The Omniscient

Chapter 69: Dao and Buddha

"Alright… Jia Hua, after you take it back, avoid touching it too much with your hands. Find a proper stand to place it on, and remember, don't leave it exposed to direct sunlight…"

After professionally preserving the artifact, Tang Xia smiled as she explained some precautions to Huang Ji.

Huang Ji, however, paid no attention to the immense amount of information contained in this segment of the Buddha's finger bone. Standing up, he smiled and said, "No need. I think it's better for you to keep it here for safekeeping."

"But…" Tang Xia hesitated, wanting to point out that this was not in line with standard procedure. Donations required all kinds of auditing processes.

Huang Ji was well aware of this—he wouldn't pass the review anyway. The Flying Immortal Inscription Mirror had been obtained through illegal means, and even his own identity was fake. The artifact was essentially not legitimate.

So, he quickly interjected, "You can consider it as temporary storage. Don’t museums also have mechanisms for borrowing items for exhibitions?"

"The bronze mirror can remain in your research institute. You can have the usage rights, can’t you?"

For Huang Ji, the bronze mirror was just a tool, but for the archaeological research institute, it was a priceless treasure.

In the end, he successfully convinced Tang Xia to accept the item. Tang Xia made a simple record of the transaction and asked him to leave his contact details and ID number.

Huang Ji provided fake information and bid her farewell with a smile.

As he descended the stairs, he saw that most of the security guards had returned and were chatting about how Lin Li had driven his car into a ditch.

Lin Li wasn’t hurt and was currently thanking one of the guards who had helped him.

Huang Ji didn’t approach him. Instead, he walked away, pretending not to know Lin Li.

Although Huang Ji had disguised himself, Lin Li had not. In the future, if the research institute tried to find the "donor," they could easily trace it back to Lin Li.

Hence, it was better if the two acted like strangers.

Huang Ji walked for about a mile before boarding a bus and returning to the hotel.

On the bus, he silently contemplated the origins of the Buddha’s finger bone. After getting off, he went to a bookstore, purchased some Buddhist texts, and brought them back to the hotel for further research.

Several hours later, Lin Li returned.

"Boss, I followed your instructions. I subtly implied to them that I was just a passerby driving through. They didn’t suspect anything. I even waited until they finished work and treated them to a meal afterward…" Lin Li reported, but his words trailed off when he noticed Huang Ji unconsciously stroking a massive metal finger segment, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Lin Li decided not to disturb him and started practicing martial arts on his own.

To his credit, Lin Li was incredibly diligent. Whenever he had free time, he devoted it to training. He cherished this opportunity. Before meeting Huang Ji, he had also been obsessed with martial arts but was always deceived.

Now, following Huang Ji and learning genuine skills made him ecstatic. Especially when his first attempt at training yielded results, it became an enormous source of motivation for him.

He was now more determined than ever to stick with Huang Ji, knowing this was likely the greatest stroke of luck in his life.

"Shimoda soga, pora minga, kue dolan pora, balani ga pora, lozhu du pora, lositam pora, galu kue pora minga…"

Suddenly! Strange sounds came from behind him, like some kind of chant.

Startled, Lin Li turned around and asked, "Huh? Boss, what did you say?"

"Thud!"

Before he could get a response, Huang Ji rolled off the sofa and collapsed to the floor unconscious!

The sudden turn of events shocked Lin Li.

"Boss!" Lin Li rushed over and held up Huang Ji, but Huang Ji's face was calm, showing no sign of consciousness.

"Wake up! Boss, what's wrong with you?" Lin Li shook Huang Ji, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t wake him up.

He even pinched Huang Ji’s philtrum until it nearly bled, but there was still no response.

"Damn it, what kind of condition is this?"

Panicking, Lin Li carried Huang Ji on his back. The Buddha’s finger bone slipped from Huang Ji’s hand, but Lin Li didn’t care. He rushed out, intending to take him to a hospital.

However, as soon as they entered the elevator, Huang Ji suddenly jerked and regained consciousness.

"Boss, you’re awake?" Lin Li exclaimed in surprise.

Huang Ji calmly replied, "No need to call an ambulance…"

He canceled the emergency call Lin Li had dialed. The scene was eerily familiar, as their first meeting had also played out in a similar way.

Lin Li set Huang Ji down and asked, "Boss, do you have some kind of illness?"

