I nodded, "That makes sense." Then I used unused chopsticks to break up all the food in the plate, making it impossible to tell what it was originally. "Is that better now?"
Xuanzang laughed and said, "Xiao Qiang, you're being too fixated on appearances again."
"...What's wrong now?"
"Since you've already made them into the shapes of birds and animals, wouldn't crushing them make them look like animals again?"
Why do I look so old? I said dejectedly, "Well, it's already like this, so just make do with what you have to eat. Or maybe it's your turn to eat."
Xuanzang chuckled and picked up his chopsticks to eat. The old man seemed truly hungry, tearing off half a fish and stuffing it into his mouth. I quickly explained, "Besides looking like a carp, this fish has another unique feature: its taste is exactly the same. Did you notice?" I then realized, "Oh right, you've never eaten a real fish before."
Xuanzang wiped his mouth and said, "I've eaten."
"ah?"
"I have not only eaten fish, but also meat and blood. In short, I really can't think of anything that monks shouldn't eat that I haven't eaten."
A monk who eats and drinks? I smiled ingratiatingly and said, "It's nothing. Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha sits in the heart."
Xuanzang shook his head and said, "No, I passed through many deserts and uninhabited places on my journey to obtain the scriptures. There was no grass, so I ate a lot of reptiles and snakes. Of course, I strictly abide by the precepts when I have the means, but when I don't, there's nothing I can do. In short, I have to survive."
"Yes, yes, even ants try to survive—wait, which Buddhist scripture does this saying come from?"
Xuanzang stroked his chin and said, "Even ants try to survive. Hmm, that sounds quite pitiful, but I wonder where it comes from (Note: This saying is from Journey to the West)? To say that I did it to survive wouldn't be entirely true. My initial goal was to bring the Buddhist scriptures back to the Tang Dynasty. Confucius said, 'If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening.' That means that since the scriptures haven't reached the land of the Tang Dynasty yet, I can't die." As he spoke, Xuanzang laughed self-deprecatingly.
I said with deep respect, "Some people live to eat, while others eat to live."
Xuanzang put down his chopsticks and said, "Oh, Xiaoqiang has a lot of wisdom."
I chuckled dryly and said, "Hehe, I didn't say that. It sounds like a famous quote from Socrates."
Xuanzang said, "Hmm, this Socrates has great potential for wisdom."
I joked, "How about I find him to be your apprentice?"
Xuanzang said, "I wouldn't call him a disciple, but it would be wonderful to have such a wise man accompany me on my journey to obtain the scriptures."
Then we'll have the whole ancient Greek cast: Socrates wielding his golden cudgel to vanquish demons, Plato lazy and gluttonous, Aristotle carrying a heavy load, and Master Xuanzang riding a lion-headed beast. At worst, we can just bring back the scriptures and divide them among them, since a large part of Buddhism is philosophical...
Chapter 139 Better to learn from the Oath of the Peach Garden than from the Incense Burner of Wagang
Speaking of the pilgrimage to the West, I suddenly asked, "Why do you want to go on this pilgrimage?"
I asked this because something came to mind. We used to have a neighbor who's now the lead French horn player in some Chinese orchestra, earning tens of thousands of yuan per performance. But I know his background all too well; he used to play the trombone. The reason he switched to the French horn was because the ticket seller wouldn't let him on the bus while he was carrying his trombone… Many things are like that; they don't stand up to scrutiny. I'm curious why Xuanzang would have such an idea in the Tang Dynasty, when studying abroad wasn't so common.
Xuanzang laughed and said, "If I told you that I did this to save all living beings, would you believe me?"
Damn, that's a really hard question to answer. If someone asked me this during a casual chat with my buddies, I'd seriously tell them: I believe you! Or I'd just spit on their shoes...
But when faced with a high-ranking monk like Xuanzang—a monk who often makes witty remarks—who knows what he was originally thinking? If I say something wrong, he'll say I'm too fixated on appearances.
I stammered, "Originally... I didn't quite believe it, but since you said so, I'll believe it."
Xuanzang said, "I never said I was doing this to save all living beings. I was just asking if you believe me."
See? You fell for it!
I resolutely said, "Fine, I don't believe it. You must have been unable to make it in China if you went abroad to develop your career, right?"
Xuanzang retorted, "How can you say that about me? If I wasn't trying to save all living beings, what else have I been doing?"
I:"……"
Xuanzang laughed and said, "Hehe, I was just joking with you. Actually, to say that I went there with the intention of saving all sentient beings would be to make myself sound too noble. At first, I went there to clear up doubts. At that time, there were many different interpretations of Buddhist scriptures, and it was inevitable that there would be contradictions in the explanations. Buddhism is originally intended to teach people to do good, and I did not want the believers to be divided into different factions, so I went to India to trace back to the source."
I said, "You mean to save the monks first? That's even greater than saving all living beings."
Xuanzang smiled and said, "It's not great, but obtaining the scriptures was indeed a meritorious deed. I did it and succeeded, which was quite fortunate."
I said, "You are too modest. Qin Shi Huang was a great emperor throughout the ages, but you are just a great monk throughout the ages."
Xuanzang waved his hand and said, "Those are all empty titles. What I value is being able to relieve people's resentment and resolve their hatred."
My eyes sparkled as I said, “Yes, yes, all eminent monks are good at this.”
Xuanzang said, "Actually, not only Buddhism, but all religions that can be called faiths are based on this. Religion may drive people crazy, but have you ever thought that if there were no religion, the world might have gone crazy long ago?"
I said, sweating, "I never thought... you're interested in other religious sects too?"
Xuanzang nodded and said, "I have learned a little about Christianity and Catholicism these past two days."
I said, "It would be even better if you knew more about Judaism. If you could resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you could practically win the Nobel Peace Prize for the next 10 years in advance. By the way, tell me about those eighteen heroes. How did you get them to reconcile?"
Xuanzang said, "There is no love without a reason, nor is there hatred without a reason in this world..." I interjected, "Yes, that's what Chairman Mao said." It seems the monk has really read a lot since he arrived.
"All hatred has a cause; no one is born with hatred in their heart..."
I quickly replied, "Yes, the protagonists in martial arts novels usually have a killer who killed their father, and the killer is either the leader of the martial arts alliance or a prince."
Seeing that Xuanzang was unhappy, I smiled apologetically and said, "Please continue."
The old man spoke eloquently: "To resolve hatred, you must find its root cause. Take those eighteen people, for example. The reason they harbored resentment was not because of any insurmountable past, but simply because the two countries were at war and each side was protecting its own lord. But if you think about it carefully, you'll see: are there any truly wicked or evil people among these people?"
I rubbed my hands and said, "I don't know... I haven't completely figured out who these people are yet."
Xuanzang held up his fingers and called out the names of the people one by one: "These people include Qin Qiong, who later became the Duke of Yi; Yuchi Gong, the Right General of the Martial Guard; and Yang Lin, the Prince of Kaoshan of the Sui Dynasty..."
When I heard that he could give such a detailed account, I couldn't help but ask in surprise, "How do you know so much detail?"