Although the little medicine spirit is not young, he is intelligent and innocent, and speaks freely and casually. But when he said this, Randeng felt as if he was struck by lightning, like a wake-up call. His mind was shaken, and it seemed that he saw another possibility.
His mind is distracted at the moment and full of inner demons. If this continues for a long time, his qi will inevitably leak out and he will die.
But this little Taoist boy revealed it in one word.
The same sentence, if said by Qi Wuhuo or Guanyin, would not have such a great effect.
It is precisely because of the innocent and romantic unintentional words that they can break the collapsed Buddha's heart full of inner demons.
Guanyin, on the other hand, looked at the little Taoist boy with a look of astonishment and shock.
This is!!!
Him again?!
The old blue ox was shocked. The inspiration he had cultivated for such a long time under the guidance of Tai Shang made him feel an unprecedented and huge impact in that instant, as if something of vital importance to future generations was about to undergo a huge change and turning point.
What the hell? ! !
Could this little guy also be a formidable monster in the future? !
The corner of Old Qingniu's mouth twitched.
Having followed Taishang and met Haotian, Jade Emperor, Xuandu and other outstanding figures of the era, Old Green Ox instantly guessed something, but he, Old Ox, just wanted to spend a peaceful sixty years in the human world honestly, and then "retire" smoothly and have a comfortable sleep in the Tushita Palace in heaven.
I don’t want to have any connection with the protagonists of the future era!
People like this are all in the vortex, and getting close to them will only bring trouble. Immediately, his head felt numb, and he stretched out his hand to pick up the little medicine spirit who seemed to be full of enthusiasm and was about to promote Taoism to the old monk Ran Deng over there, and then clamped it under his elbow.
"Ahahahaha, what are you talking about little guy?!"
"Are you drunk on sugar? Ahahaha..."
"I'm sorry, the little guy just ate several candied haws and is a little drunk. Now I'm taking him to sober him up!" Old Qingniu showed a hearty smile on his face, greeted the three people over there, and took a step forward. There was almost an afterimage, and he disappeared in a flash.
Through the rising smoke, Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at the little Taoist child held under the old green ox's elbow, with a solemn expression on her face.
Any lineage of Taoist practice that has reached the level of True Lord has already displayed many mysterious magical powers. For example, the old green ox can vaguely sense that this little Taoist boy seems to have some achievements in the future, and Guanyin can also tell from the current clues that this little Taoist boy will definitely have an extraordinary future.
He was born with spiritual roots and also obtained a wisp of Qi from Hou Tu Huang Di Ji Niangniang.
First, he represented Tai Shang Xuan Wei and shouted at all the Buddhas to retreat; then, when Randang saw the evil spirits of the Buddhas and the demons in their hearts, he revealed the demons in their hearts with just one word. With such opportunity and fortune, after a thousand years, he would probably become a True Lord; and after ten thousand years, he would definitely have the opportunity to achieve a realm like Dapin!
Guanyin noticed at this moment that the vital energy pouring out of the old monk Ran Deng seemed to have stagnated.
Just like a dim lamp in the evening, only a little afterglow of the fire of mind and nature remains.
When I saw the evil deeds of the Buddhas before, my heart was dead.
Now the barrier of dead heart has been revealed by one sentence.
It is born from the mind.
Such a cycle of life and death is a different kind of huge change with special significance in the practice of Buddhism and Taoism. It can be called a difficulty or a catastrophe.
Guanyin felt relieved and happy to see that Randeng's obsession had been solved, but she also felt a sense of realization and regret, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart -
Could it be that the Buddha lamp incarnation before him, who had followed the first Buddha, was really going to abandon Buddhism and follow Taoism?
He seemed to need some persuasion.
But no one is qualified to say anything about such an important decision.
Only Randeng himself can make this decision.
The monk remained silent.
Qi Wuhuo looked at Randeng in front of him and smiled. The most precious treasure of humanity, "Map of Mountains, Rivers and States" in his hand turned into a stream of light and flew into his sleeves and disappeared. Then he said: "His mind is still very young and naive. What he said is just like a child playing. Master Randeng, don't worry about it."
