Can you know the Four Noble Truths?

How could I not know?

That was the rare exhortation given by the Buddha during his brief appearance under the Bodhi tree.

The Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata in the Buddha's light lowered his eyes and answered almost instinctively: "The Four Noble Truths of my Buddhism are called suffering, accumulation, extinction and the path."

"How could I not know?"

Qi Wuhuo asked: "Then Master, do you think that your path does not violate the original Four Noble Truths?"

Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata replied, "Of course it is."

The young Taoist held out his hand and asked, "So, what is the truth of suffering?"

Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata seemed to find it rare to meet someone who would discuss the Way with him, so he said gently:

"There are three kinds of suffering and eight kinds of suffering in life. I wonder what the Taoist priest is asking about?"

Qi Wuhuo asked: "What are the three sufferings?"

Medicine Master Liuli Guang Tathagata couldn't help but smile: "It seems that the Taoist priest wants to test me."

“The three kinds of suffering are great suffering, which are divided into suffering of pain, suffering of change, and suffering of impermanence.”

The young Taoist asked gently, "What is suffering?"

The old monk sneered: "There are many monks and many scriptures that describe this state, but in my opinion, it is just [the distress of being in pain]. If you are beaten by someone, if you accidentally fall, and your body is cut by a sharp blade, isn't it painful at this time?"

Qi Wuhuo nodded: "It is painful."

The old monk added: “There are countless scriptures and countless annotations on bad suffering, but they are all boring and tedious nonsense.”

“Bad suffering means [the pain that comes with enjoying happiness at the end].”

"Youth is easy to pass away, and the good times are gone. Happy years are always short. It is precisely because we have enjoyed happiness that we find the loneliness afterwards unbearable. Isn't it painful at this time?"

Qi Wuhuo said: "It is painful."

Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata said: "Then when it is painful, it is painful, and when happiness ends, it will also be painful because of happiness."

“Suffering of change is the pain of being controlled by the laws of natural change during the remaining time when there is neither pain nor happiness.”

“That is the Eight Sufferings.”

“It refers to the suffering of birth, the suffering of aging, the suffering of sickness, the suffering of death, the suffering of not getting what one desires, the suffering of meeting with those one hates, the suffering of separation from loved ones, and the suffering of the five aggregates.”

He then explained the meaning of these eight sufferings to the young Taoist in front of him one by one.

The young Taoist either pondered or nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right."

Finally, the five aggregates are explained as suffering. What is the five aggregates?

"As the Heart Sutra of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara of the South Sea says, the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness are all suffering."

"Master, what do you think of this truth of suffering?"

The young Taoist nodded and agreed, "The story is very complete. From this point of view, there will indeed be a lot of suffering."

"The person who said the meaning of the truth of suffering must have seen a lot of things, right?"

He then asked curiously, "What is the truth of suffering?"

Medicine Master Vaiduryaprabha Tathagata then replied: "The truth of suffering is the gathering of all desires. It is the cause of many sufferings, so it is called the truth of suffering. The countless sufferings in this world are the eighty-eight defilements of view and the eighty-one defilements of thought..."

When he reached this point, he suddenly saw the young Taoist priest opposite him smile slightly.

So he stopped and asked, "What was wrong with what I said that made you laugh?"

The young Taoist stopped smiling for a moment, and said with a cupped hand: "I am Qi Wuhuo."

Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata understood and couldn't help but laugh: "Qi Wuhuo, there are eighty-one kinds of afflictions in the view of defilement."

"Maybe the old monk should see you."

"I once saw the Buddha's brief appearance under the Bodhi tree. Before and after that, I served as a medicine man to heal people."

He said gently: "Master, you can just call me Pharmacist."

The young Taoist said, "Then, Pharmacist, please continue your talk."

Then Medicine Buddha continued to explain the meaning of the various truths of suffering.

The young Taoist listened carefully.

Finally, Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata concluded, saying: "The causes of all these sufferings actually mainly come from greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. Among these five, greed, anger, and ignorance are the biggest causes and are the source of countless sufferings."

"What do you think, Taoist Priest?"

The young Taoist thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."

He suddenly thought of his fellow brothers and sisters, and suddenly realized that many things seemed to be clear, so he answered naturally: "If you are not greedy, you can save yourself a lot of troubles. If you don't get angry and lose your mind, you can also save yourself a lot of troubles. If you don't have any obsessive thoughts and don't have to be obsessed like a demon, you can let go of a lot and save yourself even more troubles."

