The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 82 It turns out to be the Buddha from the East

Yes, it is said that one sees the Buddha when the flower blooms, but where is the Buddha?
The old monk was completely bewildered, unaware that his prayer beads had rolled to the ground.

He only came to his senses when the young monk next to him exclaimed in surprise at the sight of his fallen prayer beads and hurriedly went to pick them up.

"Elder, your prayer beads are made of agate, they are extremely precious, you must keep them safe!"

The old monk finally came to his senses, looked down, and his eyes followed the prayer beads as they rolled.

But it remains shrouded in mist and mystery, its true meaning still hidden.

Only after a long while, when the young monk had collected about half of the prayer beads, did he suddenly say:

"No need!"

"Elder Ke?"

The old monk raised his hand to stop him from continuing, then reached out and grabbed.

The prayer beads that rolled to various places all flew into his palm out of thin air, forming a small mountain of beads.

"this?!"

The young monk was dumbfounded as he watched the strange sight of his prayer beads flying away.

The old monk, on the other hand, was extremely satisfied with what he saw.

My previously troubled mind has now calmed down.

Yes, why bother with these things?
Now that I am protected by the true Dharma, how can I be swayed by external things like these novice monks who have not yet entered the path?
"Come on, it's getting late, quickly lead the way, I want to worship Buddha!"

The young monk quickly bowed and led the way.

I dared not utter another word, for fear of disturbing the high monk.

When the two arrived at the Mahavira Hall.

The old monk stopped in the center and quietly looked at the large Buddha statue in the middle.

The Buddha's compassionate eyes seemed to pity humanity, yet also to scrutinize them.

The old monk was initially frightened, but then showed no fear.

The true Dharma resides within me, not above your idol!
The young monk hurriedly went to the side and asked for three sticks of incense.

"Elder, please offer incense!"

After glancing at the incense and candles in the young monk's hand, the old monk, whose attitude had changed drastically once again, immediately sneered:

"I have already attained enlightenment, why should I do this?"

The young monk was horrified and said:
"But how can this be allowed?"

The young monk, having only recently begun his practice, could not articulate any true Dharma principles. He could only follow his instincts and past experiences, saying, "How can this be?"

Such words naturally failed to persuade the old monk.

He shook his head and laughed:
"Why not? The Buddha said 'do not be attached to appearances,' and I am doing just that right now!"

"Moreover, this action demonstrates that I have already seen through the 'attachment to reality,' attained the emptiness of all phenomena, and achieved the great freedom of having no fixed self-nature!"

The young monk was speechless, unsure how to refute the argument, so he could only quickly lower his head and begin chanting the sutra in a low voice.

The old monk said no more. He glanced at the mountain of prayer beads in his hand, then looked up at the solemn Buddha statue before him. He quickly stepped forward and placed all the beads on the offering table. Turning to the monks who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, he said loudly:

"Before, your Falan Temple had nothing of value except a thousand-year-old Bodhi tree. Now it's different; now you have this precious Buddha treasure blessed by my true Dharma!"

"Hehe, no need to thank me, just worship diligently from now on! Don't worry, there's no need to worry about it falling apart or collapsing, because it has the Great Law!"

Having said that, he looked up at the sky and laughed loudly as he left.

He felt that he had broken free from his attachments and delusions, and attained great freedom.

The monks in the temple were stunned and speechless, and could only watch helplessly as he walked away.

After he had gone, a novice monk cautiously asked the abbot:
"Master, what do you think should be done with the prayer beads?"

The host shook his head repeatedly and said:
“This person believes he has broken free from the attachment to reality, but he does not realize that he is not “non-attached to appearances” but rather that he disrespects the Buddha’s teachings and the lineage.”

"How can such a madman's thing be placed in the main hall? Remove it immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the novice monk immediately stepped forward.

When Kefu touched the small mountain of prayer beads, he subconsciously uttered "Amitabha."

In a daze, the young novice monk heard the same Amitabha Buddha's name ring in his ears.

He turned his head in surprise, but saw no movement, as if he had heard someone's thoughts.

