In the Yao Tai class, the Grandmaster gestured for Jiang Tong'er to take a seat on the mat.
The Grandmaster said, "Tong'er, what is this method of 'Awakening'? Can you teach me?"
Jiang Yuan bowed and replied, "Master, why do you say such things? I have five people complete, having thoroughly read the teachings of both schools. It is all the Master’s merit. If the Master wishes to know a small method, I fear it may tarnish your ears. If the Master teaches me, how could I not speak?"
The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Tong'er, if you are so modest about a small method, how can you achieve a great method? Please tell me, what is Awakening?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "Master, in my humble opinion, everyone can become a Buddha. The 'Nirvana Method' of the Sacred Mountain is somewhat different. When one should become a Buddha, if one does not become a Buddha, it is because the nature of awakening has not yet stirred. When awakened, one understands nature. When awakened, one sees the heart. When awakened, one breaks through barriers. When awakened, one is boundless. When awakened, one becomes a Buddha."
In this, he had a great dream and understood somewhat, yet ultimately was still unclear.
With the Grandmaster's teachings, the two schools combined as before, thus he gradually understood this method.
The Grandmaster asked, "Is this the same as the Dao that is always present?"
Jiang Yuan nodded in acknowledgment, saying, "The Dao is always present; those who hear the Dao advance, while those who do not retreat. The nature of awakening is the same; the awakened advance, while the unawakened retreat."
This is indeed the unity of the two schools.
The Grandmaster pondered for a moment and said, "Tong'er, what is the name of this method?"
Jiang Yuan raised his head and said, "Master, this method is called 'Zen'."
The Grandmaster lightly tapped Jiang Tong'er's crown with a ruler, sighing, "Tong'er, if you compare teachings, you are not far from me."
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "How could I dare to compare myself with the Master?"
The Grandmaster asked, "Now that I hear you say this, I will not hide it from you. The Western Saint Old Tathagata has once granted a Buddha's fruition and invited you to the Sacred Mountain. Do you wish to go?"
Jiang Yuan waved his hand and said, "Master, I am well-versed in both schools of thought. What need is there to go to the Sacred Mountain? I only wish to accompany the Master in the manor."
The Grandmaster smiled and nodded, saying, "In your leisure time, keep this teaching within the cave."
Jiang Yuan bowed in acknowledgment.
The Grandmaster led Jiang Yuan to a quiet room behind Yao Tai.
Before long, they entered the quiet room.
The Grandmaster sat cross-legged on the mat, and Jiang Yuan felt a surge of inspiration, knowing that the Grandmaster was imparting him the profound teachings.
He knelt before him.
The Grandmaster pondered for a moment and said, "Tong'er, are you determined to cultivate the Golden Core's righteous path?"
Jiang Yuan bowed his head and said, "Disciple is resolute in cultivating this righteous path!"
The Grandmaster asked, "No regrets?"
Jiang Yuan bowed again, saying, "No regrets!"
The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Tong'er, think carefully. With five people complete, protecting the primordial spirit, one can glimpse the secrets of the Dao. However, refining the Golden Core still requires great effort; it is not as easy as inviting five people."
Jiang Yuan said, "Master, I am resolute and unrepentant. I hope the Master will teach me!"
The Grandmaster waved his sleeve, and a gentle breeze came, closing the door to the classroom tightly.
He said, "Tong'er, come closer and listen carefully. The secrets of the Dao are not to be shared with six ears."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan knelt closer to the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster said, "Tong'er, what do you perceive the Golden Core to be?"
Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment and replied, "Is it the elixir in the abdomen?"
Smack.
The Grandmaster, not knowing when, took a ruler and struck Jiang Tong'er's crown, causing him to clutch his head in pain.
He then said, "What do you mean by the elixir in the abdomen? The Golden Core is not an external object; the body is originally whole. When one comprehends all the orifices, creating an elixir in the abdomen is a profound principle."
Jiang Yuan rubbed his head and said, "Master, I do not know. This is what the Master asked, and I answered according to my heart."
The Grandmaster shook his head and smiled, saying, "The righteous path of the Golden Core, 'gold' means immortal. 'Dan' means perfection, a unity of chaos. How can it be reduced to a mere mud pill in your mouth?"
Jiang Yuan suddenly understood; indeed, the Golden Core is not a mud pill but signifies the cultivation of immortality and perfection, hence possessing great magical power.
He bowed and said, "Master, I understand."
The Grandmaster said, "I will pass on to you the incantation; you must remember it well and not let others know."
