Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 1096 The Buddhist Teachings of Jinchi

In the Southern Continent, countless powerful individuals will flock to this ritual.

Strong individuals from outside the Southern Continent will also come to the Southern Continent.

—And Guanyin, as a great Bodhisattva in Buddhism, as a practitioner in Buddhism, and as a contact person for Buddhism to the outside world.

Faced with such a sudden turn of events, he would definitely protect Xuanzang with his life!
This means that he will face off against many powerful individuals who want to 'compete for the Dao'.

These powerful individuals show no regard for his strength or background.

This means that in such a struggle, he will be infinitely close to death!

"Could it be that the calamity I was told about by the Great Dragon God of Heaven is about to happen here?" Guanyin Bodhisattva thought with trepidation.

Then, he remembered something else.

The Dragon Girl said: The White Tiger Guardian God has already settled in Fengqi Kingdom, and Xuanzang and his companions are also heading to Fengqi Kingdom because of this ritual.

Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't help but recall the unexpected events at the Banquet of the Emperor.

Because of that power of killing, the final act of this calamity was almost prematurely detonated.

If it weren't for the magnanimity of the White Tiger Guardian God, the situation would have spiraled out of control in some terrible direction.

However, even though the White Tiger Guardian God Lord temporarily suppressed the conflict, the bloody conflict was still a huge hidden danger in the world, and it was unknown when it would erupt.

However, after that, the White Tiger Supervisor God did not leave the Southern Continent. Instead, he continued to move around the Southern Continent. Now, he has even established himself in the Phoenix Kingdom, thus proclaiming his existence to the world.

That's already eye-catching enough.

This has already attracted the covetous eyes of countless people, and has led many to plot in secret.

But now, the monk Xuanzang is also heading towards Fengqi Kingdom with the power of that ritual.

Fengqi Kingdom was originally a place where killing and warfare converged.

If, within the Kingdom of Fengqi, a Buddhist ritual were added, making it the centerpiece of that ritual.

The thought of that situation is absolutely devastating!
"How could Xuanzang be so unwise!" Guanyin Bodhisattva thought to herself, and immediately set off to persuade Xuanzang to change his route.

However, after taking only two steps forward, he stopped again.

Xuanzang's strong will and unwavering determination are beyond doubt.

—This is a person who made a great vow to reform Buddhism.

He was a person who dared to defy the strict system of Buddhism, debate with the Buddha, and ultimately persuade the Buddha to attain Nirvana.

Such a person possesses an incredible level of determination.

Once he made up his mind to go to Fengqi Kingdom, how could anyone else persuade him?

"This is bad! This is bad!" The more Guanyin Bodhisattva thought about this situation, the more difficult it seemed.

"That's it, that's all!"

After a long while, Guanyin Bodhisattva finally suppressed those miscellaneous thoughts.

"Given the situation, avoidance is absolutely unavoidable!"

"We have no choice but to face the challenge head-on." Guanyin Bodhisattva thought to herself, then instructed the Dragon Girl to keep an eye on the cave, and then stepped out of the cave, lotus flowers blooming with each step.

A few moments later, his figure appeared in the Southern Continent.

The moment he set foot on Jambudvipa, an unprecedented sense of crisis erupted in his heart, almost overwhelming his reason.

That was the sense of crisis that the next instant would bring utter destruction, a crisis that no one could save from!

Without hesitation, Guanyin Bodhisattva immediately found a place to sit down, concentrated her mind, and focused on sensing the changes in the world and the 'cause and effect' related to herself.

The prayers of countless beings and the offerings of countless incense sticks then reflected in his heart, making his figure appear indistinct, and countless manifestations, incarnations, and mental bodies appeared one after another.

"What exactly is going on?" Through patient and meticulous sensing, a situation finally emerged in the perception of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

That was none other than the changes at Guanyin Temple.

……

"It's done!" Ao Bing, standing on the Execution Platform, nodded slightly as he watched Guanyin Bodhisattva head towards the Guanyin Temple.

—The sense of crisis that Guanyin Bodhisattva sensed was not without reason.

That was Ao Bing, sitting upright on the Execution Platform, with the thought in his mind: 'If Guanyin does not go to Guanyin Temple, I will kill her.'

As soon as this thought arose, the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who was targeted by this thought, naturally felt an unparalleled sense of crisis.

