Chapter 213 Tiantai Sect

Tiantai Sect.

This is also a branch of the Buddhist faith in China, with extremely deep roots. Since its founding, several patriarchs in later generations have continuously improved this lineage. It is also the ancestor of the Buddhist faith in Sakura Island, standing side by side with the Shingon Sect, and is known as the Heian Two Sects. Later, it also evolved into the Nichiren Sect in Sakura Island. It is also a grand sight of Buddhism, which has been passed down to the present. However, this sect is not like the Pure Land Sect, which only knows how to chant scriptures.

The monks of the Tiantai Lotus Sutra cultivate throughout their lives, seeking only the wondrous existence of emptiness.

Because of its 'emptiness', it is without a single thought or speck of dust; the Dharma realm is without form, and all things are one.

Because of its 'wondrous existence', it is a myriad of phenomena, each properly established.

The arising of three thousand is due to conditions, and the Dharma realm is unobstructed.

I have one heart, three contemplations: all things arise from causes and conditions, and there is no unchanging principle. This is the contemplation of emptiness. Although all things are empty, they all have their outward appearances. Different outward appearances, yet the inner essence is the same. This is the contemplation of temporariness. But in the end, emptiness and temporariness are not different; this is the contemplation of the middle way.

The three contemplations of all things return to one heart.

And the three thousand worlds return to one thought, one moment of thought containing three thousand worlds. According to this path, when cultivation reaches its peak, one can instantly cut off the three illusions and perfectly realize the three wisdoms. That is already the realm of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. But the principle is such, and it is not false. The path explored by generations of people is placed here, clearly and plainly. But how many people can truly comprehend it?

A Buddhist sect that can stand in the world for more than a thousand years naturally has its merits.

But although the precious scriptures are here, it is useless if later generations are numerous but do not understand the Dharma.

The old monk put down the annotated Buddhist scriptures in his hand. He could hear the noisy sounds outside. From the Buddhist temple and pagoda, he saw the young monks gathered together. He frowned, descended the pagoda, stopped one of the monks, and asked what had happened. The young monk saluted with one hand and said:

"Venerable Uncle-Grandmaster, the statue of the Sangharama Bodhisattva has manifested!"

"Sangharama Bodhisattva?"

The old monk was stunned.

The young monk said excitedly, "Yes!"

"Abbot called us all over, saying that we need to find a way to awaken the Sangharama Bodhisattva so that he can suppress the temple for us. Now that spiritual energy is reviving, there are too many demons and monsters. I heard that the Pure Land of the Pure Land Sect was ravaged by a monkey demon before. We are all a little panicked now."

"If we have the Sangharama Bodhisattva guarding us, our Tiantai Sect can rest assured. Which demons and monsters would dare to come up?"

Seeing the young monk's triumphant expression.

The old monk asked, "Who is the Sangharama Bodhisattva?"

The young monk was taken aback and said, "Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang! He is our Buddhist protector deity."

"He must be powerful."

The old monk shook his head and said nothing.

Seeing the young monks hurrying to the Sangharama Hall, the old monk sighed. It was wrong, all wrong. It was because Guan Yunchang was powerful that he was drawn to be a Buddhist protector, not that he became powerful because he became a Buddhist protector. They couldn't even figure out the cause and effect, let alone cultivate the Dharma and inquire about their original nature and mind.

How long can the Tiantai Sect's Dharma of one heart and three contemplations continue to be passed down?

Perhaps only that little monk who went out to practice has a chance to comprehend it.

He suddenly felt tired in his heart. And many young monks gathered outside the Sangharama Hall, chanting Buddhist scriptures in unison. Tonight, a young Shami, when offering incense and lighting candles for the Bodhisattva statue in the Sangharama Hall, saw that the original clay statue emitted a faint Buddha light, and there was also the fragrance of sandalwood incense.

This was no small matter.

He immediately went back to report to the abbot, who was overjoyed.

He went back to search the Buddhist scriptures, and after a while, he came out to tell the surrounding disciples that this was the Sangharama Bodhisattva manifesting, that the Bodhisattva saw that demons had reappeared in the world, and that he had taken the initiative to show himself to protect Bodhi, and that they should immediately come out and chant the *Avatamsaka Sutra*, to welcome the Bodhisattva's descent.

Many monks chanted scriptures all night, all sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Inside were several middle-aged monks.

It was a pity that although the Sangharama Bodhisattva was one of the two great Dharma protector deities of Buddhism, there was no specific ritual for offering sacrifices. After searching through the scriptures, Liao Yan found that only in the esoteric sects far away from China were there rituals for offering sacrifices to the Sangharama Bodhisattva, which was strange. Generally speaking, the scriptures of China should be richer, but he didn't pay too much attention to this small matter, and only regarded it as a loss of records.

Accompanied by the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha light behind the statue of the Sangharama Bodhisattva lit up.

Liao Yan and other monks were even more excited.

Suddenly, a low鸣 (míng) came from afar.

They were chanting to 'Lotus Light Adornment, the God of the sacred site. Obtained the liberation door of being still under the Bodhi tree and filling the ten directions. Wonderful Light illuminates the God of the sacred site. Obtained the liberation door of displaying the various powers of the Tathagata. At that time, the God of the purely adorned banner of the sacred site. Receiving the power of the Buddha. Universally observing the assembly of all the Gods of the sacred sites.' Heaven and earth were filled with light.

The sound of the monks chanting Buddhist scriptures came to an abrupt halt.

