Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 681 The True Dharma of Buddha

The true Dharma of Buddha?

Upon hearing the old monk's question, Lu Zheng quickly realized why the other party would ask such a question.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng smiled calmly and spoke slowly.

"The true Dharma of the Buddha? A single sentence from the Buddha might be interpreted in a thousand different ways by a thousand people. The true meaning of the Buddha's words, the truth of his Dharma, is something that probably no one but the Buddha himself would dare to be certain of in their own understanding of Buddhism."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then said slowly, "I am not well-versed in Buddhism, but I do know some basic principles."

"Throughout history, there have been many people in our human race who have attained enlightenment and become saints, but those who have been able to open up the Great Dao and bring blessings to future generations are few and far between."

"Legend has it that in the past, Buddha accepted disciples widely, teaching without discrimination, and had countless believers, spreading the Dharma throughout the world..."

“Even now, the great Buddhist teachings still exist between heaven and earth, and the incense offerings continue to flourish.”

"From this, we can see that the Buddha was selfless, and the Dharma he practiced was also for the benefit of all sentient beings, not just for his own enlightenment."

Looking at Fajue and his group, Lu Zheng slowly said, "I am inexperienced and have not yet seen the true Dharma of the Buddha. But I have this view: if one cultivates Buddhism for one's own selfish reasons, for the sake of cultivation, or for the sake of becoming a Buddha, then one will not attain the true Dharma of the Buddha!"

“I may not be able to discern the true teachings of the Buddha, but some people who practice Buddhism are obviously fake, while others… though they may hide it well, their true nature shines through, and the fake can never become real.”

What does this master think?

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tao almost couldn't help but clap his hands in approval.

After all, he had seen many Buddhist monks and had long been disgusted with some hypocritical Buddhists.

Lu Zheng's words resonated deeply with him.

If it weren't for the presence of the eminent monk from Wei, he would have really gone to great lengths with Lu Zheng to criticize the current state of Buddhism in Wei and pour out his grievances.

Fajue stared intently at Lu Zheng, unable to find any way to refute him.

After all, Lu Zheng did not denigrate Buddhism entirely; he praised the Buddha highly and criticized certain members of the Buddhist community.

Could he possibly refute Lu Zheng's assessment of the Buddha? Say that it's perfectly acceptable for him to practice Buddhism for his own benefit?

This is tantamount to saying that the Buddha's founding of Buddhism was a selfish act.

He wasn't stupid enough to argue with Lu Zheng like that.

Fajue could only put his hands together and say slowly, "Sentient beings are ignorant and cannot understand the true meaning of the Buddha, so they cannot cultivate the true Dharma!"

The meaning of "Fajue" is that many Buddhist practitioners lack the natural talent to understand the Buddha's meaning, and therefore cannot cultivate the true Dharma, which is understandable.

Lu Zheng simply smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Yuan Tao, who was standing nearby, did not want to wait for the two to continue their debate, so he spoke up instead: "You just said that there are people from Qi here. Such ambitious people, please introduce them to me."

Seeing this, Lu Zheng led Yuan Tao and the others to the main city of Baize.

The group arrived at an office that had been converted from a former palace.

As soon as I entered, I saw a figure rushing around.

The figure suddenly stopped, and upon seeing Lu Zheng and his group, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Xiao Yan's expression changed, and she quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Young Master Lu... This humble woman greets Your Highness."

She hadn't expected Yuan Tao to come here, and she was filled with unease, thinking that he had come to question her.

Seeing Xiao Yan's cowardly demeanor, Lu Zheng said calmly, "You are, after all, the person in charge of our Baize region. You should stand properly! Stand at attention! Head up! Chest out!"

Everyone:...

Lu Zheng suddenly raised his voice, making it sound like he was training soldiers.

Hearing Lu Zheng's authoritative tone, Xiao Yan subconsciously straightened up, but still dared not look directly at the person in front of her.

Unfortunately, the concept of hierarchy and social status that Xiao Yan had developed since childhood prevented her from treating someone like Yuan Tao with the same equality and composure as Lu Zheng.

Yuan Tao merely glanced at Xiao Yan, without taking it to heart.

After all, he didn't come here to confront Xiao Yan.

To be honest, he can't control the other party right now.

Given Lu Zheng's temperament, he felt that he wouldn't even dare to confront Xiao Yan; if he tried to bully an ordinary person here, this person would fight him.

Yuan Tao didn't come here specifically to make an enemy of Lu Zheng, so there's really no need for him to meddle in other people's business.

Lu Zheng then said, "Perfect timing, take us to see Mr. Gongyang."

Since we've encountered Xiao Yan, let her travel with us, so we can temper her outdated ideas.

Xiao Yan, unable to refuse, led the way for everyone.

Yuan Tao couldn't help but say, "Mr. Gongyang? People with the surname Gongyang are not very common in this world."

Lu Zheng nodded. "It is indeed rare."

Yuan Tao whispered, "Humans?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Human race."

Hearing their conversation, Xiao Yan couldn't help but move her lips, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

However, she ultimately said nothing, intending to give Yuan Tao and the others a surprise.

A certain hall has now become the Baize District Human Resources Integration and Distribution Office.

Inside the main hall, there were piles of documents, and Gongyang Ming was working tirelessly.

