I Am the Buddha

Xilai explained, "Our temple's training emphasizes producing three layers of sweat. The first layer is called 'flustered sweat,' the second is called 'sticky sweat,' and the third is called 'cool sweat.' Flustered sweat is the sweat produced at the beginning of training and is useless. Only when you reach the second layer, sticky sweat, do you gradually enter a better state. The third layer is when the sweat on your body is neither sweat nor oil, which is called cool sweat. Only when you reach this level can you be considered to have entered the gate."

Si Ming glanced around and saw that each of the bald men had a thin layer of sweat on their heads, which glistened in the Jingjing, as if they had been coated with India herbal oil. A trace of violent hormones emanated from their bodies, causing the cows in the distance to stir and the partridges in the banana grove to scatter their excrement like rain.

"Judging from their appearance, they don't seem like vegetarians."

Si Ming knew that the monks in the Barbarian Continent also abstained from meat. Although Emperor Xiao Yan, was not there, the Buddhism precept of "abstaining from killing" was easy to associate with vegetarianism, because vegetarianism was the only way to eliminate killing at its root. So when a certain Buddhist School monk in history put forward this view, other masters also expressed their agreement.

Some people in later generations have said that the Buddhism "abstaining from meat" does not refer to meat itself, but rather to vegetables with pungent odors. The commonly mentioned "five pungent vegetables" include garlic, shallots, scallions, leeks, and wild vegetables.

This knowledge is not wrong, but the problem is that monks not only have to abstain from meat, but also from fish, which refers to meat.

"Well, you can't practice martial arts if you're Internal Cultivation. Your vital energy is insufficient and can't keep up with the body's depletion. The more you practice, the more depleted you become. That's why there's the saying 'the poor study literature, the rich study martial Glazed Heart Method cultivation method of our temple, the martial monks are allowed to eat meat, but they must do it privately and not disturb others. Once you've mastered the Internal Cultivation method, you can replenish your vital energy with True Qi, and then you're no longer allowed to eat meat."

Even though Buddhism has its drawbacks, it is still the best of the worst among many religions. He himself does not eat meat, so he abides by the precepts. He does not force others to do the same, nor does he shout that you must respect my customs and be vegetarian with me.

"Our temple once had a master Zhending, who, because of his gluttony, refused to abstain from meat and preferred to cultivate only external martial arts without cultivating Internal Cultivation. None of the monks could do anything about it and could only let him be. In the end, he managed to cultivate the Vajra Demon-Subduing Divine Ability through external martial arts and became a legendary monk who indulged in wine and meat."

Xilai an interesting story, and seeing that they had passed the next gate and were about to reach the Scripture Repository, he asked, "I wonder what the Alliance Leader's views are on Buddhism?"

Si Ming glanced at him sideways and said, "You want to test me too?"

"I dare not presume, this humble monk sincerely wishes to seek your guidance," Xilai, straightening his posture and adopting a dignified expression. "My understanding of Buddhism differs from others, and thus I wish to find my own path, but I do not know where to begin. I always feel that something is missing, yet I cannot understand what it is. Today, I have heard many of the Alliance Leader's remarks and found much resonance in them, so I would like to receive your inspiration."

Si Ming was silent for a moment, then said, "You're not just a little short, you're a whole step short. Because you're different from others, you don't dare to take that first step. You think, 'Everyone says so, so they can't all be wrong, can they?' If you want to ask me for guidance, I can only say that there is no Buddha here, no Patriarch. The Buddha is an old man's dung peg, the Bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds are dung carriers, the Equal and Sublime Enlightenment are broken precepts of ordinary people, Bodhi and Nirvana are donkey tethers, the Twelve Divisions are ghost and spirit records, sores and warts wiped with paper, the initial Ten Grounds are ancient tomb-guarding ghosts, and there is no way to save yourself."

