LCD The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Discussion in 'Latest Chapter Discussion' started by jacobpaige, Oct 17, 2018.

  1. jacobpaige

    jacobpaige Well-Known Member

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    Series link: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-monk-that-wanted-to-renounce-asceticism/

    C1:
    "Riches and women!"
    "I think I'll to give it some consideration!"
    "Will not be provided!"
    lol.

    C2: "If these terms are ever violated he will perish without any descendants." Um, monks never have descendants anyway. They're sworn to celibacy as far as I know.

    So, is he the only one that can see all these theatrics? If not, then I have to wonder why no one seems to have noticed.

    C3: "Indeed. The monks these days eat anything. They gamble, smoke, and hire prostitutes." He doesn't have the money for that sort of thing... Though, even if he did, the system would likely strike him with lightning if he tried to do any of them.

    C5: I wonder why he thinks he'll get a draw chance from the second rescue. The system's words clearly implied that it was a one time thing.

    Also, love how he didn't bother to try to prevent the rude b*****d from falling ;)

    C6: I wonder why they don't suspect him of setting booby traps for them so that he'll look like he can see the future?

    C7: I wonder if you can pray to a child-giving Guan Yin to ask that she not give you any children ;)

    So, he did get a second draw? Honestly wasn't expecting that.

    C8: That Buddhist symbol of peace looks an awful lot like a Swastika...

    C12: I wonder if he can plant the seeds that grow from the seed he bought, or if they're genetically sterilized or something to prevent him from only buying seeds once.

    C13: I'm glad he thought to ask about replanting.

    If temples are taxed in China, then I expect they'll be trying to accuse him of lying on his taxes.

    C15: "That night, Buddha came to me, and he said that I have been a good person for my past ten lives." How is that not a lie? And why didn't he just say that he'd met a wealthy benefactor that offered to renovate the temple in exchange for him agreeing to aid the spread of Buddhism? That would at least be true, if only partially so.

    Well, he could just split it between them and then cook more for himself after they leave. Though honestly, they know his financial situation. They shouldn't be demanding his food.

    C16: "Even the slightest mistake will render all the hard work of planting moot." Yet another lie.

    C18: "As long as you are sincere, anything you do wish for will be granted." Another lie. Unless his temple is suddenly going to start resurrecting, killing, and enslaving people of course. Then it might be true.

    C19: I'm beginning to think that he doesn't know what it means to not lie. He's told at least one in practically every chapter since it was mentioned that he couldn't lie.

    I wonder if that doctor will start recommending the MC's temple to his other hopeless patients.

    C21: Is patient privacy not a thing in China? Or does that nurse just not understand the massive ethics violation she just committed?

    C23: How is using the money to buy food for himself from the system any different from using that same money to buy food from the grocery store? In terms of Buddhism I mean.

    C25: I wonder if that intelligence boost applies to humans too.

    C28: I wonder how he'll keep the moron from driving. Actually saying anything to him about it is bound to have the opposite effect at best. He could use that and say that someone else absolutely shouldn't drive, but then they wouldn't get their faces slapped, and there's no way the author would tolerate that.

    C31: People talk to their pets all the time. What's strange about that?

    "Stop. Don't move. The wolf is angry. This is a warning that canines give out. If we take another step forward, we will be attacked." Is there anyone on Earth that doesn't already know this? Aside from very small children that is. Though, even they could likely figure it out in less than a second based on instinct alone.

    C32: "All This Penniless Monk learned is some body-strengthening techniques. Patrons, please leave." Seriously, this author really doesn't know what a lie is.

    C33: I wonder how long it'll take for them to remember where he said the water came from. There's no need (as far as they know) to get the water from him instead of the spring.

    C34: "Yes. It was rather well-spoken. Patron, please continue." lol.

    If they go to fetch the water, then why do they need to bring it back...? It's not like they know he's done something to it.

    C42: Speaking as someone who has lived in a place that small before, packages will not be delivered to your door. They'll be delivered to the local post office and it's up to you to periodically check for them.

    I wonder why those four haven't come to visit him again yet. I'd have expected them to do it just to thank him if nothing else.
     
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  2. Undeadlord

    Undeadlord Well-Known Member

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    if i remember right he can't lie
     
  3. valzione

    valzione Well-Known Member

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    swastikas were originally buddhist symbols iirc, as well as symbols for sun/rebirth in some other cultures
     
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  4. oliver

    oliver Well-Known Member

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    Wonder why :facepalm:
     
  5. jacobpaige

    jacobpaige Well-Known Member

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    Ah, so I should add cultural misappropriation to the very long list of bad things Nazis are guilty of. Though, it's hard to place it anywhere near the top of that list.
     
  6. valzione

    valzione Well-Known Member

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    it wasn't exactly misappropriation, i'm not completely sure why they used swastika, but i believe it may have originally been because they wanted germany to be reborn from the dark place they were in after ww1, what makes the swastika "evil" and "nazi" symbol is the people who hated nazis now had a good symbol to focus their hatred on despite not knowing what the symbol actually means.

    The swastika itself is actually very widespread symbol and the concept behind it even more so. Therefore it's not exactly something that only belongs to specific culture or people.

    tl;dr nazis were horrible people but the reason swastika is what it is nowdays is because of people who just want to hate everything nazis did/were blindly
     
  7. jacobpaige

    jacobpaige Well-Known Member

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    "Ding! This is conditioned Dharma. It can be accepted." Unless I'm misunderstanding something, this roughly translates to "Ding! It exists, so you can accept it," which is a pretty broad basis for deciding if a gift can be accepted. Does that mean that if a rich mobster gifted him a prostitute, he could accept her too? She would exist after all.

