The next day, at Jiming Temple.
Lu Zheng arrived hand in hand with Shen Ying and immediately encountered Guangyi, who was welcoming guests at the gate.
“Master Guangyi!”
Guangyi pressed his palms together in salute, then stepped aside and gestured invitingly. “Greetings to Young Master Lu and Madam Shen. Please come in!”
“Has my master arrived? And Master Haicheng?”
“Master Haicheng is already here. As for your master…”
“I have arrived.”
A cloud descended from the sky, landing directly at the temple gate. As it dispersed, it revealed Daoist Mingzhang and Yuanjing.
Guangyi saluted. “Greetings to True Person Mingzhang and Daoist Yuanjing!”
“Master Guangyi!”
“Please, everyone, come inside!”
“Please!”
Lu Zheng pulled Shen Ying along and entered the gate with Daoist Mingzhang and the others. They soon reached the Mahavira Hall.
Guangyue was seated cross-legged on the cushion in the main position of the hall, his expression calm, eyes closed in repose.
More than a dozen cushions were arranged on either side of the hall. Those on the right were all empty, while on the left, the second seat was occupied by an elderly monk.
“This is Master Haicheng from Lanshan Temple,” Guangyi introduced briefly. He then seated Daoist Mingzhang in the first position on the left and Lu Zheng in the third.
“So formal?” Lu Zheng whispered to Yuanjing. “Is a dharma debate not just a mutual discussion of Buddhist teachings? Are they going to start fighting with magic later?”
Yuanjing was speechless. “During the debate, though no mana is used, Buddhist mind and intent clash through mental and spiritual consciousness in the sea of awareness. The danger is no less than in actual combat.”
“I see!” Lu Zheng suddenly understood.
“True Person Mingzhang!”
“Master Haicheng!”
Daoist Mingzhang and Master Haicheng knew each other, though Lu Zheng had never met the latter before. They were introduced by Mingzhang and exchanged brief pleasantries. This was not the time for deep conversation, so after a few words, everyone fell quiet.
Soon, clear, deep, or resonant voices reached their ears.
“Vitu of Daliuli Temple, Shang Kun of Dalong Temple, and Hongjue of Luosha Temple come to visit Jiming Temple and request an audience with Abbot Guangyue!”
They had arrived! So quickly!
Guangyue opened his eyes. A burst of great sun光明 Buddha light shone from them. “Please enter!”
“Dang… dang… dang…”
The gates swung open. The bell tolled nine times.
When the ninth chime faded, three quite young-looking monks stood precisely outside the main door of the Mahavira Hall.
Guangyue rose and stepped forward to greet them.
“Greetings to Mage Guangyue!”
Vitu stood at the front, clad in white monastic robes. He pressed his palms together in salute. His appearance was refined and handsome, his eyes deep and pure.
Shang Kun was on the left, tall and upright, holding a dragon-subduing staff. Divine light flickered faintly as his eyes opened and closed.
Hongjue was on the right, wearing brown monastic robes with a red half-cape, fingering a string of white bone prayer beads. His demeanour carried a slightly sinister air.
“Greetings to the three of you!”
Guangyue returned the salute, turned, and gestured. “Please come in!”
“Please!”
The three entered the Mahavira Hall. Lu Zheng and the others naturally rose to welcome them; this was a matter of etiquette.
After mutual salutations, Vitu, Shang Kun, and Hongjue took seats on Guangyue’s right.
Guangyue spoke first. “The three senior brothers have travelled far. The journey must have been arduous.”
“Great Jing abounds in outstanding people and beautiful land. Though arduous, it has also been joyful,” Vitu smiled.
“Amitabha!” Guangyue proclaimed the Buddha’s name. “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
Shang Kun chuckled. “Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form.”
Hongjue continued. “All phenomena bear characteristics. The heavens possess Buddhas. There is no need to see the Tathagata.”
“The three senior brothers have profound cultivation!” Guangyue’s eyes flashed with sharp light as he spoke solemnly.
