Chapter 274 The Heart is the Holy Mountain

Hearing Wei Yuan's answer, Yuanjue's face showed a hint of regret. It was rare to find someone to inquire with, but he still came up empty-handed. However, he quickly restrained his emotions, not allowing regret or distracting thoughts to linger in his heart, his mind as clear as a mirror.

Wei Yuan's expression was as usual.

This wasn't a matter of strength. Deep down, he didn't want to fight or become enemies with the monk in front of him.

Winning would bring endless trouble.

A moment of carelessness could lead to being forcibly ordained as a monk.

Win or lose, it was a losing proposition. Less trouble was better.

Wei Yuan naturally changed the subject, saying, "Since you're tracking down a Buddhist enemy, may I ask which temple you cultivate in, Yuanjue, and which Buddha do you venerate?"

Yuanjue put his palms together and replied, "I cultivate between heaven and earth, taking the myriad aspects of humanity as my temple."

"This lineage of mine only practices Chan (Zen Buddhism), and does not venerate Buddhas."

"Does not venerate Buddhas?"

Wei Yuan paused. Their gazes followed the street into the distance, seeing a statue of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva enshrined in the restaurant across the street, and people wearing jade Buddha amulets. Yuanjue's eyes were calm. Although his figure was tall and sturdy, he possessed a sense of tranquility. The monk withdrew his gaze and said, "Yes, I do not venerate Buddhas."

"Or rather, I do not venerate the Buddha that the secular world believes in."

Wei Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, signaling the monk to continue.

Yuanjue picked up a fallen leaf and said, "Most people in the world believe that the Buddha is an omniscient and omnipotent god. They turn to the Buddha to pray and complain about any problems they encounter, hoping to be protected and overcome difficulties. But, where is there an omniscient and omnipotent Buddha?"

He sighed, "Shakyamuni himself was just an ordinary person who experienced the sufferings of the world, unable to save his loved ones, unable to save his country and people. In the end, he experienced all kinds of sorrow and despair, and then transcended and attained enlightenment."

"He couldn't even save himself, so how could he save others in the world?"

"He only left behind his own thoughts and knowledge, hoping to point out a direction. But later followers of Buddhism packaged this knowledge, pasted gold leaf on stones, and enshrined them high above. The Buddha believed that there were no gods in the world, but later disciples created non-existent gods to oppress themselves."

"People worship him, calling him the Tathagata Buddha, with great supernatural powers, but they don't even know what Tathagata means. Tathagata, from nowhere coming, to nowhere going, as if about to come, but also as if already gone, impossible to chase, but never abandoning your realm, that is Tathagata, that is Buddha."

"But what is this?"

"He seems to be about to arrive, yet he seems to have just left. But he doesn't know where he comes from, nor where he is going. What is such a thing, and where is it?"

The monk looked at Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan thought for a moment and replied, "It is the mind."

Yuanjue smiled, chanted "Amitabha," and said:

"Indeed, it is the mind. The Tathagata is originally in the heart. The heart is the holy mountain."

"The Buddha is not a specific person, much less a god. Buddha Tathagata is a state of mind. In fact, it can also be called Rú Qù (as gone), but that is too cruel, too cruel. So, the enlightened ones call this state of mind Tathagata."

"It is saying, look, this state is very far away, so far that it is unattainable, but it seems to be coming. Walk forward, don't be afraid, take it slowly, and you will definitely be able to reach the state called Buddha."

"This was originally the enlightened one's wish and kindness for the unenlightened."

"But it was disguised as the unpredictability and unattainability of the gods."

Wei Yuan pondered, seeming to be lost in thought. He casually asked:

"Since it is the state of Tathagata, is it really possible to reach it?"

The monk replied, "When you don't think about when you will arrive, it has already come; when you realize that you are chasing the Tathagata, it has gone, from nowhere coming, to nowhere going, is Tathagata."

"That's a cunning answer."

Wei Yuan couldn't help shaking his head and smiling wryly. He then said, "Then what is your so-called Buddhist enemy?"

At this point, he had confirmed that the monk did not seem to regard himself and Wuzhiqi as Buddhist enemies.

Yuanjue put his palms together, his expression solemn, "They are those who pretend to be gods, using the name of the Buddha to deceive the world. This poor monk has learned that the Nanhai Guanyin Monastery claims that so-called 'Demon-Subduing Pure Arhats' and other Buddha-gods have descended into the world. This is a Buddhist enemy. This poor monk is going to capture them and deliver them."

Wei Yuan's thoughts stagnated slightly, and he couldn't help saying:

"...You want to deliver Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?"

