Chapter 95: Big Brother Talks About Cultivation
According to mortal world time, three days later, all my brothers woke up from their dreams.
The damaged parts of the tavern had already been repaired by my command to the Tiger Spirit.
The tavern was still the same tavern, and the waiter was still the same waiter. The only difference was that the owner of the tavern had become Big Brother, me.
Why didn’t I kill the waiter? Because the waiter’s massage skills were top-notch, and it would have been a waste to eliminate him. It’s better to keep him and use him for myself.
But he was also bound by a master-servant contract, unable to betray me. Even a slight thought of rebellion would instantly turn him into a mist of blood.
This isn’t because Big Brother is cruel. If you don’t use some methods on those who have done evil, it’s hard for them to change their ingrained habits of mind.
When my brothers woke up and saw their boss was missing, and instead a Tiger Spirit was busily working, they looked puzzled.
I simply laughed it off, not revealing what the Tiger Spirit had done before. Instead, I said that I went up the mountain, subdued the Tiger Spirit, resolved the grievances for the boss, and the boss, to thank me, gave me the tavern before I gracefully departed to pursue the Great Dao.
There are two main reasons for this. First, Big Brother was afraid that if I told the truth, these beasts would eat the Tiger Spirit. Second, Big Brother being tricked by Hu Renchang up the mountain and then tricked back by the Tiger Spirit was too damn idiotic. Big Brother values his reputation, how could I possibly speak of this?
Life returned to normal. Several people and I temporarily stayed at the tavern, each cultivating daily, and occasionally enjoying drinks together.
When I had nothing to do, it happened to be raining. I sat by the window, took a sip of tea, and prepared to tell the Tiger Spirit about cultivation. After all, if it follows me, it must reform. Therefore, there are some things I must teach it.
Everyone else was also curious about what I would say. Including the waiter, they all pulled up a stool, found a place to sit, and prepared to listen.
Seeing everyone settled, I said with a smile, “Little Tiger, come and refill my tea.”
The Tiger Spirit didn’t dare to delay upon hearing this and quickly got up to add water. After finishing pouring for me, it sat down obediently like a well-behaved Garfield cat.
Satisfied, I nodded and cleared my throat, then slowly opened my mouth.
“The so-called Buddha is a translation, and its meaning is ‘awakening.’ Ordinary people often mistake reciting Buddhist sutras or chanting ‘Amitabha Buddha’ as chanting Buddha. This is actually not the case. True cultivation of the heart and chanting of Buddha is chanting the Buddha of True Nature, the Buddha of True Form.
That is to say, using awareness to perceive one’s own thoughts, awakening as soon as a thought arises, and not clinging to it, is the true meaning of chanting Buddha.
Here, I must also mention the meaning of Samadhi. Perhaps many people, including myself, used to think that meditation meant being still, not perceiving time, or focusing the mind on a certain realm, and sitting for hours or days was Samadhi.
But true Samadhi actually means that during meditation, the primordial spirit is still. And meditation does not differentiate between forms or postures; it can be achieved at any time, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.
Sitting is for cultivating Samadhi, but Samadhi does not mean that sitting still is Samadhi.
In other words, the two words ‘Samadhi’ should be explained separately. ‘Chan’ is the Sanskrit word ‘Dhyana,’ translated as quiet contemplation or meditative cultivation. It emphasizes purifying the mind through focused contemplation.
‘Ding’ is also called Samadhi or Samapatti, which Buddhism uses to describe the state of a focused mind. It means concentrating the mind on one point without distraction, achieving stillness and stability.
To put the above simply, it is about training yourself to use awareness to constantly perceive your thoughts. Not clinging to arising thoughts is called chanting Buddha. Being able to maintain this state, not being swayed by external factors or distracting thoughts, and remaining still and unmoved is Samadhi.
I have divided the process of cultivation into stages: first, practicing from awareness to every thought being aware, then from every thought being aware to awareness without thought, and finally achieving awareness of no thought.
