Sitting and forgetting longevity

Chapter 2002 Thousand Buddha Temple

Chapter 2003
Regardless of the stark differences in the cultivation methods and core philosophies of Buddhism and Taoism, in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Qinghuan had already accompanied Master Huiming to the deepest part of Taiming Realm.

There were no lush flowers or forests in sight, only a solitary mountain rising abruptly from the ground, stretching across the sky and earth.

Looking up, the entire solitary mountain was a single, naturally formed piece of black rock, hundreds of feet long, without a single crack or fissure.

The power of Buddha over thousands of years has given the entire rock a warm, jade-like luster. Numerous niches of varying sizes have been carved into the rock face from top to bottom.

Tens of thousands of Buddha statues sit there, some smiling with flowers in hand, some glaring at demons, some meditating with mudras in hand gestures, each with a different expression.

The Buddhist niches are layered upon layer, like a ladder to the sky. The wind blows through the crevices of the rocks, seemingly carrying the chanting of thousands of monks. The solemn and magnificent atmosphere is enough to make ordinary people kneel down in awe.

There are also eighteen guardian Buddha statues, each over ten feet tall, carved into the mountainside and embedded in the four corners of the solitary mountain and various locations on the main peak. Some hold vajras, some hold pagodas, and some wield demon-subduing swords, their bodies as majestic as mountains.

Over the centuries, the interior of this solitary mountain has been completely hollowed out by Buddhist disciples, creating seven vast underground palaces from top to bottom. Each layer houses statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, with ever-burning lamps and continuous chanting.

On the top floor is a golden statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, which is over a hundred feet tall. The golden body is covered with precious light and jewels.

The Bodhisattva holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in his left hand and a nine-ringed staff in his right. His eyes are slightly lowered, and his brows and eyes show both boundless compassion for saving all sentient beings and awe-inspiring majesty that says, "I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty." Even just a glance from afar can inspire inexplicable fear in people.

This is the Thousand Buddha Temple.

Throughout the entire mountain, the Buddhist power is so dense that it has already materialized, flowing like golden clouds through the crevices of rocks, niches, and underground palaces. Touching it can clear one's mind and dispel all malevolence.

Even a Taoist cultivator like Liu Qinghuan couldn't help but marvel at the profound heritage of this Buddhist temple that had stood for tens of thousands of years.

Master Huiming led Liu Qinghuan from the foot of the mountain all the way to the Dizang Hall, showing him the entire layout of the Thousand Buddha Temple.

Once the two had stood firmly beneath the golden statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, he slowly spoke: "Fellow Daoist Taiwei, judging from your expression, it seems you've noticed something?"

Liu Qinghuan pursed her lips and remained silent for a long while before saying, "Under the ultimate light, shadows always breed. I sensed the aura of darkness, which is secretly surging within this sky full of Buddhist light, like a malignant sore, quietly corroding this seemingly impregnable peace."

Upon hearing this, Master Huiming sighed deeply. In that sigh, there was both the compassion of a Buddhist disciple and an unspeakable heaviness.

He raised his hand and gently wiped the air in front of him, and a mirror of light appeared out of thin air in front of the two of them.

The light and shadow shifted in the mirror, gradually revealing the image.

"Fellow Daoist, please look, this is the true appearance beneath the Thousand Buddha Temple."

In the mirror light, the first thing that catches the eye is a huge cage woven from countless golden Buddhist lights, and inside the cage sits a three-eyed tiger demon.

It has yellow and white fur, a closed vertical eye on its forehead, and is wearing a faded monk's robe. It is sitting cross-legged with its paws clasped together, and its lips are constantly moving, as if it is chanting scriptures.

But whenever it stops reciting, or its mind wanders even slightly, a beam of Buddhist light, as condensed as a steel whip, suddenly falls from the top of the cage and strikes it hard.

The tiger demon grimaced in pain, its fur bristling and a suppressed growl escaping its throat. Yet, it dared not stop chanting, gritting its teeth to regain its composure and continue reciting.

As the mirror's light recedes, this cage of Buddha's light unfolds in rows and columns, boundless and endless, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Each cage held various demons and monsters, all chanting Buddhist scriptures along with the chanting of Sanskrit.

“They are doing their morning prayers,” Huiming said. “After the morning prayers are finished, they will rest for a while, and then they will meditate, listen to the Dharma, do afternoon meditation, and have evening prayers. This is how it is every day, and they must not slack off.”

Liu Qinghuan looked at the tiger demon in the glasses with sympathy.

