On the White Jade Lotus Seat, the group of virtuous eminent monks turned into white bones one after another. Even the Green Dragon Temple appeared to be in ruins at this moment. The scene of fallen flowers also turned into the bleakness of late autumn.
However, at this moment, the surroundings suddenly became still. This was different from the stillness of a scene. It was more like the reconstruction of time. Of course, this was not the real world. Qilü did not travel through time. The connection between everyone was more like an illusory bond.
Qilü Monk did not seem surprised at all. He just calmly looked at the skeleton sitting on the main seat of the bluestone table.
The skin and flesh of the skeleton began to reconstruct. At the same time, the skeleton with a cherry blossom on his forehead was also reconstructed.
The former was Huiguo Monk, and the latter was Monk Kong Hai.
Monk Kong Hai was still sitting there motionless, as if he was unaware of everything around him. However, after Huiguo Monk's skin and flesh had reconstructed, he slowly got up and walked towards Qilü.
"You are still a little too impatient."
Huiguo Monk said.
At the same time, Huiguo Monk opened his palm. In his palm, there was a handful of cherry blossoms. A gust of autumn wind blew and the cherry blossoms scattered. There were only two or three cherry blossoms left.
"I don't respect Buddha, I don't respect my ancestors. I didn't expect that I would become such a person." Master Hui Guo stood in front of Qilü and looked at Qilü seriously.
He seemed to be looking at himself in a mirror. However, he felt that the person in the mirror was a little unfamiliar.
"You are you, and I am me." Qilü raised his hand. The light of the prayer beads in his hand was faintly discernible. "Poor Monk, I am just curious. How long are you going to sit there and watch the show for?"
"Sigh." Huiguo Monk let out a sigh. He stretched out his hand and patted his chest gently. Then, he turned his body and looked at the group of eminent monks who were motionless on the White Jade Lotus Seat. "They are my disciples after all. This Green Dragon Temple is also my blood and sweat."
"Amitabha."
Qilü took a step back. This step showed a kind of attitude. It was a little similar to Chu He Han's boundary.
Huiguo Monk smiled slightly. In fact, he knew the attitude of the person in front of him from the beginning. Otherwise, he could have made a better choice, a less wasteful choice.
"From your point of view, to you, we are just a remnant memory of a shadow. How much can you take away from a shadow's memory? From our point of view, we are living people. "Monk Hui Guo asked seriously," Don't you think it's too regretful? "
"At least, I am still me," Qilü replied.
"I'm not doing this to survive, nor am I doing this for a longer life. I'm not that vulgar, and I'm not that bored. I'm also looking forward to a place where I can forget about each other for the rest of my life.
However, I still think that it might be better for me to replace you. After all, my wisdom, my ideals, my experience, everything about me seems to be better than yours.
I don't need to force myself on you. I will ask you one last time. Are you really not willing? "
Qilü did not hesitate at all. He shook his head.
"Then, forget it." Huiguo Monk took a few steps back and sat back on the bluestone table. He frowned slightly. It seemed like he was thinking, but it also seemed like he was observing. Perhaps, he was mocking himself. No one knew what he was thinking.
Perhaps, this kind of expression and state of mind should not appear on this legendary monk. However, this was a very special moment.
"Can you tell me why you are so guarded against me?" Huiguo Monk asked. "If you do it my way, you will still be you, and I will still be me. In fact, you can become a better you, and I can also become a better me."
"If you had been sealed here for more than a thousand years, maybe the Poor Monk would be tempted. However, you are not.
To you, even if you are 60 years old, you might be in the twilight years of life for ordinary people. However, to you, you are only in the prime of your life.
It is because you are too outstanding and too lonely that the Poor Monk does not dare to agree to your way of doing things.
The Poor Monk has a friend who has a similar experience. The Poor Monk is not him. At this time, I do not have the confidence to walk the path that he has walked. "Qilü said.
"Actually, there is another reason that you did not mention." The smile and calmness on Huiguo Monk's face had completely disappeared. It was replaced by a slightly mocking expression. It was as if, at this moment, he could only remove all his masks.
It was also appropriate to see his true self from his original self.
"You know that I am not willing to be so wasteful."
When Qilü heard this, he did not say anything. However, this attitude was already a tacit agreement.
"If you don't waste it, then don't waste it." Huiguo Monk put his palms together. "Amitabha, I have let down my disciples."
In the next moment..,
Everything around them began to recover. The eminent monks who had turned into withered bones began to recover their flesh and blood. The bleak environment also returned to the atmosphere of cherry blossoms.
The monks seemed to have just taken a nap, and at this moment, they all regained their consciousness, except for Monk Kong Hai who was still sitting there motionless.
Without waiting for the monks to say anything or do anything else..,
He heard Huiguo Monk shout in a low voice, "Receive the luck of the Azure Dragon Temple!"
In an instant, a green shadow began to rise from above the Azure Dragon Temple and gathered, turning into the shadow of an Azure Dragon.
"Go!"
As Huiguo Monk pointed his finger, the Azure Dragon shadow directly floated to Qilü's side.
Qilü reached out and grabbed it without hesitation. Then, Qilü's gaze began to move back and forth in front of the various grandmasters in front of him.
His meaning was very simple.
"Give it to him. Dharmakaya cultivation base, give it to him."
Huiguo Monk said.
"As you wish."
The monks did not hesitate at all, nor did they resist or feel dissatisfied. In this era, the identity of the master was enough for them to do anything meaninglessly according to the master's instructions.
In the next moment, the shadows of Buddha's light floated up from the bodies of the monks and slowly gathered on Qilü's body.
Only Monk Kong Hai remained motionless. The saying "a leaf can't see Mount Tai" was used to describe his current state. He had no idea what was happening outside. His entire person was completely isolated.
From Huiguo Monk's body, an almost physical Buddha body appeared. It slowly walked towards Qilü and finally sat cross-legged beside Qilü.
"It's over on my side. You can start on your side."
Huiguo Monk waved his palm. At this moment, everything around him seemed to be cut apart, like a scroll being cut in the middle. On one side was the monks on the White Jade Lotus Seat, and on the other side was Qilü alone.
…
The wind gently blew through the Green Dragon Temple in the first year of Tang Shunzong's Yongzhen Era. The pace of spring brought the colorful cherry blossoms, a peaceful scene.
On the White Jade Lotus Seat, Master Hui Guo, who was already 60 years old, raised his teacup and said, "Amitabha."
In an instant,
The monks below slowly woke up. It was as if they had just taken a nap, or as if they were just slightly absent-minded.
"Let's end today's tea party here," Master Hui Guo said.
"Yes, Master."
The monks agreed and slowly left. In the original place, only Japanese monk Kong Hai, who came with the Tang envoy last year, was left. He had already become a disciple of Green Dragon Temple Master Hui Guo.
"Kong Hai, what else do you want?" Master Hui Guo's face was already full of wrinkles. In this era, forty years old was already considered old. Sixty years old was already a real old man.
Kong Hai was a little surprised because he had just seen Senior Brother Hui Ze, who had been practicing Silent Meditation for thirty years, actually open his mouth to bid farewell to his master with the other senior brothers.
Senior Brother Hui Ze actually spoke?
Then, hearing his master's question, the monk Kong Hai looked at his master with some surprise, only to discover that his master's face, which was originally as gentle as jade, was now filled with wrinkles. The hand that stretched out from the kasaya was also bony. When did his master become so old?
Monk Kong Hai remembered that when he first met his master when he came to the Tang Dynasty with the Tang envoy, although his master was almost 60 years old, he looked like a man in his twenties. It had only been a year since he entered the Green Dragon Temple, and his master actually …
"If there is trouble in the heart, it means unease. If you can't see through the falsehood, how can you see through the world of mortals?"
Huiguo Monk looked at Kong Hai and said.
Monk Kong Hai's heart trembled. He quickly put his palms together and said,
"Master is right, your disciple has been blinded by his appearance."
"Kong Hai, you're my disciple for two branches. Although you've only been learning for a year, you can already leave the sect. I've deduced karma. One of the roots of the Tantric Sect's future lies in you. Pack up and you can go back."
Master wants to chase me away?
Kong Hai was a little flustered. In this era, the difference between the Tang Dynasty and Japan was equivalent to the difference between the United States and Mexico. Whether it was in terms of national identity or attainments in Buddhism, Monk Kong Hai was sincerely convinced of the Green Dragon Temple. How would he be willing to leave at this time?
Raising his hand to stop Monk Kong Hai from speaking, Monk Hui Guo continued, "Ever since the reign of Emperor Taizong, the prosperity of our Buddhism has already exceeded three cycles of sixty years. You must know that when water is full, it will overflow. Now, there are a vast number of temples in the world, temple properties are countless, and temple slaves are uncountable. In less than forty years, the catastrophe of Buddhism will descend. Our Qing Long Temple is the leader of Tang Dynasty's Buddhism, we will definitely bear the brunt of this catastrophe.
However, the legacy of Tantric Buddhism cannot be broken. "
After saying that, Huiguo Monk looked at Kong Hai with a smile.
Hearing that, Kong Hai took a deep breath and put his palms together, "Amitabha, your disciple will remember your teachings, Master."
"Go, go."
Three days later, Monk Kong Hai left the Green Dragon Temple and set foot on the road back to Japan. He did not bring a scripture, nor did he bring any traveling expenses. Other than his kasaya, he only brought a cherry blossom from the Green Dragon Temple.
In the same year, Huiguo Monk passed away in the Green Dragon Temple.
Forty years later, during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Wuzong destroyed Buddhism and destroyed more than 46,000 temples in the world. He forced nearly 300,000 monks and nuns to return to secular life and accepted 150,000 slaves.
The Azure Dragon Temple was burned to the ground in this catastrophe …
