Prodigal System in the Flourishing City-Chapter 1122 - 1121: Verbal Duel with the Monks

According to reason, the monastery is a quiet place, especially the backyard, where no one with no sense should come to provoke others.

However, nothing is absolute; even Buddha can have a wrathful Vajra aspect. This serene place is not absolutely quiet either.

"Swish, swish, swish."

A young monk sweeping the floor, waving his broom impatiently as if just going through the motions.

Everyone acts like this when they’re alone, just quietly sulking, but with others around, there’s always a desire to let that grumpiness out.

The young monk saw Lu Xiaobu and said, "Please make way, patron."

Although he addressed him as patron, the tone was quite impolite.

The tone implied that Lu was blocking his work, and if he couldn’t sweep clean, it’s all Lu’s fault.

Lu Xiaobu glanced at him blandly and said, "I am in the monastery, you are sweeping the monastery, where should I make way and how?"

The young monk was hot-tempered, seemingly not yet refined.

Upon hearing Lu Xiaobu’s words, a wave of discontent surged within him.

I am a monk, are you a monk?!

I haven’t enlightened you yet, and you’re already lecturing me.

So.

"I serve the Buddha, you worship the Buddha, let me say make way and you make way!" The young monk had often heard the master teachers speak Zen phrases, and at this moment, he pieced together a few words.

"Serving is superior? Worshipping is inferior? Then where is the equality among all beings?" Lu Xiaobu responded again.

His head was full of bizarre and peculiar thoughts, longing for someone to enlighten him.

"You!" the young monk was immediately rendered speechless, only leaving a harsh word: "You just wait!"

Having said that, he threw down his broom and ran.

Being a monk in his own temple, and being left speechless by someone, embarrassing!

He went to call for help.

Very soon, an older monk was brought over.

"Senior brother, it’s him who wants to engage in a war of words with me!" The young monk said angrily.

The elder monk didn’t just listen to the young monk’s one-sided words, instead, he clasped his hands together and asked, "Patron, did my junior brother anger you? I apologize on his behalf."

"Anger? Why be angry? Because you care? I don’t care about this person or this place; why should I be angry?" Lu Xiaobu said absentmindedly, staring at the ground.

The elder monk heard this, and his brow furrowed.

These words didn’t sound good; this is a monastery, and the patron opens by saying he doesn’t care, this is offending the Buddha.

"Patron, you have come to worship the Buddha, having worshipped, why say you don’t care?" The elder monk wanted to argue a point.

The young monk on the side clenched his small fists, as if wanting to have a piece of the action.

"You and I are both passersby, all beings are void, since everything is void, I am a visitor, why care?" Lu Xiaobu said calmly.

"Uh..." the elder monk was suddenly dumbfounded.

He was quite confused!

How could it be, after reading Buddhist scriptures for so many years, that he was stumped by an outsider?

The young monk beside him was also dumbstruck; his invited senior brother was defeated in one move?!

No, they must call for more people!

"If you don’t care, then why come?" The elder monk was unwilling to concede.

"It wasn’t my intention to come, where to go is what I ponder, can the master enlighten me?" Lu Xiaobu continued his questioning.

"I!" The elder monk was completely crashed.

Where to go?!

You’re asking me the ultimate question—why do people live, and for what do they live?!

If I knew, why would I still cultivate Buddhism?!

"Transcending the sea of suffering, reaching the other shore, is cultivation!" At this moment, another elder monk came over, performed a salute, and answered Lu Xiaobu’s question.

"What is the other shore? What is the sea of suffering? If both sides of the sea are shores, why bother crossing the sea of suffering? Turning around swiftly, wouldn’t it be quicker?" Lu Xiaobu asked again.

"The place of coming is the place of all beings’ suffering, the place of going is the place of supreme joy, why not go?" Another elder monk joined in.

Lu Xiaobu: "Only when the six senses are pure can one reach the other shore. Since the six senses are already pure, what difference is there between the place of suffering and supreme joy?"

"The patron speaks very correctly, but if one doesn’t cross the sea of suffering, how can the six senses become pure? If not pure, there are desires, wanting to go to the place of supreme joy! Thus, taking a journey in the sea of suffering, purifying the six senses, then indeed there is no difference between the other shore and this shore!" Another monk with deeper wisdom spoke.

Lu Xiaobu: "So you say, supreme joy is just an illusion and not actually exists?"

"What patron said is not impossible; if there is supreme joy in the heart, then all things are joyful! If the heart embodies the Buddha, then viewing all things as the Buddha!" The elder monk clasped his hands together, showing utmost respect.

The patron in front of him had such profound understanding of Buddhist Law, it was no less than his own!

"No desire, no demands, is supreme joy; I already have no desires, and no demands, why not rejoice?" Lu Xiaobu questioned again, this was him asking about his current state.

"Uh..."

That’s it, the last elder monk was also confused.

The initial young monk was nearly driven to madness.

He had already summoned all the high monks in the monastery!

At this moment, Lu Xiaobu had a group of monks sitting cross-legged in front of him, this would only happen when host was lecturing on Buddhist scriptures.

However, the most terrifying was not this.

It was that they combined all the monks, yet couldn’t win against this outsider!?

Looking at the appearance of these senior brothers and uncles, one by one, they were beginning to doubt themselves!

This time, the embarrassment was beyond extreme!

No, no, call the host!

The young monk ran away rapidly.

...

On the other side, the temple host was talking with Ye Changsheng.

"What brings you, Patron Ye?" The host asked.

"Nothing much, just someone I know has become preoccupied, stuck in a pang of confusion, I plan to let him find peace of mind, passing by here, I thought to take a rest." Ye Changsheng smiled.

"Oh, I see, why not let the Buddhist Law enlighten this patron? It will surely resolve the heart’s confusion!" The host was rather confident.

In delivering others, he felt the Buddhist sect was qualified to say this.

It was at this time.

"Host, it’s bad! The senior brothers and uncles in our temple have all been verbally mystified by an outsider!" The young monk shouted at the door.

"Pa!"

In the emptiness, it seemed like a soft sound of face-slapping was heard.

The old monk just said they could definitely deliver others.

In the end, now the whole monastery’s monks were nearly delivered by someone else!

The face-slapping, slap slap slap!

Ye Changsheng felt a bad premonition—could it be...

He quickly walked with the host outside, listening to the young monk recounting what had just happened, and what had been said.

Ye Changsheng’s concern grew heavier.

Arriving at the place to see.

Sure enough, it was Lu Xiaobu.

Ye Changsheng looked at Lu Xiaobu, with his appearance of worldly indifference, then at the group of worldly indifferent, deep-thinking monks sitting in front of him.

Feeling the buzz in his head.

My god!

Lu Xiaobu!

I brought you here just to let you rest for a while before continuing your journey tomorrow.

As a result, within the three minutes I didn’t see you, you staged a verbal battleground with the monks!?

Even caused this bunch to begin doubting themselves?!

Are you trying to make me fight with the host?!