Although he himself was a practitioner of asceticism, it would be very torturous to be forced to practice asceticism day after day without being able to do anything else.

With a slight movement of Huiming's fingertips, the image on the light mirror shifted accordingly.

The cell doors opened one after another, and the tiger demon and a group of other demons and monsters who had been chanting scriptures in the cage walked out and entered a much larger cell.

There appeared the phantom of an old monk, sitting cross-legged on a high platform, explaining the Buddhist scriptures and resolving their doubts word by word. "Our Buddhist school is based on compassion, saving all sentient beings, without distinction between humans, animals, demons, and ghosts."

As Master Huiming spoke, a faint trace of satisfaction flashed across his face.

"Once they have washed away their malevolence, understood the Dharma, and truly turned their hearts to Buddha, they will be able to leave this cage and be reborn when their sentence is completed."

He moved his fingertips again, and the image in the mirror suddenly changed.

A massive bull demon was being whipped by the Buddha's light, its broad back marked with bloody welts. When the punishment ended, it lay motionless on the ground.

In the cage beside it, a wolf demon was acting like a madman, frantically tearing at the Buddha-light cage with its claws and ramming its head against it.

Each impact would trigger an even stronger backlash of Buddhist light, exploding on its body like golden thunder, tearing its skin and flesh apart.

Further away, some demons were bound by chains formed from Buddhist light, lying in cages like lifeless objects, their limbs bound, their eyes empty and lifeless.
Some demons broke free of their cages, but after only a few steps, they were captured by the omnipresent Buddha's light and dragged back into the cages like dead dogs, whereupon they were subjected to even harsher punishments.

Master Huiming looked at the image in the mirror, his voice lowering slightly.

"These demons are fierce and untamed, and have committed many sins, which is why they are being punished. However, once their punishment is over, if they are immersed in the Buddha's teachings every day, most of them can be gradually reformed."

However, there are also those who are stubborn and unrepentant, refusing to change no matter how much they are taught; some have even escaped their cages.

As soon as he finished speaking, the image in the mirror suddenly went dark.

The golden light of Buddha in the sky vanished completely, and the boundless cage disappeared without a trace, replaced by a gloomy and desolate atmosphere.

The fog was as thick as ink, and it would surge violently from time to time, as if something was moving through it, but its shape was not visible.

"They have escaped to a deeper place, and are difficult to find outside. Unless you enter the core of the magic array yourself, you will not be able to find their traces at all."

Liu Qinghuan kept his arms crossed the whole time, watching everything in the mirror with great interest, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Unlike the Taoist philosophy of "saving others by saving oneself first, and cultivating this life rather than the next," Buddhism is willing to spend decades or even centuries to gradually smooth out the malevolent energy of these demons.

This kind of meticulous, painstaking effort is indeed a level of patience that even Taoists lack.

He withdrew his gaze, looked at Huiming, and spoke calmly and directly.

"So, you need me to go in and clean up these escapees for you?"

“No.” Master Huiming immediately shook his head, his tone solemn: “The situation inside is unclear, and the dangers are unknown. A slight mistake could lead to peril. How could I allow you to take such risks for the sake of Buddhism?”

After going around in circles for so long and seeing so much, Master Huiming finally stopped beating around the bush and got to the point of the invitation.

"The reason I invited you here is that my Thousand Buddha Temple plans to reinforce the magic array that suppresses the entire temple and replace the hundreds of Buddha statues in the underground palace."

His expression gradually became serious: "However, during this process, in the interval between the old Buddha being brought out and the new Buddha being enshrined, the Buddha power of the entire Thousand Buddha Temple will be greatly weakened, and the outer barrier and the magic array will inevitably experience a brief period of weakness."

At that time, someone will need to be stationed there to prevent the demons from breaking through the boundary and wreaking havoc on the Taiming Realm.

"I have already informed my senior brother about this matter. He should have returned some time ago, but he was delayed on the way and will not be able to return for at least two days."

Master Huiming bowed to Liu Qinghuan with his hands clasped together, his tone earnest: "When my senior brother returns, he will bring several eminent monks from the temple to jointly oversee the reinforcement of the magic array and the replacement of the Buddha statues."

"At that time, I will need to trouble you, fellow Daoist, to join us in guarding the Thousand Buddha Temple. If any demons manage to escape—"

At this point, Huiming looked into the depths of the underground palace, his expression turning cold and solemn.

"Kill them all without exception!"

(End of this chapter)