Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 593 My Buddha is Merciful
The boy's eyes froze, his throat moved slightly, and he felt increasingly hungry and his mouth was dry.

He looked up slightly at the Buddha statue in front of him, his heart pounding like a drum.

Perhaps these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas don't care?

A thought popped into Tu's mind: if these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are truly compassionate, they will surely bestow blessings upon all sentient beings.

The boy shakily stretched out his thin, sallow, rough hand and grabbed a pastry that looked delicious.

When the boy realized what he was doing, he had already taken a small bite of the pastry.

The delicate pastries melt in your mouth, with an unparalleled sweet and delicious flavor.

Sweet! So sweet!

The boy had never tasted anything so sweet before, and he was trembling uncontrollably—from fear, surprise, pleasure, and unease…

The boy was eating pastries, tears streaming down his face.

Tears streamed down her rough, dirty cheeks, leaving clear streaks.

Perhaps his parents who died of illness and his elder sister who passed away have already atoneed for their sins, been reincarnated and are now living a good life, and are eating such delicious food?
Just then, a large hand came from behind the boy and grabbed him.

"Be bold!"

A sound like thunder rang in the boy's ears.

Tu felt as if his arm was about to be crushed. He turned around in alarm and saw a burly monk in the temple.

The monk glared angrily, his eyes seemingly blazing with fury.

In an instant, the boy's mind went blank, buzzing.

The monk carried the skinny boy as if he were a chick, and dragged him out of the Buddha Hall and all the way to the outside of the main hall.

There were many worshippers inside and outside the main hall.

Some people couldn't help but glance at the monk carrying a lowly commoner.

The monk waved his hand and slammed the picture heavily to the ground.

Tu's body shuddered, and he regained his senses in pain.

Instantly, Tu curled up, trembling uncontrollably, his heart filled with fear and unease.

The monk's voice boomed like a bell: "He defiled the Buddha altar and stole the offerings! Cut out his tongue and chop off his hands!"

Everyone reacted differently upon hearing this, as such a thing had never happened before.

How dare a lowly commoner commit such a heinous act in a temple!

In an instant, the expressions on everyone's faces changed, some showing schadenfreude, some disdain, some curiosity, and some shock...

No one felt pity, and no one thought there was anything wrong with what the monk said.

In their view, this is the proper way.

The elderly woman came running when she heard the commotion. When she saw the boy lying on the ground, she felt as if the world was spinning.

The old man immediately knelt before the tall monk and kowtowed repeatedly.

“Cut out my tongue, cut off my hands, I am guilty, I am guilty!”

The old man's voice trembled as he repeatedly begged for mercy, tears blurring his vision.

The monk remained unmoved, his eyes sharp as an eagle's and fierce as a wolf's, staring intently at the boy, about to draw the sword from his waist to carry out the punishment.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light shone upon the area.

A mysterious and profound aura wafted over, bringing a sense of peace and warmth.

The crowd was affected and turned to look, only to see a man who was ten feet tall suddenly descend.

The tall figure was bathed in golden light, wearing a magnificent robe inlaid with countless pearls and jade. A golden halo swirled above and behind his head, and golden lotus flowers bloomed at his feet, making him incomparably sacred.

It was as if the Buddha or Bodhisattva in the temple had manifested in person and descended upon this world.

Some people with sharp eyes immediately knelt down, their expressions filled with excitement.

"This humble one pays homage to the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva!"

Everyone present immediately knelt down in worship, their faces filled with utmost piety.

The three living bodhisattvas in the temple rarely appear before the saints.

Nobles from the city would come to the temple to burn incense every day, but they would rarely see the living Buddha even once a year.

No one expected to meet one of them today, especially the most famous and supposedly most powerful Bodhisattva of Great Compassion.

They are now bathed in the golden light of the Bodhisattva, a rare blessing indeed.

The young man was in excruciating pain. He slightly opened his eyes and looked at the descending living bodhisattva. He saw that the other party had a compassionate expression that gave people a sense of intimacy.

His expression was somewhat blank, not understanding why this Bodhisattva would come at this time. Was it because of him? But he was just the most lowly person.

"My Buddha is compassionate!"

The compassionate Bodhisattva stood unmoved and spoke slowly: "Sentient beings are ignorant, like ants! The sea of ​​suffering is vast, but the Buddha's grace is boundless! Let him go, let him go..."

The moment the Bodhisattva spoke, he demonstrated his compassion.

However, the compassionate Bodhisattva soon added, "You have indeed committed a sin by defiling the Buddha altar and stealing the offerings. Therefore, I will punish you by rendering you unable to speak for the rest of your life to atone for your sins!"

Having said that, the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva turned and gracefully departed.

The boy lying on the ground suddenly felt as if an invisible force was gripping his throat.

But that strange feeling quickly disappeared.

Upon hearing this, everyone was deeply moved by the great compassion of this living bodhisattva, and they knelt there with even greater devotion.

Even after the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion disappeared from everyone's sight, no one immediately got up.

Unseen, wisps of spiritual energy drifted towards the direction where the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva had departed. The old woman was moved to tears, repeatedly murmuring, "Thank you, Bodhisattva! Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your compassion! Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your compassion..."

