Shen Gongbao Great Sage Persuading Death Immortal

Chapter 347: The Original Heavenly Demon Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the Lingshan Underworld Office of the Taoist Sect

At one time in the country of Shravasti, Sakyamuni was preaching to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats. A crowd of 1,250 people were listening to the Buddha's light, meditation, and chanting, and the eight groups of people gathered to listen to the Dharma.

Shakyamuni pinched his thumb and middle finger together and held the Dharma-teaching seal. Every word he said was the truth of the great Dao, without any falsehood.

The thirty-two marks and eighty good qualities refer to a body that is fully endowed with blessings and wisdom and is ultimately perfect.

These are: 1. The soles of the feet are flat like the bottom of a mirror; 2. The soles of the feet are marked with a thousand-spoke wheel; 3. The toes of the hands and feet are longer than those of other people; 4. The hands and feet are softer than those of other people; 5. The toes of the hands and feet are like a net, better than those of other people; 6. The heels are full and perfect; 7. The insoles of the feet are high and well-proportioned; 8. The soles of the feet are as slender as those of the Iniyan Deer King.

Nine, standing with hands rubbing knees, ten, the appearance of the yin is like a horse king, eleven, the length and width of the body are equal, twelve, each pore is blue and soft, thirteen, the hair is blue and soft and spirals right, fourteen, the golden light is subtle, fifteen, the body is shiny and each surface is one zhang, sixteen, the skin is thin, fine and smooth, not affected by dust, water, and mosquitoes.

Seventeen, the feet, hands, shoulders, and seven places on the neck are full, eighteen, the armpits are full, nineteen, the body is like a lion, twenty, the body is straight, twenty-one, the shoulders are round and good, twenty-two, forty, and forty teeth are complete, twenty-three, the teeth are white, neat, dense, and deep-rooted, twenty-four, the four teeth are the whitest and largest.

Twenty-five: the cheek-chariots are like lions, twenty-six: the saliva in the throat tastes the best, twenty-seven: the tongue is large and thin, covering the face to the hairline, twenty-eight: the Sanskrit sound is deep and profound like the sound of the garuda, twenty-nine: the eye color is like golden essence, thirty: the eyelashes are like those of the king of bulls, thirty-one: the white hair between the eyebrows is like a piece of thuja cotton, and thirty-two: the top of the head is a fleshy bun.

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were fascinated by what they heard. Upali, one of the ten disciples of Shakyamuni, was known as the best in observing the Vinaya. Hearing the wonderful Dharma, he could not help but feel delighted. He immediately asked, "Buddha, can I study Buddhism and observe the body of the Tathagata with the thirty-two marks?"

Shakya lowered his eyebrows and sighed softly: "Upali, I can't."

Among the Buddha's followers, there were innumerable monks, among whom ten were the most outstanding. Each of them adhered to one Dharma method according to his or her own preferences. They all possessed many virtues and had their own strengths, so they were called the best.

They are: 1. Sariputra, the best in wisdom. 2. Maudgalyayana, the best in supernatural powers. 3. Mahakasyapa, the best in asceticism. 4. Aniruddha, the best in divine vision. 5. Subhuti, the best in understanding emptiness. 6. Purna, the best in preaching. 7. Kasyapa, the best in discussing the meaning. 8. Upali, the best in observing the Vinaya. 9. Rahula, the best in secret practices. 10. Ananda, the best in knowledge.

The ten great disciples each ranked first, not because of the path chosen by the Buddha for them, but because of their own aspirations. It represents the different personalities of each person and also symbolizes their different paths to success.

For example, Rahula was the best at secret practice. The so-called secret practice refers to the practice of accumulating goodness within without being attached to external things. Therefore, Rahula incarnated into hundreds of forms, including the Star God, the Asura, and the Demon Ancestor. However, his fundamental foundation was Buddhism.

Another example is Ananda, who is too smart and lacks wisdom. He wants too much, is involved in too many things, and is attached to too many things. He has not yet been enlightened. He is only inferior to Rāhu and can only be ranked first in knowledge, which means he is ranked tenth.

The so-called knowledge of many things means that they are scattered but not profound, and there is a debt of demons in the heart.

However, Upali, who ranks eighth, just above Rāhu and Ananda, also has obsessions in his heart, which come from his birth.

The Buddha opened the door widely and made connections with all living beings, regardless of their status.

However, those who worship Buddha often come from wealthy families, for the simple reason of education and resources.

Although Buddhism does not rely on written words and advocates freedom of mind, one must be literate to get started, and not everyone has the qualifications for sudden enlightenment.

It was not until Upali entered the door that the first step towards the equality of all beings was truly achieved.

