If one were to speak of the life philosophies that Simon's experiences cultivated, they would ultimately boil down to the ordinary.
It seems the more one enjoys the scenery from high altitudes, the more one yearns for the days of running on the ground.
If Simon himself were to say, whether it was the call of memories or the anticipation of the future, both aspired to a peaceful life.
He was still a very humane person; no one familiar with him would disagree with that statement.
In June, the journey to the Snowy Region concluded, and Simon had been back at Shaolin Temple for half a month.
"So, I need to leave the mortal world for a period of time."
He stood in the Dharma Hall, explaining his thoughts to the monks below and giving instructions for his affairs.
Upon hearing this, the monks wept profusely, crying that they did not have the good fortune to remain by the Bodhisattva's side. Aside from this, they were quite accepting of Simon's impending reincarnation.
In the philosophy of the Bald Donkey, death is not the end of life's existence; their strenuous efforts to construct an afterlife seem to be a way to vent their fears.
However, the afterlife is by no means as humanized or systematized as they preach. There might be similarities in presentation, such as the concept of the six paths of reincarnation, but what a person truly becomes after reincarnation is uncertain. They might become an animal, or remain human, but the outcome is not determined by so-called merits.
When religions elevate themselves, they deviate too much from objective reality.
This point greatly displeased Simon. How many monks and temples, under the guise of Buddhist dharma and principles, swindled money and even oppressed the local populace? Anyone who ignored such evil acts would be insulting their own character.
He planned to spend the next year thoroughly organizing the Buddhist scriptures, completely eliminating the religious aspects of Buddhism, and extracting it as a philosophy, allowing it to be passed down as a set of effective social norms.
"He knew he would do this, and he would surely accomplish this unprecedented feat, simply because he was a Buddha in the world." — Anonymous, "Records of Bodhisattva Lu Yuan, Who Universally Delivers Boundless Sentient Beings"
How later generations would view this period of history was left for them to judge. Everything that happened in this year could indeed be seen as a groundbreaking and grand event.
The Bald Donkeys did not expect that the Buddha's first strike would be against his own people.
"Abolish all temples; no one is allowed to become a monk. Practitioners shall be called Layman at home."
It is said that taking away someone's livelihood is akin to killing their father. Simon's words caused a stir throughout the land, but what was striking was that he received not a single word of opposition.
More than half of the monks in Shaolin Temple left; the remaining ones, having no relatives or place to go, stayed in the temple.
Now Shaolin Temple was renamed Shaolin Town, or perhaps Shaolin Stockade.
The monks now farmed their own land, became self-sufficient, and even participated in commerce, joining various business associations. In short, they were no longer the pure and unworldly monks they once were.
Some monks from certain temples, who had not engaged in production for years and lacked the ability to work, first lived and learned with lay Layman, pilgrims, and common people.
There were also some fake monks who couldn't bear the grievance and wanted to gather a group of people to build temples, but without offerings from pilgrims, they couldn't even afford food, and eventually, nothing came of it.
Who in the whole world had not heard the Dharma name of Bodhisattva Lu Yuan? Probably no one. Many people longed to go to the Pure Land, where it was said they could enjoy blessings after death. With such benefits, only a fool would not heed the Buddha's commands.
Simon also intended to leverage the Pure Land's advantages in information exchange.
The members in the Pure Land Pearl now numbered a staggering fifty thousand and were still growing. The number of people bound by the Zhengyuan Knot had also reached about ten, and it would only increase in the future. Everything was developing in a positive direction, and the Pure Land had already become a colossal entity.
However, Simon was still not satisfied.
The members of the Pure Land Pearl were primarily his followers, which ensured the purity of the members but also limited the Pure Land's potential.
He decided to relax the requirements and lower the threshold; anyone not infected by Xiangxu could enter the Pure Land.
If everyone in the world could not do without the Pure Land, they naturally could not do without Buddhist principles, making the spread of Buddhist Dharma very easy and effortless.
For easier management in the future, Simon had to implement some classification measures.
After everyone received an epiphyllum, they could have their own personal mini-Pure Land, with only one person inside. All scenes and arrangements would be according to their wishes, undisturbed and very serene.
In addition, there were six public Pure Lands, dividing the people within the Pure Land into six categories, known as the Six Paths Pure Land.
Five of the Pure Lands were classified according to the members' temperaments: Upright, Benevolent, Moderate, Rebellious, and Egocentric.
The last Pure Land was reserved for members of the Zhengyuan Knot.
The Upright, Benevolent, and Moderate paths were also called the Virtuous Path Pure Land. Members had some power to fulfill their wishes, could decorate their Pure Land, and manifest some divine abilities.
The Rebellious and Egocentric paths were also called the Evil Path Pure Land. Members received no special treatment and were the same as in the outside world.
The Zhengyuan Knot path was also called the Sacred Pure Land, with the ability to supervise the Six Paths.
People of the Saint Path could go to all six paths, while the other two paths could only circulate internally.
The Incarnation Dharma Eye was responsible for the classification of the Six Paths, constantly observing without slackening.
As for how to judge an individual's stance in life, it was naturally through the Heavenly Eye, which observed the person's past conduct and understood their true heart.
The Upright were clear about right and wrong, and determined to eliminate evil.
The Benevolent repaid grievances with virtue and possessed noble character.
The Moderate were impartial and naturally acted without striving.
The Rebellious inverted right and wrong and acted on impulse.
The Egocentric used any means necessary and were heartless and unrighteous.
The character of people in the Pure Land would be monitored at all times. Those on the Virtuous Path could fall into the Evil Path, and the wicked could also abandon darkness for light; it was by no means rigid management.
...
Ben You, dressed in plain cloth, stood on the mountain in front of the Buddha. His once bald head now had a layer of short, fresh black hair. He stood at ease, looking up at the sky.
In the beautiful dark purple firmament, a pair of gentle eyes faintly appeared, like two bright moons seen through a layer of twilight shimmering light.
The young monk silently lowered his head, casting his gaze upon the carved Buddha statue. The waves of Sumeru Sea gently lapped at the Bodhisattva's knees. Those stone eyes were now closed. Ben You knew that the Bodhisattva's eyes were now in the heavens, looking down upon all sentient beings.
This vast Sacred Pure Land now had only fourteen people, and he was the only permanent resident.
He sighed again, lamenting that his fellow disciples were not striving, none of them having fixed a Zhengyuan Knot.
Sun Lichai often visited the Pure Land, but she always stayed in the three Virtuous Path sections, often learning from several masters.
In contrast, Ben You felt a bit unlearned. Now that the Buddha had categorized the Pure Land, the task of supervision was greatly reduced, and the young monk felt quite idle.
As he sighed, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in his ear, "So idle? Go organize the Buddhist scriptures for me."
Ben You, expressionless, silently shed a tear of bitterness.
...
After arranging the important matters, Simon also had time to deal with some accumulated miscellaneous tasks.
First was Quan Hongming.
His superior affinity bead could almost be called an evil affinity bead, and Simon had no good way to safely dispel the power of Xiangxu.
The only measure now was to continuously replenish superior affinity to stabilize Quan Hongming's soul.
This tiny soul seed was constantly growing and beginning to turn black.
This oppressive aura was the work of that black-robed person.
Continuing to inject superior affinity seemed to be like drinking poison to quench thirst. Quan Hongming's consciousness became increasingly blurred, his soul like a pitch-black eyeball, with a greyish-white pupil and an iris so beautiful...
Simon met his gaze and always felt a familiar look.
It was Xiangxu.
Low whispers echoed in his ears.
"This Lord...remembers you...you will submit..."
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