In a flash, Pu Zixuan had been facing the wall in the Damo Cave for two months, and there were only ten days left before the Eternal Night Competition on the first day of the first lunar month.

Shaolin Temple still brings him vegetarian meals on time every day, but his friends, including Chen Shuqing, respected his decision from the beginning, and were practicing at their own pace, without disturbing him.

After two months of cultivation, the strength of his partners has improved to varying degrees, but Pu Zixuan has always been standing still - until a series of questions that have troubled him find the answers, it is difficult for him to concentrate on his affairs.

Is it because of the one who killed Elder Huike and Yan Xin that I am weak in my ability or my cowardice?

If I had helped me decisively at that time, would the end change?

If I had made a difference but chose to protect myself, then would I be qualified to gather so many partners to embark on this dangerous journey with me?

However, he never found the answer he wanted. The figure of Master Bodhidharma never appeared again after appearing.

Two months were said to be long or short, and Pu Zixuan's shaved bald head grew two inches of hair, but it was messy because it had not been able to comb for a long time. His beard also grew, making him look much older. The originally clean clothes were already covered with thick dust. Once, a sparrow flew to his shoulders, leaving feces on his clothes that could not be cleaned.

However, Pu Zixuan, who has always loved exquisiteness, was not moved by these external worlds at all. Under the extreme loneliness, he recalled the little bits and pieces of life over the past twenty years every day, and some details that had long been forgotten in the depths of his memory and thought were meaningless actually appeared in his mind again.

When he was four years old, he walked slowly from one end of the Happy Mansion to the other end in order to watch an ant go on a route. Finally, the ant met a large number of companions at the entrance of the hole. After greeting him with his tentacles, he actually formed a circle.

In the spring when he was seven years old, he ran to a mountain in Lijiang alone to play. The mountain was full of colorful flowers. He collected red, pink, yellow, blue, white and other small flowers in a wooden box. In order to find green flowers, he ran all over the mountains, but in the end he failed to find them and was unwilling to go down the mountain and go home.

When he was ten years old, he went to the Yudai River to catch tadpoles. In order to catch one of them, he unknowingly followed the tadpoles to the heart of the river, and walked deeper and deeper, and almost got flooded.

These memories seem meaningless, but they have a common characteristic - that is, there is no one except him and nature. In such a time, he can take off all his masks and do not have to worry about projecting his every move in anyone's eyes.

Once upon a time, in the years after his father disappeared, Pu Zixuan also experienced a long loneliness. In order to enjoy himself, he chose to rely on external stimulation to spend time.

Now, in the same loneliness, he began to learn to get along with himself, constantly digging, and observing his deeper self, country, nation, society, family... and the power of purification, demon world, martial arts moves... His mind was full of concepts, but for a moment, it seemed to become meaningless.

Finally, on this day, just when Pu Zixuan was almost about to forget his existence, suddenly, blue light appeared on the stone wall in front of him again.

The figure of Master Bodhidharma walked out of the stone wall. At the same time, as last time, Huike, the second Zen patriarch, sat cross-legged outside the cave and waited. Two other monks and a nun were waiting.

Bodhidharma's figure still passed through Pu Zixuan's body, walked to the four of them, sat cross-legged, and slowly said: "I am about to return to India. You can tell me what you have learned."

A monk said: "Writings explain the true meaning of Buddhism. You should not be attached to words, but you should not leave words, so that you can gain the Tao and benefit."

Bodhidharma commented: "You only get my fur."

Next, the nun said, "As far as I know, it seems that Qingxi saw Ahjong Buddha Kingdom. After seeing him, he realized the truth. He suddenly became cheerful and did not need to see him again."

Bodhidharma said: "You have experienced more than Dao, but you can only get my flesh."

Another monk said: "Earth, water, fire, and wind are all empty. It is not true that I see, ears, ears, nose, smell, tongue, taste, and feel, but I don't see anything there!"

Bodhidharma nodded slightly and said after a moment, "You just got my bones." Then, Bodhidharma looked at Huike and asked, "Huike, where are you?"

Huike did not answer, but just stood up, walked to the front of Bodhidharma, knelt on the ground and performed a three-day worship ceremony, and then returned to his original position.

"That's it, you finally got my marrow." Bodhidharma smiled slightly, and a tray with a robe and bowl appeared in his hand. He walked to Huike and handed it to him, "Huike, I will pass on the robe and bowl to you as a token of transmission of Dharma. You are the second ancestor of Zen. Two hundred years after my death, the robe and bowl were passed on to the Sixth ancestor and there was no need to pass it on, because by then the Zen method had spread all over the place. However, there are many people who know, few people who practice the Tao, and few people who reason, and few people who understand the truth, so you should not underestimate those who are obsessed with it. Anyone will abandon evil and do good in one thought."

