That Sheep That Would Not Stop Haunting Him

Lu Feng had already gone an entire night and morning without eating.

But he still had to go another day and night without food.

Because he had to observe a fast.

To cleanse the heart of impurity was called "purification."

To forbid the body's transgressions was called "restraint."

Fasting meant observing the precepts to put an end to all cravings.

Fortunately, he could still drink water. Lu Feng chanted as he left. In the past, he had always been the one bowing to others, but now he wore that red monastic robe, cowhide boots, and a tall hat, although his hat was different from the elders' hats.

But this was the first change: in the eyes of the Sutra Student Monks, he had become a senior monk, a "great monk."

Along the way, he encountered other monks dressed in red. Yet when these monks saw Lu Feng from a distance, some quickly moved away, some loathed him and deliberately spat at his feet or cursed him, while others came forward to strike up a conversation.

Lu Feng's heart remained unmoved as he walked along the road. This, too, was "purification."

Yellow-robed monks were waiting ahead of him. They had come to help him "move." Following Lu Feng's instructions, they brought his belongings to his new quarters, where he could wash, bathe, and meditate on his own, and even had a small kitchen of his own.

In the kitchens of the Endless White Pagoda Temple, Sutra Student Monks and some Sixth-Stage Order monks could not obtain food after mealtimes, because eating at the appointed time and place, and even how long a meal should take, were all prescribed by the precepts. All of this was part of the precepts.

As for monastic officials and elder-level senior monks, they were not bound by these restrictions.

This was because the Endless White Pagoda Temple believed that the precepts were a means of helping people discipline their minds and comprehend the Dharma. These great monks no longer needed such precepts to restrain themselves, because they no longer needed these external things to restrain themselves. They already understood what they wanted.

Whether that was truly the case, however, Lu Feng did not know.

He was still only a Sixth-Stage Order monk, and he also knew that certain matters could not bear close scrutiny. For instance, perhaps those great monks truly could disregard the precepts, but what about monks of the same Sixth-Stage Order as him who had attained "Kalyāṇamitra"?

If they went to the kitchens looking for food, the monks would drive them out. But if one became a monastic official, particularly the direct superior of those kitchen monks, then even if his cultivation fell short, he could still eat fragrant beef and mutton and oily tsampa outside mealtimes.

This had nothing to do with their cultivation. It was because they were monastic officials, and nothing more.

Upon arriving at the new place, there were naturally yellow-robed monks to heat water for Lu Feng and help him bathe. Lu Feng even saw a red-robed monk.

He stood some distance away, directing the yellow-robed monks. When he saw Lu Feng approach, he pressed his palms together, and Lu Feng did the same.

"Junior Brother Yongzhen."

He was a Dharma-protecting Lama sent by Lu Feng's personal Lama, Elder Mingli, to assist him. His name was Monk Yongqing.

"Cultivate with peace of mind, junior brother. I'll take care of everything here."

Lu Feng thanked him, and Monk Yongqing continued overseeing everything. He was not the least bit jealous of Yongzhen, because he knew very well that not just anyone could be Elder Mingli's disciple. Quite a few of Elder Mingli's disciples had died over the years. Although being Elder Mingli's disciple brought many benefits,

one still had to live long enough to enjoy them.

Bathing, dressing, meditation.

Lu Feng returned to the spotlessly tidied room, set down all the ritual implements bearing Ghost Resonance that he held, and took out the gift the Black Sheep had "given" him in the abandoned Mandala.

His previous lodging had been a monks' dormitory. Now Monk Yongqing had prepared a new place for him, a room all to himself. If he had a servant monk, he could have the servant monk sleep on the floor or by the door.

To have his own courtyard and a Buddha statue to which he made offerings, as Zhiyun did, required the status of a monastic official. Moreover, Zhiyun himself had been born among the Dzongben Nobles and had no shortage of offerings. Though they all wore red robes, Lu Feng was still a long way from these monks.

Opening that Thangka again, Lu Feng gazed quietly at it, the Dharma Mandala. His mind was filled with the image of that sheep.

The Seed Syllable was "Om."

Lu Feng's mind was filled with the image of that Black Sheep.

Like this, an unknown amount of time passed. That sheep still occupied Lu Feng's mind, but strangely, he felt its image growing more and more familiar, more and more distinct.

Even how many hairs it had on its body, even its rank sheep smell, even the distinctive hooves that allowed sheep to walk along sheer cliffs, and the stench of the breath coming from its nostrils.

Against his chest, where the Ancient Scroll rested close to his skin, a fierce heat suddenly flared!

Lu Feng abruptly snapped awake.

The ever-burning butter lamp beside Lu Feng suddenly flared brighter.

Holding the Damaru in his left hand and the Prayer Wheel in his right, Lu Feng began reciting the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra as he shook the Damaru, inwardly contemplating the slowly blooming lotus in the chakra below his navel. Great Compassion Resonance slowly emerged from his body and rippled throughout the room.

At some point, night had fallen. Lu Feng had no idea how long this visualization had lasted. More importantly, a Black Sheep had truly appeared here, constantly surveying the place with its square eyes.

Lu Feng closed his eyes. All things ceased to exist, and he began silently chanting.

"Om mani padme hum."

The Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra echoed through the "empty" room. Lu Feng's figure seemed to be there, yet also seemed not to be.

With every turn, the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra Prayer Wheel in his hand seemed to emit a hoarse sound.

It was as though something had appeared between the wheel's moving parts, rubbing against them.

It also sounded as though someone were weeping hoarsely.

Ghost Resonance spread from the Prayer Wheel as well, carried within the hoarse sounds of its turning.

The Damaru also gave off a strange, hollow sound, soothing all Malevolent Ghosts. The pale green ever-burning butter lamp cast Lu Feng's shadow.

A foul stench emanated from it.

But within this room, Lu Feng was both present and absent. It seemed that in that abandoned Mandala, he had learned more than just the "Immovable Mind." It seemed he had learned still more, and at the final moment, he had even given himself away as a "Great Offering" through a "Mind Offering."

That black sheep stared restlessly at the "empty" space. The burning butter lamp did not satisfy it. Outside the room, a yellow-robed monk lay asleep fully dressed, but at that moment, his entire body began to rot, and Ghost Resonance emanated from him.

Only when the sun rose the next morning did the Black Sheep leave the room, having searched everywhere in vain.

Outside, those rotting yellow-robed monks all opened their eyes. The decay on their bodies had long since healed.

Only, for an instant, their eyes turned square, like the eyes of so many sheep.