I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 47 Journey to the West
One million! One million!

Chen Jing had anticipated that cultivating immortality would be expensive, but the fact that even materials from the real world could cost a million was still a bit beyond his expectations.

Click to view the exclusive information provided by 'A Great Dream of Cultivating Immortality'. It is extremely detailed, comprehensive, and specific, like the roots of a large tree with clearly defined veins.

Even if the data wasn't contaminated, it would still take several days to organize, which might even give Chen Jing the illusion that it was worth the money.

In an instant, Xuanzang's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures became clear, and by analyzing these materials, one can even clarify the general outline of Buddhist history.

[During the eight hundred years of Buddhism's westward transmission, its doctrines underwent revisions and additions to better adapt to the East. As the doctrines matured, distinct sects emerged, marking the first period of Buddhism's flourishing.]

At that time, there were two relatively popular schools of thought in Buddhism: those that emphasized inquiry into the Way and those that revered Buddha-nature.

The concept of "Dao Wenxue" (道问学), as the name suggests, advocates seeking the root and origin of knowledge, and gradually building a system of practice to support one's doctrines.

[Respecting one's Buddha-nature is much simpler: chanting scriptures, paying homage to the Buddha, and exploring one's own Buddha-nature, believing that as long as one is devout enough, one can attain enlightenment.]

[There was a problem with seeking knowledge in Taoism: at the time, the accumulation of knowledge was insufficient, and there simply wasn't enough knowledge to build a systematic understanding.]

[However, there is also a problem with the concept of Buddha-nature: Where does Buddha-nature come from? Humans only have human nature. Whether it is truth, goodness, beauty, or compassion, one can only cultivate to become a human Buddha, not a true Buddha.]

[Thus came the saying that Buddha-nature is innate and inherent. This is understandable for ordinary people; if they fail to cultivate it, it's because their wisdom is insufficient. But for someone like Xuanzang, who has thoroughly studied the Tripitaka and crossed the threshold of spiritual practice, it seems rather illogical that he hasn't found his Buddha-nature.]

[However, being able to deceive most people is enough to sustain the sect's spread. Young monks are tricked into becoming old monks, and naturally, wise old monks will see through it. Anyway, one's level of spiritual cultivation is unknowable, and others don't know whether I've truly achieved enlightenment or not. So what if I say I have?]

Xuanzang traveled to India, the birthplace of Buddhism, to seek the true scriptures, precisely because he was concerned with the question of the origin of Buddhahood.

True scriptures cannot be carried on palm leaves; breaking through the illusion requires self-enlightenment. The journey to the West is not as simple as checking off a list and collecting a few books. Xuanzang combined his Eastern learning with Indian learning to attain Mahayana enlightenment, becoming the highest achiever of Buddhism in India. So-called true scriptures are merely evidence of one's own doctrines.

[Only after returning to the East, translating Buddhist scriptures, and perfecting the Buddhist system of inquiry and practice did countless people follow him. Otherwise, Xuanzang was not the only one who went to India to make his mark; his return would not have caused such a sensation at the time.]

Logically speaking, the Daoist school of thought should have been able to ride the wave of Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India and overtake the Buddhist school of thought in one fell swoop.

But the truth is quite the opposite. The school of thought that reveres Buddha-nature proposes that everyone possesses Buddha-nature and everyone can become a Buddha. Who can resist that?

The Daoist school of thought emphasizes aptitude and innate wisdom, making it inaccessible to 99% of people. But the Buddhist school claims I can become a Buddha! Regardless of the truth of that claim, it's worth a try! It's better than having no hope at all in the Daoist school.

Consequently, Buddhist and Taoist schools of thought were almost entirely excluded from the wealthy class upon which Buddhism was rooted. (The wealthy class: not only merchants, wives of officials, noblewomen, and sons of nobles, but also kings and nobles without real power.)

However, Buddhism had already flourished at that time, spreading from the top down to ordinary people. The Yogacara school still had fertile ground to survive, with a famous figure like the patriarch Xuanzang and the great achievement of his pilgrimage to India. Could it have relied on its past glory to avoid complete decline?

