Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

The abbot was speechless.

Tomie's magic is a set of rules that transcends human intelligence.

Ultimately, it wasn't a curse that could be removed, but rather a manifestation of human desires.

To resist Tomie's charm, one must truly be averse to women; otherwise, it's only a matter of time before one is seduced.

Unless one is born homosexual, who can truly do something that defies the laws of nature?

A monk?

The monks here are not forbidden from marrying, while the monks over there are more promiscuous than anyone else.

"Please, Abbot, explain the mysteries of the White Bone Contemplation to me. My physical condition is limited, and I don't plan to go to other temples."

Amamiya Rin lowered her head and earnestly requested.

He absolutely had to learn the White Bone Contemplation technique, but since the abbot of Ghost Cry Temple wouldn't teach it to him, he could only visit other monks.

After all, the White Bone Contemplation isn't some kind of magical secret manual; abbots of legitimate temples should all know it.

The abbot looked at Amamiya Rin's lowered head and remained silent for a while.

Only the rustling of leaves in the courtyard leaves remained in the tea room. After a moment, he sighed, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

"All right."

The abbot finally spoke, his voice calm but tinged with helplessness, for this was, after all, a promising young man had been led astray.

"Since you've made up your mind, and Lanzi has guided you here, I'll do my best to help you. However, a tall building starts from the ground up; no matter how urgent the situation, you have to start from the basics."

The abbot picked up the slightly cooled tea, took a sip, then put down the teacup and looked at Amamiya Rin's raised face.

"In your current state, you are restless and agitated, with many distracting thoughts. Directly practicing the White Bone Contemplation is like lighting a lamp in a raging storm; not only will it not light up, but it will also burn you. First, learn the Counting Breaths Contemplation to calm your mind."

"Counting breaths?"

Amamiya Rin asked, puzzled.

The abbot gently stroked the rim of the teacup with his fingertips, his gaze falling on the swaying ginkgo leaves outside the window, as if recalling a distant past.

"This breath counting meditation, in Sanskrit it is called Anapanasati. Anapanasati is for inhalation and Panasati is for exhalation. Simply put, it is the mindfulness of breathing. It is said that when the Buddha first turned the Wheel of Dharma in Sarnath, he taught this method to his disciple Ananda. It is the most basic meditation method in the present tradition. Whether it is the Sixteen Contemplations of Theravada Buddhism or the White Bone Contemplation and Buddha Recitation Meditation of Theravada Buddhism, they all use breath counting meditation as a preliminary means of calming the mind."

The abbot turned to look at Amamiya Rin, his kind face becoming solemn.

Have you ever read Journey to the West?

"certainly."

Amamiya Rin nodded.

He was a Chinese in his previous life, how could he not have read Journey to the West?

The abbot said, "Cultivation is about cultivating the mind. Sun Wukong symbolizes uncontrollable delusions, and the White Dragon Horse represents scattered desires. The core of breath counting meditation is to regulate the mind, to help you tame the monkey of the mind, Sun Wukong, and to lock up the wild horse of the will, the White Dragon Horse. Only when you successfully control your mind can you begin cultivation."

Yu Gonglin suddenly realized that he had heard long ago that Journey to the West was about Taoist methods of cultivating the mind, and that Buddhist methods of cultivating the mind were also included in it.

"By the way, Abbot..."

Yu Gonglin avoided eye contact, but couldn't help asking, "Um, in cultivation, can one cultivate magical power?"

After listening to the abbot explain so many methods of cultivation, Amamiya Rin couldn't help but chime in.

With all these elaborate and meticulous steps, it can't really only be used to cultivate one's state of mind, can it?

"Magic power?"

The abbot shook his head and said in a lecturing tone, "The key to spiritual practice is to eliminate afflictions and realize the true nature of reality, not to pursue supernatural powers. If you see all forms as non-forms, you will see the Tathagata."

Amamiya Rin asked, "I understand that, but I just want to know, what should cultivators do when they encounter demons and monsters? For example, how does Inudou Inspector handle dangerous situations when she's in charge of special cases?"

"Supernatural powers cannot overcome karma. If one cultivates the sixth sense, one can foresee danger. If one cultivates the breath counting meditation to a high level, one can regulate the mind and body and improve physical strength. As for Lanzi, I am her teacher who taught her to cultivate her mind. She also learned the Yin-Yang Dao. In order to cultivate the Yin-Yang Dao, Lanzi's internal organs were torn apart and her body was covered with scars. She has become attached to supernatural powers and deviated from the right path to liberation."

The abbot sighed with pity, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

It's unclear whether he was lamenting Inudou's descent into evil or lamenting that young people are always thinking about supernatural powers and have no interest in the true path of meditation.

"...So, does that mean that we Buddhists can only run away when we encounter demons and monsters?"

Amamiya Rin blinked.

The abbot's words gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Breathing? Running away? Ripple dash!

The abbot was not angered by the slight offense in Amamiya Rin's words; he simply nodded.

"Don't be reckless. Ranzi is the top Onmyoji in this country, but she is often covered in wounds, and even... when she encounters demons and monsters, just run away."

Amamiya Rin could vaguely sense that what the abbot was hesitating to say was probably something very bad, but since the abbot did not intend to reveal Inudou Inspector's privacy, Amamiya Rin generally wouldn't ask.

"Abbot, how should one learn this breath-counting meditation?"

Yu Gonglin got back to the point and asked seriously.

"There are six subtle methods of breath counting: counting, following, stopping, observing, returning, and purifying. The first method of breath counting is to use breath counting to gather a scattered mind."

The abbot got up and walked to Amamiya Rin's side, reaching out his thin, dry hand to press on his shoulder.

"Adjust your posture first. Keep your back straight, don't be stiff..."

Under the abbot's instructions, Amamiya Rin placed her cane aside, put her hands naturally on her knees with her palms facing up and her thumbs lightly touching.

"This is the meditation mudra, which helps you gather your scattered energy. The key is to relax your body."

Amamiya Rin did as he was told. After he adjusted his posture, the abbot returned to sit down opposite him and gently tapped the tip of his nose with his fingertip.

"The key to breath counting is to be aware of the breath entering and exiting. You don't need to think about where the breath comes from or where it goes; just focus your attention on the tip of your nose. When you inhale, be aware that the air is coming in; when you exhale, be aware that the air is going out. After each inhale and exhale, silently count a number in your mind, from one to ten. If you forget how many you've counted to, or if your mind wanders elsewhere, don't worry, just start over from the beginning."

"Does that sound like counting sheep?"

Amamiya Rin muttered a complaint, closed her eyes, and did as the abbot instructed.

As he inhaled, he could feel the cool air brushing against the tip of his nose, carrying the scent of plants and trees in the courtyard.

When you exhale, the warm breath comes out, causing your nostrils to tremble slightly.

(one two three……)

Amamiya Rin counted silently in his mind, but just as he reached the third round, the noise from Tomie and the others interrupted his count. Faces, some happy and some angry, flashed through his mind, causing Amamiya Rin's heart to clench and his breathing to become erratic.

It's so noisy! It's really too noisy! The noise from Tomie and the others never stopped.

It should be said that their thoughts never stopped.

Normally, thoughts flow through a person's consciousness almost every second. Although Tomie and the others did not deliberately talk to him, when he focused his mind inward and meditated, even the smallest thoughts in his mind became exceptionally noisy.