503: Form is emptiness

"It looks like you're only in your twenties this year," Pan Han said, suddenly changing the subject.

The woman, who had been listening intently, swayed violently.

"Are you judging by my physical appearance, or from the date of my creation?"

"Your body looks like it, and your thinking does too. You don't sound at all like a sentient being that has mastered one hundred thousand years of history." Pan Han patted the woman on the shoulder, adopting the attitude of a veteran cadre.

"Oh? Interesting. Tell me more." The woman suddenly became interested.

"Why do I have the ability to change things, yet choose to retire? If this were last year, I wouldn't think this way. But now, it's different."

"Continue."

"In my world, there are many religions, and they have all sorts of gods."

Pan Han took a puff of his cigarette and continued.

"Never mind moving mountains or filling seas; even shattering Blue Star with a single slap would be effortless for them."

"Let's assume these deities truly exist; why is there still so much slaughter and suffering in the mortal world?"

"Why?" The woman's gaze began to grow distant. She seemed to be drawn into another rhythm by Pan Han, her mind even beginning to automatically depict what these deities might look like.

"I'm just speaking my own opinion; it might not be accurate. Just take it as a reference."

"Alright, you're so handsome, of course that's no problem."

"Stick to the topic and take your hand out."

As he spoke, Pan Han pulled the woman's delicate hand out from inside his clothes.

When did it get in there? He didn't know, and it seemed the woman didn't know either.

Because she also looked completely bewildered.

"I'm sorry, Lord Pan, I didn't mean to." The woman suddenly became shy, her face flushing red.

"Some things don't require the unity of knowledge and action," Pan Han said irritably.

The two of them had just been fighting to the death, and now this kind of behavior was highly inappropriate!

"Then go ahead and speak, I won't move!"

"This perspective is something I've gradually grasped over the last six months. In reality, the mortal world is just an experience. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

Pan Han didn't know if the other party could understand, but if he didn't say it now, he would feel very uncomfortable.

After speaking, he gazed at the horizon, and the things he had done recently flashed rapidly before his eyes.

Like a dream, like an illusion, like dew, like lightning!

After hearing this, the woman fell into a motionless state, her head trembling slightly.

Pan Han felt she must be analyzing and trying to understand it, but it might be overloading her, as she looked quite strained.

After a few puffs of his cigarette, the woman gradually regained consciousness, but she was still full of confusion. "I know the meaning of every word you said, but when put together, I don't understand."

"What is 'form is emptiness'?"

"Does it refer to female beauty or male beauty?"

Upon hearing this, Pan Han knew that although this world had a long history, it had never heard of Buddhist teachings.

Naturally, it couldn't understand the concepts of 'form' and 'emptiness'.

Although Pan Han hadn't studied them seriously, in the Dragon Kingdom, ordinary people had all heard this saying, as well as names like Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

With this foundation, after Pan Han evolved to a higher level, his insights instantly improved.

Buddhist scriptures that he couldn't understand at all before could now be recited backwards.

Pan Han smiled slightly and said, "The 'form' here doesn't refer to physical beauty. It refers to all material things that can be perceived. And 'emptiness' is very difficult to explain."

"'Form'? In that case, you are form, I am form, and this vast ocean is also form?"

"Yes, you can understand it that way."

"Then 'emptiness', doesn't that just mean nothingness?"

"Not really! Emptiness should be a state where there is nothing, yet everything exists. As for how to explain it specifically, my level isn't high enough to articulate it clearly."

Pan Han explained it once, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't enough and continued:

"However, when you truly understand emptiness, you might still not be able to explain it. Because human language cannot describe this state; you can only infinitely approach understanding it. It's quite magical."

"Why does that sound like a quantum superposition? It is both alive and dead; all possibilities exist simultaneously."

The woman's knowledge base was indeed rich, and she instantly thought of a comparable situation.

"I've heard of this state, but I don't understand it deeply; perhaps that's one way to put it. But I'm not sure either."

Pan Han's expression remained calm and unruffled as he said very peacefully.

The woman looked him over, knowing that Pan Han was not lying, and then continued to ask, "Then what does 'form is emptiness' have to do with experience?"

"Here is the key point." Pan Han snapped his fingers in front of the woman's eyes, attempting to awaken her attention.

The woman seemed as if she had been hypnotized, her gaze suddenly becoming vacant.

"Since all things are empty, the mortal world is also empty. Originally there was nothing, so where could dust settle? Therefore, whether it's humans or animals, coming to the mortal world is just an experience, a practice. Whatever you encounter is all illusory, so why take it so seriously?"

"Wrong! Wrong!" the woman suddenly shouted, hurriedly calling a stop to Pan Han.

"What's wrong?"

"If it's just an experience, why do some live very well while others live very poorly? Why are some high and mighty, while others are exploited? Why are animals eaten by humans? Since they are all experiences, why should there be distinctions of class and rank?" The woman seemed to have found a flaw in Pan Han's theory and hurriedly counterattacked.

"If life were all the same, would it still be called an experience?" Pan Han asked in return.

"This..." The woman's head began to shake again.

She began searching her memory banks again, looking for similar viewpoints and resources.

History, philosophical works, local religions, and various viewpoints from 438 Planet were integrated in her mind at lightning speed.

However, in the end, she failed.

It had been 20 years since she was designed, and her algorithms had iterated seven times.

Yet, she still could not understand many things well.

Although she could understand 99.999%, that last little bit would greatly affect the judgment of artificial intelligence.

She had once watched a robot play drums; every beat was on rhythm, but it just didn't sound as good as a real person playing.

She didn't know why, and despite racking her brains, she couldn't figure it out.

This matter was something the woman had encountered before and been confused by, but she still hadn't figured it out.

A little off won't do, and being perfectly precise won't do either!

What the hell!

It's just absurd!

What kind of strange species are humans anyway?

"I can't figure it out, so I won't think about it anymore. But we've strayed from the topic. You say the mortal world is just an experience, and there are deities, and you want to retire to the countryside. What is the relationship between all these things?" The woman shook her head and decided to just ask for the answer directly.

"Good, listen carefully. If there really are deities, like me, they would absolutely never interfere with human life. Because it's just an experience, don't disturb them."

Pan Han's tone suddenly became solemn, with an imposing air!

"You mean, you want me not to target your Blue Star? Just let them develop on their own?"

"Yes! Learn from me, don't interfere with anything, because both you and I have our own cultivation to do."

Pan Han was very satisfied with this result; it was rare that the woman could listen and take it in.