Chapter 88: Enlightenment and Discipline

"When I was young, I learned the Nine Nines Calculation Formula. When I was young, I learned benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. When I was old, I learned power and calculation. Fallen leaves return to their roots."

“All enlightenment is a natural thing. It has nothing to do with your intelligence or your background. It’s just that you know it, and then you do it, that’s all.”

The courtyard was very silent. Liu Guangyi was also in deep thought. Murong Ji memorized it firmly in his heart. It didn't matter if he didn't understand. He could just memorize it. There would always be a day when he would understand it.

He knew this when he was in middle school. Only when he grew up did he understand what it meant to "never travel like a teenager again."

"I want you to study, it's nothing more than a matter of accumulation, it's just like the principle that when the water is full, it will overflow."

"The master covered him with his robes so that no one could see him. He then explained the Diamond Sutra to him. When he came to the words 'one should not dwell on anything and give rise to the mind', Huineng suddenly realized that all things are inseparable from one's own nature. He then said to the master: 'How could one's own nature be originally pure; how could one's own nature be originally neither born nor destroyed; how could one's own nature be originally complete; how could one's own nature be originally unshakable; how could one's own nature be able to give rise to all things.'"

Murong Ji frowned slightly, and he understood what Shi Leyuan was talking about. This passage came from the "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch". In fact, it can be summarized in four words: self-nature is complete.

For some reason, he could think clearly and understand many things tonight.

Shi Leyuan's knowledge is truly terrifying. He is proficient in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and is definitely at the master level.

It was supposed to be a guidance session, but somehow it turned into a lecture, moving from the world of discrimination to conscience.

He also talked about the distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism from the perspective of conscience.

Murong Ji felt that he understood, but at the same time he felt that he understood nothing. He was hazy and could not break through the fog before his eyes.

In the end, it’s all in one sentence: what I want is all in the masterpieces handed down by the predecessors.

"Hey."

Shi Leyuan sighed and looked at Murong Ji, who was speechless for a moment. "If you still want to stick to your path, then I will set three rules for you."

"To control one's nature through actions is originally considered inferior, but it does have some effect on you."

Murong Ji kowtowed again. Being stupid is not scary, what is scary is being stubborn.

"First, you must compete with others fairly and honestly, and not resort to underhanded tactics."

"Second, you need to read every day, so you won't be lazy."

“Third, do not do evil without doing good, especially by deceiving yourself.”

Murong Ji was a little speechless. These three points seemed simple, but they were very difficult to do in reality. He was a villain to begin with, and he had to restrain himself from doing evil.

He can do it, but many times, in many things, he is not aware that he has done something bad.

For example, the issue of female beauty.

In later times, that would be considered cheating, but in the Northern Song Dynasty, having one wife and multiple concubines was legal.

How is this calculated? The standards of good and evil are different depending on the time span.

Murong Ji looked at Shi Leyuan with some embarrassment. He dared and could compete fairly with those chosen ones.

It is also the result of diligent practice.

But this good and evil...

Shi Liaoyuan exhaled. He knew the problem that Murong Ji was struggling with. "Amitabha, with what you have learned, it is precious that you can judge good and evil without deceiving yourself or others."

Murong Ji kowtowed and accepted.

It was dawn, and the light was dim, and the ceremony ended after Yuan was released.

That was all he could do to help Murong Ji. Knowledge could be learned slowly, but the cognition built from knowledge was something that no one else could help him with.

As the saying goes, help others to the end and send Buddha to the west.

However, human power is limited, and there is a wall between people's ability to understand each other.

If you talk about Apple to someone at the same level as you, he will quickly get your message.

But if you tell someone who has never seen an apple what an apple looks like, he won't understand and will have no idea what it is.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The Tao cannot be described, nor can it be cut off. It can be understood but not described, because it would be wrong to describe it. What is chance? It is to look for an apple strictly according to the characteristics of the apple. If you find it, that is chance.

Why? Because someone can find you a pear, or even others, such as hawthorn and crabapple.

What's worse, if you can't find it, you think you are wrong...

At this moment, Murong Ji was like the man who had never seen an apple.

All Murong Ji could do was to believe that what Shi Leyuan said was true, remember his description, and plant trees according to the steps he said.

The day when the flowers and fruits bloom and mature, and when he is sure that what he has planted is an apple, that will be the day when all he has learned has come to fruition.

Murong Ji used his internal energy to warm the tea, then poured a cup of tea for Shi Leyuan and Liu Guangyi.

Shi Leyuan stared at the teacup in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Murong Ji was about to speak when Liu Guangyi grabbed him and shook his head slightly at him.

Murong Ji understood it all, and stood aside in silence, touching the diamond bracelet on his wrist.

Suddenly, Shi Liaoyuan said, "If the mind is not dead, the Tao will not be born. If the human mind is not dead, the Tao will not be achieved. The same is true for Buddha."

Murong Ji raised his head slightly, a little confused. He had heard this sentence a lot in his previous life, and it seemed very cool.

But at this moment, he felt that what Shi Leyuan said was not quite the same as what he understood.

He didn't quite understand.

"Hey." Liu Guangyi sighed and waved to Murong Ji, "Junior brother, go down and have a rest."

Murong Ji was a little confused. He wanted to stay for a while longer. Looking at the determined eyes of his senior brother, Murong Ji put down the teacup and walked out of the garden.

As soon as he walked out of the door, Mu Wanqing came over and said, "My dear, how are you? Are you tired?"

Murong Ji smiled, his eyes full of fatigue.

I returned to the room, sat down to rest for a while, and planned to organize what I had gained.

"Sir, do you want to wash up?"

Murong Ji was startled, and thought for a moment, "If there is hot water, bring it in, I'll take a bath."

"Yes"

Then, the maids came in one after another and filled the bathtub.

When the housekeeper was about to leave, Murong Ji said, "Brother and uncle, you should also prepare. When they are resting..."

"Yes"

After Murong Ji washed up, he lay on the bed to catch up on his sleep.

When he woke up in a daze, Murong Ji felt a little strange, as if he had seen something but eventually forgot it.

Incredibly profound yet incomparably vague.

Just like dreaming, you forget the content of the dream after waking up.

He patted his forehead to clear himself up.

"My dear, are you awake?" Mu Wanqing's voice rang out from outside.

"Well, what happened?"

"Big Brother and Uncle Master have left."

Murong Ji woke up instantly, quickly put on his clothes, went out, and walked towards their yard.

There was nothing left. They really left, taking with them the two books he left behind, the Six Meridians Divine Sword and the North Sea Divine Art.

(End of this chapter)