Chapter 10: The Way of Sexuality is Divine, the Way of Destiny Leads to Immortality
The essence of the Way is divine, focusing on the cultivation of the mind, thoughts, and soul
Nature encompasses reason, heart, spirit, intention, and virtue; life encompasses law, breath, energy, form, and function. The essence of existence lies in nature and life, seeking survival and sustenance
The book states that the cultivation of the soul through nature involves the divisions of the Enlightenment Stage and the Soul Condensation Stage. The first step is Enlightenment; only upon entering the Enlightenment Stage can one be considered to have begun. Following this, one must operate their thoughts and engage with the essence of the mind until the three souls manifest, thereby allowing advancement to the Soul Condensation Stage. These Enlightenment and Soul Condensation stages represent two realms in the path of nature cultivation.
The Foundation Establishment Stage and the Soul Refinement Stage seem to be able to correspond to the Enlightenment Stage and the Soul Condensation Stage of the path of personal cultivation, yet they lack the rigorously structured techniques found in the "Awakening of the Divine Inner Method"
Imagine transporting the scattered 'gods' throughout the body to the crown of the head. The mind is formless; one must first conceive of becoming a god, and then envision these 'gods' moving upward, converging at the top of the head. Each step is truly ethereal, surpassing imagination. If I had not come to this world, I would hardly believe that I had genuinely become a local deity.
Gradually, it approached a critical point
Chewing on this sentence, Qiu Yan's gaze swept across the book, and a sense of understanding flowed through his mind
"The Secret Art of the Sleeping God" contains profound language and slightly touches upon terminology from Taoism, while also frequently referencing the classics and historical texts that Qiu Yan has read
Just as an energy practitioner must regulate the vital energy within, the cultivation of the mind and character also follows specific methods and principles; it is not a matter of chaotic thoughts. Otherwise, it is easy for one's thoughts to become scattered, leading to mild forgetfulness or, in severe cases, harm to the soul
This is not something that an ordinary person can achieve. To accomplish it, one must be in a state of deep contemplation, without any distractions. One must cultivate the ability to meditate and focus, making it a natural instinct, while continuously reflecting and keeping it in mind day after day, hour after hour. It may take years, even decades, to attain such a level.
After a brief pause, Qiu Yan felt a sudden clarity.
In the next moment, all over his body, beneath the flesh and bones, specks of light emerged, resembling countless stars.
The three souls are distinct, each possessing its own uniqueness... The description of the Soul Condensation Realm is evidently insufficiently detailed, lacking even the specific methods of soul condensation. However, it is understandable; as soul condensation progresses further, it clearly involves deeper mysteries that should not be easily revealed to a mere mortal
Soon, as the incantation was silently recited, the thought guided a faint glow that gradually moved, swiftly gathering along the surface of the body until it concentrated at Qiu Yan's head, coalescing at the crown.
The Five Great Deities, as mentioned in the "True Instructions," are referred to in the City God’s gift of a book: "The Five Great Deities refer to the two hands, two feet, and the head."
As he gazed at the lines of text, which corroborated the memories he had just retained, Qiu Yan gradually grasped the key to the cultivation of the path of life.
Qiu Yan's thoughts change; first, meditate on the five great deities
The principles of the method may seem profound, but the key is to apply them in practice. Why not give it a try right now? The first step is to eliminate distracting thoughts
There are indeed many different schools of thought regarding the methods of self-cultivation, such as the Method of Guarding One, the Method of Preserving the Spirit, the Method of Inner Observation, the Method of Meditation, the Method of Silent Recitation, and the Method of Sitting in Oblivion. However, the book does not provide a detailed introduction. It does record a set of practices called "The Inner Secrets of Lying Down to Cultivate the Spirit," which involves three schools: Preserving the Spirit, Meditation, and Silent Recitation.
However, compared to the introduction of sexual cultivation, the introduction of life cultivation, while detailed, is not profound; it mainly consists of simple methods for strengthening the body and does not involve specific techniques. Nevertheless, it does provide some guidance for future cultivation directions. The cultivation of the life path primarily focuses on tempering the body. The first step is to establish a foundation. Once one has cultivated dark energy and internal strength, enabling the stimulation of the entire body and causing the seven souls to tremble, one can advance to the realm of soul refining, sequentially condensing the seven souls. Unfortunately, the text does not explain the significance of condensing the seven souls.
After entering a state of tranquility, one begins to cultivate the spirit within the body
Qiu Yan slowly turned the pages, examining each word and sentence meticulously
The "Inner Secrets of the Sleeping God" envisions the embodiment of the divine within oneself, with the five great deities serving as the overarching principles. One should imagine a green aura enveloping the head, red energy emanating from both hands, and white energy beneath both feet
The introduction to the concept of destiny in this book is quite specific, unlike the esoteric nature of "The Secret of the Sleeping God," and the language is straightforward
Staring at this sentence, Qiu Yan silently pondered and quickly grasped its general meaning
This step is not particularly difficult for an ordinary person, but the human mind is limited. While it is still feasible to manage the five great deities of the limbs and head, increasing the number inevitably leads to neglecting some aspects. However, the "Inner Technique of the Sleeping Deity" requires one to envision a total of three thousand six hundred deities throughout the entire body
Dazed
Beneath the heavens above, the radiance grows ever more intense
Indeed, the City God gave me this book, which is meant for my physical incarnation. In her view, I, as a mere scholar, lack the robust physique and have surpassed the optimal age for foundation establishment. No matter how much I practice, it is likely that I will not be able to achieve it. Therefore, although both the life path and the fate path are introduced together, it also involves the techniques of practicing the power of fate. However, the emphasis still lies on cultivating the mind and refining one's character.
