560: One to One

Whether Shaolin Temple flourished or not, Hongren no longer cared much, for he himself had transcended his original Realm, reaching the state of 'no-self' spoken of in the legendary Buddha Dharma.

However, the order of Ancestral Master Bodhidharma was that after the Disciple reached the sixth generation, there would be no need to select further successors. This was because, in Bodhidharma's philosophy, after the Sixth Patriarch, Zen Buddhism would have blossomed everywhere on this land, becoming the number one School in the world.

Therefore, this successor to the Ancestral Master still had to be passed on, but Tang Ku's words just now had stirred his thoughts, almost causing him to change his mind.

Whether it was Shenxiu or Huineng, both were top-tier Disciples under his tutelage; both had attained superior levels in both Buddha Dharma and martial arts. After the two recited their poems, his heart had already tilted toward Huineng.

The heir to the mantle of Zen Buddhism needed not only great wisdom but also great perseverance to propagate the Buddha Dharma. Among the monks in the temple, aside from these two, almost no one else was suitable. Huineng was clearly superior to Shenxiu in his understanding of Zen Buddhism's Buddha Dharma. Yet, Tang Ku's seemingly nonsensical explanation had actually shaken his resolve!

Indeed, a Buddhist practitioner who had reached the pinnacle of Zen meditation could actually be swayed by a single sentence from a monk.

Although it was only for a fleeting moment, Hongren already felt that Tang Ku's cultivation in Buddha Dharma was far superior to his own.

However, his decision... would still not change... It was just that some other flexibility was needed, and this could be considered Tang Ku enlightening him.

The three returned to the temple and met the Abbot, Great Master Huisheng. Huisheng kowtowed and bowed to his Master, then immediately asked, 'Amitabha Buddha, Master, have you reached a decision?'

Hongren smiled and said, 'That is correct. It seems you will be traveling the world with me to propagate the Buddha Dharma!'

Huisheng pressed his palms together and said devoutly, 'This Disciple is willing to follow Master to travel the world and propagate the Buddha Dharma... Hmm, but I wonder who will be...'

Hongren turned and walked to a wooden cabinet locked with a copper padlock. He reached out to gently remove the lock, lifted a kasaya from inside, turned around, and said to Huineng, 'Huineng, come here... Take this cotton kasaya. From this day forward, you are the Sixth Patriarch of the Zen Buddhism of the Buddha Dharma!'

Huineng did not feign modesty. He pressed his palms together in a bow and respectfully received the seemingly unremarkable yet deeply significant kasaya, bowing again as he said, 'This Disciple will certainly not fail Master's expectations...'

Hongren nodded, then walked over to Shenxiu and smiled, 'Are you a bit disappointed?'

Shenxiu was startled, then smiled, 'It was expected; there is no disappointment!'

'Hmm, not bad. Your Zen heart remains firm and has not been blinded by the chaotic flowers of the outside world... Huineng is now the Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. You, the 'pragmatist' in the Holy Monk's eyes, should achieve something as well. Aside from being a Buddhist sect, the Shaolin School is also a Martial Forest faction. From this day forward, you are the Abbot of Shaolin. I hope that on the foundation of propagating the Buddha Dharma, you will carry out the Shaolin martial arts, the Shaolin philosophy, and the wish to save all living beings in the world... to the end!'

Hongren said in a deep voice.

Shenxiu immediately knelt before him, pressed his palms together, and said, 'This Disciple will remember Master's teachings and will certainly not fail your trust!'

Hongren nodded, 'Study the Buddha Dharma diligently and practice martial arts diligently. In the future, when the great calamity of the Three Realms arrives, you will also be members of those who resist the calamity; do not slacken!'

Shenxiu bowed in acknowledgment. After giving a few more instructions, Hongren let Huisheng go to pack his luggage, while he... still had things to do.

Hongren left the temple gate, tapped his foot lightly, and soared straight up, flying toward the sky. He then dove headfirst into the deep mountains in a certain direction to the east.

In these deep mountains, there was a cave. The entrance was covered by a water curtain, just like the Water Curtain Cave, making it impossible to see the situation inside. Hongren arrived before the waterfall, pressed his palms together, and bowed toward it, saying, 'Disciple Hongren has come to report!'

Swish!

The water curtain parted to both sides, as if someone were pulling back a curtain. Hongren bowed and walked in, only to find two people sitting directly opposite. One was a large, fat monk with a smile on his face, looking very amiable, holding prayer beads, and leaning against a stone chair. On the meditation cushion on the other side, Compassionate Guanyin was looking at him with a strange expression. After a long while, she finally smiled bitterly and said, 'It seems... you failed?'

Hongren smiled, 'It doesn't matter whether I failed or not. Tang Sanzang's magical powers are mysterious and profound, and his Buddha Dharma is also extremely deep. I... am far inferior to him!'

Compassionate Guanyin said helplessly, 'Then... what exactly happened? You must tell us!'

Hongren thought for a moment, then proceeded to tell them everything about the two discussing the Buddha Dharma.

He had originally been ordered by Compassionate Guanyin to intercept Tang Ku and find out the details of his Buddha Dharma. He had thought of using his own difficult questions to stump Tang Ku, to see exactly how deep his understanding of Buddha Dharma was.

Now it seemed that this was not a good idea at all, because Tang Ku's words had actually managed to disturb the thinking of someone as firm-willed as him, almost causing him to change his decision. Just based on this 'lip-service' skill, few people in the Buddhist circles could reach this level.

'So... you were almost persuaded by him?'

Compassionate Guanyin could not help but smile bitterly after hearing his description, 'Tang Sanzang... really is a unique character!'

Hongren said, 'In fact, I was persuaded by him. However, the mantle of Zen Buddhism cannot be changed just because someone says a few words. Because Huineng has the deepest understanding of Zen Buddhism, I still had to pass the mantle to him. As for Shenxiu... hmm, according to the Holy Monk, he is a pragmatist, and Shaolin is also a place that needs management. Many Disciples and the villages and towns around Mount Song might need the existence of Shaolin to develop in the future, so I passed Shaolin to him... and I also passed the essence of the Buddha Dharma and the seventy-two supreme martial arts techniques handed down by Ancestral Master Bodhidharma to him. How Shaolin Temple develops in the future will be up to him!'

'Never mind those things of yours, tell us your understanding of Tang Sanzang!'

Maitreya Buddha suddenly spoke.

'As for the person Tang Sanzang...' Hongren recalled for a moment, then said, 'He carries a bit of cynicism and mockery, yet in his laughter and scolding, he can comprehend principles enough to change people's thinking... His Buddha Dharma is profound. Just this point alone is not something that people in our Western Heaven can deal with now... Unless we use force, but with Tang Sanzang's deep understanding of the Law, I don't think anyone among us can steadily defeat him!'

Maitreya twisted his prayer beads and only after a long while said, 'Tang Sanzang was originally a person of our Western Heaven. If he couldn't even solve a few Buddha Dharma problems, he would be unworthy of being a True Buddha... Hmm, alright, you've worked hard. Go back and get some good rest. When we need you, we will summon you... Hmm, tell me all of Tang Sanzang's living expenses in the temple, and I will reimburse you!'

This new term 'reimburse' was learned from Compassionate Guanyin.

'Hehe, I'm afraid he doesn't need our food and clothing expenses...' Hongren smiled bitterly.