Chapter 492: "Tianshu Destroys Buddhism" 6 years ago
Chapter 492: "Tianshu Destroys Buddhism" 6 Years Ago (k)
rustle……
The summer breeze blew through the lush canopy of the banyan tree, and in the gaps in the shade cast on the ground, golden rays of sunlight danced.
Zhao Duan thought he would be nervous when he saw the Taoist master again after such a long time.
But perhaps because of the gentle voice and smile of Zhang Yan, her originally nervous and uneasy mood suddenly relaxed, and the distance between them suddenly shortened. She had the illusion that the last time they met was just a short time ago.
"I am honored to meet Master Zhang." Zhao Duan bowed respectfully.
Zhang Tianshi, who was like an old man playing chess and taking a nap under a tree at the entrance of a Beijing alley in summer, laughed and joked:
"It's not like you to be so serious and polite. This is not the first time I've met you, my friend. There's no need to be so formal. Just treat it like home."
This is what you said... Zhao Duan took a deep breath, as if he had become a different person. He walked over carelessly and sat down on the empty bamboo chair.
He also picked up a yellow duck pear from the fruit plate on the table and took a bite. It was moist, sweet and quite delicious. His eyes lit up and he took another bite before mumbling:
"Since you said so, Lao Zhang, I won't be polite."
The big banyan tree that was secretly watching overhead was stunned.
Looking around the world, how many people can be so presumptuous in front of the Heavenly Master? Even the most favored Jin Jian is no more than this, right?
Zhang Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You're really rude."
Snap, snap... Zhao Duan showed off a pear, but still not satisfied, he picked up a peach, rolled his eyes, and retorted:
"When you were having sex with me for free, you weren't polite to me."
The legendary old Taoist priest's prestige had already collapsed in front of him.
Zhang Yanyi coughed lightly, interrupting his topic about "free prostitution" and said unhappily:
"The city is unstable now, and there are a lot of things waiting for you. How can you find time to come here to ask for money?"
Zhao Duan supported himself on the ground with his legs and elbows on his legs. He leaned forward slightly and took a bite of peach before looking up and saying suspiciously:
"Didn't you predict that I would come? Why are you asking me when you already know the answer? I came here to thank you in person for sending Jin Jian and the others to rescue me. Secondly, I also want to ask you why."
Zhang Yan half lay and half sat, folded his hands on his lower abdomen, and smiled:
"It's the first time I see someone coming empty-handed to thank me."
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows, pointed his chin in the direction of Shenlong Temple, and said confidently:
"I just destroyed the Shenlong Temple. Isn't this a great gift?"
Shenlong Temple and Tianshi Mansion have been fighting for many years and are old rivals. The imperial court's destruction of Buddhism will undoubtedly benefit the Tianshi Mansion.
Zhang Yan smiled, shook his head and sighed:
"If my disciples were half as smart as you, we wouldn't have to worry about the Tianshi Mansion suffering in the future. Well, I'll consider it a gift from you. So how do you explain the so-called 'why'?"
Zhao Duan spat out the peach pit, wiped his fingers with a handkerchief, and said seriously:
"Old Zhang, I've thought about it again and again. Although you've taken advantage of me before and I've helped Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan before, you've already paid me back for what you owe me. But this time you took the initiative to send someone to save me and even interfered in worldly struggles... I don't understand this."
Zhang Yan smiled: "Isn't this good?"
"Oh, there is a saying in my hometown that all gifts are secretly marked with a price... You help me like this, but I can't figure out what you want. I can't sleep well." Zhao Duan sighed:
"Let me make it clear first. Forget about my body. I am your Majesty's man in life and your Majesty's dead man in death. I will never switch jobs to come to your Tianshi Mansion."
Zhang Yanyi had a strange expression on his face. He looked at him with a smile in his clear eyes. After a while, he shook his head and said:
"You have already told me the reason. I do want to take you in, so I naturally don't want you to die in the dynastic struggle."
"That's all?" Zhao Duan was suspicious. Old Zhang went to so much trouble just to get a bargain and cherish his talent?
"That's all." The old Taoist nodded, looking natural.
Zhao Duan was full of disbelief, always feeling that Lao Deng's behavior had ulterior motives, but since Lao Zhang was determined to save him, he really couldn't get anything out of him.
