The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 120: Reading the Huangting Zhongjing Jade Sutra (Happy New Year)

When the sun rises, the mist and dew remain, and the green pines are as if they are covered with ointment.

On the morning of the fourth day after returning to the mountain, at Zangdao Peak, in the Daoyuan, the door of the thatched cottage opened, and the well-rested white-haired old Taoist walked out of the room, full of energy. He opened his arms and stretched lazily. He stepped out and first took a look at the three-foot-tall spiritual pine seedlings.

He watered the plant with spiritual water, loosened the soil and applied fertilizer, and casually gave the spiritual root a hint of Taoism. Looking at the spiritual pine with its branches and leaves slightly shaking, Xuanming stroked his beard, smiled knowingly, and carefully took care of the other spiritual plants. After having breakfast, he walked out of the courtyard and into the mountains.

Looking at the familiar floating clouds and mountains, a sense of familiarity and intimacy arises spontaneously. The gloomy forest is quiet and deserted. Xuanming's feet step on the layer of dead branches and fallen leaves, making a slight sound. He looks at the red, yellow and green grass and trees, and while admiring them, his heart is at peace.

Walking through dense forests of ancient trees, climbing snow-capped peaks, and entering quiet valleys, Xuanming seeks new insights in familiar mountains and rivers, confirming what he has gained from traveling tens of thousands of miles.

An hour later, he returned to Cangdao Peak and entered the third floor of the Sutra Repository. The Taoist scriptures were already prepared on the table, the tea was already brewed, and the incense was already burning beside the table. Changfengzi had prepared everything as usual.

Sitting upright at the table by the window, Xuanming took a sip of tea. The tea leaves have not changed, the tea water has not changed, the person who brewed the tea has not changed, and the taste is still the same, but the heart of the person who drinks the tea has changed.

This was because in the early morning, Xuanming heard Changning, who was delivering food, say that since he went down the mountain to travel, Changfengzi would prepare the things Xuanming often used on the table on the third floor of the Sutra Pavilion every day, for fear that his uncle would come back quietly one day.

In addition to being driven by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Xuanming was moved by this dedication and persistence. He was in a good mood while drinking tea, and everything on the table was pleasing to the eye. It is easy to get a lot of gold, but it is hard to find true love.

Glancing at Changfengzi, who was reading sutras at his desk on the first floor, the corners of his mouth curled up. Changfengzi guessed quietly that Xuanming really wanted to return in this way. After all, it would be too troublesome to mobilize a large army.

It was just that it was his first time away from home for such a long time, and when he came back again, he felt homesick. In addition, he was infected by the longevity and joy of the spiritual deer, so he couldn't help but reveal some of his emotions, which resonated with the people of Floating Cloud Mountain. In this case, he simply showed his divine power once to cheer people up and appease the crowd.

Shaking his head slightly to clear his chaotic thoughts, Xuanming picked up the scriptures, immersed himself in them in the blink of an eye, and gradually got into the mood.

"Uncle Master, my Sutra Library now has 6,300 volumes of Taoist scriptures, which is 600 more than before..."

In the afternoon, after the scriptures were closed, Changfengzi arrived and reported to Xuanming the details of the scriptures in the pavilion. Through his narration, he learned that these more than 600 Taoist scriptures were the work of the disciples of Qiuzhen Temple.

They knew that Xuanming liked to read scriptures. Whether he was traveling outside the mountain or returning to secular life, they would consciously collect Taoist scriptures and bring them back or send them to Fuyun Mountain to fill the Sutra Library, both to satisfy Xuanming's hobby and to deepen the sect's foundation.

In addition, as the superiors set an example, the subordinates now also realize the importance of the Sutra. They like to read the Sutra, comprehend the principles from the Sutra, and answer their doubts. The spirit of seeking the Tao is getting stronger, which is also one of the reasons why they collect Taoist scriptures.

"My Taoist sect has three treasures: the Dao, the Scriptures, and the Master. Literature carries the Dao, and the Dao Scriptures carry the true meaning of the principles and the truth of wisdom. Now that all my disciples have gained this understanding, I am very pleased..."

After understanding the whole story, Xuanming was delighted with the transformation of the Taoist priest from Qiuzhen Temple, whether for himself or for him. He waved his sleeves to take out the Taoist scriptures he had taken away before going down the mountain, and automatically put them on the blank bookshelf. After answering some of Changfengzi's questions about cultivation, he got up and left.

As for giving this nephew an opportunity, one cannot rush into it. Chang Fengzi's persistence is certainly touching, but this is not a reason for Xuan Ming to give him another chance. After all, he had already given him some experience in formation before.

Walking out of the Sutra Repository, the mountain breeze blew, and his hair, beard and Taoist robe fluttered in the wind. Xuanming transmitted his voice and called upon the Taoists of three generations.

---

At the command, all the Taoists came together.

When Xuantong arrived late, except Xuanyin who worked in Tiandiyuan, the three generations of Taoists gathered in Wendaoyuan to drink tea and reminisce. Xuanming talked about his travels and experiences, which made Xuanyang and other three generations of Taoists itchy. They also felt like traveling and wanted to do something.

In the past, their cultivation was low and they could only roam around in the world around Floating Cloud Mountain. The farthest place they had been to was Fengyang County City. Now, they have become immortals and have the ability to protect themselves. Their senior brother has set a good example for them. It is reasonable and logical for them not to be trapped in the mountain and they must work hard to get out.

