Chapter 332: Talking about Buddhism and Dharma
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, its bright light dispelling the thin mist that remained from last night, shining on the hall, passing through the gate, and illuminating two figures sitting cross-legged in front of the Buddha.
“Why do Buddhas and Bodhisattvas always want to save people?”
Qingxuandeng, who was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, looked across at Pinggong Qianye, who was sitting in the same position as him, and asked his puzzled questions.
"Saving and enlightening sentient beings is the great wish of all Buddhas."
Pinggong Qianye spoke calmly and slowly: "The Buddha Shakyamuni once said: Shariputra, you should know that I made a vow to make all sentient beings the same as me."
"Then why do the gods of Shintoism never think about saving the world? Is it because Buddha is more noble than the gods?"
"There are people in this world who want to do good things, and there are people who just want to live a peaceful life without causing any trouble. We can praise those who do good things, but we cannot blame those who just want to live a peaceful life."
Hiramiya Chiye did not take the opportunity to belittle the Shinto gods. There was no need for that. Buddhism and the Bodhisattvas do not rely on belittling other beings to demonstrate their greatness.
The Buddha is there, the Dharma is there, and everyone in the world can see it.
"Perhaps sentient beings do not need Buddhism to save them?" Qing Xingdeng thought for a while and asked a new question.
Pinggong Qianye still answered patiently: "This is the Buddha giving the world another choice. Even if only one person can escape from the sea of suffering because of this, it is a great kindness."
“The world is a sea of suffering, with no visible shore. Buddhism is a bridge that connects the two places, allowing all lost beings to glimpse the light on the other side.”
“If Buddhism does not exist, people will never be able to see that there is another world beyond the sea of suffering.”
At this point, Pinggong Qianye said solemnly: "It is not that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas need to save all living beings, but that all living beings need the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to pass down the Dharma to save them."
"As a savior?"
"No, he is a leader, a teacher, and a fellow traveler."
"Has the Buddha's teachings ever truly helped people reach the other shore?"
"What do you think of the other side?"
Pinggong Qianye asked Qingxuande in return. He knew that Qingxuande asked these questions not because she wanted to blaspheme the Buddha and Buddhism, but because she just had doubts about it all.
And questioning is not a bad thing.
“A place free from all suffering, a place of eternal light, a state beyond life and death, the final destination of all things.”
Qing Xingdeng listed many of her understandings about the other shore, which is also the general understanding of the word "other shore" by the world.
Very tall.
In response, Pinggong Qianye just smiled and said: "It does contain some of the meaning you said, but not all of it."
"Please allow Master Liansheng to preach."
“Buddhism does believe that this shore is the real world of birth, aging, sickness and death, and the other shore is a place beyond the cycle of life and death, but these statements are too grand and difficult to prove.”
Pinggong Qianye spoke slowly: "The other shore also symbolizes a kind of spiritual liberation and inner peace. This is the realm that ordinary people should pay attention to and pursue."
The so-called transcendence of the cycle of life and death and the state of eternal light are too illusory and can only be viewed from afar, but there is no real correct path to achieve them.
In contrast, the pursuit of spiritual liberation and inner peace is a state that ordinary people can reach step by step. It is real and feasible, and it is also true practice.
If a Buddhist practitioner believes that the reason he practices Buddhism is to reach the other shore beyond the cycle of life and death, then his practice of Buddhism must be very poor.
"Master Liansheng, do you have any hope of reaching the other side of the human world?"
"Disaster."
"Difficulty doesn't mean there is no hope. So Master Liansheng also hopes that there really is another shore?"
"As you said before, there are some things that can only be known after death."
Hearing this, Qing Xingdeng smiled faintly and said, "Master Liansheng, do you think that I, a Buddhist girl, can reach the other side in this life?"
"Mingguang Buddha Girl represents the birth of light, so she is naturally more hopeful than me."
"Has there never been a Buddhist nun in the past?" "In my opinion, Mingguang Buddhist Nu is the first Buddhist nun in the true sense."
"You have a high status in Buddhism?"
"Very high."
"How tall is it?"
"It might be high enough to reach above the clouds."
……
Sensoji Temple has always been a popular check-in spot for tourists visiting Buddhist temples, and it is crowded with people. However, today, Sensoji Temple started to limit the flow of people early on to avoid too many tourists.
The sharp-eyed tourists captured some special scenes, which seemed that many monks from other temples came to Sensō-ji Temple.
Someone roughly counted and found that within an hour, there were about five groups of monks from different temples.
However, there was no large-scale ceremony held in Sensō-ji Temple today, nor was there any announcement of any large-scale events.
When the tourists were curious and confused, a monk from Sensō-ji Temple came out to explain.
It is said that a Buddhist seminar was held in Sensoji Temple today, and these monks came to Sensoji Temple in a group specifically to attend the Buddhist seminar.
Sensoji Temple does have a large conference room specifically used for holding meetings. At this moment, nearly a hundred seats are filled with monks, and some monks are even standing.
More than one hundred monks came from many different temples. Even temples that are usually not very active, such as Reiyama-ji Temple in Tokushima Prefecture and Zentsu-ji Temple in Kagawa Prefecture, sent people to Tokyo.
It is said that they came by tram last night, and some monks came by plane.
They gathered here for only one purpose.
Discuss matters related to the Buddhist nuns of Weilian Ancient Temple.
What happened on the top of Mount Fuji last night was so significant that it touched the hearts of almost all the temples.
The great monster Qingxuande was reincarnated as a Buddhist girl. This was witnessed by Zen Master Zhishan and other monks. There is absolutely no mistake in what they witnessed!
So how to treat this Buddhist woman has become the top priority of the entire Buddhist community.
"I don't recognize the identity of this Buddhist woman. Her predecessor was the great monster Qingxuandeng. How can we allow a demon to become the Buddhist woman of our sect?"
After all the monks gathered and sat down, some monks began to oppose with righteous words.
"That's right. We can't let a monster become a Buddhist woman. This will ruin the reputation of our Buddhist sect for thousands of years!"
"Demons must be killed! The great monster Qingxuandeng must be killed!"
Several monks shared the same hatred and expressed their desire to kill the great monster Qingxuande and refused to acknowledge her identity as a Buddhist woman.
But they were a minority after all, and most monks just remained silent and did not agree with their proposal.
"Amitabha, the Buddha's teachings are boundless and can save all living beings. Monsters are also sentient beings in the world. The predecessor of the great monster Qingxuandeng has passed away. Now, she is indeed a Buddha's daughter."
"When the lotus blossoms and the Buddha appears, and a female Buddha is born, it is a great joy for the Buddhist community."
"How to bring back the Buddhist girl from Weilian Ancient Temple is the issue we really need to discuss today."
"Put away your murderous intentions. The Buddha girl is not the one you should wield your butcher knife against."
“No matter what her previous incarnation was, the fact that the Buddha girl was conceived in the light of the lamp and then born in the icy lake of Mount Fuji symbolizes that she must be a Buddha girl.”
Most monks began to speak out, and the wave soon overwhelmed the voices of those who advocated killing.
Seeing that the tone of the entire conference had been set, Zen Master Zhishan, the representative of Toji Temple, finally felt relieved.
It would be truly foolish if we offended both the Buddhist girl and Master Padmasambhava because of this incident.
(End of this chapter)
