Chapter 2343 - 2340: Enlightenment in Buddhist Sect Stories (4)

Chapter 2343: Chapter 2340: Enlightenment in Buddhist Sect Stories (4)

In Ye Tianchen’s mind, many such scenes surface, and he wishes to stop them, but he is unable to, as they keep manifesting without end:

A single thought of devotion yields great results from small ones!

Once, the Buddha came to a city entirely composed of Brahmin caste. The City Lord heard about the Buddha’s immense influence and the large number of people he taught, feeling very anxious because he feared the Brahmin teachings would lose their ground. To prevent this situation, he issued a preemptive order: "Anyone who offers to the Buddha or receives Buddhist Law will be severely fined five hundred silver coins." Everyone, seeing this decree, was unwilling to part with those five hundred silver coins, so when the Buddha and his disciples entered the city, every household quickly shut their doors. Thus, for three days in a row, the monks returned with empty bowls.

On the fourth day, an old servant of a Brahmin elder was preparing to throw away some spoiled items when she caught sight of the Buddha’s dignified appearance, and reverence spontaneously arose in her heart. She very much wanted to offer to the Buddha, but the things she had were rough and decayed, unsuitable for offering to the revered Buddha. What could she do?

Just as she hesitated, the Buddha smiled and radiated light, happily using the bowl to collect the spoiled food from the old woman’s hands and turned to tell Ah Nan: "This old woman’s devoted heart leads her to achieve joy in heaven for fifteen kalpas, owing to the merit she gains from this sincere offering. After fifteen kalpas, she will be born in the human world and have the conditions to pursue cultivation." At this point, the old woman’s master happened to come out from the house and heard what the Buddha said, feeling incredibly astonished!

The Buddha then asked this Brahmin elder: "Have you ever seen other miraculous events?" The elder replied: "Yes, once we journeyed with five hundred horse-drawn carriages in a convoy, due to the oppressive heat, we sought shade under a large tree that could accommodate all five hundred vehicles and still have extra shade. The enormity of the tree is indeed miraculous!" The Buddha immediately asked: "Do you know how large the seed of this tree is?" The elder answered: "As small as a mustard seed." The Buddha said: "Exactly! This is the principle of a great result from a small cause." The old woman’s reward is in accordance with this principle; although her offering to the Buddha was small, her sincere and pure faith resulted in such great rewards.

The elder, hearing this, perceived it as very reasonable. The Buddha’s words were without any falsehood, and seeing Buddha’s form, radiating light and immensely dignified, hurriedly called out to the neighbors: "The Heavenly Human Guide, the Buddha, has appeared before us, his teachings can guide us away from tribulations, everyone come quickly!" Hearing this elder speak, everyone came out and were equally captivated by the Buddha’s radiant dignity, and the Buddha began to teach them.

Everyone present listened with joy, and willingly went to pay the fine. The Brahmin City Lord was greatly surprised—money is loved by all, why would everyone willingly lose this money? There must be a great cause within this. The City Lord was thus moved as well, inviting the Buddha to the Imperial Palace to teach, and the entire city received enlightenment.

The Buddha’s smile, given due to the old woman’s sincere offering, radiated light, and because of the caused light, everyone’s doubts were dispelled; this was to set teaching through skillful means accordingly. Then, taking it a step further, he distributed the rain of teachings, guiding beings toward liberation, this was to break through delusions and establish clarity, utilizing from the essence.

The arduous journey seeking the Buddha’s gatha!

In the past, a cultivator named Shanxin was born at a time when Buddhist Law was no longer being disseminated, yet he diligently sought the righteous path of Buddhist Law, hoping to find the correct path to liberation.

One day, suddenly from the sky came a resounding voice speaking to him:

"Shanxin! Listen carefully, from here toward the Eastern direction, sixty hundred thousand miles away, there is a king named Shan Zhu. The Buddha once came into being in his country, and Buddhism flourished everywhere. Unfortunately, after Buddha’s Nirvana, Buddhist Law gradually declined, and now across the country not even one Buddhist temple exists. There lives a poor woman, quite ugly in appearance, yet she knows half a gatha of the Buddha, and now she wishes to transmit it to others. You must go and obtain that half of the gatha!"

After speaking, the voice in the sky fell silent.

Without hesitation, Shanxin embarked on his journey toward the distant Eastern lands. He traveled day and night, his legs swelled, his feet cracked, and blood seeped through his worn shoes.

One day at dusk, suddenly he heard a mournful cry ahead, Shanxin ran forward, the sight overwhelmed him. In front of him was an endless stretch of swamp, its extent unknown, possibly tens of thousands of miles.

Shanxin thought: "That cry was extremely sorrowful, someone surely has been engulfed by this!" Realizing this, he felt a chill overcome him, his whole body trembled.

At that moment, a crow flew over Shanxin’s head, perched on the swamp to rest, the moment it landed, it sank immediately without a trace.

Shanxin stood there in surprise, his heart sank deeply. He thought: "It seems I cannot pass through here. Without the Buddha’s gatha, how will I spread Buddhist Law?"

Shanxin lowered his head, looked at his torn clothes and bloodied, flesh-muddled wounds on his feet, waves of pain surged through him, and Shanxin began to think: "Let today be the day I die here! Buddha! I sacrifice my life for this, dying for a good cause." With that thought, he stepped onto the swamp.

As he set foot on the swamp, a miracle occurred, a white, straight, clean avenue appeared underfoot, stretching toward the East, toward the unseen horizon.

Shanxin’s heart rejoiced, immediately forgetting the tribulations and pains endured, he swiftly ran on the white, straight avenue, growing more excited with each step, soon reaching Shan Zhu King’s country and found the ugly woman.

