Chapter 240: The Eight Consciousnesses: Ear Consciousness After reading through all the scriptures, the Yogacara school, which was just an introduction to the Buddhist teachings, has borne fruit! This was the best news Liang Qu heard in the entire second half of June! Counting the time, he broke through the Benma on the 29th, and on the same day he subdued a group of wild porpoises led by Scarhead, and obtained the Tiger-Eating Man Jar and the Netherwood Root Buddha Sculpture. It has been a whole month today! Who is the old monk? Master Zhenxiang! Liang Qu witnessed with his own eyes how hard he worked in studying the classics, and he couldn't imagine how long it would take him to study it himself. No wonder the saying goes, "Don't plant trees unless you're in a war zone, and don't raise trees unless you're hunting tigers." Martial artists often compare the creation of techniques and martial arts to planting trees. Various classics are the nutrients needed to grow trees. Trees absorb nutrients from all sides and produce fruits that are complete martial arts and techniques. As the saying goes, there is no need to think about creating any martial arts skills unless there is war smoke, which means "don't plant trees". Even if a Wolf Smoke Martial Artist accidentally plants a tree, he should not think of raising it. Only when he reaches the level of a Tiger Hunting Martial Artist will he be qualified to cultivate it specifically.
As for going further down, you just need to learn how to pick fruits. Listen to others and eat enough. Liang Qugui was self-aware. He wanted to run before he learned to walk, and he wanted to summarize the skills from the scriptures. It was like a junior high school student trying to master calculus before learning derivatives. Not to mention that after reading all the sutras and only getting an introduction to the Yogacara school, it is questionable whether he is qualified to touch upon it. Don't do things that are too ambitious. If he becomes a Zhenxiang Grandmaster, or even a Martial Saint, he will have plenty of time to read various scriptures. "Master, are you waiting for me tonight?" "Of course." The old monk moved aside to make way. Liang Qu dusted himself off and followed the old monk into the west wing. There was little else in the room except a bed, a bookshelf and a long desk. It was very simple and elegant. On the left side of the long desk, a large amount of manuscript paper was neatly stacked, and on the right side was an inkstone. On the pen holder next to it, there were wet marks on the brushes, emitting a faint scent of ink. Two scrolls were spread out side by side on the table. The one on top was made of thicker paper and slightly yellowed in color. It was the original manuscript of "Cheng Weishi Lunjie" brought back by Liang Qu. The bottom one was whiter, with the same content and many marks and annotations between the lines. It was obvious that the old monk had copied it again to take notes. The old monk came to the left side of the long desk, counted out a few sheets of manuscript paper from the pile, and handed them to Liang Qu. Liang Qu took the manuscript respectfully and glanced at the cover. "The Dharma of Ear Consciousness". Something to do with the ears? Liang Qu turned over the cover and looked at it carefully. The manuscript did not start by talking about the so-called ear consciousness. The old monk first summarized the general content of "The Conclusion of the Abhidharma-samuccaya" in his own words.
