Three years, three years, and another three years.
Nine years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Nine years—how many nine-year periods are there in a lifetime? Li Su didn't know, but he himself had lived a very comfortable nine years.
Basically, no one bothered him. Apart from Fazhao occasionally coming to see him, he seemed to have been forgotten. The only thing that bothered him was the five people who were hostile to him because of Fazhao: Faming, Fanan, Fahui, and Fayun, led by Fake.
I didn't laugh, I really didn't laugh.
Suddenly I think the name Fahai is actually quite good. Don't you all think so too?
During the first three years, when Fake and his group came over, Li Su thought for a moment and then demonstrated his skill of breaking bricks with his bare hands. He chopped down a five-inch-thick blue brick with one palm and used it to repair the dilapidated wall next to him. Fak and his group, who had come over aggressively, walked past Li Su with expressions of horror.
Although they possess magic, they cannot be eaten.
In particular, the Pure Land Sect's magic, although it has many variations, doesn't focus much on defense as a whole. Well, it's not that it doesn't care, but rather that it doesn't rely on Man Li to defend against demons.
So, looking at their fists, which were bigger than casserole dishes, they gave up.
Three years later, the Fake returned, this time brimming with confidence.
The main reason is that the Dao Fruit has blossomed, with two and a half flowers blooming, indicating a significant improvement in strength and giving the individual absolute confidence and assurance.
Helpless, Li Su could only stare at the bronze cauldron in the main hall, which weighed about two thousand catties, looking quite troubled as he couldn't reach the bottom of the cauldron's legs. He then picked up the cauldron and placed it aside, cleaned the four corners, and put it back.
Seeing the five people's bewildered expressions, Li Su smiled, greeted them, and walked out.
Three years have passed, and Li Su is still the same humble monk. It is said that Fake have already blossomed into three generations, and they went out to undergo trials to subdue demons and monsters more than half a year ago. In other words, they should have plenty of confidence and strength to return this time.
Touching her chin, Li Su felt a bit of a challenge.
For the sake of harmony within the sect, to avoid hurting the self-esteem of the Fake, and even more so to live out his life peacefully, he felt he had done his utmost, extremely utmost.
He's already lifted a two-thousand-pound bronze cauldron; that's practically supernatural. What's next?
You can't exactly lift up a whole building for a performance, can you? It's not that Li Su can't do it, but it doesn't seem like something someone who hasn't blossomed could do.
Ugh, this is so difficult for me.
That's right, the Li Su still haven't bloomed.
It took him nine whole years to establish his roots. Although he hasn't blossomed yet, he's already established himself quite well. The roots that have sprouted from the Dao Fruit have filled his body, and all his meridians, even his capillaries, have turned into roots.
Fortunately, this is the fruit of the Tao, the intention of the mind, which is illusory and unreal; otherwise, if you were to take an X-ray of it, it would probably scare someone to death.
It's almost ready to bloom.
It should be sometime recently.
Once the flower blooms and the Dao fruit manifests, Li Su will be able to begin cultivating Vajra Strength, Dragon Division Strength, and the Longevity Formula.
Although the Pure Land Sect has two top-level scriptures, the Infinite Life Sutra and the Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra, he has no intention of studying them.
Why?
It's very simple.
The Amitabha Sutra focuses on the Pure Land Buddha Kingdom, while the other two sutras focus on the Buddha.
Although both the Buddha Land and the Buddha are manifestations of Buddhist supernatural powers, they are fundamentally different.
The Amitabha Sutra teaches that the mind is the Pure Land, that one can build Buddha Land within and transform the world.
As for the Buddha, the practice of Amitabha Buddha is the Buddha's way of life, while Buddha of Infinite Life is the Buddha himself. Leaving aside the profound aspects, simply put, both cultivate the emptiness of the four elements, cutting off physical desires and purifying the mind. This is Dao Heart Demon-Planting Technique, which has a significant impact on the mind. It's not that it's bad; in fact, breaking through the fundamental nature and attaining great freedom is not bad either. For Li Su, the impact is roughly returning to a childlike, original mind, true feelings and nature, unmoved by worldly things. A bit mystical, right? No problem, a simple explanation is that it's like having a forced calming buff—not the kind of calming buff that's cut off as soon as a thought arises, but a continuous buff that prevents desires from arising.
What a joke! This humble monk has a wife, and in reality, there's a lovely senior sister waiting for him to return. How could he possibly become a Buddha?
Some might ask, "How can one uphold the Buddha's teachings if the mind is not pure?"
Then let me tell you, you're wrong.
Buddha is a state of mind, a fundamental pursuit, an understanding of desires, free from control and depravity, a mind above passions, and thus attained liberation.
