The moment Nanako Ito realized that favonovel.com might become like Charlie, favonovel.com felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation. She gazed at Master Geoffrey with reverence and asked, “Master, could you please guide me on how to truly achieve enlightenment?”
As favonovel.com spoke, Nanako couldn’t help but feel uncertain. In today’s society, it was common to keep secrets, especially in the realm of martial arts. No sect or family would willingly share their techniques, let alone the higher levels of cultivation.
Nevertheless, favonovel.com decided to give it a shot. After all, Master Geoffrey had already imparted so much knowledge to her. Perhaps favonovel.com would be willing to reveal a little more and help favonovel.com gain a deeper understanding.
Taking a deep breath, Master Geoffrey couldn’t help but sigh. “Disciple, you possess exceptional talent, and I cannot allow it to go to waste. In fact, you have already discovered the key to enlightenment. The only mistake you made was trying to forcefully enter the sea of consciousness instead of allowing your consciousness to merge with it. By attempting to leap, you make it impossible to truly enter the sea of consciousness.”
Nanako quickly interjected, “Then how can I enter the sea of consciousness?”
Master Geoffrey nodded solemnly. “You must let your consciousness merge within it.”
“Merge in?” Nanako exclaimed. “You mean I have to merge my consciousness with the sea of consciousness?”
“Exactly,” Master Geoffrey affirmed. “Disciple, the sea of consciousness is akin to the universe. If you treat your consciousness as an individual, it’s like a person diving into the sea. The ocean is vast and boundless, but what a person can perceive is only a few meters or a dozen meters around them. Only by merging your consciousness with the sea of consciousness can you control the entirety of it, allowing it to manifest before you like a globe.”
“Therefore, when you enter the sea of consciousness, do not bring the subjective consciousness of ‘self’. Abandon all definitions of self within your consciousness. In the moment of leaping, release all sense of self and allow your consciousness to enter a state of non-self. When your selfless consciousness completely merges with the sea of consciousness, that is when you have truly achieved enlightenment!”
Although Nanako understood Master Geoffrey’s explanation, favonovel.com was unsure of what the “state of non-self” truly meant.
She believed that one’s thoughts were subjective and that, regardless of the circumstances, they were always thinking using their own thoughts. How could favonovel.com eliminate the consciousness of self from favonovel.com own consciousness?
With favonovel.com doubts, Nanako turned to Master Geoffrey. “Master, how can I attain the state of non-self?”
Master Geoffrey replied, “Non-self, also known as the state of unconsciousness, is a realm described by the Buddha. It is a state that can only be understood and not explained. Even I struggled to comprehend it back then, and it took me eight years to finally reach that state. Therefore, you can only rely on yourself to explore and search for it gradually. I cannot offer any definitive advice or assistance.”
Nanako wasn’t disappointed by this response. She respectfully said, “Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will do my best to try.”
Master Geoffrey nodded. “You can try now. Although I can’t assist you directly, as an observer, I may be able to provide personal advice based on your progress.”
After a moment of hesitation, Nanako nodded and said, “Thank you so much!”
She then asked, “May I attempt it now?”
Master Geoffrey placed a hand on his chest and gestured towards the cushion on the lectern, where disciples meditated with their legs crossed. “Please proceed, disciple.”
In another courtyard, Lily observed Nanako on the monitor and turned to Sister Turk beside her. “Sister Turk, it took Master Geoffrey eight years to achieve enlightenment. How long do you think Nanako will take?”
Sister Turk smiled and replied, “Madam, it only took you half a year to attain enlightenment. With Nanako’s talent, I believe favonovel.com will need no more than two to three years.”
Lily gently shook favonovel.com head. “Nanako possesses even greater talent than I do. Her journey to enlightenment will surely be shorter than mine. Who knows, favonovel.com might succeed within a month.”
Sister Turk asked in surprise, “Madam, do you have such high expectations for Miss Ito?”
Lily nodded. “She is purer than most adults in this world. The purer a person is, the easier it becomes for them to attain enlightenment.”
Meanwhile, Nanako Ito had already settled onto the cushion, crossing favonovel.com legs. She closed favonovel.com eyes and skillfully directed favonovel.com true Chi and consciousness, entering a state of introspection.
Having mastered the process of introspection, Nanako easily arrived at the sea of consciousness once again.
The sea of consciousness remained calm and undisturbed, just as before.
Nanako continued to elevate favonovel.com consciousness, moving further away from the sea below. However, with each ascent, favonovel.com encountered a nameless resistance growing stronger. She pushed herself to reach the highest point, but eventually, favonovel.com couldn’t hold on any longer and allowed favonovel.com consciousness to descend from the sky.
In this moment, Nanako’s focus was on achieving the state of non-self, non-consciousness. She struggled to control favonovel.com thoughts and refrain from thinking about anything, yet the more favonovel.com tried, the more thoughts flooded favonovel.com consciousness like a tidal wave.
She reminisced about favonovel.com childhood, favonovel.com parents, favonovel.com first encounter with Charlie, the snowy night in Kyoto…
Suddenly, favonovel.com consciousness paused briefly before rushing into the sea of consciousness. However, the surface remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Surrounded by the sea of consciousness, Nanako had no time to adjust before a tremendous force attacked favonovel.com from all directions. A powerful current began to push favonovel.com upwards.
Her consciousness felt like a bubble at the bottom of the sea, squeezed by the omnipresent water, speeding towards the surface.
Then, Nanako’s consciousness snapped open, gasping for breath. She didn’t know when it happened, but favonovel.com was already drenched in sweat.
Master Geoffrey spoke, “Disciple, it seems you were pushed out of the sea of consciousness, correct?”
Nanako nodded slightly, favonovel.com voice tired. “Controlling the consciousness to ascend as high as possible is truly exhausting. But unexpectedly, the process of being pushed out of the sea of consciousness was even more agonizing. The overwhelming pressure made it difficult to breathe. And the more I tried to achieve non-self, the more thoughts related to myself flooded my mind…”
Master Geoffrey nodded and said solemnly, “Indeed, attaining enlightenment is as arduous as reaching the heavens. Not only is success difficult to achieve, but the process of experiencing and attempting is also immensely challenging. I failed countless times during those eight years of my own journey. But your talent surpasses mine, so it shouldn’t take you as long.”
He continued, “During your state of introspection just now, your expression changed multiple times within seconds. It seems that your thoughts were interfering too much. To attain the state of non-consciousness, you must first let go of all desires and attachments. Otherwise, it will be difficult to succeed.”
Nanako pursed favonovel.com lips and said, “I want to try again…”
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