Chapter 62: The Buddha's Path

"Burp~"

After finishing the meal, Murong Xing could not help but let out a satisfied burp.

As everyone knows, rabbits seasoned with just a little salt tend to have a rather gamey taste.

How could they possibly compare to the delicious delicacies brought by Xuzhu!

Once the meal was over and night began to fall, Duan Yu, Murong Xing, and Xuzhu made camp in the mountains.

There was simply no sleeping space for them inside Su Xinghe's three small wooden huts.

Since they were all people of the martial world, sleeping out in the open was nothing unusual to them.

After dark, Duan Yu was still frowning as he pondered the Go game. Holding a branch, he drew and calculated on the ground, completely lost in a world of black and white stones.

Seeing him like this, Murong Xing chose not to disturb him and instead lit a campfire right beside the two of them.

Just as he was about to sit cross-legged to rest, he noticed Xuzhu also coming over to share the warmth of the fire.

"Many thanks, patron!" Xuzhu said, bringing his palms together in a bow when he saw Murong Xing looking over.

"..."

I haven't even invited you yet!

Murong Xing muttered inwardly.

However, having eaten someone's food and accepted their hospitality, Murong Xing naturally did not mind Xuzhu joining them by the fire.

Lying under a pine tree beside the campfire, tossing and turning and unable to sleep, Murong Xing suddenly spoke up: "Monk, why is your Shaolin Temple different from all the other temples? Why do you eat meat? And why are you so particular about how you eat it!"

Spinning the prayer beads in his hand, Xuzhu replied, "That is not meat."

"Then what is it?" Murong Xing asked.

Xuzhu answered, "That is the path of cultivation."

"..."

If you are going to eat meat, just eat meat, why bring cultivation into it!

What a hypocritical bald donkey!

Murong Xing thought to himself.

"The patron must think this humble monk is being hypocritical," Xuzhu said, his eyes half-closed as he lowered his head to gaze at the campfire.

"I didn't say that," Murong Xing shook his head in denial. "You're just guessing."

Xuzhu said, "Shaolin cultivation has its own unique methods. Would the patron care to listen?"

Murong Xing asked, "Does it cost money?"

"Shaolin expounds the Dharma free of charge," Xuzhu replied.

"Then I am all ears!" Murong Xing felt relieved.

"This must begin with the story of Siddhartha Gautama attaining Buddhahood," Xuzhu's voice suddenly grew solemn:

"Siddhartha Gautama, originally named Siddhartha Gautama, was born in the state of Kapilavastu as the crown prince of King Suddhodana. His father was the king of Kapilavastu, and his mother was Queen Maya."

"Gautama grew up in a luxurious palace. Endowed with extraordinary intelligence from a young age, he quickly mastered a vast array of knowledge."

"Although the life of a prince appeared blissful, the suffering of the mortal world constantly left him bewildered and discontented."

"The more he understood, the greater his inner perplexities became."

"He saw that the majority of people lived in poverty and hardship, and even the wealthy were far from truly happy—all people fall ill and ultimately face death."

"At the age of twenty-nine, he resolved to renounce his luxurious life and dedicate his entire existence to the pursuit of truth."

"Thus, he left the royal palace, forsook his wealth, bade farewell to his wife and son, and began a penniless, wandering life."

"After six years of arduous asceticism, Gautama fell into deep contemplation beneath a Bodhi tree and attained enlightenment. He comprehended the truths that 'all conditioned things are impermanent, all defilements are suffering, all dharmas lack a separate self, and Nirvana is tranquil,' thereby becoming the Awakened One."

"From this story, did Prince Murong glean anything?" Xuzhu suddenly asked.

Murong Xing thought for a moment and said, "So Siddhartha actually had a wife and child!"

Xuzhu nodded and said, "Prince Murong indeed possesses a Buddha-nature, grasping the crucial point at a single glance."

"Siddhartha Gautama was originally a crown prince, blessed with abundant material wealth. Not only did he have parents, but he also had a wife and a child."

"It was precisely because he had experienced a complete and fulfilling life that Siddhartha possessed the prerequisite to contemplate the meaning of existence."

"Therefore, this humble sect believes that without having been a crown prince and without having lived a fulfilling life, one can never truly understand the 'Buddha,' and naturally can never become a 'Buddha'!"

"Huh?" Murong Xing was shocked, immediately sitting up straight from the ground.

This was the first time he had ever heard such a doctrine.

Xuzhu continued, "Prince Murong, do you lead a fulfilling life?"

Thinking of the dismal state of his own family, Murong Xing's expression dimmed as he replied, "No."

"Can you imagine a life with parents above you and a wife and children below you?" Xuzhu asked again.

Murong Xing imagined it: if his parents were still alive, if he had a wife and children...

He simply could not picture it and could only shake his head.

"If you cannot even dare to imagine such a life, how could you ever question human existence the way Siddhartha did?" Xuzhu said. "The cultivation of our sect imitates the path by which Siddhartha attained Buddhahood."

"Our sect calls this the Buddha-Path, the Path to Buddhahood."

"By projecting oneself into Siddhartha's perspective, thinking his thoughts, pondering what he pondered, doing what he did, and realizing what he realized."

"Prince Murong should know that to understand a person, one must not look at what they say, but at what they do. Only then can one truly understand them."

"Many problems and answers do not stem from stupidity, but from simply lacking the necessary conditions."

"When one's standing height and perspective differ, a person will also change accordingly."

"Our sect refers to the period of Siddhartha's life as a crown prince as the 'Prince's Path.'"

"This is followed by the 'Path of Asceticism' and the 'Path of Awakening.' The reason most people fail to cultivate Buddhahood is simply because most people can never attain the 'Prince's Path.'"

How could a impoverished person, an ordinary person, ever imagine the life of a crown prince, or comprehend the perplexities of being one?

Naturally, they could not imagine it!

And because they cannot understand it, an impoverished person can never become a Buddha.

This was what Xuzhu meant.

You are not even in the same world as Siddhartha Gautama; how could you possibly emulate him?

Clear in logic and seemingly reasonable.

Murong Xing felt something was amiss, yet he did not know what to say.

At that moment, Duan Yu from the side suddenly spoke up: "According to what you say, does that mean anyone who is not a crown prince and whose life is unfulfilled can never become a Buddha?"

Xuzhu replied, "Precisely!"

"Then what of the eminent monks of past generations, such as the Five Bhikkhus, the Ten Principal Disciples, and great masters like Nagarjuna, as well as all living beings—would they also be unable to attain Buddhahood?"

Having diligently studied Buddhist scriptures since childhood, Duan Yu, who had been listening while studying the daytime Go game, could not help but refute such perceived nonsense upon hearing Xuzhu's words.

Xuzhu merely said calmly, "None of them surpassed Siddhartha!"

"..."

Duan Yu felt an urge to curse; he thought Xuzhu was utterly arrogant.

What proper monk would ever claim that he could surpass Siddhartha Gautama?

Only an improper monk would dare claim to equal the Buddha!

That was heretical teaching!

"They merely continued the Dharma of Siddhartha and offered their own interpretations, but not a single one of them surpassed Siddhartha," Xuzhu said earnestly. "They could not, and neither can this humble monk."

"For now, this humble monk can only cultivate along the Buddha-Path."

"Perhaps one day, after traversing the 'Prince's Path' and passing through the 'Path of Cultivation,' this humble monk will finally realize the 'Path of Awakening.' Only then will I be able to become like Siddhartha."

"And at that time, perhaps this humble monk can attempt to surpass Siddhartha Gautama."