Mysterious mirror hanging high

Above the third heaven of the fairyland, a Buddha statue that is too large to be described stands in a black sea of ​​sin. Its lower body has been swallowed up by the sea of ​​sin, and the surging waves hit the outer wall of the Buddha statue, staining the originally brilliant Buddha statue with dirt.

But the upper body of the Buddha statue is still spotless and as pure as glass.

The Buddha statue's right palm is spread out. If you look closely, you can see that on this huge palm, there are various Buddhist buildings, as well as many Buddhist monks and believers living in the palm.

In this Buddha kingdom in the palm of your hand, the entire country is paved with colorful glazed tiles, as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the cloudless sky - that is not the sky, but the flowing, warm golden light of wish power.

In the center of the kingdom stands a towering statue of the Dharma, with its brows lowered and eyes downcast, gazing at all living beings with compassion.

Today, a soft halo flows around the statue, flickering like breathing.

Countless rivers of vows composed of light spread out from the base of the statue, nourishing the entire Buddhist kingdom like blood vessels.

What flows in the river is not water, but the tangible sounds of chanting and prayers, emitting the refreshing fragrance of sandalwood.

The pavilions and terraces are all constructed of translucent wish-power crystals. They emit a festive and auspicious light without the need for decoration.

In the Buddhist kingdom, hundreds of millions of believers are shoulder to shoulder.

Their realms of cultivation vary, and some are even just mortals with no cultivation at all, but their joy is extremely real.

The air is filled with a strange and exotic fragrance. These are not real flower petals, but golden spots of light condensed from the power of will. When they fall on your body, they bring a sense of warmth and tranquility.

A handsome monk in a moon-white robe strolled among the crowd, looking at everything around him curiously.

Behind the handsome monk, there was a tall and strong monk like an iron tower. He had a dark face and bulging muscles. It was obvious that he was a body cultivator who was proficient in the art of body training.

"Brother Yuanji, walk slower!"

The dark and sturdy monk said in a deep voice, "The Buddha specifically instructed me to stay by your side, to prevent the demons from outside the realm from taking advantage of the situation and sneaking in again."

The handsome monk was the one who had ascended to heaven many years ago. Upon hearing this, he turned around and smiled:

"Brother Tieshan, why are you so nervous? This place is the [Palm Buddha Kingdom], one of the core Dharma sites of our Buddhism. Not to mention Bodhisattvas and Buddhas everywhere, there are even several Buddhas. How could any evil demon dare to act rashly here?"

"Besides, today is the birthday of Sakyamuni, the [World-honored One], and countless eminent monks are here to participate in the celebrations... Senior Brother Tieshan is also an [Arhat], so I don't think there will be any trouble."

Upon hearing this, Tieshan Arhat shook his head and said, "A mere Arhat is nothing in the Palm Buddha Kingdom. Although Junior Brother has just broken through to the Cave Heaven Realm, he is nothing compared to a true great power."

Yuanji said, "When I ascended to heaven, I attracted thousands of demons from outside the realm to attack the barrier of the immortal world. If Senior Brother Tieshan had not come to protect me at the order of our master, how could I be here now?"

"Now, Master has confined me for over a thousand years. I finally cultivated to the [Dongtian Realm], and now that Buddha's birthday is approaching, they've finally let me out for some fresh air... Speaking of which, this is my first time participating in Buddha's birthday after all these years of living in the Buddha Kingdom!"

"Brother Tieshan, do you know the origin of this [Buddha's Birthday]? They say that today is to celebrate the birth of [the Buddha of Original Vow]. Could it be that the Buddha was really born on this day?"

Iron Mountain Arhat explained, "No... The so-called 'Buddha's Birthday' does not refer to the Buddha's birth from his mother's womb, but rather the day when the Buddha attained enlightenment."

He asked in return, "Brother, do you know when the Buddha attained enlightenment?"

"Of course I know!" Yuanji's expression became serious, and he answered fluently:

"The Buddha vowed to attain enlightenment in the [Ending Dharma Age]. The so-called [Ending Dharma Age] refers to the end of the era and the great catastrophe of heaven and earth!"

"At that time, the heavens and myriad worlds had already shown signs of decline, and the era was about to end. All living beings in the world were powerless and suffered unspeakably."

"Seeing that all living beings are trapped in the burning house of ignorance, He made a great vow: I will build a pure land in the world, guiding all living beings with the power of my vows as a beacon to illuminate and break through the obstacles of delusion. All those who believe in me, worship me, and chant my name can, through the power of my vows, escape suffering and attain happiness, and even achieve enlightenment."

"The living beings of the world [heard] the Buddha's great aspirations, and they worshiped with all their heart, offering incense and candles. They actually gathered together the might of heaven to help the Buddha attain enlightenment—and thus the Buddha came into being."

The Iron Mountain Arhat praised him, "Junior brother, you have memorized the stories of the Buddha's enlightenment by heart. I am very pleased."

But the slander against the Buddha that came the moment after his passing shocked the Iron Mountain Arhat:

"But even if the [Buddha of the Original Vow] attained enlightenment, it still couldn't prevent that epochal catastrophe. All the sentient beings who believed in the Buddha still perished... The Buddha made a great vow, but unfortunately it was not fulfilled. Fortunately, the believers who responded also died. Does this count as a kind of [debts are wiped out after death]? It's truly a business with no investment and huge profits."

"Junior brother, you..."

Yuanji smiled and said, "Brother, don't be alarmed. The Buddha would never care about such a trivial matter... Besides, if he were really petty, we wouldn't know such anecdotes and stories."

"Since I'm not afraid of others knowing, I'm not afraid of others judging me."

Tieshan Arhat continued, "That's true, but... well, Junior Brother, after all, the World Honored One is above us, so we still have to show some respect."

"You are the [Buddha's Son] appointed by our Buddhist sect. You are a person who will hopefully attain enlightenment in the future. You must be cautious in every move... From now on, concentrate on your cultivation and avoid showing up in public."

"I have clearly practiced hard." Yuanji touched his head and smiled bitterly.

"But the practice is too hard, how can we enjoy it? In our Buddhist sect, there is a saying that one can become a Buddha instantly. There has always been no shortage of examples of people who have reached heaven in one step. This makes the hardship of those of us who practice Buddhism even more difficult."

Upon hearing this, Tieshan Arhat said sternly, "Junior brother, you must not think of taking shortcuts. It's true that compared to the [Three Realms of Immortals] of the Foundation-Building Alchemy Dao, the [Arhat], [Bodhisattva], and [Buddha] realms of our Buddhist sect can be directly granted by the World Honored Buddha. However, those granted realms are not earned through solid cultivation after all, so there is no hope for the Great Dao in this life."

"You are a Buddhist, how can you rely on external forces?"

Yuanji retorted, "But isn't the [incense and vows] that we use in our practice an external force?"

The Iron Mountain Arhat smiled faintly: "The power of incense and vows is naturally not an external force... We are not trying to seize or rob the vows, but the believers in the world are willing to offer their vows, even rushing to offer them."

"Whether you practice Buddhism or not, there are believers all over the world praying to the gods and Buddhas. If you don't practice, the energy of the incense and the wishes that are lost will be wasted."

Yuanji shook his head: "Brother, you are sophistry... If you seek Buddha outside, Buddha is the devil; if you seek the mind within, the mind is the Tathagata... I seek Buddha from within, and I don't want to rely on others."