened today was not an impulsive act done on a whim.

It was a decision made after careful consideration.

The more Link learned about the situation in this world and the state of the remnants of Buddhist civilization, the less he wanted to achieve his mission of defeating or even eliminating the remnants of Buddhist civilization by instigating a violent uprising.

The three great suns stretch across the sky, providing light and heat to nourish the twelve habitable worlds, yet they are also the greatest constraint.

As long as the three great suns remain, no matter how large the internal turmoil, it will not be able to fundamentally damage the remnants of Buddhist civilization.

It's just scabies!

Unless a celestial being or venerable from a divine civilization, or a saint from a sorcerer civilization, intervenes to restrain the three remaining Buddhas of the Buddhist civilization.

Otherwise, internal turmoil would absolutely not have the effect of overthrowing the remnants of Buddhist civilization.

If the immortal civilization is willing to send celestial immortals and celestial venerables, and the wizard civilization is willing to send saints, regardless of the cost, specifically to confront the three Buddhas who are the remnants of the Buddhist civilization, what kind of "internal and external cooperation" would they engage in?

From this perspective, after Link "possessed" himself and entered this world, he did not place his hopes of completing the mission on the "external".

Therefore, it is imperative to focus on the "inner" aspects.

Having ruled out the method of instigating internal strife by force, Link thought long and hard and came up with the idea of ​​"ideology".

Fortunately, the remnants of Buddhist civilization are merely remnants; their transmission has not been interrupted, but rather deliberately obfuscated and distorted.

This gave Link the opportunity and foundation to actually do something about "getting to the root of the problem" under the guise of "rectifying the source".

Amidst the strange looks from everyone in the small square, Link walked step by step out of the square and into the nearby Princess's residence. Standing outside the Princess's bedroom, he spoke softly, yet his voice carried throughout the entire Guanglin Prince's Mansion: "Princess, you have an affinity with Buddhism. I wonder if you would be willing to walk with me, to attain enlightenment together, and to achieve perfect awakening?"

"I do."

Jasmine immediately agreed, her voice timid.

As soon as she finished speaking, Jasmine, dressed in a practical outfit, ignored the maid's gaze and strolled out of her room to Link's side.

The two exchanged a glance and left the Guanglin Prince's Mansion side by side.

"No! Waaah...no!"

The Prince of Guanglin's eyes revealed extremely strong emotions, and he wanted to speak up to stop Link from abducting Jasmine.

However, since Lotesno, who was hiding in the shadows, had already taken action to immobilize all the monks and Prince Guanglin in the small square, he naturally wouldn't let his efforts go to waste.

According to Buddhist teachings, when a monk makes a great vow, there are two possible outcomes.

First, if Heaven and Earth do not approve or agree, there will be howling winds and thunderstorms.

Secondly, if Heaven and Earth approve or agree, then all will be calm and peaceful, and will also prevent those who try to obstruct the vow from being made.

Link made a great vow: whether the world in this world agrees or not is of no importance.

Lottesno just needs to agree and consent.

Therefore, the small square was peaceful and quiet, with no wind, and no one could speak, move, or cast spells.

Lottesno only stopped when Link and Jasmine strolled leisurely out of Guanglin Prefecture.

Without the suppression, the first to react was Monk Liaochen.

"Junior brother, wait for me!"

With a loud shout, Monk Chen transformed into a gust of wind, raising a cloud of dust as he chased after Link and Jasmine.

Has the question of whether to practice Buddhism or worship Buddha really been suppressed by the monk Liaochen?

Once a seed is planted, it will definitely sprout.

Whether difficulties will be encountered during the germination process, preventing it from sprouting, is another matter entirely.

Clearly, the seed of Buddhist practice in the heart of Monk Liaochen was not nipped in the bud.

A dozen or so monks, who longed for this path, followed in the footsteps of Monk Liaochen and decided to follow Monk Liaofan of Baima Temple, wanting to practice the Bodhisattva path of Buddhism and save all sinful beings.

The thirty-odd monks, awakened from their numbness, hesitated for a moment, but also chose to confront their own hearts, face the dripping blood, and take a step forward.

The sixty-odd monks, who had also awakened from their numbness, simply yawned and went back to sleep, their bald heads slightly lowered, their hands clasped together, standing indifferently.

