I was a charlatan in India

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, the doctor prepared to speak, embellishing the story with some miracles.

However, at that moment, a kind-looking man approached.

His fair skin made him stand out among the group of Vaishyas and Shudras.

"What you just said, sir, you heard with your own ears."

In Sanskrit, "Great Virtue" is a highly respectful term used by monks to address practitioners of other sects.

The other party's use of this form of address has two meanings.

One reason is to declare one's identity, which is equivalent to stating directly that one belongs to the Buddhist community.

Secondly, it is to state one's position, that is, I acknowledge that you are a serious practitioner, regardless of who you believe in.

The core message is to show a friendly attitude.

Because in Ashoka's time, monks and Brahmans did not get along, and most lower-class believers would avoid contact with them.

Even if there is contact, it is usually of the same nature as the Vasudivian mercenary warrior monks.

His initial intention was to belittle Mina's beliefs; he was simply looking for conflict.

However, the doctor, a half-hearted believer, was unaware of these things, so he hesitated for a moment about how to respond.

Fortunately, Shenhe reacted quickly and immediately issued orders.

"Give him a positive answer."

He then added.

"It's okay, I'll take care of everything."

After the last crisis, Shenhe has become noticeably more aggressive.

He needs power, he needs rapid expansion.

These three businessmen in front of us should be of great use. We can't let them fly away now that we've got them!

Moreover, Shenhe came from the information-rich modern world, and in order to analyze the market, he has also learned a lot about various religions.

He knew that early Buddhist sects placed great importance on titles and did not address everyone as "benefactor" like many makeshift groups in later times.

Therefore, this "great virtue" can be used to judge attitude.

This communication should be more beneficial than harmful.

The doctor reacted quickly; he stood up solemnly, bowed to the other person, and then responded earnestly.

"Of course I wouldn't joke about the heavens."

In this way, the hesitation from before was concealed.

Others would only see it as mutual respect between cultivators, avoiding the impoliteness of bowing while replying.

The man nodded, did not press the matter, and naturally entered the pool.

This made the doctor feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just kidding, this guy looks like a proper cultivator no matter what.

With such fair skin, why don't you go to the Brahmin bathhouse? What are you doing here?

But leaving now would obviously make him seem guilty, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit in the pool as well.

Shenhe also silently felt a chill run down his spine.

Monks in this era were not easy to deal with; they might hold official positions or even possess extraordinary powers.

If I hadn't happened to be looking over there, who knows what kind of trouble might have gotten into.

He quickly gave the order.

"If the monk speaks to you, you should think it over and wait for me to replies before replying with the most serious tone you can."

The doctor was then somewhat relieved.

Yeah, with the sky above me, what am I afraid of!

Thinking of this, he straightened his back a little.

We cannot lose face for the Great Heaven!

Seeing this, two Shiva devotees also solemnly approached, and the thin merchant hesitated for a moment, but still followed closely behind.

Within seconds, the monk was surrounded by people.

He was also slightly taken aback.

I had only heard rumors and found them quite intriguing.

I had intended to have a chat, but I didn't expect so many people to gather around, so it wasn't a good time for a deep conversation.

In contrast, the ascetic remained calm and composed among the crowd, which made it seem as if he himself had fallen into a lower position.

It seems that there is still much to be done on the path of cultivation.

He adjusted his mindset and said, "Your words seem to indicate that Buddhism is under your great heaven. May I ask for your guidance?"

Shenhe felt a chill run down his spine.

This monk is no ordinary person.

It's natural that he clearly had some doubts about what the doctor said.

No devout believer would admit that their God is inferior to that of another.

However, his way of addressing Shiva is quite subtle.

After King Ashoka propagated Buddhism, the three principal deities each had their own Buddhist counterparts, with Shiva corresponding to "Mahasattva".

However, the other party did not use this title, but instead used the traditional Brahmanical term "Mahavairocana" to address him.

There are significant differences between them.

Although the Great Free Heaven sounds impressive, it is actually one of the six realms of existence in Buddhism.

If you call him that, it means that although I acknowledge that your Shiva is very powerful, I also acknowledge his immense blessings and power as the apex of the Desire Realm and the lord of the Form Realm.

Even so, that is still just one within the cycle of reincarnation.

Most monks would respond to a doctor's words in this way.

There's nothing you can do; it was decided by Ashoka himself. As long as you're still a member of the Mauryan dynasty, you have no say in the matter.

Using the title "Great Heaven" indicates that the other party is not in a hurry to respond to your offense against Buddhism, but rather intends to listen to your explanation.

There are only two possibilities for this behavior: either he is extremely well-mannered and very considerate of other people's feelings.

It's either a kind of superior acceptance, first accepting your ideas, and then guiding you to look at my world.

Neither of these scenarios implies that the other party has absolutely no reservations; otherwise, they wouldn't be involved in this discussion.

If the response is not good, it may also cause trouble.

Shenhe hesitated for a moment before piecing together a solution.

At his command, the doctor lowered his gaze, as if staring at his reflection in the water, before slowly speaking.

You know what, when this guy puts on an act, his voice actually has a bit of the calmness of a spiritual practitioner.

"What the master saw were the names of Buddha and the Great Deity, but what I seek is the embodiment of compassion and wisdom."

"Perhaps, it is also the same enlightenment and liberation that exists in our hearts."

He raised his eyes and looked at the monk, his eyes devoid of any argumentative anger.

In fact, there really wasn't.

The doctor didn't care at all about Buddha or the Great Deity.

No, the heavens still care, Lord Shiva, please don't be angry, please don't be angry.

Seeing that Shenhe didn't get angry, the doctor quickly got down to business.

"At first, when I heard this rumor, I was just as confused as the master, but after thinking about it for many days, I finally gained some insight."

"As the saying goes, flowing water is not bound by any shape, and the spring breeze is not bound by any tree."

"Your Buddha may be my God, and my God may be your Buddha."

The doctor paused slightly as he spoke.

"If a title becomes a wall that blocks wisdom, then it is undoubtedly a tragedy."

"If this rumor is true, perhaps this is some enlightenment that the Great Heaven or the Buddha wanted to teach us."

Upon hearing this, the monk's gentle smile faltered slightly, and his gaze lingered on the doctor's face for a longer period.

The pool water was misty.

Silence lingered in the pool for several breaths.

Finally, the monk clasped his hands together and faced the doctor, completing a full and solemn ritual.

"Flowing water and spring breeze, a truly apt metaphor."

"However, water has its source, and wind has its origin."

"The path to enlightenment and liberation that this humble monk seeks originated in Pingmo. I wonder where the embodiment of compassion and wisdom that you, venerable one, seeks comes from?"

This question concerns the origins of religion.

Since we are evenly matched now and the future is uncertain, we can only compare the past.

He still wanted to prove himself superior.

Despite his kind appearance, this monk is ultimately very devoted when it comes to his faith.

However, not only did the doctor not understand, even Shenhe didn't know how to deal with it.

These religious people spend all day pondering ultimate questions about the past, present, and future. He's just a salesman; what does he know about religion?

Those few sentences he just spoke were painstakingly pieced together from philosophical books.

However, there is one universal ultimate answer to the ultimate question.

At his command, the doctor bowed respectfully and replied.

"I don't know."