"That day, the smell of blood rushed into the sky. I was terrified on Tile Mountain. The bells in the seventeen halls of the Lanke Temple sounded an alarm and rang at the same time. The bell rang for three days and three nights."
Master Qishan turned around and looked at Ning Que. He said, "And just a few days ago, the seventeen bells in the Lanke Temple rang again. The bell rang all the way to Tile Mountain. I then realized that the smell of blood had appeared again."
Hearing this, Ning Que's expression did not change at all, but his body in the black Academy uniform tightened involuntarily. His mind was in a mess, and then he became very alert.
The Buddhist bells in the Lanke Temple had rung because of Lotus' Practice of Taotie. So when the bells rang again a few days ago, they must have sensed what he had done to Long Qing in the autumn rain at the Red Lotus Temple.
Master Qishan had obviously guessed the truth, but he did not expose it. He said kindly, "I am now old and dying. Although I dare not say that I have seen through the difference between the Orthodox and the Devil, I have at least seen through it. However, there are still many people in this world who cannot see through it, such as the Xuankong Temple and Haotian Taoism."
"In the eyes of Haotian Taoism, even the Buddhism Sect is outside the Taoism, let alone the Devil's Doctrine. Ning Que, you have to understand that a man cannot defeat the Heavens. No matter how strong Mr. Ke is, he cannot be stronger than the Heavens. No matter how high the Headmaster of the Academy is, he cannot be higher than the Heavens. So it is best not to come into contact with some things. If you have already come into contact with it, forget it. "
Ning Que knew that the Master was being kind and was trying to persuade him not to go deeper into the Devil's Path. No matter what situation he faced, he should not use the evil and bloody Practice of Taotie.
After the autumn rain, he often felt that there was still a strong and slightly sweet taste of blood in his mouth, as if Long Qing's flesh and blood were still hanging between his teeth. It was extremely disgusting.
Because of the psychological trauma since childhood, he believed that he could control himself from using the Practice of Taotie. However, he could not stop cultivating Youngest Uncle's Great Spirit. So would he eventually walk the same path as Youngest Uncle?
Master Qishan said, "Tell me about Lotus."
Ning Que lowered his head in silence. Even if the Master had guessed the truth, he was still not ready to admit it because he did not want to take any risks.
Master Qishan sighed and said, "Decades ago, I was the one who brought Junior Brother Lotus into Buddhism. How could I not feel that he had passed on his mantle to you? I just want to know what happened to him after that."
Perhaps it was the disappointment and regret in the Master's voice that moved Ning Que, or perhaps it was because he was very respectful of the relationship between Senior and Junior Brothers. After a moment of hesitation, he began to tell the bizarre story in the depths of the Wilderness.
"That side hall was filled with bones and dried corpses. Master Lotus was sitting in the middle of the pile of bones and corpses …"
…
…
The Lanke Temple was quiet in the autumn rain. The incense burning in one of the halls stubbornly penetrated the heavy rain and floated to the corridor of the back hall, turning the oppressive and cold atmosphere into solemnity.
After listening to Ning Que's story, Master Qishan was silent for a long time.
He smelled the faint fragrance and raised his skinny arm. His fingers trembled as they slid through the air, as if he wanted to grasp something. However, the fragrance was fragrant but formless. It was like a memory that he couldn't grasp.
"Even in such a hopeless situation, he was still able to make good plans and wanted to use you to escape. That was indeed Junior Brother Lotus's personality. Even though he died in the end, he was actually able to escape from the confinement of his body. He should be happy.
A complicated smile appeared on the Master's old face.
Ning Que thought of what he had experienced in the Front Gate of the Devil's Doctrine and the fragments of Lotus's consciousness in his sense of perception.
He looked at Sangsang who was sitting on the futon in the depths of the hall and said, "Before Lotus died, he once said that if Taoism and Devil's Doctrine were connected, one could enter Divinity. Now Sangsang has cultivated both Taoism and Buddhism, and her body seems to be born with some kind of divinity. If she continues to cultivate like this, is it possible that she will repeat Lotus's mistake and become a madman?"
Master Qishan looked at the hall and said calmly, "If she wants to turn the black chess piece white, she can do it. Thinking is what we call Buddhism. It has power in itself. If she doesn't want to become Lotus, she won't become Lotus."
Then the Master turned to look at him and asked, "But you … what will you think?"
Ning Que thought for a moment and said, "I don't know, but it must be relatively simple."
"The simpler and purer it is, the more powerful it is, and sometimes the scarier it is."
