Discussing Buddhism

In a daze, Si Ming felt as if he had seen a broad road leading to the Milky Way.

Chapter 368 On Buddhism

Although Xilai was often criticized for his unconventional words and deeds, as the direct disciple of the abbot of Glazed Temple and the famous "Calamity Tathāgata Buddha," his position in the temple was still beyond question. In other words, ordinary monks did not even have the right to criticize him. The martial arts world is not an online forum where you can say whatever you want without taking responsibility. As soon as he entered Glazed Temple, a disciple immediately informed the Glazed Temple on his behalf.

"Master, this is Sima Liang, the leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, and his wife, Lady Hong."

"Alliance Leader, this is my master, Abbot Fahong."

Xilai the two sides. He had already sent a quick letter back to the temple on the way, so Fahong already knew about Hongdou's situation. His gaze didn't linger for long; he nodded slightly as a greeting, and finally looked directly at Si Ming, thanking him, "This old monk learned from my unworthy disciple that the Alliance Leader is willing to lend us a hand. I thank the Alliance Leader again for his kindness."

Si Ming waved his hand and said, "The Monster Race is not the enemy of any particular sect, but the enemy of all humanity. Helping you is also helping ourselves. Master, there's no need to be so polite."

Fahong, skilled in interpersonal relationships, would never say something foolish like, "Alliance Leader, you're from the Sea Continent. If you just hide in your hometown, even the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King can't do anything to you." Instead, he said, "This old monk heard from my unworthy disciple that Alliance Leader is not only exceptionally skilled in martial arts but also well-versed in Buddhist principles. I wonder if you could offer some guidance?"

Si Ming wondered what this old bald monk meant. A professional asking an amateur for advice was like Lu Ban inviting a passerby to show off his axe skills in front of him. To put it bluntly, it was a malicious invitation. Was he trying to confirm my sincerity in this way?

"Since you have spoken, Master, I am not afraid of making a fool of myself. I have a humble opinion and would like to receive your correction. May I ask if you believe in Buddhism?"

Si Ming was also someone who wasn't afraid of making things worse. Recalling Xilai's remarks at the mountain gate, he decided to make a statement that would shock everyone.

Fahong didn't reply, but instead said, "It seems the Alliance Leader doesn't believe in Buddhism."

"I believe that Buddhism doesn't require belief, only knowledge, because Buddhism is a discipline, not mere rhetoric. Only rhetoric needs others to believe it. One plus one equals two; everyone knows this. Whether you believe it or not, it still equals two. It won't change because of your belief or disbelief."

"And what about falsehoods?"

"The statement 'God loves the world' is a lie. We can easily rearrange it, such as 'demons love the world' or 'ghosts love the world,' and make it logically sound by creating stories. But a lie is still a lie. If we believe it, then it is 'God loves the world'; if we don't believe it, then it is nothing. Buddhism was originally a field of study, but later generations have mixed in a lot of lies, and now it is a mixed bag, making it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood. But whether it is a lie or a field of study, we only need to know about it; we don't need to believe it."

There is no God in this world, Fahong couldn't make that connection and instead interpreted it differently. "It seems the Alliance Leader has something to do with the Pure Land Dharma Gate?"

The Pure Land Dharma Gate is nothing special; it is simply about honestly reciting the Buddha's name and seeking rebirth in the Pure Land. Every day, one should recite the Buddha's name 36,000 times, dedicating the merit to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss with each recitation. At the time of death, Amitābha Buddha and all the holy beings will naturally come to guide the deceased to rebirth in the Western Pure Land. If one abandons reciting the Buddha's name and seeks other methods, saying that one wants to go to the Western Pure Land, that is absolutely unreasonable.

The monks always start with "Amitābha Buddha," a habit that originated from the Pure Land School. They advocate that "Buddha blesses all people," and that as long as you recite the Buddha's name more, you will be guided by the Buddha to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss after death. This is no different from "God loves all people," which Si Ming considers nonsense.