"The one who said the [Sambodhisattva] is really very knowledgeable."

Then, Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata smiled and said gently, "Master, you have great understanding."

He said: "The truth of suffering and the truth of origin are just ordinary things."

"Then it will be the truth of extinction."

He put his hands together and said, "All suffering will be eliminated, and all living beings will be saved."

"If anyone hears the name of Medicine Buddha, all his sins will be automatically eliminated."

“If one hears the name of the Tathagata, Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata, and sincerely accepts and upholds it without any doubt, there is no chance that one will fall into the evil realms.”

He recited his own Buddhist teachings, and the surrounding area was shining brightly, like crystal clear glass.

The young Taoist raised his eyes slightly, then shook his head, pondered for a long time, and refuted again: "This is not right."

Then the Buddha's light of Medicine Buddha paused.

Seeing that the young Taoist was not refuting him, Qi Wuhuo seemed to be thinking about something and said:

"This is the meaning of the so-called [Nirvana Truth]."

"It must have been added by someone else."

"Isn't this the explanation given by the person who proposed the truth of suffering and the truth of origin?"

? !!!!

Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata was slightly shaken in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He lowered his eyes to look at Qi Wuhuo and said:

"Where did this come from?"

The young Taoist smiled and said, "It's very simple. It's better to say that you can tell it at a glance."

“Because both the truth of suffering and the truth of origin are explaining very basic and clear principles.”

"The man who proposed the Four Noble Truths explained these two points in great detail."

"And the most important thing is that there is no preaching in it."

"He just frankly tells the story of what already exists in this world."

The young Taoist thought of the bowl of noodles he had today, and still felt that it was a pity that he had not tried the roasted chili peppers, so he said, "It's like eating noodles. If you eat chili peppers, your mouth will feel spicy, so you should eat less."

"It's such a simple and plain truth."

"As if he was worried that others might misunderstand him, he even explained everything in detail, like telling you that adding vinegar to noodles will make them too sour, too much salt will make you thirsty, and you can eat less chili peppers, but never add sugar to noodles, or they will taste bad. It's a bit long-winded, but I can feel his tenderness towards the common people."

"But what you just said--"

"This truth of extinction is to eliminate all suffering and save all living beings."

The young Taoist raised his eyes and looked at the Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata in front of him and said:

"But it carries a feeling of superiority."

“It’s different from the first two.”

“So, it is definitely not the Dharma he taught.”

Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata was silent for a long time, then said, "But there is nothing wrong."

Qi Wuhuo shook his head and said, "Wrong."

Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata clasped his hands together and said slowly, "All living beings are suffering, sinking in the sea of ​​suffering. Life in this world is like being in a thorn bush. If the heart does not move, the person will not move rashly. If the heart does not move, there will be no harm. If the heart moves, the person will move rashly, hurting his body and bones, and thus experiencing all kinds of suffering in the world."

"We should eradicate all evil."

"So sentient beings will not experience such pain."

"Like this, sentient beings can comprehend the Dharma and attain Bodhi."

"What's wrong with that?"

As he spoke, the Buddha's light unconsciously dimmed a little.

The young Taoist said, "That's right. This is true."

"But Master Pharmacist, have you ever asked the common people before doing this?"

"I have asked the common people if they are willing to be ferried away by you."

Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata narrowed his eyes slightly, and the young Taoist stood up, looking at the monk in front of him with calm eyes, and said: "What you just said is not false, but I still have some doubts. Life is in such a world, and sentient beings must not move their hearts rashly, so as not to suffer. I agree."

"But what you did was to use Buddhism as a chain to trap the people."

"[Order] them not to move."

"So they don't have to suffer the pain of the needle."

“Is this considered salvation?”

The old monk clasped his hands together, lowered his eyes for a long time, and said, "Count."

"Because people don't have to suffer anymore."

The young Taoist looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "That's a way of saying it, Pharmacist."

"But I still have a question, I hope you can answer it."

"Speaking……"

"The Buddha said that the five aggregates are full of suffering, so I will try to explain the five aggregates. Form, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness are all suffering."

"You just mentioned the Dharma of Avalokitesvara of the South Sea. I listened and understood a little bit."

