I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 69 Basic Buddhist Principles
Strange phenomenon!!
The Buddha preached the Dharma.

The monks worshipped.

Is this the extraordinary phenomenon contained in the Buddha's tongue relic?
The monk Guangzhi stared at the relic in a daze. As the abbot of Baima Temple, he had long known about the legends of the relic's extraordinary phenomena, but he had never actually witnessed them.

At this moment, the white jade lotus shines brightly, the Shakyamuni relics are bathed in the first golden light of dawn, and extraordinary phenomena are revealed accompanied by the chanting of monks.

One after another, illusory monks appeared out of thin air in the misty light. There were more than ten illusory figures, mostly old monks with long beards and eyebrows, who devoutly worshipped around the relic and listened to the lingering echoes of the Buddha's teachings left behind by this tongue relic.

"Pfft!"

The monk Guangzhi's knees buckled, and he knelt down to worship the relics, just like the illusory figure in the light and mist.

Li Zhi made no move, not believing in the extraordinary signs of Buddhist affinity. Did every emperor have a connection with Buddhism?
The former emperor of the Tang Dynasty once secretly entered a Buddhist pagoda to pay homage to the relics, but as long as the news was kept secret, no unusual phenomena would occur. Although the principle behind the unusual phenomena of the relics is unknown, it was definitely manipulated by humans.

"Such extraordinary phenomena are enough to make a non-Buddhist person feel reverence for Buddhism, and even bow down to the Buddha."

Li Zhi couldn't help but turn his gaze to Qianye, wanting to see how humble this Buddhist monk would be toward the Buddha's relics. After all, even Guangzhi, this fake monk, knelt down to worship, so how devout must a real monk be?
However, Chen Jing remained calm and looked at the relic with curiosity.

It wasn't like the fervor one feels when seeing a religious object; rather, it was like appreciating natural scenery such as colorful clouds, sea of ​​clouds, evening breeze, or snowscape.

While his gaze was said to be looking at the relics, it was more accurate to say that he was looking at the phantom image of the great monks surrounding the relics.

"…………&……"

"A ghost!"

"This is a spirit!"

"It has no substance and is even difficult to manifest, which is somewhat similar to the ghost in our understanding."

Chen Jing figured out a bit of his doubts. The cultivation world is not reality. The Yogacara sect has mastered the true methods of manifesting sainthood, such as the Fearless Lion Seal of the monk Faji.

Although being chased all over the mountain by dozens of thieves is quite different from the image of a cultivator who can fight against a hundred people and destroy a country single-handedly, he has indeed reached the threshold of manifesting sainthood and has a natural advantage in dealing with mortals.

The fact that the Buddha-nature school was able to defeat the Yogacara school clearly indicates that they must have possessed some extraordinary abilities.

Seeing the extraordinary phenomenon of the Buddha's relics, I finally understood the logical reasoning behind the rise and fall of the two schools of thought.

Indeed, whether in the real world or the cultivation world, when it comes to packaging and marketing, the Buddhist school is far superior.

The extraordinary methods possessed by the Venerable Buddha School are most likely—the Yin Spirits.

Chen Jing had always wanted to see the full picture of the Yin Spirit.

Unfortunately, I don't have spiritual eyes. Even if I maintain my full mental state, I can only vaguely sense the evil spirits. I didn't expect the other party to take the initiative to manifest!
"Waaaah..."

Chen Jing scrutinized the yin spirit that had materialized from the light mist.

Although he tried his best to appear as a devout worshipper, one could still feel the pain in the changing light and shadow, as if a snowman were melting under the scorching sun.

Weak!

Very weak.

Even if the cultivation world has a rule distortion: Manifestation Miasma.

Even spirits can only barely take shape through light and shadow.

In terms of power, their strength is nothing more than the power of a speck of dust, not even as great as that of a young child. However, weakness does not mean that the power of the spirits is insignificant.

For example, nowadays, creating the illusion of Buddha's relics only requires successfully bewitching an emperor, and the resulting value is immeasurable.

"........."

When the red sun turned golden, the extraordinary phenomenon of the relic ended.

Li Zhi looked at Guang Zhi kneeling on the ground and just wanted to kick him on the shoulder.

You were promoted to abbot of Baima Temple to make Buddhism more controllable. I don't know how the relics phenomenon was formed, yet you've started worshipping them! You're more devout than a real monk. You can't be relied on to control Buddhism; instead, you're about to be converted!
After calming down, Li Zhi suddenly asked Chen Jing, "Master Qianye, what do you think of this unusual phenomenon of the relic?"

Chen Jing replied, "It's quite beautiful, as melodious as the song of the thornbird."

Is praising dance and magic tricks as beautiful disrespectful to the Buddha's relics? And what kind of bird is the thornbird?

Li Zhi, who considered himself well-read, had never heard of this bird before and asked, "What kind of bird is the thornbird?"

Chen Jing replied, “It’s a bird that only exists in stories. Legend has it that this bird only sings once in its life. From birth, it searches for thorn trees. When it gets its wish, it will throw its small body into the sharpest and longest thorn, singing with blood and tears. Therefore, it is the most poignant and beautiful bird.”

Li Zhi recalled carefully that the monks who devoutly worshipped the relics seemed to truly harbor a resolute sorrow.

Unable to resist asking, "Does Master Chiba know how the phenomenon of Buddha's relics was formed?"

I've only just learned about the existence of spirits; I have absolutely no idea how they are born, what kind of beings they are, or how they can be controlled.

Chen Jing shook his head: "This humble monk does not know, I will just take it as a sight to behold."

Li Zhi was not disappointed. If the secret of Baima Temple could be exposed with just one glance, it would not have been able to deceive the royal family for hundreds of years.

Chiba's performances in killing, empty paper return, and Buddha's relics were all extremely impressive, completely different from the monks he despised.

Unable to resist speaking, he said, "It's still early. I wonder if the Venerable Master would be willing to answer some of my questions about Buddhism."

Chen Jing remained seated on the futon, waiting for Li Zhi to ask him questions. He nodded and said, "This humble monk would be more than happy to oblige."

"........."

After a moment's thought, Li Zhi asked the question he was most concerned about: "I observe that Buddhist teachings, with compassion as their facade and cause and effect as their doctrine, and the pretense of reincarnation, often contradict the laws of governance and common human nature."

Chen Jing replied, “Buddhism is the human mind. Early Buddhism came from the West and made many adjustments to suit the East. It can change according to the human mind, and should not contradict the law, reason, or emotion.”

Li Zhi continued, “But that’s the reality. I have personally witnessed criminals escape into monasteries and escape punishment, and I have also seen Buddhist believers burn fishing nets in the name of reducing killing, which nearly caused a fisherman’s family to die in the cold winter.”

Chen Jing replied, “This is not a fault of Buddhism, but a mistake of Zen, which has led people astray from the true meaning of Buddhism.”

Li Zhi had already learned the principles of killing and the theory of eagles and rabbits from Chen Jing, so he naturally knew the fallacies in them.

Therefore, without any questions about Buddhism, he continued, "The West has been spreading Buddhism for over a thousand years, so why is this situation still occurring?"

After a moment of thought, Chen Jing replied, "Human nature, Buddhism and demons have always been two sides of the same coin. There are some people in the world who call themselves Buddhists, but their level of attainment is no different from that of ordinary people. Yet they want to enjoy the honor of being a highly accomplished monk."

"If one is unable to elevate one's own spiritual level, then one can only lower the level of understanding of the world, mislead people with Zen riddles, and make basic Buddhist principles ambiguous. Naturally, these people become enlightened monks and are sought after by people."

(End of this chapter)