The Heart Comes Before the Art

Chen Cuo's whole body shook. Amid his tangled thoughts, the Azure-purple mask surfaced in his heart.

He kept recalling the Temple Dragon King's unwavering resolve and placing himself in his shoes. It resonated with a longing deep within him, preserving a sliver of clarity amid his raging thoughts!

"The Monks of Guishan Temple contemplate the image of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna and invite the Faceless Bodhisattva into their hearts to sit upon the lotus throne. The lotus throne is the root of their restraint over Incense thoughts. It embodies restraint and containment, giving form to a concept and an understanding. I had no such concept before, so when the Painted Skin Essay spread and the radiance of Human Thought flowed back to me, I had no way to restrain or contain it. That gave the Evil Ghost soil in which to grow. To establish a spirit in my heart, I must first establish the rules and settle what 'restraint' means!"

The step looked simple, but it was the foundation. It would determine the direction of his future path.

"Temples, the Dragon King Temple, the Lotus Throne..."

Several choices and examples flashed through his mind.

"The Temple Dragon King is a Deity by birth. His outer temple is the temple in his heart. Once someone enters the Dragon King Temple, believer or not, lighting incense and offering a bow lets him draw in a little incense-offering power. Little Pig's gluttony led him to believe there's a temple in the organs, giving rise to the Five Viscera Temple, which gobbles incense offerings like food. The monks of Guishan Temple seek the essence of Buddhism, so they visualize the Lotus Throne. That's why Huizhi said divine powers and Buddhist teachings can advance together."

His thoughts grew clear, passing gradually through his Mindfield.

"I need to