Because of inequality, we yearn for equality; because of lack of freedom, we pursue freedom.

The Buddha, who advocated equality of all living beings throughout his life, was born in the most hierarchical land of Brahma, which has four major castes, namely Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.

Brahmin: refers to the class of monks and scholars in Brahmanism, who are at the top of the four castes and are responsible for studying and teaching the Vedas.

Kshatriya: They are landowners, referring to kings and warrior aristocrats, ranking second among the four surnames, and are in charge of politics and military affairs.

Vaishya: They are artisan farmers, referring to the so-called common people class, ranking third among the four surnames, and are engaged in production businesses such as agriculture, animal husbandry, industry and commerce.

Shudra: The lowest class of slaves, whose duty is to serve the first three castes.

If a person of the Shudra class met a Brahmin or a Kshatriya on the road, he had to kneel on the side of the road to make way for them. If he glanced at them, his eyes would be gouged out. If he argued with a Brahmin or a Kshatriya, his tongue would be cut off.

Upali was born into a lowly Shudra clan. His fate destined him to be a slave of others. His status was lower than that of cattle and horses. He was discriminated against by society and was like a piece of dirt, not worth a care.

On the one hand, Upali's becoming a monk made his noble disciples put aside their arrogance, give up their past identities, and treat Upali as their senior brother. On the other hand, it also put the Buddhist laws into practice and took the first step towards the equality of all beings.

However, what Shakyamuni did not expect was that although the disciples let go of their arrogance, Upali did not let go of his inferiority complex.

Because of their humble origins, they pursue nobility and beauty.

This is true.

However, for practitioners, appearance is just a form, and being attached to external appearance is close to attachment.

"Upali," said the Buddha Shakyamuni in a serious tone, "If one can understand the Buddha's true nature through the thirty-two characteristics of the Buddha, then the Wheel-Turning King is also the Buddha."

"In addition to the thirty-two external characteristics, the Buddha has thirty-two other characteristics."

“These are the characteristics of the mind itself, the external characteristics, the characteristics of the basis, the characteristics of the action, the characteristics of the intention, the characteristics of the mind arising, the characteristics of the abiding, the characteristics of the self, the characteristics of the common characteristics, the characteristics of the coarse characteristics, the characteristics of the tranquility, the characteristics of the acceptance, the characteristics of the discrimination, the characteristics of the co-existence, the characteristics of the defiled, the characteristics of the undefiled, the characteristics of the right method, the characteristics of the wrong method, the characteristics of the brightness, the characteristics of the observation, the characteristics of the good concentration, the characteristics of the cessation, the characteristics of the raising, the characteristics of the observation, the characteristics of the abandonment, the characteristics of entering into concentration, the characteristics of staying in concentration, the characteristics of coming out of concentration, the characteristics of the increase, the characteristics of the decrease, the characteristics of the method, the characteristics of the initiation.”

"Thirty-two times thirty-two, countless, how can one see the true nature?"

"If you see me with my form and seek me with my voice, you will follow a wrong path and will not be able to see the Tathagata."

Upali was speechless and wanted to ask more questions, but he saw that the preaching seal in Sakyamuni's hand suddenly changed. He placed his right hand on his right knee with his fingers touching the ground to show that he had subdued the demons.

This is the demon-subduing seal!
"Subdue the demon?" Upali was immediately horrified. This was a grand Buddhist event with all the Buddhas present. If any blind demon came here to seek death, even the Demon King might not dare to come.

Suddenly, there was billowing black smoke, rampant demonic energy, and strange noises.

It seemed as if a demon king was muttering and cursing, "Buddha Sakyamuni, the world's people worship idols. You said that we cannot see the Tathagata through sound and color, but how many people can understand? They just pray to the gods and Buddhas blindly, and offer incense like a kowtow."

"Your Great Leiyin Temple is magnificent, with golden bricks all over the ground. On the lotus pedestal sits a supreme Buddha."

"Shinto teaches that after you die, you will be covered with gold foil and worshipped as a harmless statue."

“By then, your Buddhist teachings will be misinterpreted and distorted. There will only be high and mighty gods on the sacred mountain, and only temples for people to burn incense and worship Buddha in the secular world. The people in the temples will no longer be practitioners, but businessmen doing business, men and women obsessed with desire, charlatans who deceive believers, and cowards who deceive themselves…”

Under the Bodhi tree, Sakyamuni Buddha, who was sitting on the bluestone, suddenly burst into tears. This was an unsolvable problem.

Although it seems that the Buddha has saved countless sentient beings, in fact, not a single sentient being has been saved. The only one who has truly attained enlightenment is the Buddha.

