For a normal person, "Who am I?" was not a question at all. If they asked it in public, they might be arrested as a lunatic.
But for a small group of people, this was the first question of the three ultimate philosophical questions in the world.
This small group of people included philosophers and monks, especially eminent monks, eminent monks of great virtue.
Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?
This question had troubled philosophers for thousands of years without a conclusion, so how could a monk answer it?
"Who am I?" Li Yi smiled and said, "I am just an ordinary citizen of the Jing Kingdom."
At this moment, Li Yi had replaced Master Tan Yin and become the focus of the crowd.
Therefore, every word he said attracted the attention of the crowd.
"An ordinary citizen of the Jing Kingdom … What Buddhist principles does this sentence contain?"
"I don't know, but it's definitely not as simple as we think."
"Master, quickly explain, what does this sentence mean?"
...
...
The old monk from the Cold Mountain Temple who was acting as a translator shook his head helplessly. Regarding the question just now, this young benefactor had clearly changed his concept and did not give a direct answer.
Or did he not understand the deeper meaning behind it?
The old monk sighed inwardly. His attainments in the Dharma were still insufficient, so he simply kept his mouth shut.
The old monk, Zhi Xin, sighed and said, "An ordinary citizen of the Jing Kingdom has such attainments. The capital is indeed a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."
Li Yi ignored the old monk. He picked up the pastries on the ground, wrapped them in paper, and threw them into the garbage bucket at the side. He patted the shoulders of the obviously frightened servant girl and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Son-in-law, I'm fine." Xiao Huan raised her head to look at Li Yi and said with a smile.
"I don't care which country you are from. If you dare to cause trouble again, you will be dragged out and beaten to death. No one will help you," Li Yi said coldly as he looked at the group of foreign monks.
Shouldn't monks be diligently cultivating Buddhism to deliver all living beings from suffering? To fight for power and profit and cause trouble in other monasteries, did they really think that they could become masters just because they shaved their heads?
Master Tan Yin took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Yi, saying, "Cold Mountain Temple's Water and Land Assembly, everyone who comes is a guest. If you have other intentions, please go back to where you came from."
Even Master Tan Yin had stood up, so there was naturally no need for everyone to be patient.
"That's right. How dare a foreign monk behave atrociously in the land of our Jing Kingdom. Are you courting death?"
"You can't even win against a master in terms of zen, and you still have the face to stand here?"
"Scram if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"
…
…
Not only did the foreign monk Lun Fo who came to make a scene not talk about Great Master Tan Yin, he couldn't even be compared to an ordinary young man of their Jing State. If he made any more outrageous moves, the nobles present might really do something.
"We're here to discuss zen and cultivate Buddhism. Is this the attitude of your Cold Mountain Temple? What a famous temple in the Jing Kingdom, it's just so-so," a young monk behind the old monk Zhi Xin said angrily.
"The Buddha is not broken. Cultivate yourselves first!" Li Yi said faintly.
Only he would waste his time talking to these monks. If it were Miss Liu, she would have cut off his head with her sword and kicked him around like a ball, just based on what the monk with the iron rod had done just now.
His words made the young monk choke and speechless.
Master Tan Yin and the old monk of the Cold Mountain Temple looked surprised. The people around them were stunned for a moment. When they came back to their senses, they all exclaimed.
"Buddha isn't broken. Cultivate yourselves first?"
"Wonderful, truly wonderful!"
"This young man's attainments in Buddhism are indeed profound!"
"Well said, foreign monk. Go back and cultivate yourselves first!"
As soon as Li Yi said this, everyone applauded. The other party said that they should discuss zen and cultivate Buddhism, but the next moment, he said, "Buddha isn't broken. Cultivate yourselves first." Seeing the foreign monk being defeated, everyone felt extremely happy.
What foreign monk? How dare he come to the Cold Mountain Temple to cause trouble? Master Tan Yin and the real monks didn't even do much, but they all fell to the hands of a young man who wasn't even a monk. How could they still be called monks?
"Cultivate Buddhism, cultivate Buddhism. This cultivation is not the cultivation of others. Young benefactor, you're too stubborn," Monk Zhi Xin said with a kind expression.
"Master, you keep talking about cultivating Buddhism. Tell me, what is Buddha?" Li Yi looked at him and asked.
They were the ones who provoked them first. If they didn't teach them a lesson, they would really think that they were easy to bully.
Everyone secretly applauded. This was giving them a taste of their own medicine. The old monk's question was also kicked back to him.
"What is Buddha?" They wanted to see how the old monk would answer.
"Amitabha …" Monk Zhi Xin chanted and said, "Buddha is wisdom, virtue, and compassion. You are Buddha, I am Buddha, all living beings are Buddha, Buddha is everywhere, and Buddha is omnipotent."
"Pfft! Shameless! "
"Isn't that what this young man said just now?"
"Plagiarism. This is blatant plagiarism. This old monk is too shameless!"
Hearing Monk Zhi Xin's answer, everyone was filled with righteous indignation. They all spoke up and condemned this shameless plagiarism.
"Buddha is everywhere?" Li Yi suddenly asked.
"Buddha is everywhere," the old monk answered.
"Buddha is omnipotent?" Li Yi asked again.
"Buddha is omnipotent," the old monk answered again.
"If that's the case …" Li Yi crossed his arms and looked at him. He said slowly, "Can your Buddha create a stone that he can't move?"
Old monk Zhi Xin moved his lips as if he wanted to speak, but then he fell silent.
Master Tan Yin frowned and seemed to be deep in thought, leaving the confused crowd behind.
"Why isn't the monk talking?"
"Is he also invisibly demonstrating the Dharma?"
"Can Buddha create a stone that he can't move? Of course he can. Buddha is omnipotent! "
"Idiot. Since Buddha is omnipotent, why can't he move a stone?"
"Oh, I understand. Buddha can't create a stone that he can't move."
"Idiot. Since Buddha is omnipotent, why can't he create a stone that he can't move?"
"Who are you calling an idiot? I dare you to say it again!"
"Idiot!"
…
…
Ignoring the two people fighting outside, everyone looked shocked. When they looked at the young man inside, they suddenly felt like they were looking up to a great mountain.
How did he come up with this question? This was simply not giving the old monk a way out!
No matter what he said, it would be wrong unless he took back what he said and admitted that Buddha was not omnipotent. But was this something a monk could say?
He had actually sent all the foreign monks to their deaths with just his mouth.
This was a master, a true master!
While everyone was thinking about how Buddha could move the stone, Li Yi had already passed through the crowd with the young maidservant and left.
The question "Can Buddha create a stone that he can't move" was adapted from a famous paradox in another world, called "God's paradox".
God's paradox meant "God is not omnipotent". The Vatican in another world published a book that used the most popular mathematical deduction at the time to conclude that "God is omnipotent". At this time, a wise man asked tit for tat, "Can God create a stone that he can't move?"
So this wise man was in big trouble …
Regardless of whether this story was true or false, and regardless of whether this wise man was eventually tied to a pillar and burned to death, a paradox was a paradox because it could never have an answer, unless the original hypothesis was overturned. Obviously, it was a hypothesis that old monk Zhi Xin could not overturn.
Therefore, for a long time to come, he would be trapped in this paradox and unable to extricate himself.
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