These are the words of Chan Buddhism Master Daojian, who used them to admonish his disciples not to seek help from the Buddha or the patriarchs, but to rely on their own cultivation. In his words, the Buddha became a piece of excrement, and Buddhist scriptures were just toilet paper. This is the origin of criticizing the Buddha and cursing the patriarchs.

One of the major contributions of Chan Buddhism is that it rejected the Buddha and did not engage in blind worship.

Upon hearing such arrogant words, Xilai stood there stunned for a while before finally realizing what was happening and bursting into laughter. "The Alliance Leader's words are quite interesting. They may seem crude, but they are actually thought-provoking."

"What's so funny about that? It's clearly slander against Buddha, the words of an impudent person!"

Suddenly, a stern voice rang out, and a stern-faced monk with an imposing presence strode in, his disapproving gaze fixed on Si Ming: "You are not a monk of this temple, so I will not pursue your crimes, but you have shown disrespect to the Buddha, and you must apologize to the Buddha."

"What kind of crime is it to disrespect the Buddha? The Buddha only cares whether others will learn his Dharma, not whether others respect or disrespect him. How can there be a crime? Thinking that the Buddha would be angry about this only proves that you are the one who is disrespectful to the Buddha," Si Ming retorted.

"You're talking nonsense, you're beyond help!"

The monk glared angrily and raised his hand, unleashing a Mighty Vajra Palm strike towards Si Ming, attempting to force him to submit.

Chapter 369 I am Buddha

Si Ming originally intended to retaliate with the Mighty Vajra Palm, but seeing that the opponent's fighting style was not the "shock" that could injure people, but the "press" that was mainly for subduing, he changed his mind and changed his move on the spot. He raised his palm like a knife and drew an infinitely mysterious arc, avoiding the solid and striking the weak point, hitting the opponent's Yang Valley joint, and shattering the palm force.

"Asura World-Annihilating Saber!"

The dignified-looking monk recognized the martial arts technique used by Si Ming, snorted, and as he withdrew his right palm, he extended his left palm in a claw-like motion— the Mighty Vajra Finger.

When ordinary people hear about finger techniques, they always think it's about sticking out one finger and poking around. In reality, this is unreasonable. People who practice finger techniques can't just practice one finger. Otherwise, what would it look like to stick out one middle finger and poke around? Unless it's a kind of finger technique like the Six Meridians Divine Sword or the One Yang Finger, where you can make a finger strike in mid-air.

Close-combat finger techniques like the Mighty Vajra Finger are practiced with all five fingers together. In actual combat, they are used to attack with claw-like techniques. After all, you can only poke one hole with one finger, but you can poke five holes with five fingers. It is self-evident which method is more threatening.

Seeing this, Si Ming remained calm and composed. He flicked his right sleeve and wrapped it around the opponent's wrist. Then, with agile movements, he engaged the opponent's Mighty Vajra Finger through the sleeve, still employing the style of avoiding the opponent's strength and attacking their weakness, using skill to overcome clumsiness.

"The Ruyi Illusory Demon Hand!"

The dignified-looking monk recognized the technique at a glance, because it also came from the "Brahma Sea Asura Art". The "Vajra Demon-Subduing Divine Ability" and the "Brahma Sea Asura Art" were the "unique skills" of the Glazed Temple, and the practitioners of each had the desire to compete with each other, so they were extremely familiar with each other.

The two sparred through their sleeves. With a single grab of his Mighty Vajra Finger, a hole the size of five fingers would appear, demonstrating the dignified monk's extraordinary skill in finger techniques. After all, it is much more difficult to poke a hole in a piece of cloth than in a stone. Although cloth is thin, it is soft and not easily pierced. Only by training one's finger strength to be concentrated and sharp as a blade can one pierce through it.

In the blink of an eye, Si Ming's right sleeve became a beehive, riddled with holes, but he didn't care at all. His technique became faster and faster, initially like a white lotus blooming, then instantly transforming into a sea of flowers, completely covering the opponent's five fingers.

The Mighty Vajra Finger is a powerful and forceful martial art, suitable for wide and sweeping movements. The dignified monk wanted to retract his hand to gather strength before counterattacking, but his wrist was caught in the opponent's sleeve, preventing him from retreating. He could only fight Si Ming in a narrow area. In this way, it was tantamount to attacking the enemy's strength with his own weakness. In the blink of an eye, the Vajra Finger's power was completely broken, and his five fingers were even pinned down.

"Master, you flatter me."

Si Ming released his grip, Xilai quickly stepped in to separate the two, then introduced them, "This is Master Fajian, the abbot of the Disciplinary Hall of this temple, and this is Sima Liang, the leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance."

Fajian glanced at the left hand, finding no fingerprints remaining, indicating the opponent had also held back. He withdrew his fighting spirit and said, "Is this the leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance who aims to 'spread martial arts throughout the world'? Daring to do what no one else dares to do, no wonder your words are so arrogant. But you really shouldn't have blasphemed Buddha."

He learned from the abbot that the leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance was willing to help them complete the plan to Buddha-Slaying Monk. Therefore, he was not surprised that Si Ming knew the martial arts in the "Brahma Sea Asura Art" - after all, Si Ming had not shown the Asura Divine Power.

Si Ming laughed and said, "Have I blasphemed Buddha? If I were to repeat what I just said before Buddha, how do you think Buddha would react?"

Fajian was about to answer when he suddenly realized there was a trap in his words. If he answered that Buddha would be furious and punish him, wouldn't that make Buddha seem petty and intolerant of criticism? But if he said that Buddha didn't care...

"The alliance leader tricked me with words. Admittedly, Buddha wouldn't care about others' slander, but we respect Buddha and naturally cannot tolerate others' unwarranted criticism. We have a responsibility to protect Buddha's reputation."

The monk wasn't as dull as he seemed, Si Ming thought to himself, but didn't dwell on it. The nature of Buddhism ensured his invincibility, and he continued to ask, "Master, is your respect the kind that keeps you at a distance, or the kind that involves learning from and respecting?"

"I will naturally learn from it with respect."

"Will you learn the Buddha's spirit or not?"

Fajian hearing this, Master Fajian realized that he had fallen into a trap again. If he said he wanted to learn, he would have to let Si Ming go; if he said he didn't want to learn, he would be disrespectful to the Buddha.

The unique feature of Buddhism is that the Buddha is meant to be learned from, unlike the deities of other religions who are meant to be worshipped. In fact, this is a characteristic of religions that have integrated with Huaxia civilization. The objects of worship in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism— the Three Pure Ones, the Buddha, and Confucius—are all enlightened masters. You don't need to kowtow or kneel to them; rather, you need to show them respect because you have learned their teachings.

You say you want to learn from Buddha, which is perfectly fine. No one can criticize your idea as wrong. The so-called "heart of turning to Buddha" means learning from Buddha, not kneeling before Buddha.

But if you say you want to learn from Jehovah, that's a big deal. His followers will question what you're really thinking. Do you want to replace God? How dare a mere creation try to usurp the Creator's authority? You've gone too far!

"This humble monk naturally has a heart that yearns for Buddhism, but nothing can be accomplished overnight. Learning is a gradual process. This humble monk admits that I am far inferior to the Buddha in terms of spirit and compassion, and I beg the leader not to utter any more words of slander against Buddhism."

"What we fear in doing things is not difficulty, but the fear of trying. Since you, Master, have a heart turned to Buddhism, why not take this first step today and learn from the Buddha's magnanimity and tolerance? As the saying goes, 'If the world slanders me, deceives me, insults me, laughs at me, belittles me, despises me, hates me, and cheats me, how should I deal with it? Simply endure it, let it go, let it be, avoid it, be patient with it, respect it, ignore it, and wait a few years and you will see.'"

Si Ming himself didn't believe in this stuff at all, but he didn't mind using it to fool others. If everyone in the world believed in this, how wonderful that would be.