"Deep in the wilderness, beside the forest."
Chen Yun couldn't help but feel deeply in his heart.
He had no way to deal with the demon within himself before.
To everyone's surprise, after Jing Chen Sister's intervention, this matter was about to be resolved immediately.
This further reinforced Chen Yun's conviction that he had done the right thing by saving the other party from his coma.
If he hadn't woken the other person up, the issue of the demon within would definitely not have been resolved.
If the demon within cannot be resolved, he might very well fall into a state of possession.
In a situation that is quite dire, decades of diligent cultivation may be reduced to nothingness, and even death is possible.
It has to be said, having more friends is like having more paths to choose from.
Immediately upon his good deed of saving Jing Chen Sister, he saw direct returns!
Chen Yun pondered for a moment and noticed that Jing Chen Sister was sweating profusely.
He could guess that the other person had exerted a great deal of spiritual power to suppress his inner demon for him.
Otherwise, he would have been at the late stage of human cultivation, and it was impossible for him to look like this.
Chen Yun wanted to say thank you, but at this moment, Jing Chen Sister was practicing and recovering her spiritual power. He couldn't disturb her.
Feeling idle, Chen Yun mused to himself, "If one were fully possessed by the demon, it would significantly boost one's combat power in a short time. But for someone like me, who resists possession with all my might, it would affect a portion of my own combat power. That means that when I fought with Long Zhatian before, I was actually interfered with by my inner demon and did not unleash my full strength."
If Jing Chen Sister really does completely suppress his inner demon in a moment,
No doubt his combat power would have a considerable improvement.
Chen Yun kept on thinking in a confused manner, "Moreover, possession for a cultivator is actually an opportunity. If one can pass through it, generally speaking, one's cultivation level will improve significantly. But I am only suppressing it now, and I have not passed through it. So it is unlikely that my cultivation level will improve."
Nonetheless, he was quite content with this outcome.
After all, compared to the damage to cultivation and life caused by possession, it's definitely better to have nothing happen.
It was probably about an hour later.
Jing Chen Sister slowly recovers her energy, exhaling a puff of impure air, "Brother Chen, I have already recovered. I can continue to suppress the demon within you."
Chen Yun showed concern, "Sister Jing Chen, was it my resistance that caused you to consume a lot of energy? Would consuming less be possible if I cleared my mind of distractions?"
Jing Chen Sister smiled, "Brother Chen, there's no need for that. Doing so would only affect the suppression of the demon within you."
Chen Yun's cultivation time cannot be compared to that of Sister Jing Chen, who has lived for over a thousand years. His experience is not as rich. He inquired, "Why?"
Jing Chen Sister explained, "The demon within you is like an insect that invades your mind when you're not in a state of emptiness. If you're in a vacuum state, the demon within you is like an insect that hides beneath the ground. Even if I have an antidote to kill it, I cannot harm it. So, do you understand?"
Chen Yun nodded slightly, "Understood."
The meaning of Jing Chen Sister's words is actually very easy to understand.
Simply put, if you want to eradicate a poisonous snake, you must lure it out of its hole.
If he is in a state of emptiness, he cannot detect the presence of the demon within him at all.
Even with Jing Chen Sister's myriad of great techniques, she cannot eliminate a demon she cannot detect.
The sentence itself doesn't mean much.
It was the inspiration Chen Yun received that was important.
He was pondering whether being in a state of emptiness all the time would prevent the interference of the inner demon.
Chen Yun felt it might be possible.
But it was quite challenging to do so.
How can a person stay in a state of emptiness forever?
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Chen Yun didn't dwell on the thoughts, politely saying, "Thank you for continuing to suppress the demon within me, Sister Jing Chen."
Jing Chen Sister said, "Good."
Chen Yun did not deliberately eliminate distractions.
Jing Chen Sister recited the Heart Sutra once again, "The Bodhisattva of Enlightenment, while meditating deeply in the profound wisdom of Pailo-ma, realizes that all five aggregates (suffering) are empty. He transcends all suffering and misery...".
It wasn't clear whether Jing Chen Sister had increased her effort.
This time, Chen Yun was still able to bear the first sentence.
However, from the second sentence onward, he began to feel dazed and seemed to have entered a drowsy state.
