Chapter 752: Chapter Forty-Six: Visitors of the Elegant Garden

“In only a few days, the Buddha Son has added a Zen charm to this humble hut, reviving life in these withered plants and grass. I’m humbled by his profound cultivation.” Duan Qianchou complimented Yankong while returning his bow.

“I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Duan, but all beings follow their own natural laws, just as life and death have their own cycle. This seemingly withered vegetation is striving for survival in its roots, it’s hardly my doing.”

Yankong opened the gate, invited Duan Qianchou into the house, and brewed some tea. After tasting it, the Buddha Son gently asked the renowned young disciple from Martial Saint Mountain, “What brings Mr. Duan to me today?”

“Nothing important.” Duan Qianchou put down his teacup and asked Yankong, “I just want to know, since the Buddha Son has mastered the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction, have you found any successor?”

In Zen, each chant and sutra requires different practices. Yankong, who has gained minor accomplishment in the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction, is revered as the Buddha Son because the lineage of this sutra has long been lost. Yankong revived it purely through his intuition and wisdom, which is exceptionally significant to Zen.

Therefore, Yankong’s travels are not only to observe the world and its beings but also to find potential Zen disciples, so as to promote the lineage of the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction.

This is why the Buddha Son Yankong preaches wherever he goes. Apart from spreading Zen teachings, his aim is also to find a successor.

“The fate has not arrived.”

In response to Duan Qianchou’s question, Yankong simply answered with four words, which visibly surprised Duan.

“Has Buddha Son failed to find any capable individuals with a profound understanding of the sutra throughout his preaching travels across several provinces and counties?”

“I have indeed encountered many talented youngsters, but they are entangled in worldly desires and relationships; it is easy to perceive nature, yet hard to perceive emptiness, and so, their fate is still incomplete.”

Speaking of this, Yankong also expressed some regrets. He had met several youngsters with exceptional wisdom on his journey, but they were invariably thwarted by their own resistance or by opposition from their families. Thus, despite his travels across several provinces, Yankong had yet to find a successor for the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction.

“What about yesterday’s sermon?” Duan Qianchou asked again, “I heard that hundreds of birds were singing harmoniously during Buddha Son’s sermon, and many Heaven Sect disciples have grasped the concept of Zen. Why not have Wuxiang Zen Temple get involved to guide these destined disciples to join us?”

Those who have gained insight into Zen tend to deviate from martial arts. Even though such disciples may show great potential, the Heaven Sect would find little value in them. Therefore, it would be nothing more than an exchange of benefits. I believe the Wuxiang Zen Temple would not be stingy in this regard.

However, upon hearing this, Yankong waved his hand and said, “A gentleman doesn’t take what others cherish. Zen will never divert disciples from other sects. It’s simply a matter of insufficient fate. Please refrain from bringing up this topic, Mr. Duan.”

Headhunting is always a matter of serious concern among the sects, even a strong institution like Wuxiang Zen Temple wouldn’t dare cross the line. After all, Zen has a strong allure to ordinary martial arts practitioners whose beliefs are not particularly steadfast.

Others may see it as grasping the Zen concept while it may seem to them that Yankong is using his Buddhist teachings to bewitch them. Such matters are often unclear even to those involved, let alone outsiders.

This was why the Buddha Lord had repeatedly cautioned Yankong before his journey, and Yankong took the advice to heart.

“The Buddha Son’s ethical principles are admirable, unlike my pursuit of quick gains.” Duan Qianchou confessed while laughing, then proceeded, “What about the sons of the nobles of each state in Longzhou? Has Buddha Son seen the list and found any talented individuals? I have no control over disciples from other mountains, but I can allocate spots for disciples who wish to join Dapeng Mountain to the Buddha Son.”

Yankong shook his head, although he was slightly moved by Duan Qianchou’s proposition, he gently declined, “Mr. Duan’s kindness is well received. However, even if these invited nobles longing for the Buddha’s path and possess wisdom, they are past the best age to follow the Buddha. I’m still in the early stages of my Zen practice, with limited cultivation. If I am unable to guide my disciples to reach the other side, how can I disrupt their foundations?”

Zen cultivation differs from common practices. To be precise, Zen is a special attribute, and the Zen sect is known for developing this attribute to its utmost limit. The degree to which an individual can progress in Zen cultivation is closely related to their spiritual level. Therefore, not only are good roots necessary, wisdom and level of enlightenment are also important.

The nobles who participate in the martial arts convention are mostly in their late twenties. Switching to Zen means dispersing their current cultivation and starting over. Regardless of their wisdom and level of enlightenment, just trying to regain their current cultivation level after practicing Zen would require several years of hard work.

Being a monk in the early thirties with a peak cultivation level sounds great. But most monks in Zen, even those with average qualities, once they reached their early thirties, would already be at such a level. Moreover, those practicing Zen for more than twenty years would have combat capabilities several times or even dozens of times stronger than those who switched. This is true for ordinary Zen practices, let alone the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction.

Even with Yankong’s confidence, he couldn’t ensure the enlightenment of those who switched. After all, the boat to the other side has limited capacity, and he does not want his followers to sink into boundless suffering. This would only add to his karmic obstruction.

“The Buddha Son’s mercy and kindness is indeed praiseworthy.” Duan Qianchou’s words were heartfelt this time. The Wuxiang Zen Temple, as the leading institution in Zen, had numerous monks who practiced asceticism and went on long journeys. The Zen sect wasn’t rated very highly within the Heaven Sect in the holy land, mainly because many traveling monks forcibly recruited noble young men as disciples in the name of preaching.

After the ascetic practice and ten years of travel, they would return to the temple with hundreds of protectors, enough to form an entire Zen temple. But how many of these protectors could attain the Arhat Fruit Rank? Perhaps less than half.

It’s easy to say ‘do not do unto others what you do not want done unto you,’ but when it comes to one’s own interests, even these monks can become eager for quick success. This didn’t surprise Duan Qianchou in the slightest.

Therefore, he esteemed Yankong’s attitude. Otherwise, with his reputation as a young Saint King, he would have gathered numerous followers and wouldn’t be alone as when he left the mountain.

“It seems that the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction is indeed an extraordinary chant. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken the Buddha Son several years to find a successor.” Duan Qianchou appeared to be lamenting while praising Yankong.

The Buddha Son is also human and has feelings. Although he only met Duan Qianchou, the primary disciple of the Dapeng Mountain a few times, Yankong was thankful for his concern. He smiled and replied, “All conditions are created by causes and conditions. When conditions arise, they generate; when they cease, they disappear. Even though I haven’t found a worthy disciple despite years of traveling, it’s a pleasure to have known many laymen like you. Everything is destiny.”