Chapter 597: Plucking the Flower, Smiling—Why Hasn

【"Not expecting the self-nature, it is inherently pure; not expecting the self-nature, it is neither born nor destroyed; not expecting the self-nature, it is inherently complete; not expecting the self-nature, it is unmoving; not expecting the self-nature, it gives rise to all dharmas."】

【"Know that fools and the wise, the Buddha-nature is inherently without difference; only due to delusion and awakening do they differ as fool and wise."】

【The old monk did not teach any techniques, but recited a passage of Buddhist scripture, its wording obscure and difficult to comprehend.】

【The three guards had no understanding of Buddhist scriptures; they felt as if celestial texts were spoken in their ears, utterly unable to grasp their meaning.】

【Madam Xu Xiyue, having grown older, had read Buddhist scriptures before and recognized that this passage originated from the essential teachings of the Diamond Sutra.】

【You read Buddhist scriptures in the small courtyard and gained some understanding of the Buddhist path.】

【The old monk opened his eyes and asked slowly: "Young friend, how do you view this scripture?"】

【You paused briefly, "Without knowing your own mind, studying the Dharma is useless."】

【"The Dharma is boundless, the Buddhist gate lies far in the Western Heaven, nowhere to be found."】

【The old monk smiled, "Young Xie Guan, you possess great Buddha-nature indeed."】

【"The world seeks the Buddha, yet does not know that if one recognizes one's own mind and sees one's own nature, one is called a true man, a teacher of gods and men, a Buddha."】

【"The Buddha is not in the temple, nor in the heavens—he is within the heart."】

【The three guards listened, bewildered, sensing hidden Zen principles too profound to understand.】

【They exchanged glances but dared not interrupt.】

【The old monk turned to the other three and spoke with solemn gravity: "The Dharma is profound—it cannot be mastered in a single day. Those in the world who sincerely seek the Buddha must first begin with upholding precepts and cultivating the mind. Upholding precepts purifies body and spirit; cultivating the mind allows one to see the Tathagata."】

【Upon hearing this, Madam Xu Xiyue grew anxious; she glanced at the time and said worriedly: "But this matter is urgent—Young Master Xie Guan has only one hour left. How can he possibly make it?"】

【The old monk looked at the boy before him and clasped his hands: "The Buddhist path values karmic connection and awakening."】

【Madam Xu Xiyue knew that this Master Lianchi was revered by the Buddhist community as a living patriarch, precisely because he had proposed the doctrine of "illuminating the mind and seeing one's nature."】

【The old monk said: "The sudden enlightenment method of the Buddhist path is like nectar poured upon the crown, like a thunderous shout to awaken the deluded."】

【"I offer you all a sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, wherein lie the Jade Buddha Hand, the Diamond Sutra, the Sinew-Mending Classic—such profound arts. As for what you gain…"】

【The gray-robed old monk gazed deeply at the boy in the midst: "It all depends on your innate capacity and karmic fortune."】

【A halo of Buddhist light appeared behind Master Lianchi's head, illuminating his entire form with solemn radiance, as if the Buddha himself had descended.】

【The old monk slowly raised his hands, forming the Vajra Fist Mudra: his left index finger stood upright, while his right little finger curled around the first joint of the left index finger, and the tip of the left index finger firmly supported the first joint of the right thumb.】

【Madam Xu Xiyue recognized the origin of this mudra: "The Great Sun Vajra Bodhi Seal!"】

【In Buddhism, the left hand symbolizes the five aggregates of sentient beings, representing the bondage and liberation of the physical form; the right hand is the crown of the Five Wisdoms and Five Buddhas, placed upon the form of sentient beings.】

【It signifies the opening of supreme wisdom.】

【This is the Great Sun Tathagata Vajra Seal of the present Buddhist tradition.】

【The sutras record that this mudra can connect with the three lifetimes, perceive past and future, and behold the Tathagata within one's own mind.】

