531, Guardian

"Tang Sanzang's merits and virtues are complete. You have made great contributions to our Western Heaven."

Tathagata Buddha said, "Just now, the poor monk has given the Tripitaka to the collector. Bai Xunjian, if you are also interested in this Tripitaka, you can take it for yourself as a reward."

"Excuse me, Lord Buddha."

Although the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism is not as fierce as in the mortal world, it is easy to talk between immortals and gods. But Bai Gui belongs to the Daluo Tradition and has countless classics in his family. How can he envy the Tripitaka mentioned by the Tathagata? He said: "The master has three thousand words in Louguantai. These three thousand words are all-encompassing. If you understand one word, you can I have obtained a wonderful method. I am a poor person, but I can only understand a few words, which is beyond the reach of other classics."

He declined politely.

I left three thousand words of Lao Tzu on the Taoist sermon platform in Louguan. These three thousand words are more mysterious than the Tripitaka Sutra. What is there in the Tripiṭaka, it must also be in the Three Thousand Words. In terms of status, Lao Tzu is the Three Pure Ones, while Tathagata is only the Five Elders. In terms of cultivation, the strength of the Three Pure Ones is enough to overwhelm the Tathagata.

"With Bai Inspector's qualifications, it is quite possible to learn all the mysteries of Buddhist scriptures. It's a pity." Tathagata sighed. If a heavenly immortal can make his way to Buddhism, he will also achieve great success in Buddhism. Every immortal has a lot of luck, not only in terms of combat power.

Bai Gui said nothing and kept his heart quiet.

After a moment of silence, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva on the left column nodded, "World Honored One, the matter of the sutra collectors has come to an end. There is a Dharma passed down in Nanzhan. As for the person who will pass on this Dharma, the poor monk thinks that it is finalized."

To obtain scriptures is to obtain scriptures from the west.

Now that the scriptures have been obtained, it is difficult to spread the Dharma.

An emperor and a courtier, Li Shimin is already in his old age. Even though Li Shimin admires Buddhism, it is foreseeable that his sons will seize the throne. Once Li Shimin dies and the trend of the court changes, Buddhism will be weakened. Therefore, the study of Buddhist scriptures in the West has come to an end, but what follows immediately is the preacher of the scriptures.

"Li Tang respected Taoism, how to spread it?"

Tathagata asked.

He also knew that Li Shimin did not sincerely like Buddhism, but that when the Dragon King of Jinghe broke into the palace and was rescued by Guanyin Bodhisattva, he followed the trend and agreed to send Buddhist scripture collectors. The purpose is also to keep him safe. It is not true that I wish the Buddhist scriptures to be spread throughout the world...

"The prophecy of Chang'an is that Taibai will be prosperous and the heroine will prosper. From now on, the female warrior king will rule the world."

"The promotion of Buddhism can be accomplished by this person."

Guanyin Bodhisattva speaks.

Bai Gui was also very interested in hearing this question and answer.

In fact, Buddhism has already arranged for the son of Buddha Lusena, namely Wu Jue, to go to the human world and become a preacher. At this time, Tathagata Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva were just asking and answering questions, which was just acting. Through the words of these two people, we can deduce the great catastrophe of the next world.

"Amitabha, good, good, good."

Tathagata Buddha recited the name of the Buddha, "A few years ago, the Taibai Star shifted. I didn't expect it to be related to this matter."

"I wonder if you have found this female martial arts queen?"

he asked again.

"Inform me, Buddha." Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva nodded, "When the poor monk came to the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, he had already found this 'Female Warrior King', but now the 'Female Warrior King' is still a monk in Ganye Temple and cannot take on this important responsibility."

"She can find someone who can protect her and help her."

The Tathagata says again.

He looked at Bai Gui and said, "Inspector Bai, this poor monk heard that you are the teacher of King Wei of the Tang Dynasty in the East. The sons of the Emperor of Tang Dynasty are competing for the title of heir, among which the two hidden dragons are the most powerful, the prince and the king of Wei... , I wonder if Inspector Bai can be a protector and help the female warrior king spread Buddhism and save the world from disaster."

