Chapter 153: Coarse

"Is the Universal Ferry Ship still the Universal Ferry Ship?"

At the edge of the dojo, a monk, bare-chested in the heavy snow, holds two wooden drum hammers and delicately taps a leather drum, his face an angry Vajra.

In the bronze censer cauldron outside the dojo, a little blue-robed Daoist lights a stick of tall incense. One stick of tall incense is one hour; if the answerer hasn't answered before this stick of incense burns out, they must admit defeat and let the next person answer.

The drum stops, the bell rings, people disperse.

Among the monks, a young monk who had been sitting with closed eyes in meditation, holding prayer beads, opens his eyes and looks towards the inside of the dojo.

Heavy snow is falling, only to see Chen Ji An sitting quietly on the cushion.

A gust of wind from outside the mountain village sweeps in, rolling light snow powder onto his shoulder, head, and knee, but he does not move.

The young monk softly says: "The Bodhisattva lowers his eyebrows."

After saying this.

He closes his eyes again, quietly pinching the prayer beads.

On the stone steps at the edge of the dojo, scholars and gentlemen, gray-robed monks, blue-robed Daoists, are silently watching the young man on the dojo. They discuss and exchange with each other.

The little Daoist on the stone steps scratches his head: "Senior Brother Zhang Li, I think the Universal Ferry Ship is certainly no longer that Universal Ferry Ship."

Another little Daoist says: "Wrong, it is still that Universal Ferry Ship."

"It's not that simple, and listen to how the monks answer..."

Zhang Li stares intently at Chen Ji's back, for a while not daring to rashly answer this question.

At this moment, in the dojo, the monk on the cushion slowly opens his mouth: "The Universal Ferry Ship is no longer the Universal Ferry Ship. The Platform Sutra says that the original meaning of sentient beings is self-nature, which is the soul; the original meaning of insentient beings is phenomena, commonly speaking that is components. The Universal Ferry Ship changing its ship boards is equivalent to changing phenomena, changing phenomena, the Universal Ferry Ship naturally is no longer the Universal Ferry Ship."

On the steps at the edge of the dojo, some people nod, some shake their heads.

Zhang Xia supports Bai Li, standing to one side, and tightly furrows his brows.

The Prince curiously asks: "Why is Ze furrowing his brows so tightly?"

Zhang Xia hesitates: "I have watched dozens of debates, and this is the first time I've seen a question with so many different opinions. Look, even those monks may not agree with their third senior brother's viewpoint."

The Prince says boredly: "This kind of debate is all empty talk, it completely depends on who is more sophistical, no benefit to the common people and the state."

Zhang Xia still furrows his brows without speaking.

The debate has referees, everyone casts their gaze towards the scholars and gentlemen on the stone steps. A middle-aged man in a Confucian robe shakes the copper bell in his hand and loudly says: "The questioner, do you have an answer?"

As the words fall, Chen Ji lowers his eyelids and, without lifting his head, opens his mouth and asks: "Then if I only change a single ship board, that is also changing phenomena, is the Universal Ferry Ship still the Universal Ferry Ship?"

The monk is startled: "This..."

He furrows his brows and thinks hard, recalling sutras to support himself.

But time passes bit by bit, that stick of tall incense burns shorter and shorter, and the monk is still speechless.

Dong.

Someone at the side knocks the wooden fish.

The monk on the cushion suddenly awakens: "Wait, the Universal Ferry Ship is still the Universal Ferry Ship, I..."

Chen Ji calmly says: "Step down."

The young man's words are powerful, brooks no doubt.

The debate adheres to clear rules, once you have expounded your viewpoint, you cannot change it. To change, you must change the person.

The little Daoist beside the dojo's large bell, his face excited, pushes away the little novice guarding the striking wood and pulls the striking wood to strike the copper bell heavily.

The melodious sound of the copper bell travels far, shattering the monk's drum sound.