The opening of this book clearly states the purpose of cultivation, which is primarily for longevity and eternal existence, even suggesting that the pursuit of the Dao can be set aside for the time being
This 'divine' does not refer to deities or gods, but rather to the mind and spirit; and 'immortal' does not refer to those who ascend, but is a metaphor for humans climbing mountains, indicating the physical body reaching the summit, with the shell remaining eternal
This book is not meant to be presented to the divine entity, but rather to the mortal incarnation of the scholar. Qiu Yan still remembers this point, and as he contemplated it, he turned a few more pages.
This method of constraint is indispensable for both life and cultivation; the Buddhist school refers to it as the Wheel of Dharma, the Taoist school calls it the Circulation of the Cosmos, and the Confucian school terms it the Court of Conduct
Since this is the case, let us not be distracted for now and first study this set of teachings
This text aims to standardize the processes of concentration and meditation. The so-called mantra is akin to the laws of Shang Jun and the commands of Sun Wu, enforcing discipline and restrictions on the mind and thoughts, preventing distractions from wandering.
Preserving the spirit means preserving the spirit within the body. Every organ and every joint of a person has a spirit residing in it, with thirty-six thousand orifices lying dormant. The ten are one entity, maintained daily, continuously, and never forgotten, with the original mind remaining undisturbed
Having experienced the recent illumination, he had already mastered the content of the book. The brilliance had imprinted the words within the book deep into his heart. However, after this incident, the divine power that clung to the book completely dissipated, and it would no longer possess the effect of shining light or leaving a lasting impression.
Further on, it details the specific content of "The Inner Secrets of the Sleeping God," which is profoundly mysterious. In Qiu Yan's eyes, it reflects the memories within his heart, stirring him slightly.
Having come to this realization, Qiu Yan's fingers flicked, turning the pages back to the one that recorded the "Woshen Neijue".
With this thought, he raised his hand to turn a page, and his gaze fell upon the last few lines of text, which contained some incantations that practitioners needed to silently recite in their hearts while in a state of focused meditation
If Qiu Yan is merely an ordinary scholar and wishes to achieve results with the "Woshen Neijue," he should not expect to have time for studying or taking the imperial examination in the future
However, after flipping through a few pages, Qiu Yan shook his head
The path to immortality involves the cultivation of flesh, sinews, and physical form
Fortunately, Qiu Yan had long since memorized the text inside with the brilliance of divine power. After inheriting the scholar's physical form, all of his original memories could be fully accessed.
The first few pages of this book contain general statements that are imprinted in Qiu Yan's heart along with the light, but now as he opens it, he softly reads aloud, articulating each word one by one from his mouth
Behind the gate of Dharma, what is recorded is the next realm of soul cultivation, the凝魂境.
After repeatedly reading "The Secret of the Sleeping God" several times, Qiu Yan gradually developed some ideas
The content has now reached the section on destiny and fate
The book provides a certain explanation regarding the cultivation of "life and destiny," including methods of practice
As the saying goes, "To live long and see far; if you do not live long, no matter how far or deep you see, it is merely a tree without roots and water without a source, ultimately transforming into a mirage."
Meditation connects me to the divine, the divine within radiates light, illuminating my entire being, as my thoughts circulate, gathering at the crown of my head
The entire content of the method is profound, yet it is not lengthy, consisting of only a few lines, occupying merely two pages
The deity within the body is not a divine being, but rather the mind and spirit. A person possesses limbs and bones, and with a single thought or image, can exert control over them, allowing the mind and spirit to reach every part of the body. This method of cultivating the spirit involves materializing these thoughts and mental energies, envisioning the controlling thoughts as deities that permeate various parts of the body, and then...
He sat cross-legged, firmly clasping his hands on his knees. With a shift in thought, he dispelled the distracting thoughts of the scholar's mind.
Fortunately, for Qiu Yan, this issue did not exist; he was preoccupied with the thought that the painting on the adjacent table emanated a white light, enveloping his entire being, cascading down like a curtain of water
It is indeed not easy for an ordinary cultivator to reach this stage, often requiring numerous actions and repeated attempts to achieve tranquility. The City God also provided a wisp of smoke to assist Qiu Yan in calming his mind and focusing his spirit. However, since Qiu Yan's true self is a deity, it is effortless for him to separate his thoughts and consciousness from his avatar, thus achieving the goal in one step
Glancing over the embellished prose, he quickly grasped the key points, his fingers gliding along the sentences, tracing the words on the pages
Those who seek the Way first seek longevity and eternal life. If the fruit of the Way has not been achieved, and one faces annihilation of both spirit and form, then having attained the Way in this life offers no hope. Therefore, one must first attain proof of longevity and eternal life in order to have the opportunity to achieve the Way
Qiu Yan's true self and avatar both momentarily fell into a daze, the white light enveloping their bodies flickered slightly, and then a burst of radiance leaped out from the crown of their head
His gaze fell upon the last few sentences
The light orb first shines brightly, then dims, and ultimately disappears
With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan opened the beginning and glanced at it carefully
The essence of the Dao is divine, and the path of destiny leads to immortality
Life, life; if one loses their life, what can they use to seek the Dao? The words in this book are indeed straightforward, yet they are also profound