Chapter 193: All Buddhas in the World are Great Demons!

"That is also correct, but my view is different from yours." Su Chen said: "I think that since cultivation is self-cultivation and character building, clarifying the mind and seeing one's nature, then chanting scriptures and meditating is cultivation, and carrying water and chopping wood is also cultivation."

"The Buddhist teachings in scriptures are dead; they are someone else's insights. But the Buddhist teachings you experience and realize with your own body and mind in daily life are alive; they are truly your own."

"In my view, since a Buddha is a supreme wise one who is self-awakened, awakens others, and has perfected awakening and conduct, then his existence is not for people to worship or bow to him."

"If there is a Buddha who only guides and protects sentient beings if they worship and bow to him, then that is certainly not a Buddha, but a demon!"

"In my opinion, all the Buddhas in this world are great demons who steal the vows of sentient beings."

Su Chen's voice echoed in Fa Neng's mind like the morning bell and evening drum.

He stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

"All Buddhas in the world are great demons!"

This sentence completely shattered Fa Neng's Buddha-heart. In this instant, he fell into self-doubt, with two philosophies warring in his mind.

Su Chen looked at the motionless Fa Neng, shook his head, ignored him, and went to do his own work.

"Buddha... Demon... This disciple understands!"

It wasn't until evening that Fa Neng came back to his senses. He went to the backyard meditation room and bowed deeply toward the room where Su Chen lived.

This bow was more devout and heartfelt than yesterday's.

From this day on, Fa Neng changed.

He no longer regarded carrying water and chopping wood as drudgery, but as a form of cultivation.

He no longer thought about the Western Heaven, no longer thought about the true scriptures; in his world, there remained only the words and actions before him.

Su Chen watched his changes and nodded with satisfaction.

Time flew like an arrow, years passed like a shuttle.

Fa Neng stayed at Pudu Temple for five years.

Five years was enough to change many things.

That young monk who had once arrived dusty and travel-worn, single-mindedly heading West, had now completely changed; his hands had grown thick calluses from years of labor.

But his eyes were brighter and clearer than they had been five years ago.

During these five years, he followed Su Chen, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

Fa Neng never mentioned going to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures again.

To him, every move and action was cultivation, and all things in the world were true scriptures.

The true scriptures were right here between heaven and earth; why go to the Western Heaven to seek them?

Over the past five years, although Su Chen had never spoken a word of profound Buddhist theory to him, Fa Neng felt that his understanding of Buddhist teachings was more profound than the previous twenty years combined.

He gradually understood that so-called "saving all sentient beings" was not about being high and mighty to "indoctrinate" and "save," but about lowering one's head, bending one's waist, and experiencing their joys, sorrows, and the cycle of birth, old age, sickness, and death together with them.

True compassion was not just saying "Amitabha," but handing a bowl of hot rice to someone when they were hungry, or giving a piece of clothing to someone when they were cold.

This year, because of a severe drought in the West, many refugees fled here, and starving disaster victims could be seen everywhere.

Seeing the refugees everywhere outside the temple and the tragic sight of people dying of hunger on the road, Fa Neng's heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife.

"Master, we must help them!" He found Su Chen and said urgently.

"How do you want to help?" Su Chen asked calmly.

"Take out all the grain and vegetables stored in our temple and distribute them to them!" Fa Neng said without hesitation.

Su Chen nodded without objection: "Good, go do it."

Having received Su Chen's permission, Fa Neng immediately took action.

He opened the granary of Pudu Temple and began to distribute porridge at the temple gate.

As the news spread, disaster victims from nearby flocked to the temple.

A long queue soon formed in front of Pudu Temple.

Fa Neng and the few believers who came to help in the temple were busy off their feet. Looking at the sallow and emaciated disaster victims holding porridge bowls, a sense of satisfaction Fa Neng had never felt before welled up in his heart.

This was true "salvation"!

However, good times did not last long.

Pudu Temple's grain reserves were limited after all.

A few days later, the granary hit the bottom.

Yet the number of disaster victims outside the temple grew larger and larger.

This day, as Fa Neng was distributing the last bit of food, an old woman in rags, leading a little grandson who was starving to the bone, knelt before him.

"Master, please, give us a little more food! My grandson hasn't eaten for three days!"

Fa Neng looked at the empty rice vat and the child's longing eyes, his heart feeling as if it were being pricked by needles.

"Old lady, I am truly sorry, there is no more grain in the temple." He said painfully.

Hearing this, the old woman burst into loud wails.

The surrounding disaster victims also let out desperate groans.

Just then, a group of people walked over from the distance.

Leading them were several plump, big-eared monks in brocade robes.

They were monks from the largest temple in the vicinity, Qingwu Temple.

The fat monk leading them shouted loudly to the disaster victims: "Kind believers, my Qingwu Temple, in order to pray for the Buddha to send down sweet rain and save all sentient beings, is specifically raising donations to reshape the Buddha's golden body. Anyone who donates can obtain immeasurable merit and enjoy wealth and honor in the next life!"

Hearing this, the disaster victims looked at each other, their faces full of numbness and mockery.

They couldn't even eat; where would they get money to donate?

Seeing no response, the fat monk's face darkened, and he shouted: "You foolish people, disaster is at hand, yet you don't know how to make offerings to the Three Jewels to accumulate blessings for yourselves. Do you want to suffer such hardship in the next life?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the entrance of Pudu Temple, and he saw Fa Neng, who was in a difficult position.

"Yo, isn't this the Master of Pudu Temple? I heard you've been distributing porridge these past few days, immeasurable merit indeed." The fat monk said sarcastically.

Fa Neng looked at them, then looked at the starving disaster victims before him, and a fire of anger surged from the bottom of his heart straight to his head.

He walked up to the fat monk and said: "May I ask, Master, does your temple have surplus grain?"

The fat monk was stunned, then said proudly: "My Qingwu Temple is the largest temple within a hundred miles, with flourishing incense; naturally, we have grain in storage. Why, do you want to borrow some?"

"No borrowing." Fa Neng shook his head. "I want to ask, since you have grain, why don't you take it out to save the disaster victims, but instead want to ask the people for incense offerings at this time?"

The fat monk didn't expect Fa Neng to dare to question him like this, and he was instantly furious. "Reshaping the golden body for the Buddha and making offerings to the Buddha is precisely to pray to the Buddha to send down sweet rain. It is an act of immeasurable merit. How dare you question it?"

"Merit?" Fa Neng laughed, his laughter filled with desolation and anger.

He pointed at the dying disaster victims, his voice suddenly rising.

"You have grain but don't use it to save the world, instead wanting to raise donations to cast this cold golden body, and you call that merit?"

"I ask you, in the eyes of the Buddha, is this ignorant and senseless golden body more important, or is the life of a living person more important?"

Fa Neng's voice exploded in the fat monk's ears like thunder.

The surrounding disaster victims also raised their heads, looking at those monks with scrutinizing eyes.

"This is heretical speech, demon talk!" The fat monk was ashamed and angry, pointing at Fa Neng and shouting sternly, "You are not respecting the Buddha!"

Fa Neng looked at those monks, the anger in his eyes gradually fading, leaving only deep sorrow.

"People make offerings to the Buddhas, yet they are destitute and cannot even clothe or feed themselves. Temples sit on fertile land, yet they do not think of saving the world, instead using gold to shape Buddhas. In name they are Buddhas, but their actions are like demons." ===== CHAPTER 194 =====