The literati from Jiangnan look at each other, sizing up Chen Ji in the field, and ask in a low voice: "Who is this young man?"

"Don't know. Perhaps he is a reclusive young master from some family?"

"Doesn't seem like it, look at his clothing and appearance..."

The monk on the cushion dejectedly leaves the dojo.

After a moment, Yuanjue Temple changes to another monk, who sits on the cushion and says firmly: "The Universal Ferry Ship is still the Universal Ferry Ship. The Great Prajna Sutra says that the essence of insentient beings is their structure, purpose, and use. Although the materials of the Universal Ferry Ship have changed, its structure and purpose have not changed, so it is still it."

Chen Ji still doesn't utter a word, the other side's answer seems right. And also seems not right.

The silent time is long, and the monk is no longer as confident as before. He subconsciously looks towards the group of monks.

Just as Zhang Li is about to say something, he sees Chen Ji turn his head and stare fixedly at him, his eyes unmoving.

Zhang Li hesitates for a long time, then suddenly understands Chen Ji's meaning.

He laughs and cries as he hands the gourd-shaped white porcelain bottle to Bai Li: "He has already won over one person, this pill is yours."

Bai Li is startled: "He..."

Zhang Li urges: "Quick eat, quick eat. Haven't you seen he is still waiting? He won't open his mouth until he sees you take the medicine and improve. This kid."

Zhang Xia hurriedly takes the pill and gives it to Bai Li to take. In an instant, Bai Li's complexion is normal, and he no longer needs people to support him.

Zhang Li looks towards Chen Ji, his mouth silently forming the words: "Is it good now?"

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

Chen Ji sees Bai Li improve, only then turns his head and looks towards the monk on the cushion: "If I take down all the wooden boards of the Universal Ferry Ship, every single part, and reassemble them into one ship, is this ship the Universal Ferry Ship?"

The monk is startled: "This..."

At the side of the field, nearly half the literati stand up and draw out their silk handkerchiefs from their sleeves, throwing them into the field: "Wonderful!"

In the way of debate, if the audience on the side of the field thinks something is wonderful, they should throw handkerchiefs. The more handkerchiefs thrown, the more supporters there are.

At this moment, amidst the cheers of hundreds of people, Chen Ji suddenly perceives that the fifty-six lantern fires inside his body move again, becoming brighter by a point, almost turning from faint red to pale yellow.

The little Daoists look at each other, quite puzzled, "Senior brother, does this count as winning?"

At the side of the field, Zhang Li breathes a long sigh of relief: "The problem this young man poses is easy to debate open, hard to debate overturn, both attack and defense, all paradoxes."

The monk on the cushion thinks hard about the sutras, wanting to find Buddhist sayings to support his viewpoint, but cannot.

Finally, he casts a seeking-help gaze towards the group of monks on the side of the field, but no one dares to come forward to respond.

In the wind and snow, on the stone steps, that young monk who always sits dryly pinching prayer beads slowly stands up and walks into the middle of the dojo.

The literati on the side of the field gradually quiet down, someone says in a low voice: "This obscure person actually shocks Wu Zhai into coming to the field for debate again."

Wu Zhai uses the hand holding the prayer beads to pat the shoulder of the monk on the cushion: "Step down. This question, I will answer."

The monk on the cushion is startled a bit, and looks up aggrievedly: "Senior brother, I..."

Wu Zhai holds the prayer beads and smiles warmly: "No harm."

He sits on the cushion, but does not hurry to answer the question, instead lightly pinching three prayer beads with his thumb.

Zhang Xia says in a low voice: "This person is Wu Zhai, the chief disciple of Yuanjue Temple. At twelve years old, he debated with the Dao Court. In seven years, he has already won all the fields and properties of the Dao Courts and Dao Observatories near the capital. Now there isn't even a single Dao Observatory in the capital."

The Prince is astonished: "This is a monk who has been cultivated by Buddhism since he was young, specially used to win away the Dao Court's properties, ah."

