Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Kurihara Suzume adjusted her glasses. "Speaking of which, does Ivia know anyone in our class? Probably not, since it seems like no one around here is particularly excited."

Kurihara Suzuka, Illya's friend, and her older sister are a pair of yaoi fans.

"Have."

"what?"

Hearing Ivia say something unexpected caused the people surrounding him to exchange glances or look in other directions.

“Illyasviel von Einzbern, who sits in front of me.”

"what???"

These words made the others turn their gazes to Ilya, each looking at her with expressions like, "I didn't expect you to hide it so well, Ilya," "This is a great development," and "Oh, so we do know each other."

Even Ilya herself couldn't help but turn around, staring at Ivia, whom she had met that morning, with a puzzled expression.

"Um, no, I..."

Wait a minute, thinking about it carefully, apart from accidentally bumping into her this morning, could it be that I've encountered this Ivia somewhere else? Or have I forgotten?

No, that's impossible. I have absolutely no memory of that.

But Ivia quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, saying that she had accidentally bumped into Ilya that morning and that she had spent two years in Fuyuki.

"What? Is that all? I thought Ilya was going to meet some childhood sweetheart who would appear out of nowhere."

Kurihara Suzume waved her hand, "It turned out like this, but it would be quite fitting for a romantic comedy in any other story."

"Sparrow Flower! Don't talk nonsense!"

Ilya refuted Kurihara Suzuka, and then apologized to Ivia again.

"I'm very sorry about what happened this morning."

"It's ok."

"By the way, why does Ivia have such long hair? Shouldn't boys have short hair?"

"There's someone who wants me to keep it."

"Wow, could it be some kind of childhood sweetheart from afar?"

"It seems everyone is getting along well. You had so much to talk about on your first day here! That's fantastic! The teacher is very happy about it!"

Standing on the podium, Dahe, who had checked the get out of class schedule and realized that ten minutes had passed, smiled and said.

The newcomer, Ivia, is Karen's younger brother. As for why she keeps her hair long, that's probably due to family reasons, or at least that's what the other teachers in the department say.

However, in Japan, students, regardless of their stage of study, are easily ostracized if they stand out from the crowd or transfer to a class after a clique has formed.

In fact, Dahe could have left the classroom as soon as class ended, but in order to maintain harmony in the class with new students, she decided to stay here for the entire class meeting that day. After all, managing a classroom is built up from the smallest details.

Ensuring that all students in the class get along harmoniously and go to school happily, without any possibility of bullying, is one of the responsibilities of a teacher.

And it seems they really get along well. Elementary school students should have these little moments of happiness that only elementary school students can have. School bullying and emotional abuse are absolutely unacceptable.

Ultimately, children should always live in the beautiful world of dreams.

"Alright, let's continue the lesson!"

The river laughed and shouted in a voice loud enough to shatter any beautiful dream.

For female teachers, shouting is more effective than a calm and gentle voice, but Dahe doesn't seem to understand this principle; he's probably just used to it.

"Today I'll tell you a short story from the textbook. You all know about Buddha and Bodhisattvas, right? It's about 'Maudgalyayana Rescuing His Mother'!"

Maudgalyayana was one of the ten great disciples of Shakyamuni. Maudgalyayana saving his mother refers to the fact that his mother did not die a good death in her lifetime and was reborn as a hungry ghost.

Maudgalyayana, heartbroken by his mother's suffering, decided to save her. He then used his supernatural powers to prepare a sumptuous offering and presented it to his mother. However, due to her karma, the food could not be enjoyed by her and turned into flames, causing her even greater pain.

Maudgalyayana felt helpless and went back to consult Shakyamuni.

Shakyamuni told him that only through good deeds and the help of others could he alleviate his mother's suffering. So, Maudgalyayana invited many monks to pray for his mother and perform good deeds together.

Through everyone's efforts, Maudgalyayana's mother was finally able to transcend the suffering of the hungry ghost realm.

"What does this story teach us? It teaches us that we shouldn't do bad things, or we'll be punished. We should have good intentions. Also, we're a group, so we should help each other, right?"

The reason Dahe told this story was simply to help these children maintain a harmonious relationship in the future.

However, there are always some troublemakers among children in this age group.

"Teacher, teacher, who is more powerful, Maudgalyayana or Shakyamuni?"

"As Maudgalyayana's teacher, Shakyamuni is certainly more powerful!"

"Who said that? Isn't there a saying that a disciple doesn't necessarily have to be inferior to his master?"