Master Qishan looked at him and said gently, "Why didn't you come into the hall to listen to my preaching with Sangsang? If you don't like my preaching, there are many Buddhist scriptures hidden in the Lanke Temple. You can read them yourself. Buddhism can break the demons in your heart and get rid of all obstacles. It is good for you now. "
"Master Lotus once said that the Buddhist scriptures are as vast as the sea. But if you look carefully at the bottom of the paper, you will find that all the Buddhist Dharma actually talks about one word: tolerance. And Second Brother once said that there are 3,000 Buddhist Dharma, but it is just a way to teach people to deceive themselves. "
Ning Que said, "Tolerance and self-deception are the same thing. I am very good at tolerance, so I don't need to learn it. As for … the method of self-deception, I am worried that if I lie to myself for too long, I will forget my original intention and think that it is all true. I will never wake up."
"Mr. Second is a courteous person. Naturally, he can't stand the Buddhism Sect's disrespectful behavior."
Master Qishan asked, "But if life is a big dream, why wake up?"
Ning Que said, "Even if we dream, we have to be happy. So even if life is really a big dream, we have to pretend that it is not a dream."
Master Qishan asked again, "Then how do you know that the world in the Buddhist scriptures is a fake dream and not reality?"
After saying that, Ning Que remembered that he had boasted to Chen Pipi in the back of the mountain of the Academy that even though he was not a scholar, he could occasionally say something shocking. He was a little proud.
However, when the master asked again, he found that he did not know how to answer. Only then did he confirm that the shocking words of an uneducated person were indeed something that happened occasionally. He was not qualified to understand the meaning of Zen.
He said helplessly, "Master, why do you want me to learn Buddhism and Zen? Sangsang is sick, and she can't get better if she doesn't learn Buddhism. This is her fate with Buddhism. I don't think I have any fate with Buddhism. "
Master Qishan laughed and said, "How can the fate that Buddhism talks about be so simple? It seems that you really haven't read any Buddhist scriptures. I have to help you with this lesson on behalf of the Headmaster. "
Ning Que felt that something was wrong.
"Master, you seem to think highly of me, but I really don't think I'm special."
He turned to look at Sangsang in the hall and said, "Compared to her, sometimes I really feel that I'm as stupid as a pig. No matter how much I cultivate Buddhism, I can't make the Buddhism Sect have another master."
"She is the most special one, and you are also the special one."
Master Qishan followed his gaze and looked at Sangsang, who was already in meditation. He said with admiration, "The Lady of Light is pure in body and mind. She can understand the Divine Skill with a single thought, understand Buddhism with another thought, and know Destiny in three years …"
Before the master could finish his words, Ning Que shook his head repeatedly.
"I know that there are people who are faster than me, so I don't think I'm special."
Master Qishan said, "But that kind of person is extremely rare."
Ning Que said, "There are still people who are rare, so I'm not special."
Master Qishan looked into his eyes and said in confusion, "You seem to be very worried about being the special one."
Ning Que said, "What do I mean by standing out in the forest? It's really annoying. I don't want to be a fat pig."
Master Qishan laughed and said, "That's just because you are in the Academy."
Ning Que said with a smile, "That's right. For example, my Eldest Brother comprehended the Seethrough in the morning and entered the Knowing Destiny State in the evening. Only people like him are qualified to say that they are special. Even if I smack the butt of a black horse, I can't catch up with him."
"Mr. First is a peerless person who comprehended the Tao in the morning and entered the Tao in the evening.
Master Qishan said, "But you are very different from ordinary cultivators in the world. Except for Master Yan Se who saw your talent in Talisman Taoism, your other talents in cultivation are just ordinary …"
Ning Que added, "Not only ordinary, but also extremely bad."
Master Qishan said, "However, with such terrible talent, you entered the Knowing Destiny State in three years of cultivation. This proves that your ability has exceeded the scope of ordinary talents …"
"I don't know how you cultivate, but I have heard of your performance at the three most critical moments in cultivation. When you entered Talisman Taoism, you relied on a summer rain. When you entered the Seethrough, you relied on a fish cooked by the Calligraphy Addict. And a few days ago, you entered the Knowing Destiny State in battle without any warning. "
Master Qishan continued, "Cultivators pay attention to step by step and learn to master the rules of the Qi of Heaven and Earth. As for the disciples of the Buddhism Sect, they rely on years of painstaking cultivation to have a clear understanding. This is the so-called enlightenment."
Ning Que remembered the teachings of Master Huang Yang at the Wanyan Tower Temple.
