Chapter 72

As Zhu Ganglie was sizing up the temple, a finely carved and jade-like young monk came out. Seeing Zhenkong and himself, the young monk's face lit up and he said, "Master, is this the junior brother you brought back?"

"Shenxiu, don't speak rashly. This is Shifang, a guest staying here. Come and pay your respects," Zhenkong said, fondly patting the young monk and speaking gently.

"Shifang, don't blame him. This Suheluo Temple has a history of several hundred years, but since it does not display any supernatural powers, it has few worshippers. Here, I only have Shenxiu as a disciple, and I often indulge him. However, Shenxiu has a very high level of enlightenment and might become a great monk in the future," the old monk said with a smile to Zhu Ganglie.

"Shenxiu has a pure and sincere nature. He will surely achieve something in the future, which will be a blessing for our Buddhist community," Zhu Ganglie smiled lightly and followed Zhenkong into the room.

"Junior brother, stay here for now. In three days, Daxing Temple will hold a Buddha Treasure Assembly, a grand event. At that time, you can observe the treasures of the Buddhist community and perhaps gain some insight into the Buddhist teachings," Zhenkong said with a smile, which made Zhu Ganglie more interested. It seemed that in three days, he could go and see the relics of the Buddhist community, which might help him understand the essence of the Buddhist scriptures and enlighten his Buddhist consciousness.

Zhu Ganglie then said with a smile, "Thank you, senior brother, for telling me about this. I have traveled far and wide and obtained a Buddhist scripture called the Great Vajra Sutra. I am willing to give it to you and would like to borrow the scriptures of Suheluo Temple. Is that possible?"

Zhu Ganglie had a good impression of Zhenkong, and he believed that Zhenkong was also a high-ranking monk who had enlightened his Buddhist consciousness. Therefore, he wanted to borrow the scriptures of Suheluo Temple, hoping to gain some insights.

So, as he spoke, Zhu Ganglie directly handed the Great Vajra Sutra to Zhenkong.

Zhenkong took the scripture, glanced at it, and his gaze became more serious. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to Zhu Ganglie, "This is a supreme scripture. Thank you, junior brother, for transmitting this Dharma. With this Dharma, our Suheluo Temple can flourish. However, our temple does not have many Dharma teachings, only the Six-Word Great Brightness Mantra passed down from our master. Please do not be offended."

As he spoke, Zhenkong handed a scroll to Zhu Ganglie, which contained the six Sanskrit characters "Om Mani Padme Hum" and numerous annotations.

Zhu Ganglie looked at it and felt a bit disappointed. Although this scripture was also a Buddhist teaching, it was widely known and not a profound one.

"Junior brother, although the Six-Word Great Brightness Mantra is not a very profound teaching, it is the fundamental mantra of the Buddhist community. I have practiced the 'Om' mantra for decades and have gained some insights. I am willing to share it with you!" Zhenkong said, reciting the 'Om' mantra in the air, forming a mudra with his hands, and his face became solemn. Instantly, a faint halo of Buddha light appeared behind Zhenkong's head, and the entire space was filled with the sound of 'Om.' This sound gradually turned into a soft Sanskrit chant, grand and solemn, and a luminous relic slowly rose from the Buddha light.

Seeing this, Zhu Ganglie was surprised. He did not expect that Zhenkong had such extraordinary talent, achieving enlightenment of the six senses and forming a relic by practicing the 'Om' mantra alone.

Such cultivation and talent were truly rare.

He immediately put aside his contempt and calmed his mind, knowing that Zhenkong was transmitting the Dharma to repay him for the Great Vajra Sutra.

He then picked up the Qingyang Ancient Lamp, recited the Great Vajra Sutra softly, and four halos immediately appeared behind his head.

In these halos, twelve Great Vajra Deities stood quietly, and the avatar given by the Azure Dragon also wandered in the Buddha light, chanting a mix of Zen and dragon-like Sanskrit, performing the Heavenly Dragon Descent Mantra for Zhenkong.

The golden flame of the Qingyang Ancient Lamp, the size of a bean, slowly reflected the scene of thousands of people seeking the Buddha.

Seeing the Qingyang Ancient Lamp in Zhu Ganglie's hand, Zhenkong's expression became serious, his eyes emitting a rainbow of light, becoming even more devout. It seemed he had gained some insight, and the Buddha light behind his head suddenly expanded, filling the entire Suheluo Temple.

The Buddha light from Zhu Ganglie and Zhenkong complemented each other, and in a moment, a fifth halo of Buddha light rose behind Zhu Ganglie's head, enlightening his tongue consciousness and firmly remembering the essence of the 'Om' mantra.