"It is because people can sense the outside world and feel all the appearances that they are disturbed by everything in the outside world, thus causing greed, anger and ignorance. Therefore, Buddhism says that [appearances are empty]. This is what it means. Appearances are empty. It is a state of mind. It means that no matter how complicated the outside world is, no matter how changes are seen and experienced, all these external appearances will not affect the inner state of the practitioner, right?"

Now it was the young Taoist's turn to ask. The old monk was silent for a long time and sighed:

"What the real person said is right."

The young Taoist shook his head and said, "He is not worthy of being a real person."

He added: "Then what the Buddha hopes for is that all living beings can reach the state of realizing that form is empty."

"Is it right?"

The Buddha's light on the old monk had already converged and was only in this room. He lowered his eyes for a long time and said, "What the Immortal said is right."

"What I, the Buddha, hope is that all living beings can reach this point."

So the young Taoist asked in confusion:

"But didn't what you did mean that they would never have the chance to reach this point?"

"Just as seeing many things in this world can bring pain to people, it shouldn't blind people's eyes."

"Because all living things will eventually die, kill them at birth and let them reach the other shore directly."

"Pharmacist, isn't that what you did?"

Medicine Master Liuliguang Tathagata's body shook violently, he suddenly raised his head and blurted out: "No, I didn't!!"

The young Taoist inquired, "But aren't you directly depriving sentient beings of the opportunity to [see all things as not being things]?"

"The Buddha hopes that all living beings can reach the state of [seeing that all forms are empty]"

"But you made them not see the color at all. They had no chance to come into contact with the color at all, so naturally they felt that the color was empty."

“But have they really reached this level of enlightenment?”

The Buddha's light on Medicine Buddha almost disappeared, leaving only an old monk.

The young Taoist sighed and said:

"Monk."

"Are you trying to relieve people's troubles, or are you trying to remove their wisdom?"

"Why do you have such an idea?"

The old monk said in pain:

"I just want to learn from the Buddha to save the people. I just want people to stop suffering, which is my aspiration."

Qi Wuhuo paused, and then he was really just confused, so he asked naturally:

"So, did the Buddha you mentioned treat you the same way you treat the common people now?"

Has the Buddha ever saved you in this way?

I have also felt that all appearances are suffering, and that all living beings are suffering.

Will it also help you to end all suffering?

This sentence was just a doubt, but it sounded like a loud bell in the old monk's mouth, awakening the deaf and dumb. He suddenly recalled that day when he was still a poor pharmacist under the Bodhi tree and saw the dazed man. Then he told himself and others about the original Dharma, which was the Four Noble Truths.

How did he tell himself at that time...

He said, this is suffering, you should leave it.

This is the accumulation, you should cut it off.

This is extinction, you should realize it.

This is the Tao, you should practice it.

He pointed out the Four Noble Truths and then advised me that it can be done and you can try to do it this way.

I've done it, so you can too.

That's just how he is.

The old monk suddenly felt grief-stricken, as if he had taken the wrong path, and his heart ached. The Buddha's light on his body disappeared in an instant, as if it was too bright before. When the Buddha's light faded away, there was only darkness around him. The old monk staggered and wanted to get up, but because he recalled that person and his dream in which he predicted the future, he was overwhelmed with grief.

He staggered a step and fell to the ground.

With both hands on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"ah……"

"Buddha, could it be that I have made such a mistake?"

"You have set an example, but I have only gone to the surface. How could I have misunderstood your meaning to such an extent?"

The young Taoist was silent, and suddenly said softly: "The person who guides you."

“He’s gone now.”

There is compassion in these words, but they sting like a sword.

The old monk was so grief-stricken that he burst into tears.

I just felt that there was darkness all around me, there was no guide ahead, and I had taken the wrong path.

Suddenly, a light came on. He subconsciously raised his head and saw the young Taoist holding an oil lamp coming over. He leaned down slightly and used the oil lamp in his hand to illuminate himself. The old monk raised his sleeves, wiped his tears, and said:

"The old monk was too rude to let Daojun see this side of him."

"There are so many mistakes that it is very difficult to return."

"The more I recall it, the sadder I feel."

Qi Wuhuo said: "No need to thank me, I'm not helping you, you knew it all along, I just happened to say something that made you remember him."

The old monk sighed and said, "What a pity, I have made such a big mistake."

