Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were stunned when they heard Jingfaâs words.
Jingfa stared at them for two seconds with his blinking red eyes before saying to Long Yuehong, âYou donât know about the Kalendarium.â After saying that, he looked at Shang Jianyao and spoke without any emotional fluctuations. âYou know.â
Huh? Long Yuehong turned to look at Shang Jianyao in confusion and surprise. The two of us have received the same education and lived in the same environment. We are also often inseparable. Why have I never heard of the term âKalendariumâ before when Shang Jianyao seems to know it very well?
Shang Jianyaoâs eyebrows twitched slightly as he frankly replied, âIâve heard a little about them.â
The red light flickered on Jingfaâs metallic black face again. âEnding, beginning; end of year, beginning of year⊠You learned about it from the believers of the Arbiter of Fate.â
Shang Jianyao, who had been feeling strange, immediately confirmed one thingâthe mechanical monk opposite him seemed capable of hearing some of the voices in his heart!
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Long Yuehong couldnât be bothered to think about the title, âArbiter of Fate,â and also sensed that something was amiss.
Jingfa didnât continue. Instead, he simply explained, âThe Kalendarium are the deities who control time and this world. There are a total of 13 such deities, and they correspond to different months.â
âArenât there just 12 months?â Long Yuehong pointed out the obvious. He had an inkling that the Kalendarium was a popular religion or myth on the worldâs surface.
Jingfaâs voice was cold and deep, sounding nothing like a humanâs. âThereâs one Kalendria that rules over the leap month, or rather, the entire yearâall time.â
Without waiting for Long Yuehong to ask any further, Jingfa cut to the chase. âOur parish speaks of the corporeal bodyâs nothingness and the four elementsâ hollowness because this world is Buddha LokeĆvara-TathÄgataâs dream world.â
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Shang Jianyao suddenly interrupted Jingfa. âLokeĆvara-TathÄgata? Isnât it supposed to be Subhuti?â
Jingfa pressed his palms together. âLokeĆvara-TathÄgata is a Buddha of the past, the sovereign of creation. Buddha Subhuti is the TathÄgata of the present world, the origin of all sentience. Donât you want to ask about the Kalendaria whoâs in charge of the leap month and represents the entire year? This Penniless Monk will tell you now that itâs LokeĆvara-TathÄgata.â
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong came to a realization and nodded indiscernibly.
Jingfa lowered his head and chanted, âNamo LokeĆvara-TathÄgata.â
As he chanted, he straightened his backâwhich was made up of metal bones. He maintained the posture of pressing his palms together and bowed slightly at the towering âchimneys.â
âAre you going to ask why this Penniless Monk bows to the tower that refines iron and steel?â After Jingfa raised his body, he took the initiative to voice Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehongâs thoughts.
âThatâs because Buddha LokeĆvara-TathÄgata has another name, Stupa. This is another form of address for Buddhas. At the same time, it represents a Buddha tower. Therefore, when we recite LokeĆvara-TathÄgataâs Buddhist title, we should salute the highest tower around us. It can be a Buddha tower, a water tower, iron tower, signal tower, or high-voltage towers.â
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Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong originally found the mechanical monk, Jingfa, to be reasonable and logical. However, they began to find him a little strange when they heard the latter half of his preaching.
It was unknown if Jingfa had sensed their thoughts, but he stopped in time and said, âOutside of asceticism, Buddha LokeĆvara-TathÄgata has another honorific name.â
âWhat is it?â Long Yuehong blurted out.
Jingfa remained cross-legged. It was impossible to discern any emotion from his metallic face. âMaster Zhuang.â
âMaster Zhuang⊠Kalendaria Master Zhuang⊠Once before, Master Zhuang dreamt of being a butterflyâŠâ Shang Jianyao couldnât help but mutter to himself.
Jingfaâs head bobbed up and down. âMaster Zhuangâs dream is referring to our world. All of you should have had dreams before and know that everything in a dream is an illusion. All your feelings and interactions are only emulated by fate. If you canât figure this out, you will continue to sink into this darkness, experiencing life, old age, disease, death, love, separation, hate, desire, and pain of the five appropriated aggregates over and over again.â
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong thought about it and inexplicably felt that the mechanical monk opposite them made sense. Of course, the premise was that this world was indeed a particular deityâs dream.
At that moment, Jingfa changed the topic. âPatrons, please wait a moment. This Penniless Monk needs to carry out maintenance.â
ââŠâ Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong dazedly watched the monk in the monk robe and kasaya opposite them as he opened a metal cover at its waist and took out a plastic bottle.
He then unscrewed the small metal lid at the location of his clavicle and poured a little of the plastic bottleâs sticky yellow âoilâ in.
âThis isâŠâ Shang Jianyao spoke curiously.
He didnât expect Jingfa to answer, but the latter frankly replied, âDedicated lubricant.â
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehongâs expressions froze for two seconds. They instantly found themselves ridiculous for previously finding sense in what the monk had said.
Jingfa seemed not to notice anything. After putting away the special lubricant, he looked up at the two people opposite him with his blinking red eyes. âPatrons, how old art thou?â
â?â Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were momentarily at a loss for words.
