Chapter 46: Meditation

The contents of the booklet were very simple, consisting only of a few diagrams of meditative breathing and a few pages of mental method annotations. They briefly introduced how to regulate breathing, cease breathing, enter meditation, and how to cast aside distracting thoughts to enter a state of meditation where one forgets both self and object.

After looking through the few diagrams and lines of text in the booklet, Mo Hua hesitated to speak.

"Do you find it very simple?"

Mo Hua nodded, then asked, "Sir, is this only a primary level of meditation?"

"No," Mr. Zhuang denied, "all the insights and cultivation methods of meditation are contained within this small booklet."

Seeing Mo Hua's confusion, Mr. Zhuang explained further

"To say meditation is simple, it is indeed very simple. To say it is difficult, it is also very difficult. The simplicity lies in the fact that all the keys to this method are clearly laid out in this diagram and these few pages of mental notes. The difficulty lies in the ethereal and elusive nature of the human mind. It is not something you can achieve simply because you want to enter meditation or want to forget yourself."

As Mo Hua fell into thought, Mr. Zhuang continued his explanation

"For instance, among the myriad desires in this world, how many people can truly see through them with their hearts, even if they claim to do so with their mouths? Some truths seem simple; those who understand can grasp them at a glance, while those who do not may never understand them in a lifetime—and those who do not understand often believe they do."

"Meditation is the same. If you can truly enter meditation and cast aside distracting thoughts, you will naturally learn quickly. But if your mind is heavy and cluttered with distractions, no matter how much you study, you will never master it."

Mo Hua realized the truth, but then frowned. "Then, if I cannot cast aside my distracting thoughts, does that mean I won't be able to learn it?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled. "It is not as difficult as you think. I have used this meditation method for many years, and I have summarized the simplest insight for entering meditation into just one sentence..."

"Let the heart follow nature without self-deception."

"Let the heart follow nature without self-deception..." Mo Hua murmured to himself.

"In all the myriad things in the world, let things be as they are. Your own mind is the same. Whether it is irritability, tranquility, violence, despondency, integrity, or baseness—no matter how unsightly it may be, you must accept it calmly. Do not lie to yourself."

"If you can achieve these two points, your mind will be like still water or a clear mirror, and you will be able to enter meditation to some extent."

Having gained some insight, Mo Hua began flipping through the *Meditation Method*. After reading for a while, he asked curiously

"Sir, when meditation is learned to a profound level, will it have any special uses?"

"None. From beginning to end, meditation can only allow you to enter a meditative state and recover your divine sense. Even at a profound level, it only means you can enter meditation and recover your divine sense faster. Furthermore, the longer you study it, it does not necessarily mean you will study it better."

Mo Hua was stunned. "Can it actually get worse the more one learns?"

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua meaningfully. "You are still a child. What you see, hear, think, and feel is relatively simple, with few distractions, so you may enter meditation quite quickly. Once you grow up and see more of the myriad things in this world, your distractions will increase, and your worldly desires will grow. When that time comes, entering meditation will likely not be so simple."

Mo Hua understood.

He thought to himself that his own experiences weren't actually that limited, given that he possessed the memories of another life.

But on second thought, he was only in his twenties in that other life, which wasn't much experience, and in this life, he had only lived ten years. Even adding the two lives together, he was still much younger than Mr. Zhuang, and his experience and knowledge were incomparable. Calling him a "child" wasn't entirely wrong.

Mo Hua asked curiously again, "Then Sir, how is your current meditation compared to before?"

Mr. Zhuang fell into a brief contemplation. "Around the age of ten, after I had mastered various array theories and learned most of the arrays within the First Rank, I began studying meditation. I learned very quickly at first. Through my youth, the method continued to improve; often, after finishing an array and meditating for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, my divine sense would be replenished."

"During my reckless youth, my mind was unsettled, so my progress in meditation stalled. Later, through life's vicissitudes and emotional hardships, I failed to settle my heart, and my meditation skills actually regressed instead of progressing."

