Lao Jun naturally didn't want to make enemies with Xuan Tian over this matter. After all, he had suffered losses at Xuan Tian's hands twice, and Lao Jun was also afraid that he might accidentally offend Xuan Tian and create karma with him, fearing that Xuan Tian would scheme against him.
Zhunti sat calmly to the side, waiting. He had calculated that Laozi would agree after he proposed to preach in Jambudvipa. He was not worried that Laozi would disagree, because he had his own plans. So he seemed quite relaxed now.
Sure enough, after thinking for a long time, Laozi said, "Fellow Daoist Jieyin is indeed a person of great wisdom and perseverance. The beings of Jambudvipa are ignorant and foolish. Buddhist disciples are compassionate and it is only right for them to spread the teachings."
Upon hearing this, Zhunti, though he had already anticipated the outcome, was still overjoyed, for he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the revival of Buddhism.
“Excellent! Brother Dao is indeed righteous. This action is beneficial to all living beings. I, on behalf of the beings of Jambudvipa, thank you, Brother Dao.” Zhunti stood up and respectfully bowed. Laojun sneered inwardly: On behalf of them, it would be more accurate to say on behalf of Buddhism.
Lao Jun said expressionlessly, "I deeply admire your great compassion. Life is full of hardships, and spreading the Dao is even more difficult. I'm sure you've already made preparations, but I'm afraid things might change in the future. It's best to be cautious and make preparations as soon as possible."
Zhunti knew that Laozi was trying to get rid of him, but surprisingly he wasn't angry with Laozi. He smiled and said, "Brother Dao is absolutely right. In that case, I won't punish you any further. Farewell."
"No need to see me out." Laozi closed his eyes again, and a young boy came in and escorted Zhunti out.
There are two reasons why Laozi agreed to this. First, Laozi wanted to disperse the Buddhist fortune and transform Duobao into a Buddha to establish Hinayana Buddhism. As the one who taught Duobao the Great Way and transformed him into a Buddha, Laozi received the merit and fortune of Hinayana Buddhism and refined it into a Vajra Bracelet, a rare treasure of acquired merit. Although Amitabha and others eventually came up with a way to resolve the issue, Laozi, having benefited from it, ultimately owed Amitabha a karmic debt that he had to repay. With Laozi's philosophy of non-action, he was unwilling to owe others karmic debts, as it would be detrimental to his Great Way. This karmic debt had to be repaid.
Furthermore, Xuantian is adept at concealing his strength, and he possesses considerable power. If it weren't for several incidents, the other sages would not have known that Xuantian's Penglai Island possessed such formidable strength. Laojun was worried. Although Xuantian did not establish a religion and could not openly compete with them for the task of spreading the Dao, his actions over the past few times showed that he was not a peaceful person. This time, Laojun's scheme against Xuantian was twofold: firstly, to avenge the two times he had failed at Xuantian's hands, and secondly, to incite Buddhism to fight with Penglai Island, thus depleting their strength. Given the rising momentum of Buddhism, even if they could not defeat Penglai Island, they could at least see if Penglai Island had any other hidden strengths.
Furthermore, although Laozi had previously sought an alliance with Xuantian to oppose Buddhism, Xuantian was busy with other matters and suffered a defeat in the struggle on Earth. The Confucian school, in order to protect itself, did not assist the Daoist school, which made Laozi somewhat unhappy, and the alliance was thus strained.
There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Even sages are no exception. They treat the people like straw dogs. Under the influence of self-interest, alliances become a joke.
Preface to Volume 1
Now, it is said that Zhunti exchanged the cause and effect of Laozi's transformation into a Buddha for the matter of the Western Buddhist sect spreading its teachings in the East. Laozi either agreed under duress or had his own other plans.
But Laozi was not stupid. Although he wanted to settle his own karma and also had a scheme to scheme against Xuantian, they were ultimately from the same lineage of Xuanmen. The Buddhist sect should prosper. If they fought amongst themselves and let others benefit, they would lose face.
Fortunately, after much discussion, Laozi and Zhunti decided to restrict the number of Buddhist teachings transmitted to the East in order to reduce the pressure from Buddhism on their Daoist sect. However, Zhunti was cunning and insisted on transmitting the teachings, claiming that he and Jieyin had jointly comprehended 48,000 volumes of Dharma. In the end, the two argued, and Zhunti agreed to transmit 81 volumes of true scriptures. Laozi thought it was not good to force him too much, so he agreed.
But he never expected that this was another scheme by Zhunti. It was true that Zhunti and Jieyin had both comprehended 48,000 unorthodox methods, but the path of the Dao is the same in many ways. The Dao Ancestor preached 3,000 times, but there were only three paths to enlightenment. The 48,000 unorthodox methods were not necessarily all reasonable. Apart from the 9980 volumes of true scriptures, the others were not very useful.
Putting that aside, looking back, the Journey to the West is indeed set, and a grand and spectacular drama is about to begin.
The poem says: Before chaos was divided, heaven and earth were in turmoil, a vast and boundless expanse unseen by anyone. Since Pangu broke the primordial chaos, the distinction between the pure and the impure has been established.
The universe sustains all living beings through its supreme benevolence; all things are created for good. To understand the workings of creation, one must read Journey to the West.
It is said that the cycle of heaven and earth consists of 129,600 years, which is one period. This period is divided into twelve cycles, namely the twelve earthly branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. Each cycle lasts 10,800 years. Consider a single day: Zi hour receives Yang energy, while Chou hour is the time of rooster's crow; Yin hour is before sunrise, while Mao hour is after breakfast, while Si hour is before sunrise; Wu hour is midday, while Wei hour is before sunset; Shen hour is late afternoon, while You hour is late afternoon, while Xu hour is dusk, and Hai hour is the time for people to settle down. Similarly, in the grand scheme of things, if the cycle ends at Xu hour, then heaven and earth will be shrouded in darkness, and all things will perish.
Five thousand four hundred years later, at the beginning of the Hai (亥) cycle, darkness will prevail, and all beings in the world will cease to exist; hence the term "chaos." Another five thousand four hundred years later, as the Hai cycle ends, the primordial energy will begin to emerge, approaching the Zi (子) cycle, and gradually, light will return. Shao Yong said, "At the midpoint of the winter solstice at Zi, the celestial center remains unchanged. At the first stirrings of Yang, before all things are born." At this point, the heavens begin to have a foundation.
Five thousand four hundred years later, at the exact moment of the Zi cycle, the light and pure elements rise upwards, giving rise to the sun, moon, stars, and constellations. The sun, moon, stars, and constellations are called the Four Symbols. Hence it is said that Heaven opened at Zi. After another five thousand four hundred years, the Zi cycle will end, approaching the Chou cycle, and gradually solidify. The Book of Changes says: "Great indeed is the Qian principle! Supreme indeed is the Kun principle! All things are born from it, thus following and receiving Heaven." At this point, the earth begins to solidify.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
