The poor woman was reprimanded by the monk in charge of receiving her and criticized by the onlookers, yet she remained calm and did not argue or defend herself. She raised her eyes, smiled faintly, and murmured:
"The bitter gourd is bitter from root to tip, the sweet melon is sweet from stem to stem; neither has a place in the three realms, which is why the Master dislikes them."
"As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the temple and appeared out of thin air, revealing the form of a Bodhisattva."
"The ordinary mongrel on the ground has transformed into a majestic lion under the seat of the Bodhisattva."
“The two children transformed into two attendants beside the Bodhisattva.”
"The Bodhisattva has compassionate eyes and a solemn appearance, sitting cross-legged on a lotus throne above auspicious clouds."
“Golden light radiated from behind him, a lion lay beneath him, and two attendants stood guard on his left and right sides.”
"The abbot, the monks in the temple, and the crowd of people who participated in the 'unobstructed fast' all knelt down and bowed in respect."
"The moment the Bodhisattva appeared in the world, all living beings in the mortal realm looked towards the horizon of the temple, and tigers, leopards, and birds all knelt down to worship towards the horizon."
The Bodhisattva spoke up, offering guidance: "When all beings learn equality, their minds follow the waves of myriad circumstances; if they relinquish all their physical bodies, what then can they do against love and hate?"
"On that day, thousands of people who participated in the vegetarian feast witnessed the Bodhisattva appear in the world and listened to the Bodhisattva's teachings. They were all moved to tears."
"A believer dressed in plain clothes stepped forward from the crowd, knelt before the Bodhisattva image in the sky, and earnestly asked: 'Bodhisattva, could you please reveal the true Dharma of equality, so that we may wholeheartedly follow it?'"
A gentle voice came from the sky, "Hold your heart like the earth, like water, fire, and wind, without duality or distinction, ultimately like the void."
"The abbot, the monks in the temple, and the crowd of people who participated in the 'Unobstructed Fasting' all knelt down and bowed again to express their gratitude to the Bodhisattva for his guidance."
A junior cultivator from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect asked in bewilderment, "The Bodhisattva has transformed into a poor woman and repeatedly asked for alms. What does this mean? I hope the Buddhist disciple can enlighten me."
A junior monk beside him echoed, "Indeed, it seems that his demands are excessive; no wonder the monks who received him and the other people are questioning him."
Wu Wang listened quietly to what the two had to say and nodded.
Instead of answering directly, he asked, "The Wuzhezhai (Buddhist vegetarianism) practiced the same way as monks and laypeople, regardless of social status, gender, age, or wealth, treating all beings equally and giving alms to show that all beings are equal and there is no distinction between self and others, is that right?"
Junior monk: "Yes."
Wu Wang: "Is the baby in the poor woman's arms a living being?"
Junior monk: "Yes."
Wu Wang nodded and continued to ask, "Is the stray dog beside you a living being?"
Junior monk: "Yes."
Wu Wang: "Is the fetus in the womb a life?"
Junior monk: "Yes."
After finishing his speech, Wu Wang looked up at the young cultivator and said no more. The young cultivator suddenly understood, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said gratefully, "Thank you for your guidance, Buddha."
Among the crowd, a wise man among ordinary people said with distress, "Buddha's disciple, I have wasted decades of my life doing good deeds and accumulating merit."
"However, I can never do it; I can't let my mind be free from the distinction between self and others."
"I can only try my best not to divide people into different classes, but in the end there are still differences between relatives and friends, and I cannot treat everyone equally."
The ordinary people behind the wise men nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
After listening to the wise man's words, Wu Wang nodded.
He said, "There's no need to feel distressed or ashamed; you've already done very well."
"If we cannot achieve equality for all beings, then let us strive to distinguish right from wrong."
"Have good intentions and compassion. There is no distinction between big and small good deeds, and no distinction between high and low good intentions."
"There are three thousand great paths, and the same applies to cultivating Buddhism."
Upon hearing this, the wise man's embarrassment vanished, and he rose and bowed deeply in the direction of Wuwang, saying, "Thank you for enlightening me, Buddha."
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