Zhang Li: ...

Zhang Xia looks at the prayer beads in Wu Zhai's hand and says: "I have observed his debates, he once said himself that pinching a prayer bead is moving nine hundred thoughts. He is now selecting the best winning angle to speak."

The Prince puckers his mouth: "Blowing what 'cowbi'!"

Zhang Li happily agrees: "Exactly, blowing what 'cowbi'!"

At this time, the dojo falls silent, waiting until Wu Zhai pinches the fourth prayer bead, then he opens his mouth flatly and steadily says: "The Universal Ferry Ship is already no longer the Universal Ferry Ship. The Benevolent King Prajna Sutra says that one finger-snap is sixty instants, and in an instant there are nine hundred births and deaths. When time is slow enough, you will see all things in the world like particles in an instant birth, death, and reassemble. After one thought, you are even no longer you, and the Universal Ferry Ship is also no longer the Universal Ferry Ship."

Wu Zhai says with a smile: "People cannot step into the same river. Regardless of whether you change or not, after one thought, you are no longer you, and the Universal Ferry Ship is also no longer the Universal Ferry Ship."

Zhang Li curses softly: "Bad, the monk wants to play rogue."

The Prince is puzzled: "How do you say that?"

Zhang Li explains: "This is Buddhism's 'no self' essence, speaking of letting go of all dharmas, all self-grasping; if according to this Buddhist doctrine, all things in the world no longer exist after one instant, and all are newborn, standing on undefeatable ground."

The literati stand up one after another, and again half the people throw their sleeve handkerchiefs into the field.

All eyes are on Chen Ji.

The tall incense in the bronze censer cauldron slowly burns out, a monk looks towards the little novice beside him: "Still not striking the bell? This round Buddhism wins."

However, Chen Ji finally lifts his head and calmly looks towards Wu Zhai, "Since there is no self, then who is in samsara? Who needs liberation?"

Wu Zhai is startled.

Zhang Li suddenly stands up.

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

The final sword is hidden here.

No self and have self, this is the logical foundation that Buddhism has always been unclear and unexplained for thousands of years, it directly points to the root of Buddhism.

It's not that the eminent monks of Buddhism really can't explain it, but they cannot explain it.

Buddhism speaks of 'no self', for the sake of not pursuing past lives and this life, letting go of all dharmas.

However, the rhetoric Buddhism uses to induce worldly believers is fame and fortune, cause and effect, samsara karma with 'have self'.

For example, cultivating good can prevent falling into evil paths, not falling into animal paths, cultivating blessings for the next life, all for the sake of 'self'.

This is originally two sets of things.

Zhang Li excitedly rubs his hands, "Wu Zhai can't answer."

The Prince asks: "Is this question very difficult?"

Zhang Li's eyes are bright: "Wu Zhai is not unwilling to answer, but unable to answer. Many people have come to this literary meeting, and the debate process will certainly spread through words. If he says that 'no self' is right, that is admitting that his Buddhism's propagation of 'samsara blessings' is just a means of fooling and controlling believers. They themselves don't believe this."

He praises: "Drawing fuel from the bottom of the cauldron, killing the heart, ah."

Wu Zhai looks towards Chen Ji, only feeling that the young man opposite him has eyes like jumping fire.

Chen Ji asks: "Does Buddhism still have one person who can come to the field? Do you want to change the person?"

Wu Zhai turns his head and looks towards the group of monks behind him, but those young monks look at each other, all not daring to come forward.

Wu Zhai puts down the prayer beads, and with his hands on his knees, he smiles and avoids answering: "This donor, I see you have a connection with the Buddha. Why not enter my Yuanjue Temple to cultivate? The Dao Court is declining, rather than being a nominal disciple of the Dao Court, why not enter my Buddhism as a direct disciple?"

Zhang Li points at Wu Zhai's nose and bursts into scolding: "Spouting what dog fart from your mother."

Wu Zhai glances at him: "Vulgar!"