A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

The sky in the west seemed somewhat gray.

Gu Chunhua didn't like it very much.

Sitting on a cloud, or standing, or lying down, a journey of 108,000 li can be completed in just one day.

It's hard to imagine what it feels like to walk for fourteen years.

Gu Chunhua felt that spending fourteen years just to walk to one place was simply a sign of being out of one's mind.

Instead of wasting time, you might as well read a book, practice your swordsmanship, or listen to the Taoist priest tell stories.

The Taoist priest is sometimes quite adorable when he's trying to fool people.

They even lied to themselves, telling a story that would never end and had no conclusion.

It aroused my curiosity, and I asked him about the story every day. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and told me the story that would never end.

"Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple, and in the temple was a monk telling a story. What story was he telling? He told a story about a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple, and in the temple was a monk telling a story. What story was he telling? He told a story about a mountain..."

As I was thinking about it, I suddenly smiled.

I couldn't help but murmur to myself, "Once upon a time, there was a mountain..."

The smile on his face was uncontrollable; even the shape of the clouds curved upwards, like the upturned corners of the Taoist priest's mouth when he smiled.

At the Great Thunder Temple on Mount Ling, the Buddha is giving a sermon.

All the gods and Buddhas in the heavens gathered at the Great Thunder Temple.

This sermon was not only attended by Buddhist disciples, but also by many Taoist masters and high-ranking officials from the Heavenly Court who came specifically for the occasion. Everyone gathered together in a joyful atmosphere.

The vast main hall of the Great Thunderclap Temple is only missing a few beautiful fairies to dance.

However, the Buddha's way of preaching was indeed quite unique.

But we see:

On the nine-tiered lotus platform of the Great Thunderclap Temple, the sixteen-foot-tall golden body of the Tathagata radiated a crystal-clear halo. At this moment, the auspicious clouds flowing among the robes of the golden immortals condensed into Buddhist seals in the void.

"The true nature of all phenomena is one, which is the myriad phenomena." The Buddha sits on an eight-petaled golden lotus, each petal reflecting a different world.

With a light touch of his fingertip, the eighty-four thousand lamps atop Mount Ling resembled the starry sky of the universe.

The willow branch inside Guanyin's jade vase moves swiftly without wind, her hands clasped together in prayer.

"Look at this sea of ​​sand." The Buddha swept his wide sleeves, and the water of the Eight Merits suddenly transformed into a vast sea of ​​sand.

Someone in the Taoist community let out a soft exclamation.

"The Great Way is in the ants, in the grains of rice, in the tiles, in the excrement." As the Buddha spoke, the scroll in Ananda's hand suddenly displayed the image of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, while the Kunpeng of the Northern Sea swam out of Kasyapa's golden alms bowl. The celestial official in the Lingxiao Palace dropped his vermilion brush, the splashes of ink transforming into the stars of the heavens, among which the Twenty-Eight Mansions echoed the array of five hundred Arhats on Mount Ling.

Suddenly, the five guardian deities began chanting the "Qingjing Jing" in unison.

"A mustard seed can contain Mount Sumeru; a moment is eternity."

When the Buddha clasped his hands, the golden dragons coiled around the beams and pillars of the Great Buddha Hall suddenly shed their scales and transformed into a flurry of heavenly flowers, which descended from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the earth, blooming with wondrous Dharma.

Everyone listened with rapt attention.

In particular, the Old Man of the South Pole, who had also been invited by the Buddha to listen to the Buddhist scriptures, was now hearing profound insights that resonated with his own Taoist practice, and he couldn't help but nod and sway his head.

However, when I was shaking my head, there was a sudden background noise.

Is the Buddha at home?

"Forehead?"

The Antarctic Immortal abruptly stopped shaking his head and looked in surprise at the sky outside the main hall.

Not only did the Old Man of the South Pole hear it, but everyone did.

Then, each of them had a different expression. They looked at the sky outside, then at the Buddha sitting on the throne, to see what his reaction would be.

Whose big idiot is this?

After coming to Mount Ling, how dare they speak to the Buddha like this?

Some people didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

It is said that when a commoner is angry, blood will be spilled five steps away; when an emperor is angry, millions of corpses will lie in wait. When Buddha is angry, wouldn't it be enough to move mountains and overturn seas, and cause the heavens and the earth to collapse?

"Buddha? Is he home? If he is, go out and say hello..."

The voice sounded like that of a delicate, sweet girl.

Whose child is this?

All the powerful immortals and Buddhas had the same question in their minds.

The Buddha laughed and said, "Are you all particularly afraid of making me angry?"

The immortals and Buddhas all nodded in agreement.

The Buddha smiled and said, "If I were to get angry, wouldn't that be contrary to the teachings of Buddhism and a violation of the precept against anger? Besides... why are you afraid of me getting angry?"

All the celestial beings and Buddhas said in unison, "Because you are the Tathagata Buddha."

