#342 - Strange, strange, the donor is really strange

“May Buddha have mercy.”

Among the many Buddha statues in front, a small clay Buddha statue transformed into a child of flesh and blood, and then jumped down from the altar with a "heave-ho" sound.

The child was wearing a blue-green outfit, a large string of prayer beads around his neck, his round belly exposed, his head round, and his face round, making him look very cute.

To be honest, looking at the child in front of him, Xu Ming was reminded of the "Maitreya Buddha" from a game he played in his previous life, and they were very similar.

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This little monk was like he walked out of the game.

In the temple, everyone watched the child warily, not daring to say a word, some even silently pulling out their weapons.

Although this child looked harmless, no one dared to underestimate him.

How could anyone who could appear in this kind of place be a simpleton?

“Everyone, no need to be so nervous.” The child put his hands together in a bow, "This little monk is named Maitreya. I apologize for not greeting you guests from afar. Please forgive me."

“Good heavens, it really is Maitreya.” Xu Ming said subconsciously.

If this world didn't have Sun Wukong, Xu Ming would have really thought he had arrived at Little Western Heaven.

“You know him?” Shi Xin turned her head to ask Xu Ming.

Hearing Shi Xin's question, Xu Ming looked very surprised: “What, you don't know him? Doesn't your Buddhism have Maitreya Buddha? Or rather... Maitreya Bodhisattva?”

“No.” Shi Xin shook her head.

Xu Ming: “…”

Xu Ming knew that the Buddhism in this world was quite different from the Buddhism on Blue Star.

But Xu Ming didn't expect the difference to be so great.

This world doesn't even have Maitreya Buddha?

No, it's not that they don't have him.

It should be said that there's no record of him yet.

Because Maitreya Buddha had already appeared, right in front of him.

“Who is Maitreya?”

Seeing Xu Ming's silence, Shi Xin tugged at Xu Ming's sleeve.

Xu Ming lowered his voice and explained softly to Shi Xin:

“In our hometown, there are many schools of Buddhism.

Among them, there are the 'Three Horizontal Buddhas' calculated by space and the 'Three Vertical Buddhas' calculated by time.”

“I know.”

Shi Xin nodded, her voice entering Xu Ming's mind.

“The Three Horizontal Buddhas refer to the central Sakyamuni Buddha, the Eastern Medicine Buddha, and the Western Amitabha Buddha. The Buddha we worship in the Western Regions is Amitabha Buddha.”

Xu Ming asked, “Then tell me about the Three Buddhas of your Buddhism?”

Xu Ming wanted to verify whether the Three Buddhas of this world were the same as the Three Buddhas of Blue Star.

Shi Xin continued:

“The Eastern Medicine Buddha presides over the Eastern Pure Emerald World. He has two attendants, the Sunlight Bodhisattva and the Moonlight Bodhisattva, known as the Three Saints of the East. Generally, prayers to the Medicine Buddha are mainly to seek peace and happiness in this life. The Medicine Buddha can bless the world to eliminate disasters, prolong life, and remove diseases. Many elderly and sick people will worship the Medicine Buddha to seek health and longevity.

Sakyamuni Buddha presides over the central Saha World. He has two attendants, the 'Great Wisdom' Manjusri Bodhisattva and the 'Great Conduct' Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, known as the Three Saints of Huayan. He is the educator of this world and the leader of Buddhism.

Amitabha Buddha presides over the Western Paradise. He has two attendants, the 'Great Courage' Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva and the 'Great Compassion' Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, known as the Three Saints of the West. Generally, prayers to Amitabha Buddha are mainly to seek liberation after death. Amitabha Buddha mainly uses his vows to guide sentient beings to the Western Paradise, to escape the suffering of reincarnation, hence he is also known as the 'Welcoming Buddha', and because this Buddha has immeasurable life and light, he is also called 'Immeasurable Life Buddha' and 'Immeasurable Light Buddha'.

There is also a different saying that the Three Horizontal Buddhas are the same Buddha, only transformed into different incarnations to save sentient beings.”

Listening to Shi Xin's explanation, Xu Ming couldn't help but fall into thought.

Because in this world, the Three Horizontal Buddhas are almost the same as the Three Horizontal Buddhas of Blue Star.

“Xu Ming, what are the Three Vertical Buddhas?” Shi Xin tugged at Xu Ming's sleeve, very curious, “You haven't answered me yet.”

Xu Ming slowly opened his mouth to explain: “The Three Vertical Buddhas refer to Dipankara Buddha representing 'the past', Sakyamuni Buddha representing 'the present', and Maitreya Buddha representing 'the future'.

Dipankara Buddha was a Buddha in the past glorious kalpa, the Buddha before Sakyamuni Buddha. He once predicted in the past that Sakyamuni would become a Buddha in the future. He was the teacher who predicted Sakyamuni Buddha, and many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were once Dipankara Buddha's disciples.

Sakyamuni Buddha is the fourth Buddha in the virtuous kalpa, and he and his attendants Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva use the Dharma to save all sentient beings in the Saha world.

Maitreya Buddha, the future Buddha, is the fifth Buddha in the virtuous kalpa. Before the age of Maitreya comes, he is still a Bodhisattva in the Tushita Heaven.

According to Mahayana Buddhism, everyone can become a Buddha, and all Buddhas will save sentient beings, transcend reincarnation, and become Buddhas.”

“Do the Three Vertical Buddhas also have Sakyamuni Buddha?” Shi Xin was full of thirst for knowledge about Buddhism, “What is the difference between the two Sakyamuni Buddhas? Or are they the same?”

“I don't know either.” Xu Ming spread his hands.

Xu Ming couldn't possibly say, “The knowledge I know is all from short videos, right?”

I was just a college student in my previous life, not a monk.

“Then what is Mahayana Buddhism?” Shi Xin asked, Xu Ming just mentioned the four words “Mahayana Buddhism”.

“It's not something that can be explained in a short time to talk about 'Mahayana Buddhism', and I don't know much about it either. I'm not a monk in our hometown.” Xu Ming said, “Wait until later, I'll tell you what I know later.”

“Okay…”

Not hearing about Mahayana Buddhism, Shi Xin lowered her head slightly, with a hint of loss in her expression.

Shi Xin felt that Xu Ming's hometown must have a very brilliant Buddhist truth.

Shi Xin really wanted to go to Xu Ming's hometown to take a look, but Xu Ming said that his hometown might never be able to go back.

What kind of place is his hometown?

“Does the benefactor seem to recognize me?”

Although the conversation between Xu Ming and Shi Xin was not loud, and even a small barrier was set up, so that even the closest people could not hear it, it was still heard by Maitreya.

Everyone followed Maitreya's gaze and looked towards Xu Ming.

After Maitreya asked, he did not wait for Xu Ming to answer, but stretched out his chubby little hand, as if he was pinching something.

In the end, Maitreya just smiled:

“Strange, strange, the benefactor is really strange.

But it's not strange either.

This world should be like this, who can completely see through the Dao of Heaven?”

【Damn it, I've been too busy these past two days... the overtime is too serious.

After coming back, there wasn't much time left. I didn't even eat, and I was coding like crazy, and every time I was almost unable to finish writing.

Fortunately, I finally finished writing.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

I'm going to cook a pack of instant noodles, I'm starving】