Chapter 42: Teaching the Dharma to Mother

Xu Jia ignored the changes in Gui Linggao and left him to fend for himself; with his own instructions, no one would capture him to boil into soup.

Taking advantage of the early hour, a good time for reading and memorization, he headed to the study. Wishing for his father to become a dragon, he had to properly tutor him in his homework and improve his own academic level.

The articles he had read yesterday were already fully digested, so he would read some more today. Master Xu had gone out to seek advice on articles, and since he couldn't stand the sight of this or that, he would take the opportunity to read more.

Otherwise, when he returned and saw Xu Jia flipping through books, he would think he was reading fake books and aiming too high.

Besides reading, Xu Jia also had to take the opportunity to revise and polish the bullshit articles he had written in the past, so that when Father Xu returned, he could rewrite them.

He read until past the Mao hour (5:00–7:00 AM) when Xu Mu personally brought in breakfast: "Today I made fresh tofu pudding, and there are lamb buns."

"Sweet or savory?" Xu Jia asked.

"Savory, with chopped green onions, soy sauce, and crushed peanuts," Xu Mu said. "It's exactly what you used to love!"

Xu Jia: But I like sweet! However, he took a bite, nodded, and said, "So fresh!" Then he asked with concern: "Mother, have you eaten? If not, let's eat together!"

"Mother is eating vegetarian; I had vegetable porridge this morning and am now going to the Buddhist hall to pay respects to the Buddha. But you child, why did you remove the Pure Bottle from the Guanyin Bodhisattva? I only noticed it yesterday; what if the Bodhisattva gets offended?" Xu Mu chided him.

Xu Jia chuckled: "I'll return it in a few days. If Mother feels something is wrong, just replace it with another Magic Tool for Guanyin. Place a bead where the Pure Bottle was, or weave a small Basket out of thin bamboo strips; it's all the same. The Bodhisattva is always compassionate and forgives all living beings, so why would she blame me?"

Seeing Xu Jia arguing while flipping through a book, Xu Mu couldn't help but say: "Don't say such things, aren't you afraid the Bodhisattva will hear you?"

Xu Jia had a sudden inspiration: "Mother, since you believe in the Buddha so much, why not practice the Dharma?"

Xu Mu was surprised: "I? Didn't you say that cultivation costs a lot of money? Besides, I already said I won't practice yet; I'll save it for you and your father."

Xu Jia laughed: "Cultivating Daoism certainly costs money, but I see you paying respects to the Buddha every day, so you clearly have a great affinity for the Buddha. Being a Fire House Lay Practitioner would be quite good."

"Moreover, some Buddhist practices don't require a threshold. Mother, you can start now; it costs no money and only nourishes wisdom and Buddha Nature. When the time comes, you will naturally have a Sudden Enlightenment and gain some Small Supernatural Power. It is wisdom giving birth to supernatural power; you don't need to cultivate it yourself."

Xu Mu asked: "Is it that convenient? Even Flower Money isn't needed?"

Xu Jia said: "It really doesn't cost much money. The method I teach mostly requires observing some precepts. You don't go out much anyway and have been paying respects to the Buddha for years, so you can directly utilize your past affinity for the Buddha."

"My method is called the 'Mantra Recitation Method.' You choose a Buddhist mantra that suits your heart, study it thoroughly, memorize it, and understand its meaning. After studying it, recite it fluently and choose a hand-held tool to keep count. You can count once every five or seven recitations. Five represents the Five Paramitas, and seven represents the Seven Treasures. Of course, there are other counts, like twelve for the Twelve Causalities... but there's no need for that many."

"Every time you accurately recite the mantra five or seven times, you turn a bead; this is called 'one hold.' This method relies on persistence. Ordinary people recite until their lips are worn out on the first day, their mouths are dry on the second, their hearts are restless on the third, and on the fourth, they are obsessed with why the supernatural power hasn't appeared yet..."

Xu Mu asked: "Then how long should I recite it?"

"After about ten thousand recitations, there will likely be some changes. After one hundred thousand recitations, you will inevitably comprehend a Small Supernatural Power."

This method of Xu Jia's was obtained from the Pure Land sect. The Pure Land sect considers "expediency as supreme," and many methods are as convenient as possible. Reciting 'Amitabha' once can accumulate affinity for the Buddha, let alone this level of mantra recitation.

Xu Jia asked carefully again: "Mother, how did you pay respects to the Buddha before?"

Xu Mu said: "I was guided by a master from the Dizang An. Although they worship Dizang Wang Pusa, they recommended that I worship Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa, so they only told me to recite the Heart Sutra, which is about a hundred characters, and I have already memorized it."

"The Heart Sutra is the heart mantra," Xu Jia said. "There is no problem with this Bodhisattva, and both Buddhism and Daoism have their origins. Mother, just recite it according to this, but the Guanyin Heart Sutra needs to be recited fourteen times for one 'hold,' representing the Fourteen Fearlessnesses. If you use a hand-held tool, use one with thirty-three beads. If you go to buy a string, you might as well make one yourself; just drill a hole in some soapberry seeds."

Hearing that she had actually been practicing all along, Xu Mu said: "So this is what cultivation is? This is nothing much!"

"Mother, you have no strict precepts, no meditation, and don't understand the key points. You feel it's fine, but can reciting mantras naturally align with Buddha Nature and Buddhist principles? Can it cultivate a compassionate heart, or are you just seeking something from the Bodhisattva?"

Xu Mu was silent upon hearing this: "If one is truly without desire or craving, who would go to burn incense and worship the Buddha?"

Xu Jia explained: "The Buddha doesn't actually want people to burn incense and worship him; it's just that people are coerced by the secular world. Mother, you don't need to get hung up on these principles; just do as I say, and it will be much simpler and purer."

Xu Mu nodded: "I know that, otherwise why would they always urge others to let go while they themselves cannot? Not to mention anything else, that Dizang An is a major landlord in this county, with thousands of acres of monastic land and lending money to countless families."

Xu Jia was surprised: "Since you realize this, why do you still go there to worship the Buddha?"

"You only know after you go. Besides, admiring the Dharma is not the same as admiring the monks. When I have doubts, who else can I ask besides these monks and nuns?"

Xu Jia nodded: "That's true, they hold the power of interpretation."

Xu Mu loved the Buddha; she must have encountered some psychological problems and wanted guidance from the Dharma, or perhaps she wanted to pray for blessings...

"Mother, since you have recited the Heart Sutra before, I will explain the Heart Sutra to you, and by the way, talk about the Twelve Universal Gates and the Fourteen Fearlessnesses."

Xu Jia was not restricted by Buddhism or Daoism and believed in taking what is useful. Before forming his Golden Core, he had also studied the Dharma to see if the Buddhist "Sarira" was the same as a Golden Core.

The result was not exactly the same; the Spirit Sarira was somewhat similar, but the "relic bone Sarira" was hard to explain.

Moreover, the local Buddhist sects had long since merged with Confucianism and Daoism; there was no conflict within them.

It would be different if it were the Esoteric Buddhism. Although there were some similarities with the local Daoist "internal alchemy," they were seemingly similar but actually different and conflicted with each other. Dual cultivation would easily lead to death. Although Xu Jia knew the contents, he would not teach them easily because if something went wrong, he couldn't solve it himself. It was not as gentle as the Pure Land sect or other local Buddhist sects.

Furthermore, Mahayana Buddhism takes "wisdom" as supreme, while Hinayana takes individual ultimate liberation as the end, cultivating supernatural powers and magic. However, wisdom is always first and supernatural power second. If one specializes in supernatural power without enough wisdom, one will easily become "impulsive," thereby accumulating karma.

In Buddhist legends, Maudgalyayana, who was "first in supernatural power," was a typical example of supernatural power not being able to overcome karma.

Therefore, when Xu Jia lectured on the scriptures, he expounded on "Wisdom Prajna."

Xu Jia lecturing in the Buddhist hall soon attracted Gui Linggao and the war eagle that hadn't appeared for several days.

"How do you interpret 'Form is emptiness, emptiness is form'?"

