"True self?"
Roselle turned those four words over in his mind again and again, but still failed to glean anything from them.
Come on, he had only been an ordinary person in his previous life. How could he understand this sort of thing?
In the end, he could only look eagerly at Edwin, hoping the other man would explain soon.
"In the novels you're so familiar with, the primordial spirit isn't a consciousness formed through acquired thought. It is an innate nature one is born with."
Edwin finally spoke. Rather than answering directly, he chose a more roundabout explanation. His finger traced an invisible circle across the smooth mahogany tabletop. "It is a spark of spiritual light, one that already exists from the very first instant of life.
"It does not think, does not judge, has no desires, and feels no fear. It is simply pure existence and observation.
"It watches your id roar like a beast. It watches your superego wield the whip of morality. It watches your 'ego' desperately try to mediate between the two."
Edwin paused before continuing, "And cultivation is about finding a way to bring this spectator, who has been watching the show all along, from behind the scenes to center stage.
"To sweep out all the acquired distractions—the ones tainted by the material world, born of bodily desires—that is, the cognitive spirit.
"This process is called returning to the innate, illuminating the mind and seeing one's nature. Sounds rather mystical, doesn't it?"
Roselle nodded. It certainly did sound mystical.
"In terms we are more accustomed to, it means carrying out a complete leap in the dimension of cognition.
"The prerequisite is that all interference from the material world must first be blocked out."
"Human cognition is tightly bound by one's own subjectivity.
"What you