Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 549 I, Luofu, like the true Buddha, sit upright in the Heaven of True Wonderful Dharma, wielding the Dharma of Origin!

Even the Styx Ancestor got involved, which made Luo Fu suspect that he had now fallen into the eyes of the truly top-tier powerhouses of the Three Realms.

Next, it's likely that countless powerful figures will secretly arrange benefits for themselves and create karmic ties with them.

However, in any case, Ruzhen Temple can no longer serve as the old stronghold of Luofu.

On the one hand, Ruzhen Temple was built by the Buddha.

On the other hand, a Zen temple located in Xiniuhe Prefecture is obviously not safe.

And the most suitable place for Luo Fu is undoubtedly his Divine Might World.

After all, it was a truly independent world, and a world where Luo Fu had mastered all the principles and laws.

In fact, the great powers of the Three Realms are not without means to create something similar to the Divine Might World.

Putting aside other things, the Western Paradise of Mount Ling, the Twenty-Four Heavens of Dipankara Buddha, and so on, can all be considered independent worlds.

However, in any case, these worlds are ultimately built upon the underlying logic of the Heavenly Dao.

The divine world of Luofu may not have the upper limit of this vast world since the creation of the Great God Pangu, but it can truly be considered a world parallel to this great world.

With a thoughtful expression, Luo Fu glanced at Ruzhen Temple before disappearing into a spiral-shaped transparent spatial vortex.

When he reappeared, he was already in his own divine world.

If we follow the custom of the Three Realms, the Divine Might World should perhaps be more accurately called the Real True Wonderful Dharma Heaven.

This is the world of Luofu, the world of the true and wondrous Dharma of Buddha, the world where his Dharma and principles are manifested.

Upon arriving at the Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven, with a thought from Luo Fu, a cave world instantly formed, completely overlapping with the Real Zen Temple in the outside world. Moreover, in this Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven, the Real Zen Temple, in addition to the part overlapping with the outside world, also has an even more vast and enormous space.

Since Luo Fu intends to make the Divine Might World, or rather, the True Wonderful Dharma Heaven, his true home, then he can no longer simply use the True Wonderful Dharma Heaven as a means to fight the enemy.

Instead, we should emulate Zhen Yuanzi's hidden universe in his sleeve and the Buddha's palm-sized Buddha Kingdom of the World-Honored One.

It is regarded both as its own blessed land and as a supreme supernatural power.

Supernatural powers aside, a blessed land definitely requires providing the seven spider-like monks and other monks with hair with a way to enter and exit.

That building, built exactly like the Ruzhen Temple in the outside world, is an entrance that Luofu deliberately created.

Fixing the entrance to Ruzhen Temple does not mean that Luofu has lost its divine power.

On the contrary, whether it is called the Divine World or, according to its own enlightenment, the Real and Wonderful Dharma Heaven, it is still called the World of Divine Power.

This world, which can be described as being on par with the Three Realms and completely parallel to them, is inherently dependent on Luofu.

From an outsider's perspective, the blessed lands and grotto-heavens created by the great beings of the Three Realms are mostly places of spiritual significance, such as the Pure Land of the World-Honored One Tathagata and the Twenty-Four Heavens of Dipankara Buddha. They are either Dharma treasures or have other spiritual significance.

However, in any case, the principles and truths contained in such blessed lands are all encompassed by the Way of Heaven.

This means that cultivators within the same Heavenly Dao system could potentially enter it through other means.

The only exception is Luofu's divine world, which is entirely dependent on itself and is incompatible with the Heavenly Dao. Without its permission, no being can enter it.

Even if the current Ruzhen Temple overlaps with the real-world Ruzhen Temple, Luofu will be able to detect anyone entering it immediately and maintain a tight blockade, preventing any attempt to enter without permission, as was the case with the Great Asura just now.

Aside from creating a complex in the Divine Might World that completely overlapped with and was indistinguishable from the Ruzhen Zen Temple, Luo Fu did not undertake any major construction projects in the Divine Might World.

Even in this special blessed land that can be called the Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven, he can change the world with a single thought.

But for Luofu, there is no need for this.

His primary purpose in altering the Divine Might World was to guard against uninvited individuals like the Great Asura.

By overlapping the Divine Might World with the Real Zen Temple in the outside world, it is sufficient to prevent uninvited visitors without affecting one's ability to use the Divine Might World as a supernatural power.

After completing the transformation of a small area of ​​the Divine Might World, the transparent spatial vortex that had appeared before did not reappear.

But strangely, the Ruzhen Temple, which had been empty just moments before, suddenly became filled with seven spider-like monks and a group of monks from the Ruzhen sect who had hair.

These monks with hair and spider-like figures appeared out of nowhere.

And while Luofu was doing all this.

Xitianling Mountain.

The Buddha, seated atop the nine-tiered golden lotus of merit, suddenly revealed a profound expression.

