Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 57: Employment (Part )

This strange phenomenon not only attracted the attention of thousands of saints in the upper realm, but also alarmed a living Buddha Arhat who was staying at Daxingshan Temple in the capital of the Northern Sui Dynasty.

Daxingshan Temple, also known as the Great Sui National Temple, was named Daxing by Emperor Yang Jian, implying the prosperity of the country.

This Living Buddha Arhat chanted the Buddha's name softly, observing the Northern Sui Dynasty's dragon energy with his wisdom eyes. The dragon energy, blessed by the power of the Sha Po Lang star, seemed to be boiling. Within the dragon energy, even more fierce spirits rose and fell, and the sounds of fighting and weapons clashed everywhere.

"Riding a horse to the southeast and shooting the Wolf in the sky, the northern country has produced another hero, well done, well done." After seeing the vision of the three stars of Sha Po Lang and the dragon energy of Northern Sui, Jhanajuta, who was wearing coarse linen clothes, felt that he knew the cause of the incident.

"Junior brother, with this unusual omen, the world's situation will change!"

Nalintiriyeshe, who was standing by, said softly with a sad look on his face.

Nalindityarayasa's cultivation was inferior to that of Janakupta. Therefore, after Janakupta used his wisdom to illuminate the dragon energy of Northern Sui, Nalindityarayasa, as his senior brother, noticed something was wrong.

Both of them were monks who came from northern India, but Nalintiriyasa was older and Jnanagupta was younger, so Jnanagupta called Nalintiriyasa his senior brother.

Both of them had profound knowledge of Buddhism, and together with another monk from South India, Dharmagupta, they were called the Three Great Bodhisattvas by Chinese Buddhists.

Jnanajuta said, "Brother, this is destiny. The world is changing. The stars are sending down destiny from the upper realms. Perhaps the time for the world to be unified is not far away!"

Nalintilayesha sighed softly, "Reform is a time for heroes to show their strength, but it also brings suffering to the common people. I hope that after the unification of the world, the Buddha-hearted Emperor will rest with the people and allow the world to regain peace and tranquility."

Jnanajuta put his hands together and praised: "Brother, you are so kind."

"Master, the Imperial Master Tan Yan is outside seeking to see you,"

While the brothers were talking, a novice monk came to report that it was the Imperial Master Tanyan. Upon hearing that it was the Imperial Master Tanyan, Jnana Kuta and Nalintirayasa looked at each other and smiled.

Jnanajuta said, "By now, the Imperial Preceptor Tanyan should be here."

Nalintiriyeshe said, "Tanyan is a monk, yet he is called the Imperial Teacher. He is closely connected to the fate of the Northern Kingdom. How can he remain silent when the Northern Emperor's temperament changes?"

Jnanajuta said, "He wants to drag you and me along to help him protect the Holy King of the Wheel of Reincarnation in the Middle Earth!"

In Buddhist philosophy, the Chakravartin is an ideal emperor who possesses the seven treasures and governs the world with righteous laws.

Yang Jian respected the Three Jewels, built many temples, and promoted Buddhism. In the eyes of many Chinese monks, this made him their Wheel-Turning King.

Even Master Tan Yan, who was highly respected by the powerful prime minister of the Western Wei Dynasty, Yuwen Tai, came out of his secluded mountain life and became the imperial tutor of Yang Jian of the Northern Sui Dynasty.

Jnanagoda said to the novice monk outside the meditation room, "Please invite Master Tanyan in."

After the novice monk responded, he quickly walked out of the meditation room.

Seeing that Jānākūta was at ease, Nalintīrāyasā asked, "Then, how should you answer Master Tanyān?"

"You are able to translate the sutras peacefully in Daxingshan Temple without being disturbed. I really owe Tan Yan a great favor, and I must repay him."

Jhanajuta smiled and said, "Let's see what Master Tanyan has to say."

The imperial teacher Tan Yan was no simple person. He was known as one of the four great holy monks of China, along with Jingying Huiyuan, Tiantai Zhiyi, and Jiaxiang Jizang. He was the leader of Buddhism in China and held a high status.

Even though Jnanabhadra had a vast knowledge of Buddhism, he could not neglect the imperial teacher Tanyan.

Moreover, as Nalintiriyasas said, Jnanabhadra indeed owed a great favor to the imperial teacher.