"So, if you are just curious, then you have got the answer. Regarding the matter of Baihua Village, Zhong Pan has sent me a letter by flying crane. They did not put in much effort. Since your majesty has been promoted, this matter should have never happened. You don't have to feel that you owe them any favors." Zhang Yanyi was unexpectedly easy to talk to:
"If you have nothing else to do, go ahead and get busy."
Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "There is one more thing..."
He reached into his bosom and took out the page of the golden scripture: "This thing was given to me by the head of the Sutra Repository. Do you recognize it?"
He hesitated again and again, and felt that he could ask Lao Zhang when it was safe. Since it involved the old bald donkey Xuanyin, he must be cautious.
"The Wordless Golden Scripture, this is it." Zhang Yan hummed, with a look of emotion: "It's still there, not destroyed by the Mysterious Seal."
"Do you know this thing?" Zhao Duan was excited: "Why did Xuan Yin want to destroy it?"
His intuition told him that there were secrets to be discovered.
Zhang Yan nodded, and said in a rather pretentious tone: "It's just some old things."
He started talking but kept silent and didn't continue, as if he was just trying to keep you in suspense.
Zhao Duan cursed Lao Deng in his heart, but suddenly a bright smile appeared on his face. He stood up eagerly, picked up the teapot respectfully, poured a cup for Lao Zhang, and handed it to him with both hands, with a humble attitude of "inviting the big boss for tea":
"I have loved listening to stories since I was a child. Can you tell me a few?"
Old Zhang in one second, Heavenly Master in the next... The bastards in the imperial court are all black in their hearts... Zhang Yanyi was amused by his arrogant and respectful attitude, but still reluctantly took the teacup, took a sip, and recalled:
"This is also related to the dispute between the Western Buddhist sect and the Central Plains Taoist sect six hundred years ago... Well, if you think about it, the reason why Xuanyin was able to practice the 'Heavenly Way' while being a 'God of Law' and hiding it from the world... is also directly related to this."
Zhao Duan's expression changed slightly and became serious.
He was always puzzled as to why Xuan Yin could create a substitute for the "God of Law". Even Zhen Bao was not sure, but Lao Zhang seemed to understand the reason.
"Senior, please explain in detail!" Zhao Duan urged.
Zhang Yan glanced at him and said calmly, "Do you know how to enter the realm of human immortals when you ascend from heaven to heaven?"
No, your topic is getting off topic. You shouldn't keep us in suspense... Zhao Duan shook his head honestly: "I don't know."
Zhang Yanyi sighed: "I don't know either."
"..." Zhao Duan had a blank expression on his face, and he had the urge to overturn the table.
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"Don't be anxious. How to become a human immortal is something that the powerful people of every dynasty have been trying to find out. This is because the last human immortal in the legend is too far away from us, and there is no path that can be replicated.
Therefore, various schools have proposed many ideas for advancement. Many years ago, two theories were popular in the Western Buddhist sect. "
"Two possible ways to become a human immortal?"
Zhao Duan was curious: "What is it?"
Well, even though he had just entered the world, it didn’t stop him from being interested.
Zhang Yanyi said slowly:
"The first is to replace the concept of gods. You should know why gods exist in this world? It is because people have a huge belief in them. When enough living beings believe that a certain god exists, this wish will lead to the birth of a god.
The power of the "human fairyland" is comparable to that of gods. In other words, perhaps the truth of the human fairyland is how a human can become a god."
A human becomes a god? A human immortal? Zhao Duan suddenly thought of the royal family heritage of the Yu Kingdom. The "God of War" heritage created by Emperor Taizu was a symbol of a human becoming a god.
However, Lao Xu's "God of War" inheritance does not seem to require the support of the faith and willpower of any living beings.
No... the Martial God inheritance itself does not have it, but the identity of the emperor does... Zhen Bao was originally a half-step celestial being, but because he was given the title of emperor, his combat power is comparable to that of a complete celestial being... The Fengshan ceremony also uses the throne to forcibly impact the realm...
Isn’t the concept of “emperor” a “concept” recognized by countless people all over the world?
To some extent, the "Emperor" himself is a kind of "God", so as long as he is crowned as an emperor, he can gain some kind of enhancement in his cultivation...
