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At first, Ye Tianchen naturally knew it was only a dream—a dream not to be underestimated, a dream where one cannot just go with the flow. If he were to be severely injured or even die in the dream, it would turn into reality!
However, when Ye Tianchen jumped off the deep-sea cliff, a "Buddha Hand Seal" shattered the purgatory of the human world, leading him to a palace. In this palace, surrounded by ten solid Buddha statues, Ye Tianchen attacked and killed one statue, only to face a powerful backlash. His Overlord Fist force was easily dissipated by a statue, leaving him shocked!
Yet, when Ye Tianchen saw the Buddha statue sitting cross-legged in the center of the palace, he was utterly stunned and greatly alard. That statue radiated a supre aura, and Ye Tianchen, having lived in the mortal world for so long where countless legends of the Buddhist Sect’s supre Buddha—known among martial artists as the Buddhist Emperor—had circulated, recognized that the figure in the center was indeed the Buddhist Emperor!
The Buddhist Emperor, a most mysterious Great Emperor who established a truly everlasting legacy over millions of years, was undeniably enigmatic and powerful, hard for anyone to reach. Whether or not the figure before Ye Tianchen was truly the Buddhist Emperor, the aura and tremor-inducing feeling were impossible to ignore!
Ye Tianchen, looking at the Buddha sitting cross-legged in the palace center and the surrounding ten statues, tried hard to recall everything about the Buddhist Sect. He had never thought about these before, and his understanding largely ca from materials in the mortal world. This was all he could rember now.
Between the Himalayas and the Ganges River, there was a small kingdom where the king was nad King Jingfan.
One day, King Jingfan, in the palace, received joyful news from the Empress’s family that she had given birth to a prince. This prince was the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha.
Shakyamuni’s mother died on the seventh day after his birth, so he was raised by his aunt. From a young age, Shakyamuni was exceptionally intelligent, grasping everything quickly and always asking "why" about everything, never content without an answer.
King Jingfan loved the young prince dearly, hoping he would one day beco a great king uniting the world. Yet, the old king worried about the prince because he pondered matters the king found absurd, such as why so people were Brahmin, while others were Shudra, and why descendants of Brahmins remained Brahmins while Shudra descendants stayed Shudra forever. The old king couldn’t answer and had to say it was Heaven’s arrangent, but Siddhartha said he didn’t believe it and wanted to find a way to make everyone equal.
At 19, Siddhartha married his cousin, and their family life was very happy. One day, Siddhartha went outside the city for a walk and saw an old man leaning on a stick, moving with difficulty, then a sick person lying in the mud, where birds were pecking at a corpse. When he asked a passerby what was happening, the person replied: "Such things happen frequently, not for the first ti." Returning to the palace, he contemplated deeply on this, troubled and distressed, thinking: Must life inevitably suffer from birth, aging, sickness, and death? Another day, Siddhartha saw a man wearing tattered clothes and holding a clay bowl, appearing content and joyful. The prince asked his attendant who this person was. The attendant replied, "He is a monk." Siddhartha quickly approached the monk, asking why he seed so happy. The monk said, "Worldly affairs are unpredictable, only monks find liberation."
Back at the palace, the prince pondered the monk’s words intensely, feeling stirred and desiring to beco a monk himself. The next morning, his wife bore a son for him. As news spread, the whole city celebrated King Jingfan’s grandson’s birth, and Siddhartha had a son. Yet, after a night of reflection, he decided to leave ho for cultivation. He quietly passed by his wife’s room, saw her holding their son, inclined to take a last look, but ultimately halted.
Shakyamuni Buddha, at the age of 25, stopped his steps and sighed, "Cultivation is so difficult!"
He finally resolved to abandon his wife and child and left ho decisively.
The next day, Siddhartha left the kingdom, shaved his head by a river, becoming a cultivator. The old king, worried sick, sent people to search for him, eventually finding Siddhartha in the forest, but he refused to return. Subsequently, Siddhartha traveled extensively, learning philosophy from famous scholars, and following ascetic monks. During that ti in India, the practice known as "asceticism"—enduring self-imposed suffering for enlightennt, like not eating or sleeping—was prevalent. Siddhartha tried this thod but found his mind and body nearly exhausted with no results. He then realized only a strong body could find truth, thus focusing on physical and will training.
