Chapter Seventy: Fang Zhang Long Yuan

  "Monk, I'll let you test me. If I pass, take me to see the abbot of this temple. What do you say?" Chen Chufan called out to Longyuan Fangzhang, who was about to leave, and said something that left him speechless with laughter and tears.

  "Amitabha, I wonder what brings the donor to our temple today?" Monk Longyuan covered his mouth with his sleeve and asked solemnly.

  "I won't hide it from you, Master, I have a predestined relationship with the Buddha!" Chen Chufan also replied seriously. The reason was nonsense, of course, and not Chen Chufan's true thoughts. He simply felt that since this temple had the most profound Buddhist teachings, it must be the abbot, so he suddenly had an idea to communicate with the abbot of this temple and see if he could enlighten him.

  He never thought that the abbot of a temple would be so easy to see! If every Buddhist who came to the temple could meet the abbot, the abbot of Huiyuan Temple wouldn't have time to do anything else all day, just receiving these believers. Of course, what he couldn't imagine even more was that he had great good fortune and actually met the abbot of the temple and chatted with him for a long time.

  "Oh, donor wants to establish a connection with our temple? To be ordained in our temple? I must let the donor know that ordination is not a simple matter! Even finding the abbot directly won't work!" Abbot Longyuan seems to have misunderstood."

  Chen Chufan heard the monk misinterpret his meaning and hastily explained: "The monk misunderstood, I didn't mean to become a monk, but thought that the abbot of this temple must have profound Buddhist teachings, or be able to enlighten me."

  Lung Yuen shook his head and sighed inwardly, thinking that this young man was indeed lazy. He had simply blurted out a phrase about having an affinity with the Buddha. However, he also felt a bit curious, wondering where this young man's confidence came from, allowing him to pass his own test. After some thought, Lung Yuen said: "Since you have such thoughts, there is indeed some karmic connection between us. I will grant your request. However, it is not convenient to talk here for long. Why don't we ask the donor to move to our humble temple's reception hall and chat?"

  Chen Chufan didn't have any objections, and immediately followed the old monk to a reception hall in the Guiyuan Temple. As soon as they sat down at the table, Master Longyuan was about to speak and test him, but Chen Chufan spoke first.

  "And I must say this first, I can only recite Buddhist scriptures fluently, so if you want to test me, just test my memorization skills. Don't try to stump me with Zen riddles or ask me about Buddhist philosophy." Chen Chufan hastily said, fearing that the old monk would ask him something obscure.

  "Good! Then please recite a passage from the Lotus Sutra for me to hear?" Master Lung-yüan's curiosity was even greater. He thought this young man would engage in some clever wordplay or present some twisted logic to get out of it, but he didn't expect that the youth actually wanted to recite the Buddhist scripture in front of him. As is known, the language used in Buddhist scriptures is obscure and difficult to understand; without immersing oneself in them for several years, it's hard to even read them smoothly, let alone memorize them. Yet, this young man was surprisingly willing to take on the challenge. Master Lung-yüan couldn't help but feel greatly astonished.

  "The monk is not being straightforward, this Lotus Sutra has seven volumes and twenty-eight chapters, with over 60,000 characters. When can I finish memorizing it all? I have something to do this afternoon!" Chen Chufan said discontentedly. He had been reciting it for a while now, but it was just too long, he didn't have that much time to waste.

  "Alright, alright, it's the monk's fault! Then just recite the Diamond Sutra!" Master Lung-yüan said with a shake of his head.

  "As I have heard. At one time the Buddha was in the city of King ?rāvastī, in the Jeta Grove..."

  As Chen Chufan recited the scriptures with a shaking head, Master Longyuan's eyes grew wider and wider, and his heart became more and more astonished. He really didn't expect that this young man in front of him could actually recite the entire Vajra Samadhi Sutra from memory. Moreover, he did so clearly and fluently, without any signs of confusion.