The monk Nengqing was furious, roaring ferociously, "Demon! Heretic! Enemy of Buddha!"

Gasping for breath, the monk Nengqing's anger remained undiminished, and he roared with heart-wrenching fury, "Buddha is a wicked Buddha! Buddha is a wicked Buddha!"

Swish!

There were still more than 300 monks in the small square. Prince Guanglin looked at the ferocious-looking monk Nengqing with fear in his eyes.

The monk Nengqing ignored him completely, veins bulging on his neck, and continued to roar, "Liaofan of Baima Temple is undoubtedly a scourge of Buddhism! A scourge of Buddhism!"

With a whoosh.

Like a startled rabbit, Prince Guanglin darted out of the small square built for the princess's search for a husband and rushed to his study, leaving only one sentence echoing in the square.

"Esteemed monks, I am deeply ashamed of my poor hospitality. Please return home on your own. I will send someone to deliver travel expenses as a token of my apology and gratitude."

However, after Monk Nengqing publicly accused Monk Liaofan of being a sinner against Buddhism, Prince Guanglin completely disregarded his original intention of currying favor with Buddhism, getting close to Buddhism, and relying on the power of Buddhism as a solid backing. He only wanted to sever ties with Buddhism.

He severed ties with both the monk Liaofan, who abducted Princess Guanglin, and the monk Nengqing.

As the saying goes, one-sided accounts should not be readily believed.

The great vows made by Abbot Liaofan of Baima Temple and the denunciation of Buddhism by Abbot Nengqing of Ci'en Temple in Bianjing are both one-sided accounts.

Whose side of the story is more credible, and whose side of the story holds water, is an internal dispute within the Buddhist community and has nothing to do with a mere Prince of Guanglin.

Being caught in such a vortex, the current emperor, who has never wanted to return the throne of the Song Dynasty to the lineage of Emperor Taizu, is probably laughing all the way to the bank.

It's better to stay as far away as possible.

Lin Kecai, having left Guanglin Prefecture, ignored Nengqing Monk's ferocious roars and rebukes, and also paid no attention to Liaochen Monk and the other monks who had followed him.

He simply led Jasmine, Monk Liaochen, and the other monks along the wrong path that Jasmine had specially arranged.

This time, however, Link walked very slowly, measuring each step as if he were exploring, entering every village he encountered.

Once you enter the village, do only three things.

First, it provides assistance to the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, the widowed, and the lonely without using any extraordinary power.

They might chop firewood, carry water, repair houses, reclaim barren mountains, or cultivate fields...

And they don't ask for anything in return.

Secondly, it teaches Buddhist teachings.

It's unsystematic, lacks a clear purpose, is unintentional, and just says whatever comes to mind without using obscure or difficult vocabulary.

The general principle is simple: guide people toward goodness.

Thirdly, they begged for alms.

Just like in the documentary about spiritual practice at Dabeisi Temple in Liaocheng that Link watched in his previous life, they went from house to house begging for alms. Whatever the donor gave them, they ate it; if they didn't give anything, it didn't matter.

At first, Monk Liaochen and the other monks did not understand the intention behind Link's three actions.

Some people even began to waver.

However, no one actually quit halfway through.

As they walked step by step, passed through village after village, and did one thing after another, Monk Liaochen and the other monks gradually understood the true meaning behind what Link was doing.

Spiritual practice is both cultivation and action.

Simply practicing without cultivation is futile; it is merely a delusion. Conversely, practicing without cultivation easily leads to bias.

Only by cultivating and practicing simultaneously, cultivating while practicing, and practicing while cultivating, with cultivation and practice mutually reinforcing and combining with each other, can one achieve true cultivation and great cultivation.

Self-awareness, awareness of others, and perfect practice of awareness.

Gradually, some of the monks, including Liaochen, came to understand the distinction between the three, and others understood how to cultivate and realize them.

When Monk Liaochen and other monks gained some enlightenment, Lin Ke's great vow and actions, along with Monk Nengqing's rebuke, spread throughout the Buddhist temples of Song and several surrounding countries.

A living Buddha?

Buddha's sin?

I can't tell them apart right now!

(End of this chapter)