Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin nodded:

"You're right, that's exactly how it is. When I was young, I didn't understand this rule either. I just knew that it had to be done this way. But after listening to your insights, I suddenly have a new understanding."

"What do you mean by 'understanding'?" Li Chang'an asked.

Lu Jin said, "Aren't the rules and regulations of my Lu family just like the building blocks I mentioned earlier? Other people's building blocks are stacked haphazardly, full of uncertainty."

"The building blocks of my Lu family are stacked layer by layer according to established rules. Therefore, most members of the Lu family are of the same lineage, upright, and have a strong backbone. This is all man-made."

While Lu Jin was speaking, Li Chang'an listened quietly without saying a word.

He was thinking that building a strong and solid self was indeed a good thing.

But this is not the true self. The "self" of the Lu family is actually the self woven by their ancestors using family rules.

Does this fabricated, powerful "self" really have any meaning?

After Lu Jin finished speaking, seeing that Li Chang'an remained silent, he smiled. "To be old and not die is to be a thief," he said, and he could tell at a glance what Li Chang'an was thinking.

He patted Li Chang'an on the head and said, "Are you thinking of giving up that false 'self' formed from the outside in order to preserve the most authentic self within? A complete transformation of your true self?"

"Grandpa, I didn't intend to join Quanxing!" Li Chang'an said.

"Grandpa knows that among those filthy bastards of Quanxing, there is nothing that can guarantee Quanxing's authenticity; they are just indulging in lust."

"What Grandpa meant was to tell you that if you want to preserve your true self, you don't necessarily have to give up the self that comes from the outside."

True growth is not about constantly chasing after your external self, nor is it about always clinging to your most authentic self; it's about learning to accept.

"You know what you are like, you know what the world is like, but you can still continue to experience everything in the world, then you are free. Take your great-grandfather as an example."

"I've lived to this age, and apart from a very few obsessions, I've come to terms with most things."

"When my great-grandfather was young, he was polite, gentle, eloquent, and his manners were impeccable."

"Now, my great-grandfather often uses foul language and is often short-tempered. When he praises someone, it may be out of politeness, but when he scolds someone, it is absolutely sincere."

"…………" Li Chang'an stared blankly at Lu Jin.

Seeing Li Chang'an's expression, Lu Jin smiled and said, "Although you haven't seen it yet, you will definitely see it in the future. This is a kind of release after seeing through yourself."

"When Grandpa wants to be his true self, he can be his true self."

"When the old man wants to be a false version of himself, he can be a false version of himself; this is enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an pondered for a long time before saying:

"Grandpa, you said before that the self is like a stack of building blocks. No matter how luxurious the upper layer is, it can't change the messiness of the lower layer. That's why people have contradictions and what is called childhood trauma."

"They can't see through it, so they can't change it. And even if they were enlightened and could see through it, this self shaped by various external factors is still irreversible, right?"

"Why do you think that?" Lu Jin asked.

Li Chang'an said, "I studied an article called 'The Kite' in school, written by Lu Xun. In the article, Lu Xun trampled his younger brother's kite based on his own likes and dislikes at the time."

"He didn't think anything was wrong at the time, but many years later, this incident became a thorn in his side, making him restless and often giving rise to the feeling that he should have been damned back then."

"This emotion arose not only because he treated his younger brother maliciously, but also because he was shaping his younger brother's self with his own hands, so he regretted doing so."

"He wanted to apologize and make amends, but his brother had already forgotten about it."

"The reason why Lu Xun underwent this change was that he had achieved enlightenment and realized his true nature."

"Lu Xun had already achieved enlightenment and seen his true self, yet he still found it difficult to let go of this emotion."

"In other words, even if you see it, you can't change it, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin nodded and said, "Your example is correct. That's right. Enlightenment is simply seeing one's own nature."

"This original nature is like a pure person, while the self shaped by the outside world is like layers of armor stuck to the body."

"Because of the different designs, these armors are also different in style. There are cloth armor, lamellar armor, and plate armor, which are layered on your body."

"But the stacking order is wrong. Maybe you put the helmet on your butt, the plate armor inside, and the cloth armor on the outside..."

"Before, you didn't know you were wearing the wrong clothes; you only knew you were in pain."

"Later, you attained enlightenment and realized that there was something wrong with your attire, as well as the root of your suffering, but you just couldn't remove these armors."

"In Buddhist terms, this means you've seen the ignorance, but you can't sever it!"

At this point, Lu Jin let out a long sigh and said, "Seeing it but being unable to solve it—that's the most painful thing for a cultivator!"

"Is there any way to solve this?" Li Chang'an asked.

"Of course, you have to take it off the same way you put it on," Lu Jin said.

In fact, this is also the dilemma that Lu Jin is currently facing.

He's almost a hundred years old, what is there that he can't understand?

He can't solve it.

His inner conflict has been unresolved for decades, and there seems to be no solution.

"Isn't this about finding a solution externally? Is there a way to find a solution internally?" Li Chang'an asked again.

Lu Jin's suggestion to seek solutions externally reminded him of Zhuge Qing in the story.

Having witnessed the power of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, yet being unable to obtain them, this became a shackle on his body, transforming into his inner demons.

This shackle was broken after he obtained the Eight Extraordinary Skills.

If he didn't obtain that manual of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, he might never have been able to see through it in his entire life. It's like being told to put something down, but your hands are empty; you've never picked anything up before, so how can you put it down?

"Look for solutions within yourself..."

Lu Jin paused for a moment, then continued, "That is to break through one's own limitations and reach the legendary realm of Yang Zhu, the founder of the Quanxing Sect, who did not take a single hair or pluck a single feather, and let go of the entire world."

"Once you let go of the world, you will naturally let go of your own armor, shackles, and so on."

This statement surprised Li Chang'an. He remembered that Zhang Zhiwei had said something similar in the story.

It was while saying this that Zhang Zhiwei referred to himself as an ordinary mortal.

The Old Celestial Master was by no means a person who was falsely modest; the realm he praised was naturally unfathomably high.

Li Chang'an immediately banished the idea from his mind.

"Little Chang'an!"

Lu Jin looked at Li Chang'an and said earnestly:

"There are some things that my grandfather understood too late. His obsession had already taken root, and even if he knew, he couldn't change it."

"And some things are easier said than done. There is a world of difference between knowing and doing. My grandfather knew, but he couldn't do it."

"But you are still young, and your future holds endless possibilities. Since you have already achieved enlightenment at such a young age, you should make good use of this to create a better version of yourself."

"Grandpa, I'll remember that." As soon as Li Chang'an finished speaking, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he blurted out:

"Grandpa, I suddenly have an idea. What if we discard all the negative feedback from the outside world and mold our external self according to our true self? Would there be any difference? And what would the effect be?"

Lu Jin pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The walls of the Master are several fathoms high; without finding the gate, one cannot enter and see the beauty of the ancestral temples or the wealth of the officials."

Even when faced with questions from his great-grandson, Lu Jin showed no interest in seeking fame or saving face. He simply knew what he knew, and he wouldn't easily offer subjective opinions on things he didn't know.

"Although I can't give you the answer, but..."

Grandpa knows how to call people.