"Buddha in the heart is heavenly light..." Sick Monk slowly chanted. "This poor monk has Buddha in his heart, yet he has not seen heavenly light for a thousand years. The reason is one obstruction, called the Obstruction of Buddha's Sight!"
This exchange between the two was full of Buddhist verbal sparring, utterly incomprehensible to ordinary people.
But what kind of figures were Sun Zhen and Duan Muchun?
They both understood.
The greatest obstruction in Buddhism was the Obstruction of Buddha's Sight.
What was the Obstruction of Buddha's Sight?
It was when one's surroundings conflicted with the ideals one had upheld for so long, forming a thick curtain. The more perilous and wicked the world became, the sturdier that curtain grew; the more virtuous and eminent the monk, the harder it was to break free.
Lin Su said, "This junior once had a dream. Would Master care to hear it?"
"Please, benefactor," Sick Monk said.
Lin Su said, "This junior once dreamed that I fell into the eighteen levels of hell. Evil ghosts ran rampant within, yet there was a monk named Dizang whose Buddha-nature still remained. Puzzled, I asked him: 'Master possesses such profound Buddhist Dharma. You should have attained enlightenment and become a Buddha. Why did you fall here?' Dizang said: 'This poor monk failed to uphold the Buddhist precepts and slew tens of millions of treacherous evildoers in the world. Thus, I have fallen eternally into damnation.' I said: 'Master knew that violating the Precept of Killing would lead to damnation. Why did you still do it?' Dizang said: 'If I do not enter hell, who will?' I was deeply moved. I said: 'Master should become a Buddha!' Yet Dizang refused, saying: 'Until hell is empty, I swear I shall not become a Buddha!'"
Sick Monk's entire