Chapter 104: The First Appearance of Buddha Traces
Southern Xinjiang, Wat Pho, Main Hall.
Xuantang, wearing a moon-white monk's robe, sat cross-legged in front of the Buddha statue, banged wooden fish, closed his eyes and recited scriptures.
Suddenly, a burst of footsteps came from far and near, and finally stopped at the entrance of the Main Hall.
The chanting stopped suddenly, and Xuantang, who felt a little strange, slowly opened his eyes, looked at the dull-looking monk standing at the door, frowned slightly and said, "Hengyuan, what do you want to see me for?"
The monk named Hengyuan suddenly showed a strange smile and said in a cold tone: "Jin Chanzi, don't you even recognize me?"
After hearing this, Xuantang looked carefully at "Hengyuan" not far away, and saw a Buddhist kingdom looming behind "Hengyuan", with endless golden Buddha light blooming in the void. His eyes couldn't help but sting, and he closed them consciously, and two lines of tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
slide.
It is the World Honored Buddha, and Heng Yuan is possessed by him.
This thought suddenly appeared in Xuantang's mind, and his whole body tensed subconsciously. An extreme fear surged out of his heart and quickly enveloped his whole body. At this moment, his body even lost consciousness.
"Heng Yuan"'s weird smile lingered in Xuantang's mind like a nightmare.
After all, Xuantang was a human being in two lifetimes, and he was also a powerful person in the realm of gods and humans. His state of panic only lasted for a breath before he was forcibly dispelled. His expression quickly returned to normal, and he changed from sitting cross-legged to kneeling. While kowtowing, he said: "Disciple pays homage to the World Honored One.
.”
I heard Xuantang choke and say: "I heard that the World Honored One was in trouble, and my disciple felt as if his heart had been pierced by thousands of swords. He could not sleep well day and night. Today, I see that the World Honored One is fine, and I feel relieved."
The smile on the face of the Buddha who was possessed by Hengyuan did not diminish, and he said meaningfully: "Really? Why do I think you are afraid? What are you afraid of?"
Xuantang said with sadness on his face: "My disciples are scared. The World Honored One has exerted great pressure on me to create the immortal Buddhism. However, when the World Honored One is in trouble, my disciples are not only unable to help me, but I can't even defend Buddhism. As a result, Buddhist disciples are oppressed by others."
I am ashamed to face the World Honored One and have no face to face the World Honored One."
The Buddha possessed by Hengyuan walked into the Mahavira Hall, closed the door behind him, and then walked to the high platform where the Buddha statue was enshrined. He became one with the Buddha statue.
In an instant, the Buddha statue seemed to come to life. The clay sculpture turned into flesh and blood and disappeared forever, revealing the original appearance of the Buddha.
Buddha sat on the high platform, looked down at Xuantang, and said with unclear meaning: "Really?"
Xuantang quickly replied: "What I said is absolutely true. If there is even half a lie, I am willing to be suppressed by the World Honored One and never be able to stand up again."
The Buddha was silent for a moment, looked at Xuantang who was kneeling respectfully in front of him, and suddenly smiled and said: "Okay, get up and speak. If I don't believe you, why would I come to see you today?"
Xuantang got up from the ground with a face full of joy, and said with tears in his eyes: "I thank the Lord for your trust. With these words from the Lord, it will be worth it even if I go through fire and water, and my brain will be ruined."
The Buddha restrained his smile and said calmly: "Okay, stop talking nonsense. I would like to ask you, what happened to Buddhism during my absence, so that it has withered like this?"
Hearing this, Xuantang knelt on the ground again: "My disciple is incompetent. Since the day the World Honored One disappeared, the Taoist Palace, led by Zhuang Zhou Linze, and several people have tried every means to suppress Buddhism. If they were not concerned about the backlash from Heaven, they would have killed all the Buddhists, leaving no chickens or dogs behind."
Buddha's expression changed slightly and he said, "Oh, what kind of suppression method?"
A trace of resentment appeared on Xuantang's face: "First, Lin Ze relied on the power of the sage Zhuang Zhou to force the three senior brothers of Maitreya, Ksitigarbha and Guanyin to betray Buddhism and establish their own sect."
"In order to preserve the Buddhist heritage and wait for the return of the World Honored One, the three senior brothers had no choice but to compromise and divide the Buddhist sect into four according to the Taoist Palace's request."
"Not long after the Buddhism split, Lin Ze was still worried. He took Zhuang Zhou to southern Xinjiang in person, bullied the weak, and forced the three senior brothers to return to Chang'an with them, and they have been imprisoned to this day."
"In addition, in order to suppress Buddhism, Lin Ze issued a decree that all monks must obtain food through hard work. However, those who got something for nothing were discovered and directly arrested and used as hard labor, treated like animals."
"If a monk refuses to become a hard laborer, he will be beheaded by the officials of the Western Qin Dynasty. His head will be missing, and his end will be extremely miserable."
"I think of all the countless eminent monks in our Buddhist sect, who are not supported by the donations of believers and only need to serve the World Honored One wholeheartedly. How could they be reduced to working in the fields like untouchables? The prestige of Buddhism is greatly damaged and other sects are ridiculed."
The Buddha said angrily: "Are you just going to let others bully you? Aren't you going to resist vigorously?"
Xuantang smiled bitterly and said: "The officials of the Western Qin Dynasty who guarded southern Xinjiang said that if monks resist and hurt others, ten monks will be killed if one is injured, and a hundred monks will be killed if one is killed, until all Buddhist monks are slaughtered."
"I ask myself that if the World-Honored One does not come out, no one can defeat Zhuang Zhou. In order to preserve the Buddhist heritage, I have to endure it."
