Chapter 48: Scriptural Debates

Gao Rui was comforting Gao Yan when he heard the Crown Prince's question, and hurriedly stepped forward: "The next ritual should be the prostration."

Prostrating to the Buddha was not disgraceful; after all, it was not a living person being worshipped, but merely a statue, not to mention his father Gao Yang had done it too.

After completing the circumambulation, the group returned to the entrance of the pagoda. The facade of the pagoda directly facing the entrance served as its front. Aside from the relics of Shakyamuni, a niche had been carved into the central pillar of the pagoda to enshrine a golden statue of Shakyamuni, allowing patrons to face the Buddha directly and pay their respects.

There are nine grades of prostration, performed according to one's needs: the first is verbal consolation; the second is bowing the head in respect; the third is raising the hands in a high arch; the fourth is pressing palms together in a cross shape and bowing with hands arched forward; the fifth is bending the knees; the sixth is kneeling long; the seventh is placing both hands and knees on the ground; the eighth is the "complete flexion of the five wheels," where the five wheels are collective terms for the flesh wheel, blood wheel, qi wheel, wind wheel, and water wheel, which respectively correspond to the five viscera of the spleen, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys—meaning one's internal organs are all bowing to the Buddha; and the ninth, which is the most respectful rite, is the complete prostration with the five limbs touching the ground.

Gao Yin represented Gao Yang, and since Gao Yang was the contemporary Wheel-Turning King and the living deity of the Qi Dynasty, he did not need to perform the full prostration with five limbs on the ground. Gao Yang himself usually just combined the first four grades and finished.

Gao Yin thought for a moment, bent his knees, and executed the ritual. Seeing this, Master Fashang returned the greeting on behalf of the Buddha, chanting aloud, "The Wheel-Turning Monarch, governing through the True Dharma."

At this moment, Gao Yin raised his head and asked Fashang: "If I were to perceive clear water filling the room, and suddenly feel a sharp pain in my heart, is there an affinity to cast off this mortal body, and merge its nature with the sea of fragrant waters across the ten directions into absolute emptiness, without difference or distinction?"

The complexions of the surrounding monks all shifted slightly, but Fashang alone remained completely calm: "If so, you are already an honored person of humanity, and your body may stand as a Buddha."

Gao Yin burst into hearty laughter.

"If that is the case, I shall make offerings to the Tathagata, uphold the Buddha-dharma in future ages, establish the Buddha-dharma, and praise the Buddha-dharma."

Fashang pressed his palms together in silence and said nothing further.

With the main worship rituals concluded, the rest were trivial matters, and Gao Yin and the others were free to tour and sightsee at their leisure.

Gao Yan led his retinue to pray silently before the memorial tablet of his late princess. After a long while, he emerged to accompany Gao Yin.

He looked cheerful and seemed peaceful at heart, but his flushed face, reddened eye rims, and crumpled cuffs revealed that he was not as optimistic as he appeared on the surface.

As for Buddhist studies, Gao Rui and Gao Yan were indeed deeply immersed in the practice. Even though they had visited many times, they still praised it endlessly. Beside them, Xiao Guan and Yanzong asked questions from time to time, and their clear gazes greatly heightened the satisfaction of Gao Rui and Gao Yan.

After strolling for a while, everyone felt somewhat fatigued, so they returned to the Tushita Hall to partake in vegetarian meals and engage in philosophical discourse with the monks—a pastime of no small interest.

Scriptural debate is a fundamental course for monks to comprehend Buddhist doctrines through the logical reasoning methods of the Dignaga system of epistemology. Through public debates—which might also be described as orderly quarrels—monks clarify their own or their opponents' vague or erroneous understandings of Buddhist doctrines, thereby dispelling heterodox views.

One monk would stand up, walk toward another monk, and pose a question. This was a duel, forming a one-on-one confrontation between the two. The challenger asked first, and the invited party had to face the question directly, answering only yes, no, or indeterminate, without using counter-questions to evade, until the challenger's doubts were fully explained. Only then could the invited party launch a counterattack by posing their own question. The two sides engaged in this verbal volley until one party could no longer question or answer, which constituted defeat. The debate on the heavens between Qin Mi and Zhang Wen in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* is somewhat similar.

Aside from this, there was also a debate style akin to "I can take on ten of you," known as establishing-tenet debate. The debater prepared profound arguments or "radical theories," walked to the center of the hall, sat cross-legged on the floor, and awaited challenges. Just like before, counter-questions were barred; they could only provide answers.