His temporary task was to organize and analyze the identity information of the humans, demons, ghosts and monsters in the Baize District, and to allocate tasks to these characters accordingly.

Doing this kind of work requires not only detailed information about many people, but also familiarity with various job positions; it's a very demanding job. Lu Zheng felt that Gongyang Ming, who had previously served as a teacher at the Jixia Academy, was skilled in teaching and educating students according to their aptitude.

There are some commonalities in doing these kinds of things.

So Lu Zheng arranged for people to be here to get this important task done beforehand.

And so, Gongyang Ming worked tirelessly day and night for several days.

Although he was very busy, Gongyang Ming enjoyed the sense of fulfillment, after all, he hadn't worked this hard in a long time.

Moreover, the efforts he is making now are genuinely helping with the construction, and the results will be seen quickly; it is not a waste of time.

Even Xiao Yan was shocked, thinking that this teacher had more energy than young people when he did things, truly worthy of being called a great Confucian scholar.

In the past few days, Xiao Yan has also been in contact with those Qi students and has learned some information.

She then realized that these people had come because of a call to action from Lu Zheng.

Previously, Lu Zheng had asked Yun He to distribute appeals in major cities, but Xiao Yan was completely unaware of this.

Xiao Yan was shocked to learn about the call to action.

She had initially thought that Lu Zheng had some connection with the Jixia Academy in Qi, which was why he was able to persuade the great Confucian scholar Gongyang to come to the Northern Region to oversee things.

It turned out that the two sides had no connection whatsoever and had never known each other before; they only came because of the call to action.

At first glance, Xiao Yan felt terrified.

This means that Lu Zheng can rally more like-minded people.

It wouldn't be surprising if other great scholars and other important figures came in the future...

Xiao Yan walked briskly, leading everyone to Gongyang Ming's office.

When Yuan Tao saw the old man in the pile of papers, he was first taken aback, then his eyes widened and he recognized Gongyang Ming.

"The great Confucian scholar Gongyang!"

Yuan Tao gasped softly.

In comparison, Yuan Tao respected Confucian scholars who were skilled in governing the country more than Buddhist monks.

However, the Wei state's politics were too deeply intertwined with Buddhism, and Confucian scholars were not as well-regarded as Buddhists in the Wei Dynasty.

When Gongyang Ming went to the Imperial Academy of Wei to lecture, Yuan Tao privately had a long talk with this great Confucian scholar.

He respected Gongyang Ming as if he were an elder.

Seeing Gongyang Ming again in the Northern Region now felt very unreal to Yuan Tao.

How could such a esteemed scholar be working in a place like this, with seemingly heavy workloads...?

Gongyang Ming raised his eyelids slightly, without putting down the documents in his hand.

"So it's Prince Yuan Tao. My apologies for not being able to greet you properly. I'm currently on duty and have many matters to attend to, so please excuse me..."

Gongyang Ming remained unmoved by the arrival of Yuan Tao and his group, and continued organizing the documents on his own.

He's already come all this way; it would be strange if Wei, which is so close, didn't send someone to check on him.

Yuan Tao composed himself and quickly stepped forward, his mind filled with doubt.

"Why is Mr. Gongyang here?"

Gongyang Ming didn't even look up, and said in a flat tone, "Is His Highness Yuan Tao aware of the summons?"

Yuan Tao's eyes flickered, and he said, "I know, sir, you actually came here for the summons letter, and the Jixia Academy..."

He had read Lu Zheng's appeal, which was indeed very well written, but he never expected that such a document could appeal to a great Confucian scholar; it was simply unimaginable to him.

Moreover, this person is a teacher at the Jixia Academy in Qi State. Lu Zheng's actions are no different from Qi State snatching people away.

Gongyang Ming chuckled and said, "What? Can't this old man strive for the ideals of the sages?"

Yuan Tao was speechless, thinking to himself, "You've already brought out the ideals of sages, what else can he question..."

Is the questioning of whether the Gongyang School of Confucianism is a charade, or whether they are here to promote themselves?

Gongyang Ming was already famous throughout the land, but now that he has come to the Northern Region, who knows what people will say about him.

Yuan Tao couldn't help but glance at Lu Zheng not far away, his feelings a mix of emotions.

Back then, he tried his best to persuade this great Confucian scholar to take up a post at the Imperial Academy of Wei, but Lu Zheng's letter of appeal moved Gongyang Ming.

You really can't compare people...

Of course, Gongyang Ming's willingness to stay was not solely due to a call to action, but also because he witnessed the earth-shaking changes in this region and saw the dedication and attitude of Lu Zheng and others in striving for their ideals. This led him to decide to stay in the Northern Region and contribute his own strength.

Idealists are often misunderstood by ordinary people.

Gongyang Ming didn't care what others thought of him and continued processing various documents as if no one else was around.

Upon seeing this scene, the old monk Fajue frowned.

This trip has been full of surprises!

Previously, they didn't take Lu Zheng's call to action seriously, and some even treated it as a joke.

When they arrived in the Northern Region, they found a great Confucian scholar sitting right in front of them, a master from the Jixia Academy...

Seeing Yuan Tao and the others in such a state of disarray, Xiao Yan couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

As expected, no one could remain unsurprised, not even the prince and the high-ranking Buddhist monk. (End of Chapter)