Ran Deng was silent, with his eyes slightly closed, as if he was in deep thought, or just sitting there quietly.
The Taoist said again: "However, I do have a place that I want to take you to."
"We had an agreement before."
"If you calculate, it's about time."
"Would you two like to go together?"
Guanyin was puzzled, but Randeng, whose foundation was shattered and whose thirteen Dharma lineages were all cut off, managed to raise his head and said softly, "I don't know why, but I do have an indescribable feeling right now. It's like the time when I saw the Tathagata in the past. It's as if I would regret it greatly if I don't go on this journey. Please take me with you."
Qi Wuhuo said: "Okay."
He said calmly: "My real body cannot leave the capital, so I can only use this method to send you there."
His real body needed to suppress the turbulent luck here. He stroked his temples with his fingers and plucked out only a strand of black hair. He blew it slightly, and it turned into his own appearance. His facial features were exactly the same. He was also wearing a dark blue Taoist robe and a wooden hairpin to tie his hair. He left with Randeng.
Qi Wuhuo watched his incarnation go away, turned around, and suddenly paused.
“Hmm??? This is…”
The "Map of Mountains, Rivers and States" appeared in the hands of the young Taoist again. At this moment, ripples appeared on this treasure of humanity, and the luck surged and changed. Qi Wuhuo turned his wrist slightly, and the Map of Mountains, Rivers and States turned over. The scroll on the back did not have the ancient yet real ups and downs of the mountains and rivers, but only the luck of humanity itself.
And now, this human destiny is entangled on one side, faintly converging, and about to turn into a name.
And this name is connected to the monk.
The other side extends deeply into the destiny of humanity!
Countless causes and effects and fortunes are faintly entangled with this vague name, and it seems that new changes are about to spread, stretching out, and about to produce branches, making the fortune of humanity more prosperous.
“Ran the lantern…?!”
Qi Wuhuo recognized the blurred and not very clear handwriting.
I understood it immediately.
"The decision made after burning the lamp will directly affect the prosperity of humanity for the next sixty years?!"
The catastrophe is like a whirlpool, and the young Taoist is at the center of this whirlpool.
This vortex will continue to change within this sixty years, getting bigger and bigger, and the vortex will become faster and faster, eventually pulling more and more people into the vortex, ushering in the final explosion. Qi Wuhuo lowered his eyes slightly, and the image of Randeng in the Nalanda Monastery appeared before his eyes, as well as the scenes of him discovering the problem, being ambushed, and finally being sealed.
I see.
"You have already been robbed."
The Taoist sighed, holding the scroll with the first name vaguely visible on it, and looked into the distance.
"So, Master Ran Deng, what is your choice?"
"Should I withdraw and find a place deep in the mountains to practice Buddhism in seclusion? Or should I step into the turbulent times of this sixty years and practice Buddhism in the human world?"
…
Qi Wuhuo's clone walked forward with Randeng.
Guanyin's eyes slightly wrinkled, her gaze dropped downwards, she remained silent all the way, as if she was thinking.
Both of them had very high cultivation bases, and the place they were heading to was still near the capital, a small village.
Guanyin felt the sharp aura and recognized that this was the place where she and Jinmaohou had come before, intending to take away the reincarnation of Medicine Buddha. She couldn't help but be surprised and looked at the incarnation of Qi Wuhuo, who was made from a strand of hair and still looked like a Taoist priest, supporting Randang as they walked in this human village.
Guanyin hesitated for a moment and followed behind him.
More than a month had passed since the New Year, and the festive atmosphere had gradually dissipated. People had returned to their busy lives. When Qi Wuhuo supported Randeng and walked forward, people looked at them curiously, but did not ask anything.
Guanyin looked at everything in this world and sighed secretly in her heart.
Randeng remained extremely silent all the way.
Both Guanyin and Qi Wuhuo could feel the turbulent waves hidden beneath the calm face of this ancient monk, and could feel the struggle in his heart - on the one hand, he saw the extreme and paranoid ways of the Buddhas, and on the other hand, the little Taoist boy's unintentional words broke through his confusion, so he had such a choice before him.
Along the way, I saw the capital, the people, the world, the villages, and the common people.
