Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 261: Desire to Become the Dragon and Elephant of All Buddhas
Wu Qiu couldn't help but say, "My humble knowledge is not as good as Master Lu's, so I won't make fun of you."

"How could that be?" Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "I heard that you traveled a lot, always discussing Taoism with others, and are well versed in various classics. You must be a formidable monk."

Wu Qiu said ashamedly, "It's just other people's flattery. All my knowledge comes from books. I'm far inferior to Master Lu, who has already gone beyond the books."

He was still studying various classics, while Lu was thinking about how to make up for the shortcomings of the sages and break out of the circle.

This can no longer be compared, I am far behind.

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and shook his head, "I'm not yet capable of jumping out of the book..."

"At least Master Lu has that thought," Wu Qiu said quietly, "How many people in this world can have such thoughts?"

After hearing this, An Jing and others also agreed with it.

Lu Zheng then asked, "Why did you come out to travel?"

Wuqiu replied, "Master said that I have wisdom and may become a disciple of the Buddha in the future, so he allowed me to travel and gain knowledge."

The Buddha in Buddhism is another way of saying a powerful person in the holy realm.

It is not easy to become a disciple of a saint.

"A disciple of Buddha, then you are quite powerful." Lu Zheng said.

Wuqiu couldn't help but say, "Master, this is just what I think. I know I am far behind."

"Do you want to?" Lu Zheng asked curiously.

Wuqiu thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "If I could become a disciple of the Buddha, I would be extremely happy."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile and said, "Your Dharma name is Wuqiu, but it seems that it doesn't mean you have no desires."

Wuqiu whispered, "This is the Dharma name that Master gave me. It's supposed to mean that I should be able to achieve the state of no seeking. Unfortunately, my realm is not high enough, and I can't reach that level yet."

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "It's a good thing to have something to pursue. Otherwise, without a goal, life will be boring and you'll be like a walking corpse."

"What does Mr. Lu want?" Wuqiu couldn't help but ask.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "I'm still looking for it, but I haven't found it yet. I have a lot of things I can do now, so I'm not bored."

"That's it."

Wuqiu couldn't help but feel a little envious when he heard this. He had seen too much along the way and was a little confused.

Lu Zheng asked, "The Wei Kingdom is primarily Buddhist. How are the people there doing?"

Wuqiu thought about it and said, "All living things suffer."

He had seen a lot of suffering among the people, and it was almost the same everywhere, so this was the only way to describe it.

"I understand." Lu Zheng nodded slightly.

Wu Qiu said, "If there's a chance, Master Lu can come visit our Wei State."

Lu Zhengdao: "I will definitely go and see it in the future."

"It's worth my trip to Hongzhou to meet Master Lu." Wuqiu paused, then added, "After hearing what Master Lu said just now, I feel a little confused. I need to go back and calm down for a while."

In fact, he had prepared quite a few debate topics, but it seemed unnecessary.

A person like Lu Zheng, as a Confucian and Taoist scholar, dared to question Confucianism and speak words that surpassed those of the sages of the past. It was impossible for him to destroy his state of mind.

Wuqiu stood up and made a gesture to say goodbye, "I'm sorry to bother you, my benefactors."

Lu Zheng looked at Wu Qiu and said, "I once heard a Buddhist saying that I think is suitable for you."

"What?" Wuqiu's eyes moved slightly.

Lu Zheng said slowly: "If you want to be the dragon and elephant of the Buddhas, you must first be the cattle and horses of sentient beings."

Wuqiu was shocked and stared at Lu Zheng with sharp eyes.

He had read so many Buddhist scriptures, but had never heard of this.

"If you wish to become the dragon and elephant of the Buddhas, you must first become the cattle and horses of sentient beings..."

Wuqiu muttered to himself, and in an instant he understood a lot of things.

Suddenly, Wuqiu's body began to fluctuate, and a golden light appeared, wrapping his entire body in it. A spiritual lotus blossomed under his feet, and the aura was pure and sacred.

Lotus blossoms at every step? This person is truly a monk with great wisdom… An Jing raised his eyebrows upon seeing this.

Wuqiu looked like he had suddenly had an epiphany and his realm had reached a higher level.

After a while, the aura around Wuqiu subsided and returned to normal.

Wu Qiu looked at Lu Zheng with respect, "Thanks to Master Lu's guidance, I have found my goal for future cultivation."

"Very good." Lu Zheng smiled faintly.

Wu Qiu continued, "Mr. Lu has great wisdom. Why don't you return to Wei with me to study Buddhism? Of course, you can also learn Confucianism there..."

Before he could finish his words, Wu Qiu felt two sharp gazes cast at him.

He couldn't help but look at An Jing and An Dingyuan, especially An Jing.

Because he found that this woman was murderous.

Lu Zheng was very calm and declined politely, "Your Excellency is kind, but I am used to being free and unrestrained. I don't like being restricted."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qiu said, "I'm sorry for being rude." As he spoke, he took out a string of Buddhist beads and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master Lu. This string of Buddhist beads is a thank you gift. I hope Master Lu will not despise it."

A string of golden wooden Buddhist beads faintly exudes the pure Buddhist atmosphere.

