Journey to the West: Starting with Tianpeng, Mistakenly Entering the Yaochi Palace.

Summary

The passage describes a complex political and religious scenario involving Du Chen and Li Shi Min discussing the Buddhist Water and Land Assembly. Du Chen orchestrates a cunning plan to burn Buddhist disciples by preaching a philosophical concept of "Buddha is emptiness, emptiness is Buddha" before setting the assembly on fire. He views this as a method to prevent the spread of Buddhist teachings and potentially disrupt the Journey to the West. The event becomes a horrific scene where monks are trapped in flames, with some believing it might be a spiritual test while others panic. Yin Kaishan supports the plan, viewing it as either helping monks reach their supposed heavenly realm or punishing false religious practitioners.

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