The textbooks in Pangu Biology were more focused on poems and idioms, not ancient languages.
Jingfa didnât mind and asked in a more general manner, âPatrons, how old are you?â
âTwenty-one,â Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong replied in unison.
Jingfala picked up the red kasaya and draped it over his knees. âThe two of you are still young, so you might not be deeply affected by what this Penniless Monk said. However, wait another 30, 40, or 50 years. When the two of you age bit by bit, becoming weaker and weaker, plagued by more and more diseases, and have seen just as many tragedies, you will understand that the meaning of life is suffering.â
Shang Jianyao opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but he tightly shut his mouth again. After a few seconds, he seriously said, âHowever, weâve all undergone genetic modifications. By the time weâre 50 years old, our bodies should still be healthy.â
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Jingfa was speechless, but he quickly recovered. âHowever, you will eventually die. Over the long years, there is no fundamental difference between 50 years and 100 years.â
Long Yuehong wanted to retort, but he rationally gave up on the idea when he saw the grenade launcher attached to the mechanical monkâs left arm.
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âYouâre right.â Shang Jianyao retracted his gaze from the same spot.
A red glow flickered in Jingfaâs eyes. âWhat do you think is real in the dream? Judge from your usual dreams.â
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong pondered for a moment before shaking their heads.
Jingfaâs cold and emotionless voice sounded again. âActually, they exist. In a dream, there is only one thing that is realâyour knowledge of yourself. Everyone in a dream understands that they are themselves. I think, therefore I am.
âDo the two of you still not understand? Everything is illusory, but consciousness is real. When you escape the shackles of your mortal coils and truly control your consciousness, you can escape this dream and enter the Pure Lands to obtain eternal life and paradise.â
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Shang Jianyao habitually replied, âHow can I truly control my own consciousness then?â
Jingfa pointed at himself. âUse a device to transmit your consciousness into a robotâs body. This can allow you to escape your physical restraints easily and directly.â
âHowever, shouldnât a normal religion emphasize self-cultivation?â Long Yuehong said some of the words mentioned in Pangu Biologyâs textbooks.
In a monotonous voice, Jingfa said, âThere are 3,000 orthodox paths and 40,000 side doors. Each path is different, but they all lead to the Pure Lands. Our Monks Conclave has chosen the technological path of the 3,000 orthodoxies.â
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehongâs lips quivered. Their thoughts were in a mess, and they had no way of replying.
Jingfa continued, âWhen you abandon your mortal coils and upload your consciousness to a robotâs bionic chip, you will see the Pure Lands, the so-called âNew Worldâ in the Ashlands. This can allow you to gain insights into the Buddhist Dharma and obtain certain divine powers.
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âThis Penniless Monk was able to hear the voices in your hearts because Buddha Subhuti is benevolent. He allowed this Penniless Monk to comprehend his mind-reading techniques. Of course, this Penniless Monkâs Phala is still lacking and cannot delve too deep.â
âŠWhy did he expose his weakness so naturally? This thought flashed across Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehongâs minds.
Jingfa pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist proclamation. âA monk doesnât lie.â
ââŠWhat is Phala?â Shang Jianyao asked another question.
Jingfa monotonously answered, âThe uploading of oneâs consciousness is not the end, but the beginning. Technology that corroborates the path isnât the core but an auxiliary component. Its use is to provide better conditions for us to study the Buddhist Dharma.
âAfter our mortal coils are abandoned, we can see the world from a different angle. From there, we can better understand the Buddhist Dharma and understand the hollowness of all four elements. Thereâs a process involved. The critical juncture during the process is known as Phala. When your Phala achieves the Great Arhat, youâll truly enter the Pure Lands and transcend the world.â
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After explaining this, Jingfa glanced at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong. âTo the two of you, this is rather profound. Letâs call it a day. This Penniless Monk can tell that you will be walking the Ashlands. I hope you can experience the world and understand that life is suffering and that the body is hollow.
âWhen the time comes, this Penniless Monk will redeem and send you the Glazed Pure Lands if we are fated to meet again.â
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Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were delighted when they heard the mechanical monk end the preaching. They didnât dare ask any more questions. They quickly got up, walked to the side, and made way.
âIf you donât want to call this Penniless Monk by his Dharma name, call me Zen Master.â Jingfa pressed his palms together. He then swung his kasaya and retraced his steps, disappearing around a corner.
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After watching him leave, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong looked at each other and followed the path they came from, leaving the rust-covered steel âforest.â
When they arrived at the door, Long Yuehong looked around and calculated the distance. He then picked up the walkie-talkie quickly and pressed a button. âTeam Leader, we encountered a monk from the Monks Conclave!â
This was also what Shang Jianyao wanted to do, so he didnât stop him.
âWhat? Whatâs its Dharma name?â Jiang Baimianâs voice sounded amidst static.
Near the towering âchimneys,â Jingfaâwho was walking towards the steelworks ruinsâ depthsâsuddenly stopped. The red glow in his eyes suddenly lit up. His neck stiffly rotated as he spoke in an extremely cold and emotionless voice. âA womanâs voiceâŠâ
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