Just like the Buddhist teachings that have been practiced for these seventeen thousand years.
Every time I recite the scriptures, I try to understand the Buddha's Dharma from another perspective, understand the Buddha's Dharma lineage, and then practice step by step, and put the Dharma into practice. This has been going on for more than 17,000 years. After practicing for such a long time, practicing and comprehending the Dharma has almost become a part of my life.
Like breathing, like eating.
Just as we see the sun rise and set every day, and the flowers bloom and fall every year, it will be the same next year.
What’s more, every time he practiced to the Bodhisattva realm, when he was about to take the last step to become a Buddha, he turned back and started practicing again. If he gave up practicing Buddhism just like that, wouldn’t it mean that the previous 17,000 years were all illusions and worthless?
However, in recent years, the Dharma lineages of all Buddhas have become more radical and violent. For the sake of "the greater Dharma", they have even disregarded the lives of ordinary people and done things that betray the true meaning of Buddhism. I absolutely cannot tolerate such behavior!
However, if one abandons Buddhism and turns to practicing Taoism.
Isn't it also the case that in the end we escaped from the Buddha's teachings and allowed all these things to happen?
Can I really abandon Buddhism and practice Taoism?
Can you really let it go?
Are you really free of regrets?
What if the practice fails?
What if I make a mistake in repairing it?
Yes, the Buddhas cannot be trusted, and their behavior cannot be followed, but do we have to give up the experience and past of more than ten thousand years of hard practice and step into another completely different and unfamiliar field and path?
The persistence of these 17,000 years, as well as the regret about the issue when the Buddha left during the even longer years, emerged in Ran Deng's heart. These images and memories are still so clear. If a person's life is shaped and composed of memories, then these 17,000 years of Buddhist practice are Ran Deng himself.
The scenes in these memories make Randeng miss them and can’t let go.
However, compared with the many tragic things that happened in the Nalanda Monastery, there was an extremely intense struggle in Randeng's heart. This decision, which was like breaking away from the past, must be extremely difficult to make. Along the way, Randeng's face was calm and he did not utter a word, but he was actually experiencing a great struggle in his heart.
Sometimes I tend to practice Buddhism, and sometimes I tend to find a quiet place to find my own Dharma.
Me and me.
There were thousands and tens of thousands of battles.
Finally, the Taoist brought them to a courtyard. The courtyard was bustling with people coming and going. There were sounds of cups and laughter, as well as wisps of pure and boundless Buddha's power. The struggling Randeng widened his eyes, his heart was dry, but it seemed as if there was a storm. He slowly raised his head and looked at the courtyard.
The Taoist said softly, "I once made an agreement with the owner of this place that I would come during their child's 100th day banquet. Today is a perfect day."
"It just happened to be the Hundred Days Banquet, and I just happened to meet you, and you just happened to wake up today."
“Is this cause and effect, or is it fate?”
It’s the hundredth birthday party on earth, and a Taoist outside the door knocks gently.
When the host came out, he saw that it was the Taoist priest who had found their child earlier. He was overjoyed and kept bowing and saying, "Haha, it's you, Taoist priest!"
Qi Wuhuo said: "I am coming here uninvited, I am really bothering you."
"Hahaha, what are you talking about? We have reserved a seat for you a long time ago. We were just wondering if you disliked our poverty and didn't come! Please come in, please come in!" The young man invited all three of them in enthusiastically. Qi Wuhuo and Guanyin stood on the side of the big tree.
However, it seemed that Ran Deng, whose foundation was previously dilapidated, had given birth to a new power within himself. His steps gradually became stronger, and he unknowingly broke away from Qi Wuhuo who was supporting him. He walked through the world, the red dust, the old trees and the guests in the yard. He stretched out his trembling palm, gently pressed on the door, and then slowly pushed it open.
There is a bustling world outside the door and a busy life inside the door. A little child is sitting on the table.
The people around were all smiling happily, but the child looked confused and out of tune with the bustling surroundings.
There are scrolls, books and various things for the one-year-old ceremony placed in front of the body, representing people's expectations.
