Chapter: 6143

Reverend Jing Qing shook his head and said: "It's not exactly like that. When I was young, I also thought that truly understanding 'all phenomena are empty' meant rejecting all attachments and assumptions. However, after receiving guidance from a wise teacher, I came to understand that all phenomena being empty can also be understood in another way."

"Ito looked puzzled and said: 'If everything is empty, then nothing exists at all. Is there any other explanation?'"

Reverend Jing Qing said: "Another way is to abandon all bodily sensations and miscellaneous thoughts towards external objects, using a method similar to Daoist inner observation, allowing one's consciousness to return to the sea of awareness. Once one's consciousness returns to the sea of awareness, they will find that originally, people are opening their eyes and gazing at the vast expanse of stars in the sky. Although they are looking at the universe, what they see is just a speck of dust in the universe. After returning to the sea of awareness, one is like closing their eyes and watching the entire universe from outside the universe! That kind of openness and spaciousness, which is unprecedented, may be what the Buddha referred to as the realm of no-mind."

Ito muttered to himself: "Closing my eyes and looking at the entire universe? You're being a bit abstract, I don't quite understand it..."

Reverend Jing Qing said solemnly: "Let me rephrase it for you."

He paused, then spoke in a serious tone: "Open your eyes, and you are just standing on the earth, gazing at the sky before you. Close your eyes and enter the realm of no-mind, and the earth will become a globe right before you, with everything entirely within your grasp and at your fingertips!"

Ito furrowed his brow: "The inner observation method, I've managed to grasp some concepts, but... but I've never had that kind of feeling when closing my eyes and looking at the universe..."

Reverend Jing Qing exclaimed in surprise: "The patron has grasped the inner observation method?"

Ito nodded: "I understand it somewhat, although I'm not good at confirming whether it's really the inner observation or not."

Reverend Jing Qing asked: "Can you tell me how to do it, patron?"

Ito thought for a moment and said: "I've practiced martial arts, using my true energy to circulate throughout my entire body meridians, as if my entire body meridians are within the palm of one's hand..."

Reverend Jing Qing shook his head and said: "This doesn't count as true inner observation. This is just a kind of bodily self-awareness. The things one sees through this inner observation are one's five viscera, six bowels, channels, elixir fields, and menses palace. But true inner observation isn't about being able to gaze at the universe with one's eyes closed; it should at least allow one to explore one's own Purple Field, which is the true origin of God's consciousness!"

"Purple Field?" Ito asked in puzzlement: "What is that?"

Reverend Jing Qing said: "Although I have studied Buddhist teachings, the Purple Field is a crucial aspect of Taoist practice. In Taoist scriptures, it is where practitioners store their vital energy and true essence, but this concept is also found in Buddhist teachings under the name 'Sea of Consciousness'."

"Sea of Consciousness?" Ito became even more perplexed: "This concept... I seem to have never heard of it before."

Reverend Jing Qing said: "'The Sea of Consciousness dwells in store, moved by the winds and waves. All sorts of consciousness arise and revolve' - this is what is meant by 'Sea of Consciousness', as described in the Lankavatara Sutra."

Ito thought for a moment and suddenly exclaimed: "The Sea of Consciousness is that boundless ocean that always pushes one's consciousness outward!"

Reverend Jing Qing asked with an astonished expression: "Have you already felt that boundless ocean? Is it not endless, unfathomable, and without waves?"

Ito nodded: "That's right."

Reverend Jing Qing exclaimed excitedly: "Then that is the Sea of Consciousness!"

He then asked again: "Did you find this Sea of Consciousness on your own?"

"Ito nodded, 'That's kind of true. My martial arts master taught us to explore our inner energies and connect with our dantian, but I never knew how I ended up reaching that sea.'"

"In the past, when I was practicing martial arts under Hong Changqing's guidance, Ito once tried to explore her inner energies on her own and successfully found the realm of consciousness, whereas Qin Ao Xue, who was training together with me, couldn't even tap into her own inner energies."

"Not even Leaf Chen had reached that level."

"At the time, neither Ito nor Leaf Chen knew what this level meant or signified." JrNovels.com