Chapter 532: The Secret of Reincarnation

According to Li Qi's observations and understanding, Nyingma is a sect of Buddhism.

They seem to have undertaken the task of spreading Buddha-Dharma in this vicinity, with people often coming to propagate various Buddha-Dharma. However, in reality, this sect does not seem to emphasize the study of Buddhist scriptures or Buddhist theories. They can even marry and have children. They seem to have only learned simple Buddhist spells and do not focus on the Dao.

Is it that these ordinary Monks do not value it, or what is going on?

Hmm... everything should wait until I find a true Nyingma Monk.

Li Qi thought this, and after a few days, he found another village settlement.

In this settlement, Li Qi found what appeared to be a true Nyingma Monk.

This was also the first Monk he had seen who had reached the Eighth Realm.

Unlike Monks in the Central Plains, this Monk was wearing a large red robe and a red hat resembling a rooster's comb, performing a ritual.

Li Qi did not reveal himself rashly but waited for the other party to finish the ritual.

— — — — — — — —

Shakya Zhaba had just finished the last ritual and had now returned to his dwelling.

The herders outside escorted Shakya Zhaba, saying, "Thank you, Living Buddha, thank you, Living Buddha. We never dreamed that our ancestors would one day ascend to the Buddha-land—"

Shakya Zhaba replied, "As long as you uphold good thoughts, ponder deeply, understand and follow the Buddha-Dharma, you can ascend to the Buddha-land even without my salvation."

Although he said this, the herders showed silly smiles, clearly thinking it was unlikely.

Seeing their expressions, Shakya Zhaba sighed and then said, "I will not leave these next few days. I will stay here to preach the Buddha-Dharma. You can come and listen. If you can understand the Doctrinal Canon, ascending to the Buddha-land will not be difficult."

The herders were overjoyed and bowed again, thanking him repeatedly.

If someone could truly comprehend something, then someone else could also become a powerful master!

Shakya Zhaba helped them up from the ground, then picked up his luggage, said goodbye to the herders, and returned to the house the herders had cleared for him.

Back in the house, he rested for a while, tidied his robes and red hat, and then began his daily cultivation.

He made a mudra with his hand, first turning right, which meant protecting his own body, then turning left, which meant warding off all demons.

Then he pointed to the eight directions, up and down, which was like bathing, combined with secret mudras and mantras.

He recited the mantra three times, saying: "Namo Samanta Buddhanam Ha..."

Then, with his left hand, he made a Vajra fist to his heart, raising the wind wheel, and his right hand did the same, rotating left and right above his head, pointing upwards and to the Lower Realm, then reciting the mantra again.

Then he bowed to the Buddha three times.

With humble palms pressed together, he spread his two hands, reversed and rotated them three times, blessing four places.

This was his daily cultivation, part of his reverence for the Buddha, hoping to receive the Buddha's blessing, ward off evil demons, and purify his mind.

The entire set of rituals took quite a long time. By the time he finished, it was already dark outside.

Shakya Zhaba got up again, walked to the other side, and began to cook for himself.

He was only at the Eighth Realm and had not yet reached the Realm where he could abstain from food. Naturally, he had to cook, and he took asceticism as his duty, unlike many masters who enjoyed comforts.

Those who enjoyed comforts... they truly enjoyed them. It seemed they only wanted to enjoy the blessings of this life but were unwilling to consider the next Reincarnation.

As a result, in their next Reincarnation, they would probably suffer...

How unwise! How could they achieve true enlightenment like this?

It's a shame these people are called Living Buddhas. So unwise, how can they become Buddhas? Relying on the residual blessings of their previous lives, accumulating blessings in this life, they will probably Reincarnate into the animal Realm in the next life.

While cooking for himself, Shakya Zhaba thought about these things.

It was precisely because he understood these things that he had the motivation to always adhere to his desires, guard his heart and thoughts, and make the grand vow to 'save one hundred thousand departed souls.' His current asceticism was also for this purpose.

Today's ritual had saved another deceased person. They might have fallen into the underworld, but through his salvation, they had already gone to the Buddha-land. He hoped they could achieve results in the Buddha-land and not fall into the underworld to suffer.

He was still forty-five thousand nine hundred sixty-two away from his goal of one hundred thousand.

He remembered each one clearly. This was the Dao foundation he was preparing to build for himself.

