Afterwards, Buddhism spread throughout the Central Plains, and the number of Buddhist disciples increased. Finally, the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. With great supernatural powers, he established the Western Paradise and left behind scriptures stating that as long as Buddhist disciples are willing to cultivate diligently and break through their attachments, they can ascend to the Western Paradise. In that world, everyone is free from suffering and hardship, joyful and carefree, and lives forever.
The hundred or so disciples who initially followed the Buddha could have ascended to heaven with him, but only one disciple knelt before the Buddha and devoutly said, "This humble monk wishes to remain in the human world, travel throughout the Central Plains to spread the Dharma, and save all sentient beings. One day, this humble monk will surely purify this world into a pure land, bringing peace and happiness to everyone, and leaving hell empty!"
The Buddha put his hands together in prayer and said, "Good."
So that Buddhist disciple traveled all over the Central Plains, spreading the Dharma everywhere and saving suffering beings.
He was selfless, compassionate, and kind to all living beings. He diligently practiced Buddhism and attained enlightenment after many years. When the light of guidance shone upon him, he knelt within it, pleading for reincarnation so that he could practice Buddhism again and help all living beings.
The Buddha remained silent for a long time, but still praised it as good.
He cultivated diligently life after life and attained enlightenment in each life, but after each enlightenment he refused to ascend to immortality, solely because of the grand vow he made in each lifetime—
I vow not to become a Buddha until hell is emptied.
As the images flashed by rapidly before him, Shi Chan witnessed the Buddha's many lifetimes of reincarnation, his enlightenment in each life, all the lands he had traversed in each existence, and the piety on his face as he spread the Dharma.
In ancient times, when the demonic calamity of Chiyou broke out, he wore a seven-jeweled kasaya and held a Brahma prayer wheel. He narrowly escaped death several times, resisting the demons' advance to conquer the Central Plains.
During the fox's ordeal, he remained unmoved despite being bewitched by more than a dozen nine-tailed fox women. He also ventured deep into the nine-tailed fox's lair, attempting to persuade the entire nine-tailed fox clan to abandon their actions of harming Buddhist disciples.
Whenever war breaks out in the world, he goes around rescuing people who are suffering from the ravages of war.
Whenever drought or plague broke out, he would tirelessly travel to the side of the suffering people.
...
Finally, a familiar face appeared in the scene before them—a monk in gray robes.
While diligently practicing Buddhism, he traveled throughout the Central Plains. When he arrived at the front of a dense forest, he rescued a white fox that had been captured by a hunter.
When Shi Chan looked at these pictures, he felt as if he had become the monks in the paintings. He empathized with what they had experienced, and he felt that the white fox was right in front of him. When he looked down at the white fox, he felt a deep affection for it.
Hmm, this is a beautiful and agile white fox. It exudes a powerful spiritual aura and may eventually become a demon. If it does become a demon, it should not wantonly harm living beings. He sincerely hopes that it can treat living beings kindly and be a kind fox demon.
As the little white fox hopped and skipped into the dense forest after bidding him farewell, he vaguely sensed that its fate was fraught with hardship, perhaps even destined for an early death. He had saved its life, yet he couldn't guarantee it wouldn't encounter further danger.
Then let me use a hundred years of cultivation to protect her, barely enough to exchange for half a lifetime of peace and health.
At that time, he didn't think much about it. He simply saved a life on a whim, and out of compassion for it, he used the spiritual power of believers he had gained over a hundred years of saving all living beings.
But little did they know that this would sow the seeds of a future entanglement that would last for generations.
He saved her life, and in return, she repaid this debt by saving him from the jaws of a hungry wolf in her next life. Their relationship should have ended there, but she treated him as a playmate, loved him dearly, and eagerly awaited his growth.
Then, their entanglements grew tighter and tighter, and his love for her deepened.
Finally, all the images before my eyes vanished, and it was as if Shi Chan had traversed ten thousand years in this short period of time, experiencing all the vicissitudes of life.
His eyes held a weathered look, yet his gaze was clear and discerning, as if he could see through the ways of the world.
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