Chapter 96: Your Third Uncle’s Underpants With A Little Red Flower
At this moment, Xiba and several others woke up from their contemplation. After hearing the dialogue between me and the waiter, Xiba spoke:
“Brother Xin, if you say so, does cultivating to the end mean not thinking about anything? What’s the difference between that and being foolish?”
Hearing this, I smiled. “It’s not about not thinking, but about not being influenced by past habits. When nothing is happening, distracting thoughts don’t arise, and when something is happening, you don’t get fixated on it. You can focus your mind on one thing to use it. When doing anything in this state, you yourself become like a god, able to block out time, space, thirst, hunger, and so on, completely immersing yourself in what you want to do, without distraction and without fatigue. You won’t be troubled, and you’ll experience a state that is akin to thoroughly enjoying the process.”
“Brother Xin, you said I gained enlightenment from reading novels. Is the path I’m taking correct?” Xiong Shan also asked.
“There is no right or wrong. All things in the universe can be used. Cultivation can utilize all things. Whether it’s novels or TV series, or the love and emotional entanglements in life, whatever you understand from them, whatever principles you comprehend, can all be used as cultivation to temper yourself.”
“Brother Xin, I was beaten up by someone before, and then I beat them back. When I was beaten, I felt very wronged and unwilling, but I didn’t dare to fight back. Later, I became bolder and fought back. I spent a lot of money to compensate them. From these two incidents, I realized that I cannot not resist, nor can I overreact to problems. Does this count as cultivation?” Míshéntú asked.
“It does. Everything is within the scope of cultivation. Anything that helps you progress is beneficial to your cultivation. Even distracting thoughts, if you can remain unburdened by them, and treat every thought as cultivation without attachment, then each thought can be a Bodhi.”
“Brother, can love be used for cultivation?” Míngyuè asked.
“Yes, anything can be. As the saying goes, love arises unconsciously, trapped by attachment. At this moment, you might be deeply in love, but after this phase, you might meet someone else, and the person you were so desperately in love with then is no longer who you are now. If there is no difference between today and another day, then you will be trapped by it again. It’s not about not loving wholeheartedly, but about loving with reason. The human heart has a tendency to change. Liking something at this moment doesn’t mean you’ll always like it, just like today you like eating meat, it doesn’t mean you’ll always like it. Similarly, if you don’t like pickled cabbage today, it doesn’t mean you won’t like it in the future. Because this characteristic exists, love is lovable, but don’t be overly attached, for excessive attachment leads to being trapped.”
“Brother Xin, I like quietness. Quietness makes me feel comfortable. If I encounter an overly noisy environment, I become very disgusted. How can I use this for cultivation?”
Bìlán said.
“The so-called quietness, apart from seemingly external factors, primarily lies in the heart. Whether you are alone in a room or in a bustling street with people coming and going, if you can maintain inner stillness at all times, that is true stillness.
Furthermore, whether the heart is still or moving, you can actively control its changes. When it is not related to external things, then there is no distinction between stillness and movement. Movement can also be stillness, and stillness can also be movement.”
“Brother Xin, Brother Xin, I like to gain enlightenment from various things. What’s the difference between that and only gaining enlightenment from one source?” Lesser Bodhisattva couldn’t help but ask what was on his mind.
“There is no difference. If the heart is still, ten thousand things do not arise. If the heart moves, any matter can be used for cultivation. There is no difference between one thing and ten thousand things. The key lies in the heart, not in the matter.”
Little Tiger, also known as the Tiger Spirit, had been listening intently to my exchanges with others. His eyes gradually shifted from confusion to clarity.
“Master, since if the heart is still, ten thousand things do not arise, is there a difference in cultivation between eating meat and being vegetarian?”
“There is no inherent difference, because vegetarian food also contains insects, and insects are also meat. Conversely, some meat-eaters eat vegetables, and meat also contains vegetables. The reason for admonishing all sentient beings not to kill is to guide them into the Dao with a kind heart and benevolent laws. A kind heart is the fastest way to break through illusions and eliminate self-attachment in cultivation.”
The exchange lasted for a full eight hours. This made Big Brother so thirsty, and yet no one offered to buy him a gift or a bottle of water. Uh~! No, that is to say, Big Brother wasn’t thirsty; he always had his tea. Cough cough cough.
With my explanations, everyone made more or less progress in their cultivation.
And as I discussed the Dao with everyone, my own heart was also sublimating upwards. Although my external realm had not improved, at this moment, I no longer fixated on realms or anything like that. In my eyes, where the heart resides is all realms.
Take this moment, for example.
Although I, Laozi, appear to be an Earth Immortal on the outside, with my current comprehension, any talk of Heavenly Immortals or Great Heavenly Immortals is nonsense. If that old scoundrel Zuobian Shenteng dares to come and capture Big Brother again, then Big Brother, I, am absolutely confident I can challenge him until he doubts his own existence!
I don’t know if it’s because I was overthinking, or if something was destined in the unseen, damn it! Just as I thought this, I heard shouting from outside the door.
“Chan Xin, you little brat, come out here for this old man!”
As soon as I heard this voice, I knew without a doubt that it was that old scoundrel Zuobian Shenteng again.
Everyone walked out of the tavern with me.
About twenty to thirty meters outside the door, Zuobian Shenteng stood there with over twenty people.
When I saw this formation, I thought, this doesn’t seem right. Last time he brought dozens of people, but this time only twenty-something.
You don’t need to use your brain to know that these twenty people are definitely not ordinary.
“Heh heh, old scoundrel! We let you go last time, and you still haven’t learned your lesson? You dare to come back? Aren’t you afraid we brothers will use you as a urinal?”
Lesser Bodhisattva was the first to lose his temper and curse.
“Exactly, you old bastard! Go wherever it’s cool and stay there! Are you done yet? If you’re not done, Xiong-ye will eat you up! Hmph!”
Xiong Shan also cursed.
Upon hearing Lesser Bodhisattva and Xiong Shan dare to insult him, Zuobian Shenteng became enraged. “Hmph! Youngsters skilled only in verbal abuse! Today, I will surely leave you with no place to be buried!”
Hearing Zuobian Shenteng threaten Lesser Bodhisattva and Xiong Shan, Big Brother frowned.
Hey! You can curse me, and I haven’t said anything! But you’re cursing my brothers?
You really don’t take your Elder Brother Chan seriously, do you?
“I’ll curse your third uncle’s underpants with little red flowers on them! Say one more word!”
Hearing my words, not only did Zuobian Shenteng freeze, but even the brothers beside me were taken aback. Normally, when Big Brother fought someone, wouldn’t he curse them with all sorts of vulgarities? Why has he become so refined now?
At this point, many of the people Zuobian Shenteng brought began to lose patience and grumbled:
“Director, are we going to fight or not? If not, I’m going back to school!”
“Exactly, if you’re going to fight, just do it. Why don’t you just call people from the school? I’ve already graduated, and you’re still calling me back to help?”
“That’s right! Me too. I told them I wouldn’t come, but this guy sent a spiritual power message to my mom, and I don’t know what he said, but my mom insisted I come.”
Hearing this, I was very puzzled. Huh? This old guy is looking for students to help him fight? He’s even looking for those who have already graduated?
What kind of principal is this?
