Chapter 254 Lighting the Lantern
Vulture Peak, Yuanjue Cave.
Randang sat cross-legged on the lotus platform with his eyes closed, gently fingering the rosary in his hand.
In the cave, Buddha's light surged and Sanskrit sounds were heard, as if thousands of novice monks were chanting scriptures together. It was quiet and peaceful, just like a Buddhist pure land.
Suddenly, the action of lighting the lamp stopped.
In the void, a Buddha's light surged, and a figure appeared.
The man had spiral hair with a fleshy bun on top of his head, a round face, and was wearing a monk's robe with an open chest. He was wearing a cassock. It was none other than the Buddha of the West.
"You're here." Randeng slowly opened his eyes.
His expression was somewhat complicated, as if he felt a little regretful but also seemed to be relieved.
" Dana Buddha." Tathagata put his hands together and bowed.
Tathagata has always been thorough in etiquette. No matter whether he is facing the Jade Emperor or the ancient Buddha Dipankara in front of him, he is always respectful.
At any other time, Randeng would have certainly been polite, but today he just sat on the lotus platform, nodded slightly, and accepted Tathagata's greeting carelessly, saying lightly: "It's much faster than I expected."
Tathagata was not displeased at all, but showed a little regret: "Why did the ancient Buddha do this?"
Ran Deng said: "I won countless times, but lost only that one time. I was unwilling to accept it and wanted to save some face. What a pity."
Tathagata sighed, "Why did the ancient Buddha say that? The ancient Buddha understood the great principles and gave the position of the World Honored One to me. This is a good story in the Buddhist world. How can there be a question of winning or losing? If someone talks nonsense and makes the ancient Buddha feel embarrassed, the ancient Buddha should just tell me. Why bother?"
The corner of Randeng's eyes twitched. He felt extremely irritated just by hearing the two words "ancient Buddha". He wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.
The victor makes you a king and the loser is a bandit. Saying more will only bring shame upon yourself!
Tathagata continued, "By doing this, the Happy Buddha has already violated the taboos of Yang Jian and the Heavenly Court. If this provokes a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, a catastrophe will come in an instant. By then, the world will be turned upside down and all living beings will suffer. Isn't this a grave sin?"
Randang said: "I have no power or authority, how can I order the Happy Buddha to do anything? He is just making up his mind and trying to climb higher."
After a pause, he said, "Besides, the calamity is determined by heaven, and all living things have their own destiny. Buddha is acting against heaven like this, isn't he afraid of being entangled in karma and being doomed to eternity?"
Tathagata said seriously: "If it can save the common people from disaster, I will be willing to die even if it means I will be destroyed forever."
Randang was obviously startled, and his half-open eyes opened completely, staring at Tathagata closely, not knowing whether he was judging whether what he said was true or false, or wondering how he could be so shameless.
Tathagata looked calm and sincere, without any evasion or concession.
"Buddha is so merciful, I am ashamed to be inferior to him."
Randeng said this half-truthfully, seemingly praising, but his tone was calm, without any emotional fluctuations, more like a perfunctory answer, and then asked: "Is the Buddha here today to tell this to this old monk?"
Tathagata shook his head and said, "I came here today not to say these things, nor to call you to task, but to lend a helping hand to the Ancient Buddha."
Randang did not comment, but just looked at Tathagata quietly.
Tathagata continued, "I know that the ancient Buddha was devoted to attaining enlightenment, and his mind was free from external things. He had long wanted to resolve the cause and effect. I came here today to help the ancient Buddha achieve his wish and attain his true self again."
"What does the Buddha mean by this?" Randang's expression did not change much, but his right hand had already clenched the Buddhist beads.
Tathagata did not continue to play tricks on him, but came straight to the point: "The ancient Buddha abandoned the mysterious world and entered the sand in order to guide the two saints, Zhunti, to create the 'Six-foot Golden Body' method. Now that the Six-foot Golden Body has been completed, it is time for the ancient Buddha to leave."
He actually guessed my plan!
Randeng's pupils suddenly shrank and his face darkened.
The reason why he joined Yuanshi Tianzun and became the deputy leader of the Chan Sect was because he saw the rise of the Xuan Sect and wanted to get a piece of the pie, but more importantly, he wanted to prove his truth.
Although Hongjun Daozu taught three methods of attaining enlightenment in Zixiao Palace, namely, attaining enlightenment through force, attaining enlightenment by beheading the three corpses, and attaining enlightenment through merit and virtue.
However, only the six disciples of Taoism, namely Sanqing, Nuwa and the Two Saints of the West, know how to do it specifically.
The other three thousand guests in Zixiao Palace did not know.
Randeng was willing to put aside his status and join Yuanshi Tianzun in order to obtain the method of attaining enlightenment.
And after he gave up his position as deputy leader of the Chan sect, he brought a large number of Chan sect elites to join the Western sect, also because of these two reasons.
