Chapter 913: The Art of Conversation

"How should I address you, Master? I have not seen you before."

Chen Xiaolan woke up from her dream with a start. Seeing the 'eminent monk who has attained the Dao' at the door, she was incredibly excited. Fortunately, she still remembered that this was a place of Buddhism and did not make any excessive gestures.

"This poor monk is Jueneng!"

"So it is Master Jueneng! It is truly a blessing of three lifetimes to have a Master perform a dharma assembly for my younger brother."

Monk Jueneng smiled kindly, neither denying it nor being modest.

Chen Guanlou laughed along, "Your temple is indeed meticulous. You provide calming incense for pilgrims who copy scriptures so they can rest after getting tired. You also arrange for a little novice monk to look around outside the door; those who don't know better would think he was acting sneakily, but who would know that your temple is just afraid the pilgrims might oversleep and miss the hour. How very thoughtful!"

Chen Xiaolan was a bit confused and didn't quite understand. But she remained silent.

In front of outsiders, one must give one's brother enough face. Even if the brother is wrong, one must support him silently and not tear him down. Any words can be discussed privately between the siblings.

"Amitabha!" Monk Jueneng chanted a Buddha's name. "No wonder the benefactor would have a misunderstanding. The incense that was lit incorrectly was due to the lack of attention to detail by the reception monks below. Benefactor, please rest assured, this poor monk will order people to rectify it properly. Next time, such things will definitely not happen again.

As for the little novice, children are mischievous and have not yet shed their childishness; they cannot endure loneliness. I believe that in a few years, he will have a full measure of Buddha-nature and will not do things that easily lead to misunderstandings."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly, "How many years has the Master been in Buddhism?"

"To let the benefactor know, this poor monk was abandoned at the temple gate since birth and has followed my Master to study Buddhist scriptures since I was small."

"No wonder you are so young and yet a Master of the 'Jue' generation. You could recite scriptures as soon as you could eat; that is extraordinary! Why have I never heard of the Master's name before?"

"The benefactor may not know, but this poor monk has been traveling abroad for many years and only recently returned to the capital. Next month, this poor monk will hold a public dharma assembly to lecture on scriptures for all living beings. If the benefactor is interested, you might as well come and listen."

Oh!

This is to build momentum for himself, to make a name!

There is nothing faster to become famous than public lecturing and debating on scriptures!

As long as the scripture lecture is successful, in the blink of an eye, the great name of Master Jueneng of Baoguo Temple will spread throughout the world. He will become one of the few eminent monks who have attained the Dao in the world, and the youngest one at that.

A Liaochen had just died at the neighboring Daxiang Temple, and a Jueneng had arrived at Baoguo Temple.

The Buddhist land of the capital cannot be without a Master!

Chen Guanlou suddenly wanted to laugh.

Compared to Pure Yang Zhenren of the neighboring Yuquan Palace, the Zhenren is truly low-key. Buddhism really knows how to handle things; this dharma assembly, that dharma assembly—they earn both fame and money.

Pure Yang Zhenren must learn from others; look at these methods of theirs. They might as well hold a competition between the two houses to see whose scripture debate is superior!

Chen Guanlou had a 'bad' thought and opened his mouth to ask: "Does the Master know Pure Yang Zhenren?"

"I have heard of him!"

"Pure Yang Zhenren has profound cultivation and extremely deep insights into scripture meanings. Listening to him lecture on scriptures can make people's minds enlightened. Since the Master wants to lecture on scriptures, why not invite Pure Yang Zhenren together for a scripture debate? I believe it would surely shock the whole capital, and even the whole world.

The believers would surely be overjoyed. Perhaps the government would also support it! One Buddhist, one Daoist, displaying your scripture meanings openly—this is the blessing of the common people of the world!"

"This is a good idea!" As the best supporter, Chen Xiaolan must support her brother, "If this female believer could see the high-ranking people of both Buddhism and Daoism lecturing on scriptures together in my lifetime, this life would be worth it! I believe there are many people who think the same as me. Master, can you agree?"