Challengers were unlimited in number and questions; they merely needed to keep firing questions, and the debater had to remember and answer every single one. During this process, challengers were permitted to let out strange cries, applaud, swing their prayer beads like hula hoops, pull up their robes, pace back and forth, and even pat the debater's body to intimidate him—all such behaviors were allowed. If the debater was questioned to the point of speechlessness, everyone around could loudly jeer and boo him off the stage, and the debater was required to remove his cap and crown until he successfully defeated a challenger in a future debate before he could wear it again.

The figures known to later generations as "Tang Sanzang," "Master Xuanzang," and "Tang Monk" all referred to Chen Yi, where "Xuanzang" was his religious name, and "Sanzang" was an honorific title for one well-versed in the three baskets (sutra, vinaya, and shastra) of the Buddhist canon—essentially a senior professional title among Buddhists. Before him were figures like Kumarajiva of the Yao Qin dynasty; after him, during the era of Wu Zetian, there was Siksananda as the Tripitaka Master; during the Xuanzong reign, Amoghavajra; and there was even a Tripitaka Master Reisen in Japan.

The reason Chen Xuanzang became famous and even served as the representative of "monks of the Tang state" was because he was invincible across the realm in scriptural debates. At the age of thirty-two, invited by the Indian king of the time, he convened a grand Buddhist debate assembly in Kanyakubuja. The attendees included the kings of eighteen kingdoms of Tianzhu, over three thousand Buddhists, more than two thousand Brahmans and other adherents, and over a thousand monks from Nalanda Monastery.

The assembly lasted continuously for eighteen days. Xuanzang lectured and debated, welcoming questions and challenges from anyone, yet not a single person could defeat him in debate. Consequently, his renown shook the Five Indies. Lesser Vehicle disciples revered him as the "Liberation Heaven," Greater Vehicle disciples revered him as the "Great Vehicle Heaven," and countless external scholars converted to Buddhism on the spot.

Therefore, those capable of conducting an establishing-tenet debate were truly formidable figures. They were rarely seen on ordinary days; more common were the two-monk, question-and-answer, turn-based verbal skirmishes of scriptural debate.

Even so, it was already immensely entertaining. People-watching is human nature, somewhat reminiscent of modern-day social deduction games, murder mystery games, or interest seminars. Two people would argue until their faces were red, while others took sides based on differing viewpoints, shouting in applause whenever their side made a clever point. The entire Tushita Hall completely lacked the tranquility expected of a sacred Buddhist sanctuary, yet most people remained utterly oblivious, venting or manufacturing a great deal of animosity through these debates.

For the monks, this was also an opportunity to get ahead. Religion is essentially an organization that sells faith and spiritual comfort; letting the abbot and nobles witness one's outstanding performance made it easier to rise rapidly in the future, while simultaneously exercising the monks' dissemination and promotion capabilities.

This is why the highest-ranking monks in temples are rarely warrior monks—being able to fight is useless; everything depends on verbal prowess.

Gao Yin sat in the primary seat, not participating in the debate, and no one dared to question him. Gao Rui, Gao Yan, and the others were the same, but Gao Rui could not resign himself to inactivity. Seeing the monks debating with such fervor, he entered the arena himself to debate someone, only to be defeated quite swiftly.

After a bout of lively activity, the monks who performed exceptionally well were rewarded. After all, no matter how pious the mind serving the Buddha might be, the physical body still needed to eat. The monks bowed in gratitude to the Crown Prince and the three princes, then leisurely withdrew from the Tushita Hall, leaving behind only the Crown Prince, the three princes, Gao Zhanggong, and Fashang.

Stepping out of the hall, the monks scattered in groups, discussing the nobility and generosity of the various princes with friends and relatives, mutually flattering each other for gaining recognition while secretly criticizing one another's subpar performances in their hearts.

One passing monk was suddenly intercepted. The interceptor asked with a smile, "Huixin, where are you heading?"

"Since I received no reward, naturally I am returning to meditate."

This remark drew others closer. Even in a pure Buddhist sanctuary, jealousy and comparison still existed: "Huixin, you really need to be more mindful. After all, our Heshuai is the number one Buddhist temple in the Great Qi, the place where the Son of Heaven took his vows, and the resort of princes and nobles. If you don't strive to perform, are you truly planning to serve just the Buddha?"