After scratching his head, he continued tidying up the prayer beads, only to discover that this supposedly blessed Buddhist treasure had, just like before, scattered and rolled all over the ground. It was utterly pathetic and only made him a laughingstock.

This naturally caused many monks to shake their heads and laugh.

He was indeed just an arrogant fool.

However, after laughing, the host looked at the Bodhi tree and said:

"But this madman's 'flowers bloom to welcome the Buddha' is probably correct, but I wonder, where exactly is this Buddha?"

The monks were utterly puzzled, but more and more believers had gathered under the Bodhi tree, constantly worshipping the statue.

Only the young novice monk, who was tidying up his prayer beads, became increasingly surprised and puzzled.

The bead was extremely cold to the touch, like solid ice, making you want to throw it away as soon as you picked it up. But after rolling it around in your hand for a while, it became warm and pleasant, making it irresistible.
-
Outside Qingzhou City, a caravan had already infiltrated, and a finely dressed young man, who had even been assigned a packhorse, was chatting animatedly, making the group of caravan men laugh heartily.

But as everyone was laughing and talking, suddenly a man said to the richly dressed young man:

"Young Master Wang, you may not know this, but in just a little while, you'll see an old Bodhi tree! It's a scenic spot along this road!"

The others also chimed in:

"That's right, that's right. I heard that the Bodhi tree was planted at the same time as the one in the Franz Temple!"

"Yes, it was planted together with the one in the Fran Temple. In fact, it is said that the abbot of Fran Temple planted a thousand Bodhi trees by hand to raise funds for the construction of the temple and worship of Buddha. But as time has passed, only the one in the temple and the one in front are still alive."

Upon hearing this, the elegantly dressed young man nodded and smiled:

"Oh, although the Falan Temple has been rebuilt many times, it is a thousand-year-old temple with its roots in the past. So, the karmic connection of the thousand Bodhi trees is now all gathered on this thousand-year-old tree?"

The men exclaimed in surprise:
"Yes, yes, we heard the elders say that when we were young."

As they were talking, the group arrived at the ancient tree that had stood for a thousand years.

Upon seeing it, even the elegantly dressed young man exclaimed in astonishment.

Because it is not yet the season, the Bodhi flowers have already bloomed!

"Oh dear, why are they blooming ahead of schedule?"

"What's going on here?"

The men of the caravan were all amazed by what they had witnessed.

But the elegantly dressed young man, after a moment of surprise, suddenly looked at Qingzhou, who had already disappeared.

"The Bodhi tree is a precious Buddhist treasure. The blooming of the Bodhi flower is naturally a way of remotely sensing the Buddha's power and virtue, thus welcoming the Buddha. However, the Buddha is clearly in the west, so why is the flower blooming in the east?"

After a moment's thought, the elegantly dressed young man suddenly understood and laughed:

"So it was the Buddha from the East who traveled west to save the world!"

"What did you say, young master?"

Upon hearing the caravan man's question, the finely dressed young man hurriedly waved his hand:

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just felt compelled to speak out when the opportunity arose."

He dared not get involved with that Buddhist monk again.

Having said that, in order to change the men's minds and also to show off his knowledge.

He pointed to the ancient tree, which was thousands of years old, and said:
"I am certain that beneath this thousand-year-old Bodhi tree lies a Bodhi fruit that has remained incorrupt for five hundred years!"

These words caused everyone in the caravan to burst into laughter:

"Young master is joking. How could there be Bodhi fruits that are hundreds of years old? And why would a thousand-year-old tree only bear fruit that is five hundred years old?"

The elegantly dressed young man shook his head and smiled:

"Because of the karmic connection that spans a thousand years, the trees were divided into two, each destined to be held for five hundred years! Now that the flowers are blooming to welcome the Buddha, it seems that this karmic connection can also be obtained by the destined one!"

His words left everyone bewildered and uncertain, but none of them moved.

This left the elegantly dressed young man speechless and shaking his head.

It's true, we're not meant to be!
-
Du Yuan, who was in the private room, couldn't help but rub her earlobe.

For some reason, he always felt like there was a sound in his ear.

There were many, but none of them could be heard clearly.

Even if you listen carefully, they will all disappear.

(End of this chapter)