Chapter 604
The Buddha of All Beings
Wu Wang slowly reached his hand toward the fortress.
With himself unable to move, it was as if the Buddha's Five Finger Mountain was pressing down on him, and no matter how many supernatural powers Sun Wukong used, he could only be suppressed under the mountain.
However, just as the fortress's heart was racing as if it were about to explode.
Wu Wang's hand brushed past his ear and directly grabbed the scripture held in the fortress's hand.
brush--
He turned the page of the scripture over and completely covered the side with the written text.
Wu Wang's voice also rang out above his head.
"Faith enables entry, sincerity enables crossing."
“Attending morning prayers is a form of spiritual practice for monks, and the path of spiritual practice begins with faith and is perfected through sincerity and reverence.”
"You haven't grasped the true meaning of the word 'sincerity'."
After saying this, Wu Wang closed his eyes and recited the contents of the scripture in a rhythm that perfectly matched the monks.
And he only recited it once before stopping and not continuing with the other monks.
Just as the fortress was wondering what kind of anomaly this abrupt start and stop would cause,
But then he discovered that Wu Wang's own copy of the Heart Sutra suddenly burst into flames and burned to ashes at an extremely fast speed.
Seeing this, the white-browed old monk walked over, put his hands together in prayer, and said to Wu Wang:
“Benefactor, your comprehension is excellent, but your Buddha-nature is lacking.”
"This morning lesson is a test of one's comprehension. If you interfere without others having grasped the meaning, wouldn't you be ruining their cultivation and unnecessarily increasing their karmic consequences?"
Such behavior is not a good thing for either you or him.
The players in the Spirit Disaster group were not mindless brutes; after hearing Wu Wang and the White-Browed Old Monk's words...
They all understood.
On the surface, the rules of this morning service seem to require one to recite along with the monks who already know the scriptures by heart, and there must be no mistakes in either the rhythm or the content of the scriptures.
But in reality? Players found that no matter how focused they were, they were bound to make mistakes.
The reason is actually very simple, which is what Wu Wang called "sincerity".
Their focus has always been on avoiding typos and keeping up with the rhythm, which is completely wrong.
The real focus should be on the scriptures themselves; being able to recite them fluently is one of the foundations of morning prayers!
After taking a deep breath, Fortress tried to close her eyes just like Wu Wang had done, and tried her best to recite the Heart Sutra completely by relying on the rhythm she had repeated countless times.
The moment he finished reciting it, he suddenly felt a weight lift from his heart, as if something weighing on his mind had been lifted.
Then I tried not to continue reciting the scriptures, and surprisingly, nothing unusual happened.
call--
He watched as the scriptures in his hands were also burned to ashes.
His expression was unusually complicated.
Is this rule difficult to understand?
In essence, it can be accomplished even without any defensive measures; memorizing more than two hundred words is not a difficult task for players of the Spirit Disaster.
At most, it just means it's not easily detected.
Is it really as simple as it looks?
No, it's not.
Because the abnormality caused by the mistake was too serious, putting them in a life-threatening situation at any moment, coupled with the astonishingly fast pace of the monks' chanting.
Even someone as knowledgeable about Buddhist culture as myself, with the Heart Sutra memorized perfectly,
I also worry about making mistakes.
So, subconsciously, I picked up the scriptures and stared at them intently during my morning prayers.
Not to mention, how could anyone else, unfamiliar with the scriptures, dare to simply put them down and not look at them at all?
However, this proves that all they care about is ensuring that the words are correct and the rhythm is not disrupted.
They did not seriously study the scriptures themselves.
Therefore, when people recite the handwritten scriptures, they often encounter inexplicable textual errors and rhythmic inconsistencies.
In fact, this can be seen as the scripture reminding them—not to look with their eyes, but to understand with their hearts.
This is what Wu Wang meant by "sincerity".
Players stopped their abnormalities in this way.
When Ruoshui stopped, her face was frighteningly pale.
Clearly, sharing her "heart cocoon" with others has placed a greater burden on her.
If they persist for a while longer, they probably won't even need the scriptures to be abnormal; they'll simply fall into a coma due to excessive mental exhaustion.
“Bald monk, I ask you, who copied this scripture?” Wu Wang walked up to one of the monks.
He bent down, picked up the handwritten scripture paper in front of him, and questioned him.
The reason these scriptures did not turn to ashes was entirely because the monks did not look at them from the beginning, but instead recited them with their eyes closed.
However, since the players were kneeling at the very back, they couldn't observe that the monks in front of them hadn't actually opened their eyes since the morning prayers began.
"Abbot Duye," the white-browed old monk said with a smile, "is the first abbot in our temple to attain the fruition of [Buddha of All Beings]."
The players' expressions froze slightly when they heard the words "Buddha of all beings".
This term also appears in dungeon quests.
Side Quest 3: Become a Buddha for All Beings in the Compassionate Temple
To be honest, they didn't pay much attention to this at first, and they didn't even pay much attention to the other two side quests.
The problem still stems from the main storyline.
The main quest only requires players to stay for seven days.
This type of survival mission suggests that the game believes players will find it difficult enough just to survive.
In such a situation, who would have the time or inclination to think about completing side quests?
But since the Buddha of all beings has already appeared in everyone's morning prayers.
Do the side quests "The Abbot's Secret" and "The Source of the Anomaly" also involve the rules of the temple?
Now it seems that everyone has no choice but to learn about the side quests.
After all, they are a matter of life and death for everyone.
"Oh? Then may I ask if Abbot Duye is currently in the temple?" Wu Wang raised an eyebrow and said, "I am quite interested in this old bald thief who thinks he can replace the Bodhisattva."
In the Heart Sutra at Cibei Temple, "Bodhisattva of Freedom" has been replaced with "Buddha of All Beings".
Since the old monk with white eyebrows said that Abbot Duye has already attained the fruition of "Buddha of all sentient beings",
In his own handwritten scriptures, wouldn't he be attributing all these achievements to himself?
Amid the players' thoughtful gazes, the white-browed old monk calmly said, "Yes and no."
Everyone: "..."
What kind of bullshit literature is this?
However, Wu Wang was not surprised by this answer, but asked again, "Then may I ask, what position do you hold in this temple?"
Yes, he's there to greet people outside the temple for the "Three Purifications," guide worshippers to their dorm room keys, and now he's still the one supervising the morning prayers.
Why are there these guys everywhere in Cibei Temple?
Upon hearing this question, the white-browed old monk did not hide anything.
He clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and said, "My Dharma name is Kongbei, and I am currently the abbot of Cibei Temple." Abbot!
These two people made everyone's pupils shrink slightly.
Unexpectedly, the target of one of the side quests was right in front of them all along.
Shouldn't NPCs of this level be very difficult to encounter?
It is important to understand that the abbot of a temple is responsible for both spreading Buddhist teachings externally and managing all the monks internally.
Logically, they should be very busy!
Why is this guy always following them around all day?
"The Abbot Duye you mentioned should be the previous abbot, right?" Wu Wang narrowed his eyes and said, "You took over your senior brother's position."
The white-browed old monk remained in the same posture.
He said in a very humble tone, "I am ashamed that my understanding of Buddhism is far inferior to that of Brother Duye. It is an honor to succeed him as abbot."
Upon hearing this, the players showed surprised expressions.
Their surprise was not that Abbot Kongbei was the junior brother of Abbot Duye, but rather how Wu Wang knew that Abbot Duye was the previous abbot.
You should know that the other party only mentioned that Abbot Duye was the first person in Cibei Temple to achieve the status of "Buddha of All Beings," but did not mention his relationship with his fellow disciples.
"Although there were some problems along the way, we can only let things take their course now that things have come to this."
"Now that you have finished your morning prayers, please proceed to the dining hall for your meal."
"The dining hall is located on the west side of our temple. If you can't find the way, you can ask the monks along the way."
After saying this, Abbot Kongbei, just like he had done yesterday in the Jingxin Hall, turned around and left the door, disappearing without a trace.
The players exchanged glances and then left the main hall.
After all, the main quest requires staying for seven days.
During such a long period, eating vegetarian meals in the temple is inevitable, and it is necessary to understand the rules of the dining hall as soon as possible.
But before that, they were more interested in what Wu Wang knew.
Especially the fortress with its strange-looking eyes.
He is almost certain that the widow and the other shore flower are indeed the real people.
But why are these two people's abnormality indexes even higher than the scripture we just read?
Did they come into contact with something?
That can only be something that happened last night.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Wu Xiaoyou walked to their side and said softly:
"The monsters in the mist at night are indeed all blood corpses. They have no skin, only flesh and blood, and unlike the rules in the dormitory, they cannot be broken by force."
"It's like a real zombie that you can touch, but it disappears mysteriously at dawn after being broken. We don't know what caused it to be born yet."
“Besides killing blood zombies, my brother and I also went to the library last night.”
"We found a strange logbook inside, which recorded some secrets of the Compassion Temple."
"Among them, the Dharma names of Abbot Duguye and Abbot Kongbei were mentioned."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately became curious.
No wonder Wu Wang knew that the two were connected.
It turns out that relevant clues were found last night.
Wu Xiaoyou continued, "According to my brother, the abbot is essentially another title for the head of the household, and there is no difference in rank or status between the two."
"However, in reality, all abbots must first be abbots, but not all abbots can be called abbots. Only when the abbot's cultivation, virtue, and the size of the temple reach a certain standard and a formal enthronement ceremony is held can he be respectfully called 'abbot'."
"What kind of upbringing do you think a person who can become an abbot should have?"
In response to Wu Xiaoyou's question.
Even the mug, which had no knowledge of Buddhist culture, instinctively spoke up:
"Of course, it must be monks who have always been outstanding who have been promoted step by step, right?"
"After all, becoming the abbot means taking charge of the entire temple, and when the previous abbot is choosing a successor, he must choose an outstanding monk."
"Moreover, the person who becomes the abbot sounds like the abbot among abbots."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Let alone temples, even the leaders of any organization, when choosing a successor, will definitely look for outstanding talents.
Otherwise, who would choose a freak as their successor?
Wu Xiaoyou nodded and said, "Indeed, that's how it should be from a common sense perspective."
Suddenly, her tone turned serious as she said, "However, the truth is that the monk with the Dharma name 'Duye' in Cibei Temple was a rather awful fellow before he became the abbot."
"First of all, he was not a young novice monk who became a monk at a young age, but rather he became a monk after he was over twenty-five years old."
"Before becoming a monk, this man was pursued by the imperial court in Yuanshan City for harassing the wives of officials. He fled for several years before coming to Cibei Temple, which is located deep in the mountains of Yunzhou, and secretly shaved his head to become a monk without anyone knowing."
“He was quite adept at reading people’s expressions and knew that the abbot at the time, whose Dharma name was Xingkong, liked calligraphy and painting. He pawned his last savings before going up the mountain to buy an antique painting, and lied that it was an ancestral heirloom. He claimed that he had seen through worldly things after becoming a monk, and then gave it to the old monk.”
"The old monk thought that the monks in Cibei Temple did not interact much with the outside world. Considering that he had experienced the ways of the secular world and knew the rules of the world, he promoted him from a kitchen monk to the head of the storehouse after a few years. This position was responsible for managing the temple's supplies, finances, food, ritual implements, and the purchase of daily necessities."
"However, after becoming the head of the warehouse, he also began to beg for alms from local wealthy people, taking advantage of the convenience of going down the mountain to purchase daily necessities and supplies."
"Upon entering the house, instead of discussing almsgiving, one would first present a blessed ritual object, implying that the person would suffer a bloody disaster and would need to spend a large sum of money to avert it. If a wealthy person did not believe this, a young monk would be sent to spread rumors that the family had offended the Bodhisattva, forcing them to spend money to avert the disaster."
"He then used this money to befriend local officials, traveling in sedan chairs and addressing the prefect as a brother, drinking wine and eating meat, just like a 'Buddhist nobleman'."
These words left everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.
Holy crap! This guy doesn't look like a monk at all!
He's clearly a fugitive using the identity of a monk to swindle people!
However, Wu Xiaoyou hadn't finished speaking.
She continued, "Moreover, the log records that there was an ascetic monk in the temple at that time, whose Dharma name was Wuzhen. He often pointed out in the meditation hall that Duye had broken the precepts and corrupted the Buddhist rules, but because there was no actual evidence, he could not convince everyone completely."
"Du Ye secretly instructed his confidant to falsely accuse Wu Zhen of stealing incense money from the temple, and deliberately hid the stolen money in his room, creating a situation where the guilty party was caught red-handed and accused the villain first."
"Wuzhen had no way to defend himself and was publicly flogged twenty times and expelled from the mountain gate."
After leaving Cibei Temple, Wuzhen disappeared at the foot of the mountain and was never seen again.
"And in the mass grave behind Cibei Temple, there was an unmarked mound of earth that appeared at some point."
These words left people speechless.
It's one thing for him to be a fraudster, but this guy has even started to kill people!
Such a person becomes the abbot or even the head of the abbot's monastery?
Ultimately, will he still attain the fruition of "Buddhahood for All Beings"?
It's a password! Is this the same person as Abbot Duye, whom Abbot Kongbei mentioned?
While shocked, the players were also somewhat puzzled.
How could such a secret history be so easily recorded in a diary, and even placed in the scripture pavilion of Cibei Temple?
Aren't you afraid that Du Ye will see this?
Moreover, they have such a deep understanding of things that should not be known to outsiders.
Who wrote this diary entry?
Suddenly, Wu Wang, who was walking in front, turned around and glanced at the main hall where the morning classes had just taken place, adding in a cold voice:
"The Buddhist name of the person who signed that diary was—"
"Empty sorrow." (End of Chapter)