Chapter 138: The Compassionate Buddha or the Lord of Demons? Master Du Chen is very old. According to Monk Guozhong, Master Duchen is almost 80 years old. His face looked old, with wrinkles all over it, but he looked healthy, and appeared to be in his early 60s. His eyes were deep and bright, like black pearls submerged in a pool of water. The red robes he wore had faded due to the erosion of time, and he held only a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, nothing else. He is definitely not the kind of monk who is greedy for pleasure, but a monk who is wholeheartedly pursuing spiritual realm. Pinggong Qianye carefully looked at Master Duchen in front of him and had a more accurate judgment of what kind of monk he was. "Master Liansheng is so young that it is unbelievable." Master Du Chen spoke first. “Age has never been a big issue.”
In response to this answer, Master Du Chen just nodded. The reason why he chose to accept the challenge was to see what kind of style the now popular Master Liansheng had. I've seen it now, it's pretty good. “I’m not really good at discussing the scriptures.” Seeing that Master Du Chen had no intention of speaking again, Pinggong Qianye took the initiative to start today's discussion of scriptures and debate. "Master Liansheng is ready to admit defeat before the game even starts?" "I have no intention of giving up, but I feel that there is no need to discuss the scriptures and the Dharma anymore." “This is a very novel statement.” "Because I have already seen through your sutras and your Dharma, there is no need to debate anything further." "Many eminent monks have said that my sutras and my Dharma are not suitable for this era or for Mount Koya. They say there is no need to argue any further, but they are all questioning the path I am taking." "I am different from them. They want to convince you, persuade you, and bring you back to the right path, so that you can give up this wrong path, but I don't." "What insights does Master Liansheng have?" "I only have one option for you, and that is to force you to death." There was a rare gleam of light in Master Du Chen's eyes. This was the first time that a senior monk said during a discussion with him on Buddhist scriptures that he would defeat him with force rather than with Buddhist teachings and principles. Pinggong Qianye looked at Master Duchen calmly. When he issued the challenge, the outcome was already decided. Master Du Chen had only one choice, and he only chose this way from beginning to end. Due to various external reasons, Master Du Chen had no choice but to discuss the sutras and the Dharma with himself. And I have already decided to take the path of suppressing the monk by force.
Discussing scriptures and debating Dharma was just the process of him meeting this great master Du Chen first. persuade? persuade? Once he saw clearly the path that Master Du Chen was taking, there was no such gentle option. He has never been good at discussing scriptures or debating Dharma, and he knows very well that he cannot shake Master Du Chen, who has been immersed in Buddhism for many years, with words alone. Therefore, the only path he had choice was to cultivate and compete. No matter what Master Du Chen chooses, he will lead things to this extreme conflict. Monk sitting high up in the clouds, it’s time to land and take another look at all living beings. "To suppress it by force?" Master Du Chen looked at Master Liansheng in front of him again, and he found that it was difficult for him to see through Master Liansheng's cultivation. "I've said it before, I've seen through your sutras and your teachings, so the ending is destined to be extreme." "Master Liansheng, you come here with great courage." "Only with great courage can one defeat the devil successfully." "Master Liansheng thinks I am a demon?" "Any obstacle that can hinder one's practice can be called a demon." Pinggong Qianye glanced at Master Duchen again, "Master Duchen, your practice has not improved much in these years, right?" Master Du Chen just smiled and said, "If you want to convince me with this, you are too naive. I am already old, and it is difficult for me to improve my cultivation." "Master Duchen, what I just said was practice, not cultivation." “Whether it’s spiritual practice or cultivation, once people reach old age, they will inevitably stagnate and find it difficult to move forward.” "What a shame! I really want to meet Master Du Chen when he was young." "What made Master Liansheng come up with such an idea?" "Some people say I look a lot like you when you were young." Master Du Chen was silent for a while, "If I were younger, I would have doubted the path I am taking now." "What made Master Duchen deviate from his original intention?" Master Duchen smiled and said, "As I grow older and gain more experience, my perspective on things is no longer as radical as when I was young. I can gradually embrace everything in the world with great compassion." "The past is like looking at flowers in the fog, it is difficult to see the truth." "Only after detaching from the secular world can one look at the world with a wiser eye. Killing is not a long-term solution after all. This is also the intention of the Buddha to enlighten the world with compassion." Hearing this, Pinggong Qianye shook his head and sighed, "Master Duchen, why do you think that your younger self must be inferior to your older self?"