    Even BB guns are illegal in China? That's a bit extreme. You can barely kill a squirrel with one of those things. Short of something truly extreme happening, it's basically impossible to kill a human with it. I know, I've been shot with one before by malicious idiots with too much time and too little parental supervision when I was a kid. Heck, I even accidentally shot someone with one in the neck at near point blank range at an Airsoft place once. Yeah, he wasn't feeling good, and that bruise was a doozy, and I spent a lot of time apologizing for and feeling guilty about it, but he wasn't even close to dying from it.

    Has anyone in the village ever seen his wolf before? Though, even if they have, they've definitely not seen it since it's bath. Hopefully no one will try to attack it.
     
  8. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Wasn't this adapted into a drama?
     
  9. CKtalon_TMW

    CKtalon_TMW Well-Known Member

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    No. There will be a comic for it though. Comic adaptation rights were signed over, so maybe it can eventually be adapted into a drama.
     
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  10. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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  11. jacobpaige

    jacobpaige Well-Known Member

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    I hope the driver recognized Dog Song and reports him to the police. That SoB deserves to go to prison after not even calling an ambulance.

    Personally, I'd probably use it on the front door since it's meant to ward off evil. I expect he'll wind up using it against the murderer in some fashion though.
     
  12. jacobpaige

    jacobpaige Well-Known Member

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    I wonder if he remembered to delete the photobombed photos before sending them to her ;)
     
  13. KickInator

    KickInator I am Indian bc

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    10 chapters to set up a curbstomp.
    Just kill me :blobhero:
     
  14. Bakayaroo

    Bakayaroo Active Member

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    HAs anyone read this book's raws does the monk travel to another world or stay in the modern world
     
  15. kkgoh

    kkgoh Well-Known Member

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    Picked up this novel recently and was really impressed with the story and writing.

    Not sure how far everyone has read, but in Chapter 268-269 ("A Person that Can't Be Saved"), there was basically a "green tea bitch" B-actress that wanted someone to give her validation for selling herself to a rich old man. Tagging @Blazingprincess for an earlier thread posted on green tea bitches.

    As with (some of) MC's past decisions, he refused to give the actress any advice, and only pointed out that she already knew what she wanted. Eventually she married the old man, was a victim of domestic abuse but didn't regret her decision. To quote, she'd rather cry in a mansion than laugh in a basement.

    It was a really short arc, but I thought that a lot of "case studies" were really poignant and reflective of human desires. And that being "saved" by Buddhist gods or whatever philosophies you ascribe to, still depends on what you want for yourself.
    In stark contrast, we have movies like "Bruce Almighty", where an omnipotent god gets to dictate to humans that "we don't really know what we want". Not trying to discuss philosophy or religion here, but it's a pretty interesting perspective.

    Does anyone have their favorite arcs/characters from the novel?
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2019
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  16. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    World After The Fall has become a chore to read. I will give this a try
     
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  17. kkgoh

    kkgoh Well-Known Member

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    Just go in with an open mindset and note that it's NOT "Cultivation Chat Group" or "I Really Am A Superstar".
    No pointless power-ups. MC's end goal isn't fame, fortune, or even love.
     
  18. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    I know. It is a breath of fresh air to be honest.
    Power fantasy novels get stale.
    I can't last more than 100 chapters.
    That is why novels like god of money are so great. They end under 200 chapters lol
     
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  19. kkgoh

    kkgoh Well-Known Member

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    Read two recent arcs of the novel. An MLM scam (Chapter 470-495) and Corpse Fishing scam (Chapter 590-600), both clearly based on real world events in China.
    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...acklisted-pyramid-scheme-hotspots-take-action
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11797410
    https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/...r/news-story/8aa052949204f02842a15f1379d85472

    SPOILER ALERT
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    MC went the wrathful Buddha route in these arcs. He basically delivered karmic justice/retribution to the evil doers.
    In one arc, MC dispensed justice himself, literally killing them. In another arc, MC left the decision of saving the evil doers (who were drowning) up to the victims' friends, families, public passersby and even police. They were aware of the evil doers actions and chose NOT to save the baddies. Basically enacting street justice.
    Reminder that MC is a monk, but not the totally passive, peace-loving one so often prescribed in popular media. FYI this is actually still within Buddhist philosophy, if you take the entire spectrum of teachings into consideration rather than the splintered sects of Buddhism.

    I find these decisions REALLY interesting :barefoot:
    Note that MC doesn't rush to pass judgement. He observes and interacts with the evil-doers for a period of time and provides opportunities for them to repent, although there's almost always some form of punishment to resolve part of their "karmic debt". So this isn't necessarily a contradiction with MC's earlier actions of "doing nothing" at times.

    I'm guessing the story has evolved to the point where in the presence of a higher, infallible system of judgement (Buddhist karmic system, @lychee !!), the MC chooses whether human law applies or not.

    Not quite the crazy monologue in Pulp Fiction, but I definitely got some vibes.


    Disclosure that I'm a former lay Buddhist, currently atheist, don't believe in karma, but I learned and can appreciate a lot of the philosophies from various religions.
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2019
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  20. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Can't read because it spoilers but came across this when reading your first link

    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...aten-death-after-he-tried-flee-pyramid-scheme
     
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