Therefore, it is not the Buddha who saves sentient beings, but sentient beings who save the Buddha.

Any religious sect that advocates the salvation of all sentient beings will eventually become a Shinto sect and end up in a secular world.

Because Buddha is self-aware.

It is impossible to become a Buddha by relying on others. One can save oneself and attain Buddhahood through self-realization.

The world is like a sea of ​​suffering. The Buddha only teaches his disciples the knowledge of shipbuilding instead of selling ships directly.

The so-called Hinayana means that a person builds a small boat by himself. After succeeding, he rides on the boat to cross the sea of ​​suffering.

The so-called Mahayana means that a group of people work together to build a big ship. After success, the group of people ride on the big ship to cross the sea of ​​suffering.

Rather than saying it is Hinayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, it is better to say it is the path of Arhat and the path of Bodhisattva. Neither of them has achieved Buddhahood, but both are striving for Buddhahood, just with different paths.

When the old Buddha Shakyamuni heard the words of the devil king, he could not help but shed tears and sighed, "Those who cultivate arhats come to my right hand side, and those who cultivate bodhisattvas come to my left hand side."

In an instant, the conference of 1,250 people was divided into two factions, with most people going to Mahayana and a small part going to Hinayana.

The Buddha continued to ask: "Who among you can solve this problem? If you can, you will be the next generation of the Buddha."

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were noisy and could not help but discuss.

Some say that the hearts are in harmony with each other and that no written words are needed; some say that one should practice the middle way; some say that one should chant the Buddha's name; some say that one should observe the precepts; and some say that the three karmas of body, speech, and mind should be unified. There are many different opinions.

But, none of them can satisfy Sakyamuni Buddha.

Suddenly, a strange voice sounded, and someone sneered: "Since the problem cannot be solved, why not solve the person who raised the problem?"

All the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Arhats immediately thought it made sense and nodded, looking back to see who had come up with such a reasonable statement.

Venerable Ananda held his head high and said, "I am willing to do the most difficult things for the Buddha!"

The demon king was shocked and said in human language: "I thought you were the Western Pure Land, the Paradise, where everyone is kind and not greedy or murderous. How could I have expected you to be so unethical? Where is the mercy of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas immediately gave up their thoughts of killing, because there are Buddhist precepts that prohibit killing.

It would be fine if the Vajra had glared at you, but the Bodhisattva also had to lower his head, not taking action or looking at you.

Venerable Ananda sneered and said, "They have achieved enlightenment, but I have not. Killing you will not harm the compassion of the Buddhas."

Shen Gongbao just felt cold sweat dripping down his face. As one of the ten great disciples of Buddha, it was bad enough that he didn't achieve the status of one of the ten great bodhisattvas. How come he didn't even have the status of an arhat? He was truly not worthy of being a son of man.

"Venerable Ananda, calm down."

Suddenly, one of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the Right Dharma-Bright Tathagata, laughed and said, "Although what this demon king said is unreasonable, killing people really disturbs the peace and damages the dignity of our Buddhist sect. It is better to sentence him to life imprisonment and let him be imprisoned in the Avici Hell forever."

"Reasonable, reasonable." All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas praised and felt that Guanyin Bodhisattva's suggestion was wonderful.

At this time, Venerable Rahula smiled and suggested: "Whoever raises the question should solve it. Why don't you ask the demon king what solution he has?"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar at the scene. If the Buddhas couldn't do anything about it, what could a demon king do about it?

However, Sakyamuni had already attained the Tathagata, and in his heart, all beings were equal and without prejudice. Even though Shen Gongbao was a demon king who came to cause trouble, he was not annoyed and said with a smile: "What do you think, original demon king? Do you think it is better to become a Buddha on your own or to save all sentient beings?"

"I think it's good to become a Buddha on my own, but I also want to save all sentient beings." Shen Gongbao thought for a moment and replied, "I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty. I will not become a Buddha until all sentient beings are saved. Only then can I attain Bodhi."

After hearing this, the old Buddha Shakyamuni was shocked and quickly stepped down from the meditation platform. He stepped forward and said, "Please come up to the stage and preach."

Shen Gongbao's face turned pale and he looked at Venerable Rahula and asked, "Is it true that I am preaching to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?"

Venerable Rahula turned a deaf ear. He had no courage to oppose the decision made by Shakyamuni.

It was Guanyin Bodhisattva who seemed to want to say something but hesitated at this moment, and finally turned into silence.

The other Buddhas' eyes were full of surprise; no one had expected that Shakyamuni Buddha would do this.

"I am just a primitive demon. How can I preach in the Lonely Garden?" Shen Gongbao shook his head repeatedly and said in fear, "Let's ask for help from someone else."

