Chapter 301: A Night Talk with Venerable One (Part Two)
Qiao Wan was startled for a moment, thinking she might have misheard.
But Venerable One Miaofa's expression clearly told her that she hadn't misheard.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, contemplating the idea of...killing him?
She moved her lips and said, "Senior, I...don't understand."
Why was she chosen?
This task wasn't honorable at all. Killing a senior from the same camp would undoubtedly bring psychological burden. Was she really mentally strong enough to handle it?
Venerable One Miaofa nodded, his lips slightly pursed, and his eyes glimmering.
"Listen to me for a moment."
Qiao Wan straightened up and sat upright.
Venerable One Miaofa furrowed his eyebrows. "In Buddhism, there is a concept called 'alaya consciousness.' Do you have any knowledge of it?"
Qiao Wan racked her memory for a while and replied, "I have heard of it, but I don't really understand, Senior."
She vaguely knew that Buddhism seems to not recognize a constant "self" in reincarnation, and therefore does not acknowledge the existence of a "soul".
As the voice of the Buddhist monk with purity and solemnity rang out, he spoke softly, his voice gentle and meandering, slowly revealing a earth-shaking secret that belonged to his inner demons.
"The beings in the world, with their eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, possess the sixth consciousness. The seventh consciousness is the consciousness of the mind, and the eighth consciousness is the storehouse consciousness."
The eyes, ears, mouth, nose, tongue, and body are the senses. They transmit external information to the consciousness, which then passes the data to the consciousness of the mind, known as the "mind consciousness." The "storehouse consciousness" acts as a data storage like a hard drive.
All the activities of humans in this world, from past lives to present, the good and bad karma created through body, speech, and mind, are all entrusted to the storehouse consciousness.
The mind consciousness is similar to a vessel for personality. As a person grows, influenced by various life circumstances, they develop different personalities and ways of viewing the world.
Qiao Wan extracted the data stored in Alaya consciousness and projected this "information" into a personalized "sense of self" using her consciousness. Simple consciousness doesn't have biased self-centeredness. However, due to the contamination of Alaya consciousness, people's consciousness becomes infused with self-centeredness.
This is what we call "sense of self" or "ego". In Buddhism, Alaya consciousness is seen as the fundamental root of the ego. If one clings to delusion, it leads to the creation of negative karma. On the other hand, by letting go, one can eradicate afflictions and negative karma, realizing the truth of the emptiness of self and phenomena. That's why it is called contaminated and pure consciousness.
The essence of Buddhist practice lies in breaking free from the ego. "You may have often heard us say that all sentient beings are Buddha."
Venerable One Miaofa paused for a moment. He had been teaching Qiao Wan about the Dharma in her dreams for over ten years. Qiao Wan had some understanding of Buddhism, but the girl in front of him, who had lost her memory, was different. He wasn't sure if she still remembered, furrowing his brows slightly, he started over from the beginning.
Miaofa, with his blue hair falling down, had a serene and wise look in his eyes. He patiently, but persistently, taught his disciples without getting angry at their ignorance.
This is the Great Hall of Light, where Venerable One Miaofa, a mentor for countless confused monks, shines like a guiding light in the sea of suffering.
"All living beings have the consciousness called Alaya. Alaya consciousness is always present and indestructible, like a diamond. It is complete, pure, and originally exists in a state of ultimate purity and enlightenment. However, it is obscured by the attachment to the sense of self."
The eighth consciousness, Alaya consciousness, stores the seeds of actions. It constantly interacts with the sixth consciousness, the sense consciousness, and creates new actions influenced by external conditions. At the same time, it keeps accumulating new seeds of actions in an endless cycle.
Qiao Wan felt a bit confused listening to all of this.
It felt like she was back in high school, having that feeling of listening to something profound. However, she knew that she couldn't just ignore what she didn't understand. She had to ask questions.
Venerable One Miaofa patiently answered all her questions one by one.
After understanding the concept of Alaya consciousness, the Buddha closed his eyes and spoke in a deep voice, "Once my inner demon is formed, I am able to see the Alaya consciousness of all sentient beings."