"I do sometimes make mistakes while practicing, but this wasn’t one of those times. I just uncovered the function of this Buddha’s finger… Follow me," Huang Ji said with a smile as he headed back to the suite.

Once they were back in the room, Huang Ji picked up the fallen Buddha’s finger bone and placed it on the coffee table.

Pointing at the relic, he smiled and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Lin Li replied, "You said it was a product of an alien civilization."

"Strictly speaking, yes. This is a segment of a Buddha’s finger. But its assembler was Gautama Siddhartha," Huang Ji explained.

Lin Li was taken aback. He certainly recognized the name and asked, "Shakyamuni?"

Huang Ji nodded and continued, "You’re referring to his account type."

"Huh?" Lin Li was baffled.

"A VIP account for the Enlightened One!" Huang Ji said with a cryptic smile.

Lin Li asked, "Are you saying Shakyamuni was an alien?"

Huang Ji replied, "No, he was human. He was simply 'educated' by aliens and designated as Earth's 'Enlightened One,' essentially the Buddha of Earth’s civilization."

"The Diamond Sutra records that the Buddha Dipankara told Gautama Siddhartha, 'Good man, in your next life, you shall become a Buddha, named Shakyamuni!'"

"What this really means is, 'Good child, if you spread the teachings of Buddha in this life and achieve nirvana through death, your next life can be as a Buddha, with the title Shakyamuni.'"

"‘Shakya’ was Siddhartha’s clan name, meaning capable or outstanding. ‘Muni’ also means sage or saint. Essentially, it’s a title meaning 'The Capable Sage.'"

Siddhartha was educated by aliens, gaining some knowledge, though primarily in philosophy and thought.

This philosophy originated from the profound cultural movements of certain alien civilizations, collectively called Buddhism.

This Buddhist culture was popular in many interstellar civilizations, though not as widespread as Daoist culture.

Dao and Buddha were the two main cultural philosophies among interstellar civilizations.

In one phrase, Dao could be summed up as: Nature.

All progress within the laws of nature is in pursuit of Dao.

Even the most advanced civilizations in the universe, no matter how technologically developed, could never surpass the natural laws. Science itself is the pursuit of Dao.

To seek the ultimate truth of the universe, to understand all natural laws of the cosmos—this is the essence of science, evolution, and philosophy. These are merely milestones on the journey toward the ultimate goal: to achieve unity with natural laws, to reach a state where one could say, "I am the universe" or "I am the natural law." This is the concept of "becoming one with Dao (nature)."

Every scientific researcher is a seeker of Dao. Their ultimate pursuit is the highest state: "acting without acting, yet accomplishing everything."

The Dao itself doesn’t move; it is the universe and its myriad forms that move. Every particle and phenomenon within the cosmos undergoes constant change—this is "action." However, the natural laws themselves remain unchanged, intangible, and formless—this is "inaction."

Thus, it appears as if Dao does nothing, yet it achieves everything. While it remains constant, all else moves and evolves according to its principles.

This is the nature of the universe: eternally unchanging, independent, and constant. Its silent existence endures, while it is the living beings, the myriad phenomena, and the eras that are forever changing.

The Dao remains still, and all things move on their own, unfolding "naturally." This is the essence of Dao in the universe—"acting without acting, yet accomplishing everything."

The ultimate achievement of science is to become this Dao: to master the natural laws.

All intelligent civilizations strive for development and progress, but in reality, they are pursuing this goal. They aspire to become like the universe itself, where all things operate around them, following their own rules.

They aim to transform from "followers of natural laws" into "authors of natural laws," from being a part of the universe to being the editors of its rules.

To unite with Dao, one must first "obtain Dao." To "obtain Dao" means to understand all natural laws of the universe.

So-called advanced civilizations have merely obtained fragments of Dao—parts of the natural laws.

Yet, even a fragment allows them to achieve remarkable feats, as all technological advancements are born from this knowledge.

The most cost-effective technologies are those that align with natural laws, such as causal-effect-based weaponry.

For instance, climate weapons operate on causality. By manipulating a planet’s weather system and pinpointing a critical natural node, one could create enormous effects.

On Earth, for example, by pouring a precise amount of water at a specific time and place—no more, no less—one could set off a chain reaction within the natural system. This simple act could culminate in a massive storm somewhere on the planet.

This is the butterfly effect, the ability to "summon winds and rains."

The more a civilization understands Dao, the greater their ability to align with nature and "command the elements."

