Chapter 252: Monk Enlightenment

"Kill the Demonic Cult Master and avenge our senior brothers!"

Immediately, the monks were overcome with indignation. They swarmed forward to attack. Qin Mu frowned slightly and swayed his body, unleashing the Thousand-Armed Buddha. The Buddha's radiance surged, and resonant Buddhist chants echoed throughout the Heavenly Dragon Monastery.

Qin Mu, like an unmoving Great Buddha, withstood the attacks from all directions. Continuous loud thuds resounded as monks were sent sprawling in every direction, knocking over dragon pillars. Some pillars snapped on impact, breaking into three or five pieces.

Qin Mu swayed again, and the thousand arms in front and behind him vanished, along with the Buddha's radiance that had just appeared.

Qin Mu glanced at the monks lying scattered on the ground, then flicked his sleeve and said, "These are the Eight Forms of Thunder Sound from your Great Thunderclap Temple. Are they also demonic techniques? A technique, when used right, is righteous; when used maliciously, even if it's the Eight Forms of Thunder Sound or the Mahayana Sutra of Tathagata, it's still demonic!"

Old Master Ma coughed and said to the wide-eyed Old Monk Jingming beside him, "Senior Brother, your Heavenly Dragon Monastery is quite a mess. Perhaps we should visit the Heart Zen Monastery instead."

Old Monk Jingming looked at Qin Mu, seething with anger. Most of the injured or dead monks were his disciples. However, with Old Master Ma and the blind man right there, he dared not act rashly.

Especially the blind man beside him; though his eye sockets were empty, Jingming felt a murderous intent emanating from him whenever he made the slightest move, constantly hovering at his throat.

If he dared to make a move, the blind man's bamboo staff would likely pierce his throat the next moment.

His Mahayana Sutra of Tathagata had a vulnerability precisely at the throat, a flaw that could not be rectified.

The other old monks in the Heavenly Dragon Monastery also dared not move. Standing near Old Master Ma and the blind man, they felt as if two Sumeru Mountains were pressing down on them, threatening to crush them if they so much as twitched.

Cold sweat trickled down Monk Jingming's forehead. He said, "Junior Brother, your disciple killed my monks and damaged the Hundred Dragon Scroll in my Heavenly Dragon Monastery..."

Old Master Ma remained silent.

The blind man, looking serene, leaned on his bamboo staff and said, "Senior Brother Jingming, the destruction of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery today is your own doing. If you hadn't singled out Mu'er as the Demonic Cult Master, none of this would have happened. Don't escalate this matter; it will only become harder to manage."

Another drop of cold sweat slid down Monk Jingming's forehead. He coughed, his voice booming like a great bell, "Cult Master Qin has traveled far and is our guest. Monks, do not act recklessly; retreat now."

As soon as he spoke, the other monks in the Heavenly Dragon Monastery sighed in relief and quickly helped up those who had fallen.

Old Master Ma said, "Mu'er, come back."

The blind man smiled. "You've fought, you've smashed, you've spoken. We are guests after all, so it's not good to be too audacious. Old Master Ma said we should visit the Heart Zen Monastery. Aren't you coming?"

Qin Mu acknowledged, then bowed to Monk Mingxin. "Little monk, if you can't make it here at the Great Thunderclap Temple, you can find me at the Heavenly Saint Cult."

Monk Mingxin puzzled, "Why wouldn't I make it? My master treats me very well, and my senior brothers also take good care of me. I won't abandon righteousness for evil. You too, stop being the Demonic Cult Master. Wouldn't it be better to renounce evil and embrace good soon? Buddhist teachings say, 'The sea of suffering has no bounds; turn back, and you will find the shore...'"

Qin Mu shook his head and said earnestly, "You are a true monk. Sometimes, true monks are not tolerated by the 'false' monks in the temple. When the temple can't accommodate you, you must go out into the world to seek your true nature, your great awakening. Read fewer Buddhist scriptures. Few who compile Buddhist scriptures are Tathagatas; if they themselves cannot attain Buddhahood, how can they guide you to it? Erase the Buddha in your heart, erase the Great Thunderclap Temple in your heart; you are your own Buddha, the world is your Great Thunderclap Temple, and all beings are your fellow practitioners, your senior brothers."

