Shen Gongbao Great Sage Persuading Death Immortal

Chapter 332: The Tao Tree is Bodhi, and the Tao Fruit is Golden Cicada

"Is it really so?" Ziwei Emperor frowned slightly, as if he had some doubts. "Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and Guanyin, I have insight into the three ancient Buddhas. Now, among the teachings of Chan Buddhism, only Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has a mysterious origin, and it seems that his roots are not in the prehistoric world."

Daluo is omniscient and omnipotent, which is directed at the creatures below Daluo. It is like a high-dimensional life form standing in the perspective of God, looking down on the low-dimensional, with a clear view of the past, future and present, and insight into all cause and effect relationships. Therefore, he can act calmly and plan for eternity.

However, for a Daluo of the same level, there will be a certain fog of war if he wants to plan a game. The Daluo stands above the long river of time, and the shadow he casts will naturally obscure part of the cause and effect and the secrets, making it impossible for the opponent to spy on them.

The Star Jade Calculation of Ziwei Emperor can calculate most of the causes and effects in the world, but for the heaven opened up by Yuanshi Tianzun and the causes and effects at the level of the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism, he can only take one step at a time, make moves and counter moves, like ordinary mortals, and look for the information he wants from them.

"Good, good, monks do not tell lies." The Taoist Jie Yin said calmly, "This term's Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was recommended by Rahula."

"Demon Ancestor Luohou?" Emperor Ziwei's eyes turned, and he suddenly smiled and said, "It really fits the saying, one thought can make you a Buddha, one thought can make you a demon. If the Demon Ancestor takes a fancy to someone, I think he will have some tricks up his sleeve."

"Of course, this is the surprise we have prepared for Your Majesty. You will know when the time comes." The Taoist Zhunti revealed a mysterious smile and shook the Bodhi tree in his hand, covering the sight of Emperor Ziwei. Various lotus flowers flew out from the mist on the long river of time, but the truth could not be seen clearly.

The Emperor Ziwei has been planning for eternity, and the Two Saints of the West know this very well, so sometimes they give true information and sometimes they give false information, just as the saying goes, all appearances are false, if you see all appearances as non-appearances, then you see the Tathagata.

Whoever believes first will be attached to the appearance.

Emperor Ziwei naturally didn't believe it, and couldn't help but retort: ​​"What kind of person is he? I don't know."

"Good, good, it's not that Your Majesty cannot know." The Taoist Jie Yin said solemnly, "I'm just afraid that once this is said, the secret of heaven will be revealed. Your Majesty's Ziwei Jade is invincible in the world, but there are still a few people in the prehistoric world who have reached the pinnacle of the way of heaven's secrets."

"You are talking about Fuxi..." Out of concern, Ziwei Emperor immediately thought of his old rival Emperor Fuxi and could not help but hesitate.

At the end of the ancient era, the heaven collapsed, and it was supposed to be Yajun Ziwei who took the throne and became the new Heavenly Emperor. However, Emperor Fuxi was one step ahead and used reincarnation to rebirth as a human being, becoming the Blue Emperor Taihao. He also divided his imperial destiny into five, allowing the five human emperors to take the throne in turn, holding back Emperor Ziwei and preventing him from successfully being promoted to the Heavenly Emperor.

Emperor Ziwei made one mistake after another, including the outbreak of a war between wizards and liches, which eventually dragged on until the Lord Haotian showed up and completely defeated him.

There are always several contradictions between heaven and earth that cannot be resolved, such as the dispute between dragon and phoenix in the past, and the distinction between innate and acquired today. The battle between Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Fuxi between the witch and the lich is an important part of it. The grudges have lasted for thousands of years and are unforgettable.

Taoist Zhunti smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty planned the Netherworld, but the first Lord of Mount Tai was appointed by Taihao after all."

"In the past, the Human Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor lived on the earth, with the sky under his head and the earth under his feet, commanding all people, gods, ghosts and monsters, with great authority that covered the entire sky."

"Taihao was the Blue Emperor, ruling Mount Taizong; Zhuanxu was the Black Emperor, ruling Mount Taiheng; Shennong was the Red Emperor, ruling Mount Henghuo; Xuanyuan was the Yellow Emperor, ruling Mount Songgao; Shaohao was the White Emperor, ruling Mount Huayin."

"Now that the Five Emperors have abdicated, Emperor Taihao has retired to Huoyun Cave and passed the throne to Emperor Jinhong, the second generation of Taishan Palace Lord."

"Although the Jinhong clan is not a human race, they have received the favor of Taihao passing on the throne, and they have always kept it in mind."

"If Your Majesty wants to seize the power of the Emperor of Fengdu, the Lord of Mount Tai will be an obstacle that you cannot avoid."

