"To all beings, who suffer in the cycle of samsara"

    1

    The Fallen Bodhisattva

    "I offer these sacred items to the great Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong, mighty over all adversaries across the realms."

    Words of praise and the scent of rich incense filled the area around the golden pavilion, which shone brilliantly under the radiant sun. Clouds below supported the structure, preventing it from sinking into the sacred pool below.

    A handsome man meditated within the golden pavilion, his sharp black hair fluttering in the cool breeze. The golden coronet[1] on his head trembled slightly, yet it held his hair tightly in place. His body was draped in a pure white robe, soft to the touch, covered by a navy-blue cloth that accentuated his radiant complexion.

    Chu Li Nong opened his eyes slowly, revealing bright, golden irises that shone with the radiance of the Dharma, encircling his head like the moon in eclipse, enhancing the refined beauty of this Bodhisattva.

    He was Bodhisattva[2] Chu Li Nong, the ascetic from Sukhavati[3].

    "May Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong accept these offerings and grant me victory in tomorrow’s duel."

    Chu Li Nong's eyes reflected the image of a man on Earth offering nine auspicious fruits and budding lotuses before a golden statue in a sacred temple.

    The earthly request reached the Bodhisattva through the statue, modeled after Chu Li Nong’s past human form, hairless as he was then a monk. Unlike then, Chu Li Nong now bore flowing locks, restored due to praises of his majestic appearance.

    "Beautiful Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong."

    "You who embody compassion, skill, and dignity."

    "Please grant me your blessing, accept these offerings before you."

    Chu Li Nong, accustomed to such praises, flicked his wrist gently, summoning his golden khakkhara[4]. The khakkhara's rings clinked melodiously.

    "So be it," Chu Li Nong waved the khakkhara, and the auspicious fruits materialized in the empty air before him.

    He accepted the offerings and bestowed blessings upon the man.

    The temple on Earth housing Chu Li Nong's statue was vast, filled with monks in robes of the same hue as his.

    If blue signified life and growth, the darker navy represented a life clouded with desires and cravings. The robes of the temple monks served as a reminder of such earthly attachments.

    "I pay homage to Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong!"

    Chu Li Nong was always revered, even though he had long since transcended his earthly body to reside in the blissful land. His reputation, both before and after he became a monk, made humans from all directions come to worship and seek blessings for prosperity.

    Meng Si Zhang[5],

    That was the title of Chu Li Nong.

    "Please grant my son the strength as mighty as your crimson khakkhara."

    Chu Li Nong's khakkhara gleamed with gold; it bore no trace of ash-like blood.

    "Please help me triumph in the family contest!"

    Whenever there was a contest, Chu Li Nong was worshipped.

    Chu Li Nong closed his eyes gently. "Let it be as you say," he granted the man’s blessings.

    The legend of Chu Li Nong was long celebrated, known for his mastery in magical swordplay that could swiftly defeat surrounding enemies, his clothes turning crimson in battle, revealing no original color.

    In his final years, Chu Li Nong shaved his head and established a temple, appointing himself as an abbot. Nevertheless, humans still challenged him, fearlessly invading his temple, heedless of the karmic consequences, regardless of his status as the abbot.

    ‘Amitabha Buddha’

    Chu Li Nong, hairless on his scalp, spoke of the Amitabha Buddha[6] before swinging his khakkhara to fend off the blades around him, harming no one's body. However, Chu Li Nong's protective spells reflected his opponent's skills, and so the temple was soaked in blood, the bodies breathing their last breaths.

    Their blood anointed Chu Li Nong's khakkhara in his hand, giving rise to his epithet, Meng Si Zhang.

    "May Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong fall from grace, worshipped by none."

    Chu Li Nong meditated serenely within his pavilion,

    "Chu Li Nong, fall from the heavens."

    As time passed, words of praise turned into curses,

    "Hurry and destroy this temple!"

    With a groan...

    As the temple on Earth that Chu Li Nong built was destroyed by people, his golden pavilion in the heavens transformed into a decrepit wooden structure,

    "You are a deity of misfortune!"

    "Anyone who worships you will meet defeat!"

    "This temple should not exist!"

    The praises once given to Chu Li Nong turned into curses, casting him down from Sukhavati as if countless hands were pulling at his robes to drag him down.

    Chu Li Nong remained composed, his handsome face showing no trace of emotion, fitting for an abbot on Earth who had practiced diligently to be reborn in Sukhavati.

    The statues representing Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong on Earth were destroyed, leaving no trace. Whether anyone in the realm had a statue or likeness, they would be consumed by flames to ashes.

