Since the beginning of the world, the current Three Realms have been the most harmonious among all races.
Except for the occasional demon-slaying and demon-elimination operations in Beizhou and the local disputes caused by Sanzang's journey to the west, the overall environment of the Four Continents and the Four Seas is still relatively stable. This also provides a relatively stable environment for Zhenjun Erlang to supplement the law of heaven. Stable environment.
Fengxian County.
Because the Great Sage directly summoned the Jade Emperor and Erlang Zhenjun to show their sage, the father and son of the prince and son did not dare to neglect.
The people in Fengxian County are also simple and honest. In addition, it is located in Tianzhu and has long been exposed to Buddhist teachings. There is no single family in this city who does not take refuge in good deeds, pay homage to Buddha and respect Heaven.
That's it.
Fahai felt a little more at ease. After all, if bandits and demons were still rampant in Tianzhu like in foreign countries, even he himself didn't know what trouble would happen once he went to Lingshan Mountain.
The master and disciples stayed in Fengxian County for a few days, and Tan Zai learned about the customs of Tianzhu, and then set off to continue west.
Boom!
There was a thunderous sound in the air.
The master and the disciples looked up and saw among the clouds the four generals of Lei Department, Deng Xin, Zhang Tao and Lady Lightning, doing the exercises in mid-air.
The roar of thunder and the pattering of lightning.
It attracted a whole county of people to open their doors and look around.
"The Nine Heavens Thunder Mansion congratulates Master Tripitaka on his arrival in Tianzhu. The Heavenly Lord orders us to use thunder to support him!"
Boom!
There was another loud noise that shook the sky, and the purple golden snake was struck by lightning, and thunderbolts flew across the mountains.
There were only a few thunders here, but under the Lei Mansion, several gods from the Wind Department, Cloud Department, and Rain Department also appeared one after another. For a time, there were a series of strange phenomena in the sky, causing the people of Fengxian County to kowtow uncontrollably. Worship.
Later, the eldest prince of Xihai appeared as a dragon and stirred up the clouds and breathed mist——
The dragon kings from all over the world gathered together and congratulated: "The master has traveled westward and has sent down rain to congratulate him."
When Fahai saw this, he thought: Why make such a big noise?
But this was, after all, the Jade Emperor's personal test. In addition, the falling rain also benefited the people of Fengxian County, so Fa Hai accepted it calmly.
With this good rain, there will definitely be a bumper harvest next year. As the saying goes, there will be many smooth millet fields and a bountiful harvest. When the weather is smooth and the people are happy, and the Haiyan River is clear and peaceful, there is nothing better than this.
"Let's go."
The master and the apprentice were walking in the rain. Since it was rain, the rain was not too heavy. The master and the apprentice did not use magic to block the rain, so they walked slowly westward.
The prince and the commander of the county looked at the retreating figures of the five masters and disciples, and suddenly said: "In addition to the Zhenjun Temple and the Dragon King Temple, let's build another temple."
"Okay." Everyone nodded.
Someone asked: "I wonder what the name of the temple is and which Buddha it is enshrined in?"
The crowd was noisy again.
The prince's son said: "How about worshiping Master Tripitaka?"
"Inappropriate." The prince directly rejected it and said: "The matter of worship is not a trivial matter. It is a contract between heaven and earth. Master Sanzang just passed by our county. Although a vision came from the sky to send the master on his way, it has nothing to do with our county. If you rashly establish It is really an outrageous move to lower yourself to a golden body to offer sacrifices.”
"The words of the county princes are mature." The county princes all agreed.
The young people around me all said that they had become more knowledgeable.
Nowadays, the sacrificial activities in the Three Realms have been streamlined a lot, both in terms of rules and processes.
But it is undeniable that since ancient times, humans have had their own rules whether they are offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods or to immortals and Buddhas.
Forget about those gods who have been famous in the three realms for a long time. Monks like Master Tripitaka who consider themselves to be ordinary monks obviously have great restrictions on setting up temples to offer sacrifices.
Especially among the human race.
Those who built temples to worship Tripitaka's masters and disciples, such as Baoxiang Kingdom, were also linked to the destiny of their country.
This is one of the reasons why when King Li Tian saw Nezha setting up a temple without authorization and accepting incense offerings from the people, he angrily smashed his palace's golden body.
As for the temples built by the goblins for Master Sanzang, there are not so many restrictions. After all, it does not involve the luck of the human race, and Master Sanzang has always had a reputation for slaying demons and transforming little demons. They just simply worship. It doesn't hurt to bow down.
How can these little monsters offer sacrifices?
It was just for peace of mind, so Fahai did not stop their behavior. This was considered a way to make them do good, and there was no need to care too much. Even if there was some cause and effect, Fahai was willing to bear it.