This drowsiness made him feel as if he had returned to a state of chaos, like being back in the mother's womb before birth.
At this moment, Chen Yun was about to forget who he was.
He also forgot the purpose of his existence in this world.
As if everything in the world no longer had anything to do with him.
Whether he came from where he came, where he will go, how he used to be, and how he will be in the future, all of it became unimportant.
Suddenly, there was only the sound of sutras in his ears.
Chen Yun had an instinctive feeling that he was on the verge of entering into extinction and nirvana amidst these waves of sutras.
Extinction and nirvana are the same thing, but one is in sutras, while the other is translated from it.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the term "nirvana" is interpreted as "extinction and extinguishing of the body and mind, abandoning form and consideration." This means that both body and mind are extinguished, there is nothing left, which is a state of tranquility relative to the cycle of birth and death.
In Theravada Buddhism, nirvana is divided into two types: Samuppatti Nirvana and Asamuppatti Nirvana.
Samuppatti Nirvana refers to the state of being beyond suffering, where all desires have been overcome and the mind has entered the realm of nirvana. However, the body still exists, and death has not occurred yet.
Asamuppatti Nirvana, on the other hand, refers to the state where both the mind and body of a being have completely died off, having transcended the cycle of birth and death.
In Mahayana Buddhism, part of the teachings regarding Samuppatti Nirvana and Asamuppatti Nirvana are accepted, but in order to adapt to the tenets of its own tradition, the explanations differ from those in Theravada Buddhism.
In the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism, the concept of "empty nature of all phenomena" is advocated, and nirvana is considered a pseudo-name, not a true existence.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the Tathagatagarbha school of thought holds that "nirvana" is permanent and unchanging because Buddha nature is an absolute and true existence.
Chen Yun felt that his current state was more like the "permanent and imperishable" extinction mentioned in the Tathagatagarbha doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism.
It's as if he is about to attain enlightenment and achieve the status of a Buddha in one go!
Chen Yun realized that he was continuously transcending, continuously transcending, to a state of ultimate enlightenment, thus truly achieving the realm of coexisting with heaven and earth for eternity. He was just one step away from the transcendent and saintly realm of Da Luo.
Currently, he is very close, just needing that final push to attain enlightenment and become a Buddha.
Suddenly!
The sutras suddenly dissipated.
Chen Yun's transcendence not only failed to continue ascending but was also rapidly descending.
The next moment, he opened his eyes.
He was still the same Chen Yun as before.
It seemed as if nothing had happened at all.
However, Chen Yun was surprised to find that the plants around him seemed to have been nourished by an unknown force, and they all shone brightly and gloriously.
The Jing Chen Sister in front of him looked even more astonished, with shock written all over her face!
Chen Yun didn't understand what had happened and looked at Jing Chen Sister with some confusion, asking, "Sister Jing Chen, what just happened?"
"Ah? Oh oh oh." Jing Chen Sister was startled awake, looking uncertainly over, and in disbelief, said, "Brother Chen, you were just moments away from attaining the true form of Buddha."
Ah?
The feeling I just had wasn't wrong?
Chen Yun was taken aback, puzzled and said, "I was almost attaining the true form of Buddha?"
The Sanskrit term "Buddha" is transliterated as "Duotuo Ajiato" and is one of the ten titles of the Buddha.
The word "Buddha" contains two layers of meaning: it refers to the one who has attained the true nature through effort, and through constantly accumulating good karma, eventually becoming a Buddha, hence the name "Buddha" or "true form"; and it refers to the one who introduces the true nature of Buddhism to others, allowing them to gain wisdom, alleviate suffering, and obtain benefits, hence the name "Buddha" or "appearance."
Jing Chen Sister's gaze was still filled with suspicion, "Yes, you were just moments away from attaining the true form of Buddha."
Chen Yun smiled awkwardly, "I'm a Taoist from the orthodox school. How could I attain the true form of Buddha from your Buddhism?"
When talking about this, Jing Chen Sister also seemed perplexed, "Yes, you're a Taoist. How could you attain the true form of Buddha from my Buddhism? Perhaps...?"
She carefully speculated, "Brother Chen, you were a great being in my Buddhism in your past life. Now that you have been reborn and hidden your past wisdom, I recited the Heart Sutra and awakened your true self. Was it that you almost attained the true form of Buddha?"
