Chapter 154: Vulgar
"Pure Redemption Ship, or is it still the Pure Redemption Ship?"

At the edge of the temple, a monk stood shirtless in the heavy snow, holding two wooden drumsticks and beating a leather drum with a fierce look in his eyes.

In the bronze cauldron outside the Taoist temple, a young Taoist priest in a blue robe lit a stick of incense. One stick of incense equals one hour. If the answerer still cannot answer before the incense burns out, the answerer must admit defeat and the next person will answer.

The drums stopped, the bells rang, and people left.

Among the monks, a young monk who had been sitting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes, holding a rosary, and looked into the temple.

It was snowing heavily, and Chen Ji was sitting cross-legged quietly on the futon. A gust of wind blew in from outside the villa, carrying light snow powder onto his shoulders, head, and knees, and he remained motionless.

The young monk whispered, "The Bodhisattva lowered his eyebrows."

After saying this, he closed his eyes again and quietly counted the rosary beads.

On the stone steps at the edge of the Taoist temple, scholars, gray-robed monks, and blue-robed Taoists silently looked at the young man in the Taoist temple and discussed with each other.

The young Taoist priest on the stone steps scratched his head: "Brother Zhang Li, I think the Pudu Ship is no longer the Pudu Ship."

Another young Taoist priest said, "No, it's still the Pudu ship!"

"It's not that simple. Let's hear what the monks have to say," Zhang Li stared at Chen Ji's back and did not dare to answer the question hastily for a moment.

At this time, the monk on the cushion in the temple slowly spoke: "The ship of universal salvation is no longer the ship of universal salvation. The Platform Sutra says that the original meaning of sentient beings is self-nature, that is, the soul, and the original meaning of inanimate beings is physical images, which are generally speaking components. Changing the planks of this ship of universal salvation is equivalent to changing physical images. With the physical images changed, the ship of universal salvation is naturally no longer the ship of universal salvation."

On the steps at the edge of the dojo, some people nodded and some shook their heads.

Zhang Xia supported Bai Li and stood aside, brows furrowed.

The prince asked curiously, "Why are you frowning?"

Zhang Xia hesitated and said, "I have watched dozens of debates, but this is the first time I have seen so many different opinions on a certain issue. You see, even those monks may not agree with their third brother's argument."

The prince said in boredom: "This kind of debate is all empty talk. It all depends on who can argue better. It is of no benefit to the people and the country."

Zhang Xia frowned and said nothing.

There is a judge in the debate. Everyone turned their eyes to the scholars on the stone steps. A middle-aged man in Confucian robes shook the copper bell in his hand and said loudly: "Questioner, do you have an answer?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ji lowered his eyes and asked without raising his head, "What if I only change a piece of the boat plank, which is also a change of appearance, will the Pudu Ship still be the Pudu Ship?"

The monk was startled: "This..."

He frowned and thought hard, recalling the scriptures to support his own opinion.

But as time passed, the tall incense stick burned shorter and shorter, and the monk was still speechless.

With a thump, someone struck a wooden fish at the sidelines, and the monk on the mat suddenly woke up: "Wait, the Pudu Ship is still the Pudu Ship, I..."

Chen Ji said calmly: "Go down."

The young man's words were powerful and unquestionable.

The debate begins with a clear statement. Once you have made your point clear, you cannot change it. If you want to change it, change someone else.

The young Taoist priest standing beside the huge bell in the Taoist temple had an excited look on his face. He pushed away the young monk who was guarding the striker wood and pulled the striker wood to hit the bronze bell hard.

thump.

The sound of the bronze bell faded away, shattering the monks' drums.

The scholars from Jiangnan looked at each other, sized up the relics in the field, and asked in a low voice, "Who is this young man?"

"I don't know, maybe he is a rare young man from some family?"

"No, look at the way he's dressed..."

……

……

The monk on the cushion left the temple in shame.

After a while, a new monk came to Yuanjue Temple. He sat on a cushion and said, "The ship of salvation is still the ship of salvation. The Great Prajna Sutra says that the essence of inanimate objects is its structure, purpose, and use. Although the material of the ship of salvation has changed, its structure and purpose have not changed, so it is still what it is."

Chen Ji said nothing. The other party's answer seemed right, but also wrong. After a long silence, the monk was no longer as confident as before, and subconsciously looked at the monks.

Zhang Li was about to say something, but he saw Chen Ji turning around and looking at him intently.

Zhang Li hesitated for a long time, and suddenly understood what Chen Ji meant.

He handed the gourd-shaped white porcelain bottle to Bai Li with a smile on his face: "He has already defeated one person, this pill is yours."

Bai Li was startled: "He..."

Zhang Li urged, "Eat quickly, eat quickly. Don't you see he's still waiting? He won't speak until you get better after taking the medicine... this kid!"

Zhang Xia hurriedly took the pill and gave it to Bai Li to take. In an instant, Bai Li's complexion returned to normal and he no longer needed anyone's support.

Zhang Li looked at Chen Ji and mouthed silently, "Are you done?"

The monk on the cushion also urged: "Young man, do you have anything else to say?"

Seeing that Baili was getting better, Chen Ji turned around and looked at the monk on the cushion: "If I take down all the planks and parts of the Pudu ship and put them together to make a ship, is this the Pudu ship?"

The monk was startled: "This..." Nearly half of the scholars on the sidelines stood up, pulled out their silk handkerchiefs from their sleeves and threw them into the arena: "Great!"

During a debate, if the audience finds the debate exciting, they will throw their handkerchiefs out. The more they throw, the more supporters they have.