Things in Fengxian County are naturally handled by the people in this county. As for building a Buddhist temple, it doesn't take much effort for them. Even if they can't decide on the main enshrinement, they can just use Tathagata Buddha or Guanyin Bodhisattva. The golden body is displayed correctly.
The name of the temple had already been decided, so it was called Ganlin Puji Temple.
Fengxian County is already the outermost state and county of Tianzhu Kingdom. Going westward, there are no mountains and rivers, and the road is smooth.
"As expected of the great country of Tianzhu." Bajie looked at his master and asked, "Master, how is this country of Tianzhu compared to the Tang Dynasty?"
"When it comes to territory, it's probably similar." Fahai only said this and didn't make any further comments.
The Great Sage smiled at the side and said: "Master is saying that except for the territory, this country of Tianzhu is not as good as the Tang Dynasty?"
Fa Hai glanced at him and said with a smile: "There is no need to say too much as a teacher in the land of China in the Central Plains. You will have your own feelings after returning to Chang'an after studying the scriptures."
But it has to be said that the foundation of Buddhism in Tianzhu is far from comparable to that of the Tang Dynasty.
However, along the way, I also visited several Buddhist temples and debated scriptures and Buddhism with the abbots and elders. However, the results were not satisfactory, and Fa Hai was even slightly disappointed.
There are even some Buddhist temples that do not practice Buddhism, but only recite the Buddha's name.
He once saw a monk in a temple, each holding a wooden fish in his hand and muttering something in his mouth, but the only thing he could repeat over and over again was "Namo Amitabha".
It is said that if you recite the Buddha's name, Fahai has come since the Song Dynasty. He naturally knows the Pure Land Sect, one of the eight sects in the Central Plains, and is good at this method.
Although some misguided people, or laypeople who are not proficient in Buddhism, still only recite the name of the Buddha.
But the essence of it lies in the fact that only after the three sutras, including the "Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra", "Amitabha Sutra" and "Infinite Life Sutra", as well as "The Theory of Rebirth", can be fully understood, can one truly understand the Buddhist teachings contained therein.
Otherwise, if you don’t even understand the sutras and just recite “Amitabha”, even if you recite it 10,000 times a day, what’s the use?
However, some people with evil intentions have used this method to confuse many people.
After all, compared with other sects, there are many restrictions on practice, but Pure Land sect only needs to recite the name of the Buddha to be reborn in bliss. How will all sentient beings choose?
The results speak for themselves.
Fa Hai has always believed that there is nothing wrong with Buddhism, but those who are wrong are those who use Buddhism to achieve their own selfish desires.
There were many sutra debates along the way, and there was almost no rival. Some Buddhist temples bullied them that they were foreign monks. However, they still wanted to take action, but Fahai used a nine-ringed tin staff to hit them all over the head. Only then did they become truly convinced.
Bajie even said: "Master, it is indeed a foreign monk who knows how to recite sutras."
Or maybe they are still outside Tianzhu and have not met the real eminent monks yet, but Fahai is still looking forward to it. After all, even if these monks in Buddhist temples have some magic power, they are still ordinary people after all.
On this day, the master and his disciples were respectfully sent away by a group of monks from a Buddhist temple.
After walking a little further, Bajie said with emotion: "Master, with this action, you have destroyed the cultivation of all the monks in this temple. Aren't you afraid that the Buddha will blame you?"
"Amitabha." Fahai recited the Buddha's name first, and then said: "If they were an ordinary Jianghu sect, they would turn a blind eye as teachers. But as Buddhist sects, they do not practice Buddhism, but only practice supernatural powers. They have completely gone astray. , this is the way to become a demon."
This Buddhist temple is completely crooked, even more crooked than I was before I came to this world.
Back then, it was not that I was deficient in Buddhist practice, but that I had a problem with my thinking. I was completely different from this group of barbarian monks who did not practice Buddhist scriptures at all.
As a fellow disciple, Fahai was still willing to help them get them ashore and return to the right path.
"You idiot. Didn't Master just say that it just sealed their cultivation, not abolished their cultivation." The great sage said from the side, "As long as they can catch up with their Dharma advancement, their magical power cultivation will naturally can recover.”
Xiao Bailong asked out of curiosity: "Master, what level of Dharma cultivation do they need to reach in order to break the seal?"
The monks didn't dare to ask about this, so Fahai naturally didn't say anything.
The Great Sage followed Xiao Bailong's words and said with a smile: "Since it is the seal given by the master with the Dharma, it is natural that it must be in the same state as the master."
"Scared!" Bajie screamed and said, "That means it can't be untied? What's the difference between being crippled?"
"No." Fahai rarely explained, "As long as their Buddhist realm is able to control their magical powers, the seal will be released naturally."
Bajie was thoughtful, because he remembered what his master once said: If a person's Buddhist practice is deep enough, then they have no need for supernatural powers.
If they wait until they can rely on Buddhism to break the seal, will they not care about the magical powers they have practiced in the past?
Isn’t this still useless?
What's the difference?
It seems so, but Bajie once asked Master, "Master, how do you achieve such profound Dharma and Dharma power?"
"The most important thing is the heart." This is how Master explained his doubts at that time: "If you only pursue supernatural powers and practice Buddhism, you will ultimately fail in both; those who can truly understand Buddhism will not pay attention to supernatural powers."
Not taking it to heart does not mean that you don’t understand, don’t know how, or don’t practice.
Where is Master's heart?
Of course, it is to cut off karma and protect lives, so it is not strange that Buddhism and magic power go hand in hand.
Bajie thought again, what about the Bodhisattva's heart? Where is the heart of Buddha? Where are the hearts of so many powerful Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Lingshan?
He couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he put it aside. As a "cook", why should he always think about these things?
Let's just think about what to eat tonight and leave those troublesome things to Master.
In fact, for these monks, the real test is here. If they practice Buddhism in order to unlock the seal, they are going in the opposite direction or on the wrong path.
So unless someone who is beyond Fahai's Dharma takes action, this seal will never be broken for the rest of his life.
Fahai had good intentions in order to help them find their way back. Even if they went to Lingshan, the Buddha could not blame him and had to praise him.
Perhaps because of his Buddhist background, Fahai has a compassionate heart towards ordinary people, even little monsters.
But maybe it has something to do with his past as the abbot of a temple, or maybe it's because he now has the responsibility of being the most powerful monk in the world. Fa Hai can no longer tolerate sand in his eyes when it comes to fellow monks.
There were stops and starts along the way, because there were many Buddhist temples in Tianzhu, and the reputation of Master Tripitaka had gradually spread in Tianzhu. Every time he debated scriptures and discussed Buddhism, people would always watch.
Therefore, the pace is much slower.
After all, this is Tianzhu, and not all Buddhist temples have a false reputation. Along the way, Fahai has met many eminent monks who are truly profound in Buddhism, and both parties have gained something.
Whether it is the understanding of Hinayana or Mahayana Buddhism, there is a completely new understanding.
Not only Buddhists, but also a heretic master of "conformity to the world" discussed Taoism with Fa Hai late at night, and he also benefited a lot.
This walk brought us to the late autumn of the following year.
But I saw that the water marks were gone, the mountains were thin, the red leaves were flying, and the yellow flowers were in time.
After the five masters and disciples had been walking for a long time, they saw the shadow of the city wall again. Xiao Bailong smiled and said: "Master, there is another big city ahead, and there must be some eminent monks in the city."
In the past, when outside Tianzhu, Xiao Bailong was responsible for exploring the way.
Now that he has passed through many cities in Tianzhu, there are not many monsters along the way. Xiao Bailong specially sends greetings to various major Buddhist temples for his master. Because he is coming to study Buddhism, not to stay, so he must be polite.
Be polite first, then reasonable.
As everyone was walking forward, they suddenly saw an old man walking out of the bushes, holding a bamboo stick, wearing light clothes, a pair of brown shoes, and a flat belt around his waist, blocking the middle of the road.
He didn't block the road on purpose. He was startled when he saw Bajie's appearance and shouted: "Monster!"
He almost fell down, but Xiao Bailong hurriedly stepped forward to help him, and then he stood firm.
Xiao Bailong said in defense, "Don't be afraid, old man, we are not monsters."
The old man was trembling, holding his cane, and looked at Xiao Bailong and Master Sanzang for a while, and then he asked cautiously: "Where are you from, elder?"
Fa Hai clasped his hands and said, "A poor monk came from the East to the Tang Dynasty."
"Tang Sanzang!" The father-in-law immediately touched his palm and said, "I understand, you are Tang Sanzang, right? You are an eminent monk from the Tang Dynasty who came to Tianzhu to debate scriptures and discuss Buddhism on the orders of the King of Tang!"
Fahai paused and then said: "My father-in-law made a mistake. The King of Tang sent me to learn the scriptures."
"Get scriptures?" The old man waved his hand, "I've heard that none of the monks in the Buddhist temple in the east can be your opponent. Even if they were defeated by you, they would all be convinced by someone as profound as you. Why do we need to travel all the way from the Tang Dynasty to Tianzhu to learn Buddhist scriptures?"
"Amitabha." Fa Hai recited the Buddha's name and said seriously: "I don't know, but this Buddha Dharma is the true realization of more than one hundred thousand people who traveled westward."
When the father-in-law heard this, he was in awe and saluted Master Tripitaka.
After Fahai returned the gift, he asked: "I am looking at the city wall in the distance at the treasure house. I don't know where it is. I would like to ask the old benefactor for advice."
(End of chapter)