The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra Sutra states that the Buddha told Kāśyapa, "Seven hundred years after my Parinirvana, Māra will gradually corrupt my Dharma. Just as a hunter wears the robes of a monk, so too will Mara create images of monks, Māra, laymen, and laywomen. He will also transform into the form of Srotāpanna, and even into the form of Arhat and a Buddha. With these defiled forms, Mara will create an undefiled form and corrupt my Dharma."

This passage describes the well-known dialogue between Mara, the demon Māra, and the Buddha; later generations have made the content even more explicit.

Mara, the Demon Māra, said, "After you attain Nirvana, I will definitely destroy your Buddhist teachings."

The Buddha said, "The Dharma is the true Dharma, and no power can destroy it."

Mara, the Demon Māra, said, "Justice will endure forever, and evil will never disappear. Even when you were alive, not everyone believed in you. Didn't I have many disciples and followers? Human nature is inherently evil; it's easy to learn bad habits but difficult to learn good ones. After your passing, fewer and fewer people will believe in you, while more and more people will believe in me."

The Buddha said, "Your actions will do you no good by destroying my Dharma. The Buddha's light shines universally, illuminating both the virtuous and the wicked. If the era of true Dharma ends, your blessings will also be exhausted, and what awaits you is the Avīci Hell, where you will suffer immeasurable torment."

The demon Māra said, "You wouldn't refuse my disciple's teachings, would you?"

The Buddha said, "No."

Mara, the Demon Māra, said, "In the degenerate age, I will send my disciples and followers to infiltrate your Sangha, wear your robes, and destroy your Dharma. They will distort your scriptures, tarnish your reputation, and cause the world to despise and reject you, in order to achieve what I cannot achieve by force today..."

After hearing Māra's words, the Buddha remained silent for a long time. Soon after, two streams of hot tears slowly flowed down his face.

Upon seeing Māra, Mara led his followers away in wild laughter.

Master Fahong, not having bought his abbotship, naturally knew this story. He frowned slightly and said, "While the practices of the Pure Land lineage may have their flaws, to say they are the same as Māra's is unfair. Most people in the world are dull-witted, not everyone is as wise as the Alliance Leader. First, make them believe in Buddhism, then explain the Dharma to them, guiding them step by step. This is the right path. How can anything be accomplished overnight? Among the Buddhist lineages in the Southern Martial World, the Pure Land Dharma Gate has the most disciples."

It is only natural that the Pure Land School has the most disciples. Other Buddhist schools still emphasize upholding the "Five Precepts and Ten Virtues" and cultivating the "Three Blessings of Pure Karma." The Pure Land School only requires reciting "Amitābha Buddha" once to eliminate immeasurable karma and be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. If you let everyone choose, of course everyone would choose the Pure Land School.

On Earth, the Pure Land School, with its simple and easy-to-practice methods, opened the door to the common people and laid the foundation for the belief structure of folk Buddhism. After Emperor Wuzong of Tang suppressed Buddhism, many sects declined or even disappeared, but the Pure Land School alone showed a strong vitality, like "wildfire that cannot be extinguished, spring breeze that brings it back to life." It even spread overseas, such as in Japan, where most Buddhism is Pure Land School. This is because people like simple and straightforward things; the simpler it is, the more popular it is. The same is true for the structure of online games in later generations.

From a practical perspective, the Pure Land School's idea is not actually wrong. If you want to spread culture, you must first make the other party interested. Only when the other party is interested will they study your knowledge. The Pure Land School used the phrase "Amitābha Buddha" to deceive countless people who had never been exposed to Buddhism into its fold. It cannot be said that it is without merit, after all, Buddhism guides people to do good. However, its biggest problem is that after deceiving people into it, it does not continue to teach them.

