Chapter 614 Buddha Sees Bodhi
On the way up the mountain, darkness shrouded most of the vision.
The bright white street lights illuminate a warm path, like a road of hope in despair, and salvation in darkness and fear.
Chen Xuan clasped his hands together, chanted the Buddha's name, and walked towards the top of the mountain step by step with a sincere look in his eyes, as if the Buddha was really on the mountain.
The disciples of Anfo Temple originally had some distracting thoughts and felt that the behavior of this Buddhist master was a little strange.
But as they slowly walked towards the top of the mountain, under the influence of the Buddha nature that continued to emanate from Chen Xuan, they gradually fell into a state of enlightenment.
This cement mountain path is like their path to knowledge and to the truth.
As they climbed the mountain step by step, they began to look inward and reflect on their lives.
In front, Chen Xuan chanted the Buddha's name and recited scriptures. Each sentence, which contained teachings, awakened his disciples as if from a dream.
They are disciples of Buddhism, who study scriptures for saving the world, recite texts for promoting good, and firmly believe that all living things have original sin. Only by controlling themselves and devoting themselves to Buddhism can they see the truth and transcend confusion.
But on daily basis, apart from chanting sutras and kowtowing to Buddha statues, what do they actually do?
They know the scriptures by heart, sweep the fallen leaves in the temple diligently, and do their work conscientiously as pilgrims come and go.
Day after day, they kowtow three times and nine times, burn incense and bathe. What the Buddha sees is their efforts to show their loyalty, or their ignorance and stupidity?
This was the world before the emergence of Buddhism; after the emergence of Buddhism, the world did not change at all, except that there were many more confused people who shaved their heads and became monks.
They seek truth in temples, kneel before Buddha in temples, preach the concepts of good and evil, and exhort all living beings to overcome sins and be polite.
But in the end... they found that nothing had changed.
Those who wish to be good will do their best to be good even without the guidance of Buddhism.
People who have evil thoughts will still have evil in their hearts even if they talk until their lips are hoarse.
The human heart cannot be changed by just a few verses of scriptures. The souls that can be purified by classical Buddhist scriptures are very rare in this world.
There are gods and immortals in this world, big and small, who can guide the world and educate living beings. Buddhism has disappeared for too long, and now it has returned. With a lot of publicity, it is eager to educate disciples and recruit students, but it seems that it has lost its original intention.
To spread Buddhism for the sake of spreading it, to build temples for the sake of building them.
The priorities are reversed, cause and effect are reversed, but the Buddhas of Beihai never seem to care.
During the climb, the disciples became confused. They instinctively kept reciting scriptures and pondering the Buddha's words, but they could not find the true answer for a long time.
Including Chen Xuan himself, he went back to the problem of that year and thought of the people who were forcibly converted in Beihai.
Is the Buddhism in Beihai the Buddhism in his heart?
Not entirely true.
The disciples looked beyond the mountain road. The boundless darkness was just like the true situation of Buddhism today.
It seems to be everywhere in the world, surrounding all living beings, but it cannot illuminate any darkness.
Although the mountain road ahead was a bit narrow and difficult to walk on, a few street lamps emitted a soft light, illuminating a path in the darkness.
It is like a lost soul seeking knowledge. Only by going through the darkness, finding a road full of light, and keeping going one step at a time before reaching the end, can it see the true truth.
The mountain road was very steep and the concrete ground was very hard. Plus, it was night, so even with the street lights on, it was still a bit dim.
There were so many people that people bumped into things or got scratched by leaves from time to time, but the Buddhist disciples walked in silence, with their hands clasped together and their brows lowered, and no one ever complained about the hard work.
They followed Chen Xuan's footsteps and the guidance of Buddha nature. The higher they went, the more enlightenment they gained in their hearts.
The scriptures have no pages, and the mind is pure; the vessel has no roots, and the nature is not barren.
The true Buddhism should be needed by all living beings, rather than needing all living beings!
It shouldn't be like this now!
Even if the Buddhas of Beihai insist on doing so, even if many monks in Buddhist temples can produce at least hundreds of scriptures and rules to prove that they are right.
