Chapter 1308
If the other person is you, then I must give in. (2)
To reclaim the path firmly opened by Namgung Dowi, the warriors of Sapaeryeon grasped their spears and swiftly charged towards Hye Yeon.
Swish.
Instinctively, Hye Yeon swept aside the long garment hanging in front of him. It was a habit he developed from his days in Shaolin, a reflex action whenever he unleashed his skills.
Even though he now wore the black robe of Hwasan, the habit remained ingrained within him, evidence that what he learned and mastered in Shaolin still resided within him.
Kwung.
Stepping forward briefly, Hye Yeon thrust his fist into the air three times in a row. The short yet powerful strikes of his fist technique created a gust of wind that knocked down the charging opponents in an instant.
“Argh! I should’ve joined Shaolin instead!”
“Shut up already!”
Hye Yeon’s face flushed red. Honestly, he still felt a bit uncomfortable around those people. Not because he disliked them, but because their way of life and his own were so different in pace.
“Argh!”
A single enemy, eyes gleaming with madness, charged straight at Hye Yeon, sword aimed at his neck.
Despite witnessing Hye Yeon’s power, they charged forward with fierce determination, perhaps trained to confront enemies head-on.
‘It’s futile.’
Hye Yeon extended his fist once again.
With a swift motion, the golden glow gathered around Hye Yeon’s fist swept away the charging assailant as if caught in a torrent.
“Aaaaargh!”
Amidst the screams, the body flew away as if caught in a swift current. Despite the gruesome appearance, there were no major injuries visible on the man’s body, contrasting the intensity of his screams.
The power of Shaolin is a merciful power.
After all, life is but a fleeting moment. What meaning is there in dividing good and evil within it? Perhaps someone who appears good now was once wicked in a past life, and someone who seems evil now may have sacrificed their life for others in a previous existence.
Therefore, the inexhaustible compassion towards all beings should not discriminate between the virtuous and the wicked. The virtuous should show compassion because they are virtuous, and the wicked should receive even greater compassion because they are wicked.
“Amitabha.”
However…
“Die, you scum!”
In that moment, enemies surged in from all sides towards Hye Yeon. His feet crossed paths for a brief moment, and simultaneously, his body spun half a circle.
Thunk! Thud!
Deflecting the flying spear and striking the side of a sword, Hye Yeon’s fist met the opponent’s chest.
Thunk! Thud! Thud!
The Arhat Fist [나한권(羅漢拳) – nahangwon]. Along with the Elephant Style Fist [상형권(象形拳) – sanghyeong-gwon], marks the origin of the Central Plain’s martial arts, and it was manifested by Hye Yeon’s fingertips in a near-perfect form.
Given Hye Yeon’s profound inner strength, only the formidable power of his martial arts is highlighted. However, even this power begins with nothing more than a mere fist.
Only those who have mastered Arhat Fist can truly wield the power of the Buddha [불력(佛力) – bullyeog].
Thunk!
Hye Yeon’s fist crushed the opponent’s chest, and a momentary glimpse of sadness flickered in his clear, large eyes.
The fallen opponent lay there, blood spilling from their mouth, as Hye Yeon moved forward without hesitation.
‘Amitabha Buddha.’
Was the opponent dead? It was uncertain. While Hye Yeon’s power still held compassion, it wasn’t deep enough to encompass all those who rushed toward their death.
Perhaps this was yet another life he had spared. Another life he had taken.
He prayed to the Buddha, knowing that the Buddha was not omnipotent and couldn’t solve all problems.
The only ones capable of resolving things are human beings.
It’s the words of those who agonize, ponder, and struggle with problems.
But at times like these, he really wanted to ask. Even if the Buddha is simply an observing presence, he realized this long ago in his enlightenment.
So, it’s because he must know more than oneself.
Is it truly right for monks, who should not take lives, to open up a martial arts practice to save more people?
Is it really right for people wearing robes to fight with others and destroy them?
Is he truly walking the right path as a Buddhist monk?
“Stop! Use whatever means necessary to stop it!”
Several sharp chained sickles flew toward Hye Yeon’s body, tearing through the air with ferocious momentum.
If even one of them touched him, its meticulously honed edge would cut through his flesh with malicious intent, tearing flesh and bones apart.
However, Hye Yeon calmly extended his hand without a hint of urgency.
His left hand was positioned in front of his lower abdomen, while his right hand unfolded above his right chest.
It resembled the figure of Avalokiteshvara.
Gradually, Hye Yeon’s right hand depicted countless rays of light around his body.
Avalokiteshvara’s Hand [관음수(觀音手) – gwan-eumsu].
The rays of light appeared as if Hye Yeon was simultaneously unfolding a thousand arms like the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara [천수관음(千手觀音) – cheonsugwan-eum].
The wall made of shadows pushed away, deflected, and smoothly avoided everything flying towards it.
“What…?”
Even those rigorously trained to eliminate enemies lost their senses in the face of such overwhelming spectacle.
And the golden power that pierced through the wall of shadows unavoidably erupted in their chests.
Kraaaaack!”
Those who received the blow spat blood from their mouths, staggering and tumbling in all directions.
Once again, Hye Yeon’s mind was filled with anguish as he took another step forward.
