bookrandom Chapter 458
Chapter 458
Zhong Ming gathered his strength, leaped into the air, and slashed down.
"Amitabha."
The old monk chanted another Buddhist prayer, clasped his hands together, and Zhong Ming's attack turned into smoke and dissipated. The hook-and-sickle spear seemed unchanged, but in reality, all the spiritual energy on it dissipated. Zhong Ming was so frightened that he withdrew his spear and retreated several steps to create distance.
"Who are you? What business do you have here? If you don't give me a clear answer today, the Chen family's heavenly soldiers will arrive at any moment."
Zhong Ming had assumed that the person in front of him possessed some spiritual power, and was either the mastermind behind the events or a cultivator who had come here to deal with the problem. He thought he would just fire the shot first and see what happens. However, he never expected the man to be so powerful, repelling his killing move with ease.
The old monk gestured, "Please come into the temple for a detailed discussion, benefactor." Looking around at the crowd, no one dared to speak, clearly indicating that the old monk had lived in the area for a long time and held immense prestige.
Thus, Zhong Ming had to consider whether this guy was the mastermind behind everything, and became even more reluctant to enter the temple.
"Why don't you choose another place? Temples are not suitable for people like us who do not believe in Buddha."
Zhong Ming tentatively called upon the spirit of the artifact amidst the late spring cold, but received only cold silence in return.
The old monk smiled slightly, turned around and walked into the temple, ignoring him.
This left him even more confused. Following along would be too risky, but not following would mean missing out on this crucial clue.
He jumped off the stage, looked around, and found a shop with an unusual three-story wooden building. Standing on the roof, he should be able to see what was inside the temple.
He quickly ran into the shop, pushed open the door, and went in, looking for the stairs to the second floor.
Just then, as he pushed open the door, he saw the old monk looking at him with a warm expression. Before him was the scene in the main hall of the temple. The Buddha of the past, Dipankara Buddha, the Buddha of the present, Shakyamuni Buddha, and the Buddha of the future, Maitreya Buddha, sat on golden lotus thrones. Three sticks of incense were burning, and fresh fruit was offered on the altar, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.
He took a step back in shock, and looking around, he realized that he had somehow ended up inside the temple.
"Please take a seat, benefactor."
The old monk shifted his position, sitting between Dipankara Buddha and Shakyamuni Buddha, pulled over a prayer mat, and made a "please" gesture.
"Master, you're welcome."
No matter how much Zhong Ming thought about it, he realized that things were no longer under his control.
He used his spiritual power to seal his entire body, almost locking his meridians, and gripped the spear tightly as he slowly approached the prayer mat.
No matter how you look at it, it's just an ordinary straw cushion, and it's quite worn out from being used for so long.
"please."
Zhong Ming swallowed hard and glanced sideways at the old monk. He was facing the Buddha statue and shouldn't be able to see what was behind him, so he secretly took out the magical jade tablet that could calm the spirits and put it under his buttocks.
After he sat down, the old monk began to strike the wooden fish and chant Buddhist scriptures attentively.
"Master..., what exactly are these vengeful ghosts...?"
Zhong Ming's question was like a stone thrown into the sea, disappearing without a trace, and the old monk ignored him.
After some time, Zhong Ming reluctantly got up to leave, fearing that this was some strange Buddhist "conversion" ceremony.
“Esteemed benefactor…” the old monk finally spoke, his tone calm and composed, “Please do not be impatient. I have something I would like to hear your opinion on.”
"I?"
Zhong Ming pointed to himself. Aren't Buddhists supposed to be preaching the Dharma to others? Why is he asking me to do it?
"Please speak, Master."
"If a soul has not entered the cycle of reincarnation, can it be considered alive?"
“Then it must be dead, otherwise why would it be called a ghost?” Zhong Ming blurted out, which was his true thought.
"With thoughts and ideas, with movement and stillness, unlike life and death, and even more so than reincarnation, how is it different from being alive?" The old monk turned around, staring into Zhong Ming's eyes, and asked, "In words that you can understand, if a cultivator abandons his physical body and becomes a soul cultivator... a ghost cultivator, is that considered dead or alive?"
"Of course, I'd rather be alive." The answer was equally immediate.
The old monk struck the wooden fish three times, then asked, "So what's the difference between them and the spirits of the dead?"
"As long as one's mind and the Dao remain, one can still influence one's own destiny." Zhong Ming spread his hands. The affairs of cultivators are never that simple. As long as one is alive, even if only a wisp of soul remains, one is absolutely, one hundred percent alive.
If you don't believe me, ask me about the dragon soul inside my body; I almost "turned into a dragon."
"What if the same applies to the souls of the dead?"
"Isn't that just ghost cultivation?"
"No cultivation."
This involves Zhong Ming's blind spot in knowledge. He is willing to learn about the soul, but he doesn't have much free time in the military camp, and as a Qi Refining stage cultivator, his knowledge of the soul is mostly limited to general introductions in encyclopedias.
Playing with souls at a low level is extremely dangerous; one can easily cultivate a heretical cultivator.
Zhong Ming countered the old monk's question, "Won't souls without cultivation be lured away by Ox-Head and Horse-Face?"
The old monk chuckled upon hearing this, "You could say that the Bodhisattva Dāna-sūtra did not see it."
(Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of the Buddhas in Buddhism who oversees hell.)
Zhong Ming pondered for a long time.
Seeing that he could not give an answer, the old monk continued, "How can a person live a life without illness or disaster? Although you are young, you must have seen a lot. If a person is seriously ill and bedridden, unable to move, is he considered dead or alive?"
"Alive."
"Those departed souls are no different in essence from them; they are all continuations of consciousness, having lost control over their own destiny. But... when has a person ever truly controlled their own destiny? In the darkness, everything is preordained." The old monk shook his head, the aroma of fresh fruit mingling with the burning sandalwood incense, which brought clarity to his mind.
“No, that’s not right.” Zhong Ming shook his head vigorously, but couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong. “Let me think about it, let me sort it out.”
"Benefactor, what if the deceased died unexpectedly rather than from a natural death?"
"My lord, do the souls of the dead have the right to decide whether or not they perish?"
“Benefactor, life is death, and death is life. Death will eventually come. If we were to extend the lifespan of the departed soul, could it be compared to giving birth to a child?”
"donor......"
Zhong Ming lay in deep thought on the prayer mat, the statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha, watching him. Just as the three sticks of incense were about to burn out, he finally spoke.
"The evil spirits raging in the mirror, are they yours to raise?"