bookbashuk Chapter 216 Lü Qian: I'm handsome, I'm afraid of going bald
Chapter 216 Lü Qian: I'm handsome, I'm afraid of going bald
Zen Master Daoji held a wine pot in his hand, and his tattered palm-leaf fan was tossed into the air, creating a slight breeze on its own.
A gentle breeze blew slowly through the quiet place, making Lü Qian feel comfortable and at ease.
"The myriad aspects of this mortal world, with all sorts of wonderful things arising everywhere, also keep my worldly desires from fading away."
Zen Master Daoji took another swig of wine, waved his sleeve at Lü Qian, and said, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart."
"It's a pity that most people only remember the first half of the sentence and never mention the second half."
"If people follow my example, they will be on the path of demons."
"It's easy to enter the demonic path, but it's not so easy to get out."
He reached out and picked up the palm-leaf fan that was in mid-air, then casually scratched his back, showing no trace of the demeanor of a senior master. He looked like a crazy, eccentric, and uncouth monk.
But this mad monk had eyes that seemed to hold the stars, reflecting the boundless void around him.
"Everyone has their own path. The senior may seem to be intoxicated by the world, but in fact he is using the world to refine his heart. Such behavior is not something that can be done by anyone but a person with great perseverance who can see through the illusion and achieve emptiness and tranquility."
Lu Qian shook his head. Everyone is different, and not everyone has the serene and ethereal quality of Zen Master Daoji, who seems to be in a drunken stupor.
Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart.
But once the wine and meat entered their stomachs, their eyes, ears, and noses tasted their appearance and aroma, and their tongues, bodies, and minds digested their flavors and desires.
This is the shape and color of an object, which is also what Buddhist scriptures refer to as external objects and internal appearances.
Only when one truly lets go of the form and color of objects, and is not bound by things or attached to forms, can one truly achieve "emptiness and formlessness" and attain tranquility and enlightenment.
To put it simply, I see this meat as not being meat, and this wine as not being wine; it has transcended the original understanding of matter.
Others who learn from Zen Master Daoji think that they should indulge in desires in order to better control their restless minds, but little do they know that they are wrong from the very beginning.
What people seek from the beginning is emptiness, not some kind of constraint or desire for material things.
Zen Master Daoji truly let go, rather than trying to let go.
Hearing Lü Qian's words, Zen Master Daoji smiled slightly and happily patted the palm-leaf fan in his hand into his bosom.
"Young friend Lü is indeed exceptionally perceptive; his potential is truly promising."
"As a senior, I'd like to ask out of curiosity, why did you decide to join the Taoist sect instead of my Buddhist sect?"
After praising him, Zen Master Daoji seemed to remember something. He covered his mouth with a palm-leaf fan, as if they were discussing some secret or gossip.
"With your aptitude, you could pursue your path to enlightenment anywhere, wouldn't you?"
"Let me give you a heads-up, quite a few people are curious about this."
As he spoke, he mischievously pointed around, then withdrew his hand and said seriously, "Don't worry, it's just the two of us here now."
"There are four ears in total, not six."
"Just to satisfy my curiosity as a senior, tell me about it, monk."
Zen Master Daoji was truly unconventional; his words made a serious conversation sound like some kind of underground intelligence exchange.
He deliberately softened his voice, as if afraid others would hear him, and didn't care whether the question was embarrassing, presenting himself as a playful old man.
After all, this is a very awkward question if judged by the standards of etiquette and emotions of ordinary people.
It's like two women meeting a man, and the man choosing one of them as his partner, and the two even getting along very well.
Another woman rushed up without any hesitation and asked, "Why wasn't I chosen in the first place?"
Whether it's the man involved or Lü Qian, who is being compared to the man in this situation, hearing such a question that harbors resentment would indeed make them feel awkward.
If this were a common, ordinary person, no one would ask such a sentimental question, because most people care about their reputation.
But it was precisely this nonchalance that made Lü Qian feel the emptiness in Zen Master Daoji's heart.
That is the freedom and ease of letting go of everything unnecessary.
True freedom lies in not being bound by appearances or deeply entangled in worldly affairs.
Lu Qian, who was sitting opposite Zen Master Daoji, was also affected by this feeling of emptiness.
He didn't act coy at all; instead, he explained the reason frankly.
"You're talking about this, there's really not much to say about it. There are reasons, but they're quite ordinary."
"It's just because I'm too handsome."
He scratched his head, as if recalling memories from his youth, and said, half boasting and half shyly.
"When I was young, I looked in the mirror and felt that I was handsome and dashing. I was sure that I would become a person who would be remembered in history for his good looks."
"They might even leave behind biographies, portraits, or other items for future generations to admire."
"But if I go bald, my image will be ruined."
"That won't do, that won't do!"
Lu Qian waved his hand and said seriously, "Although no one is perfect, I still want to have one less blemish on my resume."
When Zen Master Daoji heard Lü Qian's shameless words, he was taken aback and stared wide-eyed while holding the wine pot.
The shocked gaze swept over Lü Qian several times. Looking into those clear eyes, Zen Master Daoji was certain that this thought was indeed a true reflection of Lü Qian's inner thoughts, and he immediately burst into laughter.
"Hahaha......"
"So he really is a wandering monk, and he's even afraid of going bald, hahaha..."
The boundless void echoed with Zen Master Daoji's laughter as he clutched his stomach and leaned backward.
"Oh dear, just because he shaved his head, a Buddhist disciple went to the Taoist sect and became Xuan Yang of the Taoist sect."
"This fate is truly wondrous!"
After laughing for a long time, Zen Master Daoji took a sip of wine to suppress the remaining laughter in his stomach. He pointed to the black hair on the top of his head and asked.
"But look, I still have hair. If I become a high monk in the future, I can just let it grow back."
"Even if someone disagrees, you can debate with them. Besides, even if you can't win the argument, you still have your hands and feet, right?"
"That's different."
The old man and the young man seemed to have become peers, and Lü Qian also put aside his invisible airs and seriously retorted.
"Even if it grows back later, I was bald for a period of time."
"In the eyes of this junior, this is no different from burying one's head in the sand."
Seeing this, Zen Master Daoji smiled and waved the palm-leaf fan in his hand, "Enough, enough, the time has not come, we cannot force it."
"You certainly have some of the grandmaster's demeanor."
"Of course, since it's meant to be passed down to future generations, we can't be careless."
Lu Qian began to calculate with some pride, "I've handled everything perfectly along the way."
"Those who deserve to be killed should be eliminated completely. Otherwise, if I have enemies, they will wantonly tarnish my image after I ascend to immortality."
After he finished his somewhat shameless rant, Lü Qian looked at Zen Master Daoji with curiosity.
"Senior, what is your connection with Zen Master Huijing?"
This is also what puzzled him. It would be wrong to say that Zen Master Huijing was just an identity of Daoji in his dream of the mortal world.
Because Zen Master Huijing said, "He is himself, and Daoji is Daoji."
Moreover, he did not initially notice Zen Master Daoji; it was Zen Master Daoji himself who revealed his presence.
Although Lü Qian could guess that it involved the mystery of the path to immortality, he was still in the mortal realm and did not have enough understanding of these realms of immortality.
"Hehehe, didn't I already tell you the answer?"
Zen Master Daoji tapped himself with his palm-leaf fan, "Think again about your dream of wealth and glory. Let's see if you, Little Lu Zu, can guess correctly this time."