Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 666 Zuo Ruotong realizes the way to heaven and talks about Zhang Zhiwei's realm
"All good things must come to an end. Then, Chief Zuo, let's say goodbye now." Zhang Jingqing said with his arms clasped.

Zuo Rutong was about to turn around and leave, but saw Lu Jin saying goodbye to Zhang Zhiwei and others with a reluctant look on his face.

Even Lu Ci, who had been arguing with him before and was red in the face, walked up to him, tapped him lightly on the chest a few times, and hugged him as a farewell.

Zuo Rutong was stunned for a moment, recalling how Lu Jin had been so active along the way, arguing with his companions from time to time until they were red in the face, and occasionally swearing a few rare words.

He recalled how Lu Jin had done this in Trinity School, in order to be like him, to be like his senior brothers, and even to follow the family rules...

In short, it is the so-called immortal temperament that is deliberately maintained under various external objective factors.

The former is to follow one's heart and is one's true nature.

The latter is deliberate conformity.

It goes without saying which mentality is most beneficial to spiritual practice.

"Jin'er, just practicing in seclusion in the sect may not be beneficial to your cultivation. You should continue to practice in the secular world with the Little Heavenly Master. If you don't understand something, you can also ask the Little Heavenly Master directly."

Anyway, Zhang Zhiwei has even learned the third level of Reverse Rebirth, so Zuo Rutong is not worried that Lu Jin will go wrong with his practice.

When Lu Jin heard this, he was stunned. He felt a little conflicted. He wanted to practice with Senior Brother Zhang, but he also wanted to go back to the mountain with his master.

He didn't feel it before, but ever since his master no longer maintained his youthful appearance and became as old as his grandfather, he felt worried every time they parted, worried that the separation would become a farewell forever.

The reason why he and Lu Ci stayed in Longhu Mountain last time was because Zuo Rutong left without saying goodbye, but this time it was in person by the master.

"Disciple wants to go back to the mountain to serve Master!" Lu Jin said in a low voice.

No one knows a son better than his father, and a master is also a father.

Zuo Rutong knew what he was thinking at a glance and couldn't help laughing. He bent his fingers and sent out a stream of Qi, which hit Lu Jin's forehead solidly.

Lu Jin cried out in pain. He already had a bump on his forehead from being hit by Zhang Zhiwei, and now there was another bump. When Lu Jin was hit by Zhang Zhiwei and had a bump, he grimaced and cursed, but when he was hit by Zuo Rutong and had a bump, he looked pitiful and didn't dare to talk back at all.

Zuo Ruotong said unhappily, "You kid, I'm worried that your master won't live long."

Lu Jin waved his hands quickly and said, "No, no, Master, may you live a hundred years. Oh no, I mean, may you be blessed as much as the East Sea and live as long as the Southern Mountains. You still have a lot of time to live!"

Zuo Ruotong looked at Lu Jin and said in a deep voice:
"If it was before, your worries were not unreasonable. The master was indeed in serious deficit, but now, the master has found a way to prolong his life. There is still a long time to go."

"So, put away your little girl mentality and don't worry about not being able to see your master. Your master will always be waiting for you at Trinity Gate."

"As for you, if you want to go to Mount Longhu with friend Zhiwei, then go. If you really want to go back to the mountain with me, then let's go!"

Lu Jin knew that his master never lied. After hearing what his master said, he immediately felt relieved and stopped worrying. He said happily:

"Then Master, I will continue to follow Senior Brother Zhang to Longhu Mountain!"

Zuo Rutong nodded, then left with his eldest and youngest disciples.

The three of them were walking on the overgrown mountain path, all dressed in white, yet not stained with dust.

Zuo Menchang and Cheng Zhen are both very aloof people and they don't talk much along the way, but Li Muxuan is different. He still has the mentality of a child. After all, his nickname is the evil boy. Even if he is not evil anymore, he is still a boy.

Moreover, after he became a disciple of the left sect leader, he did not deliberately suppress his temper, so soon he could not help but ask:
"Master, what is the method you are talking about to prolong your life?"

He was practicing human magnetism, and could sense the strength of the human body's magnetic field. In his perception, after Zuo Rutong activated the Reverse Life, the magnetic field emanating from his body was extremely strong, but after he stopped the Reverse Life, the human body's magnetic field became very weak.

This kind of weakness is not like the weakness that was restrained by the little Taoist priest, but it is really beginning to decline.

Therefore, he could feel Zuo Rutong's physical condition more intuitively than Lu Jin. He just didn't ask before, but now that Zuo Rutong said it, he opened his mouth to ask.

Zuo Ruotong did not hide it and said calmly: "The Saint's method of stealing is to absorb the essence of heaven and earth to supplement one's own deficiencies, which can appropriately replenish the lost innate Qi."

Replenishing the innate Qi, doesn't this mean that those who eat Qi are immortal? Li Muxuan was shocked. He glanced at Zuo Rutong's face and asked tentatively:
"Then Master, can we learn?"

Cheng Zhen glanced at Li Muxuan and felt that this junior brother was somewhat ignorant of the seriousness of the situation. If the master is willing to teach, you can naturally learn. If the master is not willing, do you want to spy on him?
"I can pass on the Saint Thief I created to you after I return to the mountain, but I will not pass on the Saint Thief given by the Heavenly Master and the Little Heavenly Master to you without their permission."

"Besides that, your cultivation is not enough to master this path. Even if you practice it, you will only go astray."

Zuo Ruotong reminded: "Not to mention you, even as your teacher, you have to be careful in controlling it. You have to think twice before taking a sip or a bite. You must not have any rebellious thoughts of taking everything in the world at will."

The last sentence is more of a reminder to himself than to his apprentice.

Li Muxuan's heart trembled. If Zuo Rutong had only said that he couldn't control it, he might have been a little unconvinced and wanted to give it a try.

But the master later comforted him and said that he should be careful too. The resentment in his heart disappeared instantly, and he no longer had any intention of spying on him.

After a pause, someone asked again:

"Master, what did you mean by comprehending the future path?"

The person who asked the question this time was not Li Muxuan, but Wu Chengzhen. Li Muxuan had not yet cultivated to the second level, and there was still a way ahead, so he was naturally not in a hurry.

But Cheng Zhen had been immersed in the second level of reverse life for many years. When he learned last time that the third level could not lead to heaven, he was the one who was most shocked except Zuo Rutong.

When he heard Zuo Rutong say that they had found a way again, he became very excited and didn't calm down all the way.

Originally, he wanted to ask after returning to the mountain gate, but after seeing Li Muxuan asking the Saint Thief, he couldn't help it after all.

The eldest disciple asked a question, and Zuo Ruotong did not hide anything and said in a deep voice:
"The ancient masters said, 'My essence is the emptiness and the space. It is because it is the emptiness and the space that I can move the emptiness.'"

"It means that our physical bodies come from the void. As long as we return to the void, we can achieve enlightenment. So we must practice ourselves back to the original Qi."

"This idea is a bit too narrow. With the advice of many people, I have a new understanding based on the foundation of my ancestors."

Wu Chengzhen and Li Muxuan quickly held their breath and pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a word.

Zuo Rutong said slowly: "Our life comes from the innate Qi, and the innate Qi comes from the great void. This great void is what our Sanyi Sect says. Every sect has its own explanation. You can understand it as the objective world."

"We rely on the void to exist, but we are also bound by the rules of the void, which causes our innate Qi to decrease continuously, and then our physical body goes to destruction."

"In order to make one's innate Qi last forever and one's life immortal, one must break free from the objective constraints of the void."

“And the way to break free from bondage is not to train yourself to become the innate Qi, because the innate Qi is also an objective thing, and it is also within the rules of the void. Even if you succeed, you can’t break free.”

"If we want to break free from bondage, we must examine our inner selves with caution and fear, proceed step by step, without thinking of surpassing ourselves, and gradually eliminate greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, sensuality, and the desires of the void that exist objectively." "By getting rid of these, we can get rid of the shackles of the human body, so that the most real and pure self can be revealed subjectively, and thus not be affected or controlled by our own objective conditions, and at this point..."

Zuo Ruotong looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, "If converted to Buddhism, it should be the Arhat level!"

"If you want to go further, you have to keep practicing, so that you can correspond to, be in harmony with, and communicate with the great void of the universe."

"In this way, one can achieve a state of neither birth nor death. This may be a true immortal."

Zuo Ruotong sighed, "I already have an idea of ​​how to achieve the Arhat stage, but I don't know the direction to go further. However, one should not aim too high. At least there is a path ahead."

"Arhat level?" Wu Chengzhen asked, "Master, are you talking about the highest Arhat level in Hinayana Buddhism?"

Zuo Rutong nodded.

Wu Chengzhen was puzzled: "Master, we don't practice Buddhism, so how can we achieve the fruit of Buddhism?"

Zuo Ruotong said: "In fact, Taoism also has similar divisions, but Taoism is much more casual. After several generations of transmission, those fruit positions have been given too many things that they did not originally have. It is not as intuitive as the strict hierarchy of Buddhism."

"As for the so-called Arhat status, the purpose is actually to seek liberation for oneself, to escape from the world first."

"Arhats are not necessarily monks. Whether you are a layperson or a monk, if you practice to a certain level, you can become an Arhat. It's just a different title."

