Looking at the bright existence hanging high in the sky, Ben You felt his body and mind completely illuminated. He felt an unparalleled peace, and all of life's ultimate pursuits were within reach. Although he was young and inexperienced, such an outcome already filled him with immense longing.
Ben You's face was covered in clear tears, with the heroic fervor of a martyr, which quickly stunned his two bunkmate Senior Brothers.
"Junior Brother!"
"Ben You!"
They gently shook Ben You's body, but he still kept his eyes tightly shut, only tears continuously welling up.
Continuously ascending, getting closer and closer to that will.
Around the empty mind domain, scenes vaguely emerged.
Those were Ben You's past lives.
The constantly reincarnating soul recorded all unforgettable past events, which even life and death could not separate.
Scholar, Taoist, beggar—all walks of life. These flickered behind a water-like barrier, the Manifestation Body spanning three lives: past, present, and future. The closer one approached the Manifestation Body, the weaker the power of reincarnation became.
Finally, Ben You merged into that sun.
…
The world was pitch black, but on this ink-like backdrop, a layer of iridescent film was attached, and as the gaze shifted, dim and fragmented brilliant lights flickered and undulated.
Ben You walked alone in the darkness.
He currently had no consciousness, no senses, no thoughts or memories.
Just like a puppet on strings.
The further he advanced, the brighter the spiritual light, which had been covered by distracting thoughts, became. Ben You transformed into a Candlelight.
Lighting the lamp.
Lighting the bright lamp of wisdom.
In an instant, everything about him returned. Moreover, this Candlelight even condensed into a human-like silhouette.
"Where is this place?" Ben You pondered, naturally without finding an answer.
He was still moving. After walking a few more dozen steps, another human-like silhouette appeared in the darkness before him.
The presence ahead seemed to turn and glance at him, "How did you, kid, end up here? Get out quickly, or you'll merge into my Manifestation Body."
This was not language; it was a form of sensing, a mutual sensing of minds within a united will.
"Senior Brother Lu Yuan… Bodhisattva, is that you?"
"You still remember me, not bad." The person's form slowly dissolved, but the sensing remained firm, "Next time, don't be so curious. Getting too close will burn you instead."
Ben You wanted to confide more, but suddenly he felt a huge pushing force. The world before his eyes blurred, and the next moment, two round, bald heads came into view.
It was his two Senior Brothers, who were already sweating profusely with worry.
Ben You opened his mouth and said, "Don't shake me."
The Senior Brothers let out a long sigh of relief.
"Junior Brother, what's wrong with you? Did you think of something sad?"
"I sensed the Bodhisattva." Ben You said expressionlessly, tears still streaming down his face.
"What do you mean? Wait? You visualized the Bodhisattva's Manifestation Body?" One Senior Brother reacted quickly and immediately understood.
Ben You closed his eyes again. In his dark vision, there was a clear Epiphyllum Seal, which was the access key to the Pure Land.
His Senior Brothers were still clamoring, but he had already arrived in the peaceful Pure Land World.
At the foot of Mount Sumeru, Ben You stood in a golden forest by the sea. These were all Bodhi trees, with ancient branches and leaves, and rustic roots. They were widely distributed on all four sides of Mount Sumeru, their canopies dense like ornate covers, with hanging 瓔珞. Monks hung prayer plaques of various materials. As the sea breeze blew, the plaques collided, sounding like wind chimes, empty like striking a drum.
Ben You stepped on the sea surface without sinking. With each step, his body traversed three to five zhang (about 10-16 meters), and white lotuses grew on the azure sea.
The Divine Foot Technique, where lotuses bloom with every step, was the preferred method of travel for many Pure Land members, as it was both elegant and imbued with Zen meaning.
Ben You left the forest and arrived at the peak in front of Lu Yuan's Buddha statue.
The young novice monk gazed at the solemn and majestic Manifestation Body, like an ant looking up at a mountain.
Every detail of the Buddha statue was beautiful and perfect, but Ben You only felt a sense of detachment.
The feeling of uniting with that great mind just now was like a dream. Looking back, it was difficult to savor.
How could he sense the Manifestation Body again?
Ben You sat before the statue, closed his eyes, and entered meditation.
He had no clue. Time passed little by little, constantly wearing down his patience. He pursued the spiritual energy within him, reciting the Bodhisattva's venerable name.
However, these were all useless, just like the Peach Blossom Spring can only be visited once, and trying to find it again leads to being lost.
Ben You was extremely sad, and couldn't help but shed tears again, but his expression remained stubbornly firm, not allowing his lips to curve into an arc of grievance.
The Buddha statue remained silent, its hands forming the Zen meditation mudra. Ben You watched for a long time, then suddenly, inspiration struck him. He also formed the Zen meditation mudra, visualized the Bodhisattva's Manifestation Body, and silently recited the dharma name.
Finally, he connected with that great will again.
His two Senior Brothers watched their Junior Brother alternately crying and smiling, completely bewildered. They could only go and inform their Masters.
…
Simon paced on Lian Tian Peak.
Just now, he also noticed Ben You's consciousness connecting to his Manifestation Body.
It was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
This was beneficial for him in exploring the abilities of his Manifestation Body.
As a kind of higher-level self, Simon felt very familiar with his Manifestation Body, yet also very unfamiliar.
The situation was like the total consciousness and sub-consciousness in the Dream World back then.
Now Simon was the sub-consciousness, and the Manifestation Body was the total consciousness. The Manifestation Body was the condensation of the Dao he cultivated in his heart. It had no thoughts of its own but could contain all thoughts.
Ben You's experience reminded Simon that his Manifestation Body could be used to connect more people's wills, so his ideas and his principles could be perfectly spread.
"The Five Lamps Meeting the Origin, Seven Buddhas, Sakyamuni Buddha" states: The World Honored One, at the assembly on Vulture Peak, held up a flower to show the multitude. At that time, all were silent, save for Mahakasyapa, who broke into a smile. The World Honored One said, "I possess the Eye of the True Dharma Treasury, the Wondrous Mind of Nirvana, the Formless Form of Reality, and the Subtle Dharma Gate, which does not rely on words, but is transmitted outside of the teachings. I entrust it to Mahakasyapa."
As a story, this is considered the origin of Zen Buddhism, and it also illustrates a kind of thought connection that transcends the power of words.
Transmitting mind to mind, only teaching the Dao, not explaining the Dharma, is also a subtle Eastern way of thinking.
Simon called this connection of consciousness the Zhengyuan Knot. It had no historical allusions but was a product of his pursuit of faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance.
He was also quite curious now about what it would be like if the number of people with the Zhengyuan Knot increased, but he didn't expect it to be too many. Too few people could resonate with him. Perhaps Sun Lichai could succeed.
…
The events concerning Ben You were passed up to Zen Master Zixing, the abbot. The old Bald Donkey was very attentive to this young disciple, actually training him to be the future abbot.
After the abbot met Ben You, the young novice monk recounted his experience, which immediately stirred up a whirlwind of fanaticism, and the monks became uncontrollably excited.
To connect minds with the Bodhisattva, what an honor, what good fortune!
This matter quickly spread throughout the Pure Land, so much so that everyone tried to visualize.
The result, of course, was as expected.
All these monks failed.
The second person to achieve the Zhengyuan Knot was precisely Sun Lichai.
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