Chapter 983: In Heaven and on Earth, I Alone Am Supreme

Lu Yang’s lips twitched; the history of how Kaihuang Temple had established its wealth was truly unexpected.

"The Xitian Temple is, after all, the orthodox lineage of the Buddhist Kingdom, so they probably wouldn't resort to killing..."

Master Duanchen stroked his white beard. "Monks do not kill. The life of that abbot should be safe, though his treatment beyond survival is hard to say. Our Kaihuang Temple has no real affinity with Xitian Temple, so we have no means to inquire about his whereabouts."

"Ever since that particular abbot disappeared, the scale of Kaihuang Temple has remained unchanged, devoid of any ambition."

"When this poor monk became the abbot, I made a grand vow to bring immense prosperity to Kaihuang Temple, aiming for an average annual visitor flow of ten million people."

"To fulfill this grand vow, this poor monk worked tirelessly, seeking ways to expand the temple's fame so that Kaihuang City could rival the grandest metropolises, allowing the citizens to live better lives."

"...Master, the grand vow you made is remarkably detailed."

"Naturally. You two benefactors have likely never visited our Buddhist Kingdom and do not know how we make our grand vows. The vows made here have always been precise. If one merely vowed for 'immense prosperity,' how would the criteria for success be determined?"

"What constitutes immense prosperity? If a million benefactors suddenly arrive in a single day, does that count? If a single benefactor buys up the entire temple's incense for a year, does that count? If the temple catches fire and ignites all the incense at once, does that count?"

"Without defined standards, a grand vow is nothing more than words, forever unachievable."

"Master has truly exhausted your mind and heart for Kaihuang Temple. It is deeply admirable."

Master Duanchen smiled. "Monks do not speak falsehoods. This poor monk is not quite so noble. When the temple's incense burns bright, I, as the abbot, naturally reap endless benefits, and I can fulfill my grand vow. Why not indulge in it?"

According to what Lu Yang knew, fifty percent of the incense money collected by each temple went to themselves, thirty percent was used to craft golden statues for the Buddha, and twenty percent was handed over to Xitian Temple.

Cultivation never truly parted from the concept of wealth. The more prosperous Kaihuang Temple became, the more spirit stones Master Duanchen received, which could be used for his cultivation.

Originally, Master Duanchen felt the night was growing late and wished to lead the two to the guest quarters to rest, but Lu Yang felt the opportunity was rare and preferred to visit the Great Hero Hall. He had only ever seen the one built by the Immortal Fairy within his spiritual space, never one in reality.

Meng Jingzhou had never visited a Great Hero Hall either, so he agreed with Lu Yang's suggestion.

Master Duanchen led the pair into the Great Hero Hall, where a golden statue of the Vairocana Buddha stood at the absolute center, pinching a flower with a subtle smile, delivering sentient beings with mercy.

Night had already fallen, and the Great Hero Hall was brightly lit, the statue reflecting the glow of the candles, appearing extraordinarily sacred.

"What is there to look at in a Great Hero Hall? The one this Fairy built for you is the most authentic." The Immortal Fairy pouted. According to Buddhist scriptures, as the founder of Buddhism, wherever she stood was the Great Hero Hall, sacred and inviolable.

Within the spiritual space, at the end of the desert, a Great Hero Hall rose abruptly from the ground, even more magnificent than the one in Kaihuang Temple.

In the center of the hall, the Immortal Fairy, wearing vermilion eyeshadow and dressed in Western Regions style, squatted on one foot atop a lotus platform, her other foot resting on her thigh, her hands pressed together, projecting an enchanting allure over all living things.

Lu Yang glanced at the Great Hero Hall in his spiritual space, then back at the real one, concluding that reality was still the more authentic version.

"Master, I heard that the Bathing Buddha Festival is a celebration of the World-Honored One's birth?" On the way here, Lu Yang had studied the origins of the festival in detail to avoid being completely ignorant upon arriving in the Buddhist Kingdom, looking like a mere tourist.