In the underworld, the afterlife is respected and the reincarnation of the underworld was opened up. In the underworld, there are two lineages of gods. One is the god of the underworld headed by the Emperor of Fengdu, and the other is the god of the country headed by the Lord of Mount Tai.

Even if Hou Tu supported Emperor Ziwei to take office as the magistrate of Fengdu, she had to consider the opinion of the Lord of Mount Tai.

As soon as he said this, Emperor Ziwei began to hesitate, thinking to himself: "I can't know the overall situation. It's not good to mention the move, but if Fuxi takes the initiative, it will be even more hateful."

He was very concerned about the Five Gods. Compared with Buddhism, he was more afraid of Emperor Fuxi. Compared with the way of Tianji Bagua, the importance of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was a little lighter.

As one of the Seven Treasures Gods standing at the pinnacle of the prehistoric world, Ziwei God has enough confidence that no matter what the Western Religion has planned, he can use his imperial power to conquer all disasters.

At the top of God, proud of the world, with him Ziwei there is the sky!
Therefore, Emperor Ziwei acquiesced to the Buddhist plan. If he couldn't deal with Fuxi, he couldn't deal with a great Bodhisattva either.

"Good, good!"

Taoist Jie Yin and Taoist Zhunti looked at each other and smiled knowingly. He believed it, and Emperor Ziwei really believed it.

This was the fact, and Emperor Ziwei had no choice but to believe it.

It may not be a bad thing for the Buddhist sect to give a great Bodhisattva to Emperor Ziwei today. Instead, it is a sincere help.

Forced by the situation, accepting the great Bodhisattva of Buddhism is the best choice for Emperor Ziwei.

This is how things were in the ancient times. Today, Shintoism is rising, and immortals and Buddhas unite to suppress the Heavenly Court; tomorrow, immortalism is flourishing, and Buddhism and the Heavenly Court are colluding; the day after tomorrow, Buddhism is flourishing, and immortalism will merge with the Heavenly Court to become the Heavenly Court of gods and immortals.

However, when the power of Emperor Ziwei grows, that will be the time for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to show his efficacy.

In a limited space, adding sand, muddying the water, and holding back are the style of a Daluo person, who is capable of causing trouble but not accomplishing anything!
When he reached this thought, the Taoist Zhunti closed his eyes and smiled. His innate immortal spiritual light reversed time and space, overturned cause and effect, and went against the flow of the river to a certain era, the day when Sakyamuni attained enlightenment and preached under the Bodhisattva tree.

The Tathagata, the Buddha, had a solemn appearance. When he expounded the Dhamma under the Bodhi tree, there were no strange visions such as flowers falling from the sky or golden lotuses sprouting from the ground. He just spoke in a plain manner, with profound meanings in his subtle words, and every word was like a gem.

A group of great Arhats and Bodhisattvas had pious expressions on their faces as they listened to the Buddhist teachings and applied them to other situations. Although they were all mortal beings and did not display any magical powers, they discussed the truth with wisdom, realized the truth with compassion, and attained enlightenment with Bodhi.

There are no Buddhas, no gods, no immortals, no saints here, only practitioners.

In the front row are nine great Arhats, who are the nine disciples of the Buddha, such as Kashyapa and Ananda, all of whom are famous.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by, and the Star-Moon Bodhi tree behind the Buddha swayed, flowers bloomed and withered, and a Bodhi seed fell, which was harder than the ordinary Star-Moon Bodhi and shaped like golden Zen.

Seeing this, all the great Arhats and Bodhisattvas put their palms together and praised him, saying, "Subhuti, Golden Cicada, you are always happy and peaceful, you understand the meaning of emptiness well, you are determined to be empty and quiet, you are the best at understanding emptiness."

The Tao tree is Bodhi, and the Tao fruit is golden cicada. They are the second disciples under the seat of Tathagata Buddha.

"Many brothers, I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you very much."

Subhuti smiled slightly, stepped forward to return the greeting, then walked past a group of great Arhats and Bodhisattvas, walked to the front row and sat next to the Buddha's son Rahula.

The two of them first pretended to listen to the Buddhist teachings for a while, and then took advantage of the time when everyone was immersed in enlightenment to start whispering.

"Is the Jie Zu you recommended reliable?"

"Don't worry about me, I will do a great job."

"..."

Suddenly, the Buddha Shakyamuni under the Bodhi tree had a thought, sighed slightly, looked at the monks, and asked: "Subhuti, all sentient beings in the past, present and future of the ten directions and three realms who have aroused the Anuttara Samyaksambodhi mind, how should they live and how should they subdue their minds?"

Anuttara Samyaksambodhi mind, also known as the supreme enlightenment, is the highest achievement in Buddhism.