    Without praises, without offerings, Chu Li Nong's pavilion decayed day by day, yet Chu Li Nong was undeterred, meditating in bliss for a long time.

    The silence continued indefinitely,

    "Glad to meet you, Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong."

    Until a tall man appeared before Chu Li Nong,

    His sharp eyes were like a fox, watching Chu Li Nong intently, his sleek black hair waving with the wind, his dark gray clothes unable to conceal his muscular build from sword training.

    This man... was named Chen Hu Lang.

    Chu Li Nong opened his eyes to the visitor,

    Chen Hu Lang, having ended his human life, was reborn in Sukhavati through his strong faith in the Amitabha Buddha, appearing on a lotus in the middle of a blissful pond, merely waiting to hear the Dharma from the Amitabha Buddha, then he would attain Nirvana.

    However, Chen Hu Lang had no such intentions,

    "Your pavilion is truly pitiful, in ruins," Chen Hu Lang took a small step and effortlessly floated into the dilapidated wooden pavilion, showing no respect to its owner, Chu Li Nong.

    Chu Li Nong was perplexed,

    Why did Chen Hu Lang reincarnate on a lotus in the pond in front of this pavilion?

    Chu Li Nong's pavilion lacked attendants to care for it; without human worship, it was no different from an abandoned place, relying only on Chu Li Nong's past merits to maintain its state.

    Normally, other spirits would be reborn in the Mahabodhi pond[7], vast and near the Dharma listening area, filled with countless lotuses, not in a pond far from the Dharma area like the one in front of Chu Li Nong's pavilion.

    Chen Hu Lang stood propping up Chu Li Nong's head, looking down somberly,

    "I hope you fall from heaven soon."

    Chen Hu Lang's cold voice, his sharp eyes staring at Chu Li Nong fearlessly, fitting his name Hu Lang[8], which means fox.

    This man intentionally reincarnated in Sukhavati to meet Chu Li Nong specifically,

    "..." Chu Li Nong closed his eyes in meditation,

    Chen Hu Lang snorted, "I came to Sukhavati to remove you, Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong, from your position."

    Those words were as if Chen Hu Lang was declaring, 'Chu Li Nong does not deserve the Bodhisattva title,' nor should he enjoy bliss in Sukhavati.

    Chen Hu Lang's rage was greater than the leaves of the Bodhi tree in Sukhavati, so vast that even Chu Li Nong, with all his Bodhisattva merits, could not count them.

    Thwack...

    The radiance of the Dharma around Chu Li Nong's head dimmed.

    From a brightness like a myriad of candles, it turned into a flickering, dim light, uncertain when it would extinguish.

    Yet, the Dharma radiance around Chen Hu Lang's head grew brighter with every breath. In just one Ke[9], Chen Hu Lang's radiance seemed to have stolen all the merits from Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong, leaving nothing behind.

    "Hah," Chen Hu Lang smirked.

    The once incomparably beautiful form of Chu Li Nong slowly faded away. Sukhavati would no longer behold this beautiful Bodhisattva, as Chu Li Nong was about to fall from heaven and be reborn as a human in a land filled with desires.

    Chen Hu Lang's smile was cunning.

    "Enjoy the karma you have created."

    One side escaped the status of Bodhisattva, becoming a human trapped in the endless cycle of life and death in samsara.

    The other side escaped human status, becoming a deity indulging in the pleasures of Sukhavati.

    Chu Li Nong closed his eyes calmly, showing neither joy nor sorrow. A warm breeze of Sukhavati swept through, causing the rings on his khakkhara to clang sharply.

    Clang

    His lips twitched, speaking at the same moment his slender figure vanished along with the pavilion, leaving only empty clouds behind.

    "Amitabha Buddha."

[1] Coronet: A type of hair accessory used to secure a bun.

[2] Bodhisattva: A being destined to become a Buddha.

[3] Sukhavati: In Mahayana Buddhism, Sukhavati is a Pure Land, a realm created by a Buddha. It is considered the most desirable Pure Land, resembling a heaven, and serves as a waiting place before attaining Nirvana.

[4] Khakkhara: An accessory used by Buddhist monks, resembling a golden staff.

[5] Meng Si Zhang (猛锡杖): the fierce and ruthless.

[6] Amitabha Buddha: The Buddha who resides in the Pure Land.

[7] Mahabodhi Pond: Lotus Pond

[8] Hu Lang 狐狼: Fox

[9] Ke: A unit of time measurement where 1 ke is equivalent to 15 minutes.