At that time, upon witnessing the Northern Zhou emperor Yuwen Yong's discrediting of Buddhism, Jānajuta felt his aspirations were in vain. He therefore journeyed westward to Northern India, eventually being detained in northern Ganzhou by the then Turkic Khan Tuoba. Tuoba was a devout Buddhist and reverent believer in the Three Jewels, and he embraced Jānajuta as his mentor. Jānajuta remained in Turkic territory for over a decade. Later, Tuoba died of illness, and the Turkic tribes split into Eastern and Western Turkic states in a struggle for the position of Great Khan. Jānajuta was now debating how to escape.

It was the imperial teacher Tan Yan who brought his disciples Tong Zhen, Hong Yi, Tong You, Juelang, Dao Xun, Xuan Wan, Fa Chang and others to report to the emperor Yang Jian and sent envoys to the Turks to invite Jhanajuta to come east and stay at the Daxingshan Temple to translate Buddhist scriptures, so as to help Jhanajuta escape from the Turks.

Therefore, Nalintiriyasa said that Jnanabhadra owed a great favor to the imperial teacher Tanyan, and this favor was indeed great.

Soon, the novice monk led Master Tanyan into the meditation room.

The imperial teacher Tan Yan was dressed in a plain monk's robe with fluttering sleeves. His face was gaunt, but the kindness in his eyes could not be concealed.

He put his hands together and bowed to Jnana Gupta and Nalinthirayesha: "My two great masters, it has been a long time since we last met."

Jnana Kuta and Nalintiriyesha returned the greeting: "Master Tanyan,"

Imperial Master Tan Yan said, "Given your cultivation, you two should understand why I have come. I beg you to lend a helping hand to the Central Earth Buddhist Sect to complete the great cause of the Holy King of the Wheel of Time."

Nalinthirayesha turned to see how Jnanabhadra would respond to Tanyan. Although Jnanabhadra addressed Nalinthirayesha as his elder brother, it was Jnanabhadra who made the final decision between the two.

"The Buddha once said that in Jambudvīpa, greed, lust, and suffering are rampant, and there is much killing and quarreling. It is truly a dangerous place of verbal disputes and a sea of ​​evil."

Jnanajuta whispered, "For this reason, I have developed a compassionate heart and crossed the vast ocean from the Buddha land of Aparagodānīya to Jambudvīpa, hoping to influence sentient beings with the Dharma so that the people of Jambudvīpa will not kill or fight."

"But in this southern continent, I have repeatedly encountered obstacles. Although I have compassion, I can only watch Yuwen Yong slander and defame Buddhism. After the death of Tuoba Khan, who was a great Buddhist, his disciples turned to war, and I can do nothing to stop him."

"Master Tanyan, can your Holy King of the Wheel of Reincarnation free the sentient beings of Jambudvīpa from the sea of ​​right and wrong?"

Imperial Master Tan Yan pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know if the Holy King of the Wheel of Reincarnation can make the people of Middle-earth stop killing and fighting. However, I think it is impossible. The people of Middle-earth are inherently competitive."

"I only hope that the Emperor will care about the people and end this long period of war and strife as soon as possible. Then, all people will be united, education will spread, and the people of Jambudvīpa will perhaps be able to escape the sea of ​​right and wrong."

"Good, good,"

Jnanajuta sighed and said, "Master, your realm is something I admire!"

Imperial Master Tan Yan said, "To save the world for the rest of your life is the same as to save just one person for the rest of your life. In my humble opinion, they are the same. There is no difference between the two."

"I am not like Master Jhanajuta, who has the great aspiration to save the world from the sea of ​​suffering. I only hope that the world can understand the teachings, and that will satisfy me."

When one reaches the state of an arhat like Jnanabhadra and the imperial teacher Tanyan, one can tell whether one is sincere or not just by hearing or seeing. That is why Jnanabhadra felt enlightened when Tanyan said that it was better to save the world for one's entire life than to save only one person for one's entire life.

Because this was the true insight of the Imperial Master Tanyan, Jianakuduo felt admiration.

"Master, you came here to ask me for advice on Turkic matters. I have lived in Turkic for thirteen years and have had some contact with some of the Turkic people with supernatural powers. If you ask, I will tell you everything I know."

There are also people with supernatural powers among the Turks.

At the peak of the Turkic era, they had hundreds of thousands of bows and arrows, stationed in Dai and Yin, and facing south towards Zhou and Qi. Neither country could resist them, and they vied with each other to request an alliance.

After the marriage alliance, the Northern Zhou Dynasty provided a hundred thousand pieces of silk, cotton, and brocade annually. Turks in the capital were treated with respect and courtesy, often numbering in the thousands. Northern Qi, fearing a Turkic invasion, emptied its treasury to provide them with aid.

It was precisely because of these people with supernatural powers that the Turks had the confidence to covet the Central Plains.

(End of this chapter)