Understanding and utilizing natural laws is something all civilizations strive to do.

But this is still not true "inaction." No matter how advanced, technology remains a form of "action."

The development of technology is a journey toward minimizing action—"acting less and less"—until the ultimate goal of "inaction" is achieved.

From crudely applying natural laws to elegantly harnessing them, and eventually becoming and defining them.

The same principle applies to any technology—it evolves from complexity to simplicity. For instance, computers: while they still rely on large-scale integrated circuits, their efficiency has improved exponentially since the 1970s.

Every technology follows this trend. The difference lies in whose technology is better and who knows more. This constitutes the technological disparity between civilizations.

Earth's civilization has entered the ranks of Dao seekers, with significant technological progress. However, our techniques are still too indirect, inefficient, and limited in understanding. Earth's technological level remains low.

Artificial rainfall is not comparable to climate weapons. Similarly, manipulating a planet's climate is not on the same level as altering a star's cycle.

All existing technological civilizations, regardless of their level, are merely on the path of seeking Dao.

Once a civilization fully "obtains Dao"—gains knowledge of all natural laws—they can approach unity with Dao. They could establish a perfect unified model of the universe, achieving unimaginable technological feats.

"…Aliens have no interest in waging war on Earth because we’re not worth it," Huang Ji explained to Lin Li.

"Why use cannons when a flood will suffice? Why deploy fleets when adjusting a star's magnetic field will do the job?"

"One solution is low-cost, the other is high-cost. Advanced civilizations only resort to high-cost solutions when low-cost ones fail."

"War is the last resort, an extension of politics—a bottom line, not a goal. Clearly, Earth is not worth triggering such measures from advanced civilizations."

Huang Ji elaborated on the fundamental values of interstellar civilizations.

Undoubtedly, this was the righteous path, the healthiest ideology, and the mainstream thought: seeking Dao is the legitimate path of a civilization's development.

"All technological civilizations are seekers of Dao. But what about Buddha?" Lin Li asked. "It’s clear that more than one alien civilization has influenced humanity…"

Huang Ji replied, "Although Dao is the mainstream ideology, it’s evident that interstellar civilizations can’t all share a single philosophy."

"The goal of uniting with Dao… is too lofty."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It’s an ultimate goal, so distant that it remains unattainable. To date, among countless civilizations in the universe, not one has fully "obtained Dao."

Once Huang Ji grasped this concept, he immediately "knew" the number of civilizations that had achieved unity with Dao: zero.

Not even a civilization that fully comprehends all natural laws exists, let alone one that has unified with Dao. The number is still zero.

As for civilizations on the path of seeking Dao… their number is astronomical—900 billion.

The vastness of the universe made Huang Ji feel small.

Of course, he didn’t share this with Lin Li. Instead, he explained from a perspective rooted in Earth’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies, as if deducing the concept backward:

"Think about it. This goal is virtually unattainable. Naturally, an alternative ideology emerged: Buddhism, or enlightenment."

"They were once Dao seekers, but gradually, they concluded that 'human effort is finite, while Dao is infinite,' and that 'Dao cannot be achieved.' So, they attained enlightenment."

"Their realization is this: while we know the universe’s great Dao exists and wish to become it, this is merely an ideal. In reality, it’s impossible."

"The universe can 'act without acting, yet accomplish everything.' That’s the universe. As sentient beings, no matter how wise we are or how much effort we expend, we will never achieve true inaction. We will always act, whether more or less."

"Thus, the ultimate pursuit of Buddhist culture is 'emptiness.'"

"'All phenomena are void! All conditional phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, or shadows. Like dew and lightning, they should be contemplated as such.'"

Lin Li was baffled. "What does that even mean?"

Huang Ji smiled. "To put it simply, whether it’s low-level technology or technology nearing full Dao comprehension, it’s still 'conditional.' Since human effort is finite and true inaction unattainable, why not aim lower?"

"The journey of seeking Dao is an endless sea of suffering. If there’s no end to the suffering, why not turn back to shore and let go of attachment?"

"Abandon this mortal body and 'enter the gate of emptiness.'"

"Convert everything into virtual data, create a virtual universe, and transfer consciousness into it. Within that space, we become the rules."

"In the virtual world, my will is Dao, my thoughts are laws, my words are decrees, and my actions are techniques."

"This is a slightly lesser form of 'unity with Dao.'"