He accurately grasped this sense of crisis and then headed towards the 'path to survival' at Guanyin Temple.

"Guanyin is a rare and resourceful being in the world."

“Since he went to Guanyin Temple, he must have been able to sense the demons and gods in the temple and their mad nature.”

"Furthermore, this matter involves Guanyin Temple and is related to him."

"Then he will definitely trace it back to its source."

"In this way, someone will be able to follow the line of the Great Luo on the side of destruction."

Ao Bing pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to the other immortals and gods surrounding Xuanzang.

……

While Guanyin Bodhisattva was heading towards Guanyin Temple, Xuanzang and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who were traveling towards Fengqi Kingdom, had already arrived at the gate of Guanyin Temple.

Guanyin Temple is a rather luxurious temple.

Its interior features vermilion walls and green tiles, and is magnificent and opulent.

At first glance, the radiance of that wealth was so dazzling that it almost blinded one.

Many demon gods corrupted by the aura of destruction have gathered here.

These demon gods, one after another, their demonic aura blotted out the sky, transforming this place into an incomparably terrifying lair of demon gods.

However, the demonic aura permeating this place, though intense and terrifying, is not as aggressive as that of other demon kingdoms, and feels quite restrained.

—Even so, the existence of this demonic aura is still terrifying.

However, within this Guanyin Temple, amidst the dazzling jewels and precious stones, the demonic aura was completely suppressed.

Any living being who steps into this Guanyin Temple—even someone as perceptive as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who knew from the beginning that there were many demon gods here—is a potential candidate for the temple.

Upon entering the Guanyin Temple, the first thing he saw was still the lotus Guanyin statue within the temple grounds.

And scattered throughout the Zen temple are the pagoda, coral, glazed tiles, and other Buddhist treasures.

In that instant, the Monkey King even felt as if he had stepped into the golden palace of the Heavenly Gods of Wealth, not a Buddhist temple.

"This Zen temple is incredibly luxurious."

"The monks here must all be disreputable."

"Venerable Master, is there truly a high-ranking monk here as you described?"

The Great Sage Equaling Heaven asked the monk Xuanzang in a low voice. — The moment he saw the Zen temple from afar, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was almost provoked by the fierce and demonic aura emanating from it, and wanted to sweep it over with his staff.

It was Master Xuanzang who persuaded him to stay, saying that there were eminent monks presiding over this Zen temple.

But now, in the eyes of the Monkey King, there was no sign of any eminent monk in this Zen temple.

"Master, do you think it's possible that the high monk you're looking for isn't one of the monks in this monastery, but someone they've captured?"

After a moment, the Monkey King whispered another guess.

If this assumption holds true, it would likely be difficult for Master Xuanzang to meet the eminent monks of the Guanyin Temple.

"Don't worry, don't worry," Master Xuanzang reassured him.

The layout of this Guanyin Temple differs from that of other Buddhist temples—it is exceptionally magnificent and open.

It can be said that there are no twists or turns within it.

Although the temple is extremely large, just standing at the entrance, one can take in the layout of the temple and the scenery of each part of the temple.

The most awe-inspiring part of the entire Zen temple is undoubtedly the main hall, which faces the main gate.

Inside the main hall stands a magnificent, gleaming golden lotus Guanyin statue!
Its body is made of gold and jade, adorned with silver, and decorated with coral, pearls, and shells, which are transformed into the lotus flower in Guanyin's hand and the lotus platform beneath her seat.

This lotus-shaped Guanyin statue gazes down at all beings with a compassionate expression—yet there is clearly no aura of light from the presence of the great Bodhisattva Guanyin.

Yet, amidst these seven treasures of Buddhism and the adornment of so much wealth, the lotus-shaped Guanyin statue seemed to possess an innate spirituality.

Then, Xuanzang's gaze fell on the old monk under the Guanyin statue.

The old monk sat upright beneath the lotus throne, his posture as compassionate and gentle as that of the Guanyin statue.

An aura of utter tranquility emanated from the old monk, harmonizing with the dazzling jewels and precious stones of the Guanyin Temple, ensuring that the jewels and precious stones did not overshadow the temple.

This makes it immediately clear to outsiders that this is a Buddhist monastery, not the golden palace of the God of Wealth.

