What Is a Buddha (Part 1)

Huff...

The cold wind on the snowfield was still howling, like a sharp knife slashing through the world. In this desolate and uninhabited place, an ordinary - looking temple stood at the end of the snow - covered mountain. There were four characters on the plaque - Great Thunderclap Temple.

The temple gates were tightly shut, and the sound of chanting scriptures came from inside from time to time.

It was rumored that there were the true scriptures in the Great Thunderclap Temple, which could relieve all the sufferings of the world and dispel all the sorrows of sentient beings.

"What?! Make him the Buddha? I disagree!"

A shrill scream full of surprise, anger, and disbelief came from the Dharma Hall of the temple, breaking the harmonious and peaceful sound of chanting.

In the secluded Dharma Hall, a wisp of incense was gently floating.

Three middle - aged bald monks were standing in the hall. They were the three most senior elders in the temple, with Buddhist names Juewu, Jueming, and Jueyuan. But at this moment, each of them looked as if they had eaten something disgusting.

They looked at an old monk sitting upright on the futon, and their faces were full of disgust. "Abbot, are you getting senile? Making an ordinary mortal the Buddha? Even if we asked you to find a person of great fortune and you were reluctant, you don't have to be so perfunctory, do you?"

"What will others think of our Great Thunderclap Temple when this gets out?"

"This... it's really unacceptable!"

"Abbot, you're being so muddle - headed!"

The old abbot was sitting cross - legged on the futon, with his two white eyebrows hanging down to his mouth. He closed his eyes slightly and said in a calm voice, "It's not that we're making him the Buddha. He is the Buddha."

"The Buddha?"

"You mean that a mortal is the Buddha?"

Juewu, Jueming and the others were stunned, thinking it was utterly absurd.

"Abbot, you're really out of your mind!"

"He's just an ordinary mortal, without a spiritual root or any aptitude. What makes him the Buddha?"

Facing the accusations of his junior brothers, the old abbot remained calm. He slowly opened his eyes and said, "Just because he says he is the Buddha, then he is the Buddha."

"Just for this reason?"

Jueyuan glared angrily, spitting as he spoke. "You've hardly met him a few times. Just because he claims to be the Buddha, you conclude that he is the Buddha. If I said I was the Buddha, would you still erect a statue of me in the temple and ask the believers to offer incense and chant scriptures to me every day?"

The old abbot glanced at him and nodded slightly.

"If you are the Buddha, why not?"

"You!"

Jueyuan was so choked by the old abbot's unyielding attitude that he couldn't say a word for a long time. It was Jueming and Juewu beside him who stepped forward to smooth things over. They said in succession, "Jueyuan, calm down. The old abbot is getting old. It's inevitable that he's a bit muddled - headed."

"No, I'm perfectly clear - headed."

The old abbot shook his head, stood up, and gently waved his sleeve as he issued his final order. "The new - comer is the Buddha of the Great Thunderclap Temple. There's no need to discuss this anymore."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the library in the Dharma Hall.

"If there's nothing else, don't disturb me anymore."

"....."

Juewu, Jueming, and Jueyuan stood there, looking at each other blankly. "Are we really going to make that mortal the Buddha as the abbot said?"

"Well, what can you do about it?"

Jueming glared at Jueyuan impatiently. "The abbot has issued his final order. Can you stop him?"

Jueyuan opened his mouth, then closed it. Finally, he only managed to mutter, "But we can't just let an ordinary mortal ride roughshod over us. The Great Thunderclap Temple has been passed down for thousands of years. Which of the previous Buddha Heirs wasn't a person of outstanding talent and great fortune? Now, a half - dead boy without a spiritual root is suddenly declared the Buddha by the abbot. Isn't this just nonsense?"

Juewu stood still, whispering softly.

"He says he is the Buddha..."

"He says he is the Buddha..."

"He says he is the Buddha..."

He repeated it three times, frowning tightly. Suddenly, he turned around and strode away, leaving Jueming and Jueyuan behind. He went back to his meditation room and closed the door tightly.

"What's wrong with Junior Brother Juewu?"

Jueyuan looked at the closed door, scratching his bald head in confusion.

"Who knows?"

Jueming shrugged. "Maybe he's been driven crazy by the abbot."

At this point, the old abbot's mind was made up. The opinions of Juewu, Jueming, and Jueyuan no longer mattered. The news soon spread throughout the temple. From the abbot to the ordinary people who came to chant scriptures, everyone in the Great Thunderclap Temple knew that a new Buddha had arrived!

A statue of the Buddha was quickly erected on one side of the temple.

Don't look down on this small side; it's a place that many people can't get in their whole lives.

Ye Shu stood in front of the shrine, quietly staring at this statue of the Buddha.

Few Buddhas can see their own statues.

Buddhas usually achieve Buddhahood after death.

As he was silently looking, suddenly there came a hurried sound of footsteps. He looked up and saw a young monk with a tightly - knitted brow and a clenched jaw coming in a hurry.

The young monk stood in front of Ye Shu and stared at him fiercely.

"Are you the new - comer Buddha?"

Ye Shu was startled for a moment, then he looked at the young monk and replied with a smile, "Yes, I am. And you are?"

"My name is Huiming. I came here specifically to see you."

Huiming crossed his arms in front of his chest, slightly raising his chin and looking at Ye Shu rather proudly. He was the chief disciple of the Great Thunderclap Temple and the most likely candidate to inherit the abbot's mantle. Suddenly, there were rumors about some people of great fortune. The temple was in a panic, and in the end, they brought in an ordinary mortal, not even a Buddha Heir but the Buddha himself.

How could Huiming bear this?

If it was just a Buddha Heir, it might have been okay. But they directly brought back a Buddha. His status suddenly jumped from the same generation to an unknown senior generation.

Who could stand this?

So he came here specifically to see what kind of person this so - called Buddha that the old abbot claimed had descended from the sky was.

"Now that you've seen me, what do you think?"

Ye Shu asked with a smile.

Huiming evaluated without mercy, "I'm extremely disappointed."

Hearing this, Ye Shu wasn't angry. Instead, he turned around to face Huiming directly and asked, "In what way are you disappointed?"

"You have no talent at all. You can't even practice cultivation, yet you dare to claim to be the Buddha." Huiming said bluntly, "I've only been in the temple for seventeen years. I've been practicing day and night. Now I've reached the Return to Emptiness Realm. I'm a prominent figure in Central State, far more talented than you, but I can only be the chief disciple."

"Tell me, what makes you the Buddha?"

Huiming finished speaking in one breath and stared into Ye Shu's eyes.

His dissatisfaction was obvious.

"It does seem unfair," Ye Shu said, nodding slightly after listening.

Then he waved to Huiming. "May I invite you to come with me?"

"What are you going to do?"

Huiming frowned slightly, looking puzzled.

Ye Shu gave a mysterious smile. "You'll know when you come." After saying that, he straightened his robe and turned to leave first.

Huiming didn't understand what he meant, but he also wanted to know what was up his sleeve. So he followed closely behind, and as they walked along the corridor, the sound of chanting scriptures gradually became louder.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the Buddha - chanting Hall.

This was the place where the monks and believers came to worship the Buddha and practice cultivation.

Ye Shu stopped in front of the door but didn't go in. He just pointed at the men and women who were chanting scriptures inside from afar and said, "Look, all these sentient beings are chanting, but they also don't have spiritual roots. According to your statement, they are all ordinary mortals, without any talent, and they've never practiced cultivation for a single day."

"Do you mean that they can never become the Buddha?"

"What's the point of having them chant scriptures here? We should send them home earlier to avoid disturbing the peace."

"What's your opinion?"