The position of protector is similar to that of Guanyin Bodhisattva who protects Buddhist scripture seekers.

It's just that in Nanzhanbuzhou, Buddhism is not as smooth as in Xiniuhezhou. Bai Gui is a member of the Taoist sect, so it is easier to do things.

As for the difference between Buddhism and Taoism. Among the immortals and gods, the distinction is not so detailed. It's like the bosses are chatting and laughing, while the younger brothers are fighting to death. When you reach the middle and high levels of Buddhism and Taoism, you don’t need to pay too much attention to the differences between Buddhism and Taoism, and you pay more attention to the matter of enlightenment.

Secondly, the rise of Buddhism in Journey to the West is a trend. Without Bai Gui as the protector, there would be other protectors. Therefore, it is not abrupt for the Tathagata to say this.

"I have gained a lot of insights from this trip, and I would like to go back to my home and recite Huang Ting quietly."

Bai Gui declined directly, "For the matter of protecting the Tao, please ask Tathagata to find someone else."

What he said was not false.

This time, Lingyun crossed the river to cleanse the body of the Yang God, and the three flowers bloomed on the top, which gave me a lot of insights. Of course, this was not the main reason why he rejected Tathagata's proposal. The work of protecting Taoists, like Guanyin Bodhisattva, will not arouse the suspicion of Taoists. But he was not willing to do such troublesome things.

The merits, as Tang Monk learned the scriptures, he no longer lacked for the time being.

At least until you become a Golden Immortal, you won't be short of it.

Only after becoming a Golden Immortal can one be qualified to sit and discuss the Tao with Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva and others. Instead of being like in Wuzhuang Temple, he could only discuss Taoism with the disciples under Zhen Yuanzi. After all, the cultivation level of the heavenly immortal is still a little behind.

"If Inspector Bai doesn't want to, we can discuss it later."

Tathagata nodded, his expression calm.

In fact, it is a meritorious thing. He also saw that Bai Gui had connections in the human court, and that there were many people who helped him learn scriptures during this trip, so he gave him this good job. Of course, there is another reason. Bai Gui was appointed by the Queen Mother...

But Bai Gui was unwilling to take the responsibility, so he couldn't blame him for anything.

"It seems that this is the benefit of the Queen Mother letting me come to Buddhism..."

Bai Gui thought about it for a moment and knew it well.

With his relationship with Buddhism, he would never give up the position of guardian to him. This position does not require any effort, and once you are done, you will gain a lot of merit. The only explanation is that this is an agreement reached between Buddhism and Heaven. The Queen Mother gave him advice and asked him to come to Lingshan to witness the incident. She also secretly expressed her stance to Buddhism and wanted him to be the protector of the preachers.

"Thank you Tathagata."

Bai Gui stood up, thanked him, and sat down again.

This time when I came to Lingshan, the opportunity to cross the river with Ling Yun was enough. Although more is desirable, it is not necessary. At least not yet.

There is no end to the merits of the universe. Once you reach a certain level, your merits will continue to flow without any effort. For example, the Supreme Being opens the sky and governs it without doing anything. No matter what you do, you must share a great share of the merits in this world. The reason why the Buddhas in the Western Heaven promote Buddhism is to achieve enlightenment, not for meritorious deeds.

Merits are just add-ons on the way to enlightenment.

After Bai Gui refused the position of guardian, the Main Hall became a little cold.

"Tathagata, Anuo and Kassapa taught the Wordless Sutra to the holy monks of the Tang Dynasty." Suddenly, the ancient Buddha sitting on the right side of the lamp opened his mouth and said with a smile: "Although the Wordless Sutra contains mystical methods, it can't be found in the Eastern Lands. The monks are obsessed with it, but how can they understand the secret? If they had not sent someone to call him back, and returned to the East with the written scriptures, his journey would not have been in vain. "

He saved some face for Anuo and Kasyapa.

Anuo and Kasyapa asked Tang Seng and his party to give them some "personnel things", that is, property, but Tang Seng did not give them, so Anuo and Kasyapa gave Tang Seng and his party the wordless sutra from the treasure pavilion, which was considered a embarrassment.

The unwritten sutra that can be placed in the Buddhist treasure pavilion is indeed extraordinary, but if it is said to be better than the written sutra, it is not necessarily...

Of course, Anuo and Kassapa would never dare to do this without the instructions of someone in high positions. This act was actually done deliberately to make it more difficult for Tang Monk and others to obtain scriptures, in order to exaggerate the rarity of Buddhist scriptures and let such mysterious stories flow into Nanzhan Buzhou. The emperor, all the officials in the court, and all the people were in awe.

If the true scriptures are taken at will, wouldn’t it prove that the scriptures are cheap? Although it is difficult to walk a hundred and eighty thousand miles to get the Buddhist scriptures, it is not that difficult if Sun Wukong and others protect him.

The world will not cherish things that are easily available.

"Venerable Baixiong, you can remind Tang Monk and others to seize his wordless scripture and ask him to return to Leiyin Temple to retrieve the worded scripture."

Tathagata says.

Venerable Bai Xiong, who was sitting down, took the order and carried Xiangyun out of the courtyard.

After a short rest, he returned to the palace and took his seat.

"Buddha, our masters and disciples have endured many hardships and dangers to get here from the Eastern Land. However, Anuo and Kassapa deliberately made things difficult for my masters and disciples and insisted on allowing us to give them some benefits. We refused and he took them. I’m just prevaricating with a blank piece of paper, I hope the Buddha will deal with it..."

Tang Monk and his group, driving Xiangyun, also walked into the hall, and Sun Wukong immediately spoke.

After hearing this, Bai Gui found it interesting.

Sun Wukong didn't practice Taoism well enough, so he had to inherit the seventy-two methods of Disha. Although the Thirty-Six Divine Powers of Tiangang have some inheritance, most of them have not been practiced to a high level. For example, if Sun Wukong learns the art of turning stone into gold, and Anuo and Kasyapa ask for money, they can give it to them using this art.

Using the Midas touch to create gold can only be done by those with profound attainments. Creating an ingot of gold requires a lot of mana. Ordinary people would not do it easily. Gold is of little use to monks. The alchemy has many uses and is the mystery of changes in physical properties.

However, he estimated that Anuo and Kassapa were the ones who figured out that the four masters and disciples were poor, so they made things difficult for them. If there was gold, it might be something else.

"You monkey head, don't make any noise." Tathagata smiled, "I already know that the two of them are asking you for help. However, the sutra cannot be passed down in vain. Even if Anuo and Kassapa violate the rules, it is reasonable. Once, the monks from Leiyin Temple went down the mountain to the home of Elder Zhao in Savatthi State and recited a sutra to ensure the safety of the living and the transcendence of the dead. They came back with only three measures of gold and three liters of gold. The poor monk also said They sell it so cheaply..."

Bai Gui was speechless.

It’s no wonder that demons appear frequently in Hezhou, Xiniu.

With this method alone, it is a big deal for these monks to go down the mountain to chant sutras, slay demons, and subjugate demons. Chanting sutras requires three buckets and three liters of gold, let alone anything else.

Tang Monk was surprised after hearing this. He felt that the customs of Lingshan were very different from those of the East.

But he heard what Tathagata said and felt it made sense. The four elements of a monk are empty. With the honor of Buddha, what he cares about is not gold and common things, but this time to express his determination. The true scripture is a first-class treasure, and it is really irrelevant to talk about it in vain.

He took his own purple-gold alms bowl and wanted to offer it to Anuo and Kasyapa.

