Jueguang was a good monk; when Simon told him to meditate, he honestly meditated and reflected.
Jueguang was also a very loyal monk; after reflecting, he went to find the abbot and recounted the matter of the Pure Land in its entirety.
The old monk couldn't sit still when he heard it, his excitement overflowing.
Actually, for Zen Buddhism, the Pure Land's appeal isn't that great, but it's like a flock of ducks hearing that a truck full of feed has arrived; as long as a monk hears that such a place as the Pure Land exists, they will quack with laughter like the ducks, even if the truck is carrying pig feed, it doesn't stop them from being full of hope for the future.
"This humble monk will go see the Buddha's son now!" The abbot ran to the separate courtyard, smiling.
Simon guessed what was going on from his expression.
"You want to go see the Pure Land?"
"Everything as the Bodhisattva commands." The old monk bowed with his palms pressed together.
"Oh, then don't go."
..."Wait!" Zen Master Zixing leaned closer, smiling bitterly, the wrinkles on his face scrunching up like a steamed bun come to life, "I want to go, This humble monk wants to go!"
Simon shook his head, "If you want to go, just say so. There's no need to be formal with me." With a thought, the Pure Land Pearl lowered its superior affinity thread, connecting with Zen Master Zixing's mountain-like, majestic superior affinity pearl, "Don't be distracted."
Zen Master Zixing's superior affinity pearl was brilliant and fiery, and under the pull of the superior affinity thread, it slowly moved towards the Pure Land Pearl.
superior affinity knows no time or space, no size; when that colossal, mountain-like superior affinity pearl merged into the Pure Land, it disappeared without a trace, becoming merely a speck of dust on the Pure Land Pearl.
The abbot wandered through the moonlit Pure Land, gently stroking the beautiful epiphyllum, praising, "What a magnificent sea of epiphyllum!"
"Are monastics also interested in love stories?" Simon walked to his side.
Zen Master Zixing respectfully bowed to the Bodhisattva and replied, "There was a time when I was young."
"Good."
Simon expressed his approval, then looked up at the sky.
Or rather, he was looking at the earth.
The black earth, like a black night sky, covered most of the firmament; only by looking horizontally could one see the true dark purple sky.
The abbot also looked up.
"This humble monk observes this vast, desolate darkness. Does the Bodhisattva intend to build eighteen hells to punish evildoers?"
Simon was silent for a moment, then softly said, "No, I will not create hell."
"The Bodhisattva cannot bear to see such a tragic sight?"
"I just feel that hell should not be the standard for judging people's actions; reason and morality should be."
Zen Master Zixing remained silent.
"That Xiangxu's overthrow of the imperial court may not be a bad thing. Perhaps in the future, people will embark on a path of co-governance, who knows. At that time, have you considered what will become of Buddhism?"
The abbot frowned upon hearing this, pondering deeply, only to find this question profoundly abstruse and utterly without a starting point.
"You haven't thought about it, and the monks haven't thought about it either." Simon seemed to be speaking to Zen Master Zixing, yet also seemed to be talking to himself.
The two of them stood there in silence, gazing at the earth.
Suddenly, a faint sound of waves began to ripple in their ears, very subtle at first, like the rustling of green insects gnawing on leaves, but it was continuous and grew louder and louder.
The sound came from the black earth above their heads; in that unobservable place, seawater surged, growing more intense and resonant, like rolling thunder across the dark sky.
The abbot's face showed a strange expression, but he did not ask.
The seawater continuously surged, and then, at a certain moment, it seemed to encounter a sheer cliff, and the waves crashed against the barrier, producing a deafening roar.
The tsunami was incessant, the barrier unyielding; for a time, it was as if tens of millions of divine soldiers were clashing, echoing across the four directions.
The abbot opened his mouth, finding himself unable to speak; everything was forced into silence by the surging sound waves.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Each impact was louder than the last, and a damp gale rushed out of the darkness, sweeping across the sea of flowers, swaying the petals and the fireflies among the bushes, now like a sudden downpour and strong wind.
However, just as this overwhelming sound filled every corner of the world, another dull, immensely powerful sound arose; though faint, it was like the spring buds of honeysuckle, with vigorous life force bursting forth.
The bass deepened and quickened, and that immense power even caused the entire earth to shake.
The seawater was scattered, and the barrier also fell silent.
Only the boundless, sublime mountain rose in the darkness.
Zen Master Zixing's eyes widened, watching the dark peak of the mountain, like a long blade, pierce towards the golden moon.
Great, resilient, explosive—this mountain could encompass all descriptions of power and The Core.
"This is..." The old monk's lips trembled slightly.
Simon said indifferently, "Mount Sumeru!"
Boom!
The mountain peak pierced through the moon's surface, and in an instant, the entire beautiful full moon shattered.
Large chunks of shattered land fell towards the earth, a relentless meteor shower.
Zen Master Zixing stepped through the air, dodging the flying debris, and rushed towards the falling Simon.
"Buddha's son!" he shouted, but his voice couldn't carry through; in the deafening roar, he caught Simon's body, but this pure, noble form transformed into fluttering epiphyllum petals, scattering like points of light.
Zen Master Zixing was astonished, suddenly looking up at the dark purple sky.
The full moon was gone, but a statue larger than the moon hung in the air.
Its gray, stony texture and indistinct form emitted a hazy halo, shimmering with infinitely intricate light.
Simon stood on the statue's left shoulder, his gaze spanning the vast distance to meet the abbot's eyes.
"Come." He spoke softly, and the world hushed for him.
Zen Master Zixing's vision blurred, and the next moment he stood beside the Buddha's son.
"Boundless light of the Bodhisattva, boundless power of the Bodhisattva." The Zen Master pressed his palms together in reverence.
After all, his meditation was profound, and his mind was as stable as a rock; though he was shocked by everything before him, his consciousness would not be confused.
Zen Master Zixing looked down at the earth; as the lunar soil shattered, the dark earth gained brilliant light, finally allowing everything to be seen clearly.
On the earth, there were circles of mountains, and between the mountains were circles of oceans. In the center was the towering Mount Sumeru, its depth in the water unknown, and its height above the water also unknown; now the entire mountain glowed brilliantly.
"A minor world?"
"No, this is my fist."
The abbot was startled, then understood that the Buddha's son's martial arts had reached the wondrous realm where essence, qi, and spirit were unified, and he could control power with his spirit. Every movement carried divine intent; as long as the martial intent remained unbroken, his martial arts would not be defeated.
"It is rumored that the Boundless Vajra Sect in the Western Regions' snow plains has a secret transmission of the Mount Sumeru Four Divine Palms, but compared to the Buddha's son, it is like a firefly vying with the bright moon!" The abbot's face was excited, "With the divine essence of this mountain revealed, all demons will be awed!"
Simon nodded, "I know. Now that I've destroyed the moon, we'll live on the mountain from now on."
With that, the Buddha statue slowly descended, its back against Mount Sumeru, its lotus seat touching the seabed, with the water only knee-deep.
On the mountain, there were countless steep cliffs and precipices, as well as many wide platforms, covered in blooming epiphyllum.
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