Abandoning family, kinship, friends, and even one's own life is the truly crooked and evil path.
The saying "Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot" has been misinterpreted by most people. Does putting down the knife really make you an enlightened being? Is there such a cheap thing in the world? The knife you put down here is the butcher's knife in your heart.
However, once the Heart Blade is released, guilt arises spontaneously, filling my mind and soul, from which I cannot extricate myself. I yearn for relief, I need forgiveness—forgiveness from the living, forgiveness from the dead, and forgiveness from my own heart.
The living are easy to seek, the dead are easy to understand, but the true nature of one's own heart is the hardest to break.
Basically, without dying once, this knot is hard to untie. Because it's not just a knot in the heart, but also Karma Knot Buddha, at his best, couldn't resist breaking his alms bowl to avoid feeling attachment. Having created such a huge karmic connection as the death of another, how can it be simply resolved with a word of letting go? Therefore, for crimes like murder, it's best to turn yourself in; that's faster than any form of spiritual cultivation. (Well, the above is just the author's own understanding of Buddhism.)
Therefore, Li Su practiced Buddhism with a Buddhist mindset, but not with Buddhist actions.
He did not desire to attain Buddhahood, but only sought to have a clear conscience; therefore, he practiced the Amitabha Sutra, but could not practice the other two.
Even if he tried to cultivate himself, he would still be himself, but he would no longer be himself. Moreover, such cultivation would not only be fruitless, but would also easily trigger inner demons. Although Li Su did not want to transcend, he did not want to sink into depravity either.
Basically, this guy has the enlightenment of a Buddha, but at most he can only reach the Arhat level; he can't even become a Bodhisattva. In short, he's wasting the resources of heaven.
Okay, let's get back to the main topic.
As the Lotus were about to bloom, Li Su couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. What he had come to understand was through his innate talent and the Dao Exposition, which led him to see the fundamental truth—in other words, a pure land.
This is undoubtedly the highest teaching of the Amitabha Sutra, the Pure Land Buddha Kingdom!
For a moment, Fake forgot about Li Su and the others, focusing all her attention on finishing the last of the roots and guiding the plant to bloom.
Oh, right.
Just to mention, after nine years, Fazhao has become quite remarkable, truly extraordinary.
His talent is astonishing; he is the reincarnation of the World Honored One.
Nine years have passed, and now he has begun to cultivate the Infinite Life Sutra, attained enlightenment on the path of Buddha, and the five Lotus have actually bloomed on their lotus platforms, transforming into the number nine and six, which is extremely astonishing.
The Lotus Sect Sect's Dao Fruit, each Lotus petal represents one unit of great power. A single lotus of three nines has twenty-seven units of great power, and a single Lotus of five nines has forty-five units of great power. Five lotuses of five nines have two hundred and twenty-five units of great power, almost equivalent to the realm of nine ordinary Lotus of three nines, which can be described as terrifying.
The young monk has now grown into a handsome young man, a contemporary Buddhist disciple of the Dharma generation, radiating brilliance.
He started seeing Li Su less often, from once a day for more than an hour each time, to once a week.
I don't know why, even though the other person is so powerful, they still come to see him every week without fail. It's not good, but at least the frequency has decreased, right?
However, what troubled Li Su was that in the past six months, it seemed that not only the Fazhao came, but also many disciples of the Fa generation when he came, and there was a feeling that there were more and more of them.
Then a group of people sat together, asking for nothing in return, and listened to him recite the Amitabha Sutra.
Most of you are practicing the Infinite Life Sutra, so why are you here listening to my Amitabha Sutra?
When I recite scriptures, do three thousand golden lotuses spring up from the ground or countless drops of spiritual rain fall from the sky?
However, seeing that this group of people basically didn't cause him any trouble, Li Su simply decided to ignore it.
"Senior brother!"
Just then, Fazhao's voice rang out.
Li Su turned her head and couldn't help but sigh, "She's already an adult."
The little boy who once smiled like a porcelain doll, Fazhao, has now grown into a handsome young man with refined features, elegant demeanor, and an aura of Buddhist wisdom. It has to be said that time is a cruel butcher's knife, cutting away the youth of everyone.
Behind him stood a group of disciples of the "Fa" generation.
If you count them, it seems like all four generations of the Pure Land Sect disciples are here.
Wait, why are there several senior disciples of the Cheng generation standing inside? What are they doing here??? It's just disciples chanting Buddhist scriptures, don't these seniors have anything better to do? Why are they joining in the fun?
And you, you, don't think I can't see you just because you're standing in the back. Master, what are you doing? You, the abbot's junior brother of the Pure Land Sect School, think I can't see you just because you're hiding in the crowd? That's the old monk who taught him the Amitabha Sutra, with kind eyes and a gentle demeanor. It's a pity he's not as good as Tianming, who brought meat for himself.
Li Su's lips twitched, feeling that her plan to remain hidden and cunning was about to break free and never return.
It's okay, it's okay.
Everyone here is just a good person. After all, they've been practicing Buddhism for nine years and haven't yet achieved enlightenment. The Pure Land Sect has a good atmosphere; apart from a few Fake, most people's main focus is still on practicing Buddhism and being kind to others.
Li Su smiled, put down the broom. Over the past six months, he had averaged four times a week, and he had gotten used to it.
Since you're already here, just read it. It's not a big deal anyway. After all, no matter how much you say, if it doesn't bloom, what are you going to do?
*******
At that moment, outside the Pure Land Sect, five weary young monks returned, followed by a caravan of dozens of people with a flag bearing the names of Zhejiang West and Li.
They arrived at the Pure Land Sect one after the other, and soon the five young monks went straight in, heading towards the inner courtyard of the Pure Land Sect.
The group of people stopped, and a woman stepped down from the carriage. She was beautiful, but her brows held a hint of sorrow.
With her arrival, the gates of the Pure Land Sect swung open, and a group of monks emerged, Master Chengyuan Pure Land Sect.
"Greetings, Mr. Qian."
"Master, do you understand why I have come?"
"We understand your purpose, benefactor Pure Land Sect is also aware of this. We request that you accompany me to the monastery. The person who will resolve your predicament has already been arranged."
A slight smile appeared on the woman's worried face, and she felt much more at ease.
"Please lead the way, sir." The woman nodded, then looked at the group of people in the caravan and said, "You may wait here."
"Yes, madam!"
******
After passing through the temple gate and the main hall, we turned into the inner courtyard.
Master Chengyuan led the woman directly to the foot of a High Tower in the backyard of the Pure Land Sect, where the disciples below could be seen resting.
Are there any events scheduled for today?
Despite her worries, the woman couldn't help but speak when she saw a large group of monks gathered in front of her disciple's resting place.
"Look over there in the center, sir," Master Chengyuan said with a smile, pointing to the two young monks surrounded by the crowd. "They are the ones our temple has arranged to help you resolve your family troubles."
The woman was startled, her gaze immediately turning in that direction, and then her brows furrowed slightly.
A young monk? However, one of them was dressed in a brown monk's robe, possessing an extraordinary aura. Even from a distance, one could still feel the boundless Buddhist energy emanating from him.
The woman took a breath. Originally, she planned to seek help from Dragon Tiger Mountain to resolve her family's problems, but her mother was a devout Buddhist, leaving her with no choice but to come to this sacred place for assistance. Therefore, she hesitated for a moment. "Is that the young monk in the brown robe? Master, it's not that I look down on him, but the matter in my family is truly troublesome and difficult to resolve. We've already consulted many masters, but they've all returned empty-handed, and some have even lost their lives."
The old monk smiled and said, "Don't worry, although Fazhao is talented, his understanding of Buddhism is not enough, and he has never left the temple, so he is not good at solving these kinds of problems."
"Huh?" The woman was taken aback. Wasn't that the little monk? Then who was it?
"It's that little guy next to him, the one in the gray monk's robe."
The woman frowned, feeling offended. She thought the old monk was toying with her. The trouble that had happened at home was so troublesome, disturbing the whole family's peace. As a result, she had come all the way to this Pure Land Sect's territory, only to be sent a monk in plain clothes who was clearly the lowest-ranking disciple. She wouldn't stop him from dying, but what mattered to her was solving the problem.
"Master, you..." The woman immediately became somewhat angry.
The old monk smiled and said, "Don't be impatient, just watch."
Meanwhile, the five weary young monks who had returned, after handing in their mission, immediately headed to the backyard to find Li Su.
That's right, it was the five little guys led by Fake.
The group, who had initially seemed exhausted, became more energetic as they got closer to the backyard, and couldn't help but rub their hands together in anticipation.
This time, this time we'll make Fahai pay!
The experience of the past six months has given them plenty of courage and confidence, completely erasing the shocking sight of Li Su lifting a two-thousand-pound bronze cauldron with one hand and setting it aside before cleaning up.
Compared to demons, what is Fahai?
So the five of them rushed in.
Huh? Why are there so many people?
Seeing the monks sitting on the ground, including even senior monks of the Cheng generation, the five of them were taken aback and somewhat surprised.
Upon seeing the Fazhao in the center, they couldn't help but realize, "Is the Fazhao going to give a Dharma talk? As expected of my junior brother, he's getting more and more impressive. Even our senior uncles couldn't resist coming to listen."
