If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 420
“You haven’t even gone to Mount Lingshan, so why should I leave you? Even if you went to Mount Lingshan and I switched to another sect, it has nothing to do with you, a little nun under the Buddha’s command.” The old monk said unhappily.

"But if you change your allegiance, how can you be worthy of the Buddha Dipamkara?" Xiaoyu said.

The old monk said: "Why should I be sorry for him? I am not his disciple.

There are many sects in Lingshan. He is the leader of the sect, and I am also the leader of the sect.

It has nothing to do with him who I go to.”

Xiao Yu was shocked and said, "As the leader of your tribe, you were the first to surrender to the enemy. Aren't you irresponsible?"

"My sect is composed of only me, and although my sect belongs to the ancient Buddhist sect, it is not an enemy of Sakyamuni.

Because I have never been the Lord of Lingshan in the past, and I will not compete for the position of Lord of Lingshan now or in the future. " said the old monk.

Xiao Yu twitched his lips slightly, "You are alone, how can you be the leader of a tribe?"

The old monk said calmly: "I listened to Amitabha Buddha's teachings with Randeng and became a Buddha together.

After the passing of the two masters Jie Yin and Zhunti, according to the order of seniority, I am even qualified to be the master of Lingshan Mountain, so what's wrong with being the master of a sect?"

Xiao Yu was surprised and asked, "How could the 'master' also pass away?"

The old monk said: "The 'nirvana' of a mortal monk is an elegant name for death.

The Buddha's nirvana represents a kind of great perfection and transcendence.

When you come to Lingshan, you may be able to see the Welcoming Buddha often.

He has achieved complete nirvana and has transcended, but he is still in Lingshan, and yet he is not in Lingshan.

Xiao Yu said blankly: "I don't understand."

"If you understand, you are also a Buddha."

After making sure that she had mastered Pali and Sanskrit, the old monk took the initiative to lead her out of the city while talking to her.

By now they had arrived under a lush Bodhi tree outside the city.

The green leaves seemed to be inlaid with gold edges, shining in the sun, and the Buddha's light was so strong that one felt there were hundreds of Buddhas hiding among the branches.

"Could this be the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment?" Xiao Yu exclaimed.

The old monk pulled her to sit cross-legged under the tree and said, “This is the Bodhi tree that I planted 500,000 years ago when I first arrived at Lingshan to listen to Amitabha Buddha’s teachings. I used a Bodhi seed given by Cundi Buddha to plant this tree.

It is planted in Lingshan Mountain and also in my heart. It is my 'Bodhi root'. I am lending it to you now to help you realize the infinite Dharma."

Xiaoyu didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt that his wisdom and supernatural powers were undergoing some kind of transformation.

Become more rounded, more spiritual, and more suitable for understanding Buddhism.

I now have a new understanding of the Buddhist scriptures I just listened to.

This was such an obvious change that she shouldn't have suspected it was an illusion.

But she is in a dream now, and the feeling in a dream is not the same as reality.

"To cultivate your mind, you must first know what the mind is and where it is," said the old monk.

Xiaoyu touched her chest and said, "My heart is the 'god' that lives in my heart."

The old monk nodded and said, "Your answer contains two parts. It explains that the mind is 'consciousness and knowledge', and you also believe that the 'consciousness and knowledge' is inside the body, right?"

"Well, the knowing mind is inside the body." Xiaoyu said.

The old monk said, “Since the knowing mind is inside the body, why can’t you see your organs, blood vessels, and muscles?

You must know that seeing and feeling are the basis of knowing. "

Xiaoyu knew that the old monk was thinking about Zen instead of studying biology or anatomy with him.

She thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that the mind of consciousness is outside the body? We first see external objects and recognize the external environment, and it is difficult to recognize ourselves. That is not right. If the mind is outside the body, the mind and body are separated.

The mind's knowledge has nothing to do with the body's feelings.

But the body's feelings are part of the mind's feelings. It is impossible for the body to feel without the mind feeling."

She frowned and fell into deep thought, and the old monk just looked at her quietly.

After a moment, Xiao Yu said, "My heart is neither inside nor outside my body. It is not anywhere."

The old monk said, "Have you ever seen a turtle with hair on its back or a rabbit with horns on its head?"

"No, there are no horns on the rabbit's head and no hair on the turtle's back." Xiaoyu said.

The old monk said, “Yes, if it exists, it exists, and if it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t have to be so empty-headed.

You are not a plant, a tree, or a stone. You have a heart, and your heart definitely exists.

But if your heart is not anywhere, then it does not exist. Isn't this a contradiction?"

Xiao Yu struggled and said, "The heart does not exist somewhere specific. It is a collection of many perceptions. It is scattered in various parts of my body and also scattered between heaven and earth."

The old monk asked, "Your eyes are blind, but has your heart changed?"

"No change." Xiaoyu said.

