Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 613 All conditioned phenomena
At night, the moon and stars are rare.

In the distance, the distant roars of wild beasts could be faintly heard from the mountains and forests.

Xu Ying led Lu Zheng on a tour of the caravan's camp, telling him stories and anecdotes in hushed tones.

In one part of the camp, several guards were gathered there, flipping through books and muttering to themselves.

Lu Zheng looked closely and saw that the people were reading Buddhist scriptures.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do the martial artists here also like to chant scriptures?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ying said, "Most of them read Buddhist scriptures, and some even want to practice Buddhism..."

In the State of Wei, Buddhist monks held a very high status, so becoming a legitimate Buddhist disciple was not easy.

Besides having the aptitude for Buddhism, you also need connections to get you started.

If the relationship is right, even without enlightenment, a high-ranking monk can enlighten one and lead one into Buddhism.

However, even if one enters the Buddhist order through self-cultivation without connections, without the status of a formal monk, one will still face exclusion.

In the Wei Kingdom, Buddhism and Taoism were also divided into sects, with numerous large and small Buddhist forces, different schools of thought, and a rather complex network of relationships.

However, the people in the caravan were not so particular about studying scriptures. They only hoped to get a basic understanding and be able to recite a few verses to ward off evil spirits, which would give them some protection.

Xu Ying couldn't help but ask, "Has Young Master Lu read any Buddhist scriptures?"

Lu Zhengdao: "I've read some of it and understand a little bit about it."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ying said, "It's been said that Young Master Lu is proficient in various schools of thought, and it seems that's indeed the case. Everyone says you're good at writing books; if you could compile a Buddhist treatise, that would be even more remarkable..."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "That's an exaggeration."

He is currently focusing his energy on Legalist studies, and has no intention of writing Buddhist scriptures or anything like that.

However, he possessed Buddhist scriptures that were not publicly known, works created by a master from a previous life.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Lu Zheng's mind.

He can extend some of the ideas of the Taiping Sutra to other places, and perhaps he can also use Buddhist scriptures to regulate the current Buddhist community.

By conveying one's salvation philosophy to the world through various methods and subtly changing people, one can gain more support...

Seeing that Lu was deep in thought, Xu Ying remained silent and did not disturb him.

After a while, Lu Zheng came to his senses and looked at Xu Ying, asking, "Has the young lady entered the Buddhist order?"

Xu Ying said, "I used to receive guidance from a Buddhist practitioner above me, and I know a couple of Buddhist incantations that can scare away ordinary demons and ghosts."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "It seems that you have some talent for Buddhist cultivation. I have something to say to you."

"what?"

Xu Ying immediately became interested, not understanding what Lu Zheng was planning to do.

Lu Zheng smiled calmly, used his finger as a brush to draw in the air, and began to write words without using any spiritual power.

As Xu Ying watched Lu Zheng gesture, words appeared in her mind.

All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; thus should they be viewed.

In just a few breaths, a complete Buddhist saying appeared in my mind.

In an instant, Xu Ying was shaken to her core, as if struck by lightning.

This sentence seemed to carry a special power, enlightening people and bringing clarity to their minds like a gentle spring breeze.

Within Xu Ying's body, a pure Buddhist aura emerged, even more refined than the Buddhist power she had previously cultivated.

In a flash, Xu Ying felt she had grasped some profound truth. But that feeling only lasted a very short moment before fading away, as if it were a fleeting moment of inspiration.

In just a short while, Xu Ying seemed to have been enlightened by a high monk, and her temperament and spiritual cultivation were greatly improved.

In Xu Ying's mind, that sentence transformed into a gentle Buddhist chant, still echoing in her sea of ​​consciousness, and did not immediately dissipate.

Xu Ying turned to look at Lu Zheng, her eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.

"This, Young Master Lu, you..."

Xu Ying was overwhelmed with emotion and didn't know what to say for a moment.

She, a martial arts practitioner, was enlightened and elevated by a Confucian scholar using Buddhist teachings.

When that senior taught her Buddhism, he didn't give her this kind of mysterious feeling.

Lu Zheng only wrote a sentence, which was unremarkable and did not reveal any Buddhist power, yet it was enough to make her suddenly enlightened.

She would never do something so absurd, not even in her wildest dreams.

But reality seems even stranger than fantasy.

Xu Ying, still showing surprise, said, "Young Master Lu is actually well-versed in Buddhism! From which sutra did that sentence just now come? I had never known it before."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's not that I'm an expert in Buddhism, but that you have the potential for enlightenment... As for these words, they are just a few words from a Buddhist scripture I read before."

Lu Zheng didn't think it was because he was capable, but rather because this Buddhist scripture contained profound truths, and Xu Ying was quite insightful, which allowed her to have an epiphany from just one sentence, enabling her to break through and improve.

However, this experience also confirmed that the Buddhist scriptures that had not yet been revealed to the world did indeed possess an ineffable and profound Daoist charm.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ying assumed it came from some profound Buddhist scripture, a text that ordinary people couldn't access, which was why she had never seen it before.

Looking back now, that sentence was full of Buddhist wisdom, and she will probably have to spend a lot of time to understand its true meaning.

Xu Ying thought to herself that it was truly a good thing for scholars to read more books. If she had read so many Buddhist scriptures, she might have already reached a higher level of spiritual attainment.

Unfortunately, given her status, she had no access to profound Buddhist teachings, and her limited talent and understanding had nowhere to be used.

Xu Ying sighed, "There are monks in Wei who want to debate scriptures and doctrines with Young Master Lu. I think even if those people debate Buddhism, they are no match for Young Master Lu."

Debating scriptures and doctrines? Lu Zheng recalled having a few words with a young monk in Hongzhou before.

Lu Zheng asked, "Does the young lady know of a young monk in the State of Wei named Wuqiu?"

"No desires?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ying said, "Is it that young high monk from the White Horse Temple? I heard that he traveled around debating with people before returning to Wei. Last year, he went to the Demon Realm, but I don't know his exact location..."

Xu Ying paused for a moment, then said, "Many people say that he went to the depths of the demon realm to reform those great demons."

"Some Buddhist monks like to come to the demon realm to train, those who are good at subduing demons and monsters, but such monks usually don't end up well..."

Lu Zheng asked, "Are there many monks like this?"

Xu Ying shook her head and said, "How could there be so many? This is a matter of life and death. Most people cultivate for themselves, how could they risk their lives for so many unrelated people..."

Xu Ying paused for a moment, then said, "Young Master acts with benevolence and righteousness, and hates evil as if it were his enemy. I admire him very much, but people like you are rare in this world."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng said softly, "There will be more in the future."

Since there are always righteous people in the world—there have been in the past, there will be in the future, and there will be even more—we should be aware that the world is not lacking in righteous individuals.

"Ok?"

Xu Ying tilted her head, somewhat confused by Lu Zheng's words.

(End of this chapter)