One day, he ca to a small river, intending to wash away six years of accumulated filth. A young girl tending cows saw Siddhartha’s fatigued state and worriedly offered him milk, which rejuvenated him. He sat under a Bodhi Tree, cross-legged, and ditated quietly for six years. At age 35, he finally understood the nature of human suffering and founded Buddhism. Later, Siddhartha traveled to preach, recruiting disciples, hoping everyone would believe and follow his teachings. Buddhism was thus born. As its founder, Siddhartha was revered by his disciples as Shakyamuni, aning the saint of the Shakyamuni tribe. Shakyamuni’s teachings and spirit moved many, including Brahmins and Kshatriyas. More people accepted Shakyamuni’s teachings.
Shakyamuni explained Buddhism as the "Four Noble Truths", where "truth" ans reality, and the Four Noble Truths are four "realities": the Truth of Suffering, the Truth of the Cause of Suffering, the Truth of the End of Suffering, and the Truth of the Path. The "Truth of Suffering" states that life is full of suffering; birth, aging, illness, death, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all forms of suffering. The "Truth of the Cause of Suffering" indicates the reasons people suffer. Due to various desires, once wishes are acted upon, corresponding results occur, and in the next life, one must pay for their actions in this life, which is the concept of good begetting good and evil begetting evil. The "Truth of the End of Suffering" speaks of how to eliminate the causes of suffering. To escape suffering, one must eliminate desires. The "Truth of the Path" states how to eliminate the causes of suffering, and to do so, one must follow a path of spiritual cultivation.
Shakyamuni also set "precepts" for followers. Both householders and monastics must follow the "Five Precepts": not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, and not drinking alcohol. Male monastics are called monks, and female monastics are called nuns. They must shave their heads, wear monastic robes, and completely sever ties with family life. Additionally, they must observe certain monastic precepts.
Buddhism advocates for equality at birth and compassion for the unfortunate and suffering, promoting the idea that good deeds in this life lead to good outcos in the next life, and bad deeds lead to bad outcos. Shakyamuni’s teachings, with their escapist side, were often utilized by the ruling classes of the Mortal World, as they negate conflict and promote self-liberation as a ans to alleviate distress.
There are many mythical tales about the Buddha saving beings.
The Myth of the Elephant and Monkey:
One day, Shakyamuni sat under a Bodhi Tree by the Nile River in deep thought, when a monkey presented honeyed fruits and an elephant quietly bowed down with a bamboo tube of sweet spring water. The Buddha opened his wise eyes and inquired as to their reason.
The monkey replied, "I originally lived in the foothills of the forest, with hundreds of relatives. Every day, I climbed trees and picked fruits, living freely. But then a prince hunted and killed my kind, and my companions were all slain. I was lucky enough to swing through the trees across a stream to escape. Now alone, I seek the Buddha’s salvation.
The elephant also spoke, "Nearby where I lived, there was an evil man who was very cruel to my herd. He trapped and killed us with knives and arrows. To avoid disaster, I hid here and was fortunate to et the Buddha, seeking protection.
After hearing them, Shakyamuni said to the elephant and monkey, "To harm life is the greatest precept in Buddhism, and those who abuse power will ultimately be punished. If you wish to escape suffering, you must diligently cultivate yourselves." With that, they shared the sweet spring and ate the honeyed fruit together. The elephant and monkey were overjoyed, bowed to the Buddha, and threw themselves into the Nile River, drowning willingly and hoping to be reborn as humans, to once again seek enlightennt through cultivation.
The Buddha Saves All Beings:
There was a young girl nad Yonadatye. Her parents both passed away, and she lived alone.
She set up a small stall selling fruits, vegetables, and other sundries. Due to her fair dealings, her business was quite successful.
Later, she married a young man from the sa village. They had a harmonious relationship after the marriage, with her husband managing the business while she handled the household chores.
Soon, she gave birth to an adorable child, adding more joy to their family life, but the good tis didn’t last long... unfortunately, her husband fell ill and died, and shortly thereafter, her young son also succumbed to illness. Holding her deceased child, she ca to the Buddha ditating under the Bodhi Tree to pray for his soul’s passage.
The Buddha spoke to her: All things in the world of Saha are inherently "suffering". Life is suffering, with the suffering of birth, aging, illness, death, resentnt, and separation. Living in the mortal world ans living amidst "suffering".
Returning to her village, Yonadatye, struggling for survival, sought help during a ti when plague was rampant, with many dying, and everyone too preoccupied with their own concerns to offer help.
Deeply feeling the pain of losing her husband and child and the hardships of worldly life, she recalled the Buddha’s teachings and resolved to escape the sea of suffering. Yonadatye converted to the Buddhist Sect, and the Buddha agreed to take her as a disciple. Later, through dedicated cultivation, she ultimately attained enlightennt. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welco to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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