"Where are your Five Wisdom Tathagatas? Didn't he claim to guard the Five Realms? When Great Qi was on the verge of destruction, why didn't your Five Wisdom Tathagatas appear?"
Li Huowang's tone was deeply offensive toward the Buddha worshipped by Zhengde Temple, yet Chan Du, the abbot of Zhengde Temple, showed no anger—not even the slightest ripple of emotion.
He pressed his palms together and reverently bowed toward the five great Buddhas within the hall. "Amitabha. Good, good. As a disciple, this humble monk would not dare casually speculate on what the Buddha is thinking."
"But Benefactor Li, as causes arise, so do they fall away. Did the Five Wisdom Tathagatas truly do nothing? If he truly did nothing, then why did Benefactor Li come to help Great Qi?"
"Perhaps the thought that brought Benefactor Li here to aid Great Qi was itself part of the Buddha's karmic cause and effect."
Chan Du's words instantly sent Li Huowang's fury soaring to the heavens. "What do you mean by that? So I've been working myself to the bone here, and all the credit belongs to the Five Wisdom Tathagatas?"
Chan Du shook his head repeatedly. "No. The credit naturally belongs to Benefactor Li. But the Five Wisdom Tathagatas are the Great Buddha, and the Buddhist Five Realms all lie within his Pure Wisdom. Thus, the credit belongs to Benefactor Li, while the merit belongs to the Buddha."
Li Huowang was naturally dissatisfied with this explanation, which was practically no explanation at all.
"Come, come, let's talk this through properly. Let's lay every detail out and get to the bottom of it! Why does the merit belong to the Five Wisdom Tathagatas? And what exactly is this Pure Wisdom?"
"Make your Five Wisdom Tathagatas handle things! Didn't he protect the Five