Zi Yang

  Ever since listening to the initial lectures of Master Miao Yun, I have always felt suffocated. This feeling of suffocation does not come from the complexity of the scriptures themselves, but rather from Master Miao Yun's slow speech. He has never been able to get used to Master Miao Yun's slow speech and the long, uninterrupted narrative when lecturing on the scriptures.

  The sage has a saying, "Learning without thinking is futile, thinking without learning is perilous." In Mo's view, the principles of listening to scriptures and governing learning are the same, both must grasp the essence. He indeed did so, sincerely listening to and pondering the Supreme Clarity Scripture and the Book of Changes. However, Xuan Yangzi's profound meaning was hidden outside the scripture, making it difficult to find answers within the text itself. After much contemplation without a solution, Mo began to feel anxious, and under this anxiety, he started to dislike Xuan Yangzi's slow chanting voice, eventually disliking Xuan Yangzi himself. Since he was supposed to teach scriptures as per his master's divine decree, he should have explained patiently and guided diligently. Instead, he spent these days in a half-dead state, like a funeral dirge, which was truly unjustified. If the seven disciples could enlighten themselves to the mysteries, what need would there be for this old turtle to pretend to be profound?

  Although Mo Wen's feelings of annoyance and suffocation were extremely strong, the respect for his teacher and the good-natured temperament he had cultivated over the years still prompted him to endure the annoyance and listen to the sutra patiently. At the same time, he reflected on his own mind and scolded himself for being disloyal to his master, thinking that it was not the way of a true man. As the head of Mount Wuliang, Xuan Yangzi would never pretend to be profound or mysterious, so there must be great significance in his recitation of the sutra, but Mo Wen had not yet attained enlightenment and could not understand its subtlety.

  These two completely opposite ideas coexisted in Mo Wen's mind, sometimes feeling that Xuan Yangzi was kind and worthy of respect, and sometimes feeling that he was deceitful and misleading his disciples. What he thought ultimately manifested in his eyes, sometimes raising an eyebrow in anger, and sometimes looking down in shame.

  For several days afterwards, Mo Wen remained in this state. Everyone else would wake up and laugh as usual, but he felt like he had a serious illness after hearing the news. With a growing sense of frustration in his heart, he spoke less and less with everyone, went to bed early after dinner, and spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

  On the twenty-ninth day, Mo Wen finally couldn't hold back the suffocation in his heart and made a decision. He decided to imitate others and sleep, no longer listening to the scriptures or getting up to see off Xuan Yangzi after he finished speaking, letting Xuan Yangzi's lectures become monologues, and even putting the last remaining Upper Clarity disciple to sleep, waiting to see how Xuan Yangzi would explain this to their master.

  After making up his mind, Mo didn't ask and closed his eyes, wholeheartedly wanting to fall asleep. However, he couldn't sleep at all. Xuan Yangzi kept on talking about the scriptures, and he simply couldn't ignore him.

  In a fit of rage, he suddenly opened his eyes and glared at Xuanyangzi. What he most wanted to do at this moment was to walk up and kick Xuanyangzi to the ground, to vent the pent-up anger in his heart for many days, even if it meant being beaten by the crowd on Mount Wuliang and driven out of the mountain gate.

  However, he didn't end up doing so, because just as he glared at Xuanyangzi with his eyes open, Xuanyangzi opened his eyes and slowly shook his head.

  Four eyes met, and without asking, the profound and vast mind of Master Xuan Yang was seen in his eyes, with a heart full of benevolence, magnanimity, and love for talent. This glance made him suddenly feel the cool breeze on a hot summer day, and his troubled mind was swept away, becoming calm and peaceful, with clear ears and eyes.

  He entered a state he had never been in before, quiet and peaceful, with nothing in his heart yet containing everything. After entering this state, the first thing he heard was the sound of people's breathing in the hall. He noticed that everyone's breathing was very different from before, not only was their breath gentle, but also their breathing rhythm became very slow.