"Now that I have become indifferent to many things, this meditation method is no longer of much use..."

Mr. Zhuang spoke with some emotion. Coming back to his senses, he realized he had spoken too much. Seeing that Mo Hua still looked as if he were listening to an interesting story, he tapped Mo Hua on the forehead and said, "Study hard."

"Oh," Mo Hua finally gathered his thoughts, calmed his mind, and began to slowly study the *Meditation Method*.

The key to the meditation method lay primarily in casting aside distractions, keeping the mind clear, and entering a state of forgetting both self and object.

Following the methods in the *Meditation Method*, Mo Hua sat quietly in meditation, considering nothing, and slowly entered a meditative state.

Once in the meditative state, he indeed felt a sense of lightness throughout his body, as if he had escaped the cage of his physical form. His mental state opened up wide, and the divine sense consumed by drawing arrays previously began to slowly return, recovering much faster than before.

However, Mo Hua's meditative state was very shallow. He could not maintain it for even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea; as soon as his mind wavered slightly, he exited the state.

Mr. Zhuang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them upon seeing this and said

"To be able to enter meditation to this extent on your first try is quite good. Once you master it in the future, you will only need to meditate after drawing an array, and you will naturally achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"Thank you, Sir!"

Mo Hua was overjoyed. Previously, he could only practice arrays on the monument in his sea of consciousness, making his daytime progress very slow. Now that he had learned meditation, his divine sense could recover quickly. Even if his foundation could not compare to the disciples of great families, diligence could make up for lack of talent, and he might not fall far behind others in the future.

Mo Hua then asked, "Sir, I understand the meditation method, but what was that 'Visualization Method' you mentioned earlier?"

Mr. Zhuang lay leisurely on his bamboo chair and asked, "Guess, what is the Visualization Method used for?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "If the meditation method is used to recover divine sense, is the visualization method used to enhance it?"

"Correct," Mr. Zhuang nodded. "There are no cultivation methods for divine sense in the cultivation world. The powerful cultivators of the ancient era created the Visualization Method to enhance divine sense."

"Is the Visualization Method different from a cultivation method?"

"The Visualization Method is a simplified, unstable way to increase divine sense, but it is not a cultivation method for divine sense," Mr. Zhuang explained.

"Spiritual power can be observed and known; it can drive spiritual tools and be used to execute Daoist arts, following traceable pathways. But divine sense is different; the human sea of consciousness has no meridians through which one can spy on the trajectory of its operation. Therefore, there is no stable way to cultivate divine sense."

"The only way to rapidly increase divine sense is through observation. Observing patterns, texts, or ancient objects that contain the laws of the Heavenly Dao or powerful divine sense allows one to assimilate with them to a certain extent, gradually strengthening their divine sense."

"However, this Visualization Method varies from person to person, and the effects differ. Even among the great aristocratic families, visualization diagrams suitable for practice are extremely scarce. Thus, it is not widely spread in the cultivation world and cannot be promoted as a stable cultivation method like standard techniques."

"Visualization methods..." Mo Hua murmured.

Mr. Zhuang hesitated for a moment, his expression turning slightly serious.

"Although the Visualization Method can enhance divine sense, it is best that you do not use it. Even if you do, you must remain cautious and never rely on it completely."

Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Is it because my talent is insufficient that I would suffer backlash?"

Mr. Zhuang shook his head. "It has nothing to do with talent. A visualization diagram reflects the divine sense of others and their understanding of the Heavenly Dao. In other words, what you visualize is someone else's 'Dao,' or perhaps the 'Dao' of some non-human entity. Once the divine sense becomes immersed in it, the consequences are often extremely terrifying."

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

Mr. Zhuang waved his hand. "It is too early to tell you all this. You only need to focus on learning arrays. You might not even encounter things like visualization diagrams in the future."

After saying this, Mr. Zhuang had Mo Hua practice the meditation method a few more times. As evening approached, he sent Mo Hua home.