Chapter 346

Suzuka Kurihara adjusted her glasses. "Speaking of which, does Ivia know anyone in our class? Probably not, since it seems like no one around here is particularly excited."

Suzuka Kurihara, Ilya's friend, and her older sister are a pair of yaoi fans.

"Have."

"Ah?"

Hearing Ivia say something unexpected caused the people surrounding her to exchange glances or look away.

"Illyasviel von Einzbern, who sits in front of me."

"Ah???"

This remark made the others turn their gazes to Ilya, each looking at her with expressions like, "I didn't expect you to hide this so well, Ilya," "This is a great development," and "Oh, so we know each other."

Even Ilya herself couldn't help but turn around, staring at Ivia she had met that morning, with a puzzled expression.

"Um, no, I..."

Wait a minute, thinking about it carefully, besides accidentally bumping into her this morning, could it be that I've encountered this Ivia somewhere else? Or have I simply forgotten?

No, that's impossible. I have absolutely no memory of that.

But Ivia quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, saying that she had accidentally bumped into Ilya that morning and that she had spent two years in Fuyuki.

"What? That's all? I thought Ilya was going to meet some childhood sweetheart who would just fall from the sky."

Suzuka Kurihara waved her hand, "It turned out like this, but it would be quite fitting for a romantic comedy in any other storyline."

"Suzuka! Don't talk nonsense!"

Ilya refuted Suzuka Kurihara, and then apologized to Ivia again.

"I'm so sorry about what happened this morning."

"It doesn't matter."

"By the way, why does Ivia have such long hair? Shouldn't boys have short hair?"

"Someone wants me to keep it."

"Wow, could it be some kind of childhood sweetheart from afar?"

"It seems the Crowd is getting along well. You had so much to say on your first day here! That's fantastic! The Teacher is very happy about it!"

Standing on the podium, Taiga, who had checked the class schedule and realized that ten minutes had passed, smiled and said...

The new girl Ivia, is Caren's Teacher brother. As for why she keeps her hair long, that's probably due to family reasons, or at least that's what the other Teacher in the department say.

However, in Japan, students, regardless of their stage of study, are easily ostracized if they stand out from the crowd or transfer to a class after a clique has formed.

In fact, Taiga could have left the classroom as soon as class ended, but in order to maintain harmony in the class with new students, she decided to stay here for the entire class meeting that day. After all, managing a classroom is built up from the smallest details.

Ensuring that all students in the class get along harmoniously, go to school happily, and absolutely eliminate any possibility of bullying is one of the Teacher's responsibilities.

And it seems they really get along well. Elementary school students should have these little moments of happiness that only elementary school students can have. School bullying and Violence are absolutely unacceptable.

Ultimately, children should always live in the beautiful world of dreams.

"Alright, let's continue the lesson!"

The Taiga laughed and shouted in a voice loud enough to shatter any beautiful dream.

For female Teacher, shouting is more effective than a calm and gentle voice, but Taiga doesn't seem to understand this principle; perhaps it's just a habit.

"Today I'll tell the Crowd a short story from the textbook. You all know about Buddha and Bodhisattva, right? It's about 'Maudgalyayana Rescuing His Mother'!"

Maudgalyayana was one of the ten great disciples of Shakyamuni. The story of Maudgalyayana saving his mother refers to the fact that his mother did not die a good death in her lifetime and was reborn as Hungry Ghost.

Maudgalyayana, heartbroken by his mother's suffering, decided to save her. He then used his supernatural powers to prepare a sumptuous offering and presented it to his mother. However, due to her karma, the food could not be enjoyed by her and turned into flames, causing her even greater pain.

Maudgalyayana felt helpless and went back to consult Shakyamuni.

Shakyamuni told him that only through good deeds and the help of others could his mother's suffering be alleviated. So, Maudgalyayana invited many monks to pray for his mother and perform good deeds together.

Through everyone's efforts, Maudgalyayana's mother was finally able to transcend the suffering of the Hungry Ghost realm.

"What does this story teach us? It teaches us that we shouldn't do bad things, or we'll be punished; we should have good intentions. Also, we're a group, so the Crowd should help each other, right?"

The reason Taiga told this story was simply to help these children maintain a harmonious relationship in the future.

However, there are always some troublemakers among children in this age group.

"Teacher, Teacher, who is more powerful, Maudgalyayana or Shakyamuni?"

"As Maudgalyayana's Teacher, Shakyamuni is certainly more powerful!"

"Who said that? Isn't there a saying that a disciple doesn't necessarily have to be inferior to his master?"