The ugly woman lived in a straw hut, upon seeing Shanxin she asked:

"Guest from afar! What business do you have with me?"

"I have come specifically to apprentice under you." Shanxin gazed at her, respectfully kneeling before her, thinking: "This woman is so ugly yet understands the gatha; it is truly peculiar!"

The ugly woman asked: "What do you wish to learn from me?"

With continued reverence, Shanxin replied: "I am here to learn knowledge from you as a disciple."

"I have nothing much to teach you; I only know half a gatha." The ugly woman replied.

Upon hearing this, Shanxin happily said, "I have journeyed from sixty thousand miles away, enduring hardships all along the way, just to learn this half gatha from you to revitalize the great Buddhist Dharma!"

"Very well! Sit down and listen slowly."

Shanxin quickly sat properly, concentrating and waiting for the woman to recite the Buddhist gatha.

The woman recited, "Do not commit even a single evil deed; practice each and every good virtue."

Upon hearing this, Shanxin felt a refreshing joy spread throughout his body, his heart naturally enlightened, and the words etched in his mind.

The woman asked, "Have you remembered it?"

Shanxin replied, "Not only have I remembered, but I have also thoroughly understood it."

"Very good, you have already gained supernatural power, you may return."

After saying this, the woman fell silent, so Shanxin bid farewell to the teacher and returned to his own country.

With his newly acquired supernatural power, Shanxin quickly returned to his own country. He spread this gatha everywhere, accumulated many meritorious deeds, and gained unwavering determination.

From then on, all demons and ghost monsters accepted enlightenment according to the teachings of the gatha, people returned to the Buddhist Law, the country received the protection of the divine and Buddha, bringing favorable weather and the elimination of disasters.

Shanxin Bodhisattva said, "When I didn’t know this gatha before, I was in the suffering of birth and death reincarnation, but now that I have sought the gatha, whether explaining the Buddhist Sutra to others or promoting any good deeds, it further strengthens my belief in the Buddhist Law."

Shanxin Bodhisattva’s deeds have since been passed down, and his merits are deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.

Enduring insults to transform the Ghost King!

When the Buddha wandered to the Country Magadha, one night, he stayed at the place where the Azha Ghost resided. At that time, the Azha Ghost was gathering with other ghost deities. A little ghost hurriedly ran to report to the Azha Ghost: "Congratulations! You will receive great blessings! Tonight, the Buddha is staying at your place."

The Azha Ghost said, "A stranger is staying at my place, I must test whether he is a true Buddha or just an ordinary person!" Saying this, the Azha Ghost immediately returned home, and upon seeing the Buddha, angrily said, "Monk! Leave!" The Buddha then calmly left the Azha Ghost’s house.

Watching the Buddha leave, the Azha Ghost changed his tone, saying, "Monk! Come in!" Being a Saint who eliminates arrogance, the Buddha returned to the Azha Ghost’s house without any complaints. Going in and out three times, by the fourth time, the Azha Ghost said again, "Monk! Out!"

At this moment, the Buddha finally spoke, "Ghost King! You have asked me thrice, and I will not go out anymore."

The Azha Ghost said again, "Since you do not wish to go out, let’s forget it. I will ask you a question, and if your answer does not please me, I will tear open your chest, making your hot blood spurt out from your face, and then throw you to the other side of the Ganges River."

The Buddha replied, "Ask as you will, I will answer in a way that pleases you."

The Ghost King asked, "By practicing which Dharma can one attain a blissful reward? How can one gain widespread fame? By what means can one cross all rivers? What can cross the great ocean? How can one abandon suffering? How can one attain purity?"

With compassion, the Buddha said, "Practicing the Buddhist Law brings the reward of joy, keeping precepts spreads one’s fame, faith can cross rivers, vigilance leads one across the sea of suffering, diligence removes all suffering, wisdom purifies a person."

Upon hearing the Buddha’s profound teaching, the Azha Ghost rejoiced greatly and vowed to follow the Buddha and protect the Righteous Path.

What is the greatest force in the world? The power of endurance is the greatest. The Buddha said, "A cultivator who cannot endure slander, abuse, or ridicule as if drinking sweet dew is not a person of great strength." In this world, fists, knives, and spears may frighten people but cannot convince them; only endurance can transform the stubborn. Zhuge Liang capturing Meng Huo seven times, Lian Po shouldering thorns to apologize to Lin Xiangru, all were transformed by endurance.

One story after another played uncontrollably in Ye Tianchen’s mind, and from them, he comprehended something, something subtle, and couldn’t help but murmur to himself:

"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deeply, the Prajnaparamita perceives the empty nature of the five aggregates, thus transcending all suffering. Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form, form is emptiness, emptiness is form; sensations, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness are also like this. Shariputra, all dharmas are characterized by emptiness: they are neither created nor destroyed, nor impure nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing. Therefore, in emptiness, there is no form, no sensation, perception, impulse, or consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind, no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas, no realm of eyes, and so forth until there is no realm of mind consciousness, no ignorance, and also no end to ignorance, and so forth until there is no aging and death, and no end to aging and death. There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation nor path, no wisdom nor attainment. With nothing to attain, Bodhisattvas, relying on Prajnaparamita, have no obstruction in their minds. With no obstruction, there is no fear. Far beyond all inverted views, they realize Nirvana. All Buddhas of the Three Times, relying on Prajnaparamita, attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Therefore, know that Prajnaparamita is the Great Divine Spell, the Great Brightness Spell, the Supreme Spell, the Unequalled Spell, able to remove all suffering, genuine and not false. Therefore, proclaim the Prajnaparamita spell, recite the mantra: Gate gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha."