Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 697 Inviting All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

When everyone saw the true scripture in Yuan Tao's hand, their expressions changed in various ways.

Some looked shocked, while others had gleaming eyes, and even a hint of deep-seated desire and longing surfaced.

However, faced with the sacred aura of the true scriptures, none of them dared to show it too obviously.

Not far away, Qingwan stared wide-eyed, curiously looking around, wanting to see if anyone would dare to be bold enough to snatch that true scripture.

For a moment, the atmosphere at the scene seemed a little off.

The soldiers guarding Yuan Tao were on high alert, ready to engage in battle at any moment.

Besides these soldiers on the surface, there were other people around guarding against any unexpected situations.

Yuan Tao, under the spotlight, was equally unsettled, fearing that someone might suddenly make a move and disrupt his plans.

However, after a few breaths, no one made any unusual movements.

Clearly, some beings knew that even if the true scriptures were right before their eyes, it would be almost impossible to forcibly seize them from someone like the Crown Prince of Wei.

If someone dares to reveal their true teachings in front of so many people, surely they must have been prepared.

Now, by attacking the Crown Prince of Wei in public, even if he manages to seize the scriptures and leave this place, he will definitely become an enemy of both Wei and Buddhism.

In the end, reason prevailed over greed.

Yuan Tao still didn't relax. He solemnly unfolded the scriptures and began to recite Buddhist sutras.

"Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva..."

The sound of chanting, carrying the profound aura of Buddhist teachings, spread in all directions.

In an instant, hundreds of thousands of people who came to participate in the Unobstructed Assembly on Mount Garan heard this sutra.

Outside the temple, many people were still unaware of the situation, but upon hearing the mysterious chanting, they all stood quietly and listened, immersed in a state of tranquility and peace.

Yuan Tao himself was not particularly proficient in Buddhism, but now that he had the true scriptures in hand, his words were blessed by the scriptures.

Monks with wisdom can enter a state of sudden enlightenment upon hearing the chanting of sutras, thus enhancing their spiritual practice.

Especially those eminent monks who were closest to Yuan Tao, even though they had seen copies of the scripture before, now that the original scripture was revealing its profound mysteries, they all had a deeper understanding.

The scripture was short, and Yuan Tao finished reading it quickly.

Some people were still immersed in the profound sounds of the scriptures, while others felt that the time was too short to gain a deeper understanding of the true meaning of the scriptures.

Yuan Tao paused for a moment, then said loudly, "This sutra contains the essence of Mahayana Buddhism, the true and orthodox teachings of the Buddha..."

"What is Mahayana Buddhism? It is about universally saving all sentient beings, practicing generosity, kind speech, beneficial actions, and cooperation..."

Yuan Tao held the true scripture in his hand and began to expound on the content of the commentary.

It contains many Buddhist terms that even Buddhists have never heard of, as well as various concepts.

Almost everyone on and around Mount Garan was listening to Yuan Tao preach, and no one came out to stop him from spreading Mahayana Buddhism.

If someone were to intervene at this point, they would offend hundreds of thousands of listeners, and even those who are not Buddhist believers would likely not be pleased.

After all, experiencing the profound mysteries of Buddhist scriptures is a great opportunity even for those who are not Buddhist practitioners.

Those eminent monks from Buddhist sects never expected that Yuan Tao would take out the original scriptures and start preaching right at the beginning of the Wuzhe Assembly, giving them no time to react and catching them completely off guard.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan remained unmoved by the sermon, instead quietly sensing everything around them.

Others might not notice, but they could clearly sense that some people present were still wavering, and that some had impure intentions...

Yuan Tao lectured on the Mahayana Buddhist teachings, giving everyone present a general understanding of Mahayana Buddhism.

As they talked, Yuan Tao changed the subject.

"Mahayana Buddhism was originally the orthodox school of Buddhism, but after several great calamities, Buddhism fell into obscurity in the world."

"Now that the true scriptures of the Buddhist orthodoxy have finally appeared in the world, our Great Wei has received the Mandate of Heaven and followed the will of Buddha..."

"Hereby, on behalf of the Great Wei Dynasty and the Buddhist community, I hereby establish Mahayana Buddhism as the orthodox school of Buddhism!"

"All Buddhist sects should return to orthodoxy and abide by the precepts in order to promote the true Dharma of Buddhism and revive Buddhism..."

These words caused quite a stir.

Although everyone had heard before that the State of Wei had the idea of ​​establishing Mahayana Buddhism as the orthodox Buddhist sect.

But now that Yuan Tao, as the Crown Prince of Wei, has actually announced it publicly, confirming the matter, it is still surprising.

Some of the high monks' expressions turned rather unpleasant.