The Buddha sighed, “It seems we have been attached to appearances. Your exalted position and profound cultivation have made you feel that I am superior. That’s why you are afraid of angering me. If I am superior, then what about the equality of all beings in my Buddhist teachings? Wouldn’t that be self-deception?”

Everyone suddenly realized what was happening and chanted together, "May Buddha have mercy."

Buddha: ...

Am I being compassionate by saying just a few words? Everyone understands the principles, but the words we say differ depending on the person we're talking to. So the hardest thing to cultivate isn't Buddhism, but the human heart!

After a moment of reflection, the girl's voice came again: "Buddha, I need to ask you something. Can you do me a favor?"

This time, no one overreacted.

Anyone who overreacts is disrespectful to the Buddha, treating him as someone superior and causing him to violate his own teachings, which prohibit the equality of all beings.

Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't help but ask, "Buddha, who is that little girl outside?"

The Buddha smiled and said, "You know where she came from."

Guanyin Bodhisattva wanted to ask more questions, but Buddha spoke to the outside world.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, I'm at home. Please come over."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chunhua, who was on a cloud in the sky above Mount Ling, immediately descended from the cloud and came to the front of the Great Thunder Temple on Mount Ling. She looked up at the solemn and magnificent hall and her mouth was agape in an "O" shape.

So rich!

He's richer than the Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest spends money like water when he goes out. He can give a hundred taels of gold just to listen to that shameless White Peony sing a song. Is it really that profitable to sing a song?

However, Gu Chunhua was still too young.

She thought the hundred taels of gold were just money for singing.

Haha, will the Taoist priest agree? I'm not some sucker.

Just like Zhang Zhengdao's experience on Earth.

Back when I was in college, I had my first foot massage with a classmate from a wealthy family. After it was over, my classmate came down from the third floor to the first floor to pay the bill, which was 998 yuan.

Zhang Zhengdao, who was standing next to him, was immediately stunned. He only got 98 for one session, and that was for 70 minutes.

Washed the golden right foot?

After experiencing more things, I finally understood.

So when Gu Chunhua saw the main hall, she was deeply shocked, just like Zhang Zhengdao was intimidated by his wealthy classmate back then.

Speechless, he then stepped into the main hall, completely bewildered and very cautious.

I was immediately stunned by the magnificent and resplendent decorations inside the main hall.

I almost had to take off my shoes and step in with my socks on.

The one sitting in the middle of that hall must be the Buddha, tall, majestic, compassionate, and loving...

"Are you the Buddha?"

Unconsciously overwhelmed by the magnificent golden hall, Gu Chunhua used a respectful term when addressing the Buddha—"You." Therefore… aura is very important.

The Buddha smiled and said, "Indeed."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chunhua became excited. The shock she had just experienced no longer mattered. She looked up at the Buddha and said, "Buddha, it is said that you know all things in the world, all events in the world, the past, the present, and the future. I came to Mount Ling to ask you a question. Can you give me an answer?"

The Buddha asked, "What's the problem?"

Gu Chunhua said, "My Taoist priest... that Taoist priest named Zhang Zhengdao, told me three years ago that I was his wife in a past life. I just want to ask if this is true?"

Buddha: ...

Why did you suddenly decide to ask that question?

The Buddha decided to take a roundabout approach.

Gu Chunhua said, "Recently, I've been feeling that my feelings for him are getting increasingly strange. I feel like what he said might be true, but I'm not sure."

The Buddha said, "Since you already have the answer in your heart, why ask me?"

Gu Chunhua: ...

I have the answer in my heart?

What is the answer in my heart?

"I'm not sure..."

Buddha: "Uncertainty is having an answer in your heart, but not knowing if it's right or wrong?"

Gu Chunhua nodded.

The Buddha smiled and said, "Isn't that it? Right or wrong isn't important. What's important is that you have an answer in your heart. This answer comes from within yourself, not from someone else imposing it on you. So, is right or wrong really that important?"

Gu Chunhua touched her head.

The Buddha then said, “Therefore you should ask your own heart whether you are or not, rather than asking outsiders for the answer, because outsiders will always be outsiders.”

Gu Chunhua: "Could you help me calculate this?"

She wanted to struggle a little more.

Buddha smiled and said, "Whether it counts or not, you already know. Go back. Perhaps you will have figured it out before you even get home."

The girl in the main hall was gone. She had gone back after listening to the Buddha's words. Perhaps, as the Buddha said, she had already found the answer on her way back?

After the little girl left, everyone looked at the Buddha.

The young girl was easy to fool, but everyone else was a shrewd person.

"Buddha, why not just tell her the answer?" Guanyin Bodhisattva asked.

The Buddha smiled wryly: "You want me to calculate Zhang Daoist's past? Or... why don't you give it a try?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva immediately closed her eyes to meditate, chanting scriptures solemnly and attentively.