Chapter 37

Hearing the words of the mechanical monk Jingfa, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were both taken aback.

Jingfa, with his eyes glowing red, stared at them for two seconds, then said to Long Yuehong:

"You don't know the Zhisui."

After saying this, he looked at Shang Jianyao and spoke without any change in emotion:

"You do."

Huh? Long Yuehong turned her head to look at Shang Jianyao, feeling both bewildered and shocked. They had received the same education, lived in the same environment, and were often inseparable. How could she have never heard of the term Zhisui, while he seemed to know it well?

Shang Jianyao's eyebrows twitched, and he answered frankly:

"I've heard a little about it."

On the black face of Jingfa, cast in metal, the red light flickered again:

"End, beginning, end of the year, beginning of the year...

"You learned this from the followers of Siming."

Shang Jianyao, who had felt something strange earlier, now confirmed something:

The mechanical monk in front of him seemed to be able to hear part of his inner thoughts!

Long Yuehong, not having time to think about the title "Siming," also noticed something was off.

Jingfa did not continue, but instead gave a simple explanation:

"Zhisui are the deities who govern the months and the world, and there are thirteen of them, each corresponding to a different month."

"But there are only twelve months, right?" Long Yuehong pointed out this obvious issue.

She roughly understood that Zhisui was a popular religious belief or myth on the surface.

Jingfa's voice was low and cold, unlike that of a human:

"One governs the intercalary month, or rather, the entire year, the entire age."

Before Long Yuehong could ask more, Jingfa directly got to the point:

"Our sect teaches that the physical body is illusory and that all things are empty, because this world itself is the dream of the Buddha Shizizai Rulai."

Shang Jianyao suddenly interrupted the mechanical monk Jingfa:

"Shizizai Rulai? Isn't it Bodhi?"

Jingfa clasped his hands together and said:

"Shizizai Rulai is the Buddha of the past, the creator of the world. Our Buddha Bodhi is the Buddha of the present, the origin of all consciousness.

"You were just wondering who governs the intercalary month, representing the entire year and the entire age, right?

"The poor monk will now tell you, it is Shizizai Rulai."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong both looked enlightened and nodded slightly.

Jingfa then bowed his head and began to chant:

"Namo Shizizai Rulai."

As he chanted, he straightened his metallic spine, kept his hands clasped together, and bowed slightly toward the tall "chimneys."

"Do you want to ask why the poor monk is bowing to the towers of iron and steel?" Jingfa, after straightening his body, spoke out the thoughts of Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, "It is because our Buddha Shizizai Rulai is also known as 'Futu,' another name for the Buddha, which also represents the pagoda. Therefore, when we chant the name of Shizizai Rulai, we should pay respect to the tallest tower around, which can be a pagoda, a water tower, an iron tower, a signal tower, or a high-voltage tower."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong initially found Jingfa's explanation logical and well-structured, but as he continued, they began to feel a bit strange.

Jingfa, seemingly unaware of their thoughts, stopped and said:

"Outside the Shamen, our Buddha Shizizai Rulai has another title."

"What is it?" Long Yuehong blurted out.

Jingfa, still sitting cross-legged, showed no emotion on his purely metallic face:

"Zhuangsheng."

"Zhuangsheng... Zhisui Zhuangsheng... Zhuangsheng's dream of the butterfly..." Shang Jianyao couldn't help but murmur to himself.

Jingfa's head moved up and down:

"Zhuangsheng's dream is this world.

"You have all had dreams and know that in dreams, all things are illusory. All feelings and interactions are mere illusions. If you cannot see through this, you will remain trapped in it, repeatedly experiencing the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, meeting with those you hate, unfulfilled desires, and the burning of the five aggregates."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong pondered this and strangely felt that the mechanical monk's words made some sense.

Of course, on the condition that this world is indeed just a dream of a deity.

At this moment, Jingfa changed the subject:

"Please wait a moment, the poor monk will perform a maintenance."

"..." Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong watched in confusion as the mechanical monk in the monk's robe and kasaya opened a metal cover on his waist and abdomen, and took out a plastic bottle.

Then, he unscrewed a small metal cap at his "collarbone" and poured a small amount of the somewhat viscous yellow "oil" from the plastic bottle into it.

"What is this?" Shang Jianyao asked out of curiosity.

He didn't expect Jingfa to answer, but the monk did so frankly:

"Special lubricating oil."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong's expressions froze for a moment, and they instantly felt a sense of absurdity at why they had found the monk's words somewhat reasonable.

Jingfa, seemingly unaware, put the bottle of special lubricating oil back and looked at the two with his red, glowing eyes:

"How old are you, esteemed guests?"

"?" Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were momentarily at a loss to understand what he was asking.