  This Diamond Sutra is one of the Buddhist scriptures, and Master Longyuan must have studied it carefully. Just looking at it, he may have read it hundreds of times, but to memorize the entire text of over 10,000 characters without a single mistake was still beyond his power. However, if he just listened, he could pick out any mistakes, but surprisingly, when the young man recited from memory, there wasn't a single error. This child's ability made Master Longyuan suddenly regard the young man in front of him as a heavenly being.

  Religion is not about reason, it's about faith. If you believe, then you believe; if you don't, then you don't! Master Longyuan has spent over 30 years studying Buddhist scriptures and is a devout believer. As someone who believes in Buddhism, he naturally has deep faith in its theories, such as karma and reincarnation. So, at this moment, Chen Chufan is not just an ordinary young man in Master Longyuan's eyes; he must be the reincarnation of some great Buddhist master. How else could he recite these Buddhist scriptures from memory at such a young age? Not to mention that the scriptures are abstruse and difficult to understand, even the dry text itself is not something that an ordinary young man can read through, let alone memorize with perfect accuracy.

  He had no idea that the young man in front of him was not related to Buddhism at all, but rather a lucky boy who had been developed by an alien civilization's advanced technology and had a photographic memory. Of course, it was impossible for Master Longyuan to believe this, but believing that Chen Chufan was the reincarnation of a certain Buddha was effortless.

  He recited the scripture content of over 10,000 words, and it took Chen Chufan more than half an hour to finish reciting. After finishing the last sentence "At that time, Ananda and all the Bodhisattvas, the fourfold assembly, were all greatly delighted, their minds were decided, they bowed their heads to the Buddha's feet, and joyfully followed his instructions." Chen Chufan looked at the monk opposite him who was staring blankly and asked: "How is it? Have I ever deceived you?"

  "Benefactor's great power, Longyuan bows in reverence!" Longyuan Fangzhang finally spoke his Buddhist name in front of Chen Chufan.

  "It's unnecessary to kowtow anymore. Just take me to see the abbot of this temple and that will do!" Chen Chufan waved his hand, indicating for the monk in front of him to hurry up and fulfill his promise.

  Master Hongyuan was taken aback once again. He had thought that the young man in front of him, who kept saying he wanted to see him, would have some understanding of the Abbot of Huiyuan Temple, or at least know his Dharma name. But unexpectedly, this young man didn't know anything! Master Hongyuan didn't feel a little embarrassed, but since he had already assumed that this young man was a reincarnation of a great Buddhist master, Master Hongyuan explained with a smile: "To be honest with you, I am the Abbot of this temple!"

  "Huh?" This time Chen Chufan was stunned. Upon hearing this, Chen Chufan only then noticed that the monk in front of him seemed to be different from those he had met on his way up to the temple, at least the color of his kasaya was much more vibrant than the dull gray robes worn by ordinary monks, and couldn't help but sigh at his own blindness.

  Thinking of this, I also remembered that I was quite rude to the abbot of this temple, calling him a monk without any respect. It seemed that I had indeed been too disrespectful, and I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. But then I thought about it again, how could I have imagined that the abbot of a legendary temple would be so idle, taking the initiative to chat with me for over an hour? I was being rude, but he didn't seem to mind at all. Which is quite unusual for someone in his position? He deserved to be mistaken by me. So, my feeling of embarrassment also faded away, and after getting over the initial shock, my emotions stabilized as well.

  He never thought that being able to become the abbot of this temple, how could he not be a master who has carefully studied Buddhism and has great virtues? If there is no cultivation at all, the position of abbot would not have fallen to the current Master Longyuan!

  Lung Yuen Fang Zhang naturally didn't know what Chen Chu Fan was thinking at this moment, so he saw that the young man had only experienced a brief moment of astonishment before quickly recovering. He couldn't help but nod his head in secret admiration for the young man's temperament, feeling that the young man in front of him was surprisingly calm and composed, not matching his age. The young man was able to remain unruffled by praise or blame, which was truly rare. This made Lung Yuen Fang Zhang even more suspicious about the young man's background, thinking that he must have some connection with Buddhism.

