Upon receiving Wei Hu's message, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang, and Julusun remained silent for a long time, then each let out a long sigh and rose to their feet...
In the Jade Void Palace of Kunlun Mountain, the Jade Pure Sage, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable of the Chan Sect, remained expressionless. After calculating for a long time, he finally said, "Very well, what must go will go. Consider it repayment for the karma of the Investiture of the Gods! But since Buddhism has shown me no mercy, how can I let you off easily?"
Ten days later, Dipankara, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang, Julusun, and Weihu announced by the Eight Virtues Pond on Mount Ling, a Buddhist site, that they had been enlightened by the two Buddhas, Namo Amitabha Buddha and Namo Subhuti Buddha, and that from this day forward they would convert to Buddhism and have no further connection with the Three Pure Ones or Taoism...
Dipankara was given the title of Namo Dipankara Buddha, and Wei Hu was given the title of Wei Hu Bodhisattva. Apart from Dipankara and Wei Hu, the other three, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang and Julusun, had their three flowers on their heads removed and their five breaths in their chests closed due to the battle of the Yellow River Formation. They needed to be reincarnated and start cultivating again before entering Buddhism.
Dipankara Buddha later became the first of the Seven Ancient Buddhas in Buddhism. Kuru Sun was one of the Seven Ancient Buddhas. Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang, Lingji, Ksitigarbha, Mahasthamaprapta, Suryaprabha, and Candraprabha are collectively known as the Eight Great Bodhisattvas who protect the teachings of Buddhism.
Among the eight great Bodhisattvas, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will have great opportunities in the future; Weituo Bodhisattva, wielding a vajra, protects the future Buddha Maitreya; Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva should have served Amitabha Buddha, but now needs to reincarnate and cultivate again, and has not yet returned to his position; only Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva serves Amitabha Buddha; Suryaprabha Bodhisattva and Candraprabha Bodhisattva serve Bhaisajyaguru Buddha. The remaining two, Dipankara Buddha and Kassapa Buddha, are led by Subhuti Buddha to the mortal realm.
The lion, elephant, and stag mounts of the three Bodhisattvas, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokiteshvara, were actually the transformed forms of three second-generation disciples of the Jie Sect—Lingya Xian, Qiushou Xian, and Jingu Xian—after they were captured by Zhunti. Now, with Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokiteshvara burdened with important matters, Lingya Xian, Qiushou Xian, and Jingu Xian seized an opportunity to escape to the Eastern Lands. Although the Jie Sect had not been destroyed, Biyou Palace was sealed off, and the three Holy Mothers were nowhere to be found. Thinking that the demons gathered in Xihe Niuzhou might provide refuge, they headed towards Xihe Niuzhou.
Those Buddhist Buddhas and the three Buddha implements were disciples of the Jie Sect back then. They were also lamenting the suffering that Lingya Xian, Qiushou Xian, and Jingu Xian had endured as slaves. Now that the three had regained their freedom, they turned a blind eye and pretended not to know.
After Randeng led five followers to defect from the Chan Sect and join Buddhism, Buddhism reached its zenith. Meanwhile, the Three Pure Ones Daoist sect suffered a further blow, its reputation crumbling. The Chan Sect, especially under the Jade Pure Saint Yuanshi Tianzun, plummeted in power. It's lamentable that the elites of the Chan Sect, painstakingly cultivated by Yuanshi Tianzun over tens of millions of years, ultimately benefited others…
Zhunti, accompanied by Dipankara and Kasyapa, arrived in Kapilavastu, India. Zhunti transformed into his true form, a Bodhi tree imbued with the essence of primordial metal, and instructed Dipankara to take Shakyamuni, the reincarnation of Nagarjuna, as his disciple. The three taught Shakyamuni daily under the Bodhi tree. Dipankara taught Shakyamuni the Great Dharma of the Jade Purity Saints to awaken Shakyamuni's memories of his past lives, while Kasyapa, with Zhunti's help, taught Shakyamuni the Great Dharma of the Western Buddhist Saints to guide Shakyamuni's thoughts.
Shakyamuni's previous incarnation, Phra Tara, was already exceptionally gifted, possessing the peak realm of a Great Golden Immortal. Now, with the guidance of such a powerful person, his cultivation progressed at an astonishing pace.
At that time, India was like the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, with various vassal states constantly at war. Decades later, Kapilavastu, the kingdom from which Shakyamuni was born, was defeated and destroyed in a great war. Shakyamuni lost his country and family overnight, and went from being a high-ranking prince to a fugitive. Kassapa Buddha also died while protecting Shakyamuni's retreating disciples and was reincarnated in order to save Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni, affected by this great change, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the place where Cundi was an incarnation, and understood his past and present lives.
Shakyamuni was moved by the great kindness and virtue that Buddhism had shown him, and he remembered the words that Laozi had spoken to him. So he took refuge in Buddhism and became a disciple of Jieyin and Zhunti.
At that time, Cangjie appeared to meet him, and Randeng, who was standing by, did not stop him because he had been instructed by Zhunti.
Upon seeing Cangjie arrive, Duobao stepped forward and said, "Duobao thanks Senior Brother."
Cangjie said, "Fellow Daoist, you are too kind! Now, you are no longer Shangqing Duobao, you do not belong to the Daoist sect, and there is no need to distinguish between seniority and juniority."
Duobao remained silent. Cangjie and Duobao were, after all, fellow disciples. Although the Jie Sect was now defunct in name only, the Jie Sect and the disciples of Penglai were still quite close and had some affection for each other. When they met, they couldn't help but feel sad when they thought of the past.
Despite his sadness, he could not neglect his duties. Composing himself, Cangjie handed the Immortal Slaughtering Formation Diagram to Daoist Duobao, saying, "You are about to become a Buddha. Based on this, there will be no more Daoist Duobao in the world." Finally, he added, "Brother Daoist, you will become a Buddha in your own right. Although your teachings may differ, the underlying principles will remain the same."
Duobao muttered to himself, "Life is unpredictable, what can I do?" He then looked utterly dejected.
Cangjie smiled and congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist!"
Duobao said silently, "There is no Duobao in the world anymore, so what is there to be happy about?"
Cangjie laughed and said, "With treasures in your heart, joy comes from the Great Way."
Upon hearing this, Duobao's heart stirred, and he said, "Buddha is the Way."
Upon hearing this, Cangjie smiled and nodded, saying, "Buddha is the Tao."
As soon as he finished speaking, the three flowers above Duobao's head transformed into Buddha's light, and thousands of spiritual treasures transformed into a golden Buddha six zhang tall. The Buddha had a thousand hands, which were coiled behind his back, and all kinds of precious light shone, which was incomparably beautiful and indescribable.
Duobao pointed one finger to the sky and one finger to the earth, saying, "I am Shakyamuni. Now, in gratitude for the Way of Heaven, I establish Theravada Buddhism here, to express my original intention of cultivating myself and helping others, in order to educate all living beings. May the Way of Heaven bear witness to this."
However, after Cangjie took the opportunity to enlighten Duobao, Duobao understood the Great Dao, transformed his original body's thousands of magical treasures into a Buddhist golden body, and then took the opportunity to establish a religion, and created Duobao Tathagata.
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