Reborn Tianlong: I practice martial arts for immortality

Xuan Du felt uneasy, as he felt that Lin Lingsu was going to use his Shaolin as an example.

Xuan Du glanced at Jiang Weichen above, sighed slightly, and murmured a Buddhist chant to calm his mind.

Lin Lingsu continued, "Saints are role models of morality and role models of behavior. But what if they do all this for a purpose? Are they still saints then?"

Lin Lingsu looked around, those who knew were silent, while those who didn’t know were completely confused.

"Why isn't he a saint anymore?"

"Sometimes he is, sometimes he isn't. Are you kidding me?" said the man who had just said that he was a saint in his hometown dissatisfiedly.

After discussing for a while, Lin Lingsu and the others said, "If a saint does all this with a purpose, he is not a saint, or he is only a temporary saint.

I call this kind of people hypocrites. If they can pretend for their entire lives, they are either saints or saints. But if they can't, then the moment their ambitions are exposed, they are thieves.

What would he steal? Reputation, fame, money, power, or even the country."

Everyone was shocked, especially those who had just claimed to be saints or who claimed to be saints in their hearts.

Lin Lingsu said: "I will tell you how they steal. They strictly demand themselves by the words and deeds of saints to win people's hearts and gain prestige.

With the support of the people and prestige, they have power. Those who are virtuous and respected in a village are respected by everyone. If they steal the reputation and have selfish motives, they can enjoy the respect of everyone while secretly using everyone's trust to make profits for themselves and steal money and benefits.

If this is the case in a village, what about a county, a city, or a country?

"Nowadays we have the imperial examination system, but before it existed, weren't these the same people chosen as officials? Are all of them truly saints?

No, most of them are just pretending to be officials.”

"Think about it, are there people around you who appear to be righteous on the outside, or who appear to have a good reputation but are actually committing all sorts of evil and corrupt practices?"

Most people who come here have some experience and are not newbies who know nothing. They will understand it naturally after a little explanation.

After Lin Lingsu and the others digested the information, he continued, "The above are just petty thefts, not major thefts."

"Why did the Xin Dynasty exist in the middle of the 400-year Han Dynasty? How did Wang Mang succeed in usurping the Han Dynasty? Because before he ascended the throne, he maintained the image of a saint.

He is diligent and studious outside, respectful and polite to others, and filial to his mother at home. All good qualities are embodied in him.

What was his purpose in doing all this? To win the hearts and minds of the people, to gain prestige, and then to steal the country. He succeeded.

Before he stole the country, he was a saint. After gaining prestige and popular support, he changed, from a saint to a thief.

"Was becoming a saint Wang Mang's goal? No, it wasn't. He became a saint in order to become a thief, a thief who stole the country."

"I, Zhuangzi of the Taoist sect, have long since seen clearly the laws governing the world, and therefore left these words to warn the world. It's a pity that human nature is such that even words of warning are useless."

"This is far away, and only temporary. What I'm going to talk about next is something close to us. They're right next to us, and they've been thieves for a thousand years. I'm going to expose them today."

When Lin Lingsu said this, everyone looked at the Buddhists.

What is the occasion today? It is a debate between Taoism and Buddhism, and there is a time limit for the debate. How could Lin Lingsu talk nonsense? In the end, he must point to Buddhism.

Above, Jiang Weichen smiled and said, "Interesting. After explaining so much and laying the groundwork, we're finally getting straight to the point."

Zhao Kuangyin also laughed and said: "He is so eloquent, should I give him an official title? Otherwise, it would be a waste of his sharp tongue."

Zhao Kuangyin was joking, but Jiang Weichen responded, "Appoint him as a diplomat. He will definitely be better than those envoys."

"Diplomat?" Zhao Kuangyin had just heard of this position for the first time. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Is it specifically for foreign affairs?"

Jiang Weichen smiled and said, "Exactly. I'm responsible for foreign negotiations and striving for the interests of the Song Dynasty."

"That's a very good suggestion," Zhao Kuangyin said with a smile, "let's appoint him as the first diplomat of the Great Song Dynasty."

Jiang Weichen and Zhao Kuangyin decided Lin Lingsu's future official position while chatting and joking.

Duan Siping on the side sighed. With this person around, there was no hope for the Buddhist literary competition.

Although this second topic is an explanation of the interpretation of the scriptures, consistency between words and actions is the fundamental principle.

Talking without doing is not enough. If you talk a lot but don’t actually do it, it means you haven’t fully understood it.

This is too unfavorable to Buddhism. Even if he goes there in person, he will be unable to refute Lin Lingsu's subsequent words.

He anticipated Lin Lingsu's next words, and the three people on the field also anticipated it.

Xuan Du said, "With this question, I, the Buddhist sect, admit defeat."

We can’t let Lin Lingsu continue talking, as it will have a huge impact on the reputation of Buddhism.

Lin Lingsu smiled and said, "Even if we lose, we must lose clearly. We can't let the witnesses leave with doubts, otherwise they will think that this Taoist-Buddhist debate is unfair."

As soon as Lin Lingsu finished speaking, the crowd of Jianghu warriors outside the arena who were watching the excitement and not minding the trouble immediately shouted:

"Go on, I want to hear it!"

"Yes, go on. I want to hear what this thousand-year-old thief stole!"

"I don't have much education, so I don't understand what you are talking about. I want to hear a plain explanation."

"..."

Chapter 487: Literary Battle (V)

The crowd outside the arena started to jeer, but Xuan Du inside said, "Donor, our Buddhist sect has already admitted defeat. Let's show mercy when we can."

"Give up?" Lin Lingsu asked, and before Xuan Du could answer, she said, "Unless you agree to convert from Buddhism to Taoism and join the Taoist sect, there's no point in discussing this."

Xuan Du's face was grim, his fists clenched tightly, and he was about to attack.

"Master Xuan Du, I advise you to calm down." Lin Lingsu reminded.

The word "Great Mage" was uttered by Lin Lingsu with a sneer. Xuan Du felt a deep sense of irony and could no longer control himself. He attacked and cursed, "Calm down..."

Just as Xuan Du was about to move and utter a curse word, Ku Rong stopped him first.

"Master Xuan Du, this is a literary duel. Don't get angry out of shame, otherwise you will be criticized." Ku Rong said.

After hearing what Ku Rong said, Xuan Du took a few deep breaths and chanted Buddhist mantras repeatedly, and then he calmed down.

The abbot was already so angry that he fainted. If he got angry enough to attack again, he would really not be able to afford to lose.

He had always been kind and gentle to others in Shaolin and was deeply loved by his disciples, but at this moment he could not tolerate Lin Lingsu's expression.

Seeing that her goal had not been achieved, Lin Lingsu did not provoke Xuan Du. Instead, she looked around and said, "I believe everyone already knows who this thief I'm talking about is. That's right, he is Fomen."

"It has been over a thousand years since Buddhism was introduced to China. What have they stolen in these past thousand years?

Wealth, endless wealth. Although Buddhism does not engage in production, the Buddha has a golden body, and the Bodhisattvas and Arhats are inlaid with silver and plated with copper.

The monks in the temple are either highly skilled in martial arts or extremely fat and bloated, all of which are contributed by the believers.

Why should believers contribute their wealth to them? Because they deceive people by asking for children, wealth, and peace, and almost everything they ask for is granted.”

"But is it really true that every wish will be granted? If praying for children is effective, is there any need for men to exist?

If making money is useful, is there any need for ordinary people and businessmen to work hard?

If seeking peace is useful, is there any need for us to practice martial arts?"

"If their prayers are not answered, what will they say to the believers? A simple sentence, "Your heart is not sincere," can solve everything. Why is your heart not sincere? The answer is: not enough money.

If there is still no response, what then? It’s simple, they will tell you that your request will be answered in the next life, as the saying goes, “Suffer in this life, enjoy happiness in the next.”

“If it works, people think it’s the Buddha’s manifestation, the Buddha’s blessing, and the credit goes to the Buddha, while ignoring the facts.