For example, after Zhenbao was promoted, it seemed that to a certain extent, he had mastered some kind of effect similar to the king's "mouth holding the law of heaven" and "words being followed by laws"...
"Thought of it?" Zhang Yan couldn't help but smile when he saw Zhao Duan suddenly in a daze:
"It seems that you have realized why the emperor has great power."
Zhao Duan took a deep breath:
"So, the emperor is a god in a sense, but the concept of the emperor can be inherited by different people. The method that Buddhism came up with is similar to this, allowing monks to replace the concept of gods?"
Zhang Yan smiled and nodded, with an attitude that showed he was a teachable kid:
"Yes. But this idea was not first proposed by Buddhism. The Taoism in the Central Plains had already had this idea long ago."
Zhao Duan frowned and said, "But how can this be done? God is not the 'throne' where anyone can sit..."
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"Is it difficult? It is indeed difficult. But it is not impossible. As long as we spend enough time and let enough creatures recognize a living practitioner as a god, maybe it will work."
Let the people of the world regard a living person as a god?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and complained in his heart:
What kind of incense can make you a god?
Immediately, a sudden flash of inspiration came to his mind:
"The Dharma King of the Western Regions... I remember that in the earliest times, people in the Western Regions kept claiming that the Dharma King was the reincarnation of a god..."
Zhang Yan nodded and sighed:
"Yes, that was an attempt, and it did produce results. The current Dharma King of the Western Regions has not yet entered the realm of the Heavenly Man, but with this method similar to the Emperor's throne, he also has the ability to fight against the Mysterious Seal. However... there are limitations. Once the Dharma King leaves the Western Regions, his cultivation will plummet.
In particular, over the past few hundred years, Shenlong Temple has revised the statements in Buddhist scriptures, changing the origin of the Dharma King from an incarnation of a god to the earliest believer of the Buddha in the world...
Therefore, it is not easy for the Dharma King to maintain his current state, but he is unable to make further progress. No one knows whether this method can really lead to the human immortal. "
It turned out to be like this... No wonder the Eastern and Western Buddhist sects have always wanted to merge... Could this be the reason? Zhao Duan suddenly realized.
Then he frowned and said, "So, this first plan ultimately failed because the conditions for achieving it were too harsh. What about the second one?" Zhang Yanyi said calmly:
"The second method is 'the unity of heaven and man'. That is, the real god is just a concept and has no 'personality'. If the god is given a personality, perhaps the high and mighty god can be secularized and thus controlled by the cultivators. As long as one can completely control a god and merge it with oneself, one may become a human immortal."
Ah, this... This idea is completely opposite to the previous one.
One is to shape humans into gods and steal the "god's throne", and the other is to degrade gods to humans... humans control gods... Well, it just so happens that the realm below human immortals is called "heavenly beings", which sounds a bit logical...
Zhao Duan was curious: "Then how do we personify the gods? Secularize them?"
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"Just make a statue. For example, the Buddha originally had no face and was the embodiment of the concept of 'wisdom'. But as long as we artificially create a 'statue' for the Buddha, and then use hundreds of years to make everyone in the world recognize that the 'Buddha' looks like that statue, then..."
Zhao Duan was startled, and in his mind, he recalled the scene in which he stared into the eyes of the huge statue of the Buddha in the Shenlong Temple not long ago.
He felt something was wrong at the time, and now that he was awakened, he suddenly realized:
The statue of the Buddha in the hall has eyes, features and temperament that are quite similar to those of the old bald monk Xuanyin!
Then, he realized that there seemed to be no statue of "Heavenly Dao" in the Tianshi Mansion.
In this world, there is no concept of deity statues like the "Three Pure Ones of Taoism".
Zhao Duan swallowed his saliva: "So, this method..."
Zhang Yanyi said calmly: "Naturally it didn't work."
Yes, Buddhism has been making statues of gods for too many years, but none of the celestial beings in history have ever stepped into the realm of “human immortal”... It is clear that this path is a dead end.
Zhao Duan frowned: "Old Zhang... Senior, aren't you going to talk about something that happened six hundred years ago? So, what does it have to do with what we are talking about now?"
He felt that the topic was off topic!