Jiang Yuan bowed in gratitude, listening attentively.
The Grandmaster then leaned down and whispered the incantation to Jiang Yuan, ensuring he understood it.
Jiang Yuan memorized the incantation, daring not to forget.
At this moment, the Grandmaster taught the incantation to Jiang Yuan, saying, "This incantation must be recited daily. To refine the elixir, several steps are still needed: setting up the cauldron, gathering herbs, controlling the fire, cooking, nurturing, merging, and the nine transformations into the Golden Core!"
Jiang Yuan listened, feeling clever.
In an instant, he understood how the Grandmaster taught him to first invite the five people.
He asked, "Master, will this save me much effort with these five people?"
The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Of course, but it still requires great effort. If you do not have the five people, and you rashly cultivate the Golden Core's righteous path, it will be exceedingly difficult. The two spirits will constantly obstruct you, and the five people will disrupt you daily.
How can you focus? It requires seven steps to refine the elixir. When inviting the five people, the control of the fire is generally grasped.
Gathering herbs must be the medicine within your body; there should be no external herbs gathered. This is easier for you. With the assistance of the five people, it can be taken at will.
You only need to complete the remaining five steps, and you will have hope for the elixir's completion."
Jiang Tong'er was not unclear; inviting the five people was difficult, yet the Grandmaster had provided him with a method.
When refining the elixir, the steps of 'gathering herbs' and 'controlling the fire' could be omitted, making it simpler.
The remaining five steps, for him, were not too difficult, but still required effort and focus.
This was the Grandmaster's grace.
The Grandmaster could have taught him to cultivate the Golden Core's righteous path without inviting the five people, yet cultivating this way would be no different from seeking death.
He bowed deeply and said, "Disciple thanks the Master!"
The Grandmaster helped Jiang Yuan up, saying, "You are my disciple; do not act in such a manner. Sit properly here, and I will teach you the method of setting up the cauldron."
Jiang Yuan served the Grandmaster, first sitting on the mat, then sitting on the ground.
He said, "I hope the Master will teach me!"
The Grandmaster said, "The method of setting up the cauldron is simple. The so-called cauldron furnace is the place for refining elixirs. This cauldron furnace is not a real cauldron furnace; it is the cauldron furnace within your body, also known as the Dan Platform. Your head is round, touching the heavens, and your feet are square, touching the earth, gathering the two energies of heaven and earth within your body to form the cauldron furnace."
Jiang Yuan's heart opened up; he seemed to understand something and asked, "Master, like the Golden Prince?"
The Grandmaster nodded and said, "Indeed! Here, when your five people are complete, it will not be long. You should rest for a while, then set up the cauldron again. Once the cauldron is set up, the elixir cannot be completed without it."
Jiang Yuan responded, knowing what to do.
The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Tong'er, go now. Rest well; inviting the five people takes hundreds of years, and you must be weary."
Upon hearing the Grandmaster say this, Jiang Yuan left.
…
Jiang Tong'er returned to the quiet room, sitting down on the mat.
Suddenly, he felt an immense fatigue descending from the mud palace.
In an instant, he felt his hands and feet grow weak, unwilling to move.
He was slightly startled; the hundreds of years of hard cultivation flashed before his eyes.
He thought he had cultivated a small magical power and had not felt fatigued.
It was because inviting the five people was indeed a difficult process, and he still had energy, thus having the primordial spirit assist him.
At this moment, the five people returned to normal, the primordial spirit's energy dissipated, and the fatigue could no longer be concealed.
He felt his whole body loosen.
"The five people have returned to normal!"
"Once the cauldron is set up and the medicine is burned, I believe it will be completed!"
Jiang Yuan could not rise, yet he was filled with joy.
He himself was an ordinary person in the world, fortunate to have a great dream, only to awaken and realize, having taken the Bodhi as his master, imparting the righteous path teachings.
After hundreds of years of arduous cultivation, dull and flavorless, nurturing his nature and cultivating the truth, he finally gained something.
He was not like Sun Wukong from "Journey to the West," who attained the righteous path in just a few years, nor was he like Marshal Tianpeng, who was favored by heaven and quickly rose to the position of Marshal of the Heavenly River.
He was merely a mortal from the Southern Zhanbu Continent!
The mortals of the Southern Zhanbu Continent, with their two spirits greedy for power, do not cultivate the primordial spirit, making it difficult to attain the righteous path.
But he would ultimately achieve the path of the Golden Core!
Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the mat, feeling an overwhelming gratitude for the Grandmaster's grace…
(End of Chapter)