At this moment, amid the cheers of hundreds of people, Chen Ji suddenly realized that the fifty-six fires in his body were beating again, becoming brighter, almost turning from a light crimson to a light yellow.

The young Taoists looked at each other in confusion: "Brother, does this count as a win?"

Zhang Li on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief: "This question raised by the young man is easy to argue with, but difficult to argue with. It is a paradox both in terms of offense and defense."

The monk on the cushion pondered over the scriptures, trying to find Buddhist sayings to support his point of view, but he could not find any.

Finally, he looked to the monks on the sidelines for help, but no one dared to step forward to fight.

In the snow, on the stone steps, the young monk who had been sitting there counting his prayer beads slowly stood up and walked into the temple.

The scholars on the sidelines gradually quieted down, and someone whispered, "This unknown person actually frightened Wu Zhai into coming down to debate again."

Wuzhai patted the monk on the cushion on the shoulder with the hand holding the rosary beads and said, "Go down. I will answer this question."

The monk on the cushion was stunned for a moment, then raised his head and said aggrievedly: "Big Brother, I..."

Wu Zhai held the rosary in his hand and smiled gently, "It's okay."

He sat down on the cushion, but did not rush to answer the question. Instead, he gently pinched the rosary beads three times with his thumb.

Zhang Xia whispered, "This man is Wuzhai, the first disciple of Yuanjue Temple. He started debating with Daoting at the age of twelve. In seven years, he has won all the land of Taoist temples and Daoting near the capital. Now there is not a single Taoist temple left in the capital."

The prince was astonished: "This is a monk who was trained by the Buddhist sect since childhood and was specially used to win the Taoist family property."

Zhang Li: “…”

Zhang Xia looked at the rosary in Wu Zhai's hand and said, "I have watched him debate. He once said that every time he pinched the rosary, he had 900 thoughts. He was choosing the best angle to speak."

The prince curled his lips: "What are you bragging about?"

Zhang Li happily agreed, "That's right, what are you bragging about?"

At this time, the temple became quiet. When Wuzhai pinched the fourth rosary bead, he spoke calmly, "The ship of salvation is no longer the ship of salvation. The "Ninno Prajna Sutra" says that one finger snap is sixty instants, and nine hundred births and deaths in an instant. When time is slow enough, you will see that all things in the world are like particles, born, destroyed and reorganized in an instant. After a thought, you are no longer you, and the ship of salvation is no longer the ship of salvation."

Wu Zhai smiled and said, "It is impossible for a person to step into the same river twice. Whether you change or not, after a thought, you are no longer you, and the boat of salvation is no longer the boat of salvation."

Zhang Li cursed in a low voice: "Oh no, the monk is trying to cheat!"

The prince was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Zhang Li explained: "This is the essence of the Buddhist concept of 'no self', which means letting go of all dharmas and all ego attachments. According to this Buddhist theory, everything in the world will cease to exist in a moment and will be reborn... and you will be invincible."

The scholars stood up one after another, and half of them threw the handkerchiefs in their sleeves into the room. Everyone looked at Chen Ji.

The incense in the bronze cauldron slowly burned out. A monk looked at the young monk next to him and said, "Why don't you ring the bell? Buddhism wins this time!"

However, Chen Ji finally raised his head and looked at Wu Zhai calmly: "Since there is no self, then who is reincarnating? Who needs to be liberated?"

Wu Zhai was stunned.

Zhang Li stood up suddenly.

Since there is no self, who is in reincarnation? Who needs liberation?

It turns out that the last sword is hidden here!

No self and self-existence, this is the logical basis that has been unclear for thousands of years in Buddhism, and it points directly to the foundation of Buddhism.

It’s not that the Buddhist monks really can’t explain it, but that it cannot be explained.

Buddhism talks about "no self" in order to not pursue past lives and this life and to let go of all dharmas.

However, the Buddhist rhetoric that misleads secular believers is the "self" in fame, fortune, cause and effect, reincarnation and karma. For example, only by doing good can one avoid falling into the evil path, the animal path, and cultivate blessings for the next life. This is all for the "self".

These are two sets of things.

Zhang Li rubbed his hands excitedly: "Wu Zhai can't answer it!"

The prince asked, "Is this question difficult?"

Zhang Li's eyes sparkled, "Wu Zhai is not unable to answer, but he cannot answer. There are many people attending this literary gathering, and the debate process will definitely be spread in writing. If he says that selflessness is right, then he is admitting that the 'reincarnation and blessings' preached by his Buddhist sect is just a means to fool and control the believers. They themselves don't believe in it!"

He exclaimed: "It's like removing the firewood from under the cauldron, killing people and destroying their hearts!"

Wu Zhai looked towards Chen Ji and felt that there seemed to be fire in the eyes of the young man opposite him.

Chen Ji asked, "There is still one person from the Buddhist sect who can play. Do you want to change him?"

Wu Zhai turned around and looked at the group of monks behind him, but those young monks looked at each other and did not dare to step forward.

Wu Zhai put down his rosary, put his hands on his knees, picked up a flower and smiled, avoiding the question: "This donor, I see that you have a connection with Buddhism, why don't you come to my Yuanjue Temple to practice? The Dao Court is weak, so instead of being a nominal disciple of the Dao Court, it is better to come to my Buddhist sect to learn directly."

Zhang Li pointed at Wu Zhai's nose and yelled, "Bullshit, what the hell!"

Wu Zhai glanced at him: "Vulgar."

(End of this chapter)