I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 52 There is no Buddha in the world
Daxing!

The Yogacara school!
These two words are completely unrelated.

Chen Jinghua spent one million to purchase materials on the prototype of the Yogacara school, so he naturally knew that the Yogacara school was not suitable for proselytizing.

However, nothing is absolute; rise and fall are inherently relative.

Faced with the monk Faji's anger, Chen Jing calmly said, "The core of the Yogacara school is advanced Buddhist knowledge. It is too highbrow and has few followers. The sectarian disputes are naturally incompatible with the Yogacara school, and of course it cannot be a match for the school that respects Buddha-nature."

"As long as Buddhism flourishes, the Yogacara school can never surpass the Buddha-nature school, but what if there is no Buddhism?"

His words were truly shocking, and the monk Faji's expression changed drastically. He exclaimed incredulously, "You want to destroy Buddhism?"

“Master, please calm down. The Buddha cannot be destroyed; only Buddhism can be destroyed.”

Using his Buddhist demeanor to suppress Faji, Chen Jing explained, "The Yogacara school actually cultivates Buddhist studies and is a Buddhist school. In reality, it has little to do with Buddhism. Its foundation is made up of elites who are well-versed in Buddhist studies and seek a higher level of Buddhist knowledge."

"The Yogacara school seems to be inseparable from Buddhism, which spreads Buddhist teachings, but in fact there is no necessary connection between them."

While it is true that the Yogacara school studies Buddhist teachings, Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes helping others and therefore must spread the Dharma widely, thus it also belongs to Buddhism.

If the true Dharma had not fallen into the lineage of the Buddha-nature school, it would have made the transmission of the Yogacara school even more difficult. The Yogacara school is willing to transmit the true Dharma to anyone who can cultivate this Dharma.

The monk Faji said, "Without Buddhism, how could there be scholars who are well-versed in Buddhism, and where would the Yogacara school find its roots?"

Chen Jing walked to the altar and sat down on the prayer mat, asking, "Old man, which of the three religions, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, do you think is the most prosperous?"

Faji suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and replied, "Buddha has the most believers!"

Chen Jing nodded and then shook his head: "Actually, it's not that Buddhism is the most prosperous; it's that of the three religions, only Buddhism remains."

"Teaching means to educate and enlighten. If one has already conveyed one's ideas to the world, then there is no need for a sect to exist."

"The three teachings all gave rise to sects when their doctrines matured. The initial goal of each sect was undoubtedly to spread its own ideas to the people of the world, and the target was naturally the people of the world."

"In the world, people live and die, but those who preach are more valuable than those who believe in religion. The most valuable target is undoubtedly the person with the highest power—the emperor. The emperor is the primary target of the three religions in their missionary work."

“The ideas conveyed by a sect are called a family. At first, the family and the sect rise and fall together. Once the sect has experienced a period of great prosperity, it becomes that when the family prospers, the sect declines, and when the sect prospers, the family declines.”

The monk Faji fell into a brief moment of contemplation before speaking, "The rise of religion leads to the decline of families; what proof do you have?"

Chen Jing knew that Faji had wavered, so he pushed out a futon to indicate that he should sit down and talk in detail. He continued, "Take the other two religions as examples. Confucianism is the most successful. Its doctrines are in line with the monarch. When one person is preached, Confucianism is integrated into a class. The superiors set an example for the inferiors, and in the process, the ideas of benevolence, propriety, trustworthiness, and the gentleman are conveyed to the world. Confucianism achieved its goal from the beginning, so Confucianism has almost no presence."

"Taoist non-action is the way to govern the world, but it does not fit with the monarch, let alone integrate with the ruling class. The people are the masters of the world, so it can be considered to have found a foundation. However, the people do not read, so it is extremely difficult to spread the religion. It is also a top-down strategy to spread the religion."