Zhang Yan glanced at him, as if he thought the young man was too impatient:
"Although this latter method has not been successful, it is not completely hopeless. About six hundred years ago, the Dharma King of the Western Regions, Ksitigarbha, proposed a conjecture that the reason why this latter method failed was because it lacked a key element, that is, the 'Buddha' was not complete."
"Incomplete? What does that mean?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.
Zhang Yanyi didn't answer, but just shook the empty teacup.
"..."
Zhao Duan quickly stuck his butt out again, playing the role of the younger brother, and filled his glass.
The old Taoist priest nodded with satisfaction and said:
"The word 'worldly god' originally refers to 'wisdom', and 'wisdom' is only possessed by living beings. Between heaven and earth, the most 'wise' being is naturally man, and man is personified.
The Buddhists erected statues and burned incense to worship Buddha, which only secularized it further. If one wants to achieve the 'unity of heaven and man', it is not enough to have only the 'man' part, but also the 'heaven' part. "
Zhao Duan suddenly had an idea and blurted out:
"Heavenly Way? The Taoist main god, 'Heavenly Way', refers to the laws of nature, doesn't it just correspond to 'Heaven'? Therefore, if you want to advance to the level of a human immortal, it is not enough to just cultivate 'World Honored One', you also need to cultivate 'Heavenly Way', so that you can achieve unity between heaven and man and impact the level of a human immortal?"
Zhang Yanyi nodded slowly:
"This speculation was only proposed by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. As to whether it is feasible, no one has yet confirmed it."
Isn't this the equivalent of synthesizing cards? Two one-star cards synthesized into two-star cards... Zhao Duan was powerless to complain.
Zhang Yanyi continued:
"At that time, six hundred years ago, the Central Plains was in chaos and war. The previous dynasty collapsed, and the new dynasty had not yet been established. In order to verify his guess, Ksitigarbha Dharma King in the Western Regions secretly did something big. He took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to secretly hunt down the Taoist sorcerers in the martial arts world."
Huh? Zhao Duan was taken aback when he heard this: "Hunting Taoist sorcerers?!"
Zhang Yan nodded with a sad expression, sighing:
"Yes, it was a chaotic time, which was a good opportunity for him to take action. Ksitigarbha Dharma King mainly cultivated the Buddha, and did not dare to easily change to the way of heaven, otherwise he would have problems... Ha, you will understand this later. After reaching the realm of heaven and man, you can only mainly cultivate one god.
Therefore, he captured Taoist sorcerers and used special methods to try out his guess.
At first, this incident did not attract much attention, because in the war, disappearances or deaths were commonplace. However, as more and more sorcerers disappeared, and their identities became higher and higher, this incident finally attracted the attention of various Taoist sects in the world...
After finding out the truth, the Central Plains Dao Sect was furious. The major sects that were scattered at that time put aside their past grudges, joined forces for revenge, and began to hunt down and destroy the Buddha...
The Heavenly Master of my Heavenly Master Mansion even went down the mountain, and together with some powerful sorcerers at that time, they joined forces to march into the Western Regions, killed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and forced the Buddhist sect to completely abandon this attempt.
But the losses were also extremely heavy. This incident happened in the Tianshou year, so it is called "Tianshou's Destruction of Buddhism."
Tianshu destroyed Buddhism? Zhao Duan was stunned when he heard this. This was a history he had never known.
At least it has not been seen in the existing public history books... Yes, this incident is not the official history of the world, but a dispute that only exists in the world of cultivation... Perhaps because all parties are unwilling to mention it, it is rarely seen on paper.
And six hundred years ago...it happened to be the time when Emperor Taizu of the Yu Kingdom, Lao Xu, rose to power, conquered the world, and established the Yu Kingdom.
It was also... the era when Pei Niannu, the first female sorcerer at that time, lived...
Zhao Duan was suddenly stunned.
Because he suddenly remembered that in the "Six Chapter Sutra", Pei Niannu appeared in a dilapidated ancient temple.
In the battle of Baihua Village, facing Buddhist monks such as Tianhai, Pei Niannu seemed extremely angry and killed people without mercy.
Thinking back to the fragmentary records he had read about the historical figure Pei Niannu, it was written in the book that she took off her mask, paid a huge price, and fought a bloody battle with a powerful enemy...
