Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 684 Buddha Reveals His True Meaning

Some of the people around who were unaware of the situation looked surprised.

The Buddhist scriptures that Lu Zheng mentioned, aren't they the incomplete scriptures that are currently causing such a stir in the Wei Kingdom?

Xiao Yan, standing to the side, had a thought flash through her mind and couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Could it be that you have the complete scripture? No, you're the one who spread that scripture!"

How can one be considered to have annotated a sutra if there is no complete Buddhist scripture?

It is obvious that Lu Zheng has the entire scripture here, which means that the part of the scripture that was previously distributed was written by Lu Zheng.

Yuan Tao, Xiao Yan, and the others couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines upon closer examination.

Lu Zheng ignored the various expressions on everyone's faces, flipped his hand and took out a scripture, handing it to Gongyang Ming beside him.

"Mr. Gongyang, please take a look."

Gongyang Ming's expression shifted, and he took the scripture in his hand to look through it.

The others around were all very curious and moved closer to observe it with their spiritual senses.

With painstaking focus and burning gaze, he wished he could immerse himself entirely in the book.

He had been eagerly awaiting the remaining parts of the scriptures.

Finally, Lu Zheng produced it, and it was the complete version with annotations.

Qingwan and Qingyi weren't that curious.

Qingwan whispered to Lu Zheng, "Will it work?"

She knew Lu Zheng's plan: to compile a true scripture in order to influence the current chaotic Buddhist doctrines.

However, this kind of thing is not easy.

First, the Buddhist scriptures you choose must be recognized by a large number of Buddhist believers.

Secondly, your annotations must be recognized by those who practice Buddhism.

Otherwise, who cares what scriptures you're annotating?

Throughout history, many learned individuals have annotated the classics, but only a handful of their works have been widely circulated and recognized by the world.

Even great Confucian scholars dared not easily annotate Confucian classics.

If you interpret it poorly, you will definitely be criticized by Confucian scholars all over the world, and you will most likely end up disgraced and infamous for posterity.

Apart from Qingwan, who was in the know, no one else knew that Lu Zheng had been taking time out of his busy schedule to study the classics.

This particular text is a Buddhist scripture, which is quite a departure from the norm...

Upon hearing Qingwan's question, Lu Zheng shook his head slightly to indicate that he was unsure.

If his commentary on the scriptures is recognized by Buddhism and Taoism, some things will be much easier to arrange.

If all that work is for nothing, then we need to change some strategies.

However, Lu Zheng felt that with the Heart Sutra as its foundation, his book was by no means bad.

Gongyang Ming looked at what Lu Zheng had written with a serious expression.

The entire text is only a few hundred words long, making it a very short scripture.

However, Lu Zheng's annotations are quite long and contain a great deal of information.

It quotes various scriptures and uses many Buddhist terms to explain the essence of the text.

At first glance, this appears to be a very professional annotation of a Buddhist scripture.

Upon further reflection, Gongyang Ming realized that Lu Zheng was not simply annotating the classics, but rather using the annotations to promote certain of his own ideas.

After a moment, Gongyang Ming closed the book and returned it to Lu Zheng.

The others didn't read it as quickly as Gongyang Ming; they were still pondering and savoring the content of the scripture.

If the occasion had been different, some of these Buddhist practitioners would have been able to meditate on the spot and have a profound enlightenment.

Gongyang Ming said slowly, "My understanding of Buddhism is not as good as yours, so I cannot comment on this book."

These words can be considered an evaluation of Lu Zheng.

Even a great Confucian scholar couldn't find any flaws in the annotations, which shows that this book is quite good.

But to what extent it could improve, Gongyang Ming did not know.

This requires the approval of Buddhism and Taoism, and the approval of Buddhist communities worldwide.

Gongyang Ming continued, "Your understanding of Buddhist teachings is shallow. If you wish to verify the scriptures here, I fear you will find it difficult to connect with the great path of Buddhism..."

As a great Confucian scholar, and not a high-ranking Buddhist monk, he was unlikely to be of much help in this matter.

Yuan Tao, still somewhat confused, overheard their conversation and couldn't help but say, "Brother Lu, why don't you come back to Weidu with me? I'll ask my father to use the Qitian Altar for the sacrificial ceremony..."

Ku Xin, who was standing nearby, also jumped out, his eyes burning with fervor, and said, "Come to our place, our Four Noble Truths School is just as good..."

At this point, Ku Xin also stepped in to try and recruit people.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see its value.

This commentary is quite solid. If we can go to them and verify that it is the true scripture, their Dharma school can also rise to a higher level in the Buddhist community.

Wuqiu, standing to the side, hesitated, unable to say anything in the end.

He knew very well that Lu Zheng was a man of his own mind and would not change his mind because of a few words from others.

"Let's just do it here. Why go through all that trouble? As for whether it will succeed or not, that's up to us."

Lu Zheng declined Yuan Tao and the others' invitation.

Even though the other party offered some generous terms, Lu Zheng had no intention of accepting them.

Holding a sutra in his hand, Lu Zheng walked towards the Buddhist hall.

The heavy temple doors slowly opened, and a strong Buddhist atmosphere wafted out.

The hall was gleaming with gold, and many statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas stood there.

Lu Zheng did not enter the main hall, but simply tossed the scriptures aside.

The scriptures were placed on a high platform in the hall, in front of the Buddha statues.

With their eyes constantly shifting and unpredictable, the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues here don't seem to convey any real meaning.