Not everyone was qualified to go to the Buddha-land. If he wanted to save them and send them to the Buddha-land to enjoy the pure land and hear the Buddha-Dharma, he had to bear their karmic sins.

With the power of his grand vow, he gathered the gratitude of one hundred thousand departed souls and bore the karmic sins of one hundred thousand people to forge a Seventh Realm Dao foundation.

The meal was ready—simple boiled lamb, some plant seeds, and a little grain.

The Nyingma sect is very secular and does not forbid eating, because their food is all begged for. They eat whatever others give them, so there is nothing to be picky about.

Some Monks who have their own property start to be picky about their diet.

Only wealthy people are qualified to be picky. Any dietary restriction is actually a sign of ample resources.

True ascetics are never picky; they eat whatever they have.

Just as he was eating the lamb, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Shakya Zhaba was surprised; he hadn't sensed any Qi.

Buddhism has its own unique methods for investigation in this regard. The famous Six Divine Abilities include Celestial Eye and Divine Ear, which can see through all illusions, understand all things, and are also good at deduction and divination.

For these Monks, their spiritual senses and perceptions are very powerful.

But... after the knock on the door, he couldn't feel anything outside the door.

Who is it? Which Senior?

Doubt and worry arose in Shakya Zhaba's heart, but he couldn't not open the door, so he calmed himself down and said, "May I ask which Senior it is?"

What Shakya Zhaba didn't expect was that the thing outside actually replied.

The voice replied, "I am Li Qi, from the Southwest. I happened upon this place and became curious, so I came to visit the master. I have some questions I would like the master to answer."

"So, you have doubts. Then just speak them." Shakya Zhaba breathed a sigh of relief, walked towards the door, and prepared to open it.

It's good that it can speak; being able to communicate means it's not too dangerous.

His asceticism required him to travel far and wide, cultivating in various places. He encountered countless dangers along the way, but as long as he could speak and communicate, they were not too dangerous.

He opened the door and looked to see who was speaking outside.

He saw a young man standing outside, handsome but not overly so, just moderately good-looking, of average height, but with a very sturdy build.

However, the other party was by no means young; at least he was much older than Shakya Zhaba.

Shakya Zhaba was already fifty years old. Although his cultivation was good, asceticism was still grueling, so he looked like a middle-aged man at this moment.

But even though the other party was young, his eyes and the aura about him gave Shakya Zhaba a feeling... like those Seniors who had attained the Stream-Enterer fruit.

The fruit positions in Buddhism include Stream-Enterer, Once-Returner, Non-Returner, Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha.

Stream-Enterer, meaning "first fruit," signifies that you have achieved the initial result.

One who attains this fruit will never fall into the three evil Realms, will cut off all delusions, officially step into the great gate of Buddha-Dharma, and under normal circumstances, their life is infinite, not dying due to physical aging.

Among his Seniors, there was one who had attained the Stream-Enterer fruit, now nine hundred years old, but still young. That Senior's eyes were similar to this person's before him.

In other words...

The other party was an existence above the Seventh Realm, who had lived for an unknown number of years, but certainly much longer than himself.

Should be Seventh Realm, right?

"Senior, what doubts do you have, and why would you come to find this junior Monk? A person like Senior, who has already entered the threshold, likely possesses profound wisdom far beyond what this junior Monk can achieve. How could I possibly answer any doubts you might have?" Shakya Zhaba asked, very puzzled.

Li Qi shook his head: "When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. Everyone knows things that others don't. How can knowledge be determined by cultivation? All right, let's not talk about that. Since the master is willing to answer my questions, I won't be polite. However, there will be a reward afterward, so please take it seriously, master."

"Knowledge is not determined by cultivation... Ha, as expected of a Senior who has attained wisdom. In that case, please come in." Shakya Zhaba nodded slightly, seemingly understanding something, then stepped aside to let Li Qi enter the room.

Li Qi walked in and found a stool to sit on.

He had observed Shakya Zhaba for several days and found that he was indeed an ordinary, conscientious Monk, not like Chan Zhi.

After confirming this, he went to listen to Shakya Zhaba preach, and what was preached was the proper Dharma, not evil Dharma, indicating no connection with the Demonic Dao.

After conducting these tests, he then took the initiative to knock on the door and visit the other party, wanting to ask why this Western Land was so backward.

There wasn't even an agricultural civilization, and many were still matriarchal clans, practicing walking marriages, living a nomadic life following water and grass. The level of civilization was even worse than a Ninth Realm world.

