Chapter 984: Chapter 983: In Heaven and Earth, I Alone am Honored

Chapter 984 -983: In Heaven and Earth, I Alone am Honored

Lu Yang’s mouth twitched; the history of Kaihuang Temple’s prosperity was truly unexpected.

“Western Paradise Temple is an orthodox institution of Buddha Country, they probably wouldn’t resort to murder…”

Stroking his white beard, Master Duanchen said, “Monks do not take life, so the Abbot’s life should be without concern, but as for other treatments, that’s harder to say. Our Kaihuang Temple doesn’t have much connection with Western Paradise Temple, and we have no way to inquire about the whereabouts of that Abbot.”

“After that Abbot disappeared, the scale of Kaihuang Temple never changed—it lacked any ambition.”

“Once I became the Abbot, I made a grand vow to ensure the incense at Kaihuang Temple burned brightly, aiming for an average annual visitor count of ten million.”

“To fulfill this grand vow, I diligently worked and devised ways to expand the renown of Kaihuang Temple, to make Kaihuang City comparable to a great city, and to improve the lives of the city’s residents.”

“…Master, the grand vow you made seems quite detailed.”

“Of course, the two Benefactors must not have been to our Buddha Country before and do not know how we make grand vows. The vows made in our Buddha Country are always very precise—if one only vows for ‘incense burning brightly,’ how should the criteria be set?”

“What counts as incense burning brightly? Would it count if one day a million Benefactors suddenly visited, or if a Benefactor paid for all the temple’s incense offerings for a year, or if the temple caught fire and all the incense was lit? Would these count as incense burning brightly?”

“If the standard is not set, the grand vow is just talk and can never be fulfilled.”

“Master, your dedication to Kaihuang Temple is truly admirable.”

Master Duanchen laughed and said, “Monks do not lie. I am not so great. When the incense at Kaihuang Temple is thriving, I, as the Abbot, naturally reap plenty of benefits and can fulfill my grand vow; why wouldn’t I do it?”

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

As Lu Yang knew, the incense money gained by each temple was divided so that fifty percent was kept by them, thirty percent was used to craft the Buddha’s Golden Body, and twenty percent was handed over to Western Paradise Temple.

Cultivation could not do without wealth; the more incense burned at Kaihuang Temple, the more Spirit Stones Master Duanchen would obtain for his own cultivation.

Master Duanchen thought it was getting late and wanted to take Lu Yang and his companion to the guesthouse to rest, but Lu Yang felt it was a rare opportunity and suggested visiting the Mahavira Hall instead. He had only seen the Mahavira Hall constructed by Fairy Eternity in the Spiritual Space; he had yet to see one in reality.

Meng Jingzhou had also never been to the Mahavira Hall and agreed with Lu Yang’s suggestion.

Master Duanchen led Lu Yang and his companion into the Mahavira Hall, where the Golden Great Sun Tathagata Buddha Statue, wrought in gold, was positioned in the very center, with a smile suggesting it was picking a flower, imparting compassion to enlighten the people.

It was already night, and the Mahavira Hall was brilliantly lit; the Buddha statue reflected the candlelight’s glow, making it look extraordinarily sacred.

“What’s there to see in the Mahavira Hall? The one I built for you in the Spiritual Space is the most authentic,” Fairy Eternity pouted. As a founder of Buddhism, according to Buddhist scriptures, wherever she was considered the Mahavira Hall—holy and inviolable.

In the Spiritual Space, at the end of the desert, a Mahavira Hall rose from the ground, even more splendid than the one in Kaihuang Temple.

In the center of the Treasure Palace, Immortal Fairy, donning Zhu Hong eye shadow and dressed in Western fashion, knelt on one leg atop the Lotus Platform, with the other leg resting on her thigh, hands in prayer position, and enchanted all beings.

Lu Yang glanced at the Mahavira Hall in the Spiritual Space, then at the one in reality, and felt that the real one was more authentic.

“Master, I’ve heard that the Buddha Bathing Festival is a celebration of the Worldly Venerable’s birth?” On the way there, Lu Yang had thoroughly studied the origins of the Buddha Bathing Festival to avoid being clueless in Buddha Country and looking like a tourist.

