My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1071 Misunderstanding?

"The fundamental doctrine of the Chan sect is to elucidate the Way of Heaven. Isn't the most important thing the accurate definition of basic concepts?"

Zhao Mingcheng said with a serious expression, looking like an old scholar who was nitpicking over details and words.

"If the definitions of basic concepts are inaccurate, how can you guarantee that your interpretation of the Way of Heaven and the omens of the Way of Heaven that you convey to all living beings are accurate and without error?"

Yun Zhongzi was taken aback and said, "You are also a cultivator. When you reach a certain level of cultivation, we immortals can sense it. Our feelings should be like this. How could we be wrong? Even if my cultivation is insufficient and my understanding of the Heavenly Dao is not accurate enough, how could the Primordial Golden Immortals and Saints, whose cultivation is countless times higher than mine, be wrong?"

"Based entirely on conjecture? Blindly believing in authority?"

Zhao Mingcheng shook his head and sneered, "Daoist, I see you are a smart person, so how come you are so similar to an illiterate person who is extremely rare in the Demon Alliance these days?"

"Why don't sages make mistakes? In the eyes of you disciples of the Chan Sect and the Western Sect, didn't my Tongtian Jiaozhu (Master Tongtian of the Jie Sect) commit a grave error? Our Jie Sect's sages can make mistakes, but your Chan Sect's sages are always right? Are you applying double standards?"

Yun Zhongzi was repeatedly criticized and wanted to refute, but he didn't know where to begin.

Instead of continuing the verbal argument, Zhao Mingcheng began to speak eloquently, explaining: "'Human' is a complex issue that spans multiple disciplines such as philosophy, biology, sociology, and anthropology. Different disciplines have defined the essence and boundaries of 'human' from their own perspectives. These definitions are interconnected and also have different core concerns about 'what makes a person human'."

From a biological perspective, humans are "Homo sapiens, capable of walking upright and possessing a highly developed brain."

From a philosophical perspective, humans are beings capable of rational thought and self-shaping.

From a sociological perspective, a person is an individual who assumes social roles and abides by cultural norms.

From an anthropological perspective, humans are a species capable of creating tools and building civilizations.

As expected of someone who has been a teacher for decades, Zhao Mingcheng's explanation was profound yet easy to understand and well-organized. Even Yun Zhongzi, who had never received education on the new knowledge system of the Jie Sect, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Yun Zhongzi never expected that the basic concept of a "person" could be broken down and analyzed in such a way.

"If humanity flourishes, then demons, monsters, and all creatures 'born from eggs and moisture' should decline and give way?"

"Is this how your Chan Sect interprets omens of Heaven?"

"The concept of a human being clearly has four definitions, but you only use the biological definition. Isn't that a bit too simplistic and straightforward?"

"When Heaven sent down the omen of 'the great flourishing of humanity,' did you interpret it as the pure human race should flourish and suppress all intelligent races that are not pure humans? Was this a clear mission from Heaven, or did you just try to be clever and assume that Heaven's omen was meant for you to do this?"

A few questions made Yun Zhongzi sweat. You must know that he is a Golden Immortal with a flawless body, and can almost perfectly control all physiological reactions of his physical body.

At this moment, his Dao heart was in great turmoil, and he had already lost some control.

What is a human being?
As a celestial being of the Chan Sect, he began many years ago to follow the will of Heaven and the needs of the people, to travel among humans, to slay demons and monsters, and to do his utmost to support the human race.

After so many years of hard work, looking back and thinking carefully, it seems that I have never really thought about what kind of "person" he was supporting in accordance with the will of Heaven.
"If demons could think rationally, shape themselves, assume social roles, abide by cultural norms, create tools, and build civilizations..." "What makes you think they aren't human?"

Zhao Mingcheng's question pierced Yun Zhongzi's Dao heart like a sharp knife.

Yun Zhongzi wanted to say something unreasonable: "I could tell at a glance they weren't human! Their skills were mere child's play, they didn't even consider me worthy of their attention, Great Mighty Heaven..."

But how can someone so fierce and domineering be considered a righteous immortal who understands the principles of heaven? How is he any different from the vicious monks of the Western religion?
He also wanted to argue that the demon race, like dogs, could never change their cannibalistic ways and would never be able to maintain order and civilization.

But when he thought of the multi-racial integrated city under the rule of the Demon Alliance that he had seen with his own eyes and lived in, he couldn't bring himself to utter such blatant lies.

“My wife is a demon, my child is a half-demon, and it doesn’t matter whether my students, whom I am so proud of, are demons or monsters. In all these years I have been with them, I have never thought that I am any different from them, and I have never treated them as less than human.”

"And you, you think you can convince me to betray everything I love with such narrow-minded and extreme racist ideas as polluting bloodlines? If I don't treat them as human beings, then I'm not human either, I'm just an animal!"

At this point, Zhao Mingcheng's tone became noticeably more agitated, suppressing boundless anger: "You call yourself an immortal, but from a biological perspective, you're not human. From a philosophical, sociological, and anthropological perspective, you are still human. It's fine if you deny your human attributes and don't want to be human; there are many things in this world that are clearly human but don't act like humans. But don't drag me into this. I find the waters of your cultivation world too dirty!"

Yun Zhongzi swayed slightly. His opponent was only at the Mahayana stage, far inferior to Yun Zhongzi in cultivation level. In the past, Yun Zhongzi regarded cultivators of this level as mere ants.

However, the other party did not use any supernatural powers or magic. With just a few words, he was stabbed like a dagger and a spear, leaving him completely wounded and ashamed.

"The omens of the flourishing of humanity, as ordained by the Heavenly Way, are, in your Chan religion, understood by elementary school students as the genocide of intelligent beings who are not human."

Zhao Mingcheng's eyes gleamed as he proudly declared, "In my Jie Sect, we teach without discrimination, endowing all intelligent beings with human philosophical, sociological, and anthropological attributes, transforming all non-humans into humans!"

"If there are more and more people, and all living beings are 'people,' wouldn't humanity flourish?"

Zhao Mingcheng has not yet become an immortal, nor has he been granted a divine title by the Jade Emperor, but at this moment, the radiance of humanity emanating from him makes Yun Zhongzi feel ashamed of himself.

At that moment, Yun Zhongzi couldn't help but feel a little doubt about the Chan Sect's doctrines.

He suddenly realized why his wisest senior brothers among the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect—Cihang Daoren, Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun, Samantabhadra, and Julusun—had resolutely switched allegiance to the Western Sect after the Chan Sect's great victory in the Investiture of the Gods war.

While Western religion may not be much more advanced than Chan religion, there is one doctrine that Chan religion lacks—the doctrine of universal salvation.

Could it be that centuries ago, they realized something, discovering that the doctrines of the Chan Sect and the Human Sect, which only value the human race, seemed to have some fundamental problems?

"Tsk... There's nothing new under the blazing sun."

Wen Rui sighed and casually interjected, "The policies from above are all very good, but unfortunately, those below often misunderstand them. Even gods can't escape this fate."

(End of this chapter)