"Master is just using the Buddhist fruition as an example to make a distinction. It doesn't mean that I practice Buddhism, or at this stage, there is no difference between practicing Buddhism, Taoism, or Confucianism. The great way leads to the same destination!"

The Trinity School follows the path of the integration of the three religions. Wu Chengzhen is naturally familiar with Theravada Buddhism. He asked:

"Master, as far as I know, the fruition of Hinayana Buddhism is divided into four levels: Sotapanna, Sakadagami, and Anagami. The fourth level is Arahant. Which level are you in?"

Zuo Ruotong thought for a moment and said, "I don't think he will achieve enlightenment!"

Wu Chengzhen was shocked: "Master, how could this happen?"

Zuo Ruotong said with a smile: "Don't underestimate the fruition of Buddhism. This first fruition is also called the fruition of stream-entry. What stream is it entering?"

"Those who are pre-saints are already saints in preparation, which is equivalent to having one foot in the saint team."

"For the past few decades, I have been cultivating my supernatural powers. Although I have also been cultivating myself, I am still too obsessed with rebirth. Therefore, according to the requirements of Buddhism, I cannot enter the fruit position."

In fact, this was just a humble statement made by Zuo Menzhang. He was indeed deeply obsessed with rebirth, but his practice over the years was not in vain.

Buddhism has a strict division of the levels of attainment, and one will reach that level based on the level of attainment one has achieved.

From an ordinary person to the highest Arhat, one needs to eliminate the doubts of views and thoughts.

The delusion of seeing is seeing through fame, wealth and power.

It is divided into five types. Once the doubts about seeing are eliminated, one can enter the fruit position, which is the first fruit Arhat, Sotapanna.

The afflictions of thought are the seeing through of one's own desires. They are also divided into five types. For example, greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, and infatuation are all afflictions of thought.

The more you understand, the higher your attainment will be.

If one sees through all these ten, then one will attain the status of an Arhat, which means reaching the state where the five aggregates are empty.

The Taoist division of fruit positions is very arbitrary. You can call it entering the Tao, or calling it an immortal, or anything else is fine.

In fact, Lu Dongbin once had a classification of immortals similar to the Buddhist level of attainment, but basically no one used it.

Because people are different. Some people may not be able to fully see through the five kinds of view-related delusions, but along the way, they have seen through several of the five kinds of thought-related delusions. What level of attainment does this count as?

Zuo Ruotong was in this state. He had seen through some of the delusions of perception and thought, but there were also some that he could not see through.

According to Buddhism, he has not attained enlightenment.

But in fact, his realm is much higher than many monks who have attained enlightenment.

After hearing Zuo Rutong's words, Wu Chengzhen fell into deep thought.

Li Muxuan asked, "Master, according to what you said, does it mean that the methods we usually practice are all side paths and useless?"

Cheng Zhen continued, "I have read a Buddhist scripture that said that in his later years, the Buddha said that Mahayana Buddhism is not displayed in the human world through supernatural powers. All supernatural powers are external. The greater the supernatural power, the more demonic obstacles there are."

Zuo Ruotong shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Everything has to be seen in the context of the time!"

"Whether it's the three-fold reverse life of our Sanyi Sect, the thunder method of the Tianshi Mansion, or the Saint Thief, they are all crutches. It all depends on how you hold them."

"If you hit someone with a cane, then the greater your magical powers, the more demonic obstacles you will encounter."

"If we walk properly with a cane, it is a way to protect the way and can get us to where we want to go."

Zuo Ruotong sighed and said, "For the past few decades, I have been repairing a walking stick. All I thought about was that once I had repaired the walking stick, I would have reached the end."

"So whether I'm moving forward or backward, I'm always looking for materials to make this cane better and more suitable for walking."

"Now that the cane has been repaired, I was shocked to realize that I hadn't even started walking yet."

"Fortunately, I woke up not too late. From now on, I will use this crutch to walk step by step to the path I want to take."

The cane and the Dao… Wu Chengzhen asked, “What about the Master, the Little Heavenly Master?”

Zuo Ruotong smiled and said, "The little Taoist priest built a good body while practicing Taoism."

"Or maybe the direction he was exercising in was exactly the direction of the road."

"But anyway, at this point, whether he has a cane or not, and whether he hits people with it or not, it doesn't really make much difference."

"Then Master, what realm is Little Heavenly Master at?"

Li Muxuan asked. He had the mentality of a child and liked to ask about the level of one's realm and whether one's methods were powerful or not.

Zuo Ruotong thought for a moment and said, "He is not a serious Buddhist. It may not be objective to use the Buddhist term, but I guess he is a Bodhisattva of the Tenth Bhumi."

(End of this chapter)