When one can freely make every thought aware, and use thoughts to perceive thoughts, the observer of these thoughts is the true self, the self without discrimination. It is also called the Eye of God, or a divine perspective.
Some people often wonder if using thoughts to perceive thoughts is wrong. Here, I must discuss the subsequent process.
The true self observes the changes of the false self. The state of not being disturbed by the false self when perceiving thoughts is constant awareness, also called awareness without thought.
As cultivation continues, when distracting thoughts are gradually reduced to a minimum, slowly, the observing thought, which is the true self, will merge with the false self caused by external habits.
There is no distinction between internal and external. At this point, it is the state of awareness of no thought.
In this state, a person’s thinking and consciousness can continuously achieve Samadhi, not clinging to the internal or external.
This is true when walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, and then one has cultivated skill. At this point, a person becomes their true self, the master of their thoughts, emotions, and so on.
Shedding beastly nature, cultivating divinity, and finally transforming humanity, meaning having all things like the seven emotions and six desires, and being able to transcend them at will.
This is called: beyond the Six Paths of Rebirth, not within the five elements, coming and going freely!
And if one wishes to cultivate to this point, then one must gain comprehension from all things in the universe, absorb, understand, and use them for oneself.”
Upon hearing my remarks, some people fell into contemplation, some showed a trace of shock, and some were full of doubt.
Those contemplating understood some of it, those shocked seemed to have opened a door, and those in doubt understood absolutely nothing.
Look, the waiter didn’t understand and couldn’t help but ask me, “Um, boss, what exactly do you mean by all this? Why does it feel unrelated to the immortal cultivation I imagined?”
I smiled and asked, without any impatience at his question, “Where did you see your idea of immortal cultivation?”
“On television, in novels, and from people wearing monastic robes and Daoist robes on various immortal mountains, and also there are some legends in the Heavenly Realm.”
“Then do you think what they said is true? Or what I said is true?”
Seeing my question, the waiter’s expression became awkward, and he scratched his head, not daring to speak.
“You can speak freely, it’s alright,” I reassured him.
The waiter thought for a moment and said, “I think some of what they say is true, and some is not.”
“For example?”
“For example, they say they are gods and gods, and that they cultivate to certain realms. I haven’t seen it, so I definitely can’t take it seriously. Also, they do have some methods, like reading fortunes, treating spiritual illnesses, and other magical things.”
After hearing this, I smiled helplessly. It wasn’t the waiter’s fault; from what he said, it was clear that a significant part of his understanding came from some lackeys in the mortal world who instilled it in him.
I didn’t explain much, just asked him a question: “Do you believe others more, or believe the gods that others tell you about? Or do you believe yourself and become your own god?”
Asked this, the waiter blurted out, “Of course, I believe myself more and becoming my own god!”
“Since you know this, why do you always have half-belief and half-doubt, wanting to believe but not daring to, and making wild guesses? Aren’t the people who told you those exaggerated stories also human? Gods exist, but not in the way they describe. At least they are not as lowly as they say.
How did they become spokespersons for gods? Do gods need them as spokespersons?
Or some people say they consecrate gods, and others say they consecrate Buddhas. A mere mortal consecrating gods and Buddhas? What, are they more powerful than gods and Buddhas? If gods and Buddhas needed them for consecration, wouldn’t they be inferior to them?
And some people say they bring immortals to cultivate with them. Is he more powerful than an immortal? Does an immortal need a mortal to lead them?
Do you understand, waiter?”
After my barrage of questions, the waiter felt like dying. My words struck a chord with him.
The waiter thought hard, struggled for a moment, and then gave himself two loud slaps.
Then he cupped his hands and said to me,
“Sir, please don’t be offended, it is I who was dull-witted.”
That really startled me. I thought, what’s wrong with this kid? If you understand, you understand, why are you hitting yourself? What a blockhead!
“It’s alright, cultivate well, and let Little Tiger guide you more often, hahaha.”
