Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Feeling entirely pleased with himself, Eighth Master Chang continued slurping his instant noodles and cursing between mouthfuls.
“Fuck, these things are really damn hot!”
After casting a contemptuous glance at his bosom buddy, Chen Daji asked Deaf Granny, “Grandma, was Shopkeeper Liu possessed?”
“Is he dead or alive right now?”
Deaf Granny did not answer. Instead, she looked toward Hu Fei’er.
The Hu Clan Fairy was quick-witted and immediately understood her intention.
“Grandma, Little Sister Meina is asleep. She can’t hear us.”
Only then did Deaf Granny sigh and answer Chen Daji.
“Old Liu has already been murdered. Filthy things are possessing his body now.”
Hua Jiunan looked puzzled.
“But Grandma, when you questioned Shopkeeper Liu, why did he still have a will of his own?”
The compassion on Deaf Granny’s face deepened.
“Attachment!”
“His attachment to the granddaughter he couldn’t bear to leave behind!”
“He feared the filthy things would hurt Meina once he died completely, so he is protecting his granddaughter through the last remnants of that attachment!”
Deaf Granny’s words made Hua Jiunan think of his own mother.
It was precisely a mother’s attachment that had driven her to beg Deaf Granny for help so that she could give birth to him.
Alas, that was the depth of a parent’s love for their child.
As they spoke, an elderly monk entered through the open courtyard gate.
His beard and hair were both white, and his face was filled with compassion. He held a string of prayer beads and chanted without pause.
It was Elder Monk Kongchan, the abbot of Jinguang Temple.
He pressed his palms together and bowed deeply to Deaf Granny.
“Namo Amitabha. This humble monk has come uninvited and begs the Bodhisattva Lady’s forgiveness.”
When speaking before someone they respect, Buddhist monks refer to themselves as “this humble monk.”
This has nothing to do with age or cultivation. The details can be found throughout Buddhist scripture.
For example, when the Medicine Buddha of the Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli World met the great philanthropist Qiu Yong, he referred to himself as “this humble monk.”
Likewise, in *The Sequel to Journey to the West*, Wutian called himself “this humble monk” before the Ancient Buddha Dipankara.
Chen Daji had never thought much of monks.
The reason was simple: they did not let people marry or take big-bottomed wives.
“Monks are all fake politeness. You’re already here, so what’s all this talk about forgiveness?”
“It’s not like my grandma would kick you out!”
Deaf Granny laughed and scolded him.
“You wretched child, what kind of way is that to speak?”
“A guest is a guest. Go bring him a stool.”
Chen Daji might have been unruly, but no one could question his filial devotion.
He muttered his dissatisfaction with monks under his breath, yet did as he was told.
Only after Elder Monk Kongchan bowed to Deaf Granny once more did he slowly sit down.
“Namo Amitabha.”
“As this humble monk entered, I heard the Bodhisattva Lady mention attachment. In Buddhism, this is known as the intermediate-state body.”
For the moment, Chen Daji’s curiosity overcame his dislike of monks.
“Old monk, if you’re going to explain something, then speak plainly.”
“All this talk about being neither up nor down makes me uncomfortable.”
For some unknown reason, when Kongchan mentioned the intermediate-state body, the relevant knowledge automatically surfaced in Hua Jiunan’s mind.
Many faint insights into Chan teachings appeared along with it.
He spoke unconsciously.
“After the deceased stops breathing, the soul leaves the body. Its passage from that moment until reincarnation is called the intermediate-state body.”
“As the saying goes: ‘The former state has ended, the latter state has not yet arrived, and the intermediate state appears.'”
“The former state ending means that the allotted lifespan has run out. The latter state not yet arriving means that reincarnation has not occurred.”
“Generally speaking, everyone possesses an intermediate-state body after death.”
“The greatly virtuous and the greatly wicked are exceptions.”
Chen Daji understood little, but that did nothing to diminish his blind worship of Hua Jiunan.
“Fuck, Big Brother! You’re incredible!”
“How do you know everything?”
Elder Monk Kongchan also looked at Hua Jiunan in delighted surprise.
“Namo Amitabha.”
“Young Benefactor, your roots of wisdom are extraordinary. You possess an affinity with Buddha.”
The words left Chen Daji deeply irritated, and he could not resist cursing.
“Looking for a beating, old monk?”
“Want me to smash your temple windows with my slingshot?!”
“How can you be so wicked that you’d try to make my Big Brother become a monk?!”
Chen Daji was not the only one angered. Even the habitually gentle Hu Fei’er looked displeased, and suppressed fury glimmered in her eyes as she stared at Elder Monk Kongchan.
Only Deaf Granny continued smiling.
“You are a greedy monk indeed. You actually hope to convert my precious grandson and draw him into monastic life.”
“Monk, look closely!”
“Is my precious grandson someone you have the power to convert?”