Taiga suppressed the urge to shout and forced himself to speak gently:

“Normally speaking, Shakyamuni Buddha is more powerful, after all, he is the teacher.”

"Compared to Maitreya Buddha, who followed Shakyamuni Buddha, who is more powerful, or is it Dipankara Buddha?"

"This kind of topic is not something that should be discussed in class."

"Dipankara represents the past, Shakyamuni represents the present, and Maitreya represents the future, so of course it's the future. Don't TV dramas always say that anything is possible in the future?"

"Well, they haven't arrived yet, so why don't they come now?"

"Teacher Dahe, who do you think would be better to come? In the future, it should still be Tathagata."

"I'm telling you guys—"

Dahe sighed loudly and slammed his fist on the lectern.

"This is not a topic for you to discuss! Quiet down! Listen to my class meeting!"

After being interrupted, the classroom was quiet for a moment, then some students started whispering again. Seeing that these kids were so stubborn, Dahe thought about the management methods he had found online and decided to put them to use.

“...That’s enough. You’re the noisiest class I’ve ever had since I started teaching. You’re the noisiest class I’ve ever seen.”

Dahe gave a stiff, half-smiling smile.

"I've told you countless times over the years when you should speak and when you shouldn't, and you're still making such basic mistakes? Holiday homework is even more of a problem, and there are still people doing it right under my nose..."

"Since you all love discussing whether the Buddhas are stronger or not, I'm going to ask you a question. If you can't answer it, the whole class will have to stay for an extra period and clean the classroom."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the classroom froze as if a blizzard were raging, and no one wanted to clean the classroom when it wasn't their turn.

"Listen up... What are some stories about Maitreya Bodhisattva? If you can't answer them, the whole class will have to stay behind to clean up today."

For a group of children, such a request is undoubtedly difficult, but that is precisely what Taiga aims to achieve.

She only asked that question to 'make things difficult'. Anyway, as long as she lowers her superior attitude and leaves a way out, the matter will be over. After all, how to handle a class after a reprimand is more important than the reprimand itself...

In short, that's what's said online, and that's how Dahe learned it too.

So after a moment of silence, Dahe stood up and chuckled softly.

Hmph, this was easy to take down.

"As expected, no one knew. So you really need to listen to me from now on. Honestly, I hate getting angry at you guys more than being annoyed by you. So next time, you'd better have plenty of reasons to do it—"

"The Three Gatherings of Longhua".

"That's right, that's right, it's the Longhua Three Gatherings..."

The previously complacent Taiga suddenly looked at Ivia, who had stood up, and seemed a little bewildered. "Um, what's that?"

"If you don't know about Professor Taiga, you can look him up on Wikipedia."

The Longhua Three Assemblies are also known as the Maitreya Three Assemblies.

Before becoming a Buddha, Maitreya was also known as a Bodhisattva. According to the Maitreya Descent Sutra, there was such a Bodhisattva in the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, and Shakyamuni Buddha once predicted: "You, Maitreya, after receiving my prediction, will become a Buddha in the future and liberate humans and gods."

This is the history of the time when Maitreya was a Bodhisattva.

Longhua refers to the type of Bodhi tree under which Maitreya attained enlightenment, while the Three Assemblies refer to the order in which three types of people in the world during the Dharma-ending Age come to see Maitreya under the Longhua tree. Those with deep and superior relationships attend the first assembly; those with lesser relationships attend the second assembly; and those with shallow and inferior relationships attend the third assembly.

Regardless of the outcome, the result is the same: being recognized as a Buddha. This is the meaning behind the saying that the countless beings saved at the three assemblies of Longhua are countless.

"Wait a minute, isn't that too easy on those big bad guys? Just nodding will make all their past sins disappear and they be freed. That shouldn't be the case. It should be an eye for an eye, first a couple of punches, and then make them suffer. So Buddhist compassion is meaningless. Boxing is more direct."

After hearing what Taiga Wiki had said, Yuejian Zelongzi suddenly interrupted.

"The difference between mental and physical pain, from a third-party perspective, is that the person who committed the crime should simply be physically erased. After all, no matter how much pain they suffer, they are still alive. Even if the perpetrator suffers from mental anguish for a long time, it is still better for the victims to be completely destroyed."

"Which one does Ivia support? Since you know so many stories, you must be a Buddhist, right? So it must be some kind of redemption for spiritual pain?"

"No, I think the same way, Yuejianze Longzi."

At this point, Ivia's expression softened slightly. "The saying goes, 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.' In my opinion, this place should be hell."

