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墨書 Inktalez
As a great battle was about to begin, Belden took out a plaque from her waist and waved it in front of the general. The general immediately knelt down, clasping his fists in salute, saying, "I did not know the Great Immortal had descended; I apologize for not welcoming you properly."
Seeing this, the soldiers also knelt down one after another.
"Rise, for the ignorant are not guilty," Belden said. "This Great Immortal is here on a secret mission from the Jade Emperor of Heaven and does not wish to disturb you all. Please return and inform your emperor that I will visit him on another day."
After speaking, in order to create an effect, she and Kairuot vanished with a whoosh, leaving everyone present stunned and speechless.
-
The two returned to Luowen Inn late at night.
In their room at the inn, Kairuot curiously asked, "What plaque did you show General Hao at the Small Restaurant that left him so shaken?"
"This is a token granted by the emperor of the previous dynasty specifically for the Great Immortal to enter and exit the palace. My token represents supreme authority, even the current emperor must show respect. Moreover, General Hao learned his martial arts at White Horse Temple; his master is my disciple. Given this connection, he would naturally bow down to me."
At that moment, the bell of White Horse Temple rang, signaling the start of a new day.
Kairuot said, "In two days, you will be delivering teachings at White Horse Temple; shouldn't you prepare properly?"
"There is no need for preparation; the Dharma has long been in my heart," Belden replied. "We have been busy all day; it is time to rest. In the remaining two days, I can accompany you to explore Luoyang City."
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Belden forgot the promise made the night before and did not take Kairuot to explore Luoyang City, but instead headed straight for White Horse Temple.
White Horse Temple is not far from Luoyang City, so they did not need to hire a carriage; they arrived at the entrance of White Horse Temple in half an hour. The entrance features a three-arch stone gate in the style of a paifang, and upon looking up, one can see the blue stone inscription of "White Horse Temple" embedded in the red lintel. The entire temple is laid out in an orderly manner, with red walls and green tiles, showcasing an ancient style. Outside the main gate is a square with a release pond and a stone arch bridge, while green spaces are located on both sides. The temple faces south and has a long courtyard with five main halls arranged from south to north: Heavenly King Hall, Great Buddha Hall, Mahavira Hall, Guiding Hall, and Vimalakirti Hall.
They slowly walked into White Horse Temple. Two large incense burners stood proudly in front of Heavenly King Hall, surrounded by devout worshippers and curious visitors, with smoke swirling around them. The sound of monks rhythmically striking wooden fish could be heard from within the hall. They did not enter the main hall but silently followed a small path northward, turning around several corners until they reached Cool Breeze Terrace located behind the courtyard.
Cool Breeze Terrace is situated at the back of the temple complex and is a high platform building known as the "Sky Courtyard." The last main hall of White Horse Temple, Vimalakirti Hall, is located within Cool Breeze Terrace and features a double-eaved hip roof structure. It serves as the central building of Cool Breeze Terrace, surrounded by auxiliary halls, gate towers, release ponds, sweet dew wells, and corridors. The two side halls are Shemo Teng Hall and Zhu Fa Lan Hall, which house statues of two eminent monks.
Kairuot said, "I heard from people in Luoyang that this Cool Breeze Terrace was originally a place where Han Mingdi studied and sought coolness during his youth, later becoming a place for the Indian monks Shemo Teng and Zhu Fa Lan to translate scriptures."
"This legend is not without merit," Belden replied thoughtfully. "However, have you ever considered where Buddhism originated? What is the true source of these scriptures?"
Kairuot answered without hesitation, "India."
Belden smiled without refuting him and slowly said, "Buddhism emphasizes the progress and awakening of human spirit and morality. Buddhist followers discover the truth of life and the universe through their own practice, ultimately transcending life and death and eliminating all troubles to achieve ultimate liberation. If one can become a true Buddhist through cultivation, he should be among the earliest forms of Homo Sapiens on Earth. The emergence of Buddhism and scriptures represents the crystallization of Homo Sapiens' wisdom; there is also a contribution from Capricornian... Let's put it this way: Buddhism is profound and extensive; strictly speaking, even you—a highly cognitive Martian Homo Sapiens—might not fully interpret it."
As they spoke, they entered Vimalakirti Hall. The officiate Master Yanshou of White Horse Temple had been waiting there for some time. Upon seeing Belden, he quickly approached with a welcoming smile: "Welcome to both Great Immortals; please come inside."
They followed the officiate into a side hall behind the main hall. Belden informed Kairuot: "This hall is Scripture Hall and also serves as a place for translating texts."
Kairuot saw that inside there were piles of scriptures on the floor and tables; two monks were busy translating and copying texts. One monk named Intelligent hurriedly handed Belden a completed manuscript when he saw her enter, saying: "Immortal Mistress, Volume 10 of Chang A Heart Sutra has been translated; please take a look."
Immortal Mistress took the scripture and flipped through the earlier sections, repeatedly praising: "Well translated! There has been significant improvement compared to previous volumes. I hope you continue to work hard."
Kairuot casually picked up an original scripture from the desk and flipped through it. He recognized it as text from the Capricorn Planet. Seeing the desk piled high with hundreds of untranslated scriptures, he said with concern, "Tsk tsk, the workload for translating these scriptures is enormous. It seems that even these two masters might find it difficult to complete in their lifetime."
"Don't worry about that," Officiate replied. "Master Yanshou places great importance on the translation of scriptures, and there are more than just this one translation office. This here is the main translation office, where all translated scriptures are reviewed and compiled. If it weren't for this, just the Long Agama Sutra has 22 volumes, the Middle Agama Sutra has 60 volumes, and the Samyukta Agama has 50 volumes, along with 51 volumes of the Anguttara Nikaya, which is quite a lot of content."
Kairuot asked Belden in Mars Language: "I learned from historical texts on Mars that this Agama Sutra is a famous scripture of the Capricornian. I didn't expect it to have spread to Earth so early. Could it be that Earthlings have deep roots with Capricornian?"
Belden also responded in Mars Language: "Don't quiz me. A significant portion of the genes of Earthlings and Capricornian are similar, and there are also connections with Martians. However, when they were migrated to Earth, their Cognitive Ability was believed to be controlled. Uncontrolled Homo Sapiens rarely wished to come to this wild and primitive Earth. This is the fundamental reason for the slow development of Earthlings."
"The fundamental reason for Earth's slow development isn't about how many Homo Sapiens there are but whether we are willing to lift our control over them and genuinely help them. Your efforts to spread the Agama Sutra to Earthlings may not be very useful."
"I don't have the authority to lift control over them; all I can do is transmit teachings on Earth and see what effect it has later."
"If it's useful, then after so long, the Agama Sutra wouldn't still be overlooked on Earth."
"One day, after Earth enters a modern civilized society, Earthlings will realize the true value of the Agama Sutra. I don't care whether it's Mahayana or Theravada; I believe that the Agama Sutra is fundamental to Buddhist teachings. Because its meanings are profound and easily misunderstood, true practice and realization are necessary to comprehend it. For a long time, its transmission on Earth has relied on oral recitation, leading to some errors. Therefore, we must translate it as soon as possible to prevent it from being misjudged as Theravada and left neglected, allowing the Agama Sutra to be buried."
The two spoke in Martian Language, leaving the present Officiate and two monks puzzled, unsure of what the two Great Immortal were discussing as they stood there in confusion. Seeing this, Belden said, "Master Yanshou, please excuse us; we were discussing matters of Buddhist teachings."
Master Yanshou saluted with one hand: "Amitabha! With the assistance of two Great Immortal, the teachings of Buddhism at the White Horse Temple will flourish even more."
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