Yuanjue said frankly:

"Buddha is a state of mind, and Bodhisattva is also a state of mind. States of mind cannot be grasped, nor can they be delivered. Only those Buddhist enemies who wear the name of these states of mind to confuse the common people can be grasped. They worship the Buddha, but they don't know that Shakyamuni has been dead for a long time. Those carvings with patterns and decorated with gold powder are definitely not Buddhas!"

"Shakyamuni once said, 'If one sees me by form, or seeks me by sound, that person walks the heterodox path and cannot see the Tathagata'... The meaning of this sentence is not to emphasize the profundity of the Dharma, but a solemn warning. Shakyamuni has already died, but if later Buddhist disciples can still see him and still want to ask him."

"That means that his Dharma is ultimately being used by others, and even he himself is being distorted and shaped into a worshiped deity. This becomes the heterodox path, and being obsessed with 'seeking the Buddha' will never allow one to set foot in the realm of 'Tathagata'."

"In Shakyamuni's personality, this sentence is already very, very heavy."

"But later disciples still ignored this sentence."

At this time, someone happened to be walking down the street holding a Buddha statue, their face sincere and pious. Yuanjue couldn't help putting his palms together, lowering his eyes, and sighing in a low voice, "...The Buddha said to let go of attachments, but the hearts of those who worship the Buddha are full of attachments. The more pious, the more attached."

"The Buddha said not to be greedy, but how many people worship the Buddha for their own material desires?"

"Shakyamuni said in the tone of a Mara, if you really want to destroy his Buddha-dharma, then let the sons of Mara wear monk's robes, let the grandsons of Mara live in temples, that is the Age of Dharma Decline. When he said this, Shakyamuni couldn't help but shed tears."

"What he passed down was the truth of the Buddha-dharma, an enlightenment about the world and life, and nothing else."

"When these truly valuable things are abandoned, and people turn to worshiping Buddha statues, wearing kasayas, saying that the Buddha is omnipotent, announcing that offering incense can eliminate sins, and that monks who have cultivated for several years can gain immeasurable merit by reciting scriptures, when demons dance wildly, that is the Age of Dharma Decline..."

"Worshiping the Buddha but not learning the Buddha's truth, but worshiping the external form of the Buddha."

"The Buddha statue is originally a stone, but for thousands of years, it has been constantly worshiped, constantly accumulated, and constantly stained with distracting thoughts, karma, and even resentment. There will be no gods in that Buddha statue at all."

"That is just the desires of all beings! The troubles of all beings! The demonic thoughts of all beings!"

Yuanjue opened his eyes. The previously tranquil and peaceful, downcast demeanor faintly revealed a resolute and decisive aura, saying:

"This poor monk has come down the mountain this time to eliminate these Buddhist enemies."

"To deliver them into becoming monks, to dissolve their troubles, to cut off their desires, and return to purity."

"Amitabha..."

The monk's last few words were frank and upright, causing Wei Yuan to sigh with emotion. Then he thought of what Yuanjue had said, the news from the Nanhai Guanyin Monastery, that in that Buddhist holy land, there were existences such as Demon-Subduing Arhats who had been reborn and were going out to subdue demons.

Wei Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he thought of his own true spirit that should have been on the Jade Dragon Pendant.

Was his true spirit the one refined by Sangha in the Tang Dynasty, becoming those so-called Buddhas and Vajras?

In other words, among the foundations used by the Nanhai Guanyin Monastery this time, would there be his true spirit from a previous life?

Wei Yuan's thoughts paused slightly, feeling that it was very likely. He pondered for a moment and said:

"I also feel something in my heart about what you said, Master. If you have any clues about the Buddhist enemy, you can contact me. Although my cultivation is ordinary, two heads are better than one. Perhaps I can help you."

Yuanjue was surprised, and then a trace of joy appeared on his face. He put his palms together and bowed, saying:

"Thank you, Wei Shizhu (lay devotee)."

He thought for a moment, took out a crystal-clear Buddhist bead, and handed it to Wei Yuan, saying:

"This is a Buddhist magic item that uses heart-to-heart induction. It can be used for communication and message transmission, and can also leave some information for a short time."

Wei Yuan felt an unusual response to the Buddhist bead. His expression remained unchanged as he smiled regretfully, "What a pity, such a treasure. I haven't practiced Buddhism, so I may not be able to use this item."

Yuanjue was stunned, raised his hand and patted his forehead, repeatedly apologizing:

"I was negligent."

"In fact, this Buddhist bead is not only for Buddhist practitioners, but anyone with wisdom and Buddhist nature can use it."

