What Is a Buddha (Part Two)

In the Buddha Hall, the sound of chanting scriptures echoed continuously.

Several devout believers near the door had noticed the commotion here and stopped chanting. They all turned their heads to look.

Meeting the pious gazes of the believers, Huiming's face turned pale.

What a ruthless move.

If he continued to suppress others with Ye Shu's lack of cultivation, it would imply that those who lacked cultivation were unfit to approach the Buddha. Wouldn't the women, children, peddlers, and farmers kneeling on the ground be completely denied by his single statement?

Huiming thought for a long time and then gritted his teeth and said,

"Of course not."

"But you haven't practiced, nor chanted scriptures. You haven't even read a complete volume of scriptures. What right do you have to talk about the Buddha with me here?"

"And what makes you claim to be the Buddha?"

Ye Shu's expression remained unchanged, with a smile always on his lips. He looked at Huiming with a smile and asked, "How many years have you been practicing?"

"For a full seventeen years."

Huiming said rather proudly, "Since I came to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, I've been chanting scriptures day and night, practicing Buddhist doctrines, never slacking off, regardless of wind or snow. Every day, I've been contemplating the Buddhist Dharma. In this Great Thunderclap Monastery, no one understands the scriptures better than me, no one abides by the precepts more strictly than me, and no one respects the Buddha more than me."

"So, you think you should be more qualified than me?" Ye Shu smiled.

Huiming straightened his back slightly and said arrogantly, "I've adhered to the same routine for seventeen years. I can recite the scriptures backwards, and I strictly abide by every precept. What can you, who has never even touched a scroll, compare with me?"

"Very well."

Ye Shu nodded, then placed one hand on his shoulder and said, "From today on, you will be the new Buddha of the Great Thunderclap Monastery."

"What did you say?!" Huiming looked shocked.

"I said you are the Buddha." Seeing that he didn't hear clearly, Ye Shu repeated it again. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and it clearly reached Huiming's ears.

"Are you joking with me?"

Huiming looked at him blankly, seemingly not expecting the other party to be so straightforward.

"Of course not."

Ye Shu smiled slightly and said, "From now on, you are the Buddha. All the monks in this temple will respect you as they respect me."

After saying that, regardless of Huiming's reaction, he immediately spread the news. By the time the news had spread throughout the entire Great Thunderclap Monastery, Huiming still hadn't come to his senses.

"I've become a Buddha?"

As he walked in the corridor, the passing monks, even the senior uncles, all showed him sincere respect. This respect was not fake but came from the bottom of their hearts.

It was as if... they were really respecting a Buddha.

Just because of a single sentence.

Huiming had obtained everything he wanted, the faith of the temple's congregation, and all the things he had previously yearned for but couldn't get.

But he didn't feel satisfied.

Instead, he felt terrified.

The pious gazes of the people fell on Huiming, but they made him feel terrified from the bottom of his heart.

For the first time, he realized that the high position was not what he wanted.

So he came to Ye Shu's residence again and knocked on the door. Ye Shu was inside reading a Buddhist scripture. Seeing Huiming coming, he picked up the scripture in his hand and smiled, "You're right. As the Buddha, one should of course know something about the scriptures."

"I'm not here to talk about this."

Huiming rushed forward, holding both sides of the table with his hands. His eyes were full of bloodshot eyes and he said, "I don't want to be the Buddha. Are you humiliating me or showing pity on me?"

"Why do you say that?"

Ye Shu looked at him in confusion.

"Everyone here truly respects you without the slightest bit of falsehood. The way they treat me is the same as the way they treat you."

Huiming was stunned and couldn't say a word.

It was indeed the case.

"Anyway," Huiming gritted his teeth and still insisted, "I don't want to be the Buddha. My cultivation is not yet mature. Forcing me to take that position will only make me feel extremely uncomfortable."

"I see."

Ye Shu stood up and looked at him calmly, "As you wish, I won't force you. From now on, you'll still be the chief disciple of the Great Thunderclap Monastery."

Hearing this, Huiming finally felt a sense of relief.

He let out a sigh of relief and looked at Ye Shu.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ye Shu smiled slightly and reached out his hand to him. "If you don't mind, accompany me for a walk in the yard."

Since he had just asked Ye Shu for a favor, Huiming couldn't very well refuse.

So he reluctantly nodded in agreement.

As the two walked out of the courtyard gate, the monks they met along the way still put their hands together and bowed slightly, but now their gestures were directed at Ye Shu, not Huiming anymore.

This made Huiming feel relieved, but it also made him more curious.

"Aren't you uncomfortable at all?"

He couldn't help but ask, "Whenever this kind of thing happens, I always feel so strange and guilty."

"Why should I be uncomfortable?"

Ye Shu looked at him in confusion, "I am the Buddha. They respect me sincerely. Why should I feel guilty?"

"............................."

Huiming was at a loss for words and didn't know how to refute.

Seeing that he didn't say a word, Ye Shu continued, "This is the reason why you can't become the Buddha. You've been practicing Buddhism, contemplating the Dharma, and abiding by the precepts, but you've never thought about being the Buddha. No, you've never thought that you yourself are the Buddha."

These words were extremely convoluted, but the meaning was very clear.

Huiming sneered disdainfully.

"Who's as thick - skinned as you? My cultivation is far from perfect. My spiritual state, understanding, and cultivation level are all lacking. How could I possibly be the Buddha?"

Seeing this, Ye Shu didn't argue but continued to ask,

"So, in your eyes, what should the Buddha be like?"

"What should the Buddha be like?"

Huiming was stunned for a moment, then said matter - of - factly, "Of course, the Buddha should be compassionate, taking the sufferings of all sentient beings as his own sufferings and their joys as his own joys. He silently dedicates himself to all sentient beings without asking for any return. The Buddha should be free from greed, hatred, and ignorance, have no discriminatory mind, and no obsessions."

Finally, he glanced at Ye Shu and said, "Anyway, the Buddha definitely isn't like you."

Ye Shu wasn't angry.

Just then, the two walked out of the temple and came to a cliff. The wind and snow were even stronger here. There was a deep, bottomless cliff, and a faint purple color was faintly appearing at the top of the cliff.

Ye Shu's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and picked the plum blossom.

Then he held it in front of Huiming's eyes and smiled, "Your Buddha has come. Quickly catch it."

"My Buddha?"

Huiming was stunned for a moment, not understanding what he meant.

Ye Shu held the plum blossom and said with a smile, "This thing is free from greed, hatred, and ignorance, has no discriminatory mind, and no obsessions. It grows without taking anything from sentient beings. After it blooms, it quietly spreads its fragrance to the passers - by without asking for any return from sentient beings."

"Why isn't it a Buddha?"