Master Du Chen smiled, stretched out his hand and gestured, "The world that a young person can see is only this big. Only when he has experienced many things, the world he sees can be complete, and he can look at the world with a more sound mind." "Oh, what a correct statement." Pinggong Qianye sighed again. Does what Master Du Chen said make sense? Have. But is it right? Not necessarily. When you were a child, if you saw a kitten or puppy die, you would cry bitterly and even wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling asleep. When you are young and see someone die, you will feel sad and feel that life is short and fleeting. When you are older, the passing of life will no longer move you completely. Even if a disaster destroys all living things in a place, it will no longer make you shed a tear. When you are old, death, like a string of numbers, can no longer stir up much waves in your heart. What you see are the numbers, not the lives that were sacrificed behind them. Because you have seen a lot, looked far, experienced the impermanence of life, and believe that all death is an inevitable part of this world. Your heart will gradually stop feeling the pain of these things and stop brooding over the victims. Perhaps only the death of someone close to you can move you again. This is also true for those in high positions. However, ordinary people can do this, but those who study Buddhism cannot do this at all. You should remain grieved as you did when you were a child at the passing of any life. When you are old and can still feel sad for the small animals that are suddenly hit and killed by trucks on the roadside, your Buddha is a truly compassionate Buddha. Pinggong Qianye believes that he is not yet able to reach such a state, but if he meets an old monk who is crying bitterly for the loss of life. He would feel admiration and sigh that this is the true nature and this is the true Buddha walking in the world. "Master Duchen, the path you are on has strayed far from compassion." Master Du Chen did not feel anything when faced with Pinggong Qianye's sigh. He believed that he was treating all sentient beings with compassion and would not be shaken by any words. "This discussion of the sutras and the Dharma has come to an end." Pinggong Qianye stood up and looked down at Master Duchen who was still sitting cross-legged on the cushion. "Master Duchen, I am on the top of Mount Koya, waiting to compete with you in cultivation." Master Du Chen did not say anything, but just watched calmly as Pinggong Qianye picked up his Zen stick again, held up his Dharma bowl, put on his bamboo hat, and walked towards the stairs. "Master Du Chen, this battle is inevitable, whether you like it or not." Pinggong Qianye stopped and said again. This battle was inevitable, and he would never allow Master Du Chen to refuse for any reason. It’s a pity that the place chosen by Master Du Chen is not suitable for fighting, otherwise, there would be no need to change the location.
"A battle of cultivation, I wonder if Master Liansheng really has this level of cultivation?" “You’ll know once you try it.” Pinggong Qianye went downstairs. Master Duchen sat cross-legged on the cushion, looking at the empty cushion opposite him. For the first time, he had a strange feeling in his heart. But whether it is discussing scriptures and debating Dharma or competing in cultivation. He has never been defeated. It was so before and it is still so now. Master Du Chen stood up, looked out the window at the sun gradually setting, and turned to leave. Outside the Great Root Pagoda, the Buddhist practitioners of the Kongofeng Temple lineage to which Monk Guozhong belongs and the lineage to which Master Duchen belongs are waiting for the final outcome. When he saw Pinggong Qianye walking out of the tower first, Monk Guozhong's heart skipped a beat, and the tiny flame of hope that had once been in his heart was extinguished with a pop. "At such a young age, you don't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is, yet you dare to discuss the sutras and the Dharma with Master Duchen!" "It's only been a short time since he lost this debate. If you calculate the time, he might have broken the record for the fastest defeat." "It's just the courage of an ordinary man. How can it shake the true Buddha, Master Duchen!" In the camp where Master Du Chen was located, waves of merciless mocking voices rang out. Pinggong Qianye disagreed with this. He thought that their level was too low and it was not worth getting angry with them. Master Du Chen, who was about to step out of the tower, also heard the mocking voices outside like a raging sea, and felt slightly displeased. Any obstacle that hinders spiritual practice can be called a demon. He couldn't help but recall the words said by Master Liansheng. Could it be that in the eyes of the other party, I have become the lord of all demons? Master Du Chen was silent for a moment and slowly walked out of the tower. “Did you really lose?” Monk Guozhong glanced at Master Duchen who also walked out of the tower, quietly came to Pinggong Qianye and asked in a low voice. Pinggong Qianye smiled but said nothing. If he really wanted to discuss scriptures and debate the Dharma, he could have said a lot. For example, how the monks who followed Master Du Chen's Buddhist teachings were so petty and selfish. How those demons and monsters who seem to have converted to Buddhism harbor evil intentions and harm innocent people. As the creator of this rule, how could Master Duchen fail to supervise it properly, resulting in the current chaos in Koyasan? There is so much that could be said, but it's all unnecessary. Because no amount of words can shake Master Duchen's firm belief in his own Buddhist teachings. Master Duchen has reached the point of rejecting all questioning voices. Most of the time, words are not as effective as a pair of fists.
On the top of Mount Koya, to knock Master Duchen down from the clouds to the dust, this is what he really wants to do. "Is it over like this?" Monk Guo Zhong asked again without giving up. “We’ll see the outcome on the summit of Mount Koya.” Pinggong Qianye replied, then leaned close to the ear of Monk Guozhong and whispered in his ear, asking him to help keep an eye on the abbot Liangfeng of Jinguang Temple and not let him run away. Kuninaka Monk nodded subconsciously, and then when Heimiya Chiye walked towards the top of Mount Koya, he suddenly woke up. This Master Liansheng wants to compete with Master Duchen in terms of cultivation! It is easy to discuss scriptures and debate the Dharma, after all, it is a literary battle. However, a battle of strength is a physical fight, and there is a high possibility of death! Monk Guozhong was a little panicked, but he also knew that he could not stop Pinggong Qianye's decision, so he could only ask his master, the abbot of Kongofeng Temple, for help. After all, it is an excellent seed of Buddha! We must not die on the top of Mount Koya! On the other side, Master Duchen ignored the celebrations and encouragement of his disciples, but walked towards the top of Mount Koya without looking back. His steps remained steady and unwavering. (End of this chapter)