Chapter 1283: The Dharma Exchange, Look At Me, Do I Look Like A Buddha?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The last trial of the Thousand Buddha Grotto was to spar about Buddhism with the Buddhist Great One?!
Such a trial made many sky-prides and cultivators frown.
None of the people had high hopes for Chu Kuangren.
After all, Chu Kuangren was not a Buddhist cultivator. How much did he know about Buddhism?
In everyone’s opinion, the Buddhist Great One had made it clear that he was partial to Huijue and wanted to give the Sarira to him. That was why he set up such a trial.
!!
Huijue thought the same too.
Even though he was a Buddhist Disciple with a good character, he could not help but reveal a smile on his face.
“I deserve the Sarira!”
The rest of the Buddhist cultivators looked at Chu Kuangren and wanted to know how he would react.
Would he be dissatisfied or angry?
However, Chu Kuangren was as calm as usual and did not seem to be dissatisfied with the Buddhist Great One.
“Chat about Buddhism? Sure.”
Chu Kuangren nodded. To everyone’s surprise, he did not reject.
Everyone shook their heads and sighed upon hearing that.
“Unfortunately, with Chu Kuangren’s performance, the Sarira should belong to him. Who would have thought the Buddhist Great One could be so biased?”
“Indeed. How could a Buddhist Great One spar Buddhism with a layman? That’s a joke.”
“Humans are selfish, including this Buddhist Great One.”
Chu Kuangren sat upright before the Buddhist Great One and said calmly, “Please.”
The Buddhist Great One nodded with a look of shame in his eyes.
As others had said, his action was biased. However, as a Buddhist cultivator, and since there was a Buddhist Disciple here, he certainly preferred to pa.s.s the inheritance to a Buddhist Disciple.
“What is Buddha?” asked the Buddhist Great One.
It was a very common question in Buddhism.
In Buddhism, there were five levels of karmic beings, namely all beings, monks, Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas!
All Buddhist cultivators had the ultimate goal of becoming a Buddha.
In terms of cultivation level, the Buddha Realm was equivalent to the Embodier Realm and even the Primordial Realm. Such realms were extremely rare in the Immortal World.
After hearing the Buddhist Great One’s question, the rest of the people thought of those famous Buddhists who had become Buddhas.
Shakyamuni?
Medicine Buddha?
Amitabha?
Buddhist Disciple Huijue and other Buddhist cultivators were also thinking about the answer to the question. Then, they secretly answered in their hearts.
“In Buddhism, Buddha is a concept, and it’s difficult for anyone to explain it clearly. It isn’t difficult to answer this question, but it isn’t easy to answer it impressively,” Buddhist Disciple Huijue thought to himself.
“Buddha is for all beings, and all beings are Buddhas!”
“The self-nature is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the enlightenment,” said Chu Kuangren.
He was well-read in the academy, so he had also covered some Buddhist cla.s.sics. In addition to some knowledge from his previous life, he was quite a scholar of Buddhism.
Upon hearing his answer, the eyes of the Buddhist Disciple Huijue and the Buddhist Great One not far away lit up.
‘Chu Kuangren… is quite something.’
“Tsk tsk. I didn’t expect Chu Kuangren to have studied Buddhism.”
“Interesting.”
“Perhaps he can pa.s.s the trial and obtain the Sarira.”
Many sky-prides and cultivators were amazed.
The Buddhist sky-pride, who had stopped Chu Kuangren previously, sneered upon hearing his statement. “Does he think he can get the Sarira by answering one or two Buddhism questions? Buddhism is so broad and profound that even great eminent monks in my Pure Land of Virtue won’t dare to say they have thoroughly studied the Dharma, let alone a layman.”
In Buddhism, there were Pure Lands of the five elements, which represented the five most powerful forces in the Buddhist world.
Buddhist Disciple Huijue and the Buddhist sky-pride were from one of the Five Elemental Pure Lands, the Pure Land of Virtue.
It was said that above the Pure Land, there was a Buddhist Supreme Sacred Land, the Spiritual Mountain!
