575: Sacrifice

Bhaisajyaguru was taken aback for a moment, then said, "If one cannot save oneself, it implies that their cultivation of the Buddha Dharma is insufficient. And if one's cultivation of the Buddha Dharma is insufficient, how can they save others?"

Tang Ku smiled slightly. "Bhaisajyaguru, how is your cultivation of the Buddha Dharma? Can you save yourself?"

Bhaisajyaguru shook his head and said, "I do not know how my Buddha Dharma stands. Although I have attained the status of a Buddha, it does not necessarily mean I can save myself. Because often, I have knots I cannot untie, things I do not understand, and matters I cannot see through. Therefore, I dare not claim that I can save myself."

"Bhaisajyaguru, you are too modest. All living beings are burdened by suffering. Although the status of a Buddha does not place one above all living beings, it possesses wisdom and power that Mortals cannot match. Even though you say you cannot save yourself, you have the ability to save Mortals. And since there are indeed foolish people in the world, your level of Buddha Dharma—which you call insufficient to save yourself—is more than enough to save Mortals, guide their ignorant hearts, and open the gates of wisdom. Even if you cannot save yourself, you can save many others!"

Tang Ku smiled wryly, "Doesn't this contradict what you said about being unable to save others if one cannot save oneself?"

"That is different!"

Bhaisajyaguru shook his head and said, "We Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are exceptions. Our Realm is already higher than that of living beings. Different levels and different Realms naturally lead to different perspectives on the layers below, much like climbing high to look into the distance; the higher you stand, the further you see. If they belong to the same group of living beings—for example, monks who have not attained enlightenment or Daoists who have not ascended to immortality—although they may have magical power and wisdom roots, they are like the general public, burdened by attachments and worries. In such a state, they cannot save themselves; otherwise, they would have already reached our current Realm... In this situation, standing among thousands of living beings, they are simply unable to save anyone! This is the true meaning of 'if one cannot save oneself, how can one save others'!"

"Heh, so that's how it's explained?"

Tang Ku scratched his bald head and suddenly smiled. "If that's the case, I have a little story to tell you all. I wonder if you are willing to listen?"

Bhaisajyaguru smiled and said, "Excellent, excellent. Since this is a debate on the Buddha Dharma, as long as you speak, we must listen!"

Tang Ku did not feign modesty. His eyes suddenly became unfocused, as if he were recalling something.

"Towards the end of the Daye era of the former Sui Dynasty, there was a city in the northwest Ganliang region. The people in the city farmed when busy and acted as bandits when idle, specializing in robbing passing merchants, killing them, and burying their bodies in the desert. Therefore, although the place was desolate, the people in the city were very wealthy. Whether they were officials, ordinary citizens, or even beggars on the street, they all possessed assets worth tens of thousands of coins!"

Hearing the story he told, everyone calmed down, listening intently and waiting for the rest.

Only Compassionate Guanyin frowned slightly. "This is the sound of the Buddha? What a clever kid, actually using such a technique to bewitch people's hearts... Hmm, but one cannot blame him; using such methods during a debate on the Buddha Dharma has long been a common practice in the Buddhist sect. However... what exactly does he want to say?"

"At that time... it happened to be when Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne. He was licentious and tyrannical, wars were everywhere, people could not make a living, and many were displaced. So, one day, a group of dozens of refugees arrived at this city, braving the wind and sand. The local officials, having received the news, immediately launched an operation to rob this group of refugees. They had already found out that there was a Family among the refugees who were local tyrants with a fortune of tens of millions... They held sharp blades, covered their faces with black cloth, rushed out of the city, surrounded them in the desert, and stole all the wealth from the hands of these refugees..."

"However, accompanying this group was a young novice monk who had been sent to a temple by his parents because they could not feed him, and who had just been tonsured. He was only twelve years old. From the time he entered the temple to learn the Buddha Dharma, to the temple being slaughtered by bandits, and then to following the refugees to this city today, it had only been half a year in total... Therefore, he had absolutely no cultivation of the Buddha Dharma. When he saw these bandits, he felt nothing but fear. He was at the back of the group, watching them rob the wealth and kill the young and strong men. He was terrified, almost wetting his pants..."

"However, when he saw those people turning their butcher knives toward the elderly, weak, women, and children, he suddenly summoned his courage and shouted, 'Stop!' This instantly startled the bandit leader in front. This bandit leader was actually the prefect of the city. Not only was he skilled in martial arts, but he also had some knowledge and a certain understanding of the Buddha Dharma. Seeing that it was a young novice monk with half-inch hair wearing monk robes, he became interested in him. He ordered his men to drag him over and threatened him, 'You monk are very bold, daring to tell us to stop? Tell me, who gave you the courage? Is it that Buddha of yours who you can never see?'"

"The little monk swallowed, unable to hide the fear in his heart, but he still pressed his palms together and forced himself to calm down, saying, 'I am just a little novice monk, not even a real monk yet, and certainly not a brave person. However, slaughtering women and children is not the act of a real man. You people, with your abilities and skills, why don't you go and fight against the licentious and tyrannical emperor, instead of coming here to bully us common people?'"

"The bandit leader shook his head and said, 'You really are an ignorant monk. We are not bullying you; rather, in these chaotic times, we want to keep a pure land for ourselves and let the people in my city live more prosperously!'"

"The little novice monk argued, 'If you want prosperity, just rob the wealth; why do you need to kill people?'"

"The bandit leader laughed and said, 'If I don't kill you, what if you tell others that our city has money and food? Wouldn't that lead people to come and plunder our city?'"

"The little novice monk continued, 'Killing is creating karma; after death, you will fall into the Avici Hell! Even after suffering in Hell and redeeming your sins, in your next life, you will be reborn as a dung fly, unable to be reincarnated for several lifetimes!'"

"The bandit leader was enraged by these words and shouted sternly, 'You brat, how dare you curse us? Hmph, even if we go to Hell, so what? We only care about being well-fed today; who can think about what happens after death, or what happens in the next life? You little novice monk, spreading heresy—I will kill you first and let you go see your Buddha!'"

"The little novice monk's will was now incredibly firm. He pressed his palms together and chanted the Buddha's name, 'Amitabha. Then just kill me, the Poor Monk, to vent your anger, but do not kill anyone else! I stake my life on it—the people alive here will not tell anyone about you!'"

"The bandit leader seemed to be checkmated for no reason, and he couldn't help but frown slightly, saying, 'Is your life alone worth these dozens of people?'"

"The little novice monk was no longer afraid, but said solemnly, 'Benefactor, count how many people there are here. Count the heads—however many there are, I, the Poor Monk, am willing to take that many slashes. Even if I die, I will have no regrets!'"

As the story reached this point, everyone present was moved, because this story was very familiar to them.