Qiao Wan was surprised.
In Buddhism, it is said that good deeds lead to good outcomes, while bad deeds lead to suffering.
The Alaya consciousness holds all the "seeds" of past actions, which is the main component of cause and effect. To be able to see the Alaya consciousness of every person means being able to see all the good and bad actions they have done in their past lives and in their current life.
"Elder... you can see all the good and bad actions of everyone in their past lives and current life?" Qiao Wan asked nervously.
Seeing the expression on Venerable One Miaofa's face, Qiao Wan couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
Indeed, he was a great figure in Buddhism! Does that mean he can see her past lives? This thought made Qiao Wan's mind wander for a moment, thinking about those "know your past life" websites she had seen online before, as well as the once popular hypnosis methods.
With these thoughts, Qiao Wan started to feel a bit uneasy.
"Excuse me, can you see me?" asked Qiao Wan.
Venerable One Miaofa didn't waste any words and gave a decisive answer, "Yes."
Qiao Wan wanted to ask something, but she couldn't find the right words to say.
She decided it was better not to ask. After all, everyone goes through many lifetimes, and there must be one lifetime that they don't want others to know about.
"Cause and effect exist. The seeds we sow will bear fruit. The results of our actions can be experienced in the present, in our current life, and in future lives," explained Venerable One Miaofa.
"The present results refer to the near future, the consequences we experience soon after. As for future lives, it means that the good and bad actions we do in this lifetime will bring consequences in the next life. And even if you don't experience those consequences in this current life, in future lives, after countless reincarnations, there will come a day when you will face those consequences," Venerable One Miaofa explained with a solemn tone.
"Good or bad deeds will eventually result in consequences, just a matter of time," concluded Venerable One Miaofa softly.
Qiao Wan felt like she had a vague sense of something, and small beads of sweat appeared on her back. She held onto her clothes tightly and asked, "Then what does all of this have to do with the previous generation's inner demons?"
The Buddha sat calmly in the tent, as if sitting on a lotus platform. His golden eyelashes fluttered open and closed, like the blooming and falling of a lotus, as he confidently said, "I can see the Alaya consciousness of all beings, and I can clearly see the good and bad karma they have accumulated throughout their past lives. I bring forth their karmic consequences into the present world."
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, a divine sign appeared.
The tent immediately fell into profound silence.
Qiao Wan felt a cold sweat trickling down her back, making her shiver.
How is this even possible...?
Qiao Wan's mouth felt dry, and her heart started pounding wildly in her chest, filled with fear and uncertainty.
It was you who killed someone. In this lifetime, you may not receive punishment, but your punishment might come in future lives, or even further into the future. However, Venerable One Miaofa has the ability to make you receive punishment immediately and suffer the consequences.
Is that Venerable One Miaofa in front of us still considered human?
Her extraordinary ability seems like something out of a divine intervention. It is unheard of and unseen before.
So, after the supposed unsealing of Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan, there is no way for him to deal with this, right?
Qiao Wan was lost in thought. In her previous lives, and even the lives before that, she must have committed countless evil deeds. And Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan, who had slaughtered countless cultivators and mortals hundreds of years ago, had accumulated a great amount of bad karma. The consequences of their actions were now rapidly catching up to them. Even if Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan were to come, he would be powerless against the Buddhist figure in front of them!
The Venerable One Miaofa paused, giving the girl a moment to digest what she had heard. However, he still frowned and continued in a stern tone, "I have said before, when you do something bad, you will receive bad consequences, and when you do something good, you will receive good consequences. The consequences may come sooner or later, but they won't disappear on their own until the causes have been experienced."
"I have indiscriminately killed living beings, creating negative karma. Until I face the consequences, my negative karma will not disappear, and I cannot purify it. I will inevitably face retribution."
This is a deadlock, unless I face the deserved consequences. Whether it's in the next life, the life after that, or billions and billions of years later, the consequences will eventually arrive.
"So, I hope you can kill me."