Taiga suppressed the urge to shout and forced himself to speak gently:

"Normally speaking, Shakyamuni Buddha would be more powerful, after all, he was the Teacher."

"Compared to Maitreya Buddha, who followed Shakyamuni Buddha, who is more powerful, or perhaps Dipankara Buddha?"

"This is not a topic that should be discussed in class."

"Dipankara represents the past, Shakyamuni represents the present, Maitreya represents the Future, so of course it's the Future. Don't TV dramas always say that anything is possible in the Future?"

"They haven't arrived yet, so why don't they come now?"

"Teacher Taiga, who do you think would be better? Perhaps Tathagata in the Future?"

"I'm telling you guys--"

Taiga sighed loudly and slammed his fist on the lectern.

"This isn't a topic for you to discuss! Quiet down! Listen to my class meeting!"

After being interrupted, the classroom fell silent for a moment, then some students started whispering again. Seeing how stubborn these kids were, Taiga thought about the management methods he had found online and decided to put them to use.

"... That's enough! You're the noisiest class I've ever had since I started teaching. You're the noisiest class I've ever seen."

Taiga gave a stiff, half-smiling, half-not-a-smile.

"I've told you countless times over the years when to speak and when not to speak, are you still making such basic mistakes? Holiday homework is even more of a problem, it's on a completely different level, and there are still people doing it right under my nose..."

"Since you all love discussing whether the Buddhas are stronger or not, I'm going to ask you a question. If you can't answer it, the whole class will have to stay for an extra period to clean the classroom."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the classroom froze as if a blizzard were raging, and no one wanted to clean the classroom when it wasn't their turn.

"Listen up... What are some stories or anecdotes about Maitreya Bodhisattva? If you can't answer them, the whole class will have to stay behind to clean up today."

For a group of children, such a request is undoubtedly difficult, but that is precisely what Taiga aims to achieve.

She asked that question precisely to 'make things difficult'; as long as she lowers her superior stance and leaves room for maneuver, the matter will be over. After all, how she handles the situation after a reprimand is more important than simply scolding her...

In short, that's what's said online, and that's how Taiga learned it too.

So after a moment of silence, Taiga stood up and chuckled softly.

Hmph, this was easy to take down.

"As expected, no one knew. So you really need to listen to me from now on. Honestly, I hate getting angry at you guys more than being annoyed by you. So next time, you'd better have plenty of reasons to do it—"

"The Dragon Flower Three Assemblies."

"That's right, that's right, it's the Dragon Flower Three Assemblies..."

The previously nonchalant Taiga suddenly looked at Ivia had stood up, somewhat bewildered. "Um, what's that?"

"If you don't know about Teacher Taiga, you can look him up on Wikipedia."

The Dragon Flower Three Assemblies are also known as the Three Maitreya Assemblies.

Before becoming a Buddha, Maitreya was also known as Bodhisattva. According to the "Maitreya Descent Sutra," this Bodhisattva existed during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, and Shakyamuni Buddha once predicted. "You, Maitreya, after receiving my prediction, will become a Buddha in the future and liberate humans and gods."

This is the history of the time when Maitreya was Bodhisattva.

Dragon Flower refers to the type of Bodhi Tree under which Maitreya attained enlightenment, while the Three Assemblies refer to the order in which three types of people in the world Dharma’s End Period come to see Maitreya under the Dragon Flower Tree. Those with deep and superior relationships attend the first assembly; those with lesser relationships attend the Second Meeting; and those with shallow and inferior relationships attend the third assembly.

Regardless of the outcome, the result is the same: being recognized as a Buddha. This is the meaning behind the saying that the countless beings saved at the Dragon Flower Three Assemblies are of this kind.

"Wait a minute, isn't that too easy on those big bad guys? Just nodding and all their past Sin will be wiped away and they'll be freed? That shouldn't be the case. It should be an eye for an eye, a couple of punches first, and then inflicting pain. So Buddhism compassion is really meaningless; boxing is much more direct."

After hearing what Taiga Wikipedia had said, Tatsuko Yamama suddenly interrupted.

"The difference between emotional and Flesh pain, from a third-party perspective, is that for those who have committed wrongdoing, Flesh erasure is the best course of action. After all, no matter how much pain one experiences, one is still alive. Even if the perpetrator suffers from emotional torment for a long time, it is still better for those connected to the victim to completely destroy them."

"Which one does Ivia support? Since you know so many historical allusions, you must be a Buddhism, right? So it must be some kind of redemption for spiritual pain?"

"No, I think the same way, Tatsuko Yamama."

At this point, Ivia's expression softened slightly. "The saying goes, 'Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot,' but in my opinion, this place should be Hell."