【Yet in Chan Buddhism, only the current Buddha-Head may learn it.】

【Though this Master Lianchi was not the sovereign of the Southern Buddhist Kingdom, his status was no less than that of the Buddhist Patriarch.】

【The old monk, like unfolding a five-colored lapis-lazuli realm, enveloped them all within it.】

【Madam Xu Xiyue was stunned; the depth of this master's realm was so profound and unfathomable, he no longer seemed mortal—he appeared divine, celestial.】

【Thinking of the demonic master who stood alongside Master Lianchi, Madam Xu Xiyue could not help but feel further reverence.】

【That demonic master was equally unfathomable, immensely powerful, and renowned alongside Master Lianchi.】

【Madam Xu Xiyue secretly worried: if Master Lianchi lost, where would she and her son turn?】

【This forced enlightenment, like a Buddhist mind-transmission, was a great opportunity for them all.】

【As if in a dream!】

【A single "Amitabha!" echoed like celestial music, soothing the heart and mind.】

【All slowly closed their eyes; supported by an unseen force, they sat cross-legged, as if sinking into a dream.】

【Sima Muqing, who had originally been preoccupied with thoughts of her lover, gradually let them fade; only the sound of evening drums and morning bells remained in her ears.】

【You slowly closed your eyes, sensing within the old monk's lapis-lazuli realm a profound stillness of Zen.】

【Normally, when you practiced calligraphy or martial arts, you entered stillness quickly.】

【Soon!】

【The old monk observed the expressions of all.】

【Sima Muqing's face was entranced, lost in rapture, unable to break free; she murmured softly, her earlobes slightly flushed.】

【The three guards each displayed grimaces, wild joy, and deep sorrow—clearly, their inner states had been disturbed by the illusion, beyond their control.】

【Only Madam Xu Xiyue, the Xu Lady of the Sima family, showed a faint frown.】

【The old monk gently shook his head, sighing at the eight sufferings, eight difficulties, eight precepts, and the seven emotions and six desires—the five poisons of greed, anger, delusion, pride, and doubt—all chains binding the heart, preventing one from seeing the Buddha-nature.】

【The old monk turned again to the lone boy before him; his face held neither sorrow nor joy, only calm.】

【He had entered samadhi!】

【In Buddhism, samadhi is also called dhyana, known as samādhi—"the Buddha-recitation samādhi, the king of samādhis."】

【To pass from stillness to ultimate stillness is the most essential practice in Buddhist meditation.】

【The old monk slowly nodded.】

【Under the Buddha-light, you beheld a ten-story lapis-lazuli stupa.】

【Each level corresponded to "love, hate, emotion, resentment, greed, anger, delusion, hatred"; the top two levels were "wisdom-mind" and "innate capacity."】

【You stepped forward lightly; with one step, there was no obstruction—you had already reached the tenth floor.】

【Inside the pavilion stood three monks with indistinct faces: one asleep as the Dreaming Arhat, one holding a banner, one seated cross-legged with the Vajra Mudra in hand.】

【As you entered, the seated monk began performing a palm seal; his movements flowed with power, his flesh, skin, and internal meridians gradually revealed themselves before your eyes—you could clearly see how he guided his qi, how he fought… you felt it was exquisitely profound.】

【Just as you focused entirely on observing the monk's fist seal, he suddenly attacked you—when you prepared to respond with the method you had just envisioned!】

【A surge of "still qi" suddenly arose in your chest, instantly plunging you into an extreme state of silence.】

【Prompt: "Still Qi in the Chest" destiny.】

【Your body and mind became utterly motionless; every pore seemed to breathe, an inexplicable qi slowly entering and exiting—entering without accumulation, exiting without dispersion.】

【At that moment, you felt a connection with the supreme, mysterious presence within the void.】

