Kongjian said, "The stronger a person becomes, the higher his perspective rises. If Buddha sees everything we do, then with all his power, why doesn't he stop people before they do evil?"
Because Buddha doesn't exist at all. Now that question hits the nail on the head, Hu Xiaotian thought. Still, he couldn't bear to crush this old monk, whose devotion to Buddhism verged on obsession. He said quietly, "The greater the power, the higher the perspective. Buddha sits far above us. The world we see is merely one among his countless worlds. In Buddha's eyes, worlds are as numerous as grains of sand. Why would he care what happens on a single speck of dust? If Buddha had to concern himself with everything, wouldn't he work himself to death? Even if he could intervene and stop every evil deed, only good people would remain in this world. If everyone were good, there would be neither good nor evil, neither right nor wrong. Do you think that would make this world better? Or would it become a place where right and wrong were indistinguishable, where good and evil were impossible to tell apart?"
Kongjian was actually struck speechless. After pondering for a long time, he finally murmured, "You mean we should never have concerned ourselves with the affairs of this world, but should let them run their course, since good and evil will meet their just rewards in the end?"
Hu Xiaotian truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Wasn't the old monk worrying about a little too much? He said softly, "Doing what's before us is what truly matters. Compared with the whole world, one person's strength is simply too small, so we can only look after what's around us. Compared with history, our lives are far too