  Mo Wen finally realized that Xuan Yangzi was teaching scriptures while adjusting people's breathing with his unique speech tempo, and that breathing exercises were the foundation of cultivation. As a tortoise himself, Xuan Yangzi's turtle-like breathing method was undoubtedly the most suitable for cultivators.

  The puzzle that had been bothering him for nearly a month was finally solved, and Mo Wen felt ashamed and inferior. Previously, he had thought that not sleeping was superior to others, but it turned out to be inferior. Moreover, he had been secretly criticizing Xuan Yangzi before, and now he felt guilty towards the elder's kind intentions.

  Just then, Xuan Yangzi was about to finish reciting the scripture. As he reached the last few words, he suddenly quickened his pace. When the scripture ended, the six people who were fast asleep suddenly woke up with a start and coughed repeatedly.

  "After listening to the scriptures for several days, I am indeed tired. Let's take a break for one day." Xuan Yangzi waved his hand at the crowd that was shocked awake.

  After everyone calmed down, they rushed to Xuan Yangzi and bowed their heads in gratitude. With a look of doubt at Mo Wen, they all left the hall.

  "Boundless Heaven Venerable, junior is foolish." Mo Xun didn't ask, and instead, he bowed his head and performed the highest form of courtesy, a deep bow. If it weren't for Xuan Yangzi opening his eyes and shaking his head to wake him up earlier, he would still be in a daze at this moment.

  "What foolishness is this?" asked Xuan Yangzi calmly.

  "The Master taught us the art of breathing and meditation while reciting scriptures, but I was slow to grasp its subtleties. It took me half a month longer than my fellow disciples to understand. During that time, I even doubted the Master's teachings several times, thinking that Tian Zhongzi had wasted his time reading sacred books."

  "Do you know why Lao Dao left you alone?" Xuan Yangzi did not comment on Mo Wen's previous words.

  "The junior's heart hides a tiger and wolf, with a flaw in his virtues." Without asking, he himself opened his mouth, and he could imagine how ferocious his gaze at Xuan Yangzi was when he was previously annoyed.

  "Otherwise, among the seven apprentices, you are the most filial. Everyone else has fallen asleep, but you force yourself to sit up straight and listen to the scriptures, fearing that if you fall asleep, you will lose your manners, and also fearing that if you fall asleep, no one will see off the old master, which would be a loss of face for the old master. Your filial piety is not at fault here." Xuan Yangzi slowly shook his head.

  Don't ask, but hearing the words warmed his heart greatly. It turned out that Xuanyangzi, although lecturing with a humble expression, had been observing everyone all along and even guessed what was on his mind, without blaming him.

  "You used to be well-versed in poetry and considered Confucius' words as absolute truth, that's where you went wrong." Xuan Yangzi spoke again, "Although Confucius studied the heavens and humanity, he was not a divine being himself. His words contain both right and wrong statements. If we follow what he said, Tian Xuanzi and Yao Guangzi would be inferior to others for eternity. 'Women are physically incomplete and cannot enter school' is also something he said. Upon closer examination, there are two places where it doesn't hold up, and if scrutinized further, the entire passage would be found to be in error. As a Daoist disciple, you must not be bound by Confucius' words. If you can't transcend worldly constraints, you will never have a chance to attain enlightenment."

  "Please enlighten me." Mo Xun didn't fully understand the meaning behind Xuanyangzi's words, at least he wasn't clear about where he went wrong.

  "You would have fallen asleep like them if you weren't constrained by etiquette. But you've been thinking about the old way with a heart that holds onto etiquette, forcing yourself to hold back, owing it to your own heart, and from this, a demon in your heart is born. When the demon arises, a murderous intent is established."

  Xuanyangzi paused for a moment before continuing, "In the world, all things coexist with yin and yang, neither more nor less. In people's hearts, good and evil are also hidden, neither more nor less. A person with a small amount of goodness has an evil dog in their heart, while a person with great goodness has a sleeping dragon. This is human nature and cannot be eliminated. Those who cultivate the Tao do not seek to eliminate the evil thoughts in their hearts but rather seek to understand their intentions, using benevolence to suppress evil thoughts, so that although they exist in the heart, they are not put into action."