【You felt you possessed the power of the Dharmadhatu; with a single thought, you could draw forth all things, reaching the state of "Brahman and Self as One, the Five Aggregates Empty."】

【The monk vanished; your spirit passed beyond the ten-story lapis-lazuli stupa.】

【All around was empty!】

【Your mind recalled Buddhist scripture.】

【"World-Honored One, as I understand the meaning explained by the Buddha… at that time, the World-Honored One said: 'This person walks a false path, cannot see the Tathagata.'"】

【"All forms are illusory; if you see all forms as non-forms, you see the Tathagata."】

【An endless joy arose within you.】

【"I have seen my own mind—I have beheld the Tathagata!"】

【One moment later!】

【The three guards—two of them at the Third Realm—awoke first, shuddering like those roused from cold, their gazes vacant.】

【Then came the guard of the Seventh Realm of Primordial Spirit; he too slowly awoke, eyes filled with confusion.】

【After another fifteen minutes.】

【Their eyes finally cleared slightly; they hurriedly rose and bowed: "Thank you, Master Lianchi."】

【All three had clearly advanced in cultivation; especially the two martial artists, whose faces glowed with delight—they had each passed the fourth floor of the lapis-lazuli stupa in the illusion, gaining one Buddhist art each: "Lion's Roar" and "Tiger Claw Hand."】

【The old monk merely nodded slightly.】

【Madam Xu Xiyue also opened her eyes; her gaze held a glimmer of awakening—she had passed the sixth floor and received one technique: "The Sacred Mantra of the Lotus Sutra."】

【Each level was a trial of the heart, requiring one to battle oneself; even with her ignited divine flame cultivation, she could only break through six floors.】

【Still, her gains were substantial—she felt her Primordial Spirit had grown more stable.】

【Each floor held one Buddhist treasure art—yet what treasure lay atop the tenth floor?】

【This lapis-lazuli stupa within the illusion seemed to be a Buddhist Primordial Spirit treasure, activated by a high-level Buddhist master to draw others inside.】

【It appeared designed for transmitting Buddhist teachings.】

【Xu Xian watched her daughter Sima Muqing, her face still entranced, still not awakened.】

【She could not help but cry out: "Master, Muqing—"】

【The old monk uttered a Buddhist phrase: "Since ancient times, the passion barrier has been hard to cross."】

【Sima Muqing finally lifted her hand to her forehead and slowly awoke, her expression still filled with recollection—clearly still lost within.】

【Now!】

【Only the boy remained with eyes closed, meditating!】

【All wondered how many floors he had passed and what art he had gained.】

【At that moment!】

【The handsome boy unconsciously formed a mudra with his left hand—like plucking a flower—his lips curled into a faint smile.】

【An unparalleled Zen aura emanated from the boy.】

【The old monk, who had been slowly closing his eyes, suddenly opened them wide.】

【"Plucking the flower, smiling—with mind sealing mind!"】

【Though none understood, for the first time they saw shock on Master Lianchi's face.】

【Look again!】

【The boy was now enveloped in a soft, radiant Buddhist light; around him, lotus platforms bloomed, emitting a sacred and boundless luminous aura.】

【Madam Xu Xiyue suddenly recalled a Buddhist parable.】

It was said that one day, the Buddha Shakyamuni was teaching the Dharma to his disciples on Mount Ling Shan; the Buddha said nothing, only gently holding up a flower and swaying it in his hand. All those present remained silent, none understanding its meaning.

Only Mahakasyapa broke into a smile.

The Buddha Shakyamuni, seeing Mahakasyapa's smile, said: "I possess the true Dharma eye, the wondrous mind of Nirvana, the true mark without mark, the subtle Dharma gate, not established in words, transmitted outside the teachings—I now entrust it to Mahakasyapa."

Xie Guan was now forming the "Flower-Plucking Mudra."

The old monk's eyebrows and eyes trembled violently; his lips murmured as if unable to believe: "He never ascended the Tenfold Liusu Tower—he went to meet the Buddha within his own heart…"

This ten-layer Liusu Tower, existing between Primordial Spirits, was a relic of the Southern Buddha Realm and the Eastern Holy Sect, capable of revealing higher realms.

But!

In nearly two thousand years of transmission, not a single patriarch of the Buddha Sect had ever seen the Buddha within the Liusu Tower.

The Buddhist Liusu Tower's sacred object, recorded in its scriptures, had always been regarded by generations of disciples as an exaggerated and absurd claim.

Lianchi was the most outstanding disciple of Chan Buddhism in the past few centuries, his cultivation nearing that of the sect's founding patriarch.

Lianchi had reached only the tenth level, where he himself created the "Diamond Chan Buddha Hand."

Lianchi wrote the "Platform Sutra," opening a new branch of Chan Buddhism, believing that the very words "Buddha" meant nothing more than one's own true heart!

Subduing the heart is like subduing the mind-monkey.

He had assumed the boy, as a worldly emissary of the Three True Sect, possessed a resolute Dao heart and had received the legacy of the Second Master.

Primarily, he was the distant disciple of an old friend.

Lianchi intended to bestow upon him a great blessing, to cultivate a karmic connection.

He expected you to ascend straight to the tenth floor!

Yet you surpassed the tenth floor and beheld the Buddha within your heart.

The old monk murmured: "Could it be… that a higher Buddha Realm truly exists…?"

"The Buddha is not some vague, ethereal concept—he truly exists…"

Even this Buddhist master, who had cultivated for nearly a century, felt his faith begin to waver.

"This world is merely one of the three thousand Buddha Realms… or perhaps, within the Buddha's palm."

The sutras say: "The three thousand great thousand worlds spoken of by the Buddha are not worlds; they are merely called worlds."

"One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi."

The old monk suddenly recalled the mortal Confucian scholar of the Great Qi Academy, who had lived seven hundred springs, desperately seeking the meaning of Ascension?

He looked up at the bright moon in the sky, clasped his hands together, and said: "To Ascend this realm… is to behold the Buddha."

At this moment!

The Buddha seal in your hand shifted again.

Slowly, your hands opened: the right palm faced upward, resting atop the left palm, the two thumbs touching.

A calm, unmoving aura spread forth, sealing all realms.

The old monk's eyes changed instantly.

"The Dharma Realm Mudra!"

The five fingers of the right hand represent the Five Elements of the Buddha Realm; the five fingers of the left hand represent the Five Elements of the sentient realm; the overlapping hands signify the non-duality of sentient beings and Buddha; the touching thumbs symbolize the boundless interpenetration of emptiness; because of its stillness and immovability, it is called the Dharma Realm Mudra.

This is one of the Three Great Mudras of Chan Buddhism; the sutras say that when all three mudras are united, one may Ascend to the Western Paradise and behold the Buddha at any moment.

A great Buddha mudra even Lianchi had never penetrated now appeared on a man who was not even a Buddhist disciple.

It was utterly inconceivable!

～

Xifeng Tower.

At this moment, it was bustling with activity, on a pavilion.

Xie Yuan's face was anxious; he had arrived by carriage early, waiting and waiting, yet still no sign of his brother Guan.

This was strange—they had departed earlier; it shouldn't take over an hour to arrive.

The Gathering of Beauties was about to begin!

Zhang Yunzhi, Li Shuwan, and others were also present.

"Has Master Xie not arrived yet?"

～

West Wing Tower, Yuehua Pavilion.

Su Yun had dismissed his servants and paced within the room.

"Has there been no word from Xie Guan?"

"Didn't you say the Xie family carriage had already departed?"

Hu Yunniang, the courtesan of Yuehua Pavilion, asked:

"Master Su, are we to wait for Xie Guan?"

Su Yun clenched his teeth and said:

"Wait—wait until he comes!"

(End of Chapter)