The decline of the Yogacara school was primarily the responsibility of Xuanzang.

Xuanzang was an honest man, a Buddhist monk who had spent half his life studying Buddhist scriptures in India. How could he possibly be a match for an experienced monk from the East who had weathered many storms in the world of Machiavellianism?

Hearing the fallacy that everyone possesses Buddha-nature, Xuanzang, mindful of Buddhism's reputation, while not directly condemning the school that emphasizes Buddha-nature as fraudulent, did respond: "Not everyone possesses Buddha-nature, just as stubborn iron, no matter how much it is hammered, will not develop metal-like qualities." [The doctrines of inquiry and practice were only circulated among the wealthy and powerful, but Xuanzang's words effectively cut off the future of the Yogacara school!]

[For ordinary people, cultivating immortality is too far-fetched, but you, old monk, are cursing me to never become a Buddha? Why should I believe you?]

[Don't even mention your pilgrimage to the West; even if you brought back Shakyamuni Buddha, it would be useless.]

Why couldn't Buddhism thrive in its native India? Didn't it have any idea?

The Yogacara school couldn't survive for several decades after Xuanzang's death, but the abbots of those temples weren't fools; they knew Xuanzang's Yogacara theory was valuable. Therefore, although the Yogacara school collapsed, it was able to coexist as a lineage with other Buddhist schools.

In the years that followed, many eminent monks and virtuous masters also promoted the Yogacara school, but its doctrines remained a niche interest and could not be widely disseminated.

【………】

"Wonderful! Wonderful! No wonder it is the most prosperous of the three religions. It is outwardly evasive but inwardly shrewd, welcoming all comers. It is truly ingenious that a religion can pull off such a brilliant operation under such circumstances! If Buddhism does not flourish, who will?"

Chen Jing rarely praises others sincerely, so this praise was absolutely heartfelt.

From the perspective of Buddhist and Taoist schools of thought, a master of the Yogacara school returned from India and successfully established a Buddhist practice system. He could have easily defeated the pseudo-Taoists who claimed to be Buddha-nature. However, his righteous fist failed to strike, and he inexplicably stumbled and destroyed himself!
From the perspective of the Buddhist school of thought that reveres Buddhahood, the swindler who was originally a fraudster who traveled around swindling people in order to spread his teachings was unfortunately found to have committed fraud by the true master, who then pressed him with the momentum of the Journey to the West. In such an absolutely disadvantageous situation, he not only turned the tide but also recruited the true master and completely cleared his name as a swindler.

This is no longer about Li Gui killing Li Kui and becoming the real Li Kui; rather, it's about Li Gui killing Li Kui and transforming himself into Song Jiang.

It's magical; it's magical no matter which perspective you take it from. It's unbelievable, defies common sense, and is even more absurd than a novel.

"........."

However, these sordid matters have little to do with Chen Jing; what really needs attention is the Yogacara school.

The Yogacara school in the cultivation world—Galan Temple—also exists as a lineage, and it inevitably incorporates many settings from the contemporary Yogacara school.

"As a lineage holder of the Yogacara school, if Master Faji possessed the true teachings of Yogacara, how could he possibly pass them on to Chiba?"

"It is almost impossible to reunite the scattered lineages of the Yogacara school and rebuild the Yogacara school. It is easy to break up and split up, but it is difficult to reunite. Over a thousand years, new things must have emerged, unless a second Xuanzang appears."

"Difficult, extremely difficult. To play it true is no less challenging than becoming a Buddha or a patriarch. It's far too difficult. But we can learn from the school of thought that respects Buddha-nature. What does it matter if it's fake? As long as you deceive people to the point that even if you're exposed, they won't believe it's fake, then the fake becomes real."

"If I show ambition in this regard, display some talent, and change my goal to trick people into giving me the true Dharma of Consciousness-Only, the difficulty will be within an acceptable range."

"…………"

[For those experiencing a reading slump, I recommend two wizarding novels: *Starting from the Corpse Immortal* and *Wizard: Surviving in the Steam Age with Some Demon Hunting*.]

(End of this chapter)