Supreme Technique

The principle for a scholar is to remain unmoved when seeing beauty and to keep one's heart calm when seeing treasure. "Thus have I heard? Does this scripture record the words spoken by the Buddha himself?" Hong Yi wondered. In Buddhist texts, those that begin with "Thus have I heard" are records of the Buddha's teachings from the ancient era. Keeping one's heart calm when seeing treasure does not mean looking down on it, but rather a warning not to lose one's head upon obtaining it. One must maintain a calm state of mind; otherwise, one will reveal flaws that alert those with ulterior motives, easily leading to a fatal disaster.

"Past Amitabha Sutra? This is rumored to be one of the three great foundational scriptures of the Great Zen Temple, a mysterious and supreme technique for cultivating the soul? And this is what Ziyue, one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World, traveled thousands of miles to find, yet it was hidden inside this Martial Classic printed by the imperial court?" Hong Yi clutched the Amitabha Sutra, taking deep breaths to steady his mind.

How could Hong Yi not be cautious? Especially when reading such a legendary "Amitabha Sutra." The scripture felt as smooth as silk against his skin, which made Hong Yi feel very comfortable. After calming his heart, he rose to wash his hands, then sat in silence with his eyes closed until the incense burned out. Once he felt completely composed, he suddenly opened his eyes, scanned his surroundings, and listened carefully. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did he carefully take the scripture from his robes and open it to examine it closely.

Hong Yi was shocked when he looked at the image of the Buddha. He was well-read and had an appreciation for calligraphy and painting, and he also understood some of the profound meanings of Buddhism. Logically, if it were a manual for cultivation, these four words would not appear, because the Buddha did not teach cultivation methods; he only taught people to see their own nature and realize their own minds. It was somewhat similar to how ancient sages only taught scholars to cultivate their righteous spirit. It was a general direction; how to specifically realize one's mind or cultivate that spirit was something one had to explore for oneself. Each had their own achievements and principles. From this perspective, Hong Yi, who was best at reading and discerning an author's intent, could already draw a conclusion.

A true image of the Buddha is neither imposing nor massive; rather, when one looks at it, one feels as if this Buddha is one's own past life. It awakens the Buddha-nature and the Daoist heart within a person. Furthermore, the calligraphy possessed a power that penetrated to the bone, making one feel as if the small characters might come alive and fly off the page. The words already possessed a spirit. This scripture was as soft as satin, yet it would not burn when exposed to fire. Even an idiot would know this was a treasure, let alone someone as perceptive as Hong Yi.

After storing it away and feeling confident that there were no flaws in his actions, Hong Yi sat up straight, lit a stick of incense, and gently ground some ink. He wrote the character "Quiet" on a piece of paper. The Amitabha Sutra was a supreme technique for soul cultivation, the Tathagata Sutra was the path of the Human Immortal for martial arts, and the Wusheng Sutra was the most mysterious of all. It was rumored that if one could master all three volumes, one could transcend the sea of suffering in this world and truly reach the other shore. Whether it was the Buddha or the ancient sages, they only pointed out a clear path and direction; as for how to walk it, even those sages likely did not know, as it required the gradual exploration of those who came after.

"What beautiful calligraphy!" The article began with those four words, "Thus have I heard..." "This is the true image of the Buddha. This expression, this temperament—it resonates with people and possesses the artistic conception of one's own attainment of Buddhahood." After writing the character "Quiet" more than ten times, his mind became completely still.

The Great Zen Temple was a thousand-year-old monastery. Before it was razed, it was a place where experts gathered like clouds, and every sect in the world had to acknowledge it as the number one temple in the world, a holy land for the highest achievements in cultivation. Whether it was the martial path or the immortal path of soul cultivation, everything was refined by the Great Zen Temple over thousands of years by absorbing the essence of various schools.

In the center of the scripture was a golden Buddha sitting in the void, with countless suns, moons, and stars surrounding it, all bestowing their radiance upon the golden Buddha. This meant that these three volumes of scripture were indeed genuine, supreme secret manuals. Hong Yi knew he had almost lost his composure just now.

Hong Yi looked at the scripture in his hands—thin as a cicada's wing, square, dark gold, and as soft as water to the touch. Looking at the bright golden characters, his shock was beyond measure. Such a book was far more powerful than the crude and flawed Martial Classic or Daoist Classic; the difference between pearls and dirt was not enough to describe the gap between them.

After steadying his mind, Hong Yi nimbly folded the satin-like scripture into the size of a handkerchief and tucked it close to his body, not rushing to read it further. This golden Buddha had its eyes slightly closed, sat cross-legged, and held its hands in a mudra. Its expression was serene, yet unlike the imposing statues in other temples, it exuded a sense of intimacy and familiarity.

Moreover, regarding these three volumes of scripture, even Li Yan, the founder of the Li School—a scholar who looked down on gods and Buddhas and always interpreted them through the lens of scholarly principles—expressed regret in his notes that he had never seen these three books with his own eyes. The highest secrets of the Great Zen Temple were recorded in these three volumes: the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Past was the Amitabha Sutra, the Present was the Tathagata Sutra, and the Future was the Wusheng Sutra.

"Perhaps when the Great Zen Temple was about to be destroyed, the monks feared the scriptures would be stolen, so they hid them inside the most ordinary Martial Classic. It makes sense; the imperial court would certainly not seize its own printed Martial Classics. It is a pity that what Ziyue was looking for was right under my nose..."

The scripture was spread out on the table, square and three feet wide, like a large painting. The handwriting was very small—fine, fly-head script—but it was also very clear, as if carved by a knife, without a single blur. Seeing these words, Hong Yi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. He was confident in his own calligraphy, but compared to the writing in this scripture, his was simply amateur. Regardless of whether this Amitabha Sutra was a supreme classic, Hong Yi's first impression was that it was a supreme work of art.

"If nothing else, just this calligraphy and this painting would be priceless treasures if sold," Hong Yi sighed, then began to read the text.

"However, although the Amitabha Sutra is rumored to be the highest secret for soul cultivation, the Great Zen Temple had so many monks, and there was no lack of brilliant talents among them, yet it seems none of them attained the Yang God. Otherwise, they would not have been wiped out by the army. It seems this scripture is not so easy to practice or comprehend. I only have a rudimentary understanding of the method for the soul to leave the body; I fear I cannot comprehend it yet. If only Ziyue were here, I could study it with him, but unfortunately..."

Buddhist doctrine emphasizes the equality of all living beings, that everyone can become a Buddha. Unfortunately, a person capable of painting such an image of the Buddha might not appear in five hundred years; in terms of painting alone, they would be a saint among artists. These four words distinguish external doctrines from the true classics. True scholars have a set of rules: before reading, one must calm the heart, burn incense, wash one's hands, and perform a series of preparatory tasks. These are not useless rituals, but means to regulate the body and mind, allowing one to focus completely. Only then can one read well.

Even—even Hong Yi had a feeling that this Buddha was the origin of his own past lives, spanning thousands of generations.

"Never mind that. Perhaps the author just wanted to make the scripture seem more formal. Let's look at the specific cultivation methods." Hong Yi, of course, would not dwell on this question too much and continued to read...