He extended a finger and lightly touched Monk Mingxin's chest, smiling. "Here, a true Buddha resides."

Then, he pointed to Monk Mingxin's forehead. "Here, a false Buddha resides. Do not let faith become your demon, your hindrance, your cognitive barrier. What you should do is to live uprightly, with a clear conscience."

"Keep a scale in your heart; let it be your principle to weigh good and evil, right and wrong, righteousness and demonic influence. Go out more, see what others do, don't just read what the Buddhist scriptures say. Staying in the temple, contemplating good and evil, or thinking about achieving Buddhahood, will not make it happen."

Monk Mingxin's mind reeled, lost in thought.

Qin Mu turned and walked towards Old Master Ma, then bowed to Old Monk Jingming and the others, saying, "My apologies, masters, for disturbing your peace."

Monk Jingming and the others returned the bow, saying, "Cult Master, you're too polite. Their cultivation is insufficient, and your demonic nature is too strong, adept at bewitching hearts and acting ruthlessly. You are a born demon overlord."

Qin Mu shook his head. "My mental cultivation is shallow; if someone tries to kill me, I can only fight back. Masters, your mental cultivation is profound. When someone tries to kill you, do you fight back?" After saying this, he drew the Young Protector Sword with a clang, his gaze unfriendly.

Old Monk Jingming and the others' gazes fell upon the gleaming sword blade, and one by one, they slowly shook their heads.

Qin Mu sheathed his sword, let out a breath, and chuckled, "I thought you enlightened monks could be fearless of life, death, honor, or disgrace. It turns out you're just like me, ordinary people with too much demonic nature. I'll take my leave. Grandfather Ma, Grandfather Blind, what kind of place is the Heart Zen Monastery?"

Old Master Ma led them out, explaining, "The Heart Zen Monastery is where the Great Thunderclap Temple refines the mind. The cultivation there is different. Monks cultivate the mind first. The Heart Zen Monastery has many monks who practice silent meditation, who do not cultivate their tongues."

The blind man sighed in relief and laughed, "Not cultivating the tongue is good; it saves you the trouble of talking to them. You tell them about the monks' real-world actions, and they talk about Buddhist teachings. You tell them to rectify temple rules, and they talk about Buddhist teachings. You reason with them, and they talk about Buddhist teachings. You talk about Buddhist teachings, and they resort to fists. Simply put, these Buddhist believers cannot achieve unity of knowledge and action."

Old Master Ma hesitated, then stopped and said, "Then let's not go to the Heart Zen Monastery after all."

Qin Mu was surprised and blurted out, "Are the monks in the Heart Zen Monastery like that too?"

Old Master Ma shook his head. "There are also monks in the Heart Zen Monastery who don't practice silent meditation. It's a good thing you came along. If I had come here alone, they would certainly have lectured me. Since you're the Demonic Cult Master, they'll be even more eager to lecture you now. When they can't out-argue you, this scene from the Heavenly Dragon Monastery will simply repeat itself."

The blind man shook his head. "Then we won't go. Most of the monks in the Great Thunderclap Temple are 'false' monks; very few can truly act in accordance with their beliefs. As soon as you point out their flaws, they'll argue with you, and convincing someone wholeheartedly is the hardest thing. They can't break through their cognitive biases; they always love to complicate simple truths to confuse you. If you follow their line of argument, you'll lose."

Old Master Ma said, "No matter how well a principle is stated, it remains just a principle. Ultimately, it comes down to action. In this world, there are truly few true monks; most are fake. Those who spout flowery rhetoric and cite scriptures are all fake; they only show off but don't act. If even one in a hundred is genuine, it's a blessing from heaven. Tathagata has grown old and become lax in teaching. In recent years, it seems he's willing but unable."

He wasn't usually talkative, but revisiting this old place made him speak more than usual without realizing it.

Monk Jingming and the others watched them walk away, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Evil," one old monk sighed. "This Demonic Cult Master is truly evil."

Another old monk sighed, saying, "Tathagata keeping him in the temple is probably not a blessing for our Great Thunderclap Temple."

