Xuan Tian said expressionlessly, "Forget it, I have nothing to say here. You can go and explain to the other junior brothers and sisters." After saying that, he left with his three disciples.
Zhen Yuanzi, after assessing the situation, realized that the banquet was probably doomed. He stood up, apologized to Haotian Yaochi, and took his leave.
Other great gods from the primordial era also took their leave, leaving only some ignorant people and old members of the Heavenly Court. This time, Haotian had really offended someone.
Yaochi glared at Haotian, blaming him for his poor judgment. Haotian smiled wryly at Yaochi; things had really gotten out of hand.
Not long after Xuan Tian left the South Heavenly Gate, he was about to return to Penglai when he suddenly saw Zhunti and Jieyin arrive. He was surprised and wondered what these two wanted with him.
The two approached Xuan Tian and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Senior Brother."
Xuan Tian returned the greeting, and his three disciples also addressed him as their senior uncle.
Zhunti asked, "Where does Senior Brother wish to go?"
"This humble Taoist is just about to return to Penglai Island. May I ask what business you have with me, Junior Brother?" Xuan Tian thought to himself: Why does this sound so familiar? Are you trying to rob me by stopping me?
Jieyin stepped forward and said, "Since the last discussion on establishing the Heavenly Court, our senior brother's discourse on 'Buddhism' has greatly benefited us both. As the saying goes, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening.' We hope that our senior brother will accompany us on a trip to the Western Paradise to discuss 'Buddhism' again."
"Well, I'm actually addicted to it, but the key is I don't know how to do it. As the saying goes, you can recite scriptures, but you don't necessarily understand what's written in them," Xuan Tian thought to himself.
"Senior brother, is there something important?" Seeing that Xuantian was silent, Zhunti assumed that he had other matters to attend to and quickly asked, since the two of them were sincerely inviting him.
"It's nothing, I just remembered something else. Please forgive me, Junior Brother." Xuan Tian paused, then added, "Since you two Junior Brothers are so sincere, how could I, Senior Brother, dare not refuse?"
Upon hearing this, Jieyin and Zhunti were overjoyed. They exchanged a smile and quickly pulled Xuantian along to ride the clouds westward.
The journey to the West was indeed long. The three sages traveled quickly, but they also had to take care of the three disciples under the Xuantian Sect. So it took them almost a day to reach the Western Paradise. Fortunately, the three sages chatted and laughed along the way.
Finally arriving at the Western Paradise, they found its scenery vastly different from that of the East. Everywhere they went, every household practiced good deeds, chanting scriptures, and the land was adorned with rare flowers, precious herbs, ancient cypresses, and towering pines. As they admired the sights, a young boy came out to greet them. Zhunti pointed to the four disciples of Xuantian and said, "This is Pangu, the Sage Xuantian, our eldest brother. Quickly prepare some fruits; we wish to discuss the Dharma by the Pool of Merit. Go and summon your disciples!"
Tong quickly greeted Xuan Tian, and then left.
As they traveled, every cultivator they encountered at the foot of the mountain bowed to Xuantian, addressing him as "Master," which made Xuantian secretly think that Zhunti was being cunning. Suddenly, they saw a row of tall buildings, several stories high, truly: "Soaring a hundred feet into the sky, towering above the heavens. Looking down at the setting sun, reaching out to pluck a shooting star. Spacious windows swallow the universe, majestic buildings reach the clouds like a screen. The yellow crane brings news of autumn's withered trees, the colorful phoenix delivers a letter in the evening breeze. This is a sacred palace, a magnificent hall, a pearl pavilion. In the true hall, the Dao is discussed, the scriptures are transmitted throughout the universe. Flowers bloom beautifully in spring, pines stand green after the rain. Purple fungus and immortal fruits flourish year after year, the phoenix soars with divine grace."
The only drawback was the near absence of people; only a handful of disciples cultivated in the entire Pure Land. This clearly demonstrates the Western Paradise's lack of talent, which explains why they repeatedly sought to spread their teachings to the East. It also explains why Zhunti repeatedly went to the East to "swindle and deceive" people; anyone in that place would share Zhunti's thoughts. Thus, it's clear Zhunti was forced into this situation. Jieyin led Xuantian to the Western Paradise's "Great Hero Hall," where the Buddhist disciple Kasyapa served him tea. Upon seeing Kasyapa, Xuantian said to Jieyin, "This child is intelligent and will surely have a karmic connection to Buddhism in future generations."
Jieyin was taken aback. How did Xuantian know that Kasyapa had a connection with Buddhism? He couldn't figure it out, so he asked.
"What do you mean by that, senior brother?" Jieyin asked.
"Well, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed," Xuan Tian said. He had no idea about any Buddhist affinity; he was just saying it casually. Besides, Kasyapa was a famous Buddha in later generations, and Xuan Tian was just speaking off the cuff. He never expected Jieyin to ask about it.
When Jieyin saw that Xuantian refused to explain why, he didn't care and simply said that Xuantian's cultivation was profound, so he didn't ask any further questions.
Zhunti said, "Brother Shanghui's lectures on dependent origination, the Dharma seal, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, karma and retribution, the Three Realms and Six Paths, the Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment, Nirvana, etc., have greatly benefited Brother Jieyin and me. We earnestly hope that Brother Jieyin will continue to enlighten us."
Xuan Tianxin said: Please enlighten me. I don't know anything about Buddhism. I only saw some things occasionally in my previous life. After I became a saint, I remembered my previous life very clearly. Otherwise, why would I be talking to you about Buddhism?
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Junior brother, you flatter me. I dare not accept your guidance. I only have occasional insights in my daily life, and I cannot match the perseverance of you two junior brothers." He paused and then said, "If you two junior brothers are willing, why don't we discuss the Buddha's teachings here, and share your insights on the Buddha's teachings?"
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, and Jieyin said, "I hope you won't laugh at me, senior brother." He then began to speak about his understanding of Buddhism.
"We were both deeply moved by what our senior brother said about the origins and Dharma seals last time, so we'd like to share our thoughts here."
"If this exists, then that exists; if this arises, then that arises; if this does not exist, then that does not exist; if this ceases, then that ceases."
Dependent origination explains that all phenomena arise from causes and conditions. Simply put, it means that the arising of everything in the world, or every phenomenon, is relative, involving mutual relationships and specific conditions. Without these relationships and conditions, nothing could arise. What are causes and conditions? Causes and conditions are the conditions of a relationship. Buddhist scriptures have defined dependent origination in this way, explaining the principle of the interdependent relationship between things.
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