Chapter 623 — The Supreme Esoteric Truth of the Buddhist Order
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
Chant a Buddha's name and the Buddha will hear it; and it was precisely the names of those Buddhas that the monks of Datingming Temple were chanting. "At first several Buddhas transmitted teachings down to us, but afterward no one transmitted anything more, and they kept it all dark and silent. I wished to invite them down into the world, but they would not come down to help. " Grandpa Huo shook his head. "I believe it is not that they fear to be tainted by the mortal dust, but that they fear some terrible existence. Though they possess lofty realms and profound methods, in their state of mind they have already fallen to a lower vehicle. A few days ago the Buddhas of the Buddha realm could not bear the disturbance any longer, and so they made a proposal: a contest of dharma between Buddha-sons. " "A contest of dharma?
" Shen Mu's interest kindled at once. He laughed.
"How is it fought? " "They choose the Buddha's disciples and compare the depth of their attainments in the dharma.
The contest is fought across the void. The one I sent out is Zhankong.
" Grandpa Huo pointed. "Zhankong is over there; he has already defeated several Buddha-sons of the Twenty Heavens. " Shen Mu looked up. The demon ape Zhankong sat upon a pagoda — a pagoda that seemed as tall as the Twenty Heavens — and facing him sat a Buddha-son, riding a jewel elephant hung with strings of gems, magnificent beyond measure. Behind the jewel elephant rose a splendid complex of temples; behind the heads of the tall Buddhas halos revolved, and their dharma forms were majestic.
The debate between the two was fierce.
The Buddha-son of the Twenty Heavens spoke like a river in flood, unceasing; a single discourse of his ran half an hour without pause, his voice now high and impassioned, now low, yet compelling one to lean in and listen.
This eloquence was a grand treatise indeed, leaving a man nothing to refute. When the Buddha-son finished, he at last closed his mouth, smiled, and looked at the demon ape.
The demon ape stretched out a furry palm, five black thick fingers, and said in a harsh, halting voice, one word at a time: "Extreme. " The Buddha-son did not understand what he meant, and pondered bitterly.
After a moment the demon ape said again: "Emptiness. " The Buddha-son frowned, his thoughts leaping in all directions. The demon ape said again: "Existence.
" The Buddha-son's body trembled slightly. "If it is emptiness, how can there yet be existence?
" he cried. The demon ape paid him no heed. "Stillness.
" The Buddha-son was furious.
"If there is existence, how can there be stillness?
Your words do not accord with the dharma! " The demon ape said: "Subtlety.
" The Buddha-son's rage was beyond restraint; he was about to refute the whole of it when suddenly his body convulsed and he froze on the back of the jewel elephant, dumb as a wooden statue, unable to utter a single word. Behind him a great Buddha sighed.
"Extreme, emptiness, existence, stillness, subtlety.
Too high, too wondrous.
Each word is a pearl; each word alone is a great-vehicle treatise on the dharma, and the five joined together are profundity beyond measure.
Kongxiang, you spoke for half an hour, you said a great many long and lofty things, and still you do not equal any single one of his five words. You have lost.
Go down.
" The Buddha-son Kongxiang rose from the jewel elephant, saluted the demon ape, and withdrew slowly. Shen Mu was astonished and appalled.
"Grandpa Huo, does the big fellow really have a root of wisdom? " Grandpa Huo said gravely, "A great root of wisdom! Greater even than mine — higher than Chenghuai's! " Just then another Buddha-son came from the Twenty Heavens, descending from the heaven above, followed by several Buddhas of vast physical form. No sooner had he taken his seat than light blazed from his whole body, dazzling bright, shining down from the Twenty Heavens and illuminating every soul in the temple.