"Don't refuse." Buddha Shakyamuni smiled and said, "Lingshan has been decided. Just tell us about your own method."

Pulled by Sakyamuni Buddha, Shen Gongbao went up to the Zen platform tremblingly, and sat under the Bodhi tree in fear, looking at a group of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, big and small. He couldn't help swallowing, feeling that his death was approaching.

Under the gazes of countless people, Shen Gongbao gritted his teeth and decided to go all out. He coughed and said, "I, uh, I think Hinayana Buddhism is good, Mahayana Buddhism is also good, both are good things."

"Instead of each pursuing their own path, it is better to find a balance and practice Mahayana affairs with the teachings of the Hinayana."

“It is a long way to go before everyone can attain Buddhahood, but one person has already achieved Buddhahood. It is better to let those who have already attained Buddhahood develop compassion, turn the tables, and transform into a bodhisattva to return to the world to save people.”

“Let some people become Buddhas first, and those who become Buddhas first will lead those who become Buddhas later, and gradually all sentient beings will become Buddhas.”

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were silent, their eyes flickering, looking at each other, as if they wanted to say something, but were unable to say much.

Among the practitioners who can reach here, there is not a single fool; they are all people of great wisdom.

They had already seen the mutual disadvantages between the Hinayana and Mahayana, but because they were involved in the situation, they could not say much.

Shen Gongbao, an outsider, happened to come at the right time and burst the bubble, bringing the secret dispute to the surface.

The Buddha smiled and nodded, saying, "This is indeed an idea, but the disciples who practice Mahayana Dharma don't need to say much, how can we make the disciples who practice Hinayana Dharma also have compassion."

"Compassion, Bodhi, wisdom, and equality are four hearts in one." Shen Gongbao blurted out, "Reincarnation, use reincarnation to experience the calamity."

"Every reincarnation, every tribulation, has a target set. Only by completing the target, paying off the karma, and accumulating blessings can one ascend to the Western Paradise. Otherwise, one will have to go to the next life to continue the tribulation."

"Every Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha can also enter the samsara to sharpen their own body. This is a spiritual advancement and an increase in their spiritual attainments. They can deposit their magical powers in the Eight Treasures Merit Pond. This is a supernatural power that is not revealed to the world."

"Buddhist disciples in samsara can borrow the power of the Eight Treasures Merit Pond. All Buddhas are one. This is a great wish."

This is how the Two Saints of the West play, and Shen Gongbao learned about it from the projections of the heavens.

It's just that some indicators are added.

This is my idea as the ancestor of robbery.

Leave merits and blessings in the Pure Land, and leave karma in the human world. Cause and effect rotate with reincarnation. When the debt is paid off and all the disasters are experienced, then you can ascend to paradise.

In this way, blessings and karma are separated, cause and effect are cut off, and one will naturally become pure.

Even if karma collectively erupts in a certain place or point, and the cause and effect are beyond imagination, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Pure Land will come down to the earth and perform mechanical descent of gods.

In the dark, an invisible big hand was born to regulate merits, karma, cause and effect and blessings.

"Good, good." The old Buddha Shakyamuni smiled and said, "All Buddhas are one. The merits of the Pure Land can be presided over by the reward body of Amitabha Buddha. However, the reincarnation underworld is still lacking one person to station and distribute and monitor the karma and cause and effect."

In an instant, Shen Gongbao's body trembled. After experiencing 180,000 reincarnations, he seemed to have realized something. He reversed cause and effect and time and space.

The present is the future, the future is the past, and the past is the present.

All history is contemporary history.

"Who else but me?" Shen Gongbao hurriedly got down from the Zen platform and stepped forward to bow.

“Well done, well done. Karma is a cycle. For doing evil things, I am in hell. I am patient and immovable like the earth. My meditation is deep and profound like a hidden treasure.” The old Buddha made the fearlessness seal, raised one hand in front of his chest, with the fingers naturally stretched out and the palm facing outward. He also made the wish seal, and stretched one hand naturally downward, with the fingertips hanging down and the palm facing outward. He looked dignified and solemn, and said: “I now grant you the name of Ksitigarbha.”

“Well done, well done.” All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas praised in unison: “Namo Great Vow Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Namo Great Vow Ksitigarbha Buddha!”

"May this merit be used to adorn the Buddha's Pure Land, to repay the fourfold kindness, and to relieve the sufferings of the three evil paths. May those who see or hear this all develop bodhi minds and be reborn together in the Pure Land, thus repaying this life."

Shen Gongbao bowed and when he stood up again, he was already the original demon Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of the Taoist Lingshan Underworld Office.
(End of this chapter)