Afterwards, four volumes of sutras appeared in Bodhidharma's hand and handed them to Huike: "These four volumes of the Lentakary Sutra are the Buddha's supreme Dharma, which can be used to enlighten the world, and now they will be taught to you together. Listen to: 'I originally passed on the Dharma to save my delusion, and one flower blooms and five leaves will bear fruit naturally.'"

Bodhidharma's speech speed is slow and his pronunciation is low and there is no ups and downs, but every sentence is heard in Pu Zixuan and is thought-provoking.

Even if no one interprets it for Pu Zixuan, there is no doubt that this is the reappearance of the scene where Master Bodhidharma spread his robe and bowl and Buddhism in the second ancestor Huike before his death.

However, after the picture ended, it stopped moving. What else Pu Zixuan wanted to see, but the figures of the five people disappeared along with the blue light in the cave.

In the dim fire, Pu Zixuan thought: At that time, Master Bodhidharma chose four candidates as the target of the throne. The first three said many profound truths, but Bodhidharma believed that he had only obtained some of his superficial attainments. Huike did not speak but was deeply recognized by Bodhidharma. Why?

Could it be that the answer I have been pursuing is in it?

Before I could figure it out, behind me, Bodhidharma's gentle voice appeared again: "You have been facing the wall here for two months. What is the thing you are asking for?"

Two months? Wait, it seems that I am talking about!

Pu Zixuan's heart suddenly knocked on the door like a jade pestle, and suddenly turned around. This time, although no blue light appeared in the cave, no images of anyone appeared, but on the stone wall, there was a black shadow of Bodhidharma sitting posture, which shone with the black shadow projected onto the stone wall!

Pu Zixuan couldn't help but say in surprise: "Oh my God, Master Bodhidharma, are you talking to me?"

Another voice came from the stone wall: "For more than a thousand years after me, although there were many people facing the wall in this cave, none of them could last more than a month. If you can persist for two months, you will definitely be deeply trapped in the sea of ​​suffering in your heart. Why is it suffering?"

It seems that Bodhidharma is indeed talking to himself. Pu Zixuan responded excitedly: "I have suffered too much. Before, it was for a simple question, that is, whether the death of Elder Huike and Yan Xin is related to me. But as time goes by, not only did I not find the answer to this question, but I am more and more confused and unable to extricate myself, resulting in a confusion in my heart, and even unable to understand the meaning of life. Master Bodhidharma, tell me first, are I responsible for their death?"

After a while, Shibi was silent, he asked back, "Since you don't know life, how can you know death?"

If someone else had said this, Pu Zixuan had already retorted, but the eight words Bodhidharma had explained the contradictions in his question very clearly, so he had to say it more specifically: "Okay, I think my life must be meaningful. I want to protect more people, and I need to enhance my strength. Abbot Huiyuan asked me to shave my head, wear cloth clothes, beg for alms, and do some simple Buddhist lessons every day. Do you think these are useful? If they are useful, I will immediately leave the cave and practice according to the master's method."

This time, Shibi directly responded: "It's useless."

Pu Zixuan was stunned for a moment and tried to ask again: "So, do you have to stick to the Buddhist precepts like them? If you really need it, I can also quit drinking, meat, and sex... I have proved that I can do it in the past two months."

Shibi said: "It's still useless."

"Is the master really wrong?" Pu Zixuan became even more confused and asked again, "So, what should I do to be useful?"

Shibi said: "Huiyuan is right, and the method of practice you are talking about is also wrong. It's just that there is nothing in the world. All things in the world are touched by the ears and eyes, which lead to thoughts and thoughts. Then the human heart judges right and wrong. Those who are confused will be confused by others, and those who are enlightened will be enlightened. If you believe in other people's explanations, you will be trapped in other people's sentences and will never be able to understand your mind and see the nature and become a Buddha."

This sentence seems to be the most meaningful sentence so far. Pu Zixuan became a little enlightened and said, "I understand that the second ancestor Huike can inherit your mantle because the wise man does not speak, and the wise man does not know. The more I ask, the more confused I will be. Master Bodhidharma, I have only one plea in the end. Back then, you put his heart on the second ancestor Huike. Today, can you also put my heart down?"

Shibi was silent for a moment and replied, "Yes, I have already set your heart for you."
Chapter completed!