"But you said that your mind is scattered throughout your body, and naturally it is also in your eyes. Now that your eyes are blind, your conscious mind remains unchanged?" said the old monk.

Xiaoyu said: "It has changed."

The old monk said: "The one that changes with external things is not your real heart. You have mistaken your 'heart'.

If you even admit that your heart is wrong, what heart are you still cultivating?

For example, if you want to practice boxing but use your feet as fists, what effect can you achieve? "

"What is the real heart?" Xiaoyu was a little confused.

"The true heart is immortal and eternal. Only when you find the true heart can you become the immortal Buddha." said the old monk.

"Let me think again"

Xiaoyu scratched her head hard, and soon her beautiful hair became a mess.

"Master, where is my heart? What is my heart?"

"Keep thinking." The old monk said lightly.

Xiao Yu struggled for a moment and said, "I am now looking for my heart. My heart is leading this process. This is my heart."

"Alas, although you have some wisdom, you are ultimately shallow in knowledge, experience, and even less in practice," sighed the old monk.

"I have no skills at all, can you please give me some hints?" Xiaoyu said.

The old monk pondered and said, “If this is normal Buddhist teaching, you must find the answer yourself.

At least you are close to the answer, then I can offer some suggestions.

Only the answers you find yourself truly belong to you.

Once you find it, the realm is reached.

Getting answers from others may become a 'knowledge barrier' that hinders your progress.

Alas, it’s a pity that you don’t have hundreds or even thousands of years to slowly gain insights.

I have no choice but to try to force the issue.”

Xiaoyu saw and heard a lot of regret and entanglement in his expression and tone.

"Have other Buddhas gone through this step?" she asked.

The old monk nodded and said, "This is the 'heart gate' on the road to becoming a Buddha. In Lingshan, it is also called the 'seven places to test the heart'.

The Buddha has two extremely talented disciples, one is Ananda and the other is Jin Chanzi.

After practicing for ten thousand years, Ananda completed seven stages of realization of the mind in one day, and finally received guidance from the Buddha and found his "true mind".

Jin Chanzi found his "true heart" on his own without any guidance from anyone.

His amazing talent even surpassed that of Sakyamuni himself."

Xiao Yu asked: "How long did it take Master to complete the 'Seven Places of Realization of the Mind', but was it self-enlightenment?
How far am I from the Seven Realizations of the Mind? "

The old monk said: "My Buddha nature is not good. I have been struggling for three hundred thousand years before I could barely complete the seven stages of enlightenment.

One needs to be guided by the Buddha with his "heart" before one can find the "true heart".

As for you, the Seven Realizations of the Heart, as the name suggests, has seven levels, and you are probably at the fifth level now. "Xiao Yu was surprised and delighted, "Fifth level, not low! I am still two steps away from becoming a Buddha, hehehe."

The old monk sighed and said, "That's why it's a pity. If you were a weak seedling like me, there would be no point in forcing it to grow faster.

You are a good seedling and should let nature take its course and grow slowly.

If one practices asceticism for thousands of years, one can at least attain the status of an Arhat."

Xiao Yu thought for a moment and asked, "Master, if you want to kill Jin Chanzi, how many moves do you need?"

The old monk glanced at her and said, "If it were at this moment, let alone Jin Chanzi, I would take out my Immortal Slaying Flying Knife and his master, Tathagata Buddha, would be killed with just one strike.

But if Tathagata became the master of Lingshan, he would practice hard for another 100,000 years.

My Immortal Slaying Flying Knife can do nothing to him."

"Could it be that Master's Taoism skills are all accumulated over the years? When Jin Chanzi accumulates the same amount of Taoism skills, you won't be able to defeat him?" Xiao Yu asked again.

The old monk sneered and said, "I am only inferior to him in the stage of proving my mind, not that I am inferior to him in everything.

You also know my name.

They have all become "Tao Lords", and the ideas of Taiyi Xuanmen have long been deeply rooted.

One can imagine how difficult it is to change one's mindset when one suddenly turns to Buddhism."

"Yes, you are already a Taoist priest, why do you want to turn to Buddhism?" Xiao Yu asked puzzledly.

If she could enter Taiyi Xuanmen, she would be a disciple of only the seventh or eighth generation (counting from the Taoist Ancestor).

Even if Buddha asked her to go to Lingshan to be his disciple, she would not go.

The old monk said: "I was a Taoist priest billions of years ago, and I am still a Taoist priest today billions of years later.

If you do not turn to practicing Buddhism, you will still be a Taoist master in tens of thousands of years.

If it were you, would you stick to this path till the end?"

After a pause, he continued, "Do you know that Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun invite the Buddha to preach in the Thirty-three Heavens every year?

At this time, Dipamkara Buddha had arrived at the Tushita Palace.

What do you think the Buddha can teach?

Buddhism is not Taoism, and Taoism does not belong to Buddhism.

But the teachings of Buddhism and Taoism are both the 'Great Way'.

If they don't have this kind of magnanimity, what kind of 'Taoist Ancestors' are they?"

Xiao Yu murmured, "I thought 'Daozu' was just the founder of Taoism."

The old monk shook his head and sighed, "The Three Pure Ones are the ancestors of Taoism, but Taoism is only a relatively important part of their 'Taoism'.

People of the Dao Sect must follow the footsteps of the Dao Ancestor, but the Dao Ancestor is pursuing the Supreme Dao. "

Xiao Yu looked up at the west, and felt inexplicably nervous. "Master, is the sun about to set?"

The old monk said: "The sun sets in the dream world, and the sun rises in the earthly world. This dream is about to end."

Xiao Yu looked at him expectantly and said, "I can sleep a little longer until dark."

The old monk said angrily: "You are in my dream now. Once I wake up in the morning light, what's the point of you sleeping until dark?"

Xiaoyu was anxious, "I haven't found my true heart yet!"

The old monk hesitated and said, "You have two choices. I will teach you the Heart Sutra directly, and you can find the true heart that is neither born nor destroyed, and you can leave it for later.

But in this way, your speed of practicing the Duo Xin Jing will be much slower.

Or, I will first guide you to find your true heart, and then teach you the "Heart Sutra".

But the answers given by others will become the "knowledge barrier" between you and your "true heart". It seems that you have found your true heart, but you are actually further away from it. "

Xiao Yu gritted her teeth and said, "Just tell me the answer."

The old monk said: "It is very difficult to break through the obstacles of knowledge and understanding. If you can't break through, you can't become a Buddha."

"Alas, becoming a Buddha is too far away for me now. I will be satisfied as long as I don't become a ghost." Xiaoyu said helplessly.

Then the old monk said: "Your 'heart' at this moment can know and feel, and it seems to be your heart.

In fact, it is just the thoughts and ideas of the root dust and delusion. It is like a big net that confuses your true heart and true nature. "

The old monk raised his right hand and performed the Dou Luo Mian Wang Xiang Guang Hand towards Xiao Yu's face.

The five fingers were like five wheels, and the scenes of the birth and death of all things in the heavens and earth quickly appeared in Xiaoyu's eyes.

“We are born in this world, and all our feelings, thoughts, and ideas, all our emotions and consciousness, are generated through interaction with this world.

When you see flowers blooming, you are happy; when you see wild beasts trampling your favorite flowers, you become angry.

Your joy and anger are all created for you by the world.

Therefore, your heart is bound by the world."

Following the old monk's words, Xiaoyu also saw different scenes, and was infected by the different scenes, generating various emotions.

"This kind of knowing mind that arises and disappears naturally with the changes in the world is not the true mind.

It is a web that not only hides your true heart, but also entangles you, making it impossible for you to find your true heart."

"Yu Fengxian, do you understand?!"

The old monk suddenly gave her a wake-up call, raised his free left hand and slapped her hard on the back of the head.

"Bang bang bang~~~" It sounds like someone is hitting thick wood, and the crisp sound is very textured.

Strangely enough, as the old monk continued to pat Xiaoyu, his expression gradually calmed down.

The old monk's right hand was still like a kaleidoscope, quickly demonstrating the birth and death of all things in the world before her eyes.

She felt touched and had all kinds of emotions in her heart.

But it seemed as if another heart appeared above the "heart", unaffected by anything.

"I seem to have some feeling." Xiaoyu said.

Upon hearing this, the old monk stopped scolding and continued to create various scenes with his right hand.

He asked, “What do you see?”

"I saw a horse running." Xiaoyu said truthfully.

"It's running, what about your heart, is it moving?" asked the old monk.

Xiaoyu thought about it and said, "I don't know."

The old monk sighed, removed his "Xiangguang Hands", and said, "It seems that forcing things to grow can only go so far."

Xiao Yu asked: "Can you explain it again in plain language?
I seemed to understand what he said, but it was just scratching the surface and I felt very uncomfortable. "

The old monk said: "Your mind changes with the changes in your surroundings and your own circumstances.

You regard this change of your heart as your "true heart".

But why do you think that this change of mind is "real" rather than false?
Yes, the world is real.

The changes in the world are real.

But the feelings and emotions that the changes in the world bring to you are false.

You feel they are real because your heart accepts them as real.

And this 'vain heart' of yours was cultivated by them.

Only by breaking through this illusion can we find the true heart. "

"So, true love means not being happy with things or sad with oneself?" Xiaoyu said.

"Of course not. When you are sad or happy, your heart stands high, looking down at your own sorrow and joy with a cold gaze. You may have sorrow and joy, but your heart remains the same." said the old monk.

Xiao Yu sighed, "Ah, I'm a little tired, I need to take a break. Please teach me the Duo Xin Jing first."

(End of this chapter)