In fact, the well-known saying "lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot" is not as it sounds. In reality, the butcher's knife does not only refer to the actual blade used to kill, but also to all human malice. Becoming a Buddha does not mean immediately attaining Buddhahood, but rather taking refuge in Buddhism and starting the path of doing good deeds. This difference is mainly due to the background differences caused by the spread of India Buddhism in China.

"You deserve to Hell! Great minds think alike! Tatsuko, I think you're quite good!"

It's over.

Unlike the two people having a conversation, Taiga, standing in the lecture hall, felt a chill run down his spine.

How could anyone know?

I just said it casually, and now I've failed to establish any authority. All that watching for nothing...

"Cough cough."

Taiga coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, then smiled. "I... Ivia is really quite knowledgeable about Buddhist Studies. Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect her to know so much so soon after returning from abroad. Everyone needs to work harder!"

No, because--

In an instant, ripples seemed to appear in the air.

In reality, it was just the branches of the big tree outside the Academy that were swaying slightly in the wind, but at this moment, when it reached this classroom, it sounded like the melodious, clear, and loud strains of a harp, and the flowers that had bloomed outside the window were emitting a fragrance.

If we were on a vibrant mountain now, all the flowers around us would probably be in full bloom.

At that moment, Ivia also looked thoughtfully at the Bodhi Tree on the playground outside the window, which had not yet sprouted any buds, and nodded.

The Dragon Flower Three Assemblies Ritual for Maitreya to save the world in the Dharma’s End Period. They can also be seen as a calamity from Bodhisattva to human to Buddha. After all, without experiencing the intersection of the two perspectives, it is difficult to initiate the Ritual of saving the world.

No wonder I feel this way now, I see.

After all, normally Novia should only be smaller; there shouldn't be such a change.

However, since he is both Maitreya and Dipankara's tribulation Satya Yuga when he helped Gautama become Buddha, while Maitreya's tribulation was only Satya Yuga through this Dragon Flower Three Assemblies...

As for why it was only discovered now, it can be understood that Ivia's current state of mind is the final stage she least wanted to reach when using the Pope's power. It can also be said that as an unfinished Buddha's Kalpa, the ability of 'Vision of All Things' was shut down.

Originally, due to the characteristics of Kavia, 'Brahman' and Buddha were one, and Maitreya and Dipankara were one in one aspect of Buddha. Further down, Maitreya and Papiyas were one. Now, the concept of Papiyas has been completely devoured by Kama with its literal meaning, so the delicate balance has been broken, which has led to the current tribulation of being 'Maitreya'... Therefore, it is all Kama's fault.

In other words, Ivia hasn't really changed much; only her perspective on love has shifted from specific people to loving abstract human concepts...

From a certain angle, it resembles a beast. If placed in Magical Girl anime, it would immediately be classified as a villain, since Magical Girl are supposed to have infinite love.

In short, he still has great compassion for human suffering and feels pain for it, but he lacks connection with specific people because specific people cannot reach the Perfection of the abstract human being he imagines.

The more advanced the assembly, the less Perfection the people seen in the Dragon Flower Three Assemblies are as a whole. In other words, the transformation from the concept of near- Perfection people seen in the initial assembly to the acceptance of specific people full of flaws in the end is precisely the significance of Maitreya's Dragon Flower Three Assemblies.

However, knowing something is one thing, and changing one's mindset is another. Just like a person knows some principles, but may not necessarily act according to them. This is the case with Ivia, who now knows that she is experiencing the "Maitreya Tribulation and the Dragon Flower Three Assemblies".

I might just think: Oh, I see. Well, that's how it is then.

"I am Maitreya."

The classroom fell silent again for no apparent reason.

"Ha ha."

Taiga chuckled awkwardly, "So you really do have Buddhists in your family who read Buddhist scriptures. Caren's Teacher certainly has a harmonious Faith atmosphere. Anyway, everyone should get along well. As for today's cleaning, was I lying to you? Let's just continue as usual..."

Oh no, is this Ivia so engrossed in reading some Buddhist scriptures?

Oh my Teacher, and Caren, aren't you a Jesus? How come your younger brother is a Buddhist? Won't they fight if they were at home?

Taiga Fujimura was extremely worried about Caren's family, but Ivia was still living in a tent in the park.

Since it was the first day of the Third Term, in the Elementary School Division, there were only three class meetings from 8:30 to 11:30, plus some time for self-study. Everyone could go home at lunchtime.

"Well, I'm going back now."

"Let's walk together. Ilya, you and Suzuka should sweep the floor properly."

Ilya had just waved to the two people who had left when she saw Suzuka Kurihara pleading with her hands clasped together.