Xiuxin's attempt to ally with Xiuzhu was naturally within Chen Kuang's expectations.
Given Chen Kuang's current reputation in the Pure Land, his Zen debate with Xiuzhu regarding the nature of the heart would quickly spread throughout Garan Temple.
Obviously, it would reach Xiuxin's ears as well.
The conflicting views the two presented were intentional on Chen Kuang's part... though, in truth, the one who debated with him that day wasn't the eerie second personality, it was Xiuzhu himself.
This little monk's comprehension and spiritual root were truly remarkable, one might even call him someone born with innate Buddhahood.
Chen Kuang had originally planned to consult with the second personality and recreate the legendary exchange of verses between Shenxiu and Huineng, to shock the monks of Garan Temple and further his own aims.
But unexpectedly, with only the slightest guidance from Chen Kuang, Xiuzhu instantly came up with a nearly identical viewpoint.
It saved him the trouble.
"The body is the Bodhi tree,
The mind like a bright mirror stand.
Polish it diligently,
So no dust can land."
"Bodhi originally has no tree,
The mirror also has no stand.
Fundamentally not a single thing exists:
Where could any dust alight?"
Both are verses from venerable monks.
Chen Kuang didn't believe one was right and the other wrong, but the realm expressed by the second verse was undoubtedly far higher. It wasn't merely the difference between minor and major vehicles (Hinayana vs. Mahayana), but a complete philosophical shift.
The former focused solely on individual cultivation.
The latter saw the self as empty, without separation from all things, capable of merging with the universe. That is true great compassion and great mercy.
However, in Cangyuan, the Pure Land had not yet developed such a nuanced distinction.
After all, this was a world where the Buddha had truly existed, and one could actually become a Buddha as well.
Thus, the prevailing view among most monks was that one must first perfect one's personal cultivation, achieve great divine ability and great wisdom, before going on to deliver others.
So within this world, those two verses didn't have such a clear superiority.
But Chen Kuang's goal wasn't to gain fame through the debate. After all, with his dramatic entry into the Pure Land as a Buddha-child while keeping his hair, he was already famous enough.
What he really wanted was for Xiuxin to realize that he, Chen Kuang and the three demon-headed Great Chan Masters were on the same side.
And at the same time, subtly reveal the three masters' intent.
Chen Kuang had been forcefully endorsed and brought back by the Three Great Chan Masters. His views, to a great extent, could be seen as representative of theirs.
What's more, after the debate concluded, the entire Garan Temple knew the Three Great Chan Masters had praised Chen Kuang's viewpoint and rebuked Xiuzhu's as being overly idealistic, self-centered, and arrogant.
But as a Buddha-child herself, Xiuxin would naturally be able to discern the deeper meaning.
Chen Kuang had actually explained, in coded language, what had been happening within the Pure Land recently.
Why was there suddenly a seven-day indulgent celebration, stirring worldly thoughts in the hearts of monks?
Surely it wasn't because the Three Great Chan Masters were blatantly trying to break the rules and corrupt monastic hearts.
Then what was it for?
In the debate, Chen Kuang made it clear: one must undergo worldly trials to cleanse the heart and ascend to a higher realm of enlightenment.
He even cited Lionheart as an example.
"Look," he had said. "Buddha-child Lionheart, Profound Realm cultivation, a half-step from sainthood, surely his enlightenment was high enough?"
"And yet once immersed in the mortal world, he didn't die at the hands of any great cultivator, but had his Dao-heart shattered by a two-year-old child."
Such a case was profoundly thought-provoking.
Raised and cultivated in the Pure Land since youth, Lionheart had underestimated the murky ugliness of the outside world, which led to his downfall.
The Pure Land, for the most part, was isolated and cut off from the mortal realm. Its monks, bathed in the pure light of the Dharma, had deep understanding of Buddhist truths.
But never having entered the mundane world, how could they empathize with all beings? And without such empathy, how could they deliver them?
If one enters the world without preparation, one risks corruption before one can help others.
Therefore, the Three Great Chan Masters, who had already seen through this, decided to test the Pure Land's disciples with a trial of worldly temptation.
That seven-day vegetarian celebration?
It was merely a minor test!
Those monks who broke precepts afterward, they were merely those whose devotion was not sincere, whose hearts were not strong enough, and were quickly overwhelmed by desire.
Which only proves the wisdom of the Three Great Chan Masters' decision!
Naturally, the masters accepted this narrative.
In a flash, all the monks who had harbored doubt or discontent were enlightened. They saw the Three Masters' intention:
"Ah! They were testing us!"
But with Xiuxin's intellect, how could she fail to see the true danger buried within this logic?
If this was only the beginning... then the Pure Land was heading for a path of increasing indulgence, and all under the masters' indulgent gaze.
That was a terrifying prospect.
They called it a test, but without external rules to restrain monks whose cultivation was not yet complete, it would inevitably lead to disaster.
Law is discipline.
To restrain oneself, to rebuke desire, this is the essence of Buddhism. Cultivation is not merely an inner aspiration; it requires external guidance.
If left unchecked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Even when monks traveled into the mortal world, there were still secular rules governing their behavior.
But the Pure Land was different.
Here, there were almost no secular constraints. The only code was that of the Dharma.
Once actions deviated from the Dharma itself, then everything would spiral out of control.
Xiuxin believed that the Three Great Chan Masters must know this. So why were they still doing it?
Her heart naturally brimmed with mounting suspicion.
This..
This was shaking the very foundation of the Pure Land!
That was why she so urgently sought out Xiuzhu, someone whose ideas aligned with hers and stood in stark contrast to those of Chen Kuang and the three masters.
Xiuzhu listened to her thoughts, nodded, and smiled gently:
"So that's what this is all about. I understand now."
Xiuxin quickly said:
"Brother Xiuzhu, you are the most gifted disciple in the past hundred years. You must see the danger here. As things stand, only you and I are left who can speak out against the Three Great Chan Masters."
Xiuzhu nodded again. "I know. What do you intend to do?"
Xiuxin pressed her lips together, seemingly making a decision:
"Let's go speak to the masters directly, persuade them that this path must not be followed."
Xiuzhu stared at her for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "We can't."
Xiuxin froze. "Are you... afraid? Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll take full responsibility. Master Buyan has always favored you. He won't blame you-"
"What I mean is this."
Xiuzhu smiled. "Do you really think our words alone could sway three masters with such profound understanding of the Dharma? If they're determined to continue, how could our mere mouths stop them?"
Xiuxin's heart sank. "Then... what do you suggest?"
Xiuzhu's voice slowly turned ethereal:
"If the Three Great Chan Masters were to suddenly pass into Nirvana... then the Pure Land would be yours and mine to govern."