"It's getting more and more painful to be so far away from his teachings."

Qi Wuhuo asked: "Then why don't you turn back?"

The old monk's body shook violently.

"Look back..."

"If you take the wrong path, shouldn't you turn back next time?"

The old monk murmured: "Can I still turn back?"

"If you want, why not?"

The old monk sighed and said, "I still have a lot of things..."

"So do you want to turn back?"

So the old monk stopped.

The young Taoist put the oil lamp back on the table and said, "I have already heard what you said about the truth of suffering and the truth of origin."

"So I don't agree with you about the truth of extinction."

"I also have some ideas."

"Pharmacist, you can listen to it and just treat it as a casual joke from an ordinary Taoist."

The old monk stood up and sat back down. Seeing that the young Taoist priest stood up, he said in a clear voice:

"We in the Dao sect regard the sun and the moon as our life."

"The sun rises and the moon sets, and the light shines everywhere. This is cultivation."

"The truth of suffering says that all suffering comes from Samadhi, which is greed, hatred and ignorance, like fire. The light of the fire is the countless desires that shoot out from this source. These desires are reflected in the eyes, so we cannot see the life light of the sun and the moon."

"And the truth of extinction, perhaps so."

The young man stood up and gently blew out the oil lamp.

The window of the Taoist temple was opened, and the moonlight poured in gently, falling on the body and shoulders of the young Taoist, and also falling into the room, illuminating the whole place. The monk's eyes widened, watching the young Taoist pointing at the oil lamp under the moonlight, peaceful and at ease, and smiled, "It is not to eliminate all desires of the people, but to blow out the fire of greed, anger and ignorance in oneself."

"In this way, all evil desires and evil desires will naturally dissipate."

“You can see the sun and the moon.”

The old monk looked at the young Taoist priest under the moonlight and suddenly laughed.

As I was laughing, I suddenly choked up.

"I see……"

"It is not the extinction of extinction, but the extinction of extinction of extinction."

"Blow away greed, anger and ignorance, and you will see the Tathagata."

"Yes, how could a person like him use the word 'transmigration' to describe his Dharma? We have been seeing things wrong and have always understood things wrongly... Why don't we really understand his Dharma?"

The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the East.

Countless glass worlds returned to their original appearance, bright and clear, without the slightest error.

Bodhisattva Moonlight Illuminating All at Once suddenly felt something. He raised his head and saw Medicine Buddha, who was closing his eyes and concentrating on his Dharma body, suddenly burst into tears in grief.

Then he slowly opened his eyes.

Actively choose to stop concentrating your own Dharma, your own power, and your own aspects.

Under the moonlight, the old monk in Lianyang Temple clasped his hands together and said:

"I want to turn back, but I can't do it alone..."

"Please, Supreme Xuanwei Zhenren, help me."

Just like an ordinary young Taoist who was called out his Taoist name, he paused, looked up and saw that the monk was calm and at ease. The old monk had a smile on his face, but his eyes were clear, as if he could see through everything. Buddhism has telepathy, and the young Taoist sensed the old man's relief and letting go at this moment, and understood the old man's choice in an instant. He did not say anything else.

The old monk thanked him, sat cross-legged under the moonlight, clasped his hands together, and said gently:

“May I attain Bodhi in my next life…”

The young man was wearing a Taoist robe and said:

"May you attain Bodhi in your next life."

The old monk thanked him and just recited Buddhist scriptures. Qi Wuhuo stood next to him. The monk was sitting cross-legged and the Taoist was standing. The monk was facing the moon and the young man was facing his back. The old man recited the original Dharma under the Bodhi tree, and then raised his right forearm to his chest, with his fingers naturally stretched upwards, palms facing outwards, making the fearlessness seal; his left hand hung in front of his knees, palms facing outwards, making the wish seal.

The young Taoist's right hand dropped down, and his sleeves fluttered.

The middle and ring fingers of the left hand are slightly bent inward.

Press the tips of the middle and ring fingers with your thumb.

Decide with the Tao.

He took a step forward, swept his sleeves past, and the monk closed his eyes, recalling countless Buddhist scriptures in his mind.

Everyone says "Thus have I heard", but in the end it is covered by other voices.

The young man spoke the truth in a gentle voice, and the Dao decision fell, saying, "This is the way, this is what I say—"

"The Supreme Command!"