Master Qishan looked into his eyes and said seriously, "Your performance when you broke through the realm had nothing to do with those opportunities. It was more like the enlightenment that the Buddhism Sect talked about. Therefore, your comprehension is excellent. It is a pity that you don't learn Buddhism."
Ning Que could not help but feel that Second Brother's words were indeed reasonable. Whether it was Taoism or Buddhism, when they wanted to absorb new blood, they were really like the guys in the Rat Society who spat everywhere …
"I am really afraid that I will fall asleep reading the Buddhist scriptures."
He begged for mercy.
Master Qishan took out an extremely thin scripture from his sleeve and handed it to him. He said, "I specially picked an interesting scripture, and it is very short. You won't fall asleep reading it."
After saying this, the master walked into the temple to see how much Sangsang had learned today.
Ning Que opened the book in his hand and saw that it was just some simple illustrations of Buddhist stories. He could not help but feel a little embarrassed and angry. He shouted at the master's back, "This is for children. Can I have another one?"
…
…
After lunch and a rest for a while, Sangsang continued her Buddhist lessons. Ning Que stood under the porch in front of the temple and teased the Big Black Horse with a snow lotus. He felt bored and finally remembered the scripture.
The illustrations in the scripture were simple and smooth, and the stories were also very interesting. They hid the enlightenment deeply and cleverly. The more he read, the more interested he became. He simply asked the monks in the temple to find a bamboo chair.
He lay on the chair and casually flipped through the book. Occasionally, he would take a sip of hot tea. When he did not want to read, he would look up at the fine autumn rain in front of the temple and relax his eyes. He felt very comfortable.
Master Qishan walked out of the temple.
Ning Que stood up from the chair and handed him hot tea. He asked confusedly, "Master, why did you come out?"
Master Qishan did not stand on ceremony. He took the hot tea and lay comfortably on the bamboo chair. He said, "Miss Sangsang is meditating again. I have nothing to do inside, so I came out to talk to you."
Ning Que said in surprise, "Meditating again so soon? Don't tell me this stupid girl is sleeping? "
Meditating was a term used by the Buddhism Sect. It referred to the settling of thoughts before enlightenment and the state of being completely oblivious. In terms of Haotian Taoism cultivation, it was probably the state of emptiness before finding the opportunity.
Sangsang meditated before noon and again in the afternoon. This meant that Master Qishan taught her Buddhism Dharma and she could understand it without any effort. No one would believe it.
Even though Ning Que knew that she could produce Haotian Divine Light on her fingertips in the blink of an eye when she learned West-Hill Divine Skills from Wei Guangming, he still could not believe it. So he suspected that she was asleep.
Master Qishan said, "I can still tell the difference between sleeping and meditating."
Ning Que looked at his calm expression and asked curiously, "Master, you don't seem surprised."
Master Qishan took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "I won't be surprised no matter how strange things happen to her."
Ning Que said, "Now I believe what you said last night."
"What did I say?"
"You said that Sangsang can become Buddha."
"Everyone can become Buddha."
"Master, I'm really not good at saying these things, even though Zen does sound charming."
"Then I'll make it clearer."
Master Qishan lay in the chair and tightened his clothes. He said, "Buddha is a human, so why can't humans become Buddha?"
Ning Que said, "I used to think that Buddha was just a symbol like Haotian. Until my teacher mentioned it once, and then I saw the chessboard yesterday, I realized that Buddha really existed."
Master Qishan looked up at the sky and said, "Buddha also lived under the sky."
Ning Que looked at the gray sky and asked, "Since it's the world of Haotian, why does Buddha exist? Where did Buddha go in the end?"
Master Qishan said, "Since there's a beginning, there's an end. If there's life, there's death. Since Buddha was a human, he passed away in the end. This is something that can be checked in history."
Ning Que thought about his strange experience and thought that death did not necessarily mean that there was life.
Thinking of this, he looked at the lingering autumn rain and felt like spring rain. He couldn't help but feel a little tired. He thought that even if they were chatting, they should talk about something meaningful. He leaned against the railing and asked,
"If Buddha was also a cultivator … what state did he reach in the end?"
"As a disciple of Buddhism, how can I impugn the power of Buddha?"
"Buddha is merciful. It's not a sin to talk about it."
Ning Que looked at the master and asked tentatively, "Buddha must have surpassed the Five States, right?"
The master smiled and said, "There's no such thing as the Five States in Buddhism."
"I mean the approximate level."
"Of course."
Ning Que understood.
He suddenly thought of a rumor. He looked at Master Qishan and asked seriously, "It's said that before you got sick, you were regarded as the most promising person in the cultivation world?"
…
…
(There's one more chapter. More to come.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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