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Chapter 144 Bodhisattvas Fear Causes, Buddhism's Emptiness of the Four Elements! (Please Subscribe)
most of the time.

People pray to gods and Buddhas not because they believe in or worship them, but simply because they want the gods and Buddhas to grant their wishes.

Since people pray to gods and Buddhas because they have something to ask for, they believe that the more they kowtow before the gods and Buddhas, the more incense they burn, or the more often they go to temples, the more they can demonstrate their faith, and the more the gods and Buddhas should protect them and fulfill their wishes.

I don't know.

The Buddha compassionately saves all sentient beings, and deities sit high above to protect their respective regions, but they do not possess the magic to fulfill the desires of sentient beings.

Because desires are endless, and wishes have no limits.

A deity can protect a region, but cannot fulfill the desires of believers.

Even faith mixed with desire is not a delicacy to the gods, but a poison of destruction.

This is the poison of incense offerings.

When Tang Sanzang spoke, he had already determined his attitude: to judge the case from the perspective of the gods. Therefore, he believed that the City God was not wrong, but the mortal Zhang Xiaofan was.

"Holy Monk!"

“I don’t understand the big principles, but I just feel that my family has been a believer in the City God for more than 30 years, offering incense and making offerings every year, and worshipping him devoutly. But the City God just watched my wife and daughter die one after another, and my family was destroyed.”

“The temple keeper of the City God Temple once told me that as long as we believed in the City God, he would bless my family with peace, happiness, and freedom from illness and disaster.”

"Now that the City God has failed to do this, I naturally want to demand an explanation from him."

As Zhang Xiaofan finished speaking, a fierce rage ignited in his eyes.

To worship and support the City God, the family lived frugally. Although they couldn't offer sacrifices and worship every day, they would go to the City God Temple every few days to burn incense, pray, and donate money.

This has continued for over thirty years without interruption.

Unexpectedly, his family suffered a calamity, resulting in their destruction and death. The City God did not appear to help them. When they went to the City God Temple to inquire with the temple keeper, the keeper gave them all sorts of excuses and made excuses.

How could Zhang Xiaofan not be furious?

In anger.

He then sued the temple priest and the city god together at the government office, pleading with the county magistrate and the emperor to help him.

"This……"

Tang Sanzang was also in a difficult position upon hearing this.

From the perspective of this mortal, he was truly deceived by the temple keeper and the City God, believing that praying to the gods would eliminate his wife and daughter's illnesses and restore their health.

There are even case files showing that when his wife and daughter were critically ill, Zhang Xiaofan took out all the money in his family to go to the City God Temple to pray for divine talismans.

Unfortunately.

The talisman is useless.

Zhang Xiaofan's wife and daughter eventually died of illness. Unable to accept this reality, Zhang Xiaofan, in a fit of anger, sued the temple keeper and the City God in the government office.

Therefore, from the perspective of the mortal Zhang Xiaofan, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him suing the temple keeper and the City God, and there is no question of false accusation.

The issue is.

The City God of Yanhuo City also explained the matter clearly.

Not to mention that birth, aging, sickness, and death are all predetermined and he has no power to change them, the faith and worship of Zhang Xiaofan's family are not worth him risking punishment from the underworld to save his wife and daughter.

I really have to do this.

Today it's Zhang Xiaofan's family, tomorrow it will be other ordinary people.

As the City God of the Fire Cloud Kingdom, he was revered by the hundreds of City Gods in the thousands of cities throughout the kingdom, and millions of people who worshipped the City God could be considered his followers.

Even if you sell him off, it won't fulfill the wishes of these believers.

As for what the City God Temple Master deceived Zhang Xiaofan about?
Which temple keeper doesn't act this way, speaking up for their own deity?
Although the City God's temple keeper had some minor issues in attracting believers, it wasn't a serious mistake. Punishing the keeper for such a small matter would only discourage his followers.

Therefore, the City God did not think there was anything wrong with his temple keeper.

"Amitabha!"

Tang Sanzang chanted a Buddhist prayer and then said, "To be honest, Benefactor Zhang, although the duty of gods is to protect a region, they do not have the power to fulfill the wishes of all living beings."

"Furthermore, the City God is not truly indifferent to the Zhang family."

“The Zhang family has been sincerely worshipping the gods for more than 30 years, all for the purpose of accumulating merit for themselves. Even if they cannot enjoy the good results in this life, they can reduce their karma after death by relying on this merit and good results, and seek a good next life for themselves.”

"Know that every cause and effect in this world is predetermined!"

"Does Benefactor Zhang not want his wife and daughters to have a good next life after they are reincarnated?"

Tang Sanzang offered his sincere advice.

Hear this.

Zhang Xiaofan hesitated for a moment, then asked with some difficulty, "Holy Monk, can my wife and daughter really be reincarnated into a good family?"

"Of course!"