Meanwhile, Zhenkong also practiced the Great Vajra Sutra and the Heavenly Dragon Descent Mantra, gaining insight into the method of the light of thousands of households.

It was a double harvest.

This exchange lasted until dawn. Zhenkong said to Zhu Ganglie, "Junior brother, you are truly talented. You have devised the method of the light of thousands of households. This method can bring the Buddha to thousands of households, enlightening my path of cultivation. If I can achieve the golden body in the future, I will respect you as my master!"

As he spoke, the relic behind Zhenkong's head gently trembled and merged into the five halos of Buddha light behind Zhu Ganglie's head, sharing all his insights and thoughts without reservation.

With the help of the relic, a new halo of Buddha light appeared behind Zhu Ganglie's head, enlightening his body consciousness. He was just one step away from achieving the Buddhist consciousness and forming a relic.

At this point, Zhu Ganglie gently touched the halo of Buddha light behind his head, and the relic, which was about to dissolve into a Buddhist power, returned to Zhenkong's head.

Zhu Ganglie also stood up and bowed to Zhenkong, "I dare not accept such a great gift from senior brother. If the light of thousands of households is achieved, I will also gain something. I am still willing to respect you as my master."

At this moment, Zhu Ganglie felt a mix of joy and respect. He had originally only used the light of thousands of households to light the Qingyang Ancient Lamp, but Zhenkong had gained insight into the method of the light of thousands of households.

If Zhenkong truly practiced this method, he would travel far and wide, teaching and spreading the Dharma, and the faith of thousands of households would benefit him as well.

His Qingyang Ancient Lamp might even become a Buddha, allowing him to achieve the golden body and make up for the shortcomings in his cultivation.

This was a great cause and effect, and he dared not be impolite.

Seeing Zhu Ganglie's deep respect, Zhenkong did not say more but clasped his hands together and said, "From today, I will travel with my young disciple. We will skip the Red Lotus Ceremony!"

With that, Zhenkong took Shenxiu and left the Suheluo Temple. As Zhenkong left, a branch of the Suheluo tree fell into his hand.

After Zhenkong left, Zhu Ganglie's heart was filled with great joy. He did not expect that staying here would not only enlighten him to two more senses but also bring him a great opportunity.

Moreover, through the discussion with Zhenkong, he gained a deeper understanding of Buddhist cultivation.

The Buddhist community speaks of enlightening the nine senses. When one enlightens the sixth sense and the consciousness, a relic is formed, which is equivalent to the Golden Elixir stage in Daoism.

However, after forming a relic, one needs the empowerment of a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Arhat from Mount Sumeru, or the empowerment of a high-ranking monk.

In this way, a shadow of the empowerer will be formed in the relic, which is the enlightenment of the seventh sense, the Manas consciousness, equivalent to the Heaven-Earth Dharma stage in Daoism.

When the shadow in the relic merges with the relic and transforms into a golden Dharma body, the Buddhist practitioner will merge their physical body with this golden Dharma body, achieving their own golden body.

This stage is equivalent to the Daoist Immortal Spirit stage.

The ninth sense, the Amala consciousness, is equivalent to the Daoist Nurturing stage. At this stage, Daoists nurture Daoist immortal energy, while Buddhists nurture Buddha light.

The Manas consciousness mentioned by Chang'e requires the empowerment of a strong Buddhist practitioner in the relic, and one must use this as a guide to gradually enlighten the Manas consciousness.

However, as a Daoist practitioner, the great Buddhist practitioners would certainly know and would not empower him. Even if they did, it would be extremely difficult to enlighten the Manas consciousness.

However, Zhenkong gained insight into the benefit of the light of thousands of households from Zhu Ganglie's method, so he did not need the empowerment of great Buddhist practitioners.

As long as the golden flame of the Qingyang Ancient Lamp formed a shadow of a Buddha, and he achieved a relic, he could automatically empower himself.

However, the golden body he would achieve would not be a pure golden body but would rely on the Qingyang Ancient Lamp.

But as long as he enlightened the Manas consciousness and repaired the flaw in his cultivation, he did not need to delve deeper.

Understanding this, the gloom in Zhu Ganglie's heart dissipated, and he was filled with joy.

(Thank you, Xing Haotong, Tao Tangshi, and Warcraft Xuefeng for your generous support and donations. During the new book period, I hope everyone will support me more. Please give a recommendation and add to your favorites while reading.)

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends