The First Perfection, Divine Strength Perfection

Lu Feng had long been able to look within himself. In the root chakra beneath his navel, "fire" began to circulate.

The Great Compassion Resonance moved together with the "fire" inside him, regulating his entire body through his breathing and beginning to draw the "fire" and Great Compassion Resonance from his root chakra throughout his body.

This gave him an advantage over others in practicing this method.

Originally, the Great Compassion Resonance within him had remained only in his root chakra. Now, following the "fire energy" within Lu Feng, it rose through his central channel from bottom to top, spreading throughout his entire body.

Heat steamed from him.

On this cold night, steam rose from the top of Lu Feng's close-cropped head like butter tea simmering in a pot. Different people who smelled it experienced different sensations. Moreover, the black goat the "Abbot Dharma Venerable" had used while blessing him was the precious vase water that purged his Three Poisons and Five Desires.

Like the offerings from the Kapala Bowl that he had drunk, it was "provision."

Without any medicinal preparations or decoctions, he could cultivate all the way to Great Mudra perfection in the first stage of the gradual path.

Thus, "fire" circulated through his seven chakras, turning into the fire of supreme wisdom. As he cultivated, Lu Feng also voiced "Om" from time to time, using the single-syllable mantra to shake his entire body and nourish his flesh. The fire of supreme wisdom gradually filled his first chakra, which was also the first chakra from the bottom of his central channel. Ordinary people needed to practice the Great Mudra for a long time, but after a few hours, Lu Feng felt his root chakra fill.

This was perfection.

Perfection could be imagined as the root chakra being a circle, with the fire of great wisdom filling the entire circle, leaving not the slightest gap within it. Then the "fire" slowly "seeped" outward from his chakra.

This was the first perfection within the first stage of the gradual path.

The first stage of the gradual path had seven perfections. Completing them meant perfecting the first stage.

Once the first and second stages of the gradual path were both perfected.

Only when the two became one was it called Great Mudra perfection.

That was the perfection of body and mind.

What he was cultivating now was the perfection of the body.

After attaining the first perfection, Lu Feng also saw an "illusory vision" appear before him.

The moon in the sky turned into a pillar and poured down onto the crown of his head. At the same time, light appeared nearby, like the great sun gilding a mountain. Boundless rays of light bloomed from the chakras already opened by the Bindu.

In an instant, they illuminated his entire body.

Lu Feng felt as though inexhaustible strength filled his entire body, as though he could drag a yak backward or carry a fine horse on his shoulders as he walked.

Lu Feng rejoiced and offered praise.

This was the "scenery" brought by the first perfection.

Divine Power Perfection.

"The seven great perfections: Divine Power Perfection, water power perfection, fire power perfection, wind power perfection, flight perfection, purity perfection, and mental power perfection."

When Lu Feng opened his eyes, he saw that daylight had already come outside.

Without realizing it, he had cultivated here until dawn. Elder Mingli was still outside. Without cleaning himself, Lu Feng knew he had no bad breath, grime, sweat, sleep in his eyes, or wax in his ears.

He let out a long breath. The air he exhaled shot out like a swift stream of arrows, forming a white passage through the space before him.

"So that was it. Ten years of provisions, the Ancient Scroll's blessing-at last, today's vision."

What the Abbot Dharma Venerable had bestowed upon him through empowerment and cultivation was the temple's most exalted Vajra Bodhi Mahā Mahāmudrā.

Merely reaching the first perfection of the first stage of the gradual path.

Already had such an effect.

Lu Feng once again rejoiced and offered praise. "Om mani padme hum."

This single mantra surpassed a thousand words of Lu Feng's own.

He walked out of the temple and saw the grim assembly.

Elder Mingli stood outside. Upon seeing him, Lu Feng immediately bowed and said, "Lama."

Only after seeing Lu Feng emerge did Elder Mingli nod and say, "Begin."

At some point, numerous racks had appeared outside. Many yellow-robed monks hung naked from them. Lu Feng looked up and even spotted his own horse-tending monk among them.

"Lama, what is this?"

Although Lu Feng asked, a turn of his thoughts immediately gave him some idea. Still, he voiced the question. Elder Mingli said, "Last night, they failed in their duties. Three lashes each!

"The monk in charge gets five lashes.

"But you were cultivating earlier, and we feared disturbing your cultivation. Now that you have finished, the punishment can begin.

"Watch these people. If anything comes up, you may call on the attendants here.

"We leave this afternoon for the next 'Wula Station.'"

Lu Feng pressed his palms together and bowed respectfully again. "Yes, Lama."

Elder Mingli nodded and left on his own. Behind him, his attendant monks all followed, leaving Lu Feng and the executioners.

Lu Feng stood where he was. Seeing the large, fat monks administering the punishment look toward him, he said, "Begin."

One of the large, fat monks asked, "Lama, should we gag them? I fear their wails will sully your ears."

Lu Feng said, "No need. Begin."

The large, fat monks raised their whips and lashed them savagely across the attendant monks' backs!

Do not think three lashes were few.

The Endless White Pagoda Temple's three lashes came from cowhide whips fitted with metal barbs and soaked in water. Even a great red-robed monk's survival would be uncertain after a few lashes.

Let alone these attendant monks outside.

And Lu Feng knew that after the whipping, these attendant monks would still have to travel with them. If their wounds became infected on the road, if they developed fevers and died, then they died. They might be thrown beside the road for Malevolent Ghosts to turn into ghost servants, or eaten by wild beasts on the wasteland, or used as raw materials for offerings before they had even died.

Lu Feng said nothing and did not close his eyes. He could not tell these people not to administer the beating. His authority came from his "Lama," Elder Mingli. He was merely a supervisor, a red-robed monk of the Sixth-Stage Order without the status of a Monastic Official of the Discipline Hall.

His position as a registration scribe did not let him order the Discipline Hall around.

Even compassion could only be exercised within the limits of what he could do.

He could not be generous at someone else's expense.

The attendant monks receiving punishment screamed miserably, though some lost even the strength to cry out after just two screams.

Lu Feng spun his Prayer Wheel. Great Compassion Resonance spread from him, soothing those who had fallen unconscious after the punishment.

"Take them all down."

Lu Feng told the punishment monks to take all those punished down, then saw that the large, fat monks intended to throw them into the dust on their backs.

Lu Feng stopped them.

"Let me."

With his left hand alone, he easily lifted an unconscious attendant monk, feeling as though he had picked up a wisp of goose down.

Elder Mingli was in the temple, so he could not go into the temple. Instead, he asked where the nearby village was. He would take all these people there. They would not depart until afternoon, so he still had plenty of time. Seeing Lu Feng do this, the punishment monks were all deeply apprehensive.

Lu Feng said, "No need for that. Take them into the village. I will pray and recite mantras for them. How the road ahead goes will depend on whether the Buddha blesses them."

Before those large, fat punishment monks had even carried their charges into the village, Lu Feng had already made six round trips and settled everyone there.

He met several old monks from the temple.

Here is the thing: I saw some readers' comments about cultivation and academic degrees.

Academic degrees involve selective examinations, choosing a minority from the majority. It is a pyramid, with fewer people the higher you go, so it runs from the Sixth Stage of the Gradual Path to the first stage. One is few; six is many.

Cultivation, on the other hand, goes from less to more. The more there is, the stronger it is, so it runs from the first stage of the gradual path to stages with greater numbers, before finally reaching the one of perfection.

If you have any other questions, you can raise them in the chapter comments. If I see them, I will do my best to explain clearly.