From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

However, this fire energy was too weak to be seen by anyone other than a person with extraordinary abilities. They could only perceive that the rooster's comb was redder than that of an ordinary rooster.

"Rooster, oh rooster, you have lived for six years. You must have become intelligent and understand human speech."

The old man muttered to himself, “Dogs don’t live to be eight years old, chickens don’t live to be six. You are a chicken. After six years, according to the ancient teachings of the Book of Changes, I will slaughter you in the next few days.”

However, you are also destined to encounter a group of extraordinary people recently. One of them, seeing your unusual appearance, is a mountain spirit and wants to take you away.

You choose for yourself.

The Angry Rooster could indeed understand human speech. It strode up to the old man, bowed three times, and knelt down as if to thank the old man for raising it.

But the old man seemed not to have expected this, and he was so frightened that he took three or five steps back, slumped onto the stool, and muttered, "It's really become a spirit!"

The Angry Rooster ignored him, raised its head again, and strode up to Jiang Liu, its angry eyes looking up as if it were observing its "new master".

"Giggle!"

In an instant, the Angry Rooster crowed twice, flapped its wings, its wingspan only one meter, but it hovered in mid-air, meeting Jiang Liu's gaze.

Jiang Liu understood the meaning of the angry rooster and raised his right arm.

The Angry-Eyed Rooster indeed flew over, its claws landing on his right arm. It stood firmly, folded its wings, and stood tall and proud.

"Truly a divine and handsome rooster!"

Seeing that the Angry Rooster was truly intelligent and willing to follow him, Jiang Liu was overjoyed and kept praising it.

"The world is full of wonders. I never thought that the chicken I raised for six years would willingly acknowledge you as its master." The old man looked dejected, picked up his pipe, took a drag, and exhaled smoke, but his eyes seemed much more relaxed.

If he were to actually kill the chicken, aside from whether he would be willing to do so, he might not even be able to defeat it.

Before Jiang Liu and his group arrived, he had asked his son to kill the chicken, but after several attempts, his son was always scratched and injured by the angry chicken.

He knew perfectly well that if this angry rooster had any murderous intent, his son would have already been killed by its claws, his blood vessels and vital energy slashed.

Now that the chicken has recognized someone else, he can finally rest easy, though there's still a lingering sense of reluctance in his heart.

thereafter.

Jiang Liu asked the old man for a bamboo cage to hold the Angry-Eyed Rooster, and then took out his money and gave it to the old man—he couldn't just take it for free.

Although most people in Jinfeng Village don't need money and mostly barter, this old man is a Han Chinese and was once a Taoist priest at Jinzhai Leitan. Even though he hasn't left this area for many years, he must still have some knowledge and know the importance of storing some gold and silver to bring good fortune to his descendants.

Therefore, the old man accepted it.

After dinner.

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan, still young at heart, walked up to the bamboo cage and teased the angry-eyed rooster that had closed its eyes and was pretending to sleep.

Hong Guniang and Jiang Liu then asked the old man about the situation in the Lao Xiongling Pingshan area.

Upon hearing the words "Ping Mountain," the old man's eyes widened immediately, and he asked, "You're going to Ping Mountain? That place is no safe haven!"

"Having achieved academic success."

Jiang Liu glanced at the red-clad girl without showing any emotion and said leisurely, "If you want to venture into the mountains and forests, you should meet the spirits who have obtained Qi in the mountains."

Red Girl raised an eyebrow.

Elf?

Are they animals that have acquired Qi?

Although she came from the Moon Gate, she had only heard of elves in supernatural tales and did not believe in them herself.

"That's quite bold."

The old man glanced at Lu Jin and Li Muxuan, who were teasing the Angry-Eyed Chicken, and then at Jiang Liu, as if he understood why Jiang Liu wanted to buy the Angry-Eyed Chicken.

But he still shook his head and sighed, "There are natural caves in Ping Mountain, with crisscrossing ravines and unfathomable depths."

Our area is rich in cinnabar. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, emperors of all dynasties have sent alchemists to Ping Mountain to refine elixirs with minerals such as lead and mercury in order to achieve immortality.

snort!

They're all a bunch of idiots!

While it's true that metals and minerals can be used to refine elixirs, that technique has been lost. For refining external elixirs, herbs and wood are still the primary methods!

Regarding the elixir of metal and stone—

Jiang Liu, however, thought of the exquisite inner core of the relic.

That was probably a golden stone elixir that Dong Tianbao had accidentally refined using corpse demons and corpse gu. It could be taken internally and circulated with qi to stabilize the five internal organs. However, it could not be digested and absorbed like a herbal elixir, and it could also be expelled to treat other people's illnesses.

The old man continued, "However, it is said that those emperors sought immortality and built many Taoist temples and palaces in the cave. They also traveled to famous mountains to collect fine stones and filled it with treasures from all over the world."

Gee!

To be honest, it might really be like the legendary fairyland.

"If that's the case, why does the old man say that place is a place of evil?"

Red Girl was puzzled.

"It's still related to those emperors who wanted to live forever."

The old man cursed viciously, "Throughout history, sorcerers and Taoist priests have been refining medicines there. The raw materials for herbal elixirs and lead-mercury elixirs have been left behind and have become one with the local soil and rocks."