Seeing that the mortal in front of him had agreed, Tang Sanzang couldn't help but smile and said kindly, "The Buddha said that all those with good fortune can be reborn into families that accumulate good deeds. All the suffering in this life will bring good results in the next life."

"Therefore, benefactor, there is no need to worry. As long as your wife and daughters are not burdened by karma, they will surely be reborn into a family that has accumulated good deeds and enjoy the good results of their previous life."

In the Journey to the West universe.

Death is never the end, but rather another beginning.

The cycle of birth and death continues endlessly.

The good and evil deeds of one's past life not only determine how one is treated as a ghost after death, but also determine one's reincarnation in the next life.

Of course, 99% of all living beings in the world belong to the lowest level, and only a very small number of souls can be reincarnated into families that have accumulated good deeds and win at the starting line.

Therefore, most living beings suffer not only in this life but also in the next, constantly sinking into the cycle of reincarnation.

It's impossible to say that just because you have some good fortune in this life, you will definitely be reborn into a family that has accumulated good deeds.

Therefore.

Tang Sanzang's words were undoubtedly meant to deceive people.

However, Tang Sanzang, as the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, the direct disciple of the Buddha, and a great supernatural being about to attain the Great Perfection of Hunyuan, promised that Zhang Xiaofan's wife and daughter would be reincarnated into a family that had accumulated good deeds.

Once these words are uttered, the heavens and earth will respond in some mysterious way, and there will be a very high probability that they will come true.

This is cause and effect.

As long as the Buddhist community does not want Tang Sanzang to bear this consequence, and does not want this cause and effect to affect Tang Sanzang's attainment of the Primordial Chaos, they will definitely help Tang Sanzang fulfill this promise.

So Tang Sanzang's words were indeed a lie.

But for Zhang Xiaofan, it was undoubtedly effective.

“I believe in the holy monk.”

“Since the holy monk has said so, I will not accuse the temple priest and the city god.”

"I only hope that the holy monk will not deceive people like the temple priests and the city god, but will really keep his word and let my poor wife and daughter be reincarnated into a family that has accumulated good deeds, so that they will no longer suffer in their next life."

Zhang Xiaofan clearly knew something, and upon hearing Tang Seng's promise, he immediately spoke up, somewhat impatiently.

Tang Sanzang frowned, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

Upon hearing this, the Five Directions Protectors and the Eighteen Guardian Deities of Buddhism, who were hiding in the shadows, exchanged glances with bitter expressions.

Finally, the leader, the Golden-Headed Jiedi, spoke up: "Maha Jiedi, why don't you go to the underworld yourself and have Judge Cui investigate the lives of these mortal wives and daughters? If they don't have too much karma to carry, then send them to be reborn into a good family."

As the saying goes: Ordinary people fear the consequences, while Bodhisattvas fear the causes.

Now, Tang Sanzang's agreement to that mortal is a cause.

In order to ensure that Tang Sanzang is not affected by karma, or rather, to prevent karma from affecting his attainment of Buddhahood, these guardian deities who secretly protect him have no choice but to settle this karma for him in advance.

To avoid giving others a handle to use against Tang Sanzang.

"As expected of the holy monk who comes from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, he solved this problem for me with just a little effort."

Just as Tang Sanzang was frowning in thought, Niu Yan led a group of officials from the Fire Cloud Kingdom out from behind the main hall of the government office, enthusiastically praising, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

The people in the front hall of the government office, as well as the onlookers from the Fire Cloud Kingdom, all bowed and greeted Niu Yan upon seeing him.

"My lords, there is no need for such formalities."

Niu Yan waved his hand with a smile, then instructed the eunuch beside him, "Someone, record the verdict of this case and announce it to the public."

"I believe that after this case, our Huoyun Kingdom will surely have another beautiful story to tell."

Although this problem did not achieve its intended purpose.

But Niu Yan was not disappointed.

Because he knew very well that if it were so easy to break Tang Sanzang's resolve to seek Buddhahood, then there would be a real problem.

However, he also realized this through this incident.

This Tang Sanzang may seem kind and benevolent, treating ordinary people with great courtesy, but in reality, this is all just a facade. In his heart, he probably doesn't care about ordinary people at all. He may appear approachable, but in fact, he is extremely aloof.

Such is Tang Sanzang.

It's really hard to say whether it's Tang Sanzang or Jin Chanzi.

"Amitabha Buddha, Your Majesty flatters me!"

Tang Sanzang chanted a Buddhist prayer, not daring to take credit, and said, "There is no right or wrong in this matter, it is just a misunderstanding between the two parties. It is mainly because Benefactor Zhang is understanding, not because of this humble monk's merit."

Of course I know this isn't your doing.

Niu Yan was speechless, wondering if Tang Sanzang was truly foolish or just pretending.

