"Master, you said that the vast Buddha Dharma can save all sentient beings. And you also said that Master Jie Xian is more proficient in Dharma than you. You may not be able to catch up with him in your lifetime. Am I right?" Li Ke looked at him and asked. .
"Yes." Xuanzang nodded. This was what he said, and he naturally dared to admit it.
"I dare to ask the master, this Harsha Dynasty divided people according to the so-called caste system. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras divided people into different levels. The Buddha emphasized the equality of all living beings, but here The Harsha Dynasty cannot make all living beings equal, let alone the untouchable class, Dalits.”
"And these people are the largest in number, so I would like to ask, Master Jiexian's Buddhism is so profound, why haven't he saved all sentient beings?" Li Ke asked in a calm tone, "Then since Master Jiexian's Buddhism is even more profound than yours, why has it not saved all sentient beings?" Even the wise masters cannot achieve the vastness of the Dharma and save all sentient beings. Then, master, what is the meaning of your behavior?"
Xuanzang: "..."
He was almost confused by Li Ke's series of rhetorical questions. Along the way, he naturally knew how miserable the untouchables and Sudras, the largest number of people, lived in the society of the Harsha Dynasty.
"Your Highness, different countries have different situations, not to mention that the kings and nobles of Harsha Dynasty do not believe in Buddhism." Xuanzang said helplessly.
"Oh, but this is the birthplace of Buddhism. The country here once believed in Buddhism. Since Buddhism can save all living beings, it must be that the country is rich and the people are strong. If the country is rich and the people are strong, then why will the country perish? As the birthplace of Buddhism, here Once upon a time, the entire country, from the king to all the people, believed in Buddhism. Does this mean that Buddhism is of no use? Is it harmful to the country and all people to believe in Buddhism?" Li Ke asked curiously.
Xuanzang: "..."
"Your Highness is wrong. We don't know what happened in the past dynasties, but if the poor monks work hard to spread the Dharma, they can naturally save all sentient beings." Xuanzang took a deep breath and said.
"What if my father and I ordered the extermination of Buddha? It would be like the extermination of Buddhism during the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties." Li Ke looked at him calmly and asked.
Xuanzang: "..." He pursed his lips and didn't know how to answer this question for a while, because this person was not someone else, but King Qin of the Tang Dynasty, a prince. If he dared to say this, he might be Really, how did that make him answer?
"I believe that since His Highness saw me, it would be impossible for him to do such a thing." Xuanzang took a deep breath.
"That's not sure. If the Tang Dynasty destroys the Immortal Buddha, it depends on whether Buddhism is useful to the Tang Dynasty. In other words, whether Buddhism is useful to the rule of the Tang Dynasty royal family. If the harm outweighs the benefits, then the Buddha must be destroyed. "." Li Ke was discussing the matter, "So, even if you are proficient in Buddhism, Master, and will be useless to the Tang Dynasty in the end, I will still destroy the Buddha. I dare to ask Master, how do you save all sentient beings?"
Xuanzang was silent, because... this did not seem to be based on human power, "Then what His Highness said, how can we not destroy the Buddha?" Xuanzang took a deep breath, his heart was not shaken, but he felt that he could not be His Highness King Qin continued to ask questions like this. If he continued to ask questions, he felt that he would be in bad shape.
So he has to take the initiative to attack.
"Of course Buddhism is useful to the Tang Dynasty. For example, the Tang Dynasty is constantly expanding. In Nanyang, the Tang Dynasty has added a lot of new territories, and many believers in these lands believe in Buddhism. If we cooperate with the Tang government, Propaganda allows them to gradually identify with the Tang Dynasty and integrate into the Tang Dynasty. Of course, the Tang government will not destroy Buddhism, but even so, Buddhism will still be under the official management of the Tang Dynasty." Li Ke said with a smile.
"This is not a Buddha." Xuanzang uttered four words.
"Well, yes, this is not a Buddha, at least not the ideal Buddha described in your Buddhist scriptures, but this can allow Buddhism to exist, give you more believers, and make you influential. It can make more people Avoid military disasters, avoid harm, and live and work in peace and contentment under the rule of the Tang Dynasty government, the people are peaceful, and no longer wantonly rebel and cause disputes. Then save all the people from the fire and water." Li Ke smiled widely.
"This is not a Buddha, this is a tool, a tool of the ruler. This is not the Buddha in my heart. This is not why I study Buddhism and study Buddhist scriptures." Xuanzang said with a frown on his face. He probably understood that the King of Qin was here. Why? It turns out that Buddhism becomes a tool of the ruling class.
"Yes, I know. Didn't you say that the purpose of studying Buddhism is to save all living beings? Since it is to save all living beings, if you follow the ruler's footsteps, you can save all people from fire and water, and you can save all living beings. Maybe as time goes by , subsequent rulers can also believe in Buddhism.”
"But if you don't do this, it will be useless for you to study Buddhism. You can't save all sentient beings. Isn't your ultimate goal to save all sentient beings? If you can't save all sentient beings and you can't expand Buddhism, what's the point of studying this Buddhist scripture? Use? To satisfy yourself? If it is just to satisfy yourself, for yourself, then I have nothing to say, this is a personal choice." Li Ke nodded matter-of-factly.
Xuanzang: "..."
It was an objection, one he couldn't answer.
"I don't know whether I can succeed or not, but this is my pursuit and vision. No matter whether it can be realized or not, it is possible if I do it, but if I don't do it, it will never be realized." Xuanzang looked calm and said From the beginning to the end, I never talked about Buddhism, Buddhist scriptures or Buddhist verses with Li Ke.
Because he knows that the King of Qin in front of him has no understanding of Buddhist scriptures, and it is useless for you to tell him this.
He had some understanding of His Highness King Qin's character. He had heard a lot about his reckless behavior on the way to Tianzhu.
"Look, the topic has come back again. If you serve in the Tang Dynasty, you can influence the emperor. If you influence the emperor, you can save the people. You can save the people. You can also save all living beings and save them from the fire and water, although they may not be in the fire and water. Among them. But if you learn any Buddhism here, the result is that you can’t do anything, and you may be doing useless work all your life.”
"Master, isn't the purpose of your vast Buddha Dharma to save all living beings? Now that you can save all living beings, what's the point of the vast and unextended Buddha Dharma? If you insist on adhering to the vast Buddha Dharma without saving all living beings, is it putting the cart before the horse and violating Buddhism? Where are the five precepts? I guess Buddha is not like this, right?" Li Ke looked at him and said.
Xuanzang looked at Li Ke. He didn't even know what His Highness was going to do.
But I have to say that these words of His Highness made Xuanzang's mind no longer calm.