"Haha, I see he has delicate skin and tender flesh, and I can tell at a glance that he is not destined to be a farmer. He will definitely grab the pen!"
"Yes, it's good to get books. Study hard and take the imperial examinations to make a name for yourself!"
The relatives talked and looked at the child eagerly. They placed their expectations on the child.
At this moment, the door suddenly opened, and their conversation suddenly became quiet. They all looked at the monk with his back to the light. The monk was stunned, looking at the reincarnated Buddha who had given up all his memories, gave up many practices, and was only left with an obsessive heart. All the previous confusions and worries were shattered.
He remembered the Buddha's question.
Where is the end of spiritual practice?
Never stopping, in impermanence.
Not being bound by the past.
The great Medicine Buddha can give up all his past, so why can't I?
So that’s it, so that’s it!
Randeng's lips trembled, he stretched out his hand towards the child and staggered forward. The ignorant child stretched out his hand, and pressed his white little hand on the back of Randeng's hand. The curve of his palm was soft, like picking a flower, and a hint of pure smile appeared on his face, as if saying, you are here.
At that time, when the Medicine Buddha passed away on that day, Dipamkara observed the event.
When Medicine Buddha was reincarnating, Dipamkara also saw it.
This is birth and death, this is reincarnation.
You see me die, you see me be born, you see me reincarnate, and you witness my purity, freedom, and my body of lapis lazuli.
All the obsessions, all the pains, all the struggles in the old monk's heart were poured out. People were curious to see this scene. The old monk looked at the child, and the compassionate and gentle light in the child's eyes seemed to have disappeared, returning to the mortal world. It seemed that he was waiting here, just waiting to see the traveler for the last time.
Someone subconsciously asked: "This, this master..."
"Are you all right?"
"I am very good."
"No... Poor Dao, very good."
Several people around were dumbfounded, watching an old monk calling himself that. For some reason, when they heard the words "poor monk", they felt their scalps tingling. The old man took a last look at the reincarnation of Medicine Buddha, then suddenly turned around, swept his sleeves, and straightened his back.
He took a step forward, and the wrinkles on his face gradually disappeared, turning into the appearance of a middle-aged man. Then he took a second step, and the monk's robe turned into a light gray Taoist robe. When he took the third step, black hair grew on his head and fell behind his back. He walked out of the door in three steps, pointing one hand to the sky and the other to the ground, and then he murmured:
"Everything that happened yesterday is like yesterday's death."
"Everything that happens today is like what happened today."
"Please, Supreme Xuanwei Zhenren, lead me into the Tao!"
Guanyin sighed without saying anything.
Tai Shang Xuanwei looked at the middle-aged Taoist in front of him, and for a moment, he did not know why, he had a mysterious feeling. He did not know whether it was because of Randeng's obsession that he turned into this Taoist; or whether it was the ancient lamp in front of the Buddha, the persistence of Buddhism that had been walking in the world for 17,000 years, that was just a dream of the Taoist in front of him, and now he was just waking up from the dream.
Qi Wuhuo bowed his head in return and said:
"That's not necessary. You are not my disciple. The Dao is infinite and we are all practitioners of it."
"Why not just call it Ran Deng?"
The middle-aged Taoist remained silent, lowered his eyes and said to himself:
"Ran Deng, Taoist?"
If the national government is in trouble, there will be war and chaos, and the world will be in unrest.
But in the place of national virtue and fortune, within the palace, the altar of the Big Dipper Seven Elements was established.
【Ran Deng】To walk the path, to submit a petition. To suppress the country.
————————《Daoist Canon·Zhengyi·[Beidi] Shuohuoluo Qiyuan Sutra》
…
The person who burns the lamp has an extraordinary foundation. He is the ancient lamp in front of the Buddha and practices Buddhism. He himself has unparalleled significance for Buddhism.
Even the monks in Nalanda Monastery did not dare to kill him or let him go.
They were worried that his changes would reflect many changes in the Buddha's kingdom and bring about all kinds of troubles.
However, this kind of change finally appeared. Just when the old monk took three steps out of confusion and turned into a middle-aged Taoist priest, a sudden change occurred in the ancestral land of the pure Buddhist country!