Subhuti, who was absent-minded and talking to Rahula in class, was suddenly startled and stood up immediately. He did not dare to neglect and answered subconsciously: "Having discovered the supreme enlightenment mind entrusted by the Tathagata, one should abide in the supreme enlightenment mind as if one had discovered it, and should subdue the delusion mind as if one had discovered it."

This should be a speech by you, like listening to a speech of nonsense.

However, Subhuti had great wisdom and heard the deep meaning from it. He said with shame, "My disciple has developed a false mind and a mind of supreme enlightenment. He has heard the supreme path and fruit of the Tathagata, but he has no diligence and courage. He does not listen to the Dharma, and he has disrespected the great teaching and neglected the Dharma."

"But, everything I do is to spread my Buddhist teachings and save countless sentient beings."

Seeing this, Rahula also stood up and agreed, saying: "The West is not prosperous, and sentient beings are in difficulty. All sentient beings worship idols. Our Buddhist sect will give him an idol, replace his original nature with Buddha nature, first convert him into our Buddhist sect, and then pass on his supreme wisdom."

"In my opinion, Amitabha Buddha's expedient means is the first Dharma door."

"Rahula, you have been possessed by the devil." Ananda, a disciple of the Buddha, stood up and advised: "The sea of ​​suffering is endless, turn back now."

Luohou Luo immediately sneered: "Ananda, others have the right to speak, but you have no right to speak of me. In the past, you went to Xiniu Hezhou to preach the Dharma, and because of a modern woman, you fell into the devil and created the Ananda Breaking Discipline Knife, which you established after breaking the door. Now you come to persuade me to turn back."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Ananda blushed and muttered nothing. He covered his face with his robe and made way for Mahakasyapa, the great disciple of the Buddha, to come out.

Mahakasyapa was once given half of the seat by the Buddha, and had the qualifications to be half a leader of a religion. He was highly respected and venerated, and was deeply respected by a group of great Arhats and great Bodhisattvas. He was the first ancestor of the Mahayana Buddhism.

Mahakasyapa stood up and looked at Subhuti, saying solemnly: "The Purple Emperor believed it, but Junior Brother is also attached to appearances. Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva has the appearance of self, others, sentient beings, and the appearance of a long-lived being, then he is not a Bodhisattva."

"Those who follow the Bodhisattva path should place wisdom first. Supernatural powers are all karma and cannot lead to the right path."

"Bodhisattva has no self-image, human image, sentient being image, or life image." Subhuti knew he was wrong but did not repent. He shook his head and said, "The Taoist Zhunti is a shameless fool who only thinks of the Western Paradise and vows to save all sentient beings."

He is a man of great wisdom. It's not that he is ignorant, but that he does what he knows is impossible. He has the courage to go to hell only if he doesn't.

"If I don't come to spread the Dharma, who will? If I don't come to preach, who will preach?" Subhuti vowed: "All sins and karma will be added to the body of Cundi."

Seeing Subhuti's bold words, Rahula was also excited, and stepped forward to help, saying: "The prehistoric world is dangerous. I see that the immortals are powerful and the heavens are tyrannical. If they don't have thunderbolts, how can they have the heart of a bodhisattva? As the saying goes, if I don't join the devil's way, who will?"

The debate under the Bodhi tree became more and more intense. Countless people with great supernatural powers in later generations suddenly had their spiritual lights turn, reversed time and space, overturned cause and effect, and transformed themselves into great Arhats and bodhisattvas to come and watch.

There is a Bodhisattva with a solemn appearance. His hair is tied into five knots and he holds a wisdom sword in his right hand, which symbolizes cutting off all kinds of stupidity and foolishness. He has great wisdom and has converted many Buddhas in the past. He is known as the Dragon Seed Tathagata. In order to save all sentient beings, he turned the wheel of mercy back and took one more step. He wanted to become the World Honored One, so he concealed his greatness and showed his smallness. He is the Bodhisattva Manjushri.

Just as Mahakasyapa is the leader of all great Arhats, Manjushri Bodhisattva has great wisdom and is the teacher of the seven Buddhas, and is the leader of all great Bodhisattvas. Together with Dipamkara Buddha, who is also the leader of all Buddhas, they are known as the Three Teachers of Buddhism.

When Manjusri heard what Subhuti said, he could not help but laugh and said, "Dharma arises from a compassionate heart, so how can it be cut off? Just as Pangu is immortal and all living things are immortal. As long as there are living beings and hearts in the world, Dharma will naturally exist. It's just that the names are different: Lord, Way, Brahman, Emptiness, Truth, and Reality."

"The Tao can be spoken of, but it is not always the Tao. The name can be named, but it is not always the name."

