The Lord of the Laws of Heaven

Chapter 210: Eliminating the False and Retaining the True
Night had already begun to fall.

The north wind was howling, and although the sky outside was dark, the snow made the earth appear naturally bright.

Xiao Jun closed the window and there was only an oil lamp next to it.

At this time, Xiao Jun was sitting upright on the ground, but he had his eyes closed. Although he had his eyes closed, his hand was still holding a pen. As the pen moved, words like pearls and jade appeared.

When you close your eyes, the handwriting naturally has a divine feel and is arranged neatly and neatly.

"Nature is Heaven's mandate, nature is the Way, and cultivating the Way is teaching..."

"When joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness are not expressed, it is called Zhong. When they are expressed in moderation, it is called He..."

"When heaven and earth are in their proper places, all things flourish."

Write down the principles in the articles of various philosophers at night and comprehend them carefully.

Xiao Jun's thoughts seemed to be connected to the vast void. His body moved with his movements, or rather, his body changed, but his mind was calm and empty.

The so-called teachings of the various philosophers, or the teachings left by the Holy Emperor and even the Yang Gods, are all about expounding the true nature of the origin and exploring the principles of morality.

This kind of morality is not the kind of morality bound by etiquette and laws described by the corrupt scholars in Daqian, but the morality that comes from the morality of heaven and earth and the morality of human nature.

All the beautiful articles written by various philosophers and schools of thought tell the same truth.

The splendid articles are different, just like the thousands of roads leading to Yujing City are different, but the final destination is Yujing City.

Where is the destination of all the teachings of various schools of thought?
Scholars call it nature, Taoists call it "Tao", and Buddhists call it true nature.

As Xiao Jun read and recited these principles, he naturally polished his mind, allowing his true nature to continuously manifest and illuminate. The splendid writings of the philosophers were like finely ground stones, polishing the true spirit to an infinite brightness, and like flames, refining clear and flawless glass.

Xiao Jun meticulously polished every word and sentence from the works of the various philosophers, turning them into a bright flame of wisdom within his heart. His heart, like a vast furnace, nourished the thoughts and ideas of the various philosophers.

Xiao Jun had easily grasped the teachings of various philosophers a long time ago. The essence of all the teachings of various philosophers is the same, that is, "eliminating the false and retaining the true"!
Get rid of the false and retain the true!

The so-called hypocrisy refers to the hypocrisy and delusion in the heart.

That is why Xiao Jun said that the teachings of the philosophers are like sandstone and fire, gradually sharpening and tempering everyone's true nature.

With this help, the thinking algorithm at the bottom of Xiao Jun's mind slowly condensed into spiritual light.

In addition to silently reciting the classics of the philosophers, one should also use a great deal of wisdom to contemplate the classics, polishing one's own innate brightness. Through the words of the philosophers, one can realize one's true nature.

Although this is true, it is more important to put it into practice.

All the fluctuations of Xiao Jun's consciousness were under control, and the qi in his body was circulating in an extremely mysterious way. Xiao Jun's heart was like a vast void, but his spirit was incomparably condensed, and his righteous spirit seemed to be rising.

Be tranquil and empty, and the true energy will follow.

This true energy is the righteous energy caused by the mind that is in harmony with the truth, and it is the Qianyang energy that is in harmony with emotions and will.

Xiao Jun forgot his body, his thoughts and emotions, all the constraints, even the teachings of the philosophers. Nothing was left, nothing could exist.

I have forgotten my own emotions and thoughts, but is it really that there is nothing left? No, because my true nature still exists.

Thoughts are triggered by changes in external appearances. Without changes in external appearances, we will have no thoughts.

But if we have no thoughts, does our mind cease to exist? Just like if the ocean has no waves, does the ocean cease to exist?

Without waves, the sea is still the sea. Without thoughts, our mind still exists.

Thoughts are the waves created by the mind.

All the teachings of the so-called philosophers, and even the teachings of the Holy Emperor Yangshen, are about this power of true heart and nature.

Xiao Jun attained the state of true heart nature and the state of sitting and forgetting.

In this state, the righteousness within his body emerged at its most fundamental and original level. This righteousness nourished Xiao Jun's spirit, soul, and body, and naturally grew stronger!
In this state of unconsciousness and total clarity, he naturally put down his pen, sat upright on a stool, his breathing so subtle it was barely perceptible. He was truly comprehending the most subtle mysteries of his own mind.