“What Benefactor Lu said is correct. It is said that in Ancient Times, when the Worldly Venerable was born, he could walk immediately. With each foot stepping on a lotus flower, he pointed one hand to the sky and the other to the earth, declaring, ‘In the heavens above and on the earth below, only I am the honored one.'”

“To commemorate the birth of the Worldly Venerable, this day was designated as Buddha’s Birthday, and the activity of bathing the Buddha was organized.”

Meng Jingzhou chimed in from the side, “In the heavens above and on the earth below, only I am the honored one. Such a domineering statement from the Worldly Venerable.”

Master Duanchen chuckled and spoke unhurriedly, “It’s not surprising that Benefactor Meng has this misunderstanding. Many people misinterpret these words, thinking the Worldly Venerable was an egotistical man, but this is not the case.”

“The deeper meaning of ‘I’ here refers to the ‘Buddha-nature’ inherent in all beings, the fundamental essence that pervades everywhere, the innately pure and complete ‘true self.’ It is what the Nirvana Sutra describes as the ‘I’ of ‘permanent, joyous, self, and purity.'”

“The Auspicious Response Sutra states, ‘In the heavens above and on the earth below, only I am the honored one. The three realms are all suffering, what is there to be joyful about?’ Clearly, the ‘honored one’ here mainly refers to the significant responsibility of alleviating the suffering of all sentient beings.”

“Thus, the original intent of this phrase is that the Worldly Venerable declared he was born with the mission to save beings, to help sentient beings escape the sea of birth and death. When sentient beings become Buddhas, they too must do the same.”

Listened as Master Duanchen quoted scriptures to help him understand the phrase, texts he had never heard of before, Meng Jingzhou nodded repeatedly, realizing he had misunderstood the Worldly Venerable.

In the Spiritual Space, the Immortal Fairy Eternity standing on the Lotus Platform scratched her head at these words.

“Ah? Wasn’t this something I said in the tone of the Yingtian Immortal after I defeated him and the other three immortals? I thought it was quite domineering and described my abilities well, so I insisted they include it in the Buddhist scriptures when they were compiled, to declare that I was the leader of the Five Ancient Immortals.”

“So this phrase had such a meaning as well?”

Meng Jingzhou clasped his hands in salute, “I never expected the Worldly Venerable to have such compassion for the world, it was my misunderstanding of him.”

Master Duanchen smiled faintly, “The Worldly Venerable indeed possesses great wisdom, great determination, and a great compassionate heart. I wonder if Benefactor Meng has heard that when the Worldly Venerable was seeking Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the demon Mara sent three demonesses to seductively distract him. The Worldly Venerable was not swayed by the demonesses; he attained Enlightenment in seven days, reaching the Consummation of Enlightenment and developing great wisdom.”

“After the Worldly Venerable attained Enlightenment, his Buddha light shone for miles, illuminating worlds in all directions, and even the Four Ancient Immortals came to congratulate him.”

“There is such a tale.” Previously, Meng Jingzhou had not much exposure to Buddhism, but now hearing Master Duanchen recount the past of the Worldly Venerable, he felt true admiration.

“Speaking of the Bodhi Tree, I once felt my culinary skills had reached their peak and decided to compile the ‘Culinary Bible’ to bless future generations. While composing the book under the Bodhi Tree, Xiao Ling, Lianyi, and Qinghe always liked to hover around me, insisting that I play with them and disrupting my writing.”

“Strangely enough, I remember that the three of them had to leave for some reason and should not have been there. Was it an illusion conjured by someone, or perhaps an Inner Demon?”

“Regardless, my willpower was resolute, and unaffected by their interference, I managed to complete the ‘Culinary Bible’ in seven days.”

“Then Immortal Jiuchong came over with several Golden Crows, their brightness unbearable, almost setting the freshly written book ablaze. Later, Yingtian Immortal and the other two came one after another to congratulate me, seeing them laugh so joyfully, they all seemed overcome with tears.”

While watching Meng Jingzhou chat merrily with Master Duanchen, Lu Yang considered whether or not to tell his good brother the true story of the Worldly Venerable.