A cold look appeared on the Buddha's face: "No wonder the luck I have received has dropped sharply this year, and it is not even as much as before. It turns out that the Taoist palace is the cause, and the methods used are so despicable."
"The Taoist Sage is indifferent by nature, while Zhuang Zhou has a gentle and kind personality. Only that kid Lin Ze could think of such a vicious plan. This kid was first ordered by the Taoist Sage to plot against me, and now he is persecuting Buddhism. He is simply deceiving others."
"When I return, I will definitely let him repay his karma and suffer retribution."
Xuantang's expression changed slightly when he heard this, and he said cautiously: "Hasn't the World Honored One returned already? Could it be that..."
In the middle of speaking, Xuantang quickly stopped talking and said with fear on his face: "I have no intention of offending the World Honored One, and I hope that the World Honored One will forgive me."
Buddhism has a strict hierarchy. It is a serious blasphemy for ordinary monks to inquire about the Buddha. According to the precepts, they must be severely punished.
Although Xuantang is not an ordinary monk, he is still not qualified to inquire about the secrets of the Buddha.
In the entire Buddhist sect, no one is qualified.
The Buddha gave Xuantang a cold look and said indifferently: "It's not your turn to worry about my affairs. You can go back and receive the punishment of being burned with karma."
Hearing this, Xuantang said dryly: "Disciple thanks the Lord for showing mercy beyond the law."
The Buddha was slightly satisfied and said: "This is not bad. Since the punishment has been paid, I will remind you once. My true body is hidden in an unknown place. It cannot possess others for too long, so it is not considered a return.
.”
"When I return to the throne and am not afraid of the sages of Taoism and Confucianism, I will naturally appear in front of the world."
Can't possession last long? Before the strength has been restored, can we only act through possession?
Xuantang inevitably had messy thoughts in his mind, and then forcefully dismissed them.
Xuantang knew very well in his heart what words he could believe and what words he shouldn't believe. If he believed what he shouldn't believe, he wouldn't know how he would die someday.
After a while, seeing that the Buddha showed no sign of continuing, Xuantang quickly realized that the Buddha appeared this time because he probably had something to tell him to do, otherwise there was no need to risk his appearance.
After all, Buddha has not yet restored his holy status, and even Zhuang Zhou cannot defeat him.
So Xuantang took the initiative to bow and asked tentatively: "Does the World Honored One have anything to ask his disciples to do?"
The Buddha said indifferently: "I really have something I want to entrust you to do. I want you to find a way to bring any one of the three Maitreya Ksitigarbha and Avalokitesvara to me."
"Please remember, this matter must not disturb the people in the Taoist Palace, especially the Taoist Sage and Zhuang Zhou. If you ruin my important affairs, I will not spare you."
Xuantang hesitated for a moment and whispered: "Reporting to the World Honored One, as far as my disciples know, the two senior brothers Maitreya Ksitigarbha are safe and sound and are under house arrest in Chang'an. I'm afraid senior brother Guanshiyin has encountered something unexpected."
The Buddha's expression changed: "What did you say? Something unexpected happened to Guanshiyin? What exactly happened? Please tell me clearly."
Xuantang said cautiously: "A year ago, Lin Ze brought Zhuang Zhou to southern Xinjiang, preparing to force the three senior brothers to imprison themselves in Chang'an, but in the end only two senior brothers Maitreya Ksitigarbha were found, and senior Guanshiyin was nowhere to be seen, just like in the human world
It’s as if it has evaporated, leaving no trace at all.”
"The disciple felt strange, so he secretly sent someone to find out what happened. Finally, he learned that something might have happened to Brother Guanshiyin."
Buddha's expression softened slightly: "So, you are just hearing about it and don't have any definite information?"
Xuantang nodded slightly and said: "Yes, the disciple has not received the exact information, but after thinking about it carefully, the disciple Lin Ze has always been plotting against Buddhism. If senior brother Guan Shiyin had not died, how could he give up so easily and continue to pursue it?
"
"The disciples even speculated that senior brother Guanshiyin was harmed by the Taoist palace, so the Taoist palace only imprisoned two senior brothers, Maitreya Ksitigarbha, in Chang'an."
The Buddha pondered for a moment, waved his hands and said: "Since you don't know clearly, don't make random guesses. When I resume my holy position, I can determine whether Guanyin is alive or dead. If he died unjustly, I will end this matter for him."
Part of cause and effect."
"For now, you can rest assured and complete the instructions given to you by me. Avalokitesvara cannot come, so Maitreya Ksitigarbha alone will suffice."
Xuantang looked solemn and responded loudly: "Please rest assured, World Honored One, I will never let the World Honored One down."
Buddha chuckled and said: "If you really do this well, I don't care whether you endured humiliation or really betrayed Buddhism. Let bygones be bygones."
The next moment, the Buddha's face suddenly became extremely gloomy: "If you are unable to accomplish this, I will investigate you. You definitely don't want to see it."
"I will come to find you."
After the Buddha said these words, his eyes suddenly dimmed. The flesh and blood that originally looked like fresh flesh turned into stone bit by bit, and gradually transformed into a clay sculpture.
After a while, there was only one golden Buddha statue left on the high platform, as if the flesh and blood body had never appeared.
Later, Hengyuan's body fell out of the Buddha statue.
Xuantang took a step forward to catch Hengyuan and found that he had lost consciousness and was unconscious.
Xuantang hesitated for a moment, opened the door of the palace, sent Hengyuan out, and looked at the Buddha statue alone with an unclear expression.
Without disturbing Zhuang Zhou, bring anyone from Maitreya Ksitigarbha in front of you. World Honored One, World Honored One, you really think highly of your disciples.
After a long time, Xuantang walked out of the hall and flew towards Chang'an.