I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1578 - Chapter 1578 Chapter 49 Great Zen Master Jingcheng_2

Chapter 1578: Chapter 49: Great Zen Master Jingcheng_2 Chapter 1578: Chapter 49: Great Zen Master Jingcheng_2 Great Zen Master Jingcheng, who had swiftly adjusted his mindset, said indifferently, “This monk was born in a village upstream of the Lai River. At the age of five, a wandering monk from Jing Tai Temple recognized my potential for wisdom. Thus, I severed all worldly ties, left my parental home, and went to Jing Tai Temple to be ordained and practice asceticism. I studied under Master Jueji and learned the ‘Jing Tai Mystical Method,’ ‘Heart Lotus Spiritual Platform,’ and the canonical ‘Pure Bodhi.'”

“Morning lessons, morning meal, noon meal, afternoon meditation, evening lessons. Apart from the five regular sessions of my school, this monk also studied various classic teachings and profound methods from other sects. It took six years to enter the Wisdom Realm (shedding the mundane) and awaken to the Bodhi Path Fruit (bloodline). I then began cultivating the three supernatural abilities of heaven’s eye, spiritual foot, and divine hearing and attempted to integrate Bodhi into the mystical methods, amassing twenty years of profound insights. By relying on the Pure Bodhi method, I attained the Arhat Fruit Rank, acquired forty of the Thirty-Two Auspicious Marks, and took the position of abbot of the Pure Land Zen Temple…”

“That’s enough, that’s enough, the junior knows everything that follows.”

Tang Luo smiled and interrupted Great Zen Master Jingcheng’s account, because if he didn’t, the other party would just start showing off.

The reason Great Zen Master Jingcheng had such a great reputation was that his journey as the abbot of Pure Land Zen Temple was far from smooth.

Before him, there was an acting abbot of Pure Land Zen Temple, who, after serving for a long time, had begun to regard himself as the true abbot.

Yet, deep down there was always a voice reminding him that someday all that he had painstakingly maintained would be taken from him.

So this clever and talented acting abbot began cultivating his own power.

Crucially, from the second-in-command down, all positions were filled with his direct disciples.

Positions such as Sect Head, Western Hall, Chant Leader, and Work Leader, which were key posts, were all held by the acting abbot’s loyalists.

The entire Pure Land Zen Temple was made impregnable, and when Great Zen Master Jingcheng arrived to take office, the acting abbot effortlessly yielded the position, but there wasn’t a single person in the temple who obeyed him.

The story that followed is somewhat cliche; it’s said that under the exquisite Buddhist teachings of Great Zen Master Jingcheng, the disciples of the Pure Land Zen Temple quickly realized their mistakes and tearfully surrendered to him.

As for the acting abbot, he repented his misdeeds and became the first devotee of Abbot Jingcheng.

Such a deed wouldn’t have been anything extraordinary, but according to the records of the Jing Tai Sect, the acting abbot and other officials of the Pure Land Zen Temple, including the Sect Head, were all at the pinnacle of the Arhat’s cultivation!

Therefore, Great Zen Master Jingcheng truly made a name for himself, and the previously obscure Pure Land City gained considerable fame.

A hundred years later, forging the Arhat Golden Body, even the numerous temples in the Buddha’s Country regarded Great Zen Master Jingcheng’s Buddhist practice and Zen comprehension with newfound respect.

The Jing Tai Sect also took advantage of the situation, presenting Great Zen Master Jingcheng as the representative figure of the “Jing” branch.

Therefore, in Tang Luo’s view, Great Zen Master Jingcheng was a thorough Zen practitioner, and such people, when bringing their practice to the extreme, would naturally lack some “common sense.”

This also explains why Great Zen Master Jingcheng created the Brahma Voice Prajna, which seems benevolent but is actually extremely cruel.

Tang Luo’s experience with Great Zen Master Jingcheng’s cultivation convinced him that the old monk was not feigning ignorance; he wasn’t asking questions already knowing the answers, turning Pure Land City into its current state intentionally.

However, Great Zen Master Jingcheng, who had never encountered obstacles in his practice, had no idea where he had gone wrong.

Sighing silently in his heart, Tang Luo leisurely asked, “Great Zen Master, what do you think is eternal happiness?”

“Commune with one’s own nature, observe the Buddha!”

With almost no thought, Great Zen Master Jingcheng blurted out instinctively, his eyes gleaming with child-like sincerity and excitement, “This old monk believes that only happiness discovered within one’s own nature is eternal. All sensations, perceptions, volitions, and consciousness are but empty forms, like illusory bubbles and shadows!”

“Splendid.”

“Clap, clap, clap, clap.”

Tang Luo applauded while praising, “Utter dedication to the path, ultimate joy in the path, Great Zen Master is truly worthy of being the leader of the ‘Jing’ branch of the Buddha’s Country. Your realm is profound and sublime! So, this Brahma Voice Prajna is your earnest and solitary effort to let the followers of the Pure Land Sect experience this same real and eternal happiness, right?”

Great Zen Master Jingcheng just smiled, but his approving eyes revealed his attitude towards this statement.

“Yet, Great Zen Master, have you ever considered whether what you deem as eternal happiness is necessarily correct?”

With a shift in the conversation, Tang Luo looked directly into Great Zen Master Jingcheng’s somewhat astonished eyes and challenged him, “Perhaps, Great Zen Master, believe that the eternal happiness you feel is superior, and that those inferior joys should be discarded?”

“I have never thought that way.”

After a brief moment of astonishment and contemplation, Great Zen Master Jingcheng met the scrutinizing gaze and frankly said.

“Perhaps the Great Zen Master never thought that way, but you have truly acted accordingly.”

Tang Luo said indifferently, “The Brahma Voice Prajna is to strip devotees of all choice, forcing them to feel only the joy that the Great Zen Master has experienced, and if they can’t feel it, they will never have happiness again!”

“How can this be, how can this be…”

Master Jingcheng was somewhat panicked: “Without thought or desire, how can one not feel the universal illumination of Buddha’s light!?”

“They certainly can feel the universal illumination of Buddha’s light.”

Tang Luo shrugged and said, “They just don’t feel any joy. Life is uninteresting, living is uninteresting, actions are uninteresting, endeavors are uninteresting, and being alive is worse than being dead. Has the Great Zen Master noticed how many newborns there have been in Pure Land City since the Brahma Voice Prajna was initiated?”

“This… I haven’t paid attention to that.”

Great Zen Master Jingcheng honestly said, “But procreation is human nature, so there should be quite a few.”

“With such profound attainment in divine hearing, why not listen for the sounds of crying babies in Pure Land City.”

Under Tang Luo’s slightly mocking gaze, Master Jingcheng fully unleashed his supernatural powers, his perception rippling out from the temple like waves and instantly covering the outside world.

In the temple street nearest to the Pure Land Zen Temple, there was no sound of babies crying…

Further away, atop the neighboring treehouses, there were also no sounds of babies crying…

Master Jingcheng’s deeply furrowed features displayed some pain as his supernatural powers reached farther, passing through the holy trees, across Pure Heaven Street, extending all the way into the depths of the rainforest.

But the night in Pure Land City was terrifyingly silent, not to mention the cries of babies, there was not even the intimacy of husbands and wives.

As perception echoed back, Great Zen Master Jingcheng wore a look of alarm and murmured softly, “How…how can this be possible.”

“There’s nothing impossible about it.”

Tang Luo said indifferently, “The idea of extinguishing human desires to pursue the holy path is good, but unfortunately, not everyone can appreciate the joy of seeking the Dao. The renunciations that seem natural to the Great Zen Master are everything to those ordinary people. Without these, they’re not even human, what Dao are they to seek!”

“…”

Rosary beads scattered on the floor, Master Jingcheng was dazed for quite some time before he raised his head and said, “It seems that the monk was wrong.”

“It’s not exactly wrong.”

Watching the old monk’s expression of having lost his nation, Tang Luo seldom offered comfort, “It’s just that this attempt has failed, but the Master’s research still holds immeasurable value.”

There was no response.

For the first time since he began his cultivation, Master Jingcheng, who had always been successful, began to doubt himself as his view of the world crumbled from one point.

This made him start recalling the past, wanting to know how many thoughtless mistakes he had inadvertently made.

How many times he had arrogantly taken his own joy for others’ joy.

The followers of the Pure Land Sect must be… very suffering in their hearts.

Master Jingcheng suddenly stood up, took a step forward, and disappeared into the side hall, followed by dozens of thunderous explosions.

Amidst the rumbling of the earth shaking and the mountains swaying, the faintly ringing sound of Brahma Voice Prajna vanished!

“Shh… This old monk is really impatient, Madam, run quickly!”

Grabbing Yun Xiu, who was still in a daze, Tang Luo tore open the temple doors and soared into the sky, disappearing tens of miles away in the blink of an eye.

“Why do we have to run!?”

Yun Xiu, baffled and caught in the wind, asked through a psychic transmission: “My husband made Great Zen Master Jingcheng realize his mistake; isn’t that a good thing? Moreover, the Master doesn’t seem to be unreasonable, right!?”

“Great Zen Master Jingcheng is naturally reasonable.”

Tang Luo replied, “But the Pure Land Sect won’t be reasonable with us. If the leader of the ‘Pure’ Sect admits that Brahma Voice Prajna is a mistake, then where does the Jing Tai Sect put its face?”

“My husband is worried that the Jing Tai Sect will blame us for this.”

Yun Xiu said in astonishment, “The righteous teachings of Buddha’s Country surely won’t be so petty, right?”