"What Benefactor Lu says is correct. Legend has it that in ancient times, the World-Honored One could walk the moment he was born. Each of his feet stepped upon a lotus flower; pointing one finger to the heavens and one to the earth, he declared, 'Above heaven and below earth, I alone am honored.'"

"To commemorate his birth, this day was designated as the Buddha's Birthday, and the Bathing Buddha activities are held."

Meng Jingzhou chimed in from the side. "Above heaven and below earth, I alone am honored. These words of the World-Honored One are incredibly domineering."

Master Duanchen chuckled softly and said unhurriedly, "It is not strange for Benefactor Meng to have this misunderstanding. Most people in the world misunderstand these words, believing the World-Honored One was an arrogant man, but that is actually not the case."

"The deeper meaning of 'I' here refers to the inherent 'Buddha-nature' within every living being. It refers to the omnipresent essence, the inherently perfect and pure 'True Self,' which is precisely the 'I' in the 'Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity' spoken of in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra."

"The Ruiying Sutra states: 'Above heaven and below earth, I alone am honored. The three realms are all suffering, what is there to enjoy?' Thus, the 'honored' here primarily refers to the grave responsibility of rescuing sentient beings from suffering."

"Therefore, the original intent of this phrase was for the World-Honored One to declare that he was born bearing the mission to save all living things, to deliver them from the bitter sea of life and death, and the same applies to the day sentient beings attain Buddhahood."

Hearing Master Duanchen quote scriptures to help him understand the phrase—scriptures he had never even heard of before—Meng Jingzhou nodded repeatedly, realizing he had indeed misunderstood the World-Honored One.

Within the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy standing on the lotus platform scratched her head upon hearing this.

"Huh? Wasn't that just something I blurted out on a whim after defeating Yingtian Xian and the other three, imitating Yingtian Xian's tone?"

"I thought it sounded pretty domineering and perfectly described my abilities, so I insisted that Yingtian Xian and the others include it when they compiled the scriptures, to show that I was the head of the five ancient immortals."

"Did those words actually carry that kind of meaning?"

Meng Jingzhou pressed his palms together. "I never imagined the World-Honored One held the world so closely in his heart. I misjudged him."

Master Duanchen smiled faintly. "The World-Honored One possessed great wisdom, great perseverance, and a heart of great compassion. I wonder if Benefactor Meng has heard that when the World-Honored One was attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Demon Buddha Papiyas sent three demonesses to flirt and fawn over him, disrupting his meditation. The World-Honored One was unaffected by them; after seven days of meditation, his realization was complete, and he achieved supreme wisdom."

"Upon his enlightenment, the Buddha's light shone brilliantly, illuminating the worlds in all ten directions, and even the four ancient immortals came to offer their congratulations."

"To think such an event occurred." Meng Jingzhou had rarely interacted with Buddhism before, but now, listening to Master Duanchen recount the past of the World-Honored One, he felt a deep reverence for him.

"Speaking of the Bodhi tree, back then I felt my culinary skills had reached mastery, so I wanted to compile a 'Complete Cooking Encyclopedia' to bless countless generations. I wrote that book right under the Bodhi tree. Xiaoling, Lianyi, and Qinghe always loved to swarm around me, asking me to play with them and interrupting my writing."

"Come to think of it, it was rather strange. I recall the three of them had left for some business and shouldn't have been there. Could it have been an illusion someone conjured up, or some kind of inner demon?"

"In any case, my willpower was steadfast, and I wasn't distracted by them. It took me seven days to finally finish the 'Complete Cooking Encyclopedia.'"

"Then Jiuchong Xian dragged over several Golden Crows, glowing so brightly it was blinding, almost burning the newly written book. Later, Yingtian Xian and the other three arrived one after another to congratulate me. I saw them laughing so happily, weeping tears of joy."

Lu Yang watched Meng Jingzhou and Master Duanchen chatting harmoniously, contemplating whether he should reveal the truth about the World-Honored One to his good brother.