And there are many poisonous insects in our area.

The poisonous insects and snakes near Ping Mountain are even more potent due to the influence of these cinnabar toxins. Even with my Angry-Eyed Chicken, I dare not venture that way often, for fear that if the chicken runs too far, I'll be bitten and die! Let me tell you, the centipedes on Ping Mountain are the most venomous. Once bitten, you'll turn into a puddle of pus in no time!"

"Thank you for informing me, sir. I will be careful later," Jiang Liu said.

As night deepened, the old man grew tired and was unwilling to say any more. He simply got up to arrange accommodations for the four people.

The next morning.

"Giggle!"

As the angry rooster crowed, Jiang Liu opened his eyes and looked out the window, where a blazing sun was rising in the east.

The rooster's crow at dawn is more accurate than a clock!

A phoenix-like rooster with angry eyes?

It's just like the Pleiades, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions!

However, Jiang Liu temporarily suppressed his urge to take care of the Angry Rooster, picked up the iron rod by the bed, examined it carefully, and seemed to be deep in thought.

last night--

He slept very soundly.

Those who cultivate themselves naturally have excellent sleep quality, but those who can achieve a state of spiritual abundance without dreaming—that is, those who simply sleep, calm their mind and spirit, have a peaceful and stable consciousness, and do not dream—are extremely rare throughout history.

In terms of cultivation, Jiang Liu dared to say that he could rival the older generation, but in terms of temperament, he did not think that he, having lived two lives, could fully reach that level at this stage.

If it wasn't the influence of the angry rooster, then it must be the effect of this nine-ringed tin staff, which was supposedly forged by Tang Xuanzang after his pilgrimage, but which has now lost its gold and silver decorations and become a smooth iron rod:

It can bring peace of mind.

# Chapter 121 The Yogacara School and the Vijnanavada

Jiang Liu carefully examined the jet-black iron rod and pondered a question:

Who was Tang Xuanzang?

In "Journey to the West", he is a monk who constantly eliminates his own defects on the journey to the west and eventually becomes the Sandalwood Merit Buddha.

Historically, he was a polymath who traveled alone to India to seek scriptures and founded the Faxiang School of Buddhism.

In the history of this person, there was also an extraordinary individual who, after returning from his pilgrimage, also founded the Faxiang School, based on the theory of Yogacara.

In Yogacara, what is "consciousness"?

The so-called consciousness refers to the eight consciousnesses: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, tongue consciousness, nose consciousness, body consciousness, mind consciousness, manas consciousness, and alaya consciousness.

The operation of these eight consciousnesses is like a sophisticated ecosystem:

The first five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—can be likened to information input terminals. They are the organs that humans use to perceive the world: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Consciousness is similar to an information processor, which summarizes and organizes the information perceived by the five senses about the world.

Manas consciousness is the framework of self-cognition. If consciousness is the software of a computer, then Manas consciousness is the hardware of that computer.

The final consciousness, Alaya-vijnana, is like a data storage center, capable of storing all dharmas.

so-called—

Delve into the Yogacara school to see the true mind; the transformation of the eight consciousnesses is Bodhi!

The Faxiang school's philosophy of practice is actually closer to reality than that of the Chan school. The Chan school emphasizes the word "Zen" and the word "enlightenment," while the Faxiang school, although it focuses on Buddhist teachings, has the theory of the eight consciousnesses, especially the five consciousnesses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, which are destined to be connected with the outside world.

In short, Zen Buddhism advocates Buddha-nature and leans towards "idealism"; while Faxiang Buddhism leans towards Buddhist teachings, and its philosophy of practice seems to focus on the combination of theory and reality, making it more "materialistic" and pragmatic.

The term "Dharmakaya" in the Faxiang school does not refer to a physical body constructed of energy, but rather to a set of spiritual practices based on the "eight consciousnesses".

The Dharma is the theory of practice, while the phenomena are the results of practice.

If we compare these eight consciousnesses to a tree, then the first five consciousnesses are the leaves, flowers, and fruits; the mind consciousness is the branches; the manas consciousness is the trunk; and the last alaya consciousness is the root.

The practice of the Faxiang school involves realizing one's true nature, truly perceiving the existence of the eight consciousnesses, and adjusting the relationships between them in order to achieve unity of body and mind and attain enlightenment.

It's like continuously cultivating a Bodhi tree during the process of spiritual practice.

After attaining enlightenment, these eight consciousnesses can be transformed into "wisdom"—

The first five senses are transformed into the wisdom of accomplishment, which is the ability to benefit all sentient beings;

Consciousness transforms into the wisdom of wondrous observation, that is, the wisdom that discerns the truth;

The manas consciousness transforms into the wisdom of equality, which is the wisdom that breaks through attachment to self;

Alaya consciousness transforms into the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, which is the wisdom that reflects all phenomena.

Zhi means wisdom.

By mastering the eight consciousnesses with the mind, one can gain wisdom, benefit all beings, do good deeds and accumulate merit; one can see through the truth and not be deceived; one can break through attachments and attain freedom of mind; one can generate all things with a single thought, and be omnipotent.

of course.