His gaze swept over the bodhisattvas, arhats, monastics, and even the Buddha present, and the World-Honored One Tathagata took the initiative to say: "Homage to the future Buddha of the True and Wonderful Dharma, who opened up the Heaven of the True and Wonderful Dharma in the immeasurable void. This heaven is the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, where there is no suffering, only bliss. It is adorned with merits, subtle and fragrant, free from the suffering of the three realms and six paths, and is the attainment of the supreme enlightenment."

These words, which seemed to be merely praising Luofu, caused the expressions of the monks present at the Great Thunderclap Temple to change drastically in an instant.

The point of these words is not in praising Luofu Mountain, but in the last sentence, which is the attainment of the supreme enlightenment.

What is meant by attaining the supreme enlightenment?
In Western Buddhism, the only ones truly qualified to say this, besides the two founders of Western Buddhism, the Daoist Jieyin and the Daoist Zhunti, who occasionally appeared in incarnations beyond the heavens, are the Buddha, the head of Buddhism, who sits atop the Nine-Rank Golden Lotus of Merit.

Even if he is the Buddha who came from the East, or Maitreya Buddha who will become the Buddha in the future, he will only be qualified to claim the supreme enlightenment after he has truly taken over the position of the leader of Buddhism.

Because achieving the supreme enlightenment means being able to share an enlightenment with other cultivators.

Legally speaking, this means that Luofu is qualified to compete for the title of the future Buddha.

However, within Buddhism, the Buddha who came from the East is the only one who is truly recognized as the future Buddha.

Now, out of the blue, the World-Honored One has moved the position of the future Buddha from Maitreya to the true and wondrous Dharma of Luofu.

No wonder the expressions of all the Buddhist masters present changed drastically.

Changing the order of succession in Buddhism is a far more serious matter than changing the crown prince in a human dynasty.

It is certainly not something that the Buddha, the leading figure in Buddhism today, can decide casually.

Even changing the crown prince in a human dynasty requires various arrangements, let alone the Western Buddhist sect, which cannot be changed by a single word from the Buddha. Within Buddhism, after the two Western Saints retreated to the heavens and relinquished the orthodoxy of Western Buddhism, there was inherently a distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism.

The division of the Three Buddhas of the Horizontal and Three Buddhas of the Vertical, once the factors of the lineage of the faith are set aside, the lineage of the Dharma is undoubtedly the culprit that caused this division.

This internal division was a foreshadowing of the great rise of Buddhism by the sage Taiqing when he converted the barbarians to Buddhism, thus suppressing the will of Heaven.

The Journey to the West tribulation, to some extent, represents a true convergence of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

After all, the Western religion founded by the two Western Saints is actually the root of Mahayana Buddhism, while the Taiqing Saint's conversion of the barbarians into Buddhism is the creation of the Hinayana Buddhist lineage.

However, Theravada Buddhism has truly seized the fortune and opportunities of Mahayana Buddhism.

Before Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, the entire Tang Dynasty in Jambudvipa only knew Hinayana Buddhism and had not heard of Mahayana Buddhism.

The combination of legal and moral traditions is the key to the tribulations of Journey to the West.

Now, the Buddha's actions are practically an attempt to split the Buddhist community.

It's no wonder that all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Sangharama present showed expressions of disbelief.

Tathagata is the current Buddha, the present Buddha.

How are other Buddhist disciples supposed to conduct themselves if he does this?

But it is clear that the Buddha had foreseen this all along.

As many Buddhist disciples were filled with fear, he spoke up, saying, "The True Buddha of Wonderful Dharma should be the True Buddha Ancestor, sitting upright in the True Dharma Heaven, in charge of the Dharma of Dependent Origination."

As the Buddha finished speaking these words...

The expressions of the many Buddhist disciples present immediately turned strange.

Among Buddhist traditions, the most typical are undoubtedly the Hinayana Buddhism currently prevalent in Jambudvipa (the southern continent) and the Tang Dynasty in the east, and the Mahayana Buddhism in Niuhezhou (the western continent) and the Pure Land of Vulture Peak.

What Tang Sanzang wanted to obtain was the Mahayana Tripitaka, which expounded the true essence of Mahayana Buddhism.

But in fact, in Buddhism, besides Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, there is a Mahayana Buddhism that is almost ignored by everyone.

The combination of these three elements constitutes the Three Vehicles of Buddhism.

The Theravada school of Buddhism is known as the Śrāvakayāna, which refers to those who attain enlightenment through hearing the Buddha's teachings. In simpler terms, it means listening to the profound teachings of Buddhism and ultimately understanding suffering, eliminating its causes, aspiring to cessation, and cultivating the path, taking the Four Noble Truths as their vehicle.

Mahayana Buddhism, also known as the Bodhisattva Vehicle, is based on the core principle of seeking enlightenment and liberating sentient beings. It combines Bodhicitta (the aspiration for enlightenment) with compassion and wisdom to liberate all beings. This is the true scripture that Tang Sanzang (Tripitaka) sought to obtain, and it is also a direct lineage of Buddhism that inherits the teachings of the two Western Saints.

