One person above Qing Huang Ting

Chapter 903 Removal of Ksitigarbha's Name, Conversion of Faith

In the mortal realm, within the city of Bianliang, the incense at the Dizang Temple burned like a thick fog, its aroma so strong it reached outside the temple grounds.

Devout believers had already gathered in front of the Ksitigarbha Temple before the rooster crowed at dawn.

At the entrance of the Dizang Temple, believers carrying bamboo baskets filled with incense sticks and yellow paper were everywhere. They had come to worship Dizang Bodhisattva, asking him to perform rituals for the deceased or to make wishes for their own funerals.

After all, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva resides in hell and has made the great vow that he will not become a Buddha until hell is emptied. Among the masses of mortals, how many are not afraid of what will happen after death, and how many are not afraid of going to hell after death?

To ensure peace of mind, countless believers also make offerings and worship at the altar of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Moreover, legend has it that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is compassionate and gentle, and always answers prayers. He will respond to any request a believer makes.

Whether you are praying for marriage, studies, future prospects, or the well-being of your family, you can pray to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

The widespread dissemination of this legend naturally attracted more people to believe in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is almost as well-known as Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, so the number of incense offerings for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is also similar to that for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

Sometimes, the incense offerings to the Four Great Bodhisattvas even surpass those to the Buddha.

The Buddha did not care about these things, but this was not because he was compassionate and benevolent.

Rather, no matter how much incense offerings the four great bodhisattvas, such as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, receive, all of these offerings must ultimately be offered to the Buddha.

What kind of foolish boss would do something so detrimental to the top salesperson?

No matter how much the top salesperson earns, isn't all that money ultimately used to buy the boss's mansion and luxury cars? How much of it can the top salesperson actually keep for themselves?

The Buddha was no fool; he treated the Four Great Bodhisattvas with great favor, even granting them a status higher than that of the Buddha on Mount Ling.

Although the Four Great Bodhisattvas are Bodhisattvas, their seating arrangement on Mount Ling is higher than that of many Buddhas.

After Tang Sanzang successfully completed his journey to the West, he was bestowed the title of Sandalwood Merit Buddha. However, his rank on Mount Ling was much lower than that of Guanyin.

However, the Ksitigarbha Temple was unusually lively today. Among the believers crowding outside the temple gate were not only ordinary people dressed in simple clothes, but also wealthy merchants and gentlemen draped in silk and satin.

The monks in the temple all wore their most formal and solemn robes and kasayas, and raised flags in the square in front of the Mahavira Hall to prepare for the Dharma assembly.

On the altar of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are placed the Eight Treasures made of gold, silver, giant clam shell, agate, coral, and lapis lazuli.

In other corners of the temple, monks were performing their respective duties. Some monks formed chanting groups, while others were polishing their conch shells, jade chimes, and vajra bells, silently recalling the melodies of the Dharma assembly music. Meanwhile, welcoming monks were already heading to the temple to prepare to guide the believers.

Master Siyou, the abbot of the Mahavira Hall of Dizang Temple, is making final arrangements with the various supervisors and elders.

Master Siyou wore a purple-gold kasaya adorned with gold, silver, agate, pearls, crystal, and glass, woven with gold thread.
After many days of hard work, working day and night, even though Master Siyou was a true disciple of Buddhism who had achieved great success in his practice, he was so tired that dark circles appeared under his eyes.

However, he remained extremely energetic and showed no signs of fatigue. He gave a final reminder to all the high-ranking members of the Ksitigarbha Temple:

"Everyone, today is the last day of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, and also an auspicious day for changing the golden body. We absolutely cannot make any mistakes."

"Amitabha, please rest assured, Abbot." The elders and the abbot replied in unison.

No one wanted to miss this grand occasion, and no one wanted to give up the merit they had gained.

The Dizang Temple is preparing a grand Water and Land Dharma Assembly, which will mobilize the entire nation.

For this Water and Land Dharma Assembly, Bianliang City even dispersed vendors and closed shops in several markets near the Dizang Temple. Even when the roads were blocked by believers coming to participate in the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, the constables in Bianliang City did not care.

They would only suddenly appear when commoners blocked the carriages of high-ranking officials, disperse the commoners, and guide the officials to the Dizang Temple so that they could reach it without hindrance and wait for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly to officially begin.

The cause of this Water and Land Dharma Assembly, which the entire city of Bianliang was waiting for, was the dream that everyone in the city and even the whole country had a while ago. In the dream, the Buddha with three heads and six arms declared that he was the "Buddha who saves people from suffering in three lifetimes" and would forever guard the underworld.

If the Buddha is eternally residing in the underworld, then where has Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva gone?

A rumor spread like wildfire throughout Bianliang City in a single day.

The Buddha who saves people from suffering in three lifetimes is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has perfected his merits and has therefore been promoted to Buddha.

Although this rumor is absurd, it aligns with basic human values.

If Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva truly performed great deeds as the legends suggest, then he deserves to be rewarded. It is only natural that he was promoted from Bodhisattva to Buddha.

The legendary Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, who traveled west to obtain Buddhist scriptures, were both made Buddhas. And Zhong Kui, who died by hitting his head against a pillar in front of the palace, was also made a judge and a saintly sage who bestows blessings and protects the home for his meritorious service in catching ghosts.

Isn't it only natural that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was promoted to Buddhahood due to his merits?

Therefore, when the rumor spread in Bianliang that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had been granted Buddhahood for his merits, the abbot of the Ksitigarbha Temple, Master Siyou, with a mix of excitement and fear, used the temple's ancestral method of communicating with the underworld to try to directly inquire with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva about the truth of the matter.

Master Siyou was unable to contact Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva; in the underworld, there are only Buddhas who save people from suffering and deliver the world from death!
Although the Buddha who saves people from suffering in three lifetimes did not speak to him, the truth of all this was not immediately obvious.

The rumor is true.
After the effects of the Netherworld Communication Technique ended, Master Siyou's spirit returned from the underworld with tears in his eyes and immediately summoned all the elders and the abbot of the temple.

The elders and abbot of the Dizang Temple already knew what Master Siyou was doing tonight. None of them had rested, so as soon as they heard Master Siyou's summons, they rushed to the small courtyard of the abbot's quarters.

Master Siyou also publicly announced that he would hold a Water and Land Dharma Assembly, and on the last day of the assembly, he would replace the original Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue with a golden Buddha statue that he had sculpted based on his memory of the majestic image of the Buddha who saves people from suffering in three lifetimes.

This is a great thing, and everyone agrees!
When one person attains the Tao, the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven.

The patriarch's ascension from Bodhisattva to Buddha is an immensely joyous event that should be proclaimed to the world. In this way, even his mortal disciples can enjoy the afterglow.

To the outside world, they will also be the successors of Buddha, and the Ksitigarbha Temple can be upgraded to the Three Lives Buddha Temple, with a higher standard and greater benefits.

How could the disciples of that Ksitigarbha Temple disagree?

Therefore, on the last day of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly at the Dizang Temple, the city of Bianliang was deserted, with nearly half of the city's citizens gathering outside the Dizang Temple.

They also wanted to see the true face of the Buddha who saves people from suffering and hopes to receive the Buddha's grace!
(End of this chapter)