The catastrophe of Conferred Gods and the internal strife among the Three Pure Ones caused the Xuanmen sect to show signs of decline after its peak, while the Western religion took advantage of the situation and showed signs of prosperity. Naturally, Ran Deng had to choose a new tree to rest on.
But, a more important reason was the method of "Six-foot-tall Golden Body" shown to him by Jie Yin Zhunti.
Randeng learned the method of beheading the three corpses to attain enlightenment from Yuanshi Tianzun. With the merits and fortune he gained from surviving the catastrophe of the Conferred Gods, he successfully used his companion spirit treasure, the Lingjiu Palace Lantern, to behead the evil corpses.
During the catastrophe of Conferred Gods, he obtained the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls that Zhao Gongming used to behead corpses, and the second corpse also had someone to rely on.
But, the third one could not be found anywhere!
Killing the Three Corpses not only requires extremely high quality of the innate spiritual treasure, but also it must be suitable for oneself!
He was lucky enough to encounter and obtain another matching set of twenty-four Dinghai Pearls besides his companion spiritual treasure Lingjiu Palace Lantern. It was already a blessing from heaven. It would be almost impossible for him to find a third one!
At this time, Jie Yin Zhunti appeared and told him that the six-foot-tall golden body could solve the problem.
How could Ran Deng not immediately betray the Chan sect and join the Western sect?
The reasons for Manjusri, Cihang, Samantabhadra, Julusun, etc. are almost the same.
As for the position of the Buddha promised by Jie Yin and Zhunti, it was actually used to assist Rādhāng Dang in refining the "Six-foot-tall Golden Body" and beheading a corpse.
Later, when Mahayana Buddhism rose, Dipankara did not fight to the death, but gave the throne of the Buddha to Tathagata. This was because his six-foot-tall golden body had already been completed, and with the help of Buddhism's luck and the merits he had gained over the years, he successfully killed Shanshi.
The position of the Buddha of Buddhism is no longer that important to him.
However, the process of being driven out of office was a huge loss of face for him!
Even though Tathagata has tried to whitewash the situation, the facts are facts, and everyone knows them and they cannot be covered up.
After becoming an ancient Buddha, Rāhādānīya caused a lot of trouble for Tathāgata.
For example, when the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, under the order of Tathagata, put down their mounts or disciples to help Tang Monk go to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures and earn merits.
Unlike other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who released their mounts whose ferocity had been eliminated, he directly released his second disciple, the Golden-Winged Peng Eagle (Yuyixian), whose ferocity had not yet been eliminated. He also hinted that he did not need to worry about anything on this trip, as Lingshan would cover everything.
As a result, the Golden-Winged Roc ate up millions of civil and military officials of the Lion Country in one breath.
This kind of horrifying thing is the first time that it has happened since the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, when the human race became the protagonist of the Heavenly Dao!
Tathagata may have cursed in his heart, but as things had come to this point, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and protect the golden-winged Roc.
This incident dealt a heavy blow to Tathagata's prestige and the reputation of Buddhism.
There are many similar things.
However, these things are nothing compared to the fact that the Laughing Buddha used the Six Soul Banner to plot against the Three Holy Mothers and deliberately led the Three Holy Mothers to violate the Heavenly Law by becoming worldly-minded!
The reason why Ran Deng did this was because he was sure to make a profit!
If the Laughing Buddha succeeds, the incident with the Three Holy Mothers will be a huge blow to Yang Jian and of great benefit to Buddhism.
Although he is not a Buddhist Buddha now, he can still benefit from the fortune of Buddhism.
If the Laughing Buddha failed.
He also never directly instructed Laughing Buddha to do anything.
He just accidentally mentioned the incident of Yang Jian humiliating Guanyin Bodhisattva and Buddhism, and it happened to be heard by the Laughing Buddha, a person with ulterior motives.
It was the Laughing Buddha who took the initiative to attack the Third Holy Mother Yang Jian in order to please Tathagata Guanyin.
Even the Laughing Buddha himself thinks so.
And even if he is still believed to have done it on purpose, just like now, when Tathagata comes to find him!
That doesn’t matter!
He could just use this unintentional mistake to get rid of his identity as the ancient Buddha!
When he turned to Buddhism, the Xuanmen sect was at its peak and was about to decline!
At this time, Buddhism was already showing signs of decline!
In addition, with the catastrophe approaching, he was no longer willing to stay on the Buddhist ship, which looked magnificent but could actually run aground and sink at any time!
He did not leave immediately because he had already abandoned the Chan school once before. If he abandoned Buddhism again, he would no longer have any credibility in the eyes of the gods and Buddhas of the three realms!
But now, Tathagata actually saw through his deepest hidden plan and pointed it out to him in !
This is obviously to negotiate terms with him!
"How is the Buddha going to help me?" Ran Deng no longer called himself an old monk and said in a cold voice.
Tathagata said, "Ancient Buddha, there is no need to do this. What you wish for is also what I wish for. You only need to cooperate with me in a play, and you can resolve all causes and effects and regain your freedom."
Randeng's expression gradually relaxed.