"Amitabha!" Monk Jueneng's face was peaceful, without sorrow or joy. The several older monks behind him were not so polite, glaring with anger, looking like they wanted to eat someone.

Chen Guanlou was not one to be pushed around, "Are the few Masters dissatisfied with my proposal? If you have any opinions, bring them up; we can discuss them. Besides, my proposal for Buddhism and Daoism to lecture on scriptures together was just a casual remark. Whether it happens or not depends on you yourselves."

"The benefactor's proposal is very thoughtful. This poor monk does not mind lecturing on scriptures with a high-ranking Daoist. It is just that I do not know if Pure Yang Zhenren is willing."

"This matter is easy to handle! I know the Zhenren; you write a letter, and I will run an errand to deliver it for you, how about that?"

"Amitabha!" Monk Jueneng smiled, "Since it is about lecturing on scriptures and concerns the reputation of both Buddhism and Daoism, how can I let the benefactor run errands on my behalf? My Buddhism will naturally send an invitation in person to show respect! After the discussion is settled, we will naturally announce it to the world! At that time, we welcome believers from all over the world to come and listen to the scriptures!"

As expected of an 'eminent monk!', his words and actions, his way of speaking and doing things, all exuded the demeanor of a Master. He was much better than those few older monks.

"The Master's words are reasonable!" Chen Guanlou performed a Buddhist salute, "Then I will await the Master's good news! The scriptures have been copied; can they be taken to be burned now?"

"Of course! If the benefactor does not mind, may this poor monk take a look?"

"Take a look! I copied them with heart; I guarantee my sincerity is absolute, and the Buddha, the old man, will surely be able to feel it."

After taking the money and burning the copied scriptures, if the Buddha doesn't remove his bad luck, he will smash the Buddha statues in the temple. What kind of thing is this? It's a scam!

How many years has it been since he last copied books!

Today, he broke his abstinence for the Buddha!

For the sake of breaking his abstinence, the Buddha must manifest his spirit and remove his bad luck.

"Good calligraphy!" Monk Jueneng did not stint on his praise, "The benefactor's hand of calligraphy has a high spirit and sufficient energy; there are gullies in your heart, and your bosom can contain a hundred rivers and seas. It is magnificent. The benefactor has great ambitions but knows not to force things, letting everything follow its natural course. Extraordinary!"

Chen Guanlou:...

The other party is using a script, right!

Rhetoric!

It must be rhetoric!

With this technique of praising people, it would be a huge loss if he didn't go into scamming!

"Master, you can see so much content just by taking a glance at the characters I wrote?" He didn't believe it.

He looked at the content he copied himself; apart from being good-looking and the brushwork being strong, he really couldn't see any more content. What bosom, what ambition, what following the natural course... it's 100% definitely rhetoric! It's all a script!

When Chen Xiaolan heard the Master praise her brother's calligraphy as good, she immediately leaned in, "Let me see, let me see. Oh my, it's written so well! This is the best-looking calligraphy I have ever seen. It's a pity you didn't take the imperial examination!"

Chen Guanlou covered his face, unable to bear looking.

His eldest sister is good at everything, except that her praise of people is a bit too exaggerated.

Subtle!

Be a little more subtle!

"It's not that good; I just wrote it casually." He tried his best to be modest. He still remembered that several years ago, Master Su and Master Du had both disliked his calligraphy, saying it was not good-looking, lacked spirit, and lacked personal style.

Several years have passed, and he considers his calligraphy presentable. He really didn't expect it could be praised like this.

It's praised to the point of catching up with the works of calligraphy masters!

Once again, he sighed that it would be a huge loss if Monk Jueneng didn't go into scamming!

At this moment, he even wanted to take the silver from his pocket and give it all to Jueneng: You can praise me a few more times! Even if it's rhetoric, he loves to hear it! ===== CHAPTER 914 =====