Lu Zheng looked at the Buddhist beads and shook his head, saying, "These beads are not suitable for me to wear. If you are willing, please help me slay more demons and evildoers and do good deeds on your way back."

"Well, I will follow Master Lu's instructions and take my leave."

Wuqiu knew that Buddhism was banned in Anguo, and he really couldn't offer any other treasures as a thank you, so he agreed.

After saying that, Wuqiu turned around and floated away.

After everyone left, An Dingyuan angrily said, "He actually snatched someone right under my nose! Aunt, do you want to kill him?"

How could they, the outstanding heroes of An State, go to Wei State and become monks chanting sutras?
An Jing glanced sideways and said calmly, "How can this be so?"

"Uh……"

An Dingyuan shrank his neck, thinking that someone had just revealed murderous intent.

"Aunt, have some tea. I was just saying this casually." An Dingyuan hurriedly served tea and water to show his courtesy. "That monk isn't as scary as you say! He barely said a few words before he was completely subdued by the master..."

He thought it would be a tit-for-tat debate, but the result was a one-sided crushing by Lu Zheng.

"With his talent, he still has the wisdom to become a disciple of the Buddha? Then Mr. Zan..."

An Dingyuan paused, then turned to look at Lu Zheng, and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Sir, you haven't been accepted as a disciple by our ancestor, have you?"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say: "You think too much."

"Really?" An Dingyuan pondered, "If you really become the ancestor's disciple, what should I call you?"

An Dingyuan thought about it, but couldn't think of a suitable name.

Lu Zheng said helplessly: "You'd better not think about these things."

"Okay." An Dingyuan responded readily.

He now admires Lu Zheng more and more, and it seems that there is nothing that Lu Zheng cannot handle.

An Jing drank his tea and said leisurely, "If Mr. Lu is interested in Buddhism, I can ask someone to get you some Buddhist scriptures and exercises."

Lu Zheng waved his hand and said, "Don't bother. I've read a few Buddhist scriptures and I don't think there's anything special about them."

After reading so many classics, Lu Zheng felt that the principles in them were actually the same, and with the author's personal understanding, they became different.

As for the various methods of cultivation, they all lead to the same goal. There is no need to have too in-depth understanding, just focus on one of them.

"Really?" An Jing blinked. "You're quite knowledgeable about Buddhism, aren't you? You came up with that sentence yourself, right?"

She had also read many Buddhist scriptures, but had never heard of the sentence just mentioned.

"That's not what I think. Just reading a book is enough for me. I don't have time to think about those things." Lu Zheng said.

An Jing nodded and said, "That's the best. There are many sects in Buddhism, and their methods vary. Some Buddhist teachings are not as beautiful as they seem. If you get caught up in them, it's hard to escape. If you want to travel to Wei in the future, you must be careful and don't be fooled by some monks..."

Lu Zhengdao said, "I've heard a bit about this kind of thing. Don't worry, young lady. No matter how well-concealed it is, I can still clearly distinguish right from wrong and good from evil."

He is not a young man who is ignorant of the world. Even in his previous life, he was well aware of some of the dark sides of Buddhism.

An Dingyuan stroked his chin and said, "I know a thing or two about this. I heard they have the Joy Sect over there. It's similar to the unorthodox way of using Yin to replenish Yang, but it's actually a legitimate sect over there. Tsk tsk..."

"But sir, don't worry. No one can match your righteous spirit." An Dingyuan added.

Some spiritual practices emphasize the balance of yin and yang, and therefore some demons and ghosts like to absorb people's yang energy.

However, the righteous energy is extremely strong and masculine, and absorbing it will be counterproductive.

Government offices and Confucian temples are also places full of positive energy, so ordinary demons and ghosts dare not approach.

An Jing put down his teacup and told An Dingyuan, "Don't be idle when you come back. Find something to do."

"Okay, aunt!"

An Dingyuan quickly got up and ran to find something to do.

An Jing's aura is too strong, and Lu Zheng cannot treat him calmly. He wishes he could stay away from him so that he can take a breath.

An Jing looked at Lu Zheng again and said, "Even the great scholars who taught me wouldn't dare to say what you just said..."

"Really?" Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Maybe I'm young and impulsive, ignorant and fearless. Will the young lady punish me?"

An Jing chuckled and said, "How dare I punish you? Like you said, I'm afraid even the saints would mind."

An Jing paused, then continued, "I want to report your words to the Emperor. What do you think?"

"Hmm? I don't understand what the girl means." Lu Zheng said.

An Jing tapped the tea table with his fingers and said quietly, "Anguo needs to make changes in order to become stronger. Your words will be like a hammer, knocking on the hearts of some people, hoping to wake them up... It's your words, so I don't want anyone to impersonate you, even if it might put some pressure on you."

"Is that so? It's not a big deal." Lu Zheng said disapprovingly, "Pressure? If even the saints don't mind, who are they to blame me for anything?"

Lu Zheng paused and said, "But will this work?"

Lu Zheng didn't think his words would have much impact.

An Jing smiled slightly and said, "If the emperor approves, many things will be easy to handle. I will strive for it."

(End of this chapter)