I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 75 Flowers Bloom and I Appear
"Boom!"

The bronze bell rang.

The echoes never ceased.

The monks debating the Dharma at Baima Temple concluded their debate with a smile, saying, "No prying, Dharma practice, and a flower in hand."

In an instant, seven or eight old monks stood up in front of the debate platform, some with white hair and long eyebrows and compassionate appearances, others with solemn and majestic appearances, showing no respect for the royal temple.

The onlookers recognized the eminent monks and whispered among themselves, "Master Juling, this is a centenarian from Guoqing Temple, how could he still stand up and debate the Dharma?"

A middle-aged wealthy businessman also exclaimed in amazement: "There's also Master Puji from Landuo Monastery, who has long been in seclusion practicing Buddhism and detached from worldly affairs, and Practitioner Baina from Jiming Monastery, who has never participated in any Dharma assemblies, yet he has also come to participate in this Ullambana Dharma Assembly debate."

The young man in brocade robes murmured, "Hmph, don't they even know who these two people sitting before the execution platform are? What special meaning does their smile while holding a flower have?"

A lay Buddhist with hair standing nearby explained, "The meaning of holding up a flower is the root of Buddhism and the root of Zen. How can we allow others to take it away? Any temple that can stand on the Debate Platform this year can become a famous temple."

"........."

The monks of Daxing Temple misinterpreted the meaning.

The old monks had absolutely no interest in arguing.

The White Horse Temple's "No Understanding of the Meaning" is aimed at the Buddha's intention in holding up a flower. If we don't argue about it, then this meaning will become the meaning of holding up a flower, which is unacceptable.

There is also fierce competition within Buddhism, and even at the height of a sect's power, some temples may struggle to survive.

The debate on the Dharma, held every four years in Bianjing during the Ullambana Festival, was the best opportunity to make a name for oneself. In addition, the act of offering flowers was intended to highlight the high status of Buddhism, so it was natural to fight for a clear victory.

Even if you can't refute the other party, you must suppress your arrogance to some extent, at least not let the other party's interpretation of the meaning of the poem become a classic.

Venerable Daoxin of Jiushi Temple spoke first: "Why do you think this means 'offering a flower'?"

Wu Kui replied calmly, "This humble monk has proven his point, and the Dharma Master's argument against it requires further proof."

The monk Sanjue of Lingtai Temple spoke up: "When the World-Honored One held up a flower to the assembly, Kasyapa smiled. What was the source of that smile?"

Wu Kui paused slightly before replying, "To hear the true Dharma is naturally a joyful experience..."

Wu Kui, though unable to win a debate against a group of monks, could still stand firmly on the debating platform.

The matter lasted for almost half an hour before it was settled. The National Preceptor, Venerable Wuyuan, walked onto the Dharma platform, set up a banner next to the Ullambana Stone Pillar, and wrote the three characters "White Horse Temple".

Wu Kui stepped down from the debate platform, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead. This year's Ghost Festival debate was several times more difficult than previous years.

"........."

After the White Horse Temple.

Three temples in succession went up to the debate platform, but none of them were able to defend it.

The fourth temple was Daci Temple. Faheng struggled to hold the platform for debating the Dharma, and when he stepped down, his monk's robe was soaked with sweat.

Subsequently, none of the temples that went on stage could withstand the questioning from the monks and had to cover their faces and step down from the debate platform.

Of the three temples with a branch of Yogacara Buddhism—White Horse Temple, Great Compassion Temple, and Kongming Temple—one failed to defend the Debate Platform. Only two banners remained beside the Ullambana Stone Pillar, bearing the names White Horse Temple and Great Compassion Temple.

The monk Faji looked at an old monk with long eyebrows standing next to the National Preceptor and introduced him, saying, "This old monk's Dharma name is Tonghui. He comes from a famous family and has seized upon the loopholes in Faxuan's debates to strike hard. He is indeed a very difficult person to deal with."

Fa Xuan was a Dharma-debating monk of the Vijnanavada lineage at Kongming Temple. He originally had the opportunity to defend the Dharma-debating platform, but he failed because of Tonghui.

