Chapter 624: A White Horse is Not a Horse
Song Qingshu responded calmly, “Does it matter whether these words come from this little girl or from me?”
The surrounding crowd was momentarily stunned, but they quickly understood: yes, regardless of who said it, the fact that at least one of them understood Sanskrit meant that as long as they insisted it wasn’t the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, Shaolin Temple would have no way to prove otherwise and thus couldn’t justifiably seize it from You Tanzhi.
Master Xuan Cheng’s face alternated between green and purple. He had assumed that Ah Jiu didn’t understand Sanskrit, allowing him to openly take the Marrow Cleansing Scripture back from You Tanzhi without reproach. Who would have thought he’d dig such a deep pit for himself?
“Amitabha. With the benefactor’s apparent proficiency in Sanskrit, you must be well-versed in Buddh!st scriptures. Surely you understand the principle that greed, anger, and ignorance—the three poisons—harm both mind and body, trapping one in the cycle of life and death and serving as the root of evil. Now that the benefactor covets a divine manual, that is greed; acting rashly out of past misunderstandings is anger; and failing to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, is ignorance. The benefactor is afflicted by all three poisons… The sea of suffering is boundless; I hope you turn back before it’s too late.”
Master Fang Zheng, impressed by Song Qingshu’s earlier display of Sanskrit knowledge, mistakenly assumed him to be well-versed in Buddh!st philosophy. He hoped to use Buddh!st principles to persuade him to abandon any thoughts of possessing the Marrow Cleansing Scripture.
Song Qingshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the monks didn’t press him further on Sanskrit. His half-baked knowledge would have been exposed in an instant. Seeing the conversation shift to Buddh!st principles, he felt more confident. Such abstract topics could easily be countered with clever words.
“The sea of suffering is boundless, but does turning back really lead to salvation? May I ask, Master, Buddh!sm teaches that one can become a Buddha instantly by laying down the butcher’s knife. Is this true?” Song Qingshu knew that Buddh!st philosophy often involved debates where each side could argue their point. Instead of engaging directly, he countered with a question derived from Fang Zheng’s earlier words, staying on topic while disrupting the flow.
Fang Zheng was momentarily delighted, thinking Song Qingshu was repenting. He immediately replied, “That is indeed true.”
Song Qingshu smiled faintly, his tone suddenly sharp: “Then may I ask, Master, why must good people endure eighty-one tribulations to obtain true scripture and become Buddhas, while a murderous devil can become a Buddha simply by laying down their knife? Isn’t this grossly unfair to good people? Does such a Buddha not serve evildoers? What value does such a path to enlightenment hold?”