HBWnovel Chapter 321 Zen Wisdom
Chapter 321 Zen Wisdom
Chapter 321 Zen Wisdom
When Lin Fei arrived at the world-famous Little Spirit Mountain, he did not ascend the mountain from the front, but instead chose the path behind the mountain.
This is something everyone in the martial arts world knows.
Although Leiyin Temple is a world-renowned martial arts sect, it does not prohibit ordinary people from entering its temples. Unlike the Jade Emperor Sect, which requires martial artists with sect permission or disciples to seek apprenticeship, Leiyin Temple does not prohibit ordinary people from entering its temples.
However, Leiyin Temple is different. As long as you have a sincere heart to worship Buddha, you can go up the mountain to pay your respects. This is what Buddhism calls "saving all sentient beings." The entire Leiyin Temple is bustling with worshippers and a constant stream of people.
This is also why Lin Fei regards Leiyin Temple as a major threat—imagine if everyone in the world believed in Buddhism and everyone was a follower of Leiyin Temple, what credibility would the Southern Tang government have? Wouldn't he, the emperor, become an empty shell?
If the Southern Tang government were to clash with Leiyin Temple at that time, wouldn't the world descend into chaos? Would this world ultimately belong to Leiyin Temple, or to the Li family's dynasty?
……
Although anyone can climb Leiyin Temple, ordinary people who come to offer incense and worship Buddha will only ascend from the front of the mountain to the front courtyard of Leiyin Temple, where they will be received by a special monk. Ordinary people who come to offer incense and worship Buddha will not have the opportunity to come into contact with the many highly skilled masters within Leiyin Temple.
Martial arts practitioners who wish to visit the temple can only do so through the back mountain. If they insist on going up the mountain without the permission of Leiyin Temple, they must even have to pass through the Eighteen Bronze Men Formation on the back mountain.
This is no secret in the martial arts world; anyone with a little common sense would know it.
Lin Fei's visit to Leiyin Temple was not for offering incense and worshipping Buddha, so he chose to ascend the mountain from the back.
……
The Eighteen Arhats Formation of Leiyin Temple is located halfway up the back mountain. It is the only way to ascend the mountain from the back.
Martial arts practitioners who come to visit must stop here and wait for the monks on the back mountain to relay the message to the abbot of Leiyin Temple or the head monks of each monastery. Only with the approval of a monk of the head monk rank or above can they continue forward. Otherwise, they must pass through the world-famous Eighteen Bronze Men Formation before they can continue up the mountain.
"Amitabha!" Lin Fei was almost at the Eighteen Bronze Men Formation when he suddenly heard a voice say, "Benefactor, you walk with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, and your brows are filled with incomparable nobility. But why is there a faint murderous aura between your brows and eyes? This is a pure Buddhist place. Those who have murderous intentions should probably not come up the mountain."
The voice seemed to appear near and far, sometimes right beside Lin Fei's ear, sometimes as if it were thousands of miles away. Lin Fei was startled by it.
Because he hadn't even noticed when someone had appeared around him. Not to mention, this person could actually see the hint of killing intent in Lin Fei's heart towards the Thunder Sound Temple, which sent chills down Lin Fei's spine.
Lin Fei looked closely and saw an old monk with a gray robe and a white beard sitting on a boulder on a mountain path not far away.
"This Leiyin Temple truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient Buddhist sect and a renowned martial arts sect!" Lin Fei thought to himself, secretly on high alert. He hadn't even reached the mountain yet, and he had already encountered such an unfathomable monk. Leiyin Temple was the foremost of the three Buddhist temples and the orthodox lineage of ancient Buddhism; it was indeed not to be underestimated.
Lin Fei had some understanding of the hierarchical system within Leiyin Temple. As a renowned martial arts sect, Leiyin Temple naturally had strict rules. The lowest-ranking monks, such as the guest monks and miscellaneous monks, wore gray robes.
When they arrived at the various academies, the martial monks wore yellow robes.
At the level of the head monk of each monastery, a red kasaya is added to the yellow robe. Finally, there is the abbot of Leiyin Temple, whose kasaya is inlaid with gold trim, highlighting his supreme status.
The gray-robed old monk before him was someone whose cultivation level Lin Fei couldn't discern at all. He sat there as if he were one with the boulder beneath him, inseparable from the entire earth.
Lin Fei couldn't believe that such an unfathomable figure would be a lowly disciple like a guest monk or a menial servant in Leiyin Temple. So he stepped forward, put his hands together, and gave the old monk a Buddhist salute: "I have come here specifically to visit Leiyin Temple. May I ask what you mean by the murderous intent you speak of, Master?"
"What arises from the heart, what the mind desires, the energy will inevitably emanate outwards; even if it is concealed, it cannot be hidden." The gray-robed old monk closed his eyes, shaking his head as he said, "Do you need to ask this old monk whether you harbor murderous intent?"
Lin Fei felt a jolt of surprise, realizing even more that the gray-robed old monk was unfathomable and extremely powerful. However, although the old monk seemed to have seen through Lin Fei's thoughts, he had no intention of attacking him. He simply sat there, and there was no trace of killing intent in his eyes.
Since this old monk isn't going to make a move, why should I be afraid of his verbal sparring? Lin Fei thought for a moment, then smiled at the old monk and said, "Master, you are mistaken! If the Buddhist temple is truly a pure place, it can naturally dispel the murderous intent in my heart. The Buddhist temple emphasizes the salvation of all sentient beings. If you prevent me from going up the mountain, wouldn't that be allowing the murderous thoughts in my heart to grow, which goes against the Buddhist principle of saving all sentient beings and enabling everyone to become a Buddha?"
The gray-robed old monk remained silent, only slightly frowning. Lin Fei continued, "If my murderous intent could affect the purity of Buddhism, then it means that Buddhism was never truly a pure place. What difference would it make whether I go up the mountain or not? Why is the master trying to stop me?"
To be honest, Lin Fei had absolutely no confidence in fighting this unfathomable old monk. However, when it came to verbal sparring, Lin Fei was not afraid of anyone.
He was already well-versed in Taoist classics, and in the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty, he had also read countless books and learned the art of rhetoric for emperors. Although these monks were also masters of verbal sparring, Lin Fei was not necessarily afraid of them.
The old monk sitting on the boulder suddenly chuckled and burst into laughter. He then opened his eyes and looked at Lin Fei: "You little fellow, where did you learn such sophistry at such a young age? You're even trying to use your wit in front of this old monk. Such sophistry is not true Zen philosophy. In front of this old monk, your clever arguments are of no use."
The gray-robed old monk saw through him, and Lin Fei couldn't help but blush—indeed, what he had used wasn't some profound Buddhist dialectical method, but merely a linguistic trap to drive someone into a dead end. In the face of a true master of Buddhist Zen, it was utterly insignificant.
However, the old monk had no intention of arguing with Lin Fei. Instead, he went straight to the point and said to Lin Fei directly, "This old monk does not want you to go up the mountain, for your own good. Going up the mountain will only bring you endless trouble. If you insist on going up the mountain, this old monk will not force you to stay. I hope you will think it over carefully."
After saying that, the old monk closed his eyes again, seemingly not intending to care about Lin Fei anymore.