Buddhist

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Buddhist
Original Name	佛家
Type	Neutral Character (AI)
First Appearance	Chapter 18 18

Cultivation Framework

Buddhist cultivation centers on forming a Dharma Body. A practitioner's disposition determines their potential attainment, though it may change as they progress. 19

Element	Details
Disposition of the Common Person	The disposition initially identified in Mo Chuan; one of the five Dharma Body dispositions. 19
Disposition of the Hearer and Solitary Realizer	A Dharma Body disposition. 19
Disposition of the Bodhisattva	A Dharma Body disposition whose highest stated attainment is Bodhisattvahood. 19
Disposition of the Tathagata	A Dharma Body disposition. 19
Disposition of the Outer Path	A Dharma Body disposition. 19
Lesser Vehicle Samadhi	A First Fruit Direction that culminates in the Arhat fruit. 19
Greater Vehicle Samadhi	A path toward Buddhahood; reaching the Ten Faiths requires returning to and recultivating the Lesser Vehicle, making it exceptionally difficult. 19

Lesser Vehicle Fruits

Fruit	Position in the Lesser Vehicle
Suddapanna	First fruit; Master Shen Quan's Intent Relic is revealed to be this fruit. 316
Sakrdagamin	Second fruit, attained by Master Shen Quan. 316
Anagamin	Third fruit. 316
Arhat	Fourth and final Lesser Vehicle fruit. 316

Doctrines and Practice

• No Coming, No Going — A method for severing distractions and confusion. It cuts away scattered thoughts and reinforces righteous thoughts, benefiting cultivation. 199
• Six Perfections — The Bodhisattva practices of generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom; practicing them is presented as a path toward sainthood and Bodhisattvahood. 292
• Karma and reincarnation — Buddhist ideas of reincarnation are considered useful for encouraging people to do good deeds. 452
• Buddha-nature — A rare quality that can render its bearer unaffected by ordinary Buddhist teachings and Buddhist light. The woman in red possesses it, while the barefoot monk is implied to possess a comparable Buddha-nature through the Buddhist light around him. 144 175
• Buddhist light — Particularly effective against yin souls and fierce ghosts, allowing less-cultivated Buddhist monks to contend with powerful demonic spirits. 278

“Killing Life to Protect Life”

Mo Chuan's maxim becomes a major point of contention between Daoist and Buddhist practitioners. It is treated by some monks as sophistry, but others consider it potentially capable of advancing Buddhist teachings. 195 291

“Killing life is to protect life, cutting karma is not cutting people.”
182

At the Buddha Heart Sect's founding debate, Mo Chuan uses the principle to challenge Master Bei Yuan's doctrine and expose the gap between his teachings and his willingness to act on them. 291 293

Supernatural Abilities

Exhaustion of Defilements

One of Buddhism's Six Supernatural Abilities and the foremost Buddhist ability cultivated by Mo Chuan. It reduces afflictions and desires in pursuit of great wisdom. 282 495

• Has two stated stages:
  • Afflictions and Desires Not Yet Fully Exhausted — associated with the Bodhisattva fruit. 282
  • All Afflictions and Desires Exhausted — associated with the Buddha fruit. 282
• Its true principle is not the suppression of desire, but acknowledging and guiding desire until it becomes wisdom. 285
• Can manifest Great Treasure Flame, or Wisdom Fire, as corona-like rings behind the user's head. 285
• Mo Chuan's mastery of the technique was enabled by the Suddapanna Fruit concealed within his soul. 316 495
• The First Fruit's clarity later becomes a potential danger, silently tempting Mo Chuan's Dao Heart. 495

Destiny Clairvoyance

A Buddhist Six Supernatural Ability used by Abbot Huitong. It can awaken memories connected to a person's past life, though Mo Chuan questions its authenticity. 145 405

Heavenly Eye

One of the Buddhist Six Supernatural Abilities obtained by Mo Chuan through a Jade Tablet. 405

Great Might Bodhisattva Heart Mantra

A Buddhist mantra used by Monk Guangyin while attempting to free the Fei Ox from Mantou Mountain. 276

• Allows the manifestation of a powerful Buddhist palm. 276
• Its associated wisdom light is described as illuminating all beings, freeing them from the three paths of suffering, and granting supreme power. 276
• Guangyin uses it to shatter two layers of Heavenly Master's Talismans. 276

Major Temples and Factions

Institution	Role
Tianbao Temple	Led by Abbot Tianbao, who explains the Buddhist cultivation framework to Mo Chuan and later seeks to establish a memorial tablet for Daoist Yan Zhen. 19 24
Huitong Zen Temple	A temple implicated in secret Tantric practices and the abuse of the woman in red as a flesh lotus. Its skull-filled meditation chamber uses Ghost Buddhas and the Sin Annihilation Seal. 144 145
Twin Dragon Temple	Home of Master Shen Quan and the Heavenly Dragon Division. Its dragon cultivation methods derive from the Azure Dragon Commentary of the Diamond Sutra. 194 316
Great Round Temple	A Buddhist temple that bargains with the sealed Fei Ox and sends Guangyin to release it; it is later demoted to an “immoral shrine” for breaking the law. 276 283
Buddha Heart Sect	Hosts the scripture debate in Diqiu where Mo Chuan establishes his sect's principle before Buddhist cultivators and the Imperial Court. 291 293
Mituo Temple	A Mahayana Buddhist temple associated with rebirth through cultivating good roots; Master Tong Hai is reputed to practice Pure Land contemplation. 287
Daguang Temple	Seat of the Immortal Vajra in the Lanbi Hub. 502

Notable Figures

• Abbot Tianbao — Abbot of Tianbao Temple; introduces Mo Chuan to Buddhist dispositions, Dharma Bodies, and the Lesser and Greater Vehicle paths. 19
• Master Shen Quan — Twin Dragon Temple monk, friend of Mo Chuan, holder of the Suddapanna Fruit before giving its Intent Relic to Mo Chuan. 198 316
• Master Bei Yuan — Buddhist debater who repeatedly challenges Mo Chuan's “killing life to protect life” principle. 182 291 293
• Abbot Huitong — Corrupt abbot of Huitong Zen Temple; employs Ghost Buddhas, skull formations, and Destiny Clairvoyance. 144 145
• The Woman in Red — A fierce ghost with Buddha-nature and a survivor of Huitong Zen Temple's flesh-lotus practices. 144
• Pu Ze — Wandering ascetic whose clash with Mo Chuan destroys the Myriad Dynasties Cave and its surrounding area. 274 275
• Monk Guangyin — Great Round Temple monk who manifests a three-hundred-foot Yang God and attempts to uproot Mantou Mountain for the Fei Ox. 276
• Great Vajra — One of the 108 Vajras under the Open-Eyed Arhat; uses eighty-one Vajra-powered clones and a Demon Subduing Array. 496 497
• Immortal Vajra — A powerful figure of Daguang Temple and father of the Master of Free and Easy Pavilion. 502

Story Role

Buddhism first serves as a parallel cultivation tradition that Mo Chuan studies without initially practicing. Abbot Tianbao's explanation establishes its focus on Dharma Bodies, dispositions, and the divided paths of the Lesser and Greater Vehicles. 19

Mo Chuan's encounter with Huitong Zen Temple reveals a corrupt side of the Buddhist world: the temple's flesh-lotus scheme, skull meditation chamber, and use of Ghost Buddhas directly harm the woman in red despite her Buddha-nature. 144 145

His relationship with Master Shen Quan presents a contrasting ideal. Shen Quan is open to Daoist thought, judges Mo Chuan's actions through both Buddhist merit and Daoist good karma, and eventually reveals the origin of Mo Chuan's Suddapanna Fruit. 210 316

After mastering Exhaustion of Defilements, Mo Chuan enters the Buddha Heart Sect debate. His arguments against Master Bei Yuan make him widely known among Buddhist sects, some of which later enshrine him as Master Ming Chen despite his Daoist identity. 285 291 293 361

Mo Chuan ultimately regards Buddhist scripture and wisdom as valuable, but refuses to abandon Daoism as his primary pursuit. He considers Buddhist cultivation a means of broadening his understanding of metaphysics rather than his fundamental path. 495