If someone else said they were hiding their past wisdom and were thus awakened to their true self, that would be more plausible.
Chen Yun had a very clear understanding of his current situation.
He was born into this world with past wisdom.
His past life was just an ordinary person, not some great being in Buddhism at all.
So there is no such thing as being obscured by past wisdom and then being awakened to one's true self.
Of course, there's a possibility of that too.
For example, if his previous few lives were as a great being in Buddhism and he had not yet regained that past wisdom, then the situation just described would make sense.
However, this possibility is very small.
According to Buddhist practice, awakening past wisdom will not only awaken the wisdom from a single life, but also from every previous life.
If I now possess the wisdom from a past life, but not from the previous few lives, doesn't that mean there's a mismatch?
Since this possibility is not very large, why did I almost attain the true form of Buddha from Buddhist sutras as an orthodox Taoist?
Chen Yun sat there lost in thought, trying to find the real answer.
Jing Chen Sister was also pondering, but suddenly she seemed to have thought of something.
She cautiously asked, "Brother Chen, have you practiced my Buddhist teachings?"
Chen Yun suddenly woke up and enlightened, "I have practiced it. I once traveled to the Mount Susara to meet the Buddha Shakyamuni, from whom he imparted a great Buddhist law to me."
"Ah?" Jing Chen Sister was greatly astonished, "Brother, you actually met our Buddha?"
Chen Yun nodded slightly, "Yes."
Jing Chen Sister appeared disbelieving on one side and envious on the other, "Brother, you are truly fortunate to have met the World Honored One."
Chen Yun smiled but did not respond.
I not only saw Shakyamuni Buddha, but...
Even today's Emperor Zhu Wei, the Great Emperor of Purple, I have met.
In fact, he once had the honor of meeting one of the incarnations of Taishang Laojie, known as Laozi.
Jing Chen Sister asked again, "May I ask, what Buddhism did the World Honored One impart to you?"
Chen Yun answered truthfully, "Six-foot gold body."
Jing Chen Sister widened her eyes, "Six-foot gold body?"
Chen Yun said, "Yes."
Jing Chen Sister took a deep breath and said, "Our Buddha has three bodies: the Dharma Body, the Reward Body, and the Response Body. They are also called the Self-nature Body, the Enjoyment Body, and the Transformation Body respectively. The six-foot gold body is a small form of transformation body. If Brother Chen has practiced this great law, then it is only natural that he almost entered into extinction and became a Buddha just now."
Chen Yun, not very well-versed in the Buddhist practice system, curiously asked, "Sister Jing Chen, could you explain this in detail?"
Jing Chen Sister did not directly answer this question but instead asked, "Brother Chen, what level of attainment have you reached in your six-foot gold body cultivation?"
Chen Yun knew there must be some profound meaning behind the question.
He said, "I'm not sure what level to say. Why don't I show it to you instead?"
Jing Chen Sister hurriedly stood up, cupping her hands together in prayer, "Namo Amida Butsu, please Brother Chen manifest your gold body."
Chen Yun did not say anything more and activated the secret method of the six-foot gold body.
Boom.
A thunderous roar exploded from Chen Yun's body.
Suddenly, Jing Chen Sister only saw a burst of golden light as the scrolls opened up before her.
The golden light shot up into the sky, suddenly emerging a revered statue.
The statue was bathed in radiant golden light like the midday sun, with eighteen arms and twenty-four heads, holding ornaments, umbrellas, flower strings, fish-shaped swords, golden bows, silver spears, empowering staffs, precious files, and golden jars. It stood sixteen feet six inches tall, its golden light blazing like the fierce sun standing in the sky during the sixth month.
The moment it took shape, a sacred aura that was inviolable and unapproachable spread out like a shroud, making one feel as if one couldn't help but bow down and feel reverent.
At this moment, Chen Yun appeared as a dried-out skeleton, as if his entire body had been drained.
However, at the crown of his head, the golden light transformed into a lotus flower, forming a celebratory cloud. The sixteen-foot tall statue was sitting calmly within it.
Moreover, small, white, sacred flowers the size of thumb were falling around the statue without ceasing.
Flowers fell from the sky, and lotus blossoms appeared!
Jing Chen Sister was completely bewildered, her eyes wide with astonishment, "Six-foot gold body! It truly is the six-foot gold body, one of the three bodies of our Buddha!"
Chen Yun saw that Jing Chen Sister had already observed it and asked actively, "Then, may I withdraw the six-foot gold body?"
Jing Chen Sister's eyes filled with reverence, "Yes, certainly."
Chen Yun said no more and withdrew the six-foot gold body.
His body suddenly became full, restoring its original shape.
Chen Yun asked, "Sister Jing Chen, I wonder what level of attainment my six-foot gold body has reached?"
Jing Chen Sister smiled wryly, "Just one step away from perfection."
Oh, just one step away from perfection.
Chen Yun had previously made the same judgment, but he couldn't be certain.
Now, hearing Jing Chen Sister say this, Chen Yun realized that he had already cultivated the six-foot gold body to a very profound level.
Jing Chen Sister sighed and said, "I finally know why Brother Chen almost attained the true form of Buddha just now."
Chen Yun said, "Please teach me."
Jing Chen Sister said, "Buddha has three bodies, thirty-two manifestations, countless transformations, and so on. In essence, they all lead to the same destination. That is to say, the Dharma body is the aggregation of principle Dharma, the Reward Body is the aggregation of wisdom Dharma, and the Response Body is the aggregation of merit and virtue Dharma. Because one Buddha possesses the virtues and abilities of all three bodies, the three bodies are essentially one Buddha. This transformation body is the Dharma body, which is formed from the aggregation of principle Dharma. The Dharma body of Shakyamuni Buddha is Vairocana, his Reward Body is Amitabha with countless beautiful forms and ornaments, which is Lushena Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha is a response manifestation, responding to the needs of sentient beings and manifesting as a Buddha's body. Since Brother Chen has cultivated his six-foot gold body almost to perfection, he indeed only needs that final push to become a Dharma-body Buddha like Vairocana and thus live as long as heaven and earth do, eternal and imperishable. Unfortunately, just now my spiritual power was not enough to maintain it continuously, otherwise you would have already become a Buddha."
Uh...
You would have become a Buddha as long as your power was sufficient just now?
Chen Yun felt a bit regretful while also feeling a mixture of amusement and disbelief.
Since I possess the "Greater Celestial Medicine," I definitely don't want to become a Buddha.
After all, I have been unwaveringly practicing internal alchemy combined with the "Greater Celestial Medicine," and my future achievements will be even greater.
Becoming a Buddha who lives as long as heaven and earth do is indeed incredibly lofty.
However, the world will eventually be destroyed.
I cannot truly transcend until I attain the Great Celestial Realm.
Chen Yun naturally wants to truly transcend, so attaining the Great Celestial Realm is the most correct choice.
Therefore, although there is some regret, it's not very regretful. It's because I don't choose that path.
He was lost in thought.
Jing Chen Sister thought that Chen Yun was so disappointed that he had fallen silent.
She spoke up to console him, "Brother Chen need not be disheartened. Since your six-foot gold body is already very close to perfection, with diligent practice of my Buddhist teachings, perhaps in no time at all, you can attain enlightenment and become a true Buddha."
Chen Yun smiled easily, "Whether or not I can attain the realm of the true Buddha is not important to me. If the opportunity comes, I believe even eating and drinking can lead me to enlightenment. But if the opportunity is not enough, no matter how close the fruit of realization is, I cannot pick it. Take it all with a calm heart, that's fine."
Jing Chen Sister praised him extensively, "Brother Chen, your understanding is truly extraordinary. It's no wonder you almost attained the level of a Buddha. Although you did not attain it this time, the upgrade of that kind must have given you profound insights. If you carefully contemplate that realm of cultivation, I'm not saying that you will definitely become a Buddha, but at least it will help you eliminate mental demons and make your cultivation smooth and unobstructed. I believe it's definitely achievable if you are willing to carefully contemplate the high insights gained from the upgrade."
Hmm?
Chen Yun was taken aback, "Sister Jing Chen, do you mean that even if I don't repair my resolve to the fullest, I can still enter the realm of the heavenly immortals?"
Jing Chen Sister smiled wryly, "You almost attained the true form of a Buddha. The broken resolve must have been repaired long ago. The realm of the heavenly immortals is not your final destination, but... just the beginning!"