"The essence of all phenomena in the world is Emptiness. If one has enough wisdom to recognize the illusory nature of all existence, one will transcend the cycle of life and death and reach the state of Nirvana's tranquility."

"'Illuminated that the five aggregates are empty, and delivered all suffering and distress.'"

"This means piercing through the illusory, breaking through confusion through Prajna wisdom, and achieving ultimate liberation."

"What is Emptiness?" Xu Mu asked curiously.

Xu Jia did not directly explain what Emptiness was, but instead utilized the classics of Zhuangzi, talking about the illusory and the real, the great year and the small year, Free and Easy Wandering, and having nothing to rely on.

He also used the allusion of "the utility of the useless" and "the use of the useful," cutting into the "doing nothing yet leaving nothing undone" from the Dao De Jing.

Finally, he used "fire," "water," and "air" to explain the "emptiness" and "form" within them.

This was actually expounding on "nature cultivation." Xu Jia was a long-time Ghost Immortal, so his description was not so mysterious.

After Xu Mu listened thoughtfully, Xu Jia began to talk about the great vows of Guanyin and the Fourteen Fearlessnesses, which could be linked together.

However, Xu Jia focused on "virtue" and "merit," which were essentially no different from the Confucian "benevolence, righteousness, rites, wisdom, and trust."

Mengzi also spoke of the "four beginnings of the Sage."

The Buddhist school speaks of "great courage, great perseverance, great wisdom, and great compassion."

Xu Mu understood this and asked: "Then can I also make a great vow?"

"You can, but a great vow is a vow made to all sentient beings, so the affinity is vast, and it requires a great realm and great supernatural power to be fulfilled."

"Mother, if you wish to make a vow, you can make a small one, such as vowing to perform one good deed a day, and practicing it without ceasing. Or, for example, you could vow to release a certain number of small animals that are about to be eaten."

"However, you must avoid becoming obsessed; you cannot treat Merit as an end in itself. If you do not wish to eat meat, you cannot obstruct others from eating meat. This is an obstacle, and an obstacle is a form of karma."

Xu Jia said: "For example, if you see a vendor selling fish, and he relies on selling fish to support his family, if you persuade him to release them, and he does so, only to end up unable to support himself and starving to death, what kind of logic is that?"

"Or, for example, if you know that releasing life accumulates Merit, so you spend a large sum of money to release animals, and your family strongly opposes it, but you refuse to listen, leading to resentment and complaints, what kind of logic is that?"

"Then what should I do?"

"It is simply about cherishing life. For example, if an ant crawls onto you, gently pick it up and move it away; if a moth flies toward a flame, cover the flame with a shield. In essence, it is a reverence for life, not creating unnecessary killing karma."

Xu Mu understood: "So it means maintaining a compassionate heart and promoting a compassionate heart."

Xu Jia nodded: "That is exactly what it means."

"Being able to do this is already very good."

"That is simple enough; I am not a malicious person to begin with." Xu Mu suddenly realized something and then added: "Then, if I raise silkworms and harvest cocoons, scalding so many pupae to death, wouldn't that be boundless evil karma?"

Xu Jia shook his head: "That does not count. Raising silkworms and harvesting cocoons is a legitimate trade, and furthermore, it is one of the imperial court's tax items. If this were considered evil karma, then no one in the world should raise pigs, chickens, ducks, or fish. If farmers found pests in their fields, they wouldn't kill them either, but instead raise them specifically, and everyone in the world would just starve to death."

Xu Jia then explained the Buddhist self-justification of "reincarnation," where those cast into the animal realm must suffer various tribulations to pay off various karmic debts...

And that humans, living for their own survival, killing them is not considered karma; rather, if one develops a kind heart and lets them go, that is "forgiving their karma."

This theory of the Six Paths of Reincarnation can also be used to explain why animals, when cultivating, all have a "Human Tribulation." By passing it, they become spirits, awaken their wisdom, and can cultivate into a "human form," completing a counter-attack."

The more Xu Jia spoke, the more confused Xu Mu became, which was also a sign of Xu Jia's insufficient wisdom.

But at least she remembered "compassionate heart" and "within one's capabilities," which could be considered grasping the "true meaning."

(End of this chapter)