Chapter 56: One sentence can make one become a Buddha instantly and resolve all causes and effects?

As Zhang Xiaochun's last words fell, the atmosphere in the entire Great Hall froze instantly.

Abbot Puhong was particularly upset. His heart was churning as if it were burning with fire. He couldn't help but ask himself, "Is it really wrong for me to open the gates of the mountain to more people?"

Then he immediately denied it: "No, I am right, I am doing it for the great cause of Buddhism, and the current state of Tianyin Temple is due to this action."

"I am a sinner? I am a sinner!"

"I am a Buddhist and I am in charge of human affairs. What's wrong with that?"

For a moment, two thoughts collided violently in Abbot Puhong's mind, making his face uncertain, sometimes bright and sometimes dark.

The atmosphere in the hall became extremely depressing, and everyone's eyes were focused on Zhang Xiaochun, as if he was a unique demon who was determined to destroy the faith foundations of this thousand-year-old temple one by one.

"Brother! Don't listen to this devil!"

"Brother! Amitabha! Only by sticking to your original intention can you achieve your goal!"

The two monks Pu De and Pu Kong also spoke with concern.

But Zhang Xiaochun seemed not to notice all this. He just stood there quietly, his eyes deep and a hint of amusement at the corners of his mouth.

Decided to add another fire!

He said calmly: "Abbot Puhong, it has been a hundred years since you took office. It is undeniable that Tianyin Temple, as the leader of the righteous path, has indeed protected some people.

But look at what you wear and use, which one is not offered by believers? Even tigers, leopards and livestock have leaders who will protect the tribe. It is the natural thing for Tianyin Temple to protect those believers and pilgrims who offer offerings to you.

Ordinary people have the saying that one should be loyal to the emperor and eat his food. It is even more so for cultivators like you who receive support from him and should naturally protect the area.

To me, it looks like a deal.

There is no way to educate sentient beings, no way to persuade people to be good. All living beings are ignorant, the weak admire the strong, and many of them follow them like ants.

In a hundred years, Tianyin Temple has accumulated such a legacy, taking from the people but not giving back to the people. What about a thousand years?

One day, people's hearts will change, and your Buddha will be burdened by this prosperity, immersed in these pavilions and palaces paved with gold and jade, and slowly decay.

It will only become a high and mighty, cold Buddha who cannot hear their prayers, see their sufferings, and is ignorant of the sufferings of sentient beings. How can such a Buddha convince people?"

Zhang Xiaochun’s words were not groundless, but were taken from the "Sutra on the Extinction of the Dharma" in the world of Under One Person.

The Buddha told Ananda: "After my Nirvana, when the Dharma is about to perish, the five evils will turbid the world, and the devil will flourish. The devil will pretend to be a monk and destroy my way. He will wear ordinary clothes, like to wear robes and colorful clothes, drink alcohol and eat meat, kill for greed, have no compassion, and hate and envy each other...

Since the coming of the Communists, morality has not been cultivated, temples have become deserted and abandoned, and have fallen into ruin without any repair.

But they are greedy for money and possessions, they accumulate them without dispersing them, they do not do good deeds, they sell slaves and maids, they cultivate fields and plant crops, they burn mountains and forests, they harm sentient beings, they have no compassion, they make slaves into bhikkhus and maids into bhikkhunis, they have no morals, they are promiscuous and disorderly, they do not distinguish between men and women, they make the Way weak, all because of these people.

This sutra is a description of the tragic situation when Buddhism and Buddhist teachings will be completely destroyed in the late Dharma Ending Age before the Buddha entered Nirvana.

Today, Zhang Xiaochun pointed this out, and his words were like a sharp sword, pointing directly to the foundation of Buddhism and exposing the bloody interest relations involved.

Abbot Puhong was speechless, but his heart was surging and difficult to calm down. He really couldn't imagine how restless people would become thousands of years later when Tianyin Temple suffered from this prosperity and vanity.

By then, will Buddhist disciples still be Buddhist disciples?
Is the Buddha he believes in still the same Buddha?

He knew that everything Zhang Xiaochun said was true, but he couldn't accept such a truth.

