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

Lu Jin said irritably, "Do you think I'm like you, always bragging?"

"I never boast; I always tell the truth."

The old celestial master chuckled, "Little fellow, you don't know about your great-grandfather yet, do you? Let me tell you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Jin hung up the phone. She couldn't let this big mouth talk about her dirty secrets in front of her precious great-grandson.

Lu Jin was furious when she thought about her own scandals.

Gossip and scandals in the industry change every few years, and nobody remembers them at all.

However, his past misdeeds, which occurred eighty or ninety years ago, are still brought up from time to time, ruining his lifelong reputation.

Ultimately, it's because Zhang Zhiwei has such a big mouth; he always says something new and never gets old.

Li Chang'an stared at the scene with a blank expression, then asked, feigning ignorance:

"Grandpa, what did that old man want to say again?"

"That old man always talks nonsense; who knows what he's trying to say?"

Lu Jin put away her phone and then reminded him, "You can trust this old man when he's being reasonable, but don't believe a single punctuation mark in his nonsense."

…………

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On the other side, Longhu Mountain.

The Celestial Master's Mansion, inside the Celestial Master's private residence.

This is a simply furnished quiet room. On the wall hangs a painting of Lao Tzu leaving the pass, with light and simple brushstrokes. Under the window sits an old wooden desk with several scrolls of scriptures on it. Several futons are spread on the floor, and there is nothing else.

A tall, elderly man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. His hair and beard were all white, his face was thin, and there was a vertical line between his eyebrows. He wore a gray-blue Taoist robe and had a calm gaze.

This is Zhang Zhiwei, the 65th Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

"That old Lu..."

The old master reluctantly put away his phone. "Would hanging up have been useful? We'll see about that later."

"Master, who were you talking to on the phone just now?" A white-haired boy sat on the futon next to him.

The young man was fair-skinned with a head of white hair tied back, and had delicate features. He wore a somewhat loose Taoist robe, sat upright, placed his hands neatly on his knees, and looked at the old celestial master with earnest eyes.

"Lingyu, you've met Lu Jin before," the old master said.

"Is that the senior who was beaten to tears by the master?"

"It's him," the old Celestial Master chuckled. "He took on a disciple who has some insights into enlightenment and some extremely bold ideas. But this old fellow doesn't practice his cultivation properly and comes to me when he runs into trouble."

The old master sighed, "However, this old fellow is truly an honest and kind man. Even when faced with the sudden whims of a junior, he takes them seriously."

"To understand one's true nature," Zhang Lingyu said. "Master, I often observe my mind when I meditate."

The old master smiled and said, "The mind that calms and observes itself is not the same as the mind that understands and sees its true nature."

Zhang Lingyu was taken aback: "What's the difference?"

The old master said, "When we sit in meditation and observe our mind, this mind is not the mind of enlightenment. This mind represents thoughts and afflictive emotions."

"When this idea comes to mind, it's like this: Fatty Zhao from the company is going to inspect the work this afternoon, and I'm going to invite him to dinner."

"But after thinking about it, I realized that Fatty Zhao has a big appetite, so it's not worth it to treat him to a meal. It would be better to just buy him a cup of tea."

"After thinking about it again, drinking tea is too much trouble. It would be best if this fat guy didn't come."

"These thoughts jump around one after another; that's how the mind is."

"And we need to see clearly that when one thought runs away and the next thought hasn't come yet, there is a void in between."

"Maintaining this emptiness in the middle is called entering into samadhi and observing the mind, and this is the first step to realizing one's true nature."

"The purpose of observing the mind is to prepare for action. When you are practicing, you observe these thoughts without trying to suppress them or doing any special effort. Just observe them quietly."

"Slowly, one thought goes and another hasn't come yet. This middle period is what we call tranquility and non-action. In tranquility and non-action, it is easiest to see one's true nature."

The old celestial master smiled and said, "Lingyu, cultivating and entering a meditative state is actually a very simple matter."

Tranquility and inaction are states that all cultivators have long dreamed of. Master actually said it was so simple. Master is indeed a master... Zhang Lingyu listened attentively on the surface, but sighed inwardly.

After recounting Versailles' words, the old master realized what he meant and added:

"It's such a simple thing, but some people always overcomplicate it and can't stop overthinking, so our ancestors invented a method."

"That is to recite scriptures when you are in meditation. When you recite scriptures, you don't have time to think randomly, and you become more peaceful. But even so, it's still not quite right."

After speaking, the old master looked at Zhang Lingyu, whose face was serious: "Lingyu, did you understand what your master said?"

"Master, I understand!" Zhang Lingyu snapped out of her daze and nodded her little head repeatedly.

"Did you really understand?" the old master asked again.

"I really understand," Zhang Lingyu replied earnestly.

The old master smiled and said nothing more.

Then, Zhang Lingyu asked, "If that's what the mind is, then what is nature?"

"You're asking about sex?"

The old celestial master laughed and said, "Speaking of sex alone, nowadays we call relationships between men and women sex. But Lingyu, you must remember, this sex is not about engaging in relationships, but about cultivating your character and temperament."

"Master, I remember, I will definitely not have any romantic relationships." Zhang Lingyu nodded solemnly with a serious expression.

"Hey, Lingyu, Master was just saying that casually. You don't have to be so serious. We're all from the same sect, so there's nothing wrong with having relationships between men and women."

"Master, I understand!" Zhang Lingyu nodded solemnly again.

The old master smiled helplessly and said, "When we talked about nature, we cultivators, no matter which method we use—whether it's chanting scriptures, reciting mantras, or meditating—are all taking the most basic path of cultivating our nature. But many people still can't cultivate their nature well!"

"To cultivate one's character, one must first understand sexuality. People often say that someone has a bad personality, but what exactly is sexuality in the context of personality?"

"There are two interpretations. One is that this person's acquired habits are bad, just like a flower that needs bad soil."

"You could also say that your innate habits are bad, which is malicious; it means that you are inherently evil."

"The 'nature' in 'enlightening the mind and seeing one's true nature' is actually recognizing one's innate habits. Only by finding these previous habits can one cultivate one's true nature."

"Many people fail to cultivate their sexuality because they have misunderstood the root cause. Innate sexuality is the root, while acquired sexuality is the soil. If you ignore the root and only focus on the soil, frantically watering and fertilizing it, you won't even realize that the root is being rotten."

After speaking, the old Celestial Master looked at Zhang Lingyu:

"Lingyu, did you understand?"

Zhang Lingyu nodded her little head repeatedly: "Master, I understand. Cultivation is about finding your innate root."

"Yes, finding it means you have the potential." The old master then asked, "Lingyu, is there anything you want to ask your master?"