Going down the mountain and then up the mountain, entering the world and then leaving the world, only by wandering in a city where half is mountains and water and half is smoke, having the dual experience of a pot of wine and a bunch of flowers, seeing the three thousand prosperous things without being confused, and experiencing all things in the world without being paranoid, can one attain the Tao.

What's more, if they want to follow the path of earthly immortality and create their own earthly immortal methods, they cannot just sit and talk about the way or look at the world from a narrow perspective. They need to measure the earth with their own feet, feel the inspiration and emotional changes of the mountains and rivers in various places, capture and accumulate that spirituality, and experience the customs and cultures of various places.

The Taoists also talked about the rapid changes in Qiuzhen Temple after it was promoted to a major sect: at the first initiation ceremony this spring, twenty-three people passed the three levels and joined the Qiuzhen Temple. Their qualifications were of varying levels, but their character, understanding and perseverance were all good; the exchanges between Tianzhuan Sect and Qiuzhen Temple increased; after the promotion of Fuyun Mountain, there were many outstanding people and beautiful scenery, and the disciples' practice was twice as effective with half the effort; there were more natural spiritual creatures in the mountain... After three cups of tea, the reminiscing came to an end. Xuanming first answered the Taoists' doubts about practice. After a day and a night, he told the purpose of summoning the Taoists.

He handed a wish-fulfilling bag to Xuanxu and explained, "I stayed in Chiyao Mountain for a while when I came down the mountain this time. By chance, I got the treasures accumulated by the Fire Rat Tribe for hundreds of years. This is a part of it. I will give it to you, Junior Brother."

Hearing this, Xuanxu did not refuse. He immediately stood up and bowed respectfully: "Junior brother, on behalf of all the disciples in the temple, I would like to thank you, senior brother."

Xuanyang, Xuankong, Xuantong and others also bowed, because this gift was for Qiuzhen Temple, and both they and their disciples could benefit from it.

"Thank you, senior brother!"

Xuanming waved his hand nonchalantly without saying much to express his opinion. He entered the Tao, observed the Tao, and realized the Tao through the Qiuzhen View. It is possible that he will attain the Tao in the future, so he must give back to the Qiuzhen View. Those who understand will understand, so there is no need to say more.

After the Taoists sat down again, Xuanming took out another object and handed a red bead to Xuanyang: "This is the fire vein I took from Chiyao Mountain. I'll trouble you to place it in Fuyun Mountain."

Lifting his finger, a stream of light entered Xuanyang's brow, and Xuanming continued, "This is the method of moving the meridians, which can help Junior Brother."

Xuan Yang was overjoyed, and patted his chest to assure, "Brother, don't worry, I will take care of this matter."

With a slight nod, Xuanming handed the seeds of spiritual plants from various places that he had collected to Xuansu, and after giving the other Taoists a few words of advice, he ordered them to disperse.

The others stood up, bowed, and said their goodbyes.

After the Taoists left, Xuanming looked towards the east where the dawn was just beginning, and practiced the "Hunyuan Yiqi Jue", moving the Qi around in his body, attracting the morning purple energy, and increasing his magical powers.

---

Refining energy, observing the sky and the earth, reading scriptures to gain enlightenment, honing supernatural powers, organizing what he gained from his travels, using the Yin-Yang method to absorb energy from spiritual fruits... Xuanming was busy but orderly, practicing in an orderly manner, accumulating more and more, deepening his foundation bit by bit, and increasing his magic power bit by bit.

After returning to Fuyun Mountain, Xuanming cherished life in the mountains even more. He believed that the way of cultivation should be balanced between relaxation and tension, and between movement and stillness.

Over the past year or so, he has been mainly active, but now he should be mainly quiet. In his spare time, Xuanming often sits on the top of the mountain, boiling water and sipping tea while looking out at the world outside the mountain, reviewing the worldly life of the past year, as if he wants to integrate all his insights into the worldly life into a pot of boiling water and a cup of hot tea, blowing the floating clouds into snow and boiling the worldly taste into tea, which he then drinks slowly and digests slowly.

By the time he had completely put these to good use, autumn had passed and winter had arrived. When the first snow fell, Xuanming's temperament became more simple and pure, without the slightest worldly air. His heart of Taoism had been polished by the world and became crystal clear.

Staying in the thatched cottage, he picked up his brush and wrote a few lines of words: The green mountains are still and unmoving, the clouds roll and unroll at will in the morning and evening, even though the red dust is ten thousand feet deep, not a single trace of it has ever reached the thatched cottage.

The brush strokes are fluent and flowing, and the writing is done in one go. There is a sense of unrestrained and uninhibited style between the lines, and a sense of free and easy Dharma spirit that makes people feel excited, happy and peaceful.

After writing this poem, Xuanming was in a very good mood. He laughed out loud and walked out of the Taoist temple with big strides. He watched the snow and pine trees in Fuyun Mountain, or fished in the snow, or walked barefoot on the glacier...

After the fun was over, he felt relaxed and returned to his house. He hung up a sign saying "I'm in seclusion". He first took a nap on the couch and then sat cross-legged on the cushion. The Huangting Qi blessed his understanding, and his Xuanming mind entered the Xuanguan. He followed the mysterious sensation and came to the two Taoist scriptures.

One of them was half-hidden, hidden in the dazzling sunset glow, making it difficult to see clearly, but he knew clearly that it was the "Huangting Neijing Yujing", and the other was the "Huangting Zhongjing Yujing" which Xuanming could see clearly at the moment.

It's also his goal.

Today, I am finally qualified to read this Taoist scripture.

(End of this chapter)