Damn it, that bastard Fahai, he's clearly hopelessly stupid, yet he's so lucky to be liked by Junior Brother Fazhao. Otherwise, how could someone like him be qualified to sit in the center?
Huh? The five of them paused, suddenly sensing that something was amiss.
Why does it feel like Fahai is in the center, instead of Fazhao?
" Fake, you're back!"
Hearing the commotion behind them, the two disciples of the Fa generation turned around and immediately smiled, saying, "You lot are really lucky. Come, come and sit down. Brother Fahai's sermon is the greatest opportunity for our Pure Land Sect!"
Fahai preaching?
Wait a minute, just wait a minute.
Junior brother, are you mistaken about something??? What's the use of an iron tree giving a sermon?
"I really envy Fazhao. He knew from the beginning that Senior Brother Fahai was extraordinary and stayed by his side for nine years. It's a pity that we only discovered Senior Brother Fahai's amazing achievements in Buddhism half a year ago."
The junior disciple started talking to himself, pulling the Fake and others to sit down.
Unable to resist the enthusiasm and with more and more eyes turning towards them, the five Fake, despite their many doubts, suppressed them and sat down.
What's going on? I went away for half a year and came back to find the whole world changed???
At the center, almost everyone had arrived. Li Su sighed and sat down. Although he didn't quite understand why everyone was so free, and he hadn't seen any miraculous events occur while chanting the sutra, he had no choice but to continue chanting.
As Li Su sat cross-legged, holding a flower in her hands, the atmosphere in the inner courtyard instantly became more refined. Everyone couldn't help but gasp and widen their eyes to look at Fahai.
Li Su began to recite softly. "Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Jetavana Monastery in Sravasti, together with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty monks, all of whom were great Arhats!"
As he spoke, there were indeed no three thousand golden lotuses springing from the ground, nor did countless spiritual rains fall from the sky. However, as the scriptures were uttered, they contained Li Su's understanding of the Amitabha Sutra, and with his words, strange phenomena appeared.
Above his head, a painting slowly unfolded. It was vast and boundless, like a world. Within it, the Buddha's light was infinite, and the water of the eight virtues permeated all directions. Its immeasurable light illuminated all the heavens. Five hundred Arhats and three thousand Bhikkhunis sat within it, softly chanting. That was the Pure Land, that was the Buddha Land.
In an instant, the Buddha Land trembled, and countless chants from the unseen realms merged with Li Su's voice, each voice containing profound Buddhist wisdom and principles, resounding loudly alongside Li Su's chanting.
Although the voice was not loud, it covered the entire inner courtyard of the Pure Land Sect as Li Su recited it. For a moment, everyone's Dao Fruits trembled, and the golden lotuses inside them couldn't help but glow and grow. The Pure Land Buddha Kingdom seemed to be right in front of them and in their hearts.
At this moment, the five Fake sitting in the back were deeply shocked and incredulous. Then they felt ashamed and at a loss for words. The next moment, however, their souls were cleansed and they stepped into that Bliss land.
"Brother Fahai is no ordinary person. I am the Buddha, and he is the Buddha Land, within which I reside!"
Fake and the others had never understood why Fazhao liked being with Fahai so much, but now they finally understood.
After a lifetime of striving and searching, I never imagined that the Buddha Land Pure Land was right before my eyes.
Tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably. The five of them desperately suppressed their emotions, not wanting to disturb that peaceful place by making a sound.
At the top of the High Tower, Master Chengyuan smiled and looked at the woman, "Sir, do you have any further questions?"
The woman was in tears, as if all her anxiety, panic, and unease had been completely dispelled, and she had arrived at that carefree Pure Land of Rebirth.
Is this Buddha?
"That is the Buddha's land, the place where the Buddha resides!"
"Thank you for your compassion, Master!"
" Amitabha Buddha.!"
After about an hour, Li Su finished his practice. He exhaled, opened his eyes, and immediately looked around. Sure enough, there was nothing unusual. The grass and trees hadn't grown tall, and the flowers hadn't bloomed. Everything was exactly as it was. I told you it was just ordinary.
Well, the extraordinary phenomena of his Buddha Land are manifestations of his state of mind. Since they haven't blossomed yet, they naturally don't possess any magical powers or supernatural abilities. One can only experience their wonders through hearing and seeing, but they have no real influence over them.
However, when Li Su looked up and saw the disciples around him with tears streaming down their faces, deeply moved, he couldn't help but feel his eyelids twitching wildly. This is chanting scriptures, not a pyramid scheme, or a story about Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.
I can understand being calm and collected, but what's with the tears streaming down my face???