Chapter 398: Returning to the West with Only One Shoe, From Buddha to Demon
Hearing these words, Li Daoxuan and others were moved.
No wonder a great monk like Bodhidharma would die at the mouth of a poisonous snake. It turns out that the real murderer was Mara.
The old Heavenly Master said, "So that's how it is. I once heard from Master that the great monk Bodhidharma faced the wall for nine years at Mount Song. At that time, some villains did not want to see him attain enlightenment, so they deliberately poisoned him. However, the great monk Bodhidharma showed no fear and took dozens of poisons that could penetrate his intestines. In the end, he not only did not die, but he was in high spirits and became a golden body!"
"At that time, I was very confused. Why would the great monk Bodhidharma, who was immune to dozens of poisonous poisons, be afraid of a poisonous snake? Now it seems that everything can be explained."
Li Daoxuan nodded and changed his mind.
Bodhidharma is the founder of Zen Buddhism in the Central Plains. He also cultivated a golden body. His magical powers are so high that he is probably above the Yangshen realm and has stepped into the realm of immortals and gods. Even so, he still fell into the hands of Mara, which shows that the other party is indeed unfathomable.
Sanle continued, "Bodhidharma died at the hands of Mara, but Mara did not die without paying a price. He was seriously injured and recuperated for decades. It was not until the end of the Sui Dynasty that he came out to stir up trouble again."
Li Daoxuan's mind moved. No wonder there were no traces of Mara religion activities before the end of the Sui Dynasty. It turned out that Mara was injured by Bodhidharma at that time and was in a dormant state.
"Master, what does this have to do with Maha?"
Sanle's eyes were very complicated, and he sighed: "This brings us to the second line of Maha's poem."
"I met a monk on the river by chance, and accidentally formed a Bodhi relationship?"
"That's right. The monk on the river it met by chance was Bodhidharma. As for the so-called Bodhi fate, it refers to the indestructible golden body that Bodhidharma left behind after his death."
Li Daoxuan suddenly had an idea and said in surprise, "Could it be that Maha's golden body is the remains of Bodhidharma?"
If that's the case, then a lot of things can be explained.
Why is it that although Maha clearly does not have the mindset and virtues of a great monk, he possesses vast Buddhist power and a golden body that countless Buddhist disciples cannot achieve in their entire lives?
Because Maha was simply a substitute, stealing the results of Bodhidharma's lifelong practice!
As expected, Sanle nodded and said, "Little friend Li, your guess is correct. Bodhidharma was fighting with Mara on the Luo River and was seriously injured and dying. At this time, a poisonous snake crawled along the river and bit him to death. That poisonous snake was Maha who lived in the Xuanshui River."
"Then Mara suddenly had an idea. He extracted the soul of the poisonous snake and transferred it to the golden body of Bodhidharma, trying to train a powerful subordinate. He named him Maha, which means immeasurable . It is obvious that Mara has high hopes for him."
"It's a pity that although Maha stole Bodhidharma's golden body, he is still inferior to Bodhidharma. His realm has slipped, and after decades of hard training, he is only at the Yang God realm in the end."
At this point, Maha's background and origins had been fully explained. Li Daoxuan suddenly had an epiphany and understood many details that had been difficult to understand before.
For example, why does Maha's Vajra Dharma form have two sides, one is compassionate like Buddha, and the other is evil like the devil?
For example, why is the opponent's golden body so strong, yet he is somewhat afraid of the little white snake in his sleeve?
Now it seems that it is because Bodhidharma finally died in the mouth of a poisonous snake that his golden body left a flaw and was conquered by the venomous snake. It can be said that every sip and every bite was destiny.
Taizhen suddenly laughed and said, "No wonder there is an allusion of returning to the west with only one shoe in this world. It seems that the Bodhidharma that Song Yun saw back then was not the real Bodhidharma, but Maha who had been possessed by a poisonous snake."
The so-called "returning to the West with only one shoe" refers to the fact that after Bodhidharma's death, Song Yun, an envoy of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, was on his way back to Luojing from the Western Regions. He passed by the Pamir Mountains and saw Bodhidharma, barefoot, holding a staff in one hand and a shoe in the other, heading for the Western Regions.
After returning to the capital, he reported the matter to the emperor. All civil and military officials were shocked because Bodhidharma had died long ago and it was impossible for him to appear in Huiling.
Later, the emperor ordered people to dig up Bodhidharma's tomb and found that the coffin was empty except for a shoe.
This is the origin of returning to the west with only one shoe.
Sanle sighed, "Although Maha has taken over Bodhidharma's golden body, he is not happy because he can hear a certain Sanskrit sound day and night. That is Bodhidharma's obsession. In order to resolve the obsession, he wants to fulfill Bodhidharma's last wish and go to the Western Lingshan Mountain to find the Tripitaka Sutra. However, after twenty years of trekking, he has not found any trace."
"Finally, he gradually became crazy in the sound of chanting that lingered in his ears day and night. A free-spirited snake demon actually began to read Buddhist scriptures. In fact, he didn't like Buddhist scriptures, but doing so made him feel better."
"Later, he completely lost himself and fell into Bodhidharma's obsession. He made a great wish that even if he could not find the Tripitaka, he would spread Buddhism throughout the world."
Taizhen suddenly asked: "Isn't this also a good thing for you Buddhists?"
Sanle smiled bitterly and said, "You are joking, lady donor. Maha inherited Bodhidharma's golden body and obsession, but he did not inherit Bodhidharma's cultivation, knowledge, bearing, mind, compassion for the world, and exquisite Buddhist teachings. How could he bear such a heavy obsession?"
"That's why he is called the evil Buddha. He does whatever it takes and has fallen into the devil's way."
Li Daoxuan thought of what Maha and his disciples had done and could not help but nod his head. Indeed, although his goal was to promote Buddhism, his actions had already seriously deviated from Buddhism.
In the past, the Buddha cut off his flesh to feed a pigeon that was being chased by an eagle. His compassion moved the world. But Maha was different. He completely regarded human life as worthless. Along the way from the Turks to Chang'an, countless people were bewitched and killed by his Sanskrit chanting.
Those who can make great aspirations must have the inner cultivation and breadth of mind to match them, such as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva who vows not to become a Buddha until hell is empty.
If one only has supernatural powers but lacks a true heart, he will soon lose himself under great pressure and go to extremes.
"Fortunately, before Maha died, he finally let go of his obsession, which led to the last four lines: Ninety years of Sanskrit chanting, endless dreams. Today I am alone, and the number of dancing is three thousand."
Sanle clasped his hands together and sighed softly.
Li Daoxuan was slightly stunned. He remembered Maha's last words before his death.
"Sanle, I have been reading Buddhist scriptures for ninety years, but in the end I realized that what I like most is still the ."
…
He felt a little sad in his heart. Maha's life was both lucky and unfortunate. He was lucky because he easily obtained the golden body and most of the cultivation of a great Buddhist master, and easily stepped into the Yangshen realm, becoming one of the strongest men in the world.
Unfortunately, the obsession that came with his power made him gradually lose himself.
He recalled the relief and liberation that Maha showed when his golden body was completely refined by the Samadhi True Fire. Perhaps that moment was the most relaxing moment he had ever had in the past ninety years.
"Master, what is your relationship with Maha, and why are you the deputy leader of the Moro religion?"
Sanle seemed to recall those long forgotten years. His expression was complicated as he said, "When Damo died, I was already the deputy leader of the Mara sect. Mara was seriously injured, so he gave Maha to me to teach."
Li Daoxuan secretly complained in his heart, no wonder Maha 's feelings towards Sanle were so complicated, and there was even a hint of admiration. It seemed that in his heart, he regarded Sanle as his master.
"Amitabha, but what Mara doesn't know is that I actually wanted to kill Maha many times to avenge my dear friend, Bodhidharma."
"But every time I couldn't do it, because every time I saw Maha, it was as if I saw... myself with the same suffering."