"Master Xuanzang, this thing is precious. It was a gift from the Emperor of Tang Dynasty. It is a royal treasure. Master Xuanzang, please don't let it go easily." Bai Gui stopped him and said, "I have some spare money on my hands, so why don't I give it to you?" This purple gold alms bowl was sold to me, and I traded it for gold and silver. If Master Xuanzang wants to exchange it again, that's fine."

This purple gold alms bowl is not a mysterious treasure, but has a greater commemorative significance.

The purple gold alms bowl was presented by Li Shimin.

When he went to the West to collect scriptures, Tang Monk received the three treasures given by the Buddha from Guanyin Bodhisattva, which were a brocade cassock, a nine-ring tin staff, three gold, forbidden, and tight hoops, and three mantras. Later, he received a purple gold alms bowl and a customs clearance document from Li Shimin. Purple gold alms bowl is used for fasting on the way.

At this time, the Tathagata was not making things difficult for Tang Monk, but he was elevating the value of the Tripitaka scriptures, saying that the true scriptures cannot be obtained in vain. It doesn’t have to be a purple and gold alms bowl.

Tang Seng was willing to give up some of his merits to let Yin Wenjiao get the immortal status.

He and Tang Seng also had an old relationship, so it was not too much to lend a hand and help a little at this moment. Moreover, although he had no deep friendship with the Buddhist sect, he had no great hatred. His status in the order was not low, and he would not offend anyone if he spoke out about some trivial matters. There was no need to be too cautious.

Tang Seng nodded and handed the purple gold bowl to Bai Gui.

Bai Gui took the purple gold bowl, put it in his sleeve, and then gathered the spiritual power of Lingshan with his hand. After a moment of hesitation, the magic power surged out, and the spiritual power gathered in his palm turned into real gold, falling from his hand, and accumulated into a small mountain from time to time.

"This is about ten stones of gold, Master Xuanzang can take it yourself."

He smiled.

"What a great skill of turning stone into gold." Sun Wukong's eyes lit up. Although he didn't know this skill, he had listened to the lectures of Bodhi Patriarch and understood this Tiangang magic.

"That's Senior Brother Bai." Zhu Bajie snorted twice, and he was pleased with his words.

He didn't really regard Sun Wukong as a real senior brother. This team of people seeking scriptures was just a temporary gathering, and he still regarded himself as a third-generation outer disciple of the human religion.

"Please take it yourself, the two venerables, and this ten stones of gold will be given to you two."

Although Tang Seng understood the meaning of Tathagata's words, he was still a little dissatisfied with Anan and Jiaye. Although he didn't value the purple gold bowl, it was a personal item after all, and it was given by the emperor, which was of great significance.

Now the gold made by Bai Gui casually, giving it to the two of them, can also make them embarrassed.

Anan and Jiaye smiled slightly, pulled their sleeves to perform magic, and took the gold.

How could they care about some property?

The matter was settled. A-Nu and Kasyapa led Tang Seng and his party to retrieve the inscribed scriptures. Tang Seng and his party took their leave, and Bai Gui also took the opportunity to bid farewell. He came to Lingshan because of the Queen Mother's instructions. Now that he knew the Queen Mother's intention, it was meaningless to stay in Lingshan.

"Last time I was in Sanxing Town, I got the help of the Exorcist True Lord and promised him that I would ask the emperor to build another temple for him. After that, I was busy and forgot about this chapter. I just remembered that I went to Chang'an with Master Xuanzang to settle this matter..."

Bai Gui spoke when the party rushed to the Southern Continent in the clouds.

He promised Zhong Kui this matter last time he was in Sanxing Town. After returning to Chang'an, although he was invited by Li Shimin for a banquet, the occasion was not appropriate. In addition, Guanyin Bodhisattva invited him to Wuzhuang Temple, so this matter was delayed...

"Be loyal to the trust of others."

Tang Seng nodded.

But after he said this, he felt something lingering in his mind, a ominous sign.

.