Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

  Chapter 81 Insights from practicing: A letter to Dad

  Compared to the embarrassment of Qian Quan Magazine being discovered by his classmates, Qian Wenlin took the magazine to the office openly, and after finding out that his colleagues didn't notice it, he said something specially:

   "After the "New Story Monthly" is finished, the sample issue will still be mailed. Have you received it before?"

  The two colleagues who also successfully submitted papers both expressed that they had received it, and then took Qian Wenlin's sample magazine to read, and asked, "Mr. Qian, which one is yours?"

  Qian Wenlin reported the title of his article.

  The colleague first smiled knowingly, then searched according to the catalogue, and then smiled and said: "Mr. Qian, have you read the work behind your work?"

   "See, it's kind of tit-for-tat." Qian Wenlin said with a smile.

  The first time he got the sample issue, he read his own work first, and naturally noticed Qian Quan's "A Father's Love Is Like a Mountain".

  What I wrote was about cheating, and the latter one was about my son killing his mistress. The editorial department's work is obviously intentional.

   "When is the treat?" a colleague asked while flipping through the magazine.

   "As soon as the manuscript fee arrives, treat the guests immediately." Qian Wenlin has been waiting for this day for a long time.

  After a day's class, Qian Wenlin returned home, and when he was having dinner with his wife, he asked, "Did Shitou tell you how he did on the driver's license test?"

   "After the first subject, I have already made an appointment for the second subject."

   "Why are you in such a hurry, the second class is a bit difficult, you should practice more before taking the exam."

   "Then you tell your son, tell him your experience, don't let me ask everything."

   "Well, let's talk about it." Qian Wenlin recently felt that as his son grew older and experienced more and more, there seemed to be a thin strange barrier between them.

  It seems that every father will encounter the situation of "the halo of omniscience and omnipotence gradually fading" when his child grows up.

   After dinner, Qian Wenlin washed the dishes, and went out for a walk with his wife to digest the food. Then, his wife went to Lin Lang's mother and the others to play mahjong, and then went back to write and practice kung fu.

   Now I get up every morning to play Wing Chun wooden dummy for a while, write brush calligraphy at night, and then practice "Wudang Secret Biography Small Cycle Kung Fu" has become a habit.

   This "small cycle exercise" is accompanied by the notes next to it. It really becomes more and more fascinated as you practice it. It is really a good skill for self-cultivation.

   However, he has also encountered some problems recently, which may come from the pressure of work, or from the emotional impact of the magazine's manuscript. It is difficult for him to calm down when he is practicing.

  For example, he is meditating quietly, his body is still, his mind is like still water, and his thoughts flow in, out, in, and out with his breathing...

   Calm, settled, concentrated, everything is perfect.

  Suddenly, some thoughts came to mind:

   "What does Xiao Chen mean by that sentence? Are you pointing at me?"

   "Suddenly I really want to eat noodles made by my mother."

   "Should I call Yuhua back..."

  The exercise was interrupted so far, he forcibly fought against these thoughts, and pulled back to breathing. Not long after, a new thought appeared:

   "Shitou no longer has to pay tuition fees, which saves a lot of money."

   "I may become a famous writer in China in the future."

   "Will the price of oil drop?"

  …

   It seems to be a kind of pulling, falling into a vicious circle, and soon the mood will become irritable.

  He stopped practicing, and went to the group of relatives and friends to ask: "The "Wudang Secret Small Cycle Kungfu" that Shitou sent, are any of you practicing?"

   Soon, the brother-in-law replied: "What is there to practice? If you have that time, why not push Pai Gow twice."

   Then Uncle Qian Quan replied: "Haha, Wenlin wants to be a fairy. I clicked on it. That kind of kung fu is not practiced by us ordinary people."

"I wanted to practice at first, but I read the text that said that practicing that kung fu can prolong your life. After thinking about it, let's forget it. This earth is enough, so I want to leave early." Qian Quan is a part-time worker. Cousin replied.

  After reading everyone's replies, Qian Wenlin immediately understood that other people didn't take that document seriously.

   Forget it, it just failed Shitou’s heart.

  At this moment, Qian Wenlin received a private message from his son: "Dad, why did you suddenly ask if anyone is practicing?"

   "I wanted to discuss it with everyone, but found that no one cared." Qian Wenlin was helpless.

   "Maybe everyone thinks I'm joking."

   "I heard from your mother that you have made an appointment for the second exam, how many times have you practiced?" Qian Wenlin changed the topic directly.

   "After practicing two or three times, the coach said that I practiced well and could take the exam."

   "Remember, during the exam, drive steadily and slowly, no matter how the coach urges you, drive at your own pace."

"Um."

   Chat ends.

  Qian Wenlin no longer forced to continue practicing, and went to play Go for a while.

   At around nine o’clock in the evening, I received an email from Shitou, and I was curious, so I clicked on it:

  Father, at your knees:

  Respect, recently, I practiced "Wudang Jinggong", and I have some insights, I would like to ask for your advice:

  One is about the attitude of practicing samadhi. I don't want to presuppose a position and no longer have expectations. I just follow my own speed and direction, seal up delusions, and move forward naturally;

  I don't want to be overly forced, or overly tense, stay relaxed and steady;

  I don’t want to be too anxious and hasty, I don’t cling to anything, and I don’t reject any phenomenon, no matter good or bad, just look at it with a normal mind and accept it;

  I accept how I am distracted, I am at peace with myself, I also question everything, I don’t believe it because it comes from a great person, I don’t take it for granted because it rhymes and makes sense, but I am not cynical at the same time;

  I regard all good and bad things as challenges and trials. When I encounter good things, I happily accept them. When I encounter bad things, I don’t feel sad, but invest in them and explore them;

  Finally, I don't compare with anyone, appearance, grades, IQ or popularity, and I don't feel hostile to others because of status gap.

  The second is about dealing with distractions. Every time I meditate on breathing, or during the process, there are often emotions such as bad fantasies, worries and ambitions in my mind. The more I want to expel them, the stronger they become;

  So I no longer suppress them, but observe them carefully, stop blaming myself for this distraction, observe them from a distance, and slowly bring my attention back to my breath, and so on.

The third is some misunderstandings about practicing. The document my friend gave me is called "Wudang Secret Biography Small Cycle Kung Fu", which has the word "secret biography", but after practicing it, I found that it is not mysterious, but very down-to-earth. Great people practice, but also suitable for ordinary people;

  It is a very simple behavior, which may produce some profound insights in the process of practice, or it may just be a very superficial sense of ease, what appears is what it is, and there is no correct answer;

  Practicing Jinggong is not for escaping from reality, nor can you solve all problems through it. Its gains are in subtle places, and there will be no huge changes in the short term. I feel that my endurance is improving little by little;

  Finally, whether it is possible to produce a kind of "transcendence" or "supernatural power" after long-term practice, my friend didn't say it clearly, and I don't want to look forward to it.

The fourth is about the relationship between practice and life. For a long time, I would choose a fixed time and place to practice. However, I later discovered that Jinggong does not necessarily have to be practiced in a quiet place. It can also be practiced in daily life. ;

For example, when walking, I raise my head and chest, relax my neck, and move forward naturally at the slowest and most comfortable pace. information, pay attention to the subtle differences between actions, and feel every tiny tactile change...

For example, I will pay attention to my breathing anytime and anywhere, not only when practicing, but also in daily activities. I will connect breathing with every movement, add rhythm to action, stabilize the emotion of action, experience nature, feel nature, move when you move, and stay still when you move then static;

  I also seize every piece of time to practice, when waiting for the bus, when queuing up in the cafeteria, during breaks between classes...

  For example, I also try to incorporate every little thing and every emotion in my daily life into the practice. It doesn’t matter whether these emotions are positive or negative, beautiful or shameful, I just want to observe and notice it as it is.

   Even when it’s boring, I want to find out what it feels like, how it works, how it affects my state of mind, and what it’s made of.

  The same goes for anger, frustration.

I think that when I practice these thoughts proficiently, I can properly deal with every sudden distracting thought or delusional thought, then when I practice meditation, I can freely focus my attention on breathing and the flow of breath .

   At that time, can it be said that I have entered the next level?

   Some unsystematic thoughts, I hope my father can correct me.

   Yours sincerely

  Fu'an

  Male power worship

  November 30

After reading the email, Qian Wenlin was stunned for a while, not to mention whether the method proposed in the email would work, but the points he aimed at were all questions or confusions he had. Cheerful feeling.

   What's even more rare is that the methods he proposed are not lofty at all, but are all specific and practical.

  Just from this point, it can be said that it is worthy of a father-son bond, right?

  Qian Wenlin felt gratified, but also a little ashamed. He felt that his son had made rapid progress in all aspects after entering university.

   After thinking about it, he replied:

   "I have read it, it is not bad."

  (end of this chapter)