"After several periods of rise and fall, Taoism has successfully incorporated the concepts of non-action, the highest good is like water, and the dialectic of Yin and Yang into its teachings. Everything related to worldly affairs, whether it is the stories told by storytellers, historical texts, or the gossip passed down in the countryside, all carry a corner of the Taoist scriptures."

"Taoism successfully inscribed its ideas into everyone's thought model, thus rendering Taoism a mere shell of its former self. It no longer fulfills its mission of proselytizing, becoming merely a place to provide faith to the masses and a gathering place for Taoist practitioners of the 'limitless' Taoist philosophy." "…………"

Chen Jingyan ended there, abruptly stopping without mentioning Buddhism.

Looking at the mottled Mahayana statue on the altar, Abbot Faji had enough time to think.

The monk Faji sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes lowered as he contemplated his inner thoughts, falling into a long, deep silence.

As a Buddhist disciple, I have never heard such a heretical theory.

Two of the three religions have already retired, leaving only Buddhism which has not yet succeeded. To revive the Yogacara school, one must first destroy Buddhism, which is simply... alarmist.

The monk Faji wanted to find a flaw in Chen Jing's theory. He finally found a point to attack, but he found the answer in an instant.

"I see. Buddhism is the only outsider among the three religions. It took a lot of time to adapt Buddhist teachings to suit the East. One step slowed down, and the next step was slow. When the teachings matured and became a religion, the first great flourishing occurred during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the second great flourishing occurred during the Tang Dynasty."

"Although it may not be as compatible with the monarch as Confucianism, like Taoism, it is enough to accomplish the mission of spreading the teachings after several ups and downs."

"It's just that the minds of Buddhist monks are no longer pure. Nowadays, Buddhism doesn't actually want to decline or prosper. They use Zen riddles and puzzles to deliberately make basic Buddhist teachings obscure and difficult to understand, making it hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood, thus maintaining the situation of the religion's prosperity and decline."

"If we simply transmit Buddhist thought to the world and let Buddhism perish, then the Yogacara school will naturally flourish, enabling those who seek the Dharma to obtain the true and correct Dharma."

"Great prosperity leads to ruin—this aligns very well with Taoist thought, and it's truly deeply ingrained in people's minds!"

After a long while, the monk Faji opened his eyes and a smile appeared on his lips.

As a disciple of the Yogacara school, I found that with just a little detachment and by setting aside the inherently emotionless Buddhist stance, this theory is quite easy to accept.

He asked impatiently, "How can we make Buddhism flourish and then perish?"

Chen Jing withdrew his gaze and replied calmly, "This disciple is already doing it!"

"The school of Buddhism that respects the Buddha's nature intends to use falsehood to swallow truth. Why not learn from them and use truth to swallow falsehood? As long as disciples can become eminent Buddhist monks and virtuous masters, and follow their example to promote the abolition of riddles and Zen koans, the goal can be achieved naturally."

Master Faji was inexplicably shocked, and only then did he connect Chen Jing's unusual behavior of going to the scripture hall to listen to the Dharma every day. His joy turned to sorrow: "Knowing the true Dharma but proclaiming the false Dharma is karma, sin, an immeasurable sin. You have only been a disciple for three months! I see an opportunity for the great prosperity of the Yogacara school, and I am willing to endure the fire of karma to burn, and use my body as a sacrifice to pave the way for you."

Chen Jing knew that Monk Faji truly cared for Qianye, and that those who pave the way often end up badly. He shook his head and forced a smile, saying, "This disciple has long said that I am willing to bear this sin wholeheartedly. If I don't go to hell, who will?"

"Moreover, it's not that I look down on you, but in terms of appearance, you really can't compare to me. Even if you give up your inner convictions, what are your chances of becoming a high monk who can influence the entire Buddhist community in your lifetime?"

Faji was suddenly shocked to realize that Qianye had transformed from a novice monk into a renowned enlightened master in just one month. A sense of powerlessness washed over him, and he closed his eyes and sighed, "So, I don't even have the right to help you bear this sin."

(End of this chapter)