The internal curriculum of "Pangu Biology" focused more on poetry and idioms than on ancient texts.

Jingfa didn't mind and rephrased his question:

"How old are you, esteemed guests?"

"21." Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong answered in unison.

Jingfa pulled up his red kasaya and covered his knees:

"You are still young, and may not deeply feel the meaning of the poor monk's words. But after thirty, forty, or fifty years, as you gradually age, your body weakens, and you suffer more illnesses and tragedies, you will understand the meaning of the suffering of all beings."

Shang Jianyao opened his mouth, intending to say something, but then closed it tightly.

After a few seconds, he said seriously:

"But we have all undergone genetic modifications. After fifty years, our bodies should still be healthy."

Jingfa was speechless for a moment but quickly recovered:

"But everything will eventually pass. In the long span of time, fifty years and a hundred years are not fundamentally different."

Long Yuehong wanted to argue but, seeing the grenade launcher on the mechanical monk's left arm, rationally abandoned the idea.

"You are right," Shang Jianyao's gaze returned from the same place.

Jingfa's eyes glowed red:

"What do you think is real in a dream? Judge from your usual dream experiences."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong thought about it and shook their heads in succession.

Jingfa's cold, emotionless voice sounded again:

"In fact, there is something real in a dream. It is the recognition of the self. When you dream, you always know that you are you.

"Do you still not understand? All things are illusory, but consciousness is real. When you free yourself from the constraints of the physical body and truly control your consciousness, you can escape this illusion, enter the Pure Land, and achieve eternal life and bliss."

"Then, how can one truly control one's consciousness?" Shang Jianyao asked habitually.

Jingfa pointed to himself:

"Use a device to upload your consciousness into a robot's body. This will allow you to easily and directly free yourself from the constraints of the physical body."

"But shouldn't a normal religion emphasize self-cultivation?" Long Yuehong mentioned some phrases from the "Pangu Biology" curriculum.

Jingfa's voice was monotonous and emotionless:

"There are three thousand orthodox paths and forty thousand side paths. Each path is different, but all lead to the Pure Land.

"Our monk sect has chosen the path of technological enlightenment among the three thousand orthodox paths."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong's lips moved, their thoughts were in chaos, and they had no idea how to respond.

The mechanical monk Jingfa continued:

"When you discard your physical body and upload your consciousness into a robot's biochip, you will see the Blissful Pure Land, which is the so-called 'New World' on the gray earth.

"This will allow you to understand the Dharma and gain certain supernatural powers.

"The poor monk could hear your inner voices earlier because our Buddha Bodhi is compassionate and has granted me the ability to read minds. Of course, the poor monk's level is not high enough to hear too much or too deep content."

... Why did he so naturally expose his weakness? Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had the same thought.

Jingfa clasped his hands together, chanted a low Dharma name, and said:

"A monk does not lie."

"... What is a level?" Shang Jianyao asked about another doubt.

Jingfa answered without any change in his voice:

"Uploading consciousness is not the end, but the beginning.

"Technology in technological enlightenment is not the core but an aid. Its role is to provide better conditions for us to understand the Dharma.

"When the physical body is discarded, we can see the world from another perspective, thus better understanding the Dharma and realizing the emptiness of all things.

"This is a process, and the key points in the process are called levels. When you attain the level of 'Maharahan,' you can truly enter the Blissful Pure Land and transcend the world."

After explaining this, Jingfa glanced at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong:

"This is quite profound for you two. Let's end it here for today.

"The poor monk can see that you will walk on the gray earth. I hope you will experience the world and understand the suffering of all beings and the illusory nature of the physical body.

"When the time comes, if we meet again, the poor monk will guide you to the Crystal Pure Land."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were both delighted to see the mechanical monk end the preaching on his own, and they dared not ask any more questions.

They quickly got up, moved to the side, and made way for him.

"If you don't want to call the poor monk by his Dharma name, you can call him Zen Master." Jingfa clasped his hands together and said.

He then flicked his kasaya, returned the same way, and disappeared around the corner.

After watching him leave, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong exchanged a glance and followed the same path out of the rusted steel "forest."

At the gate, Long Yuehong looked around, calculated the distance, and quickly picked up the walkie-talkie, pressing the button:

"Leader, we encountered a monk from the monk sect!"

This was also what Shang Jianyao wanted to do, so he did not stop her.

"What? What is his Dharma name?" Jiang Baimian's voice, accompanied by static, sounded.

Near the tall "chimneys," the mechanical monk Jingfa, who was walking deeper into the steel factory ruins, suddenly stopped.

The red light in his eyes suddenly brightened, his neck turned stiffly, and he spoke in an extremely cold, emotionless voice:

"A woman's voice..."

PS: Request for recommendations!