Other methods derived from this include closed-mouth meditation, etc., which are mostly elaborated from the practice concepts of ascetic monks.
Some people may think that ascetic monks have the Confucian meaning of "preserving heaven's principles and destroying human desires", but this is not the case. There are still subtle differences between the two. The Confucian philosophy of "preserving heaven's principles and destroying human desires" is to regard heaven's mind as one's own mind, while ascetic monks do not regard one's own mind as heaven's mind.
Of course, in addition to ascetic monks, Maha City also has Taoist figures and even Confucian scholars teaching in the city, which is rare in other places in Lingzhou.
However, despite the inclusiveness of Maha City, there are still some practitioners that cannot be accepted, and that is the demonic monks.
As for the so-called demonic path, the most widely circulated ones are the heavenly demons such as Hehua Zizaitian. In fact, there is also the Shura clan, which is also considered a demonic path. The reason why Maha City does not welcome demonic monks is because of a protector of the Buddha named Indra. Few people have heard of the name Indra, but his other title is well-known in the world, called Sakyamuni.
Emperor Shakten was born in the thunder of the Nine Heavens, and was a natural god like the God of Thunder. Later, he admired the Buddha's Dharma and became the Buddha's attendant.
However, after the death of Buddha, Emperor Shitian rebelled against Samana and entered the path of Shura Demon. The blood-transforming magic sword that had been widely circulated before was actually created by Emperor Shitian.
Emperor Shaktian caused the first great catastrophe in Lingshan after the death of Buddha. Venerable Ananda, who was the most friendly with Maha Kassapa among the Buddhists, was beheaded by Emperor Sakyamuni's Shura sword.
Later, Kasyapa preached the sermon in Maha City, and Emperor Shaktian also came and used three swords. Later, Mahakasyapa fell in the Lingshan Catastrophe. It is said that it was because of the three swords of Emperor Shakti that Mahakasyapa suffered incurable injuries, which made him unable to escape death.
There is no way to verify this, but the people in Maha City firmly believe it.
Up to now, Buddhism has spread to almost every corner of Lingzhou, but in the Magadha Kingdom of Lingzhou, there is still no belief in Buddhism. The Kingdom of Magadha is the residence of Emperor Sakyamuni, and even the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot take a step there.
Shen Lian and Chao Xiaoyu learned about the story of Emperor Shitian together, and both of them were thoughtful.
Chao Xiaoyu said: "I always thought that the Blood-Transforming Divine Sword was inseparable from his Transformation into Heaven. It turns out that the root lies here with Indra."
Shen Lian said: "According to these people in Maha City, Indra's Shura Sword can be compared with the Dharma passed down by the Buddha. This shows that Indra's practice has advanced the devil's path to the pinnacle. Of course, he must have also practiced Buddhism, so it is more difficult to predict his actual state.”
Chao Xiaoyu said: "You said that if we want to enter the Paradise, should we start with Indra?"
Shen Lian smiled and said: "It should be so. Since he has served as the Buddha's protector, he should know many mysteries of the Paradise and Lingshan. After all, no matter how powerful my Yi Dao is, it is impossible to account for the situation of the Paradise and Lingshan."
Chao Xiaoyu said: "It's just that Indra has been running the Magadha Kingdom for thousands of years, and it turns out that the operation there has been as big as an iron barrel. Even if we can break through his legal restrictions, I'm afraid there is a high possibility that he will escape. What's more, we are now It’s not suitable to make too much noise.”
Shen Lian said: "It is still unknown how powerful Indra is, but according to legend, he struck Mahakasyapa three times. If we can witness those three strikes with our own eyes, we should be able to get a glimpse of his secrets. "
Chao Xiaoyu said doubtfully: "But after all, it happened ten thousand years ago. Even if we can deduce it, it will be difficult to see it with our own eyes."
Shen Lian said leisurely: "I have been practicing diligently recently, maybe I can try to trace back the time."
Chao Xiaoyu looked happy. She was not happy that she could peek into Indra's secrets, but she was happy that Shen Lian could touch the path of time. This meant that Shen Lian was becoming more unpredictable and that he was getting closer to the final step.
In fact, Shen Lian himself was not 100% sure, but he already had the possibility of trying.
Before that, he still needs some preparations.
There is an ancient street in Maha City. It is very remote but also very famous because the shops on this street mainly sell antique calligraphy and paintings.
Because the Zen practice concept is most popular in Maha City, some calligraphy, paintings or utensils that retain the charm of previous sages will be of great benefit to practice.
It's just that the charm of those great sages and great sages is often inconspicuous, so it requires extraordinary intelligence to detect it.
This is also an opportunity to test one's own wisdom, so some practitioners often come to this street to hunt for treasures when they realize they have reached a certain level.
However, because of this, there are also businessmen who make fake calligraphy, paintings or utensils to sell them at high prices.
If you have poor eyesight, you will only suffer a dull loss.
After all, it's because I don't have enough wisdom and I can't blame others.
In fact, there are not many people walking on this street, because the calligraphy, paintings and utensils are often sold at extremely high prices. If you accidentally notice them, you will suffer great losses.
And few people dare to take advantage of it, because the businessmen who can operate in this street are actually clever cultivators.
As the years pass, several old stores become the most famous and well-known. But for the merchants on this street, the most unpredictable thing is a store in the middle of the street.
This shop is called Zhizhizhai and has been open for a long time.
It is said that Zhizhizhai existed when Maha City was established. The owner's surname was Wang, and his name was Wang Shidao.
Wang Shidao looks like an ordinary person in his early thirties, except that his hair is quite gray between the temples, and he looks like he is almost fifty years old.
He is a very bookish scholar. Now the most famous scholar in Maha City, Atimo, is a student of Wang Shidao, but few people know about their relationship.
Moreover, Wang Shidao didn't like Atimo revealing his relationship with Atimo to the outside world, and he didn't even recognize the student.
But every year, Atimo would choose a sunny day and bring the best wine and food to Zhizhizhai.
The weather today is very good, there are no clouds in the sky, the breeze is gentle, the willow branches on the street are swaying gently, their postures are graceful, and they are more charming than the figures of the dancers dancing the Demon Dance.
Atimo's head was wrapped in a white scarf, his clothes were tight and not breathable, and his face was full of beards, making him look very serious. In fact, he is a very humorous person. No matter whether he is a prince, a rich man, or a trafficker and a pawn, everyone can have a conversation with him.
Moreover, he is a person who is particularly close to the lower class people and has upheld justice for many ordinary people. In Maha City, he is a compassionate Bodhisattva who has come to reality.
Atimo knocked on Zhizhizhai's door. After a while, the door opened.
The person who opened the door was a child. He said very politely: "Mr. Atimo, Brother Wang is entertaining guests. He knows that you have brought snow lotus wine. Please go in quickly and bring the wine."