However, n.o.body knew where the Spiritual Mountain was and whether it still existed.
“Next question. Where is Buddha?”
After hearing Chu Kuangren’s answer, the Buddhist Great One pondered for a while before asking another question.
“Buddha is neither existent nor inexistent.”
“All beings are Buddhas, but they haven’t been enlightened and become Buddhas.”
“Buddhas exist in every little thing in life, between the permanence and impermanence, and in all beings’ hearts!”
“After attaining Buddhahood, one will enter Nirvana without Remainder, like ice that turns into water and melts into the Devastating Ocean, merging with the rest of the waters. Therefore, Buddha is neither existent nor inexistent, and it won’t exist again!” Chu Kuangren answered fluently.
It surprised the Buddhist Great One and all the Buddhist cultivators present.
Chu Kuangren’s answer could be regarded as having reached a certain level of understanding of Buddhism.
Even Buddhist Disciple Huijue could not answer it more perfectly and profoundly than Chu Kuangren.
“It seems I’ve misjudged Chu Kuangren. His attainments in Buddhism must not be underestimated.”
Huijue’s expression was rather solemn.
He felt that Chu Kuangren might take away the Buddhist Sarira.
“Where to find Buddha?” the Buddhist Great One asked again.
“We can look for Buddha in our hearts.”
“One can’t seek Buddha in the Spiritual Mountain as it only exists in one’s heart. If one is enlightened, he’ll see mountains, rivers, and all beings as Buddhas. Therefore, one’s heart is the Buddha!”
“What is Dharma?”
“The Enlightenment Technique and Broken Free Technique are all Dharma. They are like magical illusions, fogs, and lightning…”
“Cultivators cultivate to transcend samsara. How do Buddhists do that?”
“All appearances are illusory. If one sees through the appearances, he’ll see Tathagata eventually!”
“Everything goes through the ever-changing process of birth and death, but in fact, birth and death do not exist. Since they don’t exist, samsara is also an illusion, hence there is no samsara!”
The Buddhist Great One continued to raise questions while Chu Kuangren remained sitting upright on the same spot, sparking discourse and readily accepting wise advice. Everyone was stunned at his performance.
“Is this Chu Kuangren? Surprisingly, he has a such high understanding of Dharma!”
“His attainments in Buddhism are very impressive.”
“Is there anything else that he doesn’t know? What a prodigy!”
“Do you all understand what they’re talking about?”
“I don’t fully understand.”
“Look at those Buddhist cultivators. Their dumbfounded expressions simply mean that Chu Kuangren’s performance has astonished them.”
w.a.n.g Chentian, Cao Yun, and other academies’ Heavenly Champions also looked at Chu Kuangren with admiration on their faces.
The Dark Fox Maiden Sage also looked at Chu Kuangren with astonishment.
‘This dude knows about Dharma?’
‘Wait. Doesn’t Buddhism emphasize compa.s.sion?’
‘Why did he show no mercy when killing the yokai in the Great Ten Thousand Mountains? He was even more devilish than a devil!’
While Chu Kuangren and the Buddhist Great One were sparring, holy, solemn, and sacred Buddhist Light was flowing around Chu Kuangren.
At that moment, it was as if he had transformed into a living Bodhisattva.
The Dark Fox Maiden Sage could not a.s.sociate the person before her with the nightmare in the hearts of the Great Ten Thousand Mountains’ yokai.
Holy moly. The man had two faces.
The Buddhist Great One looked at Chu Kuangren before him with an ashen expression.
The young man in front of him had attained no less than him in Buddhism and Dharma, which was amazing!
“Well, enough of you bombarding me with questions. Now, it’s my turn to question you,” Chu Kuangren interrupted the Buddhist Great One and said.
The Buddhist Great One nodded. “Please go ahead.”
The next moment, the Buddha Light on Chu Kuangren dissipated. It was replaced by a surging demonic qi that swept all directions and shook the universe.
He seemed to have transformed into a peerless great demon who slaughtered all beings!
Each of his moves and his expression looked extremely ferocious to everyone.
“Let me ask you. Do you think I look like a Buddha?!”