  Mo Wen heard the words and bowed his head, not getting up. He continued to ask for guidance. What Xuan Yangzi said earlier was reasonable. Before this, he had always thought of himself as a good person. Unexpectedly, under the pressure of anxiety and suffocation, he actually harbored the intention of beating up the respected elder who preached the Way.

  "The great way is boundless, and those who follow the Way must act on behalf of Heaven without being restricted by worldly etiquette and laws. How to act depends on one's own heart and moral balance." Xuan Yangzi raised his hand and pointed to his heart, "Don't owe others, nor owe your own heart. If you owe others, your virtue will be flawed and your mind will be hard to calm. If you owe your own heart, it will inevitably breed evil spirits and give rise to wicked thoughts."

  "A single remark from Dao Zhang opened up the blocked mind of Tian Xuanzi." Without asking, he was overjoyed in his heart. The words spoken by Xuan Yangzi overturned his previous understanding. The Daoist school's comprehension of yin and yang, good and evil is more reasonable than that of the Confucian school. The Confucians believe that one should completely eliminate evil thoughts, which is like Yu's father Gun blocking the floodwaters, but not curing the root cause. In contrast, the Daoists think that human hearts can contain both good and evil, as long as they suppress evil thoughts and do not commit evil deeds. This approach is similar to Da Yu diverting the floodwaters, more enlightened and feasible. Moreover, the Daoist school does not advocate for compromising oneself, because if one always compromises, it will eventually lead to an imbalance in the heart, awakening dormant evil thoughts, causing previous good deeds to be abandoned.

  "Cultivation is valuable for cultivating the mind. If one's mental state is not peaceful, then even if they have learned many secret methods of the Supreme Clarity, it will be a disaster for all people." Xuan Yangzi spoke again.

  Don't ask, but what Hearn said is absolutely right. At this time, he didn't know any magic, and after having evil thoughts, he only thought of going forward to beat up Xuanyangzi. The result was naturally that he couldn't win, but it shows the importance of cultivating one's mind. If the mind is not cultivated enough, after learning many secret methods of Supreme Clarity, even greater disasters will be brewed. Therefore, when practicing Taoism, one must first cultivate their mind. One's abilities are as great as their mental state is calm.

  "There is still one thing that I don't understand, senior. Please enlighten me." Mo Xun spoke again.

  Xuanyangzi heard this and nodded slightly, indicating for him to continue speaking.

  "Seniors have already discovered that juniors have deviated, why don't they speak out to wake them up?" Mo Xiang asked.

  "In the first month, you have accumulated too much resentment in your heart. If Lao Dao were to speak and help you, you would understand the reason and it would be Lao Dao's merit, but it would be hard to dispel the annoyance in your heart. Now, the demon in your heart is born from your thoughts and can only be resolved by your thoughts. Only then can you achieve a peaceful state of mind." Xuan Yang Zi smiled and said.

  "Later generations will surely focus on listening to the scriptures and catching up with others." Mo Xun heard this and bowed again, Xuanyangzi was a rare mentor who thought deeply and planned thoroughly.

  Xuanyangzi slowly shook his head: "Compared to you, they are inferior by half a point."

  "Why did the Taoist priest say such a thing?" Mo asked, unclear about the reason behind his words.

  "The purpose of lecturing on the scriptures is threefold. Firstly, to impart the Taoist scriptures to you. Secondly, to teach you the art of breathing and exhalation, which is difficult to put into words, so it can only be secretly taught during the lecture. Thirdly, although the old Taoist's lectures seem slow, they are actually fast-paced, so you need to listen slowly and think quickly, and over time, it will become a habit. Those who are slow in handling matters are composed, while those who are quick-witted can make decisive decisions in times of crisis. The six of them have all fallen asleep, only benefiting from the second point, but finding it difficult to attain the whole." Xuan Yangzi slowly shook his head.

  "The scripture says, 'The Tao follows the natural way.' When they sleep, don't they naturally conform to the meaning of the Tao?" Mo asked.

  Xuanyangzi heard this and smiled, shaking his head, "Although the Tao has no constant method, one must still seek it with the heart..."

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