As if by habit, he chanted,
“Amitabha.”
According to the teachings of the Buddha, there is no meaning in dividing good and evil.
But as a monk, one must naturally follow goodness.
The life we experience is so insignificant, fleeting like a momentary passing in the cycle of reincarnation that spans countless eons.
Yet, the life at the center of that existence is more precious than anything in the world.
Is this not a contradiction?
Both are right, neither is wrong.
Nothing is incorrect.
Then, what should one follow?
What should one adhere to?
What should one believe in, rely on, and live for?
“Amitabha.”
Why did he leave Shaolin, which was like everywhere else, and opened the world of death, wearing the black robes that didn’t really fit?
Is the path he’s walking truly the one he intended to take?
“Monk!”
At that moment, Hye Yeon clenched his fist at the voice that erupted from behind.
There was only one answer to all these questions.
‘I am not the Buddha.’
Kuuuuung!
With no hesitation, the punch he unleashed sent those rushing towards him flying away in an instant.
The world calls him the one who holds all the answers, the Buddha.
We wonder because we don’t know. We worry because we don’t know, and we suffer because we don’t know.
So how can one say that all this suffering is wrong?
Those who do not experience suffering cannot progress.
For those who turn away from suffering, enlightenment will never come.
What he must do now is to accept all this suffering as it is. It is to directly see the ‘real world,’ which he could not see within the narrow confines of Shaolin, and to understand that world for himself.
And so…
“Pay attention, you brat!”
Hye Yeon flinched.
‘Chung Myung Dojang.’
He stepped forward again and quickly moved ahead.
At first, he simply thought he should follow what seemed right.
At that time, Hye Yeon felt disillusioned by Shaolin’s distorted teachings and actions conflicting with each other.
He thought that person could alleviate the suffering that came from there.
But he learned it while being with Chung Myung.
He learned how the innermost being of a person, as unwavering as the sun in the sky, could be filled with countless storms without even a slightest tremor showing.
He pondered and pondered again. Relentlessly pushing himself as if to torture himself, he sought tirelessly for the best solution within.
It’s not just a path for himself, but one that never stops seeking a path for more people.
Sometimes that path was twisted, sometimes self-righteous, and sometimes completely wrong.
But Chung Myung never gives up. He reflects on it and moves forward again.
‘Do you know, Dojang?’
That is truly the path a Buddhist monk should walk. It’s a situation that cannot help but bring a smile.
Chung Myunf is a Taoist, not a Buddhist. Yet, Chung Myung’s life serves as a model for the path a Buddhist monk should walk.
Though their goals may differ, there is no reason not to emulate that attitude.
“Monk! They’re coming from the front!”
“No, this brat! Stop just talking and go out there and fight!”
“Me? In front of him?”
“Or close that mouth of yours!”
“Agreed.”
A small smile played on Hye Yeon’s lips. This is probably why Hye Yeon is with them.
‘Not so different.’
They are just like him. Just as Hye Yeon painstakingly follows the teachings of the Buddha and his great intentions, they too relentlessly pursue the distant goal of the revival of Hwasan and the back of Chung Myung, who is rushing ahead.
There was a sense of camaraderie here that Hye Yeon had never felt even in Shaolin, where they followed the same Buddhist path.
The unfamiliar sense of camaraderie often comforted Hye Yeon.
He didn’t feel lonely here.
Although his heart was heavy and filled with pain, he could find the strength to move forward.
‘Abbot.’
Hye Yeon’s right hand touched his side.
‘But am I still wrong?’
Gooooooooong!
His fist slowly descended. The power infused with accumulated internal strength pushed all those blocking the way forward aside.
He clears away everything blocking the path he has built up.
The sight of the closed path reopening was crystal clear in Hye Yeon’s eyes.
The path ahead is a narrow gorge, a canyon filled with enemies and malice.
For those with normal reasoning, it’s a path to avoid at all costs. It’s a path never to be trodden upon.
But now, Hye Yeon is leaping onto that path with his own feet.
‘Am I really wrong?’
Foolish and ignorant. But that path is truly the path a monk must take.
It is the path for those who choose to endure self-inflicted suffering in the name of enlightenment, willingly enduring the torment they would not face if they did not think, and seeking enlightenment through self-torture named as asceticism.
Kwang!
Hye Yeon’s foot struck the ground forcefully.
Without a single moment of hesitation. He leaped towards the narrow gorge and assumed a half-palm stance.
‘Even if I am wrong… how can I not walk the path I must walk?’
Thud!
Hye Yeon pushed his foot forward once more. This might be the first step Hye Yeon has taken since he reclaimed his life, perhaps.
It might be the first step taken without following someone else’s teachings or footsteps, but rather through one’s own thinking and judgment, without hesitation.
Hye Yeon lifted his head.
In the narrow gorge where even the light barely penetrated and the end was not visible, enemies lined up like demons from hell.
Yet, Hye Yeon’s eyes were clearer and more peaceful than usual.
Even if he were to collapse from exhaustion on this path, what regrets could there be?
If this is hell, then this is where Hye Yeon, the Buddhist monk, should be.
His entire body was enveloped in golden light. It was a majestic aura emanating from within himself.
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