Chapter 367: Chapter 130: Master_2

Yueyao had just sat down when she saw a middle-aged man wearing a blue-grey robe and a square hat. The man had an ordinary appearance, but there was an air of scholarship about him.

The man felt someone looking at him and looked up in surprise at Yueyao. After asking a monk beside him, he looked back at Yueyao with a very strange expression on his face.

Master Xuan Tian came out, and everyone stood up.

This was the first time in two lifetimes that Yueyao had seen this famous Grand Master. Xuan Tian was dressed in a golden kasaya, his face round and kind. He had a smile that made him seem like Maitreya Buddha, exuding a warmth that was instantly endearing.

Master Xuan Tian lectured the monks for the entire morning, and Yueyao listened attentively. Rumor had it that Master Xuan Tian seldom explained the Buddhist scriptures, and though the lecture was primarily for the monks in the temple, the opportunity was rare, so Yueyao committed every word to memory.

Master Xuan Tian spoke about the scriptural texts for an hour, and ordinary people would have fallen asleep listening to such profound and difficult material. Fortunately, those who were there had been carefully selected, and no such incident occurred.

Despite his reputation, Master Xuan Tian was a very gentle person, and in the last half an hour, he allowed those with unresolved questions to ask them.

Yueyao wanted to ask a question too, but unfortunately, it wasn’t her turn. Watching Master Xuan Tian’s retreating figure, she felt a great sense of loss. His teachings seemed simple but contained profound philosophies of life. She resolved to write down everything she remembered upon her return.

Yueyao did not hurry to leave but reflected seriously on the scriptural texts explained by Master Xuan Tian. It was only after she had digested Master Xuan Tian’s teachings that she realized she and Ji Xiang were the only ones left in the great hall.

Seeing Yueyao finally come back to her senses, Ji Xiang said with a smile, “Female benefactor, may we leave now?”

Following Ji Xiang out of the great hall, Yueyao prepared to return to her quarters. But then Ji Xiang said to her, “Female benefactor, the Grand Master is waiting for you in the meditation room, please come with me.”

Yueyao was stunned, “The Grand Master? Which Grand Master?” When Yueyao realized it was Master Xuan Tian, she was utterly flabbergasted. She could actually meet Master Xuan Tian alone; was she dreaming?

Seeing Yueyao’s stupefied manner, Ji Xiang couldn’t help but laugh, “Female benefactor, please follow me.”

Master Xuan Tian’s meditation room was extremely clean, not only spotless but also very simple. Apart from the bed, there was only a meditation cushion, not even a table.

Yueyao respectfully said, “Master,” in the presence of someone she looked up to, she couldn’t help but be reverent.

Master Xuan Tian looked at Yueyao for about three minutes. Just as sweat began to bead on her forehead, Master Xuan Tian brought his hands together and after a chant of ‘Amitabha,’ he said, “The young lady truly has a connection with Buddhism.” His expression was rather strange, but seeing that Yueyao had a pure heart, he didn’t dwell on it much.

Yueyao felt a little scared, worrying whether the Master had seen that she had lived two lives, “Master…”

Master Xuan Tian said with a smile, “The young lady asked Ru Kong how to dispel others’ obsessions. In truth, it is the young lady herself who should let go of obsessions.”

Yueyao was taken aback, “Me?” How could it be her? She had no obsessions, she was only afraid.

Xuan Tian still wore his kindly Maitreya Buddha face, “There are sentient beings who are bound by twenty-one knots of the heart. It is said that such a person will surely fall into a wretched state and not be reborn in a good realm. What are these twenty-one knots?”

Yueyao replied, “The knots of fury, hatred, sleep, harassment, doubt, anger, jealousy, annoyance, sickness, disgust, shamelessness, guiltlessness, illusion, deceit, falsehood, dispute, arrogance, pride. Envy as a knot of the heart, increased arrogance, and greed as knots of the heart.”

Xuan Tian nodded, this young lady indeed had a deep understanding of Buddhist teachings, “If a person is bound by these twenty-one knots of the heart, they will surely fall into a wretched state and not be reborn in a good realm.”

Yueyao sighed softly. Master Xuan Tian made a lot of sense, but the problem was that the person with these obsessions intended to harm her; she wondered how to resolve that. With doubts in her heart, she naturally asked.

Master Xuan Tian said, “All things in this world have their own karma, Buddha’s compassion is such that saving one person is equivalent to saving a thousand, yet it’s also equivalent to saving none. All life has its own cycle. Whether you transcend this mortal world or not depends on your perspective. For Buddha, it is just another cycle, another cause and effect.”

Yueyao felt as if she understood, yet she was even more confused. She left the courtyard mulling over Master Xuan Tian’s words, but ultimately she still couldn’t fully grasp them.

Yueyao prepared to leave the mountain, but a young servant stopped her on the way, “Are you the Third Miss of the Lian Family?” It was clear that the young servant had been waiting for Yueyao.