Vitu smiled faintly. “Amitabha. Senior brother misunderstands.”
Guangyue’s eyes flickered. He immediately understood and nodded. “Amitabha! Guangming arises from the great sun source, illuminating that the five aggregates are all empty.”
Vitu shook his head. “Only when the body is like glazed crystal, clear inside and out, can Guangming be seen.”
Then the two began reciting passages from Buddhist scriptures that Lu Zheng could not understand at all.
Lu Zheng: o((⊙﹏⊙))o.
He had earlier wondered if he could pretend to know something by quoting widely circulated modern lines like “It is not the flag moving, not the wind moving, but your mind moving” or “Originally there is not a thing, where can dust alight?” But now Lu Zheng decided to play dead.
Every single word was recognisable, yet together they made no sense at all. How could he pretend?
If he could not even understand what they were saying, what could he use to fake it? His head?
Better to play dead…
Lu Zheng shrank his neck. Shen Ying transmitted beside him, “What are they talking about?”
Lu Zheng was helpless and could only transmit back, “I do not understand either!”
Shen Ying looked at Lu Zheng, pursed her lips in a smile. This was the first time Lu Zheng had admitted ignorance. His pained expression was truly adorable!
“There are fluctuations in divine soul!”
Lu Zheng turned and saw that Guangyue and Vitu’s dialogue was slowing, yet their mental fluctuations were growing stronger.
“Guangyue’s cultivation is inferior to Vitu’s,” Shen Ying transmitted.
“But they are competing in Buddhist mind and intent. Though cultivation provides support, it is not decisive,” Lu Zheng transmitted in reply.
A dharma debate involves exchanging various Buddhist minds, intents, and understandings of scriptures through words and spirit.
If benevolent, it leads to mutual improvement.
If neutral, mutual exploration.
If hostile, an attempt to shatter the opponent’s faith and mental state.
Though Guangyue was not weak, his talent and comprehension did not rank in the top three of his generation at Rizhao Temple. He was not a figurehead, which was why he had been allowed to serve as abbot at Jiming Temple. Naturally, he could not compare to Vitu, sent by Daliuli Temple for this study tour in the Central Plains.
Yet his Buddhist mind and intent, his faith and mental state, were in no way inferior. In recent years, he had endured repeated “strikes” from Lu Zheng, deepening his foundation and steadying his state. Now debating with Vitu, he surprisingly did not fall behind.
As Vitu debated with Guangyue, the expressions of Shang Kun and Hongjue shifted from initial ease to growing seriousness. Guangyue’s Buddhist dharma had indeed exceeded their expectations.
Along their journey, they had faced the outstanding younger generation of Central Plains Buddhism. Though there were wins and losses, against opponents of Guangyue’s level, they had generally prevailed.
They had not expected that even their strongest, Vitu, would fail to defeat Guangyue.
“Amitabha!”
“Amitabha!”
Vitu and Guangyue simultaneously proclaimed the Buddha’s name, pressed their palms together, and fell silent.
Shen Ying blinked and transmitted, “Who won?”
Lu Zheng also blinked. “If I saw correctly… it should be a draw.”
“A draw?” Shen Ying’s eyes turned. “That makes sense. Their spirits are still very stable.”
“Senior Brother Guangyue’s Buddhist dharma is profound. Vitu is deeply impressed,” Vitu said.
“Senior Brother Vitu’s pure glazed Buddhist dharma is immaculate and flawless. Guangyue is impressed,” Guangyue also saluted with pressed palms.
“Vitu takes his leave!”
“Please!”
Vitu rose. Shang Kun, Hongjue, Lu Zheng, and the others also stood.
They escorted the three monks out the mountain gate and watched them depart into the distance before returning to the Mahavira Hall.
As soon as they re-entered, Guangyue glared, stamped his foot hard, and exclaimed, “Ami-that-dha Buddha! Debating dharma is far too exhausting. It would be better to just fight outright!”