“Yes, yes.” Avalokitesvara, like Manjusri, is the Tathagata of Right Dharma Brightness who has come in reverse, showing the body of a Bodhisattva, and said with a slight smile: “The monks are there even if the temple is gone; the scriptures are there even if the monks are gone; the Buddha is gone even if the scriptures are gone; the Buddha is gone even if the Dharma is gone; the Buddha-nature is there even if the Dharma is gone.”

“Dharma is like a raft. Once you have crossed the river, you must abandon the raft in order to reach the other shore.”

"Well done, well done. I will say something fair." Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also appeared, clasped his hands together and said, "All sages and saints are differentiated by the law of non-action. Brother Subhuti has developed a discriminating mind."

"If you ask me, all dharmas are false. There is no Buddha, there is no dharma, Sakyamuni is an old smelly beard, the Bodhisattvas of the Tenth Bhumi are dung carriers, and the two awakened beings are ordinary people who have broken the precepts."

In the Jetavana Grove in Savatthi, saints who could see through it, such as the Arhats, laughed loudly and clapped their hands, saying, "Well done, wonderful scolding. Kind people should not seek Buddha, for Buddha is a great murderer who has lured many people into the pit of lust. Do not seek Manjusri and Samantabhadra, for they are slaves of the fields."

Rahula retorted: "Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokitesvara, I think the three of you have been studying the teachings for too long and your learning is mixed up. The natural law of the Tao and my understanding of emptiness through wisdom are nothing more than a passing fad."

"All three thousand great ways can prove the origin of the universe. Some people have become the Heavenly Lord, some have become Buddhas, and some have become Pangu. People with different paths cannot work together!"

"One thought can lead to Buddhahood. One thought can lead to Buddhahood. One should have the heart of a bodhisattva and the angry eyes of a vajra."

"Today I will defend the Way and protect the religion. Who will follow me into the devil's way?"

"I'm coming!" A group of practitioners who had not seen through their true nature, now with red faces and veins bulging on their foreheads, left the lotus seats and followed Rahula. They put on black robes, grew three thousand strands of hair, and wanted to follow Rahula to the afterlife, join the Western Demon Sect, endure many hardships, go to the red dust, and become three thousand guests.

"Well done, well done." Subhuti smiled knowingly upon seeing this. From Buddha to devil, and from devil to Buddha, only after the great waves can the true gold be seen. It was not in vain for him to talk so hard.

These practitioners who had no Buddha's heart, followed the Demon Ancestor Luohou to establish the Honghuang Demon Sect, used the Buddha's heart to create the demon body, competed with Hongjun, fought with the Heavenly Court, and went to war with the Shinto, laying the first foundation, fighting their way out of a bright and clear world, and turning into white gloves.

The Western religion led by Zhunti evolved from the ancient demon sect. This was because the demon body developed compassion, and since then it was cleansed and came ashore to become a native of the ancient world.

After Cundi established the Western Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism came into being and replaced it. It transformed compassion into bodhicitta, and Buddhism flourished from then on.

The cycle of cause and effect is within it.

This era is the first public case in Buddhism: the separation of Buddha and devil.

"Subhuti."

After arguing for a long time, the Buddha Shakyamuni shook his head and sighed, "You are wrong."

"In this way, countless and boundless sentient beings can be annihilated. In fact, no sentient being can be annihilated."

“It is not the Buddha who saves sentient beings, but sentient beings who save the Buddha. All calamities, all tribulations, all great aspirations, are actually only saving one person, one Buddha.”

"Bodhisattvas make great aspirations, and when they are fulfilled, only Bodhisattvas can become Buddhas. Where are sentient beings? They are all false."

“All sentient beings have Buddha nature. It may seem that Bodhisattvas help sentient beings to become Buddhas, but in fact, it is the Buddha nature of sentient beings that helps Bodhisattvas become Buddhas.”

"Buddha nature is neither born nor destroyed, so how can one save others? One can only save oneself."

"Disciple accepts the punishment, disciple admits his mistake." Subhuti smiled indifferently. Seeing that he had achieved his goal, he no longer cared about right or wrong, but just bowed his head and kowtowed.

"Subhuti, you are the best at understanding emptiness among my disciples." The old Buddha Shakyamuni pondered for a moment and said slowly: "As the saying goes, the great way is simple, but knowing is easy and practicing is difficult. You already know everything, but you still need to practice."

Subhuti was very wise and immediately realized it. He chanted: "When the universe was first created, there was no name. To break the stubborn void, you must understand emptiness. I am leaving now!"

The Bodhi tree swayed in the wind, and the star-moon-shaped Bodhi seeds that were like golden Zen were banished to the cycle of reincarnation because they neglected Buddhism and despised the great teachings.

(End of this chapter)