Then, that ray of light descended from the sky. Where did the monks have the calmness they had before? They retreated in a panic. As the light fell, the entire bluestone ground shattered directly, and then all they saw was a cold light.

"What kind of evildoer dares to be presumptuous in my Buddhist holy land?!"

"Quickly state your name!"

Liao Yan steadied his mind and shouted loudly.

Adopting a posture of a Vajra warrior subduing demons.

The monks were all flustered. The old monk who had been reading Buddhist scriptures also came out, holding a Zen staff, with a anxious look on his face. Immediately, everyone saw a illusory figure standing in front of the Sangharama Temple. In the void, it seemed that someone was murmuring a poem in a plain voice, like an echo hitting a rock face, which suppressed the sound of Buddhist chanting.

Wei Yuan's wisp of divine thought was originally intended to directly cut down with this saber.

But although it was cut down, it was not able to break the so-called Sangharama Temple's aura.

Because it was cut askew.

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade, transformed from two thousand years of sacrificial incense, did not cut in front of the Sangharama Temple. Wei Yuan, who was attached to the saber with a wisp of divine thought, couldn't help but sigh. Along with the low鸣 (míng) of the saber, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which was upside down on the ground, was actually held in reverse and slowly raised.

The saber鸣 (míng) was low and clear.

Calm footsteps came from the foot of the mountain.

Under the battle robe, the friction of the armor leaves made a low and solemn sound.

Liao Yan didn't hear an answer, and his heart was even more secretly angered. He took a few steps forward, and then his body instantly solidified, standing in place, unable to move. Previously, Wei Yuan had used a saber to attach divine thought, driving the violent wind and gathering clouds and mist. It was autumn, and it was drizzling under the night. The man in the battle robe and armor was carrying a battle saber diagonally, walking up the mountain step by step.

He brushed past Wei Yuan.

In the Martial Marquis Temple, Wei Yuan's main body opened his eyes. Seeing that the Guan Yu statue in front of him had disappeared, he suddenly felt a headache, and also a feeling of 'it would be like this'. Looking at the wine in the wine glass, he smiled bitterly and drank it down.

If he wasn't arrogant, would he still be Guan Yu?

If he could be persuaded… then he wouldn't be Guan Yunchang.

Since ancient times, fierce generals must be both firm and self-respecting.

What's more, he was unparalleled in the world, and his prestige shook China.

Among the biographies in the Twenty-Four Histories, he was the only one.

Above the Buddhist temple, dark clouds were dense, and thunder rumbled.

Faintly, lightning flickered, as if a huge azure dragon was slowly swimming, revealing its scales and claws.

The brave and martial general wearing armor seemed to have walked out of history alive. The temple was deathly silent. Liao Yan wanted to put his hands together, but his palms trembled and could not close. Guan Yu turned the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand and slashed out with a roar. When his eyes were only slightly opened, a monstrous baleful aura and killing intent spread out.

Solemn, brave, as if the ancient battlefield of two thousand years ago had returned to the earth.

The Buddhist bells in this Buddhist holy land were ringing non-stop, but they were no longer pure.

The old monk in the Buddhist pagoda tapped his toes and swept across a great distance, wanting to block this move. But when he saw this saber, his heart was cold, and he knew that he could not block it. His face was pale, and his heart was as dead as ashes. Suddenly, the wind and thunder stopped, and the saber stopped steadily in front of his brow, without slashing down.

Did he show mercy?

The old monk was stunned.

But he saw the general in front of him carrying his weapon diagonally, his eyes half-closed, and walking past him without even looking directly at him. He didn't say a word, but the feeling that he didn't bother to take his life came head-on. First, he wouldn't kill someone who had no grievances with him, and second, he wouldn't bother with wanton killing.

The person he wanted to repay a saber strike to was not this monk.

Guan Yunchang looked at the Buddhist temples and pagodas in front of him, his eyes slightly opened.

Then, he slashed down with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand.

The Buddhist temple's Buddhist bell made a loud noise, and then fell into silence.

……………………

Wei Yuan drank two cups of wine, and also learned from the ancients to slowly warm the wine with fire.

This time, before the wine could be warmed, a figure had already appeared here. It was Guan Yunchang, who had just followed the trend. The latter lifted his battle robe and sat down. Wei Yuan handed the wine over. Guan Yu drank it with his head raised. Wei Yuan didn't ask him why he still went, thought for a while, and just asked:

"General, how was this trip?"

Guan Yunchang said lightly:

"He said that Guan had converted to Buddhism and became the Sangharama."

"Guan cut down half of the incense and sacrifices of his Tiantai Sect."

He looked at the familiar, sickly Daoist in front of him, and finally slowly drank the wine, his expression softened, without those sharp edges, and sighed:

"Reuniting with an old friend is originally a joyful thing."

"What's more, there is good wine, fortunate."

After drinking the wine, his body slowly faded. He had just awakened and made a move, and had directly cut down the luck of a mountain, which forced him to fall into a deep sleep again. Wei Yuan felt helpless, but suddenly smiled, feeling that only in this way would these people he knew give him more familiar feelings, feeling that you and I are the same, as distinct as we were back then.

He said, "General Guan, you should sleep well for a while."

"Right."

Wei Yuan seemed to have remembered something and added with a smile:

"In more than twenty days, I may re-establish a sect. There will be a lecture at that time."

"General Guan, would you like to join in the fun then?"

"I'll save a place for you there."

"Certainly… keep the appointment."

ps: Today's second update... Three thousand words, thank you to *I will always like Yumo-chan* for the ten thousand reward, thank you~