There was no conversation that night, only the howling of the north wind could be heard.

……

A Taoist priest was walking quickly, leaving only faint traces of his footsteps on the snow.

Soon, they arrived at Yujing City from Yulong Mountain, with seemingly slow but actually fast steps. At this time, the snow on the streets of Yujing City had long melted due to the strong popularity of the city. Only the silvery-white snow on the streets and tiled roofs of Yujing City decorated the capital of Daqian with silver.

The Taoist priest walked on the road, looking around.

Suddenly, his eyes swept directly to a small shop. Some basic books for scholars were placed on the top of the shop. Looking into the shop from among the books, he could see other books on the bookshelf.

These books included historical texts, annotations by great scholars, poetry collections compiled by scholars, and some miscellaneous books. The Daqian Dynasty valued literature, and the imperial examination system was even more prevalent. Bookstores like this were numerous, not only in Daqian, but even in Yujing City.

It is just such an ordinary bookstore. The books inside are not wrapped in exquisite book covers, but there are still many literati who come to the bookstore to take care of business.

But the owner of the bookstore was a middle-aged man, holding a hardcover scroll in his hand, which he was slowly unfolding.

The white space reveals the clouds, and the cranes fly with wings spread, seemingly flapping, their beaks open, as if singing, their excitement visible. Each detail of the feathers is clearly visible.

It seemed as if the two flying cranes were immersed in the joy of being free and unrestrained between heaven and earth! That was an incomparable happiness!

As the scroll unfolded, the Taoist took a look at it and was immediately fascinated. This feeling of freedom and ease made him feel empathy at the deepest level of his heart!
"Between heaven and earth, the greatest happiness for human beings is to be free and unfettered."

The Taoist's soul was attracted by this freedom and ease, his mind was drawn in, the flying crane in the painting became one with himself, his soul felt full, and he wanted to fly directly into the air.

The physical body is a solid raft for navigating the world, but it also serves as a restraint for the free spirit. At this moment, the Taoist priest directly broke free of this restraint and enjoyed unparalleled freedom and ease.

Suddenly, the Taoist felt a tingling sensation, as if he were wrapped in a furnace!
"Oh no! I've only just reached the stage of nighttime wandering, and haven't yet perfected my practice in the early morning light to fully enter the stage of daytime wandering. Yet, this painting has directly aroused my mind, and I've completely forgotten myself, causing my soul to leave my body!"

The Taoist's spirit hurriedly returned to his body in panic. He felt an incomparable comfort. The warm body nourished his soul.

"No, why wasn't my spirit severely damaged? Instead of feeling groggy, I felt somewhat comfortable! The sunlight hit me briefly, but it only felt a slight sting and heat. However, I only needed to meditate for a while and I'll recover."

The Taoist priest did not feel the burning of the sun. The general Taoist skills reached the level of night travel, but had not reached the realm of day travel. Being directly exposed to sunlight was like a person being directly subjected to the torture of fire. If he could not return to the physical body, the sunlight would refine his soul into the most primitive vital energy!
This is why there are no little ghosts causing trouble in broad daylight, because if a little ghost dares to cause trouble, it will be directly refined to death by the sunlight. When Taoist magic wanders at night, it can only be called wandering souls or little ghosts.

'Also, before reaching the realm of Taoist magic to exorcise objects, one must go through the visualization diagram before being able to leave the body. And just with this diagram, the mind is drawn out directly and naturally, and the carefree divine intention within it is completely integrated into it, making it an excellent visualization diagram.'

The Taoist priest suddenly reacted at this moment. After looking at this picture, he felt refreshed. The hot feeling from the sunlight just now slowly dissipated. The white clouds supported by the white space in the ink painting seemed to have become a good medicine to wipe away the scars of sunburn!

"It is said that Qian Daozi's paintings can directly enhance the cultivation of the soul. I used to think it was just a legend, but I didn't expect it to be true! This painting can really directly enhance the cultivation of Taoism. Could a scholar actually reach the realm of the Painting Saint?"

Although Qian Daozi is widely known in the circle of scholars, he is actually a Taoist in nature. When the Great Zen Temple was prosperous and Buddhism had not yet been suppressed, many Buddhist temples would invite him to paint portraits of Bodhisattvas and Arhats!
Among the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, Qian Daozi had a good reputation and was respected as the Saint of Painting. Before becoming the Saint of Painting, he had no idea how many times he had experienced and how many paintings he had done before he mastered his painting skills to perfection.