Another abbot said, "I don't understand why Tathagata wants to keep him. He's the Demonic Cult Master; which Demonic Cult Master of the Heavenly Saint Cult is easy to deal with?"

Old Monk Jingming said, "You don't need to guess. Tathagata's intention is to influence him with Buddhist teachings, so he understands the vastness of the Dharma, abandons evil for good, and converts to Buddhism. Tathagata originally favored him and wanted to take him as a disciple, but unexpectedly, the founder of the Heavenly Saint Cult got there first and took him away."

The old monks were surprised, knowing that he shared a deep bond with the elder Tathagata and that many things were not kept from him. They quickly asked, "There's such a thing?"

Old Monk Jingming continued, "That 'xi qi luo' was the token, but he casually gave it to a monkey. Tathagata then believed their destiny was severed, which is why he didn't seek him out. In fact, Tathagata had a second reason for keeping him: with this Cult Master Qin, the Heavenly Saint Cult shows signs of a resurgence. The Demonic Cult Master has close ties with the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace. During this recent snow disaster, the Demonic Cult Master displayed foresight and ordered the entire cult to assist the emperor with disaster relief. With the emperor and the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace as its pillars, the Heavenly Saint Cult is bound to flourish throughout the land."

The old monks' expressions changed drastically. They stamped their feet and exclaimed, "How can this be allowed?"

Old Monk Jingming said, "If Cult Master Qin were kept trapped in the Great Thunderclap Temple, the Heavenly Saint Cult, without its master, would have its momentum of resurgence interrupted. Demonic influence would wane, and Buddhist influence would rise, which would be a blessing for our Great Thunderclap Temple. Even if the Heavenly Saint Cult wanted to find another Demonic Cult Master, they likely wouldn't find one as outstanding. As for the third reason..."

Buddhist light flickered in his eyes as he spoke softly, "It concerns the next Tathagata. The elder Tathagata lacks the audacity of the Heavenly Saint Cult's founder, who dared to choose a mere youth as their cult master. He still prefers the Horse King God, believing him most suitable to inherit his mantle. Unfortunately..."

The other old monks exchanged glances and sighed in unison, "A pity."

The young Monk Mingxin approached, looking dazed, and said to Old Monk Jingming, "Master, I..."

Old Monk Jingming saw him looking distraught and comforted him, "Good child, you've been bewitched by the Demonic Cult Master's words. Demons are most skilled at bewitching hearts, let alone the Demonic Cult Master himself?"

"But I think what he said makes sense..."

Old Monk Jingming laughed heartily. "Good child, the Buddhist scriptures in our temple contain many discussions about demons. Go and see what the ancestors said; then you'll understand on your own, without my guidance."

Monk Mingxin remained uneasy.

Old Monk Jingming frowned, knowing that Qin Mu's words had impacted the young monk profoundly. To distract him, he said, "First, go treat your senior brothers, then help set up the dragon pillars. Even though they're broken, they can still be mended."

Monk Mingxin assented and quickly went to help his senior brothers in the Heavenly Dragon Monastery and treat the injured. However, none of the monks gave him a kind look, each one shooing him away with a flick of their sleeve.

Monk Mingxin stood stunned for a moment, then went to lift the fallen dragon pillars. Several monks came over and pushed him aside.

Monk Mingxin tried to push forward again but was slapped to the ground by an unknown monk. He sat there, staring blankly at everyone, then quietly got up and went to the Sutra Depository to read Buddhist scriptures. Yet, he found himself unable to comprehend the principles within them.

Old Monk Jingming was also tidying up the Heavenly Dragon Monastery when he suddenly saw Monk Mingxin walking down the mountain with a small satchel on his back. His heart stirred, and he called out, "Mingxin, are you carrying Buddhist scriptures?"

Monk Mingxin stopped. "Master, I have a copy of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra."

Old Monk Jingming nodded. "Go down the mountain. Turn back soon. The sea of suffering is boundless; turning back leads to Mount Sumeru, to the Great Thunderclap Temple."

Monk Mingxin knelt, bowed his head twice to him, then turned and left.

Behind him, the bells of the Great Thunderclap Temple rang out. The sun was high in the sky, casting the young monk's long shadow down the mountain.