Connecting various clues...
So, Pei Niannu was a participant in the "Tianshu Destruction of Buddhism" six hundred years ago? Old Xu knew him and even painted him in the mural.
……
The breeze comes slowly.
The big banyan tree in the courtyard rustled.
Zhao Duan sorted out his thoughts and said with an unpleasant expression:
"So, Xuanyin picked up the conjecture that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made six hundred years ago?"
Having said that, how could he still not understand why Xuan Yin had the alias of "God of Law"?
Isn’t this the practice of the idea of “harmony between man and nature”?
However, Xuan Yin’s method goes one step further than Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. He uses the form of incarnation to cultivate the heavenly way, thereby combining the two into one.
However, Zhao Duan was a little skeptical. Xuan Yin's attempt was unsuccessful, otherwise he would not have had to risk losing his incarnation as the "King of Dharma" and jump out to provoke a dispute among the eight kings...
At the same time, he also completely understood why there would be a protracted "battle" between the Tianshi Mansion and the Shenlong Temple.
In the final analysis, it is a continuation of the hatred of that year.
"But the Buddhist branch of Shenlong Temple is different from the one in the Western Regions back then," Zhao Duan suddenly asked.
Zhang Yan nodded:
"It is indeed different. About a thousand years ago, Maya traveled from the west to the east to spread Buddhism. Four hundred years later, the Central Plains had some soil for Buddhism.
Later, about six hundred years ago, a group of monks in the Western Regions were also hunted down by Ksitigarbha's men because they opposed his actions. They fled eastward and finally took root here and established the Shenlong Temple.
The group of escaped monks highly respected Maya and regarded him as the source of Shenlong Temple.
In the Shenlong Temple, the Sutra Repository is the legacy of the group of monks who fled back then, and is clearly separated from the other halls headed by Xuan Yin. "
After a pause, the old Heavenly Master cast his eyes on the Wordless Golden Scripture and said meaningfully:
"Speaking of which, the Buddhist teachings advocated by Maya Xingzhe back then have some similarities with the Zen teachings you proposed at the Sutra Debate.
Oh, it is precisely because Maya's Buddhist teachings contradict the set of precepts and practices that Shenlong Temple now regards as orthodox that Maya's scriptures have been shelved, and Xuanyin will certainly not be pleased with this golden scripture. "
Everything is solved... There are so many historical origins behind this... Zhao Duan was distracted for a moment, holding the wordless golden scripture, and said:
"So what is this thing good for?"
Zhang Yan said leisurely:
"It is said that this is a scripture left by Maya Xingzhi that can reflect one's true mind. Everyone who reads it will see something different.
Well, you can’t always read the contents. It depends on timing and chance… Don’t worry, since the head of the Sutra Repository gave it to you, maybe he got some enlightenment from this golden sutra…”
Zhao Duan didn't know whether to laugh or cry:
"Lao Zhang, you are a heavenly master, can't you see through the things left by Maya?"
Zhang Yanyi gave him a deep look:
"Do you think Maya is a simple person? Did you know that he and the founder of the Yu Kingdom had both entered the depths of the Mubei Forest? Did they get some unknown opportunity?
In history, the only person I know of who has entered the depths of the Mubei Forest is the first generation of Heavenly Master of our Heavenly Master House, the founder of Qingshan… Oh, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has also been there, and his concept of 'harmony between man and nature' is most likely related to that place."
After a pause, the old Taoist priest added slowly:
“And even though I, Xuanyin, and Wuxiankui… have reached the top echelon of the current era in terms of cultivation, we still cannot step into that forest.”
what?
Zhao Duan was stunned.
He only knew that Old Xu had set foot in the Mubei Forest when he was young, but Zhenbao was very secretive about that place and had never set foot there.
But this is the first time I know these secrets.
Zhang Yan smiled, blew on the teacup, and suddenly said casually:
"It is said that everyone who enters there will undergo a huge change, and a lot more knowledge will be added to their heads. Haha..."
The old Taoist gave him a meaningful glance and said:
"If you were not too young and there were no records of you going to the North on your resume, I would have doubted that you had ever been to that place based on the strange things in your mind.
Um... you haven't been there, have you?"
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ps: These chapters add some historical depth and plant some hooks
(End of this chapter)