Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 469 - 420 Four Truths

Chapter 469: Chapter 420 Four Truths
No one could have predicted that Master Jianquan would suddenly kill the Vice Commander of the Town Patrol Office and the temple master of the Haotian Taoist Temple in Luoyang.
Just as no one would expect that during the New Year’s Day grand ceremony, Academic Palace Master Lian Xuanxiao would suddenly kill the Emperor and Empress and declare himself the Emperor of Yu.
It was too bizarre and incredible to believe.
"Master... Master Jianquan," Xing Pengyue’s gaze, with great difficulty, shifted away from Gongsun Changyi’s corpse, and he said with a trembling voice, "What are you..."
"Still haven’t figured it out?" Master Jianquan smiled gently.
As Xiong Tuohai died, the Thunder Prison slowly dissipated. The trapped Shadow Demon immediately slid along the ground to Master Jianquan’s feet, turning back into a mere shadow.
The four walls of the prison courtyard were filled with torches, but Master Jianquan cast only one shadow.
"There was never a Shixing Monk; it has always been you."
Sui Yi spoke with a bitter tone, "You first used the Shadow Demon to separately assassinate Huang Yusan, Gao Fuyun, and others, fabricating the reality of serial killings in Xingzhou City. You knew the Xingzhou Town Commandery would necessarily to the higher-ups, so you arrived in Luoyang in advance, found Vice Commander Gongsun Changyi, and concocted news related to the Shixing Monk. You were the last person to have seen the Shixing Monk and also the leader of the Yu Country Zen Sect, most familiar with Zen Cultivation Techniques. Consequently, Gongsun Changyi would inevitably bring you to Xingzhou, and you took this opportunity to attack and kill him. To make your actions smoother, you also specifically fabricated the so-called ’Shixing Monk is killing people according to the Six Paths of Reincarnation,’ deceiving Li Leqing from Xingzhou City into leaving. Because you knew that powerful Imperial Palace Tributors must be secretly following Li Leqing. They would obstruct your plan."
Master Jianquan listened with a smile, exuding a gentle demeanor that didn’t seem like that of a murderer with blood on his hands but rather that of a kindly old farmer returning from a day’s work.
"If the facts are as the layperson says," After Sui Yi finished speaking, Master Jianquan leisurely began, "why would this poor monk attack and kill the temple master of the Xingzhou Daoist temple? Doing so would inevitably bring Xiong Tuohai, the temple master of the Haotian Taoist Temple in Luoyang. Wouldn’t this poor monk just be creating trouble for himself?"
"..."
Sui Yi couldn’t help but fall silent; she truly couldn’t fathom the motive behind Master Jianquan’s actions.
One must know that he was already the leader of the Yu Country Zen Sect, with innumerable disciples and followers. The scriptures he compiled would undoubtedly become prestigious works in the future. Status, strength, reputation, power—Master Jianquan had already reached the pinnacle of what a monk could aspire to. He had no reason to rebel openly against Yu. Even the slightest possibility, such as being a spy sent by the Zhou Kingdom to Yu a long time ago, wouldn’t lead him to choose Xingzhou, a city without strategic value, for an action lacking strategic significance. It would be better to assassinate someone within the Imperial Palace.
"This poor monk is neither a spy for the Zhou Kingdom or Jing Country, nor a deeply hidden member of the Demon Sect, nor has he been manipulated under the influence of Mutated Objects." Master Jianquan continued calmly, "The stories this poor monk told during the day were mostly true, with only a few differences in detail.
Half a year ago, while this poor monk was traveling, I encountered the Shixing Monk, who called himself Harvard. At that time, he was with a woman calling herself Suo Luo. They claimed to be from the Zhao Ming Organization, which had previously devastated Chang’an City, and had come specifically to recruit this poor monk."
Master Jianquan’s gaze grew focused as he reminisced, "This poor monk had heard a little about the Chang’an anomaly last Qixi. Through correspondence with friends, I learned the name ’Zhao Ming.’ Naturally, I became vigilant, feigned compliance, and was constantly prepared to subdue the two of them.
The Shixing Monk, guessing this poor monk’s intentions, preemptively produced a scroll of scriptures. It was a scroll from the Pre-Qin Period, brought from Tianzhu by Mahalekhituo—the Sarnath Notes. Its author was one of the earliest members of the Sengga whose name has been lost to time; he listened to the Buddha’s teachings at Sarnath and recorded his insights and perplexities."
The Buddha reached enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, under a Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, after meditating in a cross-legged position, then took on disciples and spread his teachings. Sarnath was the site of his first sermon.
"This poor monk has had the good fortune to read many Sanskrit scriptures, including the Ancient Zen Classics brought back by Yu Chu and Master Chen Yi from Nalanda Temple. Hence, I could recognize that the scroll was no forgery.
As for the content, it was indeed the explanation of the Four Truths given by the Buddha himself."
Master Jianquan said, "The Buddha became enlightened after realizing the laws of birth and death in the world. However, because the cycle of life and death was too profound and complex, the Buddha deliberately simplified it. He used the Four Truths to expound on the principles of ’Dependent Origination’ and the path of liberation from this cycle. These are: one, suffering; two, the origin; three, cessation; and four, the path.
’The truth of suffering refers to the pain in life, such as birth, aging, sickness, and death. Because there is suffering, one cannot be liberated.
’The truth of the origin states that the cause brings about the effect of all suffering, pointing out that all suffering is rooted in three basic instincts: greed, hatred, and ignorance.
’The truth of cessation is about extinguishing these three poisons—greed, hatred, and ignorance—like blowing out a candle, putting an end to suffering and attaining purity and calm.
’The truth of the path is complete enlightenment. It’s not about pursuing sensual pleasures or seeking happiness through ascetic self-mortification but rather about discovering inner peace and seeking tranquility.
’Once the Four Truths are realized, one can achieve Nirvana and become the happiest and most unrestrained person in the world. He would not suffer for the pains of the past, nor agonize over the pains of the future. He would live only in the present, his heart full of compassion, kindness, and love. The Four Truths are the foundation of Zen teachings, and all philosophies are related to them. Throughout history, countless sages have built upon this foundation.
’Many monks have even claimed that some individuals have apprehended the Four Truths and attained the ultimate liberation. Thus it is with suffering, I’ve understood; with origin, I’ve severed; with cessation, I’ve verified; and with the path, I’ve practiced.’"
Master Jianquan spoke eloquently, his voice calm and serene, containing a resolute strength. If one overlooked the fresh blood on his hands and the two corpses at his feet, there would be no difference from a typical Zen sermon.
"But, they are all wrong."
Master Jianquan sighed deeply. "Suffering, origin, cessation, path. Suffering is the origin of the Four Truths. Only by recognizing the suffering of all beings can one come to a complete understanding.
The original Buddha observed birth, aging, sickness, and death with immense compassion to empathize profoundly.
The monks today, however, do not engage in productive labor. They merely observe the hardships of the world, vainly attempting to comprehend compassion and self-enlightenment by watching others. This approach is as contradictory as trying to go south by driving the chariot north, or trying to find fish by climbing a tree. The more they believe, the farther they stray from the right path, and the closer they get to delusion, with no possibility of realizing the Four Truths or achieving Nirvana and Buddhahood.
It’s like a bridge over an endless sea of suffering with a section missing in the middle. Even if one is only a few yards from the shore, it is as unreachable as the horizon, impossible to cross.
The contents of the Sarnath Notes, however, fill in this missing part of the Dao Path.
That is, to fully immerse oneself in the lives of others, to completely and clearly feel their pain and happiness—which can also be understood as the Heaven of Transformation."