He does not believe in Tathagata, but he believes in benefits.
He didn't want to be the ancient Buddha, and Tathagata didn't want him to stay in Buddhism!
Their interests are consistent on this point!
"Tell me about it." Randeng gently twisted the Buddhist beads with his right hand.
His string of Buddhist beads had a total of twenty-four beads, all of which were azure blue and crystal clear, shrouded in a layer of misty Buddhist light. When they were plucked, bursts of Sanskrit sounds were heard, bringing peace and tranquility.
It was the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls he got from Zhao Gongming!
Now, he has used his great magical power to evolve it into twenty-four heavens, which are the twenty-four Buddha kingdoms!
There are boundless Buddha lands and tens of thousands of novice monks inside, which not only provides him with endless incense and offerings, but also allows him to cultivate his six-foot-tall golden body to the extreme early on, and there are no hidden dangers.
This is also the important reason why Ran Deng decided to leave Buddhism.
He already has enough believers and offerings, and no longer needs the banner of Buddhism!
Tathagata asked: "Does the ancient Buddha still remember Kinnara Bodhisattva, the great guardian of Uparata Buddha?"
Seeing Randeng nod, he continued, "Back then, he attacked me in the Snow Mountain and wanted to take away the position of the Buddha, but I killed him instead. However, he did not die, only a remnant soul... Now he calls himself the Buddha Wu Tian, and made a bet with me..."
Tathagata told Randang about the bet he had made with Wujitan.
All Randang needs to do is wait until Wujitian appears and reincarnates as a spiritual child, and then he can attain Nirvana. This will allow Randang's past as a Buddha to become a real thing of the past, and he can leave Buddhism openly.
Tathagata said: "After the ancient Buddha left Buddhism, he would not use the Dharma anymore. It would be better to condense his own Dharma into a relic and leave it in Buddhism, so as to resolve all the causes and effects."
"You are very calculating." Ran Deng snorted coldly.
He entered Nirvana in front of Wu Tian, which was tantamount to opposing Wu Tian and supporting Tathagata. This also represented the choice of Theravada Buddhism behind him, which was a righteous cause!
In comparison, the relics are secondary.
However, Randeng still agreed.
The method proposed by Tathagata is indeed the best and most upright way to leave Buddhism!
Moreover, Rāhāng did not think that the unknown Kinnara, now known as Wujiān, would be a match for Tathāgata!
Randang likes to do things that add icing on the cake and go with the flow the most. Before leaving, he established a good relationship with Tathagata, which might be useful in the future!
At the same time, Xiniu Hezhou.
After Yang Jian skinned and pulled out the tendons of the Happy Buddha, the anger in his heart subsided a little.
But that’s not enough!
For the Third Prince of the East China Sea, being skinned and having his tendons pulled out would mean death, but for the Laughing Buddha, it was just some suffering.
On the contrary, the destruction of the six-foot-tall golden statue was a greater blow to the Laughing Buddha!
This is equivalent to wasting all the hard practice of the Laughing Buddha for nearly ten thousand years since he converted to Buddhism!
Li Anran belatedly said, "God of Justice, this evil creature deserves death, but you must report it to the Jade Emperor and deal with him according to the laws of heaven! If you kill him here, where will the laws of heaven stand?"
Yang Jian paused and said, "What the Prison God said makes sense. Medicine Buddha, what do you think?"
Medicine Buddha naturally knew that Li Anran and Yang Jian were playing a double game, but he was helpless!
For the Happy Buddha to do such things is already the best result!
As long as the Laughing Buddha was not beaten to death by Yang Jian on the spot, they would go to the Jade Emperor to plead for mercy and allow the Laughing Buddha to be reincarnated.
That’s right, a chance to reincarnate!
It is a taboo in heaven for gods to have mortal desires!
The Jade Emperor didn’t even let go of his own sister Yao Ji, so how could he possibly let go of the Happy Buddha who deliberately aroused the gods’ desires!
It is already very rare to be able to give the Laughing Buddha a chance to reincarnate!
Medicine Buddha clasped his hands together and said, "It all depends on the two gods to decide."
Yang Jian and Li Anran didn't say anything more. They immediately used talismans to seal the soul and magical powers of the Laughing Buddha, tied him up tightly with demon-binding ropes, and took him back to heaven.
Medicine Buddha immediately flew to Lingshan Mountain in the West to report the matter to Tathagata.
After arriving in Heaven, Li Anran and Yang Jian began to act separately.
Yang Jian went to Lingxiao Palace to report the matter to the Jade Emperor.
Li Anran took the Laughing Buddha back to the Heavenly Prison.
Light was flowing on the Book of Punishment, and the message of the Laughing Buddha appeared.
[Prisoner: Happy Buddha in Bairong Cave, Chang'er Mountain]
[Sin value: two and a half stars]
[Cultivation: Daluo Jinxian Level 2]
[Status: In custody]
[Capture participation: 30%]
[Benefit: 1.76 billion experience points/day]
…