The eight consciousnesses are the center of the Yogacara school. The old monk gave a concise and comprehensive description of the eight consciousnesses. "The first five consciousnesses are the ear, eye, nose, tongue, and body. The sixth consciousness is the conscious mind. The seventh consciousness is the latent consciousness. The eighth consciousness is the seed consciousness that is the root of everything." The "Ear Consciousness Method" is the first of the eight consciousnesses summarized by the old monk after spending a month. It is the simplest and most original part of the entire "Conclusion of the Abhidharma-samuccaya". "All dharmas are without self-nature. With my mind, I perceive all things..." Under the bright golden oil lamp, Liang Qu sat cross-legged on a cushion and read through the book, still confused about its contents on the ear consciousness method. This has already been summarized in the "Conclusion of the Abhidharma-samuccaya-śāstra". "The Dharma of Ear Consciousness" is the third translation by the old monk. But even so, he still seemed to understand. It seems like I understand it, but it also seems like I don’t understand it. Could it be that I don’t have any wisdom? The old monk saw Liang Qu frowning and gave him some advice. "What sound do the dead leaves make when the wind blows through the forest?" Liang Qu thought about it. "rustle?" "What did Cui Ye say?" "Hmm...Huahua?" "Hear the difference between life and death." Hiss! It was as if a flash of lightning flashed through Liang Qu's mind, clearing away the clouds and mist to reveal the blue sky. Looking down at the "Ear Consciousness Method" in my hand again, the meaning between the lines became clear and thorough. That's it, that's it. The so-called ear consciousness is not simply to practice hearing in order to achieve the effect of hearing things thousands or tens of thousands of miles away. What’s the point of hearing no matter how far or how carefully? It just happens that lying in the corner is easier. The sounds made by green leaves and dead leaves are completely different; your hearing can tell the difference between life and death! Rather than simply measuring the strength of your hearing, ear consciousness is a technique for processing the in-depth information contained in sound! Listen and know all things! This is ear consciousness! He is indeed a holy monk with such lofty aspirations. By analogy, what about the eyes, nose, tongue, and body? The holy monk is awesome! The old monk is awesome! Liang Qu was deeply impressed and stood up holding the "Ear Consciousness Method". "Master, do you have a copy? Can you allow me to take this method back and study it carefully?"
The old monk stretched out his hand and made a "please" gesture. The ear consciousness method was his research, but the "Conclusion of the Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness Only" was borrowed by Liang Qu. A good cook cannot cook without rice. Without Liang Qu, I don’t know how long the Treatise on Consciousness Only would have been buried, let alone the Ear Consciousness Method. The results are naturally shared. Liang Qu was delighted after learning a unique method. He walked to the door, suddenly remembered something, turned around and asked. "Master, can I saw off the lotus base of the dark wood root Buddha sculpture?" Ming wood can calm people's hearts, promote thinking, and open wisdom and enlightenment. Carve it into a wooden pendant, the size of an index finger. If a child wears it all year round, he will be smarter than other children. It can also help warriors gain enlightenment. Liang Qu slept with a mirage every day with a Buddha statue next to him. His thinking was obviously faster and he did not feel as tired after training in his dream. Good things cannot be used by oneself. It is difficult to divide the whole Buddha sculpture, so he thought of dividing the lotus base below. It's just a Tibetan-styled copy of the "Abhidharmakosha". It's obvious which holy monk the entire Buddha statue is carved from. It wouldn't be a good idea to saw it off rashly, so I have to come and ask a professional for advice. The old monk raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this. He was silent for a while. "What do you want to do with it?" "Giving it away." "How many?" Liang Qu counted them briefly and said, "About thirty. Each portion is about the size of a thumb." There were ten portions for the master, fourteen portions for Xu Yuelong, one portion for Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Kui from Chen Qingjiang's family, and one portion for the old monk. A total of twenty-seven copies are needed. You can carry one copy with you and keep the remaining two copies for later use. "Bring me the Buddha statue." Liang Qu immediately moved out a wooden Buddha statue that was as tall as his thigh from the room. The old monk took the Buddha statue, glanced at Liang Qu, shook his head slightly, then reached out to close the bottom of the lotus seat, and then opened it again. The lotus on the entire base seemed to bloom and a petal fell off! Liang Qu's pupils shrank slightly. He dared to guarantee that the entire statue was a whole piece except for a cover on the back! How to do it? The old monk's control of strength is simply unbelievable. He can completely cut off a lotus petal by just using the power of his palm? In a short while, thirty lotus petals fell from the lotus seat one by one. Although the entire Buddha sculpture base is smaller, it still retains its original appearance! The old monk folded them neatly and handed them to Liang Qu, speaking earnestly. "Don't do anything that would waste nature's gifts. If you need it again, come find me."
Liang Qu was rarely embarrassed, and the old monk's method of peeling leaves really opened his eyes. "That's what the master said." (End of this chapter)