Si Ming, "Unfortunately, I only saw 'making them believe in Buddhism,' but not 'explaining the Dharma to them.' There is a saying that the enlightened are Buddhas, and the deluded are demons. Without the most crucial 'explaining the Dharma to them,' even if they believe in Buddhism, whose Buddha are they believing in? I'm afraid it's not the Glazed Medicine Buddha, but Māra."

In this world, the most prosperous Glazed Medicine Buddha. Therefore, the Buddha name advocated by the Pure Land School is not Amitābha Buddha, but Glazed Medicine Buddha of the Eastern Pure Land. People do not dedicate their merits to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, but to the Eastern Pure Glazed World.

Fahong had lost his initial composure and said solemnly, "Educating all beings and enlightening the people is something even a sage would find difficult to do. We can only plan for the long term. Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva King said, 'I will Bukong become Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva's Divine Ability, he could not deliver all the ghosts in hell and could not become a Buddha, let alone us."

"Even if it is difficult, we must do it. If we give up because of the difficulty, then what is the point of making people believe in Buddhism? Are we just trying to swindle some money from incense offerings? Māra has no fixed mind and takes the people's mind as his own. Buddhist precepts are strict and teach people to stay away from greed, which is not liked by people. But Māra's methods are in line with the people's mind and satisfy their desires, so he is more liked by the people."

The belief that reciting the Glazed Medicine Buddha can lead to rebirth in the Eastern Pure Glazed World is exactly what people desire. Thus, the Pure Land Dharma Gate caters to these desires, even at the cost of distorting Buddhist teachings and forging scriptures. So, what they are practicing—Buddhism or magic?

Fahong broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Forgive me, forgive me, Alliance Leader, you flatter me."

"Is it too heavy? I think it's too light. It's just a pity for those worshippers who believed in you, chanting the name of the Glazed Medicine Buddha their whole lives, not knowing what they were chanting, thinking they could go to the Eastern Pure Glazed World after death, but in the end they all became the demon children and grandchildren of Māra."

Fahong dared not continue the conversation. Si Ming's words might be correct, but even correct words must be spoken at the right time. Otherwise, if they were to get out, it would be like dropping a boulder into the Buddhist world of the Southern Martial World, which would inevitably cause a huge uproar. And the current time was quite critical, so it was really not suitable to cause any unrest.

"Xilai, I have urgent business to attend to, so please take the Alliance Leader to the Scripture Repository."

After saying this, he apologized to Si Ming and then left.

Xilai shook his head and said to Si Ming, "You scared my master. Judging from the direction he went, he should have gone to the Bodhi Hall for meditation."

"I heard he often cleans up your messes; I thought he was a bold person, but I didn't expect him to be so cautious."

To be honest, education should be the responsibility of the state, and it has nothing to do with a religion. However, the scale of Glazed Temple, including the surrounding worshippers, is close to a million people. In medieval Europe, it could be the size of a small kingdom. Moreover, its monks are deeply rooted in the grassroots and maintain close ties with the masses. In terms of management ability, it far surpasses that of feudal dynasties. If it really came down to it, it could have succeeded.

Xilai smiled wryly and said, "I only said something unorthodox by chance, like wanting to change the game at a gambling table, but you want to overturn the table. Even the boldest person would be scared by you. I guarantee that the abbot will never dare to discuss Buddhism with you again."

He led Si Ming and Hongdou into the inner room, acting as their guide and introducing the historical stories and anecdotes of famous people associated with each building.

Upon reaching Sweet Dew Terrace, one sees approximately three thousand martial monks arranged in a neat square formation, performing a simple set of Arhat Fist. These monks are all full of energy, with ruddy complexions, and their punches are incredibly powerful. Every palm strike and every leg sweep not only produces a loud whistling sound, but also leaves faint white trails of smoke in the air.

Moreover, they not only practiced boxing, but also used corresponding breathing techniques. With each punch, they emitted a sound from their nasal cavity. The nasal sounds of three thousand people gathered together, rolling like thunder, and could shake the souls of demons and ghosts even from ten miles away.