The duel agreement sounded simple, but just like what Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva had said, it was merely a matter of heart to heart. Although both sides had agreed that this duel would not be limited to techniques and only the outcome, it was not without rules. However, it wasn't without rules. Just as the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva had said, the battle between the two sides was a battle of ideals, not divine abilities. Therefore, although there was no verbal agreement, the principles behind it were known by all parties.
The outcome of the duel was not important. Instead, it was the process that mattered.
Be it Chen Ang or Spirited Mountain, they had used the old monk and Zhu Dahao Shang to carry out their own ideals. The person they had chosen was the first round of the duel. It all depended on whether the chosen person could carry out the ideals of both parties. If the old monk acted like a demon and failed to resolve the problem of the Yiqu Kingdom's aristocrats with the teachings of Buddhism, then even if they won, they would still lose.
If Zhu Dahao Shang failed to understand Chen Ang's ideals and principles, then even if he successfully resolved the problem of the aristocrats in the city, he would still suffer a crushing defeat.
Victory or defeat on the surface was meaningless to both parties. Whether the doctrines and principles could adapt to the objective world was the real truth.
The ingenuity of this duel was that both parties knew each other through heart to heart. The three duels were not about supernatural powers or magical powers, but about their own principles. Whether or not the conflicts of the objective world could be resolved was also something that Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva could not understand. He had never expected that Chen Ang would choose Zhu Dahao Shang as his candidate.
The old monk chosen by Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva had been cultivating since young and had memorized the teachings of Buddhism and precepts. Such a person had integrated the eight paths of Buddhism into his every move. His every action was in accordance with the teachings of Buddhism. He was a true seed of Buddhism and a virtuous eminent monk. Even if there was a victory or defeat, such a person would never deviate from the principles of Buddhism and fight for victory or defeat.
Whether or not he could eliminate the problem of the Yiqu Kingdom's aristocrats was another matter. However, his actions would never deviate from the teachings of Buddhism and he was already in an undefeatable position.
Zhu Dahao, on the other hand, had extensive connections in the Yiqu Country. He was a ruthless and ruthless person, a formidable and ambitious person. If one were to talk about who could eliminate the threat of the Yiqu Country's aristocrats, it would be him. However, he was a stubborn person and had long deviated from the Great Dao. In the eyes of a great mediocre being like the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, he had long been satisfied with the Ten Evils and had sunk into the Five Pleasures, making it difficult for him to break free.
From what Chen Ang saw, the great merchant Zhu also had his own reasons in his heart, and he was extremely stubborn. In the first half of his life, he achieved great success because of his own actions and reasons. As the later generations said, he was a person whose worldview had already been formed, unless there was a great change, he would not be shaken.
This was why it was already extremely difficult for such a person to follow the path of others, much less to be like that old monk, unwavering and unyielding.
In the eyes of the Great Merchant Zhu, everything in the world was like buying and selling. There was nothing that didn't have a price, and there was nothing that couldn't be traded. When doing things and being a person, one had to weigh the costs, gain the profits, and earn everything one wanted.
It was the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva who had personally enlightened him, using his great divine power to cause him to encounter a great change. His heart was shaken, and he realized the impermanence of life, which led to him praying to the Dharma.
When he comprehended the Dharma, it was inevitable that he would secretly calculate the value and transactions. In the face of this kind of thinking, everything that was stable would vanish into thin air, and everything that was sacred would be blasphemed. The retribution of the gods and buddhas was just a transaction. This kind of egoism that was rooted in the bones of the great merchant Zhu could drown all religious piety, transcendent awareness, and the wisdom of the enlightened. It turned the holiness of the Dharma into ugliness and nakedness, turning it into a transaction.
He was the camel that couldn't pass through the eye of a needle at the foot of heaven, an evil creature that sank into the sea of bitterness, and an idiot with great obsession.
Perhaps the great merchant Zhu didn't think so, but in the eyes of Chen Ang and the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, he had instinctively torn down the dignified and mysterious veil that covered the face of the gods and buddhas, turning this relationship of teaching and faith into a pure exchange of benefits.
In the eyes of the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, such a person was harder to enlighten than the most ruthless nobles and evildoers. He had traveled with Chen Ang and Laozi for a month, yet he didn't listen to the slightest bit of reasoning from Chen Ang. How could such a person carry out Chen Ang's ideals and display Chen Ang's awareness and reasoning in this battle?
The Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva was also hesitant.
The old monk pondered for a moment before sighing, "Bodhisattva, it's easy to subdue demons and devils, but it's difficult to subdue people's hearts! People's hearts are fickle. The three poisons of greed, ignorance, and anger have seeped into their bones. It's extremely difficult to enlighten them. When I had my supernatural powers, I didn't dare to easily make promises. But now that I'm a mortal and the hearts of these people are like hell, it's really difficult to enlighten them. If I'm not careful, they might even harm me. "
"Bodhisattva, please bestow me with a treasure so that I can explain the vastness of Buddhism to them!"
The old monk thought hard but couldn't think of a way to subdue people's hearts. Therefore, he asked for help. He followed the righteous path of Buddhism, so if he wanted to get rid of the harm of the nobles in the country, he had to enlighten them. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva dared to swear that hell was not empty and that he wouldn't become a Buddha, but he also had the supernatural powers of Buddhism. If he was a mortal, even if Sakya Mani personally descended to the mortal world, there would be Devadatta who betrayed Buddha. When Mahasthara Country annihilated the Sakya Family, there were even more who refused to convert to the heterodox path. From this, it could be seen that even if Tathagata descended to the mortal world, he could only subdue his own heart and teach his disciples, but he couldn't enlighten the masses.
He was just an old monk, so how would he dare to say that he could enlighten a country's nobles with Buddhism?
Wouldn't that mean he was even more powerful than Sakya Mani?
Chen Ang dared to say that he could enlighten all sentient beings because he had the Great Art of Brainwashing. If a bunch of foolish people fell into the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, it would be easy for him to control and brainwash them with his supernatural powers. When the time comes, he would be pious and kind if he wanted him to be. This was the true path of Buddhism, the righteous path of enlightenment.
And the reason why the Bodhisattvas dared to make such a wish was because of their own supernatural powers. If their supernatural powers were weaker, they would have been killed by the demons long ago, and there would be no need to mention the words' enlighten all living beings'.
This wish of Buddhism to enlighten all living beings was just an illusion without the support of supernatural powers, falling into the heterodox path.
Mahasthara Bodhisattva sighed helplessly. He could only put his palms together and asked Laozi and Chen Ang, "Heavenly Venerables, please allow me to bestow upon my disciple a Buddhist treasure so that I can enlighten the vastness of Buddhism." Chen Ang smiled and said, "This is Bodhisattva's excessive kindness, but according to my calculations, even if I want to walk the righteous path of Buddhism and eliminate all evil, I can't do it with my mortal body. Therefore, I have to agree to Bodhisattva's request."
Mahasthara Bodhisattva thanked the two saints and took down the vase on his head. He said to the old monk, "This vase of wisdom only allows you to cast illusory spells, you cannot use supernatural powers recklessly." He then said to Chen Ang, "Please bestow upon me a treasure as a sign of fairness."
Chen Ang smiled and said, "This is bullying Bodhisattva too much!" He then walked to the parterre of Deer Terrace Pavilion and broke off a withered branch. He said to Zhu Dahao, "There's a strange flower in the west called Mandala Roland Garros. It has illusory poison and can enchant people. I didn't expect Yi Qu Country to have it, but it's a pity that it hides in the winter, so it's hard to see. "
"Although it is late winter now, the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva has come from thousands of miles away. I will make this flower bloom and cover the entire Deer Terrace as a celebration. This flower on the terrace will be my gift to you!"
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