Your Highness, Prince Yuan Tao, is alright representing the Great Wei Dynasty, but how come you're also representing the Buddhist sect?

To force all Buddhist sects to convert to Mahayana Buddhism and abide by the new Buddhist precepts is simply absurd.

Let alone a crown prince, even the emperors of the Wei Kingdom throughout history would not dare to make such demands on Buddhism.

By this time, these Buddhists fully understood that the newly appointed crown prince was not playing games and was determined to oppose their Buddhist sect.

Suddenly, a sound drifted and echoed around the Buddha Hall.

"If one does not take refuge in Mahayana Buddhism as the orthodox doctrine, what should one do?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked around, wondering who had spoken.

Yuan Tao remained calm and said, "If a Buddhist does not convert to Mahayana Buddhism, then he is a heretic and is treated the same as evil sects! Our Great Wei Dynasty and the Buddhist community should jointly punish him!"

In the State of Wei, practitioners of unorthodox and heretical practices were explicitly suppressed by the government.

Such a statement practically offers only one path to survival for the various sects of Buddhism today, while all others face certain death.

Even some Buddhist sects that had initially chosen to remain neutral couldn't stay calm after hearing this.

The other believers and bystanders were all bewildered. Why did it seem like the Great Wei court was about to start a war with the Great Wei Buddhist sect?

They came to attend the Unhindered Assembly, not to get into any trouble.

Some guests in the temple were considering sneaking away, but seeing the soldiers under martial law around them, they dared not make a move, lest the guards misunderstand and directly suppress them.

"Does Your Highness truly intend to commit such an unrighteous act, making yourself a laughingstock to outsiders and plunging Great Wei into chaos?"

Then more sounds came from all around.

Yuan Tao said calmly, "How can establishing the orthodox Buddhist sect and promoting Buddhism be considered unrighteous and immoral? You petty people only dare to talk nonsense and sow discord behind people's backs."

Yuan Tao raised his hand, gesturing to a trusted subordinate beside him.

The subordinate quickly took out a thick document and spread it out.

Yuan Tao pointed to the document, "This contains Buddhist precepts. Representatives from various sects and temples may view it, sign and affix their seals, and that will be considered as conversion to Mahayana Buddhism..."

"If any monks within its ranks violate the precepts in the future, they shall be punished in accordance with the precepts..."

The subordinate took the document and walked directly to the nearest Buddhist monk.

The high-ranking monk came from a royal temple and was a member of the royal family. He readily signed and sealed the document, his movements quite swift.

The document was then handed to the second high monk, who was none other than Abbot Faneng of Baima Temple.

Without hesitation, Faneng left his name on behalf of Baima Temple.

It was just a simple signature and fingerprint, not even a magical contract with an oath.

Many people found this situation strange.

How could such a simple document possibly bind those Buddhist sects?

They've signed the document now, but they'll still do things the same way behind the scenes. What can the imperial court really do about it?

This immediately gave the impression of being all bark and no bite.

Now that all the major Buddhist sects in the Wei Kingdom have gathered here, Yuan Tao only asked them to sign and acknowledge Mahayana Buddhism as the orthodox religion.

If we truly want to establish Mahayana Buddhism, the road ahead is likely still very long. Then, the document was passed to the next eminent monk.

The high monk carefully examined the document and, after confirming that there was nothing hidden, left his name on it.

It's just a signature; he didn't believe Yuan Tao could actually use it to write anything.

On the other hand, Yuan Tao truly presented the original scriptures in their true form; there is no way to fake something.

There's really no good reason to oppose Mahayana Buddhism right now.

It's better to accept it for now and just not follow the court's arrangements in the future.

Those precepts are just absurd words.

Standing up to oppose it now might make an example of someone, which would be counterproductive.

The people who can represent the major sects and temples are all shrewd and cherish their reputation.

After weighing the pros and cons, one will naturally make the choice that is appropriate for the present moment.

The document only mentioned the new precepts and the recognition of Mahayana Buddhism as the orthodox doctrine, without any other demands for benefits.

If Yuan Tao insists that they offer any benefits right now, then that's a different story.

There are more than one person who thinks this way.

Thus, in a rather strange atmosphere, all the major sects of Buddhism from the Wei Kingdom signed and sealed the document.

In fact, some people were waiting for other sects to oppose Yuan Tao.

But as they waited and waited, they realized that no one was willing to be the first to step forward...

Some people were dissatisfied, but after reading the document, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

Let's take this step back first and see what other tricks the crown prince has up his sleeve.

Qingwan, who was watching the show from a distance, blinked. She thought someone was unwilling to sign, but why were they all so cowardly?

For a moment, Qingwan was a little disappointed, feeling that things had gone too smoothly.

