Tokyo: The life of a literary giant begins with home self-defense!

Chapter 437: The Dragon and the Elephant
"Man-made disaster?"

Long Chuanche examined it carefully and found that even the original Central Edition of the Five Buddhas had traces of being burned by fierce fire.

The majestic Buddha statue is surrounded by black erosion, a trace of history.

"Popular riots and war disasters have destroyed Brahma, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings."

The five Tathagatas, five Bodhisattvas, five Vidyarajas, plus Brahma, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings who protect the Dharma, originally made up a mandala of twenty-one figures.

The original set consisted of five statues, ten were restored, and the remaining six could not be reproduced even with modern craftsmanship.

"It's a pity."

The majestic and enormous three-dimensional mandala turned out to be an incomplete version, and Tatsukawa Tetsuya touched his chin with a sense of regret.

"So, you asked me to come to Guanzhi Academy today just to talk about this?"

The moment of admiration was fleeting; Long Chuanche had no interest in continuing to discuss these anecdotes about cultural relics with the other party.

"Man-made disasters are obvious, and natural disasters are frequent. Buddhist culture believes that both natural disasters and man-made disasters are caused by human nature."

Monk Hongping looked at Longchuan Che with his hands behind his back.

"I manipulate the Japanese literary world so that this country may be free from disaster and calamity. What are you after?"

The concept of protecting the nation and safeguarding life, and the fact that class literature originates from the people.

Today, it seems that Hongping no longer hides his 'tyrannical' temperament, and his aspirations, which are similar to Buddhist vows, seem to make the central statue of Dainichi Nyorai even brighter.

In Buddhism, there is a saying called "Naga," which refers to practitioners who possess great power and free will.

These practitioners not only achieve success in their personal spiritual practice, but also play an important role in spreading the Dharma and guiding others.

Longchuan Che felt that someone like Monk Hongping might be called a 'dragon and elephant' in Buddhism.

Ryukawa Tetsu thought for a moment when faced with the other party's question.

"In order to live a better life and have the means to make a living."

Perhaps Tatsuki Ryukawa could respond with "new culture, new atmosphere," but that's Ono Taro's, not his.

He came to see Hirohira because of the pressure the Kujo family put on him; for Tatsukawa Tetsuya, prioritizing the greater good and the lesser good was the same thing.

"You have no beliefs or convictions; I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Monk Hongping gave Longchuan Che a slight sneer, but still took out two things from behind his back.

"what is this?"

"Why are you asking me about your own things?"

The old monk's words always had a maddening quality to them, so Long Chuanche gritted his teeth and accepted the message.

A well-bound line drawing, and loose pages bearing the marks of flames, just like a Buddha statue.

Both sheets of paper were well-maintained; Tatsukawa Tetsu could even smell faint traces of pine resin on them.

"Finish writing both books, and then take them with you to your post at the Writers' Association."

After finishing his speech, Monk Hongping left, without mentioning the bet he had made earlier, or whether he had won or lost.

"So simple?"

Longchuan Che scratched his head and put the things away; the things Hongping had given him were indeed his.

"The Ancient Capital" and "The Golden Pavilion".

These are all novels that Tatsukawa Tetsuya did not finish writing.

Finishing the two novels was too easy for Long Chuanche. He leisurely returned to the small main hall's tea room with the two novels in his hands.

"So fast?"

The first thing his wife said was exactly what men disliked hearing, and Long Chuanche frowned.

"That's called speed."

When people say lewd things in public, only Natsuko Imamura blushed and spat.

"What did you say?"

The young lady was also a little curious. Hongping was willing to hand over the Writers' Association to Longchuan Tetsu, but she wondered what price Longchuan Tetsu would have to pay.

"Said nothing."

Long Chuanche shrugged and recounted their brief meeting and conversation.

“Although he’s a bit young, there aren’t many people in the Writers’ Association who can compare to him in terms of achievements, right?” Natsuko Imamura’s face showed a look of surprise, as if she couldn’t believe it.

