Chapter 609 - 10: The Story of Guanyin’s Enlightenment

Chapter 609: Chapter 10: The Story of Guanyin’s Enlightenment

As one of the first Buddhas to be born.

In terms of seniority or ability, the Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata was among the top in Yama Heaven.

Before the Saint of Douluo Heaven had yet to return to His seat, the Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata even had the qualification to go to Douluo Heaven and patrol the world in the Saint’s stead.

Under His instruction, Miaoshan successfully brought her own desires under control.

However, this did not mean that Miaoshan had turned back into the Miaoshan of the past.

Because the way Miaoshan controlled her desires was by strengthening her Right Mindfulness, using Right Mindfulness to counterbalance desire.

In this regard, Miaoshan, whom Mara evaluated as "even more like a Buddha than a Buddha," truly lived up to Mara’s words.

Even the Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata had not expected that a mortal who had reincarnated as a Qin Dapo could actually possess such powerful Right Mindfulness—harboring all beings in her heart, universal salvation and great compassion.

After activating her own Right Mindfulness, Miaoshan transformed from a Qin Dapo into a Celestial Consort.

Though within the Buddha system of Yama Heaven this was only the lowest rank, equivalent to a Bhikkhu.

But considering that she had reincarnated from a Qin Dapo, the "Celestial Consort" that was Miaoshan was far beyond what other Celestial Consort Monks could compare to.

More importantly, the Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata saw in Miaoshan a potential never before seen.

As things stood, all the Buddha Bodhisattvas of Yama Heaven were transformations of the Right Mindfulness of all beings; They had no real past and present lives.

Or to put it more precisely, Their past lives were simply a part of all beings, aggregates of countless fragmented memories and Right Mindfulness.

In such circumstances, just how rare a Celestial Consort who had completely inherited her worldly memories and personality was, could easily be imagined.

Besides, Miaoshan had only needed to arouse her Right Mindfulness to directly transform into a Celestial Consort.

The Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata believed that her potential definitely did not stop there; she might even become the first Buddha to come from outside Yama Heaven.

Thus, the Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata recommended Miaoshan to go to the Buddha Country of the Treasure Tathagata to study.

The Treasure Tathagata was one of the most powerful among the Tathagatas, born with the ability to perceive all realms.

After reading through the entirety of Miaoshan’s life, the Treasure Tathagata decided to seal off her six senses, letting her be reborn and attain the Way within His own Buddha Country.

In this process, though Miaoshan was not a collective body of the Right Mindfulness of all beings, she had the fortune to experience once through all the memories of the Treasure Tathagata, coming to know the longing of all beings for hope.

From the lowliest ants to the highest Gods...

From plants ignorant and unknowing to Saints whose wisdom reached the heavens...

No matter what living being, deep within their hearts there was a survival instinct and an expectation for the future.

The positive evolution of these instincts and expectations, when finally converging in this Yama Heaven, turned into one Buddha Bodhisattva after another.

The reverse fell into Toli Heaven, becoming the many Demon Kings headed by the Eight Divisions.

By the time Miaoshan returned from her reincarnation and reawakened her six senses, she had astonishingly shed her old self and become the first postnatal Bodhisattva.

Then, in front of the Treasure Tathagata, Miaoshan made a vast vow: to save all beings from suffering.

The Treasure Tathagata greatly approved of this compassionate vow, and thus officially bestowed upon her the first honorific title—Guanshiyin.

Although within the rank system of Yama Heaven, a Bodhisattva was still one level below a Buddha, she had already surpassed the vast majority of manifestations of Right Mindfulness.

From this, all the Buddhas in Yama Heaven perceived Miaoshan’s potential.

The Buddhas confined within these heavenly Buddha Countries thought that perhaps, by relying on Miaoshan, their group could influence the mortal world without entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

After all, entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation meant abandoning memory and personality, and the risks therein were still unknown.

At least, until that Buddha who had entered the Six Paths of Reincarnation returned.

The Buddhas of Yama Heaven had always maintained a faint vigilance and aversion toward personally entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

In order to help Miaoshan take another step forward and attain the Buddha fruit-position.

The Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata and the Treasure Tathagata joined hands to invite forth the most ancient Buddha.

That Buddha’s honorific title was "Thousand-Light King Still-Abiding Tathagata."

It was said that He was the first Buddha to be born in Yama Heaven.

Some even speculated that this Thousand-Light King Still-Abiding Tathagata was actually the incarnation of an Ancient Buddha.

Setting aside the truth and source of such legends, the seniority and rank of the Thousand-Light King Still-Abiding Tathagata were beyond dispute.

Under His command, Miaoshan devoted herself to cultivating the Great Compassion Dharani—that is, the Great Compassion Mantra—not only leaping directly from the fruit-position of a First Ground Bodhisattva to that of an Eighth Ground Bodhisattva, but also thereby becoming fully endowed with the majestic form of a thousand hands and a thousand eyes.

When that majestic form of a thousand hands and a thousand eyes took shape, a Buddha Country came into being in the void, and one Dharma Aspect of a Wisdom King after another, Vajra Arhats, Celestial Consort Monks stepped down upon lotus flowers into the world.

Everyone knew that this was an omen of the birth of a Buddha.

Next, as long as Miaoshan stepped into that Buddha Country, she could officially obtain the Buddha fruit-position and become the ruler of a Buddha Country.

Yet just when Miaoshan was one final step away from obtaining the Buddha fruit, she looked into the distance toward that Buddha Country and laughed.

"When all beings are still sinking in the sea of suffering, what right have I to call myself Buddha, to be a Patriarch?"

Under countless stunned gazes, Miaoshan turned the compassionate ship around, waved away the Buddha Country, and refused this Buddha fruit that was within her grasp.

After that, under the honorific title of "Guanshiyin," Miaoshan traveled throughout Yama Heaven, seeking instruction in cultivation from many Buddha and Bodhisattva.

...........................

"So... are you Miaoshan now, or Guanshiyin?"

Having listened to this account from Miaoshan, Xiluo could not help but ask.

Though Miaoshan had always been subjectively glossing over the negative impact of her reincarnation as a Qin Dapo.

As a bystander, however, Xiluo had been suspecting all along whether the real Miaoshan was already dead.

The "Miaoshan" before her eyes was merely the Guanshiyin Bodhisattva walking the mortal world by borrowing Miaoshan’s body.

"I am both Miaoshan and Guanshiyin."

Smiling as she resolved Xiluo’s confusion, Miaoshan continued, palms pressed together.

"These two are both my identities, yet neither can completely represent me."

"I returned from Yama Heaven in order to fulfill the great vow of universal salvation."

When she reached this point, Miaoshan’s voice paused slightly, then she continued.

"I believe you have also seen the Gods in this Purple Bamboo Forest."

"They were originally a group of Evil Gods, Evil Gods deeply influenced by the primal desires in their hearts."

"I helped them find the demons in their hearts, then subdued them."

"Thus they have now all become the guardian Gods of this Putuo Mountain, with no possibility of doing evil again."

Hearing this, Xiluo couldn’t help but lower her head to glance at Li Boyang.

"This Six Desire Heavens setup you came up with really is full of loopholes..."

"The Six Desire Heavens were originally meant to accommodate Cultivators who, after death, were unwilling to enter reincarnation."

"But these Gods had already tamed the Demons in their hearts while alive. If they enter the Six Desire Heavens again after death, wouldn’t they be able to go only to Yama Heaven?"

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