"Beyond the ego..."
Gu Qingfeng murmured these four words, pondered for a moment, and then asked: "How to transcend oneself."
The old monk asked without answering, "Does Gu Lay really want to transcend himself?"
"certainly."
"I'll ask again, does Lay Gu really want to transcend himself?"
"certainly."
"Does Lay Gu really want to transcend himself?"
"certainly."
The old monk asked Gu Qingfeng three times in a row if he really wanted to transcend himself, and Gu Qingfeng answered with two words of course without hesitation each time.
"No! I feel that Gu Layman doesn't want to transcend himself at all."
"That's just how you feel, I feel like I want to get away from myself."
This time the old monk didn't speak again. After being silent, Gu Qingfeng said again: "You don't care whether I want to or not, I just want to ask you how to transcend yourself?"
"If you want to transcend yourself, you must first recognize yourself."
"How to know yourself?"
The old monk asked again: "Does the ancient layman really want to recognize himself?"
"certainly."
"Does Layman Gu really want to recognize himself?"
"certainly."
The old monk asked Gu Qingfeng three times in a row if he wanted to recognize himself, but Gu Qingfeng still answered three times of course.
"No! Layman Gu not only doesn't want to transcend himself, but also doesn't want to recognize himself."
"You are not me, how can you know what I think in my heart?"
"I can feel it."
"Really..." Gu Qingfeng said with a smile: "That's just your feeling, unfortunately, you are not me."
"Ancient Layman." The old monk's voice came, and it still came across the ancient, ancient, and ancient times like a prehistoric bell, asking: "Who am I?"
"What are you?" Gu Qingfeng was confused, and replied, "Aren't you an old monk?"
The old monk asked again: "I! It is! Who!"
"Nonsense! You are you!"
The old monk asked for the third time: "I! Am! Who!"
"You didn't tell me who you are." Gu Qingfeng said, "How do I know who you are!"
The old monk asked again: "The ancient layman, do you know who you are?"
"Of course I know."
"Who are you?"
"I am me! I am Gu Qingfeng."
"No! What I'm asking is not the name. The name is just a code name. You can be called Gu Qingfeng, and I can be called Gu Qingfeng. Anyone can be called Gu Qingfeng."
"Then you ask me who I am, not my name, but what?"
"What I'm asking is besides the code name of your name, who are you?"
Who is he other than his name
This question is really hard to answer.
At least, at this moment, Gu Qingfeng didn't know how to answer this question.
"I will ask Layman Gu another question, who am I!"
"You asked that question just now."
"No! Layman Gu, the old monk just asked about the self, but now he is asking about the ego."
Gu Qingfeng had a headache and asked, "Is there any difference between the self and the ego?"
"When I use my code name to communicate with Gu Layman, Gu Layman's code name is also me, what does this mean? Does it mean that you are me, and I am you..."
Gu Qingfeng was a little confused.
The old monk continued: "Where did I come from, and where did I die? Why did I appear in this world? What does my appearance mean to this world? Did the world choose me, or did I choose the world? "
Gu Qingfeng became more and more confused the more he listened.
Of course.
The old monk was still talking, and his words became more and more profound, and said: "Is there an inevitable connection between me and the universe and this world? Is there an end to the world? Is there a length of time? Where does the past time disappear? Where does time stop in the future? Is the question I am asking at this moment the same as Gu Layman’s question just now?"
"Who is me, you are me, or I am me, and who am I!"
"Where do I come from?"
"Where am I going?"
Gu Qingfeng felt a splitting headache when he heard it, and immediately shouted: "Stop! Stop! Stop talking! I can't take it anymore."
"well… "
The old monk sighed, and said: "It's not that the ancient layman couldn't stand it, it's not that the ancient layman couldn't get rid of himself, let alone be able to recognize himself, but the ancient layman didn't want to get rid of himself, nor did he want to recognize himself clearly from the beginning. "
This time Gu Qingfeng did not refute.
"The ancient layman has been sleeping for thousands of years. After waking up, he has already realized that he was confused. The ancient layman's confusion has nothing to do with original sin, nor has it to do with cause and effect, but has something to do with the ancient layman himself. The ancient layman is very clear in his heart. As long as he transcends himself, he can fully understand. .”
"It's a pity that the ancient layman doesn't want to transcend himself. The ancient layman can't let go of the 'self' in his heart. To be precise, what the ancient layman can't let go of is the memory related to the 'self'."
Gu Qingfeng closed his eyes with a very sad expression.
After a long time, he asked, "If I abandon myself and become detached, am I still me?"
The old monk did not answer this question.
"After detachment, I, maybe still me, but not the former me."
The old monk sighed again, and said: "In the final analysis, the ancient layman still doesn't want to let go of the self in his heart."
"Although I don't want to, I have to admit that what you said is true. I really don't want to let go of myself."
"Gu Layman, can I ask you why you can't let go?"
"Because I just want to be myself. Although this journey has been bumpy, there are painful memories and beautiful memories, but whether it is painful or beautiful memories, they are all my own and my own memories."
The old monk said: "Even if you transcend yourself, this memory is still the memory of the ancient layman, and no one can take it away."
"You are right, no one can take it away, but the memories of the past have become memories."
"Memory and memory, is there a difference?"
"Yes, the memories are what I have experienced now, and the memories are what I have experienced in the past. The memories I have experienced are still throbbing when I think about them. The memories I have experienced, when I look back, they will only fade away like a passing cloud. Gone until forgotten."
"I don't understand."
"It's fine if you don't understand. I'm a human being, and you are a Buddha. How can you understand?"
The old monk said: "A Buddha is also a human being."
Gu Qingfeng retorted: "A man is not a Buddha."
"Is there any difference between a Buddha and a human being?"
"Of course, you are a Buddha with all four elements empty, and I am a person with seven emotions and six desires!"
"Buddhas with all four elements are empty, people with seven emotions and six desires!"
The old monk murmured: "So... so..."
"My master once taught me a word, abide by the nature and never forget the original intention. This is the nature of human beings, and it is also my nature."
"So, the ancient layman will neither become a Buddha nor a saint in this life, right?"
"certainly."
"Even if he transcends himself, the ancient layman will still be a human being."
"I don't know if I'm still a human after transcending myself, but one thing is for sure. After transcending myself, I will definitely not be a layman." Gu Qingfeng laughed and said, "Old monk, have you forgotten? , I said... I am a layman, I used to be, I am now, and I will be in the future, I like to be a layman with all kinds of emotions and six desires."