Yuan Tao stood upright like a pine tree, holding the true scripture in his hand, his gaze calm as he looked directly at the crowd before him.

Someone then presented the document to Yuan Tao.

Yuan Tao didn't even look at them, and said, "I, the Crown Prince, will not force anyone. If you are willing to convert to Mahayana Buddhism, you should be sincere and have no ulterior motives."

"I can give you one more chance. Those who are unwilling to convert will be castrated and expelled from my Great Wei, never to return!"

Yuan Tao raised the true scripture in his hand and said, "Buddha, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas above, you should all think this through carefully."

Many Buddhists found this strange and thought, "That's enough. Do you really think the scriptures are some kind of deadly weapon? Do you think the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can help you?"

They still didn't believe that Yuan Tao could suppress them all with just a single scripture.

Yuan Tao noticed that no one responded, and the atmosphere seemed to become awkward.

He sneered inwardly, reached out and took the document, placing it on top of the true scripture.

Instantly, the true scripture shone brightly, and together with the document, it transformed into a beam of light that shot straight to the heavens before disappearing in an instant.

Even the eminent Buddhist monks couldn't figure out how the light disappeared.

"This……"

Some people suddenly felt a pang of fear for no apparent reason, stemming from the fear of life-or-death danger.

Yuan Tao took a deep breath and glanced at the location where Lu Zheng and the others were.

Seeing that Lu Zheng and the others were calm and composed, he also felt at ease.

"We beseech all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to descend to the mortal realm, cleanse the sect, and rectify the Buddhist order!"

Yuan Tao spoke slowly, uttering a line that Qing Wan had prepared for him.

Many people present were inexplicably horrified upon hearing these words.

In an instant, the entire land of Garan underwent a dramatic change in weather.

An invisible pressure descended upon the world, but it was not directed at all living beings.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

A high-ranking monk swiftly and keenly sensed the unusual movements in the heavens and earth, and was greatly alarmed.

The oppressive aura wasn't strong enough, but it already exerted a certain degree of suppression on the Buddhists.

This is suppression from the same primordial power, the restraint of pure Buddha-nature over impure Buddha-nature.

In previous Wuzhe Assemblys, when they offered sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and all Buddhas, they never attracted such divine power from the Buddhas and the Dao.

I never expected this time...

Yuan Tao actually used a authentic scripture from who-knows-where to summon indescribable Buddhist power.

The people present had different feelings: some were bewildered, some were curious, some were horrified, and some were terrified...

The myriad aspects of human nature are clearly revealed.

Abbot Faneng of Baima Temple strode out of the Buddha Hall and looked up at the sky.

Under the shadow of an invisible pressure, the once clear sky was now filled with swirling clouds.

"Boom!"

A bolt from the blue.

It was as if a huge rift had been torn open in the void, with endless colorful light spilling out, dazzling the eyes.

Various chanting sounds echoed between heaven and earth.

Above Mount Garan, towering golden phantoms, each hundreds of feet tall, gradually emerged.

Those were the dignified and sacred images of ancient Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, incomparably holy and solemn.

The manifestation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas made the witnesses below feel as if they were in a dream, finding it hard to believe.

"May Buddha protect us! May Buddha truly protect us!"

Standing at the main hall's entrance, Yuan Zhong stared at the sky, clasped his hands together in prayer, and muttered to himself with a look of piety, overjoyed.

Some believers knelt down directly, filled with awe and unease.

Fa Neng's eyes gleamed, his heart surging with emotion. He had cultivated for many years without ever seeing the true Buddha, but today even the Buddha and other ancient Buddhas and Bodhisattvas had appeared.

The overwhelming pressure and suppression of Buddhist teachings left Fa Neng with no doubt that this was an illusion.

At this moment, Fa Neng had no more doubts about Mahayana Buddhism, and his heart was filled with utmost piety as he bowed and worshipped all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Elsewhere, Hu Qing stared blankly at the Buddhas in the sky.

Good heavens, the last time she invited a Buddha's will, she was already quite shocked.

So many ancient Buddhas and Bodhisattvas came this time, and there were some faces she didn't recognize.

Hu Qing knew that this was Lu Zheng's doing, not something Yuan Tao could have accomplished.

She was starting to doubt if these were some kind of grand illusion or formation. Could Lu Zheng and Buddha be related? So many appeared with just a shout; it was terrifying…

Even Yuan Tao was somewhat stunned, his heart pounding like a drum. He hadn't expected such a scene.

Gongyang Ming thought to himself, "This is truly a case of Heaven helping those who help others, and all the sages helping them as well..."

The hundreds of thousands of people present were in a state of shock and bewilderment.

Only Lu Zheng and his two companions remained calm; everything was within their expectations. (End of Chapter)