Chapter 161: Past Lives
“Beep beep.”
“Master, Master, are you there?”
“What is it?”
“Master, can people really see their past lives?”
“Yes, why are you so concerned about this? Just cultivate the present well.”
“I’m just curious, Master, please tell me about it.”
The boy smiled helplessly and thought; why does he have to listen to this useless stuff, but he didn’t say much more and replied:
“Actually, it’s not that mysterious. Most people who claim to see past lives are mostly faking it. To see past lives, you need to adjust your mind to extreme purity, integrate the memory fragments stored in your Qi, and then use the imaging property of the pineal gland to play them back in your mind. Sometimes it’s like looking at slides, segment by segment, and sometimes it’s like watching a movie, with the same principle. But it’s not necessary, and there’s no benefit to you in this life if you watch it, and it can easily affect your brain.
Also, even if you don’t intentionally look, occasionally some will randomly come to you, which is what you feel, like you feel a certain place is a bit familiar, or you feel like you’ve done the same thing or something similar before, or for example, one day you suddenly get some inspiration,
“Just like my Transforming Thought into Sword, no one taught me, I just suddenly felt that I should have this ability, and then I cultivated it based on that.”
“Master, does the memory of past lives have any impact on this life?”
“Yes, do you remember me telling you about bad habits creating karma, which then become instinct?”
“I remember.”
“Some of these are brought from past lives. For example, you have certain characteristics that you didn’t learn from anyone, nor are they inherited, and you are the only one in your entire family with this trait. These are the bad habits brought from your past lives. Or, you can hear Buddhist Dharma in this life, meaning you can easily understand it. This is also because you have encountered it before, and when you encounter it again in this life, you will understand it more quickly. This is what is meant by cultivators across lifetimes.”
“Is that true, Master? Does that mean I cultivated in a past life?”
“Mm-hmm, so in this life, you should strive to cultivate even harder. Then, we will work hard to develop, actively move upward, with Huaxia as our foundation, and achieve Great Harmony Under Heaven, and at the very least, we must make our part of the world more and more perfect, creating seeds of peace and happiness for future descendants.”
“Master, isn’t that something a country should do? Why should we do this?”
“Not at all, not at all. A country is made up of countless small families. How can it have nothing to do with us? In the past, when foreign enemies invaded, many cultivators went to slay demons and eliminate evil, and many gods are now living in martyrs’ cemeteries to establish peace for us. Those who came before planted trees, and those who came after enjoy the shade. Blessed by these gods, how can we only seek personal gain? Let’s not talk about doing great things, but at the very least, in our daily lives, we should cherish and preserve the Pure Land that these gods have established for us.”
“Master, didn’t you say before that gods are unseen Qi?”
“Yes, so aren’t humans also composed of Qi? Aren’t humans also a kind of god?”
“That’s true.”
“Exactly, so I say those gods established peace and Pure Land for us, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Cultivators are actually a contradictory entity of selfishness and selflessness. Some people are so selfish that they only want to achieve longevity for themselves, while others, after achieving some accomplishment, start to pass it on to others, spreading the upward force. This is what cultivators should do, otherwise, how can there be the saying, ‘Great Compassion without conditions, Great Empathy for the same body, Saving those who suffer’?”
“Master, according to you, cultivation cannot be separated from life and the great righteousness of the nation?”
“It depends on how you understand it. Cultivation originates from life itself because the Mortal World is the best practice ground. Integrating cultivation into every aspect of life will lead to faster growth. If a cat stays in a cave, boasting about how awesome it is, and then comes down the mountain and gets so angry that it’s huffing and puffing at a child, how embarrassing is that?
If you want your mind not to be swayed by circumstances, then use various circumstances to practice! Without circumstances, how can you practice not being swayed? Are you practicing against a wall?”
“Then why do some people like to find a quiet place to cultivate, Master?”
“Because they can’t stand those circumstances! They have no choice, so they find a place to avoid them first. When they feel they are ready, they come down to experience them. If they can’t handle it, they go back. Then, when they feel they are capable, they come down to experience them again.”
“Master, are cultivators who often get angry not really cultivating?”
“Not necessarily. The Dao has many methods of cultivation, and each school has its own perspective. Some go with the flow first, then go against it, and some go against it first, then go with the flow. In essence, they are all pursuing the Laws of the Dao.
Sometimes, people really can’t control themselves, and releasing those emotions is also a good thing. Bottling them up for too long can lead to psychological problems. It depends on each individual.”
“Won’t getting angry for a long time form bad habits?”
“Yes, you have to bear the karma you create. If you are always honest and always get bullied without daring to resist, then you get used to it and always get bullied. If you are always fierce and always bully others, you get used to it, and you might easily lose control and do something you regret. Both of these have karma attached.”
“Then how can one not be affected by karma, Master?”
“In some way, you will always be affected by karma, depending on good karma and bad karma. When your realm is not high enough, it’s not entirely unacceptable to get angry when you should. Just don’t let your mind get carried away endlessly. When your state of mind reaches a higher level and you see the Essence of things, then no one will get angry anymore; getting angry would be just playing, or intentionally manifesting for a reason.
Think about it, once you see the mind pattern of ordinary people, ordinary people are like NPCs. Who would argue endlessly with an NPC? That would be insane. And then you’d get so angry you’d go offline. Hahaha.”
“Master, how long does this take to practice?”
“It’s hard to say. It depends on yourself. Most people can develop a habit within a hundred days when practicing something. But some are slower and dumber. Don’t rush, take it slow. This isn’t something that can be done in a day or two. Even someone as powerful as me, with insights like a tide, cultivated step by step.”
“Master, I feel like I’m very stupid. Sometimes I can only grasp a little bit. Will it be difficult for me to become a free and unfettered immortal in this life?”
“Hmm? Stupid about what? You can listen and understand, and you call yourself stupid? Stupid people can’t even understand, or get angry when they don’t understand. You not only like to listen, but you can also understand some of it. This talent is already very good~! And you call yourself stupid? Are you silly? Uh~! That’s not right. This Master needs to help you avert prophecy. Are you intelligent? Answer: Intelligent.”
“Hahaha, Master, I am intelligent, I am super intelligent, hahahaha.”
“Ah, that’s right. Praise yourself more when you have nothing to do. Learn from me. I am the most beautiful, I am the most pretty, I am the healthiest, I am the most awesome, I am invincible, hahahaha. After a while, ask yourself in your heart, ‘Am I beautiful?’ A voice will automatically reply, ‘I am the most beautiful,’ yahahahaha.”
“Really, Master?”
“Try it and you’ll know. Set a time of half a month or a month, hahahaha. Don’t be afraid then, that’s your True Self replying to you.”
“Okay, Master. I’ll try praising myself now when I have nothing to do.”
After putting down his mobile phone, the boy burst into laughter. He thought to himself; if no one replies to you, then your heart will turn to wood, yahahahaha, it works every time.