But my wife just had this "that's how awesome my man is" expression.

"The Writers Association is the culmination of most of his life's work, and the concept of protecting the country and safeguarding life depends entirely on the operation and maintenance of this organization."

The young lady shook her head, feeling that it wasn't that simple.

"Hey, what is this?"

The young lady flipped through the manuscript papers that Tatsukawa Tetsu had placed on the table. There was a small loose page between "The Golden Pavilion" and "The Ancient Capital".

"what?"

Longchuan Che and his wife and several others gathered around.

It's certainly puzzling that the most influential writers' association in Japan would hand it over so casually.

"The Five Lamps Compendium: Dharma Successors of Zen Master Zhaojueqin?"

The young lady raised her eyebrows. Between the two novels was a volume from the "Wudeng Huiyuan" (Record of Five Lamps).

"Denglu" (灯录) is a unique classic of Zen Buddhism, mainly recording the lineage transmission, practice experiences, opportunities for enlightenment and teaching among Zen masters throughout history, and their verses of enlightenment. The "Wudeng Huiyuan" (五灯会元) is the five most important collections of "Denglu" in the history of Zen Buddhism.

"Lamp recording?"

Long Chuanche looked at it, then his face darkened.

"what happened?"

The wife was a little curious.

"The old monk was scolding him."

The young lady covered her mouth and chuckled before explaining to her wife.

The "Wudeng Huiyuan: The Dharma Successor of Zen Master Zhaojueqin" is a well-known Buddhist verse, a famous story about "laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot".

Zen Master Jue of Dongshan Temple in Shaoxing Prefecture said:
Guang'e is a ruthless killer; only by laying down his butcher's knife can he become a Buddha on the spot.

This statement, broadly speaking, is meant to persuade bad people to turn into good people, and its relevance to Tatsukawa Toru in this context is particularly ironic.

"You're not insulting me."

The young lady explained it this way, but Long Chuan Che shook his head.

The old monk was not the kind of person who excelled in verbal disputes.

Reflecting on our conversation just now.

Hirohira himself had lofty ideals and disdained Ryukawa Tetsu's so-called family-oriented mentality.

"The essence of 'laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot' is to persuade people to cultivate their minds and character, rather than simply defining 'laying down the butcher's knife' as being a bad person."

"Longchuan Che's understanding of Buddhism is deeper than that of the young lady," the boy said, clicking his tongue.

"The butcher's knife is a tool for self-harm, self-destruction, and self-inflicted harm. It is an act of deviating from the Way and losing virtue, a source of inner turmoil, and the originator of clinging to material appearances, indulging in delusions, wasting one's body and mind, and being shrouded in ignorance."

"He means that I have strayed from the right path."

Perhaps, to Hirohira and his group, Ryukawa Tetsuya was wrong in the first place.

They prioritized the greater good over their own families, but then an anomaly, Long Chuan Che, emerged.

In fact, the Japan Writers Association had reached a point where it had no choice but to hand it over to Tatsukawa Tetsu. Tatsukawa Tetsu probably understood what the bet between Hirohei and him was about.

This work, "The Five Lamps Meeting: The Dharma Successor of Zen Master Zhaojueqin," is sandwiched between the orthodox class literature "Golden Pavilion" and the purely literary art "Snow Country."

"There should be more words after this, take a look."

As Long Chuanche reminded her, the young lady turned the page of that paper over.

It was written in large, powerful characters above.
If I follow my method,

Then enter my gate,

I practiced at Kyotoji Temple for three years.
become,
Buddhist dragons and elephants.

"The Golden Pavilion," which represents Hirohira's lifelong beliefs, and "Snow Country," which Tatsukawa Tetsu always admired.

Monk Hongping gambles.

Sooner or later, Tatsukawa Tetsuya will use his class literature.

(End of this chapter)