Chapter 52 The Buddha's Journey to the West in the Central Pure Land World!
In the Earthly Immortal Realm, in the far west of Xiniuhezhou, there is a vast and boundless mountain range called Lingshan.
At the top of Lingshan Mountain, there is heaven and earth. Above it is the Saha Pure Land in the center. In the pure land, there is a pagoda. The pagoda is in four directions. Each of the four sides is 48,000 feet wide and 48,000 feet high. It has seven floors.
, there are relics hanging on each floor, and the Buddha's light shines all day and night, making the entire pure land bright.
This pagoda towers between heaven and earth. It is extremely huge, but there is no one in the pagoda. There are only two monks in front of the door. Compared with the pagoda, they are like two ants.
These two monks, Ananda and Kayapa, are the direct disciples of the Tathagata Buddha. They respect the Tathagata's decree, protect the central Saha Pure Land, and at the same time welcome the arrival of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.
After a while, I saw Buddha's light lingering in the distance, auspicious clouds forming, and many Buddhas embracing each other.
Ruchana Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Medicine Buddha Glazed Buddha, One-Sylled Golden Wheel Buddha, Joyful Buddha and other Buddhas, led by Hui Neng Bodhisattva, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, Deva Bodhisattva, Precious Tree Bodhisattva, Eight Heavenly Dragons Guangli Bodhisattva, etc., came from the horizon.
Keep coming.
In the light of the Buddha that fills the sky, all the great Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, leading their disciples, come together. In front of the seven-story pagoda, the world is boundless, the Saha Pure Land, and 48,000 Zen masters, monks, Upasikas, Upasakas, and holy monks are in the Pure Land.
, the great god, Ding Jia, Gong Cao, and Jialan were all in front of the pagoda, chanting Amitabha Buddha in unison, waiting for the Buddha's summons.
All the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, etc. all recited the Prajna Heart Sutra and chanted the Buddha's voice, which resounded throughout the entire central whirling world.
"Welcome to my Buddha, Sakyamuni Tathagata!"
In the sound of Buddha's voice full of awe and worship, the entire central whirling world seemed to freeze at this moment. Then, a golden sun with dazzling light rose slowly from the top of the seven-story pagoda.
, the light shines on the entire pure land world.
And in the golden light of the sky, a golden Buddha appeared out of thin air on the top of the pagoda.
Behind the golden Buddha, flames appeared out of thin air, and the flames swept across the sky. In the bursting flames, there were five Ming Kings standing in it, either glaring angrily, or looking majestic and mysterious.
The Buddha had anger and turned into a bright king. They were born out of the Buddha's evil thoughts, and they were also the Buddha's main fighting force to suppress all external enemies. Basically, once the five bright kings appeared, there were few opponents in the three realms.
"Meet the Buddha!"
The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas once again put their hands together and performed the Buddhist salute. After the Buddha smiled and nodded, everyone took their seats in front of the seven-story pagoda, waiting for the Buddha's next decree.
Sakyamuni Tathagata opened his mouth and said: "Since the establishment of Mahayana Buddhism and the creation of the Central Pure Land, although you have made great contributions in protecting Buddhism, Buddhism is still just a small path in the earthly and immortal world. You have no merits and virtues, and you cannot save the world. It is really a pity."
"I want to start a journey to the west to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Which of you is willing to reincarnate in the East Sheng Shenzhou and be the one to obtain Buddhist scriptures?"
The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were silent for a while, and no one answered.
The matter of seeking scriptures is a big deal, and if it is accomplished, the Buddha will definitely reward you greatly.
But this matter should not be decided easily. After all, reincarnation is dangerous and unpredictable. After reincarnation, the original self will die and a new self will be born, and you will no longer be yourself. The choice between them is extremely difficult to decide.
"I would like to ask the Buddha that the spread of my enlightened Buddha's teachings to the East is a major event involving destiny. Does the Emperor of Heaven agree with this matter?" A Bodhisattva asked.
"The spread of Buddhism to the East is something that the Emperor of Heaven and I agreed upon when the Earthly Immortal Realm was established. The Emperor of Heaven has agreed to this and will not hinder it!" Tathagata Buddha held the flower and said with a smile.
"That's great!" All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas kept nodding and smiling.
"May I ask the Buddha, what do you want from those who don't know how to obtain Buddhist scriptures?" asked a golden Arhat.
"Those who seek sutras must have the status of Bodhisattva and be willing to give up their true body and self to save all sentient beings..."
As soon as this request came out, the scene fell into stagnation again. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and even Arhats and monks were all living well in this central whirling world. They wanted them to give up their current status, even give up themselves, and go to
There are really not many people who have such great perseverance as those who seek Buddhist scriptures.
Tathagata is not upset about this situation. He knows that even a Buddha cannot be free from desires and pursuits. However, as long as the benefits are sufficient, he believes that there will be Bodhisattvas willing to take on this task.
"After you have completed your study of the sutras and spread the Dharma eastward, you will be able to attain the Buddhahood!"
Sure enough, as soon as the Buddha said these words, many Bodhisattvas were immediately tempted. The road to promotion in Buddhism is very difficult. Generally speaking, even a strong man with half a step to the Taiyi realm can still only become a Bodhisattva if he is not recognized by the Buddha.
, and cannot be promoted to the position of Buddha.
Buddha not only represents a position of power, but also represents the recognition of the central whirling world. With the status of Buddha, he is an immortal existence in this central whirling world. Unless the whirling world is destroyed, even if it is too late.
The arrival of the second-level power cannot destroy a Buddha in both form and spirit.
Not many Bodhisattvas can resist this temptation towards Buddhahood.
As expected, with the promise of the Buddha's attainment, almost all Bodhisattvas except the Buddha's great disciples Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva were unmoved.
Even Jin Chanzi, the second disciple of the Buddha, was very excited and seemed to recommend himself.
The two venerable Ananda Kassapa, who guarded the central Pure Land world, also looked up at the Buddha expectantly, their eyes full of yearning.
Compared with the immortal Buddha, who is willing to be a gatekeeper all his life?
Even if you lose your true self after reincarnation, and the experiences in this life can only become memories after awakening in the next life, even so, the temptation to become a Buddha is enough for people to give up everything and give it a try.
The competition among Buddhist scripture seekers is extremely fierce. There are no less than ten thousand Bodhisattvas who came to this central whirling world this time.
In the end, it was the Buddha's second disciple Jin Chanzi who was more in line with the Buddha's ideal candidate for Buddhist scriptures and got the spot.
All the Bodhisattvas were helpless. After all, Jin Chanzi's conditions were indeed higher than theirs in terms of Buddhist practice and status. Just being a direct disciple of the Buddha was enough to suppress them all.
"The candidates for Buddhist scriptures have been decided. Next, we need to select three guardians from the three realms. You can speak freely and recommend candidates!"
Traveling to the west to obtain scriptures is a major event, and even the Buddha does not dare to neglect it. Although he has agreed with Emperor Gouchen to choose a demon king as a protector, he still has to go through the process to try to let the Buddhas,
All Bodhisattvas are involved, so that in the future everyone will not work hard and delay the important event.