While saying this, Yuanjue put the Buddhist bead back into his pocket and took out a slightly old mobile phone, smiling and showing off:

"This is what I bought with money I saved from working odd jobs for a month the first time I went down the mountain. I've been using it for seven or eight years. Although it's old, it can still make calls and receive text messages. It's a good thing. Durable and sturdy."

He exchanged phone numbers with Wei Yuan.

The monk put his palms together, chanted a Buddhist phrase, bowed, and his tall figure turned and left.

Wei Yuan watched him leave, his eyes slightly narrowed. He put away his phone and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

The surrounding pedestrians gradually thinned out. As he walked into an alley, suddenly, several men appeared in front of and behind him, wearing modern clothes, wearing hats, and exuding a faint incense-filled Buddhist aura.

Wei Yuan stopped.

Ten disciples from Buddhist sects in front and behind all looked at him, their eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

Wei Yuan asked, "Masters, is there something you need me for?"

One of the middle-aged monks put his palms together, chanted a Buddhist phrase, and lowered his eyes, "This poor monk just saw that Shizhu received a Buddhist bead from that demonic monk? That thing is of no benefit to Shizhu. Please hand it over to us quickly, so that we can put it in the monk's hall and recite scriptures every day to dissolve the resentment within it."

Wei Yuan spread his hands and smiled, "Unfortunately, I don't have it."

The middle-aged monk was silent for a moment, and said, "Then, please tell us how to contact the demonic monk."

Wei Yuan said, "You want to attack him?"

The monks didn't answer.

Wei Yuan said, "Then, allow me to refuse."

"That monk didn't discover you. You probably used something like an optical telescope just now, right? You're keeping up with the times..."

The middle-aged monk said, "Shizhu really won't agree?"

Wei Yuan didn't answer.

The monk sighed, said a phrase of repentance, and took a step back.

At that moment, the other monks looked at each other and rushed forward together.

Surrounding him from the front and back.

The bright Buddhist light shone.

Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes, raised his right hand, and grasped the void. Then, the illusion slowly shattered, and a sheathed long sword appeared behind him. He pulled it out with a clang, his eyes widening slightly, his pupils, at that moment, dyed with the high sky wind from a thousand years ago, turning azure.

He said:

"There is one question."

"He didn't discover you, but I did."

"Have you not thought about why that is?"

The middle-aged monk's thoughts paused slightly, and then his expression changed drastically. He realized that the young man in front of him had come over on his own initiative, rather than being intercepted by them. From the result, it was similar, but the motives and the meaning they represented were completely different. He wanted to speak, but it was already too late.

Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes, and the sword in his hand suddenly swept across the void, the sword energy stirred up a long wind, and the demonic aura soared into the sky, the wind's momentum magnified.

The talisman that had been re-wrapped with cloth on the back of his hand lit up.

Zheng Yi supports Taiping (a Taoist incantation).

And so, he only said one word:

"Gale, come!!!"

…………………………

The whistling of the wind almost sounded like the long roar of some strange beast.

People nearby subconsciously turned their heads to look in that direction. In a remote place, a huge tornado suddenly exploded on the ground. It seemed that it was too fast, or because of the visual angle, the tornado actually appeared an unusual azure color.

The gale slowly dissipated.

The monks were all knocked back, either falling to the ground, coughing blood and flying back, or half of their bodies were forced by the wind to be embedded in the wall. Only the middle-aged monk was still struggling to support himself, but this support had also reached its end. The sound of a sword's cry, the Eight-Sided Han Sword was against the monk's throat.

The monk's hand was clutching a crystal-clear Buddhist bead.

It was a similar magic item to the one that Yuanjue had taken out earlier.

This middle-aged monk was just holding on to the Buddhist bead tightly. The Buddhist bead was facing Wei Yuan, as if it was recording something. When Wei Yuan discovered it, he was still able to maintain his composure. Only Buddhist cultivators could see this Buddhist bead. Then Wei Yuan's movements paused, he leaned over, and grabbed the Buddhist bead from the middle-aged monk's hand.

The Buddhist bead was covered in his palm.

The monk's mouth was bleeding, and he put his palms together, lowering his eyes and saying:

"Give up, you are too obsessed, you are not able to..."

His voice froze.

Wei Yuan slowly unfolded his five fingers.

In this remote and narrow place, Wei Yuan had his sword sheath on his back, the Han Sword in his hand pointing at the ground. In his palm, the Buddhist bead slowly floated into the air, slowly lighting up, and then its brightness continued to increase twice, and finally, boundless brilliant and clear Buddha light flowed, illuminating his entire body.

The young museum curator's face was illuminated by the Buddha light, peaceful and auspicious. His originally pure black eyes showed a serene amber color, like a god, like a Buddha.

The surroundings were already dead silent.