So, after Li Qi sat down, his first question was this. He asked, "Is the Western Land unsupervised? What are the Buddhas doing? Why is it so backward? With so many Mortals and so many settlements, why is no one spreading the Dharma? What's going on? Does the master know the reason for this?"

Hearing Li Qi's question, Shakya Zhaba frowned: "Is there a problem with this? This junior Monk doesn't quite understand what Senior means."

"I heard that the Buddhas of the Western Land are compassionate. Is that correct?" Li Qi explained.

"That is natural. Enlightened ones are compassionate and hold equal goodwill towards all beings in the world. But what does this have to do with Senior's question?" Shakya Zhaba countered.

"If they are truly compassionate, why don't they spread the Dharma? Why do they let them suffer so much? Look at those herders outside, worried about three meals, troubled by wind and frost, living aimlessly, like cattle and horses. The Western Land has enough ability to let them hear the proper Dharma and avoid this suffering, but why don't they do so?" Li Qi asked.

Shaman God Mountain has completely disregarded its subjects, allowing them to develop as they wish, but it still maintains the strength of the great source of heaven and earth. The common people under Shaman God Mountain are all exceptionally gifted. With a little cultivation, entering the Realm is as easy as eating, and cultivators are as numerous as Anomolus Spirits.

And how could the compassionate Buddhist sect do worse than Shaman God Mountain? This place is purely a wasteland, not only a desert of life but also a desert of cultivation.

Hearing Li Qi's question, Shakya Zhaba suddenly retorted, "If they were born in the Buddha-land, naturally enjoying the seven treasures and three beauties, and taught the Buddha-Dharma, would that... be considered compassion?"

Li Qi was stunned.

Indeed, if these people lived a life similar to or even better than that of humanity, would that be considered compassion?

But Li Qi still asked, "If that's not compassion, then is the current situation compassionate? I think, in these myriad Realms, no matter what Dao Orthodoxy, no one would consider causing people to suffer as compassion, would they?"

"Is that so? Senior has already attained longevity, so you must be quite old. May I ask if you have any descendants?" Shakya Zhaba asked.

"I have a descendant." Li Qi nodded, Li Shiwei's face appearing in his mind.

This made him smile involuntarily.

Looking at Li Qi's expression, Shakya Zhaba asked again, "May I ask, would Senior let your descendant suffer? Is such suffering a sign of affection or malice?"

"How can those be lumped together? Love for a descendant must not become doting, so they need to suffer. Essentially, it is for the descendant's future. But these people have no future to speak of. They die very quickly, born this way, dying this way, one after another, just like weeds, constantly being born and extinguished." Li Qi explained.

When speaking of these people being like weeds, Shakya Zhaba noticed that the Senior before him did not show indignation but simply stated his concept.

This made Shakya Zhaba realize that the other party did not think it was particularly special for people to become weeds. Perhaps, to this Senior, the suffering of these people was not important; he only asked because he couldn't understand.

Buddhism clearly claims to be compassionate, so why would it treat these people as weeds, just like himself?

"Senior is... a Shaman?" Shakya Zhaba asked.

"Your eyesight is quite good. Indeed, I am a Shaman." Li Qi nodded, admitting it directly.

Shakya Zhaba suddenly understood. Indeed, the other party's behavior was very much like a Shaman.

To a Shaman, weeds are a natural part of existence. Whether it's humans, insects, or plants, there's always something to be weeds. They would only find this normal and wouldn't feel anything about it.

A Shaman's sympathy is never placed on things that are taken for granted, just as a documentary director would not interfere if they saw a seal being killed by an orca.

"What Dao Orthodoxy I belong to is not important. The important thing is the current problem: why does Buddhism do this?" Li Qi ignored that and pressed on.

"Senior is a Shaman, so naturally, you have no concept of this. After all, from a Shaman's perspective, after a person dies and enters Reincarnation, it's like fallen leaves returning to their roots, a natural cycle. However... what Buddhism thinks is not like that." Shakya Zhaba said.

Li Qi blinked: "Oh? How do you mean?"

"Senior previously said that these Mortals are like weeds, constantly being born and extinguished, constantly dying. However, death is not the end."

Li Qi took a deep breath upon hearing this.

He understood.

Infinite Reincarnations! The lives of these Mortals are also infinite!