"I-I am a sinner, the sinner who founded Tianyin Temple, the sinner who made a mistake and almost dragged Tianyin Temple into the abyss of hell!"

"puff!"

Abbot Puhong's heart was broken, and his blood was flowing backwards. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. His face was uncertain. He felt that he had been self-destructive by his indulgence in the past. "No wonder the abbots of Tianyin Temple in previous generations did not choose to open the mountain gate. I thought that what I did was for the prosperity of Buddhism, but in fact it was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst.

The wisdom of the predecessors, the teacher of the future generations, I arrogantly changed the old rules of Tianyin Temple, but in the end, it was just a waste of time and nothing at all! "

"All this is because I covet the fame and wealth that Buddhism will gain in my hands. As a mortal, we cannot escape the pursuit of fame and wealth!"

Abbot Puhong became more and more frightened the more he thought about it, and there was a hint of unwillingness mixed in with his regret.

"No, no, no, this is the result of more than a hundred years of hard work. I have managed Tianyin Temple to this point. As long as Tianyin Temple is prosperous and strong, who dares to find fault with me?"

Suddenly, a few traces of demonic energy appeared under the Buddha's light of Abbot Puhong, and his originally kind-hearted expression became somewhat hideous and terrifying.

One thought can make you a Buddha, one thought can make you a devil. Buddha is born from the heart, devil is also born from the heart. Buddha is born from the devil, devil is born from Buddha. The two are like the yin and yang poles of the mind, opposing each other, and yet Buddha and devil are one.

Puhong's Buddha heart was broken and he was taken advantage of by external demons.

Zhang Xiaochun's sharp tongue actually made it seem as if the abbot of Tianyin Temple, Puhong, was becoming possessed.

Of course, if Abbot Puhong is given some time, he can use his cultivation to suppress the evil thoughts in his heart, and may even be able to break through the confusion and reach a higher level of spiritual attainment.

However, Zhang Xiaochun did not give him any chance to think, and continued to press on. He continued coldly: "Abbot Puhong, you four great monks, your six senses are not pure, you are unworthy of being disciples of Buddhism!"

"Today, I, a demon, came here for no other reason than to seek justice from you, a righteous man."

"Where is the justice for the villagers who died because of Puzhi's evil deeds? Where is the justice for those innocent people who died tragically under the golden bowl of the Buddha decades ago because of the arbitrary killing of the holy monk Pukong?

If you really had no guilt in your heart, then the monk Pukong would not have gradually retired to Tianyin Temple. Did he really choose to retire because he was getting older and his understanding of the Buddha's meaning was getting deeper? "

At this point, the most fiery-tempered monk, Pukong, who was sitting nearby, could not help but lower his brows and look down, chanting a Buddhist mantra with a look of regret: "Amitabha, well done, well done!"

Even the monk Pu De, who had been silent the whole time, looked even more sorrowful. Originally, his face was dark and his face was thin due to his practice of "bitter Zen". Now with these two factors combined, his skin was loose and wrinkled, and it was almost impossible to see his facial features.

They were the leaders of the righteous sect of Tianyin Temple, but they were attacked by a demon who came to the gate to seek justice.

It’s really... ridiculous!

"Humph!"

Zhang Xiaochun sneered: "It seems that I was right. This peaceful place of Buddhism is filled with people with foul-smelling hands!"

"Put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha right away. What a great way to become a Buddha!"

"I have never cultivated good deeds in my life, and I only love to kill and set fires. Suddenly, I loosened the golden rope and tore the jade lock. With one sentence, I became a Buddha instantly, and I have resolved all the karma?"

"Today, I will destroy the Buddha's light in Tianyin Temple. In my opinion, there is no need to keep these temples and buildings!"

"How dare you, thief!"

Abbot Pu Hong suddenly raised his head and shouted, "You want me to waste my life's hard work and lose it all in one day? It's impossible!"

"Ah!"

"Looks like I have to do it after all!"

"Come on, all three great monks. I am not afraid of you!"

After saying that, Zhang Xiaochun turned around and walked out of the hall, stepping on the tortoise-patterned pot and standing in mid-air, as if he was ready to take action at any time.

(End of this chapter)