I asked him to judge the case and distinguish right from wrong, but he only tried to persuade the aggrieved party, and even used subtle coercion and inducement, and protected the defendant in every way. If all officials were to follow his example, how could the people of this world survive?

As a result, this guy thought he was being praised and felt that he had done something right.

Niu Yan really didn't know what to say.

However, through this incident, he also set a trap for Tang Sanzang.

With his example serving as a cautionary tale, those who devise plans for future Journey to the West calamities will likely follow suit.

Since they couldn't openly confront Tang Sanzang, they figured it was perfectly acceptable to use his promise to get the Buddhist community to do some work so they could gain some benefits for themselves.

"Holy Monk, you've worked hard!"

"I have prepared a banquet at the palace. Why don't we go and feast together?"

Niu Yan said with a smile, his face full of sincerity.

The first round is over.

Next up is the second round.

He refused to believe he couldn't find a weakness in Tang Sanzang's defenses.

……

The Heavenly Court, the Palace of the Heavenly Venerable of All Laws.

Niu Jun looked at the image in the light mirror and couldn't help but shake his head.

He instructed a fairy maiden to summon the Monkey King and said calmly, "Fifth brother, go and remind the Holy Infant not to go too far, and make him change the third challenge he set."

“Tell him directly that Tang Sanzang is no ordinary person, and his little tricks are useless. Tell him not to spend all his time thinking about those crooked ways.”

Niu Jun does not reject using underhanded tactics.

The problem is that his son's methods are ultimately underhanded and useless to Tang Sanzang. On the contrary, they will offend the Buddhist community and make them mistakenly believe that he and his son have a problem with the Buddhist community.

This is somewhat of a loss.

It should be understood that in this universe of gods and demons, scheming and trickery are ultimately beneath us; the final outcome is determined by one's own strength.

Although Niu Jun disliked the Buddhist sect of Lingshan, he never intended to offend them for no reason.

Most importantly, as his son, Red Boy had already planned out his path to becoming a Primordial Supreme Being, and he never intended for him to rely on luck to achieve this.

Do you really think that attaining enlightenment and destiny in the Journey to the West universe is so easy?

You must understand that fortune comes from heaven and earth, and heaven and earth come from the Supreme Dao Ancestor who created the world. If you really want to prove your Dao with fortune, it would be strange if you were not bound by the shackles of that Supreme Dao Ancestor.

What can be done?

My son has grown up and has his own ideas.

As the father, I can't just arrange things for the other person like a puppet, can I?

Therefore, under normal circumstances, he would not interfere with Red Boy's decisions.

of course.

Non-interference is one thing, but non-interference is another.

He couldn't possibly stand idly by and watch Red Boy run amok.

Although Red Boy kept Tang Sanzang's three tests a strict secret, only revealing a portion to Tang Sanzang and his disciples and the Monkey King, Niu Jun, with his strength and cultivation level, was naturally well aware of his tricks.

If Niu Jun's guess is correct.

Red Boy's third challenge will be to reveal his true intentions to Tang Sanzang, starting with various Buddhist concepts to undermine Tang Sanzang's faith and make him doubt himself.

I don't know.

Buddhist monks are fully aware of the contradictions and impracticalities in the various Buddhist doctrines.

Even if you criticize Buddhist monks for not engaging in productive activities and being excessively greedy, they won't care at all.

The problem can be solved with just the phrase "all is emptiness".

What does "all is emptiness" mean?

Those who do not understand Buddhism might blurt out: "Wine, lust, wealth, and anger are all empty of worldly desires."

However, the true meaning of "all four elements are empty" is that one should contemplate the four elements within the body, each with its own name, yet none of them are "self".

It means that the entire world is illusory, and everything in the universe, including the human body, is unreal.

Everything is an illusion, everything is false, everything is a test to become a Buddha.

in other words.

Once the concept of "emptiness of the four elements" is introduced, even if you say that Buddha is a demon who slaughters sentient beings and destroys heaven and earth, the Buddhist community will say that these are all falsehoods and are tests that Buddha gives to sentient beings.

Therefore, do not try to undermine the faith of Buddhists with facts, reasoning, or even sophistry.

If we're really talking about sophistry...

The so-called Confucian scholars and intellectuals are not on the same level as the Buddhist monks.

As the second disciple of the Buddha, Jin Chanzi had been a follower of Buddhism since ancient times and was well-versed in Buddhist concepts and theories.

Niu Yan wanted to use the actions of the monks in Buddhist temples to criticize Buddhism and undermine Jin Chanzi's Daoist heart.

That's a complete joke.

I really have to do this.

Aside from offending Buddhism, there are absolutely no benefits.

Then, considering that Buddhism would allocate three of the eighty-one tribulations of Journey to the West to him as part of his merit and fortune, Niu Jun couldn't let that happen.

After all, whether you're a human or a deity, you can't bite the hand that feeds you.

In a word.

My son is ultimately too young.

(End of this chapter)