The disciples of Anfo Temple are like a lone boat in the dark ocean at this moment. If they want to truly see the "Buddha", they must go on regardless of everything.
When they were about to reach the top of the mountain, many disciples of Anfo Temple felt relieved.
After breaking free from the shackles of the heart and finding back one's true self, it doesn't matter whether there is a Buddha on the top of the mountain or not.
In the temple at the foot of the mountain, the Buddha looks majestic and his spirit tablet is engraved with his title, but on this somewhat steep and deserted road, they have found the formless Buddha.
This road is like their mental journey to find the truth. No matter what the end is, they will find the truth if they go to the end.
Going down a path to the end often leads to consequences against one's will.
It can be described in another way: Only by holding on can one see one's true heart, and with a sincere mind one can hear the Buddha's voice.
The scenery at the top of the mountain might not be as bleak as the disciples of Anfo Temple imagined.
In the heart of the vast and vibrant mountaintop plain.
There is a vigorous and twisted ancient tree rooted in the ground, with lush branches and leaves, emitting a faint fluorescence.
The old tree was not dazzling, it just emitted a clear and bright light, but it seemed to contain the truth of the world. Every time a green leaf trembled, it seemed as if there was a surge of Buddhist sound.
The bright light enveloped the mountain tops, and the remaining shades under the trees seemed to bring peace of mind and enlightenment to the truth.
At this moment, not to mention the many disciples of Anfo Temple, even Chen Xuan himself could not help but mutter and walked slowly forward.
It was also the first time for him to see the Bodhi tree. When Li Yuan told him about it, he thought Li Yuan was just fooling him.
"I see Bodhi as if I were observing the highest wisdom; Bodhi sees itself, and I see Bodhi myself."
The breeze was blowing gently, and the ancient Bodhi tree was swaying softly. The leaves made clear sounds like wind chimes, attracting the spiritual energy of the entire mountain and bursting with infinite vitality.
The crisp sound like a wind chime was mixed with faint thunder, but it did not seem noisy. Instead, it was like the sound of a huge bell, enough to strike people's hearts and illuminate the evil spirits.
The excitement in Chen Xuan's heart slowly faded away. He walked towards the Bodhi tree step by step. The light on his body became more and more holy, as if it was pure and flawless, not stained by any dust.
It was not until Chen Xuan walked under the shade of the Bodhi tree that he instinctively sat down cross-legged, clasped his hands together, and chanted the Buddha's name.
At this moment, the ancient Bodhi tree also responded and underwent a change.
The old tree, which has not borne fruit for many years, is now lush and leafy, giving people a feeling of nirvana, like a dead tree coming back to life in spring.
Tiny Bodhi seeds began to condense between the branches and leaves, and they would gradually grow with every time Chen Xuan chanted the Buddha's name.
At this moment, Chen Xuan sat cross-legged under the tree, as if he had merged with the aura of the Bodhi tree. His whole body emanated a rich Buddha light, as holy as the sun, and must not be desecrated.
Many disciples of Anfo Temple also felt something in their hearts. They sat cross-legged on the ground, and were led into the state of sudden enlightenment by the clear light of Bodhi wisdom and truth. They closed their eyes and recited scriptures.
As the chanting sounded, the Sanskrit sounds emanating from the Bodhi tree became clearer and clearer, and accompanied by the roar of thunder, it seemed as if a real Buddhist pure land had emerged.
Looking at this scene, the people from Anshan hiding in the dark were a little confused.
Li Yuan also scratched his head, pulled Zhuge Laodeng's collar, and pretended to be vicious and whispered:
"You are such a good Zhuge Laodeng! I asked you to bear some fruit for fun, but you said you couldn't. But when these little baldies came, you made the tree full of fruit?"
Zhuge Laodeng was honest and simple-minded. At this moment, he had a wry smile on his face. Looking at the "scrutinizing" eyes of many relatives and friends, he was speechless.
"Lord Mountain God, and everyone else... I really don't know! I am also confused now. After my main body sensed Chen Xuan, it automatically reacted!"
"It's like...I really saw the true Buddha's way again!"