However, the Middle Vehicle Buddhism is somewhat independent of the Buddhist system. The Middle Vehicle Buddhism, also known as the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, is neither about attaining enlightenment by hearing the Buddha's teachings, nor about seeking Buddhahood and helping sentient beings. Rather, it is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

Within the Buddhist system, there is a special branch that, despite never having heard of the profound mysteries of Buddhism, attained enlightenment independently through wisdom by chance.

In Buddhism, there are three thousand Pratyekabuddhas in the Pratyekabuddha lineage alone. However, although the Pratyekabuddhas of the Middle Vehicle Buddhism have the name of Buddha, their magical power is generally average. In the end, they are just unorthodox practitioners. The minor Pratyekabuddhas' supernatural powers are at most comparable to Arhats, and even the major Pratyekabuddhas are at most comparable to Bodhisattvas.

Within the entire Buddhist system, Pratyekabuddhas are practically just there to make up the numbers; they are independent practitioners within the Buddhist system, completely disorganized.

It has neither a complete theory nor a complete lineage; one's success depends entirely on one's own realization of the twelve links of dependent origination.

In addition to the name Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism is also called the Solitary Enlightenment Vehicle, which means solitary enlightenment.

Pratyekabuddhas are a very small minority within the Buddhist system.

At first glance, Pratyekabuddhas seem to be beings with extraordinary enlightenment, but in reality, through a series of karmic connections, they thoroughly understand the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, ultimately attaining enlightenment and liberation from birth and death, and are truly all chosen ones of heaven.

Since Pangu created the Three Realms, after the Great Calamity of the Lich King, the human race became the protagonist of heaven and earth. Over countless years, there has never been a shortage of those who have attained enlightenment on their own.

Unfortunately, this Pratyekabuddha path has an upper limit, and this upper limit will become increasingly unbreakable as the laws of the Three Realms and Heaven become more stable.

Similarly, Pratyekabuddhas, or Mahayana Buddhism, are mentioned in the context of Buddhism, even though there are three thousand Pratyekabuddhas in Buddhism. However, Mahayana Buddhism is not mentioned at all in the face of Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism.

Indeed, each Pratyekabuddha possesses astonishing comprehension. It's as if, from birth, they have never attended school or received any instruction, yet through their own observation of the outside world, they suddenly mastered the knowledge of elementary, middle, or even high school. However, they have a severe imbalance in their abilities, and their upper limit is locked, making it almost impossible for them to break through their own limits.

The level of comprehension required is ridiculously high, yet the upper limit is extremely difficult to break.

In this situation, among the three vehicles of Buddhism, the Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism can flourish in the world, but the Middle Vehicle Buddhism has fallen to the point where no one even mentions it.

Of course, this situation is also related to the founders of the Three Vehicles of Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism originated from the transformation of barbarians into Buddhas by the sage Taiqing, while Mahayana Buddhism is directly inherited from the two Western sages.

The only exception is the Middle Way of Buddhism, which is like the Great Way of Fifty, the Heavenly Evolution of Forty-Nine, and the One that Man escapes from. The One that escapes is a glimmer of hope that the Great Way gives to all beings, but it is also a variable.

Never forget that in the Three Realms, minor trends can be altered, but major trends cannot.

The Middle Way of Buddhism, at best, only addresses minor aspects that can be corrected.

From the very beginning, with the help of Lady Pingxin, Luofu, the Buddha Ruzhen Miaofa, became a disciple of Patriarch Subhuti and received the Dharma name Ruzhen. Perhaps it was destined that he would become the Buddha Ruzhen.

As the name suggests, "Ruzhen" means "as real as it is." Even if the suffix "Miaofa" is added, it cannot change the fact that "Ruzhen" is not truly real.

Both Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism are under the control of the Buddha, but few in the entire Buddhist system regard the Middle Way as something to be respected.

This is not to say that one cannot cultivate great supernatural powers through the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism. You should know that some powerful Pratyekabuddhas are comparable to Bodhisattvas.

To reiterate, the Middle Way of Buddhism is essentially a form of independent Buddhist practice with its upper limit locked, existing within the entire Buddhist system like a rootless duckweed.

If it is true yet not true, starting from the True Buddha group in the Middle Vehicle Buddhism of Luofu, Pratyekabuddhas can only be considered a very small minority in Buddhism.

Even if it were given to Luofu and given the title of Buddha, it wouldn't change the general trend of Buddhism.

Why is it that the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism doesn't actually have a true core lineage?

To attain enlightenment through listening to the Buddha's teachings is the Śrāvakayāna, the Hinayana Buddhism; to take the Six Perfections of Compassion and Wisdom as one's vehicle, to generate Bodhicitta, to seek Buddhahood above and to liberate all sentient beings below, is the Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Only those who attain enlightenment on their own, without any prior cause or reason, can be considered Pratyekabuddhas of the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism.

(End of this chapter)