Chen Jing laughed and said, "I'm afraid he won't speak. If he dares to ask, I'll kill him."

"Boom!"

A bell rang.

After the monks from Kowloon Temple departed, it was Jinshan Temple's turn to take the stage.

Chen Jing and Faji walked up to the altar and incense-filled ground. Unlike the previous temples, the young monk Chen Jing headed towards the main altar on the left.

[The Buddhist mind seal, manifesting the sacred, transforming form into reality, the fearless lion seal—reflected in the body.]

Chen Jing adjusted his state and ascended the debating platform in peak condition. He looked down at the dignitaries before the platform and the surging crowd, thus exposing himself to everyone's gaze.

Dressed in a pure white monk's robe, he was distinguished and untouched by worldly dust, like a lotus flower existing alone in its own realm of beauty.

Buddhism uses the transformation of appearances to stratagemize truth, manifesting holiness and reflecting one's own image, thereby influencing others.

"Did they go to the wrong place?! Why is the young monk on the main debate platform while the old monk is on the assistant debate platform? What has this young monk done to deserve this...?"

The man looked up and examined Chiba closely, swallowing back the words that were about to come out of his throat, and then changed his words: "He does have some composure."

"Could this young monk be a reincarnation of a Buddha, that he could actually make the old monk give up his position as the main debater and willingly play a supporting role?"

"It's just that I look young. One glance at me gives me the feeling of meeting a person of great virtue. Is the level of cultivation determined by age?"

"Perhaps the old monk wasn't confident in his debating skills and didn't want to lose face, so he gave up the main debater position."

"........."

"Boom!"

Another bell rang.

The discussion abruptly ceased.

Chen Jing remained motionless, silent, maintaining this rare silence.

If Qing Deng were present, he would certainly know what Chen Jing was doing. This is the second instance of silence in the dialogue with the man with the mustache.

This method can promote communication between people, but the prerequisite is that one must have the temperament and aura to suppress this silence.

There was a long silence at the Dharma assembly.

You could hear a pin drop, and you could hear your own heartbeat.

Chen Jingcai made a move, slowly extending one hand, with his index finger and thumb joined together, and the other three fingers naturally extended.

She casually plucked a petal from a magnolia flower in a bowl atop a stone pillar, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she faced the crowd.

"mad!"

"Insanity!"

"Extremely arrogant!"

In an instant, all the monks below the platform glared angrily.

Whether it was a newly ordained novice monk or a centenarian monk, anger was evident on their faces.

Although it remains quiet, a terrifying storm is brewing.

This is not a simple act of picking flowers, but rather a transmission of Dharma seals.

This means that at this moment, I am the teacher of all the monks below, and you should respect and honor me, listen silently, and not be disturbed by external things.

At the same time, by imitating the Buddha's gesture of holding up a flower at the Vulture Peak assembly, his perspective differed from that of all the other monks who debated the Dharma.

They are interpreting the meaning of the teachings from the perspective of a student, and it is understandable that their interpretation may be incomplete or one-sided.

Chen Jing then transformed himself into a Buddhist monk and preached the Tao, leaving himself no room for maneuver.

Seeing that the atmosphere at the Dharma assembly was off, very off, Li Zhi whispered to Venerable Wu Yuan, "It was just a simple action, how could it make these self-proclaimed peaceful monks so angry?"

Master Wuyuan gripped his prayer beads tightly and replied coldly, "This little monk's action is not simple. It includes both the act of offering a flower and the transmission of Dharma. It is equivalent to saying that I am the teacher of all monks, I am the Buddha of all beings, and that Your Majesty and I are also included. This Ullambana Festival will probably go down in history!"

Jin Chi, sitting in the audience, was sweating profusely. He could foresee that after this Ullambana Festival, Jinshan Temple would definitely become famous throughout the world, but he didn't know whether it would be a prestigious reputation or a laughing stock.

Chen Jing ignored all of this and finally spoke up to argue: "I observe the meaning behind the flower, and the flower blooms to see me."

(End of this chapter)