  "Venerable Master, I didn't know your identity and my words earlier were impolite!" Chen Chufan apologized, using a respectful title.

  "There's no need for apologies. I'm just wondering what troubles the donor has, and wants this poor monk to dispel their doubts?" asked Master Longyuan.

  "Alas, it's a troublesome matter!" Chen Chufan then told the abbot about the choices he was facing. "What do you think I should choose?"

  "The donor has made his choice, according to the donor's words, one side is opportunity and the other side is affection, but it is impossible to have both. However, I think that there is no conflict between the two, you can choose both or give up both, just ask your heart!" Master Longyuan listened to Chen Chufan's opinion and gave his own view.

  "Examine your heart! ? Master, you are just putting on a show! My heart is now divided into two halves, one leaving and the other staying. What do you have to say about this, Master?" Chen Chufan was greatly disappointed when he heard Longyuan Master say this.

  Listening to Chen Chufan's argument, it also made Master Longyuan feel quite helpless. But thinking of himself as a monk, trying to guess the thoughts of a young boy, was also beyond his power, so he simply said irresponsibly: "Then let's put it aside for now, go with the flow, and when you figure it out, that's when we'll make a decision!"

  Master Longyuan's words were indeed disappointing to Chen Chufan, but thinking again, the two were of different ages and occupations, and it was a bit too difficult for Master to ask for advice on this matter. Moreover, even if he forced him to give an answer, he might not be satisfied with it himself. However, he couldn't help but retort: "Master Longyuan is a Buddhist monk, yet he uses the Taoist concept of nature to deal with me, which is really unfair!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for the opposite party, Long Yuanfang, to react, he began to discuss Buddhism with him. In his words, he started to make a sideways attack on whether Master Long Yuan had ever seen or heard of anyone in Buddhism who could truly cultivate an indestructible diamond body.

  Master Longyuan didn't suspect anything and started chatting enthusiastically with Chen Chufan. One old, one young, one who had practiced Buddhism for many years and mastered the profound Buddhist teachings, the other with extraordinary memory, able to recite Buddhist scriptures backwards, one intentionally testing, the other occasionally showing off, one able to effortlessly bring up Buddhist secrets, the other with ulterior motives, making veiled attacks. Yet they were able to have a lively conversation, only regretting that they had met too late. This really was a case of two people having a deep affinity for each other.

  What made Chen Chufan depressed was that even as the abbot of a temple, he had never seen anyone in Buddhism who had truly cultivated an indestructible diamond body that could withstand knives and guns.

  "So it seems that apart from legends, hearsay and speculation, even the great masters have never seen the true body of Vajra?" Chen Chufan concluded in disappointment.

  Master Longyuan was persistent in asking Chen Chufan about this matter, and didn't think much of it, assuming it was just Chen's youthful nature, so he calmly replied: "That's right, I've never actually seen it with my own eyes!"

  "It's getting late, and I shouldn't disturb Master Longyuan's meditation any longer. I'll take my leave for today, and when I have some free time in the future, I'll come again to listen to your teachings!" Not getting the answer he wanted, Chen Chufan felt that staying seated didn't make much sense anymore, especially since Master Longyuan was the abbot of the temple and must be very busy. He had already taken up so much of his time, and it wasn't very polite, so Chen Chufan stood up to bid farewell.

  "It's almost noon, why don't you stay in the temple and have a simple meal before leaving?" Master Longyuan unexpectedly said to detain him.

  Chen Chufan suddenly felt a little hungry in his stomach, and since he had never eaten vegetarian food in a temple before, he couldn't help but feel some excitement. He jokingly opened his mouth and said: "Master, are you inviting me to dinner? You won't ask me for money, will you?"

  The monk sighed and shook his head, "Amitabha, the young donor has a connection with Buddha, it's just a simple vegetarian meal, I dare not accept money!"