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

"No, Master, you explained it very clearly, I have no questions," Zhang Lingyu said.

Actually, he had some questions he wanted to ask, but he wouldn't allow himself to ask them.

It's like many students who don't understand in class but are too afraid to raise their hands and ask questions.

Zhang Lingyu felt that he was the last disciple of the world's greatest celestial master, and he did not want to appear foolish and disappoint his master.

The old master remained silent for a moment. He was quite satisfied with this young disciple; otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted him as a disciple.

He was just too competitive and couldn't see his true self.

Of course, for a young child, understanding one's own mind and nature is ultimately too difficult.

He'll improve with time and guidance.

At this thought, the old Celestial Master remembered something interesting and smiled:

"Lingyu, back when your master was young, I slapped Lu Jin until he cried during a competition at the Lu family compound."

"I'll live off him for the rest of my life because of this."

"Lu Jin is definitely going all out to get revenge!"

"You'd better be careful, or you'll be eaten alive for the rest of your life if you get beaten up and cry."

"Hahaha……"

"Speak," the old master laughed loudly.

Zhang Lingyu replied earnestly, "Master, don't worry, I will definitely work hard in my cultivation and will not let you down or make you lose face."

The old master's laughter stopped abruptly.

…………

…………

Li Chang'an was in a meditative state, and he returned to the previous state, his consciousness rising, looking down upon himself.

In this state, he can see the condition of his own body, even the slightest damage.

He can also see the flow of Qi throughout the body, as well as the rise and fall of various thoughts, and can even distinguish which of these thoughts come from the outside and which come from within.

Thinking about this, Li Chang'an gained some insight into his intermediate state.

The intermediate state (bardo) is somewhat similar to what the old Celestial Master called ancestral nature.

However, the two are not equivalent. To be precise, the intermediate state should be a manifestation of a bit of ancestral spiritual light.

The relationship between the two is somewhat similar to that between the sun and light shining through the clouds.

Ancestral nature is like the sun, but the ancestral nature of ordinary people is covered by thick clouds, unable to let in even a sliver of light.

After death, all thoughts dissipate, and amidst the rising winds and surging clouds, a sliver of ancestral light shines through, transforming into the intermediate state (bardo).

Because the clouds are constantly changing, when the clouds completely cover the sunlight, the intermediate state (bardo) begins to feel drowsy and confused.

When the sunlight shines out, the intermediate state being will become clear-headed, able to come to the side of loved ones at any time, hear their thoughts and feelings, and even perceive their thoughts and feelings...

Li Chang'an's current state is similar to that of a person in the intermediate state (bardo), except that this intermediate state is bound to himself, making it impossible for him to teleport to other places or perceive the thoughts of others; he can only affect himself.

Like Feng Baobao, it can have an effect on the outside world.

For example, Feng Baobao could see the dormant Qi in Gouwazi Xu Xiang's body at a glance and directly guide his Qi so that he could obtain Qi.

She could also see the chaotic thoughts swirling in Xu Xiang's mind, indicating that he was not at peace.

She could also see Zhang Chulan's injuries at a glance, and even when Zhang Chulan was controlled by the Qi infant within him and everyone was helpless, she could see through his true thoughts and subdue him.

Li Chang'an's abilities are like a mini version of Feng Baobao's; they can only affect himself.

But this is also a rare occurrence.

The question I asked the old master before seemed simple, but upon closer reflection, it was like trying to put an elephant in a refrigerator in three steps—it could only be done in theory.

Because external feedback and shaping are constant. Even if one has attained enlightenment, how can one distinguish between self and external influences when one cannot fully see oneself?

There will definitely be some discrepancies, just like the master of the great master, Master Zuo. He must have been a person who had attained enlightenment, but there were still situations that he could not distinguish.

If even the Left Gatekeeper is like this, then it goes without saying that the others are even more so.

It can be said that the concept of "full-life authenticity" only exists in legend.

But with this intermediate state, this becomes possible.

The intermediate state body was shrouded in clouds. Although the ancestral nature could not be seen, the ancestral nature's light was revealed and shone on the body.

This allows Li Chang'an to distinguish between genuine, heartfelt thoughts and thoughts influenced by external factors when responding to external influences.

In short, without this intermediate state (bardo), even if one has attained enlightenment, there will still be times of confusion and uncertainty on the path of spiritual practice.

Just like an infant, before being shaped by the outside world, he has a certain understanding of himself, but because his understanding is fragmented, he sometimes cannot distinguish whether the hand in front of him is his own or someone else's. Therefore, many infants bite themselves and cry.

Babies can tell if a hand is their own by biting it and crying, but spiritual practitioners cannot do that; they can only observe.

Li Chang'an's intermediate state is equivalent to giving him the ability, similar to an infant, to recognize himself by biting and crying.

In other words, he can bite every part of his body that he can bite, and then, based on the painful feedback, he can distinguish whether it is his own body, thereby cultivating this self.

This is the greatest benefit that the intermediate state (bardo) brings him.

In addition, another benefit is that he can make corresponding adjustments by observing the condition of his own meridians and his own distracting thoughts, so as to make his Qi flow more smoothly and make himself more serene.

Adjusting the meridians is very simple; you just need to move your body accordingly. By adjusting your posture, you can make your Qi flow more smoothly.

This is feasible. Feng Baobao often does this. For example, when Zhang Chulan, Wang Ye, and Zhuge Qing joined forces to enter the inner realm, they encountered a problem. It was Feng Baobao who adjusted their postures from the outside and changed the flow of their Qi, thus saving them.

For example, with standing meditation, after you obtain Qi, you can still circulate Qi without standing meditation, but after assuming the standing meditation posture, the circulation of Qi is faster.

There is no specific posture for turning the river chariot; you can do it while walking, sitting, standing, or lying down.

But precisely because there was none, Li Chang'an was able to move faster after adopting a posture that suited him.

Then comes dealing with distracting thoughts. Once you've dealt with those thoughts, you become more tranquil, and the flow of Qi (vital energy) will speed up.

When Li Chang'an first saw those distracting thoughts, he forced himself not to think about them.

But this will create another distracting thought of "not thinking about it," leading to an ever-increasing number of distracting thoughts.

But the basic knowledge I learned this month wasn't for nothing.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Li Chang'an directly began chanting "Amitabha Buddha" and "Amitabha."

In this way, although the thought of "Amitabha Buddha" and "Infinite Heavenly Venerable" arises.

But because his attention was drawn to this, he had no time to think about other things, so his thoughts were transformed, and he became more and more calm.

With the dual adjustment of his nature and destiny, although he cannot circulate his Qi at all times like Feng Baobao, his speed of Qi circulation is far beyond that of ordinary people. He can circulate Qi three to four times in a quarter of an hour.

In other words, his speed of circulating energy throughout the body is three to four times that of an ordinary person.

Because of his adjustments, his distracting thoughts decreased, and he was able to remain still for longer periods, thus extending his practice time.

The 100-day foundation building technique could be completed in him in just 10 or 20 days.