Not to mention here, even in their Dharma sect, those Buddha statues do not possess true meaning.

To put it bluntly, they are all empty shells, unable to communicate with even a trace of the ancient Buddha's intent.

The incense and spiritual power condensed on those Buddha statues were partly dispersed throughout the world and among Buddhist sects, partly incorporated into the destiny of the Wei Kingdom, and partly distributed among religious sects and temples. As for whether the ancient Buddha's spirit in the world received any offerings, no one knows…

Anyway, despite all the years of painstaking cultivation, he has never witnessed it.

Placing the scriptures on the Buddhist altar, Lu Zheng had a thought, and the Taiping Codex within his sea of ​​consciousness shone brightly, emitting a mysterious power that connected heaven and earth.

This period of accumulation has allowed Lu Zheng to easily control the power and influence of a region.

Everyone immediately sensed something unusual about their surroundings.

It was as if they were all within Lu Zheng's Daoist domain, and their own abilities were being suppressed to some extent.

"Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva..."

Lu Zheng murmured softly, reciting scriptures.

The scriptures in the hall shattered instantly, and the characters transformed into wisps of colorful energy.

The entire aura within the Buddhist temple was completely suppressed, merging with the colorful energy.

In just a few breaths, the colorful energy surged straight up to the heavens.

All the people saw was a wisp of colorful energy shooting into the sky, which soon disappeared from sight, and no one knew where it went.

"This...can it work?"

Su Mei tilted her fair neck back, staring blankly at the sky.

She had never witnessed such a scene before and was very curious.

Even those in the Buddhist community who had been patiently waiting were curious and found it a bit strange.

It seems that Lu Zheng didn't operate in this way, since there are eminent Buddhist monks who have written books to verify the quality of the scriptures.

He painstakingly remembered that his own abbot had written a book, and that the extraordinary nature of the original text would be revealed when it was completed.

Then take the scriptures to the Buddhist temple, place them there, and perform a ritual. The Buddhist and Taoist spirit will then permeate the scriptures, further confirming their quality.

In this way, the profound power contained in the scriptures can be further enhanced.

Now Lu Zheng has blown up all the scriptures, what is this...?

Lu Zheng did this, of course, by learning the methods of the Yunmeng Sect and combining them with his own past experience.

However, at this point, no one broke the atmosphere or raised any questions.

They all craned their necks, looking up at the gloomy sky still dotted with dark clouds.

That wisp of colorful energy just now was like a pebble thrown into the ocean, causing no change to this world.

Before anyone could notice, Lu Zheng's eyes flickered with a strange light.

He was far more perceptive of the changes in this world than anyone else.

Soon, Gongyang Ming also narrowed his eyes, vaguely sensing something.

High in the sky, a beam of colored light appeared out of nowhere.

The beam of light contained a profound Daoist aura and fell directly towards the mountain where Lu Zheng was located.

An incomparably powerful aura surged towards the crowd like a tidal wave.

The next instant, a beam of colored light descended.

The entire Buddhist temple in front of Lu Zheng was instantly reduced to dust by the colorful light and leveled to the ground.

Wisps of colorful energy surged and billowed.

Some people were immediately startled. This destroyed the Buddhist temple. Was this not divine retribution?

However, before anyone could even begin to speculate...

Then, the faint sound of Buddhist chants emanated from the surging colorful energy.

Upon closer listening, it sounded as if thousands of people were reciting scriptures simultaneously.

The sound is melodious and captivating, like heavenly music.

Amidst the surging, mysterious, colorful energy, a tall figure emerged, its form hazy like mist, yet exuding an incomparably solemn aura.

In that instant, a thought arose in the minds of everyone present.

The figure before me is the image of Buddha.

The feelings were even stronger for the Buddhist practitioners present.

Buddha! How is this possible!

Yuan Tao stared at the figure so close to him, his eyes wide with shock, utterly incredulous.

"thump……"

Xiao Yan immediately kowtowed and performed a grand ceremony, her eyes filled with excitement.

Hu Qing also quickly knelt down to show her piety.

Lu Zheng once said he would lead her onto the right path and help her achieve enlightenment, and he was not joking!

She never imagined that she would be able to follow Lu Zhengjian to see the true meaning of Buddhism.

Moreover, this is not just any ordinary ancient Buddha, but the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism!

Even those who do not practice Buddhism are deeply shocked to witness the Buddha's manifestation.

Gongyang Ming, a great Confucian scholar, was equally disturbed upon witnessing this scene.

His spiritual attainment was the highest, so his perception was naturally more obvious. What he saw before him was not an illusion, but the true Buddha revealing his true intentions.

Gongyang Ming couldn't help but lower his head slightly, showing reverence to this ancient sage who pioneered Buddhism.

Every ancient sage is a worthy of respect, even if what we see before us is merely a wisp of Buddha's remaining thoughts in the world.

Of those present, only three people were looking up, their faces filled with curiosity as they examined the Buddha's true meaning.

It was Lu Zheng, Qing Wan, and Qing Yi's small team.

They have different ideas and beliefs than others. They are respectful and fearless in the face of Buddha, which is why they dare to stare at Buddha so directly.

Such a manifestation of the Buddha's true intention is rarely seen, so they naturally wanted to take a good look.

The towering phantom of Buddha also gazed upon these people before him.

When Buddha and Lu Zheng looked at each other, they sensed something between them, as if everything was understood without words.

"How good!" (End of this chapter)