The monk standing nearby looked disgusted and snorted coldly, "Get out! You are not allowed to enter this place again. You have truly defiled this sacred place."

The old woman quickly helped the boy up, and the two of them, supporting each other, slowly moved out of the temple, dragging their unsteady legs.

Those around them avoided them like the plague, looking at the grandfather and grandson with complicated expressions.

It was only because they were kind-hearted that they made the boy suffer the torture of having his skin peeled off and bones pulled out.

Two hunched figures slowly descended the mountain, gradually moving away from the temple.

Tu's eyes were unfocused. Suddenly, he raised his nearly severed arm, opened his hand with trembling hands, and in his palm was a small piece of pastry that had become dirty.

The boy looked at his grandmother, opened his mouth as if to say something, but could not make a sound.

What he wanted to say was that the offering was very sweet, and that the Bodhisattva had already forgiven him; he wanted his grandmother to try it too.

The old man looked at the boy, his cloudy eyes becoming blurry again.

……

The towering Bodhisattva of Great Compassion arrived at a grand hall deep within the temple.

When the monks saw it, they all knelt down and bowed in respect.

The compassionate Bodhisattva asked softly, "Are there any pilgrims coming?"

A monk quickly said, "Three people have arrived, all of whom possess great willpower, and we were just about to report to the Bodhisattva."

The Bodhisattva of Great Compassion said, "Yes, bring them to see me."

Having said that, the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva transformed into a golden light and departed for his underground palace.

The bright palace was filled with a pale golden Buddhist atmosphere.

In the center of the main hall stands a lotus platform, made of pure gold and inlaid with dazzling jewels.

The Bodhisattva of Great Compassion appeared on the lotus platform and sat in quiet meditation.

After a short while, a monk arrived with three pilgrims.

The three pilgrims had already bathed and changed clothes in the temple, dressing themselves up nicely and changing into clean attire.

However, their extremely thin figures still revealed the many hardships they had endured.

Within these emaciated bodies lies an incredibly devout heart devoted to Buddhism, and the purest, most resilient soul.

Upon seeing the compassionate Bodhisattva, these pilgrims could not contain their excitement and knelt down to worship.

The Bodhisattva of Great Compassion looked at the three people in front of him and a smile appeared on his lips.

"I have felt your devotion, and I will grant you the opportunity to be reborn in the Pure Land!"

The pilgrims were excited upon hearing this, and their hearts were filled with anticipation.

In the next instant, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion radiated golden light, and his already imposing figure grew even larger.

In the blink of an eye, a large black roc appeared, with a tuft of golden feathers on its head and its whole body radiating Buddhist light.

Before the three pilgrims could react, their souls were extracted from their bodies and swallowed by the Roc's open mouth.

"The soul of this pilgrim is indeed pure in its Buddhist nature."

The roc gave a sinister smile, and a moment later, it transformed into the form of the compassionate Bodhisattva, sitting quietly on a lotus platform to cultivate itself.

The idea of ​​being reborn in the Pure Land is nothing but a rhetoric to deceive the ignorant.

These pilgrims have endured hardships along the way, and those who reach the holy city have already had their minds and souls tempered to an extraordinary degree.

In this way, it became a suitable object for the practice of the three bodhisattvas.

The Bodhisattva of Great Compassion is actually a roc demon.

It was originally a Peng bird kept in a temple in the State of Wei. Later, it escaped from the temple, met some demons along the way, became friends with them, and came to this harsh land to cultivate.

Because these demons lack orthodox demon cultivation methods, they find it difficult to break through to higher realms.

However, the Peng bird was well-versed in Buddhism, so it adapted the Buddhist teachings it knew and spread the new teachings in this region to bewitch people and ensure their spiritual practice.

As the Peng bird said before, all living beings are ignorant, like ants.

They quickly made Buddhism flourish here, and built a holy city with many temples, attracting many believers.

These demons also began to study profound Buddhist scriptures. At first, due to the conflict between the demons' and Buddhas' auras, their cultivation progressed slowly, to the point that some demons gave up on Buddhism.

However, the Peng bird and several other demons persevered and broke through the previous restrictions.

Three of them even reached the Profound Realm.

That's right. The three most accomplished Bodhisattvas in the temple are only at the Tongxuan Realm, not true Bodhisattvas.

They call themselves Bodhisattvas of great compassion, great mercy, and great virtue, but they only hope to reach that state themselves.

As for attaining enlightenment and becoming a Buddha, that's just wishful thinking.

The Peng birds don't have the thick skin to put such a high hat on themselves.

Because this place is located in a remote and harsh land, far from powerful dynasties, they have been causing trouble here for many years without any human powerhouses noticing.

Some local practitioners had long been killed or subdued by them.

This place has become dominated by Buddhism, and people are divided into different classes with strict and distinct hierarchies.

The rule here has always been stable, and no one has caused any major disturbances.

Whether they were high-ranking nobles and landlords or the lowest commoners, they had all been brainwashed by the Buddhist teachings brought by the Peng birds, and their hierarchical thinking was already deeply ingrained.

(End of this chapter)