The Buddhist monk's eyes narrowed slightly. "All beings suffer. They experience birth, aging, illness, death, being disliked, separated from loved ones, and not getting what they desire."
These are the words often spoken by the senior monks in the Buddhist temple. Even ordinary people who don't study Buddhism can recite these few lines, but what does "suffering" mean, and why should one practice?
As the teacher of the Great Hall of Light, Venerable One Miaofa has witnessed countless instances of separation and death. He has seen people who, due to poverty and lack of medicine, could only kneel in front of the Buddha and cry out in desperation, praying for mercy and a way to save their loved ones.
At that moment, even the Buddha's heart felt a slight pang, showing a trace of emotion.
Life brings various kinds of suffering - the suffering of birth, the suffering of aging, the suffering of illness, and the suffering of death. Ordinary people will experience the loss of their parents, separation from loved ones, incurable diseases, the burden of raising children and caring for the elderly, and many other difficult situations. They will experience separation, the pain of love and loss, anger and resentment, and the inability to satisfy their desires.
When someone becomes seriously ill, they experience immense pain. As they approach death, the pain continues. After passing away, they forget about their past life and are reborn, repeating these various forms of suffering again and again, for countless years and lifetimes. They remain trapped in this cycle, unaware and unable to find liberation.
Qiao Wan knew that we are all like Buddhas, our consciousness is pure and unaffected by suffering. It's like forgetting everything and entering into a game, being blinded by this game.
Just like in "The Truman Show", Siddhartha Gautama saw the truth of this "Truman Show" world. He saw through the sense of self and became enlightened, became a Buddha.
They all lived in this virtual world, like suffering "Truman Burbank", being covered by all the pollution and ignorance.
When we are lost, we are ordinary beings, but when we awaken, we become Buddhas.
Being a Buddha is not something above us, it means being awakened, being aware of ourselves and others, it means being an enlightened being.
"If you kill me, it will help me to be reborn early and quickly repay my negative karma in the cycle of life and death, so that I can be free from the six realms of existence."
"Kill me, this wicked demon, to benefit all beings," said Venerable One Miaofa, looking up with a slight frown. It seemed that a gentle tenderness passed through, like ripples on a pond, eventually returning to calmness and tranquility. "It will also bring you immeasurable blessings for countless lifetimes."
The Buddha is gentle and compassionate, with a mind as clear as a mirror. They are like the Bodhi tree, their heart shining brightly and pure.
For the sake of all beings, they tirelessly work, even if it means taking on the form of a fierce demon, forever trapped in the cycle of reincarnation. Yet, they hold no resentment or regret.
And then there was Qiao Wan, a woman who was an unexpected addition.
Venerable One Miaofa knew very well that what he asked of her was unfair.
However, Qiao Wan was indeed the best person for the task, the person he had silently chosen long ago.
In the girl's eyes, there seemed to be shimmering rays of light, bright and captivating.
The sky was getting late, and the wind brushed through the withered grass in the wilderness, lifting fragments that swirled and floated down into the dark sky, gently landing in the pile of firewood outside the tent.
Venerable One Miaofa's gaze fell upon the girl's face. In that moment of silence, it felt as if a wildfire had spread from the wilderness and reached the camp, licking at the feet of the revered Venerable One. With a slight movement in his heart, like ripples on a lotus pond, it was only a fleeting moment.
Venerable One Miaofa's expression subtly froze, his brows furrowing tightly.
It was as if, in that moment, he too would be consumed by the endless flames.
Having cultivated to such an advanced stage, apart from harboring a deep aversion to evil, the Venerable One's temper wasn't very good when facing demons. Most of the time, Venerable One Miaofa appeared composed and solemn, steadfast and detached.
With a flicker of his heart, the Venerable One shifted his gaze away, his mind calm and serene.
As a practitioner, one must have unwavering determination. Killing him would grant her immeasurable blessings and karmic rewards. One day, she would ascend the path, attain enlightenment, and be liberated from the cycle of suffering, no longer bound by the cycles of birth and death.
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