In fact, the well-known saying "lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot" is not as it sounds. In reality, the butcher's knife does not only refer to the actual blade used to kill, but also to all human malice. Becoming a Buddha does not mean immediately attaining Buddhahood, but rather taking refuge in Buddhism and starting the path of doing good deeds. This difference is mainly due to the background differences caused by the spread of Indian Buddhism in China.

"You deserve to go to hell! Great minds think alike! Dragon Prince, I think you're quite good!"

It's over.

Unlike the two people having a conversation, Dahe, standing in the lecture hall, felt a chill run down his spine.

How could anyone know?

I just said it casually, and now I've failed to establish any authority. All that watching for nothing...

"Cough cough."

Dahe coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, then smiled. "I, Ivia is really quite knowledgeable about Buddhism. Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect you to know so much so soon after returning from abroad. Everyone needs to work harder."

No, because—

In an instant, ripples seemed to appear in the air.

In reality, it was just the branches of the big tree outside the college that were swaying slightly in the wind, but at this moment, when it reached this classroom, it sounded like the melodious, clear, and loud strains of a harp, and the fragrance of flowers that had bloomed outside the window was also present.

If we were on a vibrant mountain now, all the flowers around us would probably be in full bloom.

At that moment, Ivia also looked thoughtfully at the linden tree on the playground outside the window, which had not yet sprouted any buds, and nodded.

The Three Assemblies at Longhua are a ritual for Maitreya to save the world in the Dharma-ending Age. They can also be seen as a calamity from Bodhisattva to human to Buddha. After all, without experiencing the intersection of the two perspectives, it is difficult to initiate the ritual of saving the world.

No wonder I have this mindset now, I see.

After all, normally Novia should only be smaller, and there shouldn't be such a change.

However, since he is both Maitreya and Dipankara, Dipankara's tribulation was completed when he helped Gautama become Buddha, while Maitreya's tribulation was only completed through this Dragon Flower Assembly...

As for why it was only discovered now, it can be understood that Ivia's current state of mind is the final stage she least wanted to reach when using the Pope's power. It can also be said that as an unfinished Buddha undergoing tribulation, the ability of 'vision of all things' was shut down.

Originally, due to the characteristics of Kavia, 'Brahman' and Buddha were one, and Maitreya and Dipankara were one in one aspect of Buddha. Further down, Maitreya and Mara were one. Now, the concept of Mara has been completely devoured by Kama with its literal meaning, so the delicate balance has been broken, which has led to the current tribulation of being 'Maitreya'... Therefore, it is all Kama's fault.

In other words, Ivia hasn't really changed much; only her perspective on love has shifted from specific people to loving abstract human concepts...

From a certain angle, it resembles a beast. If placed in a magical girl anime, it would immediately be classified as a villain, since magical girls are supposed to have infinite love.

In short, he still has great compassion for human suffering and feels pain for it, but he lacks connection with specific people because specific people cannot reach the perfection of the abstract human being he imagines.

The more advanced the assembly, the less perfect the people seen in the three assemblies of Longhua are as a whole. In other words, the transformation from the concept of near-perfect people seen in the initial assembly to the acceptance of specific people full of flaws in the end is precisely the significance of Maitreya's three assemblies of Longhua.

However, knowing something is one thing, and changing one's mindset is another. Just like a person knows some principles, but may not necessarily act according to them. This is the case with Ivia, who now knows that she is experiencing the "Maitreya Tribulation and the Dragon Flower Assembly".

I just think: Oh, I see. Well, that's how it is.

"I am Maitreya."

The classroom fell silent again for no apparent reason.

"Ha ha."

Taiga chuckled awkwardly, "So you really do have Buddhists in your family who need to read Buddhist scriptures. Karen's family is truly harmonious in their faith. Anyway, everyone should get along well. As for today's cleaning, I was just kidding. Let's continue as usual..."

Oh no, is this Ivia so engrossed in reading some Buddhist scriptures?

Oh my god, and Karen, aren't you a Christian? How come your younger brother is a Buddhist? Wouldn't they fight if they were at home?

Fujimura Taiga was extremely worried about Karen's family, but Ivia was still living in a tent in the park until now.

……

Since it was the first day of the third semester, in the primary school section, there were only three class meetings from 8:30 to 11:30, plus some time for self-study. Everyone could go home by lunchtime.

"Well then, I'm going back."

"Let's walk together. Ilya, you and Sparrow should sweep the floor properly."

Ilya had just waved to the two people who had left when she saw Kurihara Suzume pleading with her hands clasped together.