This painting of flying cranes is made of very ordinary rice paper, and is only a simple black and white ink painting. Although it has been carefully mounted, it still looks very crude.

In the eyes of the Taoist priest, this painting is the result of unparalleled Taoist painting skills, without the embellishment of fine pigments or fine paper.

The Taoist thought quickly, and hurriedly walked towards the bookstore. He touched his chest to see if the silver he had was enough.

At this moment, a middle-aged scholar appeared in front of the bookstore. After the painting appeared, he was immediately attracted by it and took out a bag of silver from his arms.

After handing the bag of silver to the middle-aged owner of the bookstore, he took down the painting, admired it and prepared to take it away.

"and many more!"

The Taoist priest looked anxious, feeling a little regretful. He had just wasted time because of a momentary distraction, and the painting had been bought directly! Seeing this, he couldn't help but shout out loud, and then hurried to catch up.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this painting? I'll pay double the price!" the Taoist priest said quickly.

The middle-aged shopkeeper was surprised to see the Taoist priest and said, "It's you. Are you the Taoist priest who came to buy the painting the other day? Unfortunately, I have already sold it. Now the ownership of the painting belongs to this guest."

"Brother, can you transfer the paintings in your hands? I will compensate you with double the price!" The Taoist turned his head and asked the middle-aged scholar.

"I won't sell it. Although the material of this painting is ordinary, its strength lies in its ability to capture the spirit and form with just a few strokes of ink. It is truly a refreshing work." The middle-aged scholar held up the flying crane painting and replied, "This painting is priceless in my heart. I am truly lucky to be able to buy it directly for fifty taels of silver! But there is one flaw."

"What flaws?" the middle-aged shopkeeper asked curiously. The middle-aged scholar had set his eyes on the painting the moment it was hung up. He paid fifty taels of silver for it without the seller even opening his mouth. The middle-aged shopkeeper had originally wanted thirty taels!

"This painting is so lifelike, it can be called a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation. It's a pity that the painter didn't sign his name. It really makes people sigh. I can't know the name of such an artist. I wish I could meet him in person!" The middle-aged scholar shook his head: "Shopkeeper, do you know the artist of this painting?"

"Yes, I'm very familiar with it! The painter is my nephew. He was studying, and he drew these paintings in his spare time."

"How wonderful, how wonderful! If I have the chance in the future, I would like to meet your nephew!" The middle-aged scholar nodded, praised, and then left with the painting.

The Taoist watched the painting slip from his hands, heartbroken. This was supposed to be his chance! But due to a lack of concentration, he was distracted and delayed the opportunity. However, his Taoist skills improved after viewing the painting, his mind became clearer and his thoughts more swift.

He knew the most important thing was finding the painter and bringing him to the Fangxian Dao. He adjusted his mood, turned to the middle-aged shopkeeper, and said with a forced smile, "Shopkeeper, your nephew is so talented. I'd like to invite him to paint. If he satisfies me, the reward will definitely be generous."

He was naturally heartbroken as he watched his opportunity slip away from his hands, but he immediately realized that if he made friends with the painter, it would be like making friends with a future painting saint, which would be of great benefit to his own Taoist practice!
"Okay, okay." The bookstore owner put the purse handed to him by the middle-aged scholar directly into his arms and communicated with the Taoist priest with a smile.

At this time, the Taoist priest also adjusted his mood and exchanged pleasantries with the calligraphy shop owner, trying to find out the painter's preferences, daily movements and so on.

"It seems that this is an orthodox scholar. I wonder how he feels about Fang Xiandao? If he resists, then it will be troublesome!" The Taoist thought quickly. Fang Xiandao was in Daqian, burning lead and refining mercury for the emperor, and he was quite favored by the emperor.

However, in the mouths of scholars, Fang Xiandao was regarded as a group of people who pretended to be gods and were disrupting the government. The current literary traditions in the court were mainly Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind. Neo-Confucianism was led by Hong Xuanji, while the School of Mind was mainly the school of thought of Li Yan, the prime minister of the Zhou and Qian dynasties.

Although Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind look down on each other, neither of them has any good feelings towards Taoist sects like Fangxiandao!

　Thank you readers for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)