Chapter 180: Owowowo
The boy understood the purpose of cultivation for many people; some sought eternal life, others sought to escape suffering and attain bliss, and some sought to attain Buddhahood and never return to this world.
He knew it was indeed possible to achieve this.
For example, regarding eternal life, if you nourish your spirit and your body well, then you will certainly live long. Escaping suffering and attaining bliss is also simple; if your thoughts are not chaotic, if you can make them think only what you want them to, and your perspective is different from ordinary people, and you are not attached to anything, then where will suffering come from? As for leaving and never returning, it refers to your thoughts and intentions not dissipating in this lifetime, and not continuing the cycle of ignorance and reincarnation, which is a dazed cycle.
Because after the vital energy leaves the body, ignorance will cause thoughts and ideas to slowly dissipate. After consciousness becomes drowsy, it will take great fate to become a human again, and whether you can cultivate again is another matter, depending on whether fate is enough. This is like saying that people only have one life, which is completely reasonable.
Therefore, the purpose of cultivation in this life is only one: to preserve the thought of this life, that is, the memory of this life, so that this self becomes indestructible.
Through continuous cultivation, your vital energy can still remember who you are when it leaves your body.
This is very similar to dreaming. Before cultivation, it is like a dream of ignorance, letting it control you. Cultivation is about making yourself clearly and fully aware of who you are, like in a lucid dream.
Among these, the boy currently knows of only two methods. One is called thought transference, which is sending one’s thoughts to the Pure Land.
It’s similar to a lucid dream, or the state entered during meditation. Those with low cultivation can only have a little divine ability there. Like some extremely boastful female Daoists in videos, who prattle on, saying how amazing they are, but can only change a tiny bit of the situation when entering that realm. That’s the lowest level. To be able to change a ladder when chased by a fierce beast? Do you even need to cultivate for that? Wouldn’t you still be chased by the fierce beast?
Advanced cultivators are omnipotent there; they can go wherever they want, do as they please, fly through the heavens and burrow into the earth, reach the highest heavens to catch the moon, and descend to the deepest oceans to capture turtles. Moreover, they can actively control all changes, much like how you know yourself in the real world, only super free and god-like.
By cultivating this method, when you depart, you transfer your thoughts into the Pure Land to obtain eternal life. This is also called rebirth into bliss, meaning your thoughts are sent there to live, achieving the indestructibility of consciousness.
Rebirth in Buddhism refers to the spirit of a person going to the Pure Land or other Buddha realms after death, achieving another form of longevity. It can also be understood as moving from one place to another, or in other words, immigrating.
The second method is a bit more intense, similar to the boy. It’s about cultivating oneself into a thought of no-thought, transforming everything one knows into instinct, even affecting oneself in dreams. When one completely influences one’s spirit, knowing who one is regardless of the world, then that spirit can remember itself and awaken. Hehehehehe. Can you imagine, wherever you go, wherever you are, you are the boss? Hahahaha, because just like now, you can awaken, and after awakening, everyone else becomes an NPC. This NPC is a metaphor, meaning you can see the thoughts and behavioral patterns of others. Simply put, it’s cheating.
For example, when you cheat in a game, before cheating, you thought it was an online game. After cheating, you realize it’s actually a single-player game. Then you start researching how to make it an online game, and how to finish it so you don’t have to be passively arranged to play again. You can choose to play other things when you are aware, and this is cultivation.
To put it simply:
Ordinary people are like characters in a game. They don’t know they are just characters. Every time they enter the game and click start, they are controlled by an invisible big hand to do various things, fighting monsters and leveling up. If they don’t control well, they are done for, and it starts again. The character still doesn’t know it’s a character and is still controlled.
Cultivation is about breaking these shackles and actively controlling the character, becoming the person holding the game controller. Knowing you are playing a game, you don’t get hung up on this game after finishing it, and you can choose to play again or play other games, whatever you want.
Why is there shallow six kin affinity? You clearly know that the people entangled with you in this game, whether good or bad, are settings of the game, meant to help you gain experience. You won’t get entangled; instead, you’ll be grateful. Then, when the plot passes, you can let go, and you’ll remember the good they brought you. This is why you are both sentient and unfeeling.
The six kin refer to all the characters in this game; they are collectively called sentient beings, both good and bad.
Why can’t you actively give up on life? It’s like a character falling into a pit while playing, and having to start all over again. What a waste of the whole journey.
Cultivation across lifetimes is equivalent to saving the game or accumulating game experience, making it easier to pass.
Of course, these are just very fitting metaphors.
As for the boy, he can play the game and no matter what happens, he enjoys the process of playing. He doesn’t get troubled by any level he can’t pass. He can pass it, or skip it and come back later, as he pleases. He can play however he wants.
He can also happily stand outside the game and shout:
“Life, life, I am the Big Brother, I am the Big Brother, over.”
“Owo owo.”
Hahahaha.
Cultivation, simply put, is when a game character awakens and realizes that the true self is not this character, but the person playing the game. So why get hung up on things within the game? Isn’t playing meant for happiness?
When you don’t understand, you struggle intensely. When you encounter a difficulty, or can’t win and get angry, or quit out of anger. But it’s useless. It’s not that you can stop playing just because you say so. You have to awaken before you can choose. Giving up midway is just restarting, re-experiencing what you’ve been through, until you can finally get past it.
Why be filial? Because your character was created by your parents. If they hadn’t given you this opportunity, you would still be a random electrical wave floating around. Who else would you thank?
Why be patriotic? Because after you came out, it was this country that protected you, giving you enough time to cultivate and awaken. If you couldn’t even eat for a day, and were easily bullied by other monsters, or were knocked away, you couldn’t grow up safely. Wouldn’t you be easily defeated right after entering the game? So shouldn’t you love this place? If you grow up, won’t you protect this place? It’s a very simple principle.
Look at other game characters being beaten by monsters, struggling even to eat, constantly fleeing, and not knowing when they might suddenly disappear. Then you’ll know to love this place, how good this place is.
One is the home that created you, and the other is the home that protected you and helped you grow up safely. Don’t talk about anything else useless, like saying you didn’t rely on anyone. That’s all bullshit.
Keep working hard! Making these two homes better and better is what matters.
Are you possessed by the game? Abandoning your home? Playing recklessly? Damn! The crystal is easily destroyed. If you don’t get scolded, who will? Aren’t you a pure troublemaker?