At that moment, both Master Xuanzang and the Monkey King truly realized that the person before them was the 'high monk' they were looking for.

"This old monk, Jinchi, greets the Venerable Xuanzang." Looking at the Venerable Xuanzang at the main gate, Zen Master Jinchi bowed from afar.

His clothes were exquisite and thoughtfully chosen, revealing a variety of ingenious details.

Especially the outermost robe, which was exceptionally magnificent.

"The Zen Master's robes are quite frightening." The Great Sage Equaling Heaven laughed immediately, as if looking for trouble.

"Is all the Buddhist teachings of this lineage as extravagant as those of the Zen master?"

As the Great Sage Equaling Heaven spoke, he pointed to the statue of Guanyin.

“I’ve seen Guanyin Bodhisattva before—but I’ve never seen her so adorned with jewels.”

“Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk Xuanzang comes from the Great Tang Dynasty in the Central Region, having come here in response to the Zen Master’s Zen teachings.”

"May I ask, Zen Master, why is it so extravagant?" Xuanzang asked. "I wonder, what Buddhist teachings are hidden within this extravagance?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xuanzang had already walked up to Zen Master Jinchi and sat down.

"There is no Buddhist teaching amidst luxury." Zen Master Jinchi smiled slightly and placed the prayer beads in his hand aside.

These prayer beads are made by grinding bright pearls into powder, condensing it into ink, and then using a brush to write Buddhist scriptures on the patterns of Bodhi seeds, which are then strung together.

Making such a string of prayer beads requires an immense amount of wealth and effort.

"I would like to hear the details." Seeing Zen Master Jinchi's nonchalant expression, Master Xuanzang frowned slightly.

He had an extreme aversion to luxury—firstly, because luxury corrupts the mind.

Secondly, Buddhism emphasizes universal salvation, and therefore aims to help all sentient beings.

This incomparably luxurious wealth, when accumulated, becomes nothing but lifeless things, pointlessly eroding one's will.

But if it were given out in exchange for other things, such as food, clothing, tools, etc., it would help countless people.

Such a luxurious monk should not possess such Zen mind and Zen spirit.

—In particular, he said that there was no Buddhist teaching in this luxury.

Therefore, they should care even less about this wealth, and should not accumulate such wealth.

In short, in Xuanzang's mind, the eminent monk and Zen master before him were completely out of place in the environment of the Zen monastery.

Faced with Xuanzang's question, unexpectedly, Zen Master Jinchi did not mention Buddhism, but instead talked about something else, namely, 'human nature'.

"Most people are shallow; they respect fine clothes before they respect people."

“If I did not wear these fine clothes and display this wealth, how would the world know the profoundness of my Buddhist teachings?”

"How can so many believers trust me to only spread the Dharma and not to make money?"

Just as Xuanzang was about to speak, Zen Master Jinchi picked up the incomparably precious prayer beads again.

“I know what the monk wants to say.”

"However, in your opinion, Master, are there more people in this world who can see the true nature of things, or are there more shallow people who respect clothes before people?"

“Naturally, it’s the latter,” Master Xuanzang said without hesitation.

“That’s right.” Zen Master Jinchi nodded.

"As the Dharma Master said, the fundamental principles of Buddhism remain unchanged, while external manifestations change with the times."

"Since most people are shallow and respect the clothes before the person, I should naturally show off this clothes first."

“Only in this way will they listen to my words and take them to heart.”

"Only in this way can the Dharma be widely spread and sentient beings be enlightened."

Zen Master Jinchi said.

"Among all living beings in the world, there are many who are shallow and few who are profound."

"And shouldn't those shallow-minded people be even more educated by the Buddha's teachings?"

Upon hearing Zen Master Jinchi's words, Master Xuanzang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

This was indeed an angle he had never considered before.

Beside him, the Monkey King, who had been looking for trouble, also quieted down and fell into deep thought, just like Xuanzang.

Zen Master Jinchi's perspective is quite unique and also makes a lot of sense.

But the Monkey King instinctively felt that there were some problems with this statement.

But when he tried to think deeply about where the problem lay, he couldn't come up with anything.

Just as he was scratching his head in frustration, the voice of Master Xuanzang rang out from the side.

“No, no.” Xuanzang shook his head.

"The Zen master's words sound very reasonable, but in fact there is a fallacy in them."

(End of this chapter)