Chapter 164
The snow fell, heavier and heavier; it was as if it wished to drown the earth with its flakes!
A bitter wind accompanied the frosty white flakes, instantly lowering the temperature in the area by many degrees . Even though Bei Feng was holed up in the little cave, he could still feel the cold seeping in steadily . Bei Feng opened his backpack expressionlessly and pulled out a thick down jacket . After putting it on, he felt much better .
"There's no way to travel in this d*mnable weather . . . "
Bei Feng mumbled as he inserted a sliver of perception into the spatial ring and took out a Buddhist scripture . He lit a small fire in the cave and leaned against the roots and began reading .
The ring was the only thing that was not sealed for this journey . But apart from books, there was nothing else in the spatial ring . There wasn't a shred of food, or any weapon .
Even Extreme Arctic Frost and the golden flying dagger had been left behind in the villa . He did not want to have anything which he could rely on out here .
The Buddhist scripture in his hands was a copy of the diamond sutra . The entire sutra only had 8208 characters, but each word was as precious as gems!
The full name of the diamond sutra was Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra . It is a very influential classic scripture, and a key object of devotion and study in Zen Buddhism . One could say that this was one of the most widespread Buddhist scriptures in the world!
This was not the first time that Bei Feng had read it . It's just that every time he did a read-through, the text would leave him with a different understanding . Bei Feng closed his eyes and ruminated on three inspirations he got from the scripture this time .
First, diamond had the meaning of hardiness . Like the diamond which was incomparably sturdy and indestructible, it symbolizes the essence of great wisdom . This refers to our inner self, namely, that heart which is neither tainted nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing, and neither being born or perishing .
The second meaning lies in the sharpness of will . Like Skanda's demon subduing staff, which was all-conquering, capable of destroying all illusions of the world and expelling all the worries and delusions in out hearts, a strong will is capable of sweeping through all obstacles . [1]
The third is the meaning of light . It refers to how the written prajna have form, but the things we obtain from words are intelligence that have no form . From striving with intent to naturally attaining with inaction .
These kinds of inspiration could not be obtained with the teachings of others, because everyone's comprehension is unique . As the saying went, the teacher initiates the apprentice, but their skills depend on the student's efforts and abilities!
This is just like how a teacher may have ten disciples, but every disciple would have different understandings of the same teachings!
Likewise, Buddhist teachings emphasize on the concept of enlightenment . If one is enlightened, they would naturally comprehend . If one was not enlightened, no matter how others may try to teach and explain to them, they would still not be able to comprehend .
Bei Feng kept the sutra into his spatial ring . The three personal concepts he had comprehended were really close to the current state of his will!
'One does not need a powerful body to cross this gigantic mountain; instead, the most important thing is to have an indomitable and all-conquering conviction, as well as the initial unwavering will!'
Bei Feng sat down cross legged and revealed a light smile . Apart from the fact that he had a full head of hair and was lacking a set of Buddhist monk robes, he looked every bit like an enlightened monk .
Bei Feng did not hesitate any further . He hefted the heavy backpack on his shoulders and trudged determinedly out of the cave .
There's a tomorrow after tomorrow; so when would tomorrow come? If he waited until the snow ceased falling, it was impossible to tell how long he would be stuck here .
The snow had already stacked as high as 20 cm thick, causing Bei Feng huge difficulties in walking . Despite that, he grabbed a wooden stick about the thickness of an infant's fist and dug it into the ground for balance as he walked . It also served as a way to detect hidden dangers .
Before it snowed, the terrain could still be seen clearly . But now that everything had been covered in a white carpet, it was impossible to tell what was before him . For all he knew, there might be a large hole or