If it doesn't work, it's because you're not sincere. Or maybe it's not that it doesn't work, but that it will happen in your next life."

“As the saying goes, Buddhism in prosperous times. Why is it called Buddhism in prosperous times? Because believers in prosperous times have money. In troubled times, believers can’t even get enough to eat, so how can they have money?

The believers have no money, so the Buddhist temples are closed. If the believers want to go back in, they can’t, because: Buddha only saves those who are predestined, and predestined means having money.

"They've been like this for thousands of years. Why did the Three Wus and One Zong destroy Buddhism? Because Buddhism was too rich, so rich that even the emperor couldn't stand it. What does it mean to be rich enough to rival a country? I think this is it."

“This is stealing money, but in addition to money, they also steal reputation, fame and fortune.

Why is Shaolin the leader of the martial arts world? Because of their high reputation.

How could the former Shaolin Abbot Xuanci gather so many martial artists to kill Xiao Feng's family just because of a piece of news whose truth or falsity was unknown?

Also because of his high reputation, and the false news that Xiao Yuanshan wanted to steal Shaolin martial arts.

So he gathered his fellow martial artists to nip the threat to Shaolin in the bud, he..."

Lin Lingsu was about to speak, but was interrupted by a loud shout: "Lin Lingsu, you're wrong. Senior Brother Xuanci may have been guilty of negligence, but Xiao Yuanshan is a Khitan. There's nothing wrong with Senior Brother Xuanci taking precautions. You won't tolerate slander."

Lin Lingsu looked at Xuan Du and smiled, "Okay, let's not discuss whether his starting point is to nip the threat to Shaolin in the bud or for national justice.

But is Xuanci truly a man of righteousness? I doubt it. At the Young Demon-Slaying Conference over twenty years ago, Xuanci personally admitted that he and Ye Erniang had a son.

Although no one knows who his son is, not only did he commit adultery, but the fact that he allowed Ye Erniang to do evil for many years without saying a word shows that his image as a great monk to the outside world is all fake. His purpose is to steal reputation, win people's hearts, and establish a glorious and majestic image of Buddhism so that he can continue to deceive the world.

If even one of the leading figures of Buddhism behaves like this, how many of his followers are like this?"

"They've been doing this for a thousand years. If they're not the biggest thieves, who else is?"

After Lin Lingsu finished speaking, he looked around and finally said in a loud voice: "This time we changed Buddhism to Taoism in order to correct their customs and stop them from fooling the world.

Finally, I want to leave you with a message: If your mind is evil, burning incense will do you no good. If your body is upright, even if you see a Buddha, it doesn't matter if you don't bow. Please spread this message."

"Well, that's a good point. Martial artists like us only need to cultivate ourselves. Why should we pray to gods or Buddhas?"

"Master Lin is right. People in my sect only cultivate this life and don't care about the afterlife."

"Yeah, this whole idea of ​​suffering in this life and enjoying happiness in the next is bullshit. If you can't even understand this life, how can you dream of the next life?"

"That's right. I suffer in this life, but I don't remember any blessings in my past life."

"The Buddha only saves those with a predestined relationship. It turns out he's not saving those with a predestined relationship, but the rich. I was wondering why the mountain gates are open in prosperous times but closed in troubled times. It turns out the believers have run out of money."

"Damn it! Lin Lingsu deserves to die! He is destroying the foundation of my Buddhist sect."

"Amitabha, Lin Lingsu has slandered my Buddha and deserves to go to the eighteen levels of hell. Fellow disciples, I want to eliminate the demon. Is there anyone who wants to accompany me?"

"Amitabha, count me in."

"I am also a poor monk."

"..."

"Okay, fellow disciples, wait until this matter is over. We will act in batches and fight until one of us dies."

Above, Qingyun smiled and said, "If Lin Lingsu's words today were to spread, the blow to Buddhism would be no less than the previous destruction of Buddhism."

Jiang Weichen smiled and said, "With so many people present, the news is bound to spread. And with you guys fanning the flames, the impact will spread throughout the world."