Chapter 198
Chapter 198
Ghost Buddha did not smoke a cigar, of course.
Then again, that might have had something to do with Chen Fu not daring to come out.
Ghost Buddha accepted the prayer beads from Chen Daji. Sensing Master Kongchan’s distinctive essence and qi within them, he reined in even more of his violent aura.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha. I did not realize my hosts were old friends of Jinguang Temple. This humble monk has been discourteous.”
Seeing the kindness in Ghost Buddha Faceless’s heart gradually awaken, Deaf Granny had an idea.
“Anyone who crosses the threshold is a guest. Eldest grandson, second grandson, don’t leave the Great Monk standing outside. Invite him in to sit.”
With age comes cunning, whether one is human or ghost.
Hemp-clad Grandmother instantly understood Deaf Granny’s intention. Her Ghost Sedan flashed aside to clear the way as she stepped out.
“Since we are old friends, a chance meeting is better than any invitation. Please come inside, Great Monk.”
Ghost Buddha hesitated briefly, then stepped into the courtyard. Thoughtfully, he even shrank the great Buddha statue behind him to a height of two meters.
The attentive Hu Fei’er had already brought three wicker chairs and brewed tea.
Deaf Granny, Hemp-clad Grandmother, and Ghost Buddha sat around the stone table.
When Chen Daji saw the kasaya hanging crookedly over Ghost Buddha’s red robe, he instinctively stepped forward and straightened it for him.
“Bald Brother, it’s freezing out here. You have to wear your clothes properly! If you catch a cold, you’ll start running at the nose like Fatty Zhao. Sniff, sniff-it’s disgusting!”
How long had it been since anyone had cared for him like this?
Chen Daji’s unconscious gesture reminded Ghost Buddha of his childhood. Whenever he worshiped the Buddha late into the night, his teacher would always come up behind him and drape a robe over his shoulders.
The kindness in his heart grew stronger.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha. This humble monk thanks you for your concern, benefactor.”
With benevolence in his heart and the Buddhist robe guarding his body, the ghostly qi around Ghost Buddha Faceless finally vanished completely.
Hua Jiunan was quick-witted. Seeing an opening, he hurriedly pressed the advantage.
“Great Monk, there is a matter of Buddhism I do not understand. I hope you will be generous enough to instruct me.”
At the mention of Buddhism, Ghost Buddha Faceless immediately answered with due seriousness.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha. Ask whatever you wish, benefactor. This humble monk will tell you all he knows without reservation.”
Hua Jiunan walked three slow steps and sat at the stone table. He picked up a brush, spread out a sheet of yellow paper, and began drawing as he spoke.
“I recall the *Original Sutra of the Tathagata* saying that the Buddha’s body is the color of true gold, his throat shaped like a conch shell, his face like the full moon, and his eyes like blue lotuses.
“His brows are fine and long, his nose high and straight, his lips beautifully red, his teeth white, even, and close-set, and his arms hang past his knees.
“Light from his body shines everywhere. His majesty is that of a mighty lion, his bearing that of a king of elephants.
“He has forty teeth, a raised ushnisha upon his crown, cheeks like a lion’s, seven places full and even, a white urna between his brows, and the eight qualities of Brahma’s voice.
“Why, then, is the Buddha behind you shaped so strangely?”
Hua Jiunan’s brushwork was extraordinarily lifelike. As he finished speaking, a compassionate and majestic Buddha appeared vividly upon the paper.
The longer one looked, the more one could almost hear solemn Sanskrit chanting and see Buddhist light flickering around it.
The sight sent Ghost Buddha into a violent tremble. He instinctively covered his eyes with both hands.
“Your heart is like bodhi, benefactor. You possess great wisdom and great compassion! But one without a face is ashamed to behold the Buddha. Please take this honored image into the inner room at once!”
Hua Jiunan did not comply. He picked up the yellow paper, rose, and walked to the hovering Buddha statue.
“Great Monk, do you cultivate the Buddhism of the Greater Vehicle or the Lesser Vehicle?”
Ghost Buddha still covered his face, but the answer came automatically.
“You understand the principles, benefactor. When this humble monk received the precepts, my teacher transmitted thirty-six scriptures of the Lesser Vehicle.”
Hua Jiunan smiled.
“May I ask how the central aims of Greater Vehicle and Lesser Vehicle Buddhism differ?”
The principles and Dharma of Buddhism had been engraved deep within Ghost Buddha’s heart.
Believing Hua Jiunan intended to test him, he replied at once.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha. Greater Vehicle Buddhism follows the bodhisattva path and delivers all living beings. Lesser Vehicle Buddhism possesses the wrath of the vajra. Only after cultivating and liberating oneself can one deliver all beings and gain rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.”
Hua Jiunan’s smile deepened.
“In that case, I have one more question. Since you cultivate Lesser Vehicle Buddhism, Great Monk, if you cannot even face your true self, how can you cultivate? How can you find liberation? And how can you deliver all living beings?”
The questions sounded ordinary, but Hua Jiunan had secretly woven the Daoist Spirit-Awakening Incantation into them.
The three questions crashed through Ghost Buddha Faceless’s mind like thunderbolts.
Cold sweat broke out across his body, and he trembled even more violently. Even the black dagger and the hovering bloodstained letter fell to the ground.
As if possessed, he muttered the same words again and again.
“That is right… If I cannot even face my true self, how can I cultivate? How can I find liberation? How can I deliver all living beings…”
Chen Daji acted decisively.
Dear readers, do not misunderstand. He did not shoot Ghost Buddha in the crotch with his slingshot.
Instead, he cautiously stretched out one foot and, scared stiff, nudged the dagger Ghost Buddha had dropped a little farther away.
When Ghost Buddha ignored him, Chen Daji kicked again, decisively sending the dagger sliding to Eighth Master Chang. Then he winked frantically.
Eighth Master Chang was terrified-he was shaking even harder than Ghost Buddha-but he instantly understood his “best friend.”
He took the black pot off his head, tremblingly clapped it over the dagger, then tried to look as if nothing had happened. Whistling softly, he coiled himself atop the pot.
An enemy without a weapon was a good enemy.