Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Li Chang'an suddenly had a realization: "Although excitement and agitation arise from within oneself, they are also delusions, because they are direct feedback on the result of successfully establishing one's foundation."

"If I accept this feedback, then it's a form of self-shaping."

"The content I'm creating is that progress in my spiritual practice will excite and thrill me, and this will make me crave even more progress in my spiritual practice."

"It's like eating a sweet treat; after experiencing the stimulation of sweetness, you'll want to eat more sugar and sweeter foods, seeking even greater stimulation."

"No, it can't be described as a sweet treat. To be precise, it should be dopamine."

"When you accomplish something and receive positive feedback, dopamine is released. You then want to do more of that, releasing even more dopamine, thus gradually raising your threshold until you become a slave to dopamine."

"Dopamine is a bodily substance; you could say it shapes one's 'life'."

"And this kind of delusion is the shaping of 'sex,' the shaping of the soul."

"This kind of shaping is by no means a good thing. Although it may sound like it can motivate you more in your practice, it will tempt you to gradually become a slave to your practice."

"The consequence is that your spiritual practice is no longer for the sake of cultivating truth, but for the sake of pleasure and for the sake of delusions."

What is the most direct manifestation of the shift from truth to delusion?

Li Chang'an thought of the three elders of Wudang.

They became obsessed with Feng Hou Qi Men, ultimately becoming slaves to it, letting their true selves sink into endless inner illusions constructed by delusions, never truly awakening.

Isn't this the transition from truth to delusion?

If they can find their true selves, they can wake up.

But that's too difficult. Because they're so deeply addicted, if they can't have a sudden epiphany, they'll only wake up when they die.

As for why he could only wake up when he was dying...

It can be said that no one in the world understands this principle better than Li Chang'an.

Because he experienced it firsthand, when a person dies, their life collapses, and the false self constructed by external delusions is also part of their sexuality, and it will also collapse along with it.

Therefore, there is a saying: "When a person is about to die, his words are good."

Why do people become kind when they are about to die?

It is because the delusions that built his acquired self are collapsing that his true self is becoming more and more apparent. When his true self is revealed, you will naturally be able to feel truth, goodness and beauty in him.

It was precisely for this reason that the three elders of Wudang were able to break free from their delusions and truly regain their senses for a period of time before their deaths.

With the three elders of Wudang setting an example, Li Chang'an certainly didn't want to accept these delusional responses.

He began to silently recite "Amitabha Buddha" and "Infinite Heavenly Venerable" to free himself from the grip of this emotion.

Then he began to examine the only one of these thoughts that came from his heart—joy.

This thought is very small. Compared to delusions such as excitement, joy, and exhilaration, it is almost insignificant, and can even be said to be completely covered by other delusions, making it imperceptible.

But after Li Chang'an calmed those delusions, a faint joy and a faint satisfaction welled up in his heart, making him feel at peace, tranquil and content.

This is a very subtle emotion. It's not a strong response from the outside world, but a weak response from within.

If you become addicted to strong feedback stimuli, you will not feel it, and it will be ignored.

And when you discard those strong stimuli and feel this heartfelt feedback, you will have a feeling...

Li Chang'an pondered for a moment, finding it difficult to give an accurate description of this feeling.

All he could say was that it was a kind of tranquil taste, like the lingering sweetness in your mouth after drinking tea.

If we use specific examples to express this...

Looking back, Li Chang'an still clearly remembers that it was a summer afternoon. His father was leaning back in his chair, fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan, while his mother was watching a play. He was leaning against his mother's lap, lost in thought. Not to mention worries, there wasn't a single thing on his mind, and he slowly fell asleep.

For more than ten years afterward, he ran without stopping for a moment, and there was never another afternoon like that.

Li Chang'an called this gentle, heartfelt joy the ultimate enjoyment in life.

And this is the ultimate enjoyment.

This is actually the essence of spiritual practice.

Forces are reciprocal.

Feedback is mutual.

When you receive strong feedback from the outside world.

The false self created by external forces will grow stronger.

When you accept feedback from your true self, your true self grows stronger.

This is cultivation.

This is self-cultivation.

As for the training of the upper dantian during Qi cultivation, that is more about cultivating spiritual power.

Mental strength is a kind of force, which is actually easy to understand, just like physical strength training.

Strength is related to physical fitness to some extent, but not entirely; it also depends on the ability of the nervous system to recruit.

The same applies to sex.

Strong mental strength does not equate to strong sexual ability.

Like Xu San's telekinesis and Jiajia Village's object manipulation, these are actually mental abilities, but it cannot be said that their "sexual" abilities are particularly strong.

However, people with strong sexual abilities will definitely have strong mental strength.

"Who feels the chill of the west wind alone? Rustling yellow leaves close the sparse window. Lost in thought of the past, I stand in the setting sun. Do not be surprised by my deep sleep after drinking wine; the fragrance of spilled tea dispels my worries by betting on books. At the time, I thought it was just an ordinary thing."

Li Chang'an opened his eyes, walked out of the room, and wandered aimlessly in the courtyard.

After successfully establishing his foundation, his hearing improved significantly.

The Li family's house is in the suburbs. He used to think that it was quiet all around, but now he can actually hear noises outside the yard.

The chirping of insects on the distant field ridges, the flapping of wings of birds flying by, even the soft rustling of leaves rubbing against each other as the wind passes through the treetops...

Li Chang'an looked up at the sky. The sky and earth had never been so clear, as if the whole world had been renewed.

It felt like a nearsighted person suddenly getting glasses. Even though it was still dark and the light was poor, he could clearly see a bird flapping its wings in the far distance, with each feather on its wingtip clearly visible.

He clenched his fist again and could clearly feel that his strength had increased significantly.

In the past, he might have been so excited that he couldn't contain himself, and even couldn't wait to try his skills, such as smashing the artificial hill in the yard or punching the sandbag a few times.

But now, he suppressed those wild thoughts of great joy and sorrow. He felt only that it was ordinary, yet there was a faint joy in that ordinariness.

Li Chang'an went to the kitchen. Because of his cultivation, his family wouldn't call him for meals, but they would save him a portion of food so he could eat whenever he wanted.

He opened the insulated food container and started eating. The food was light, but very nutritious.

During the meal, he discovered that not only his hearing and eyesight had improved, but also his sense of smell and taste.

Today's food smelled especially delicious and tasted exceptionally good. Even a bowl of plain porridge allowed him to taste the subtle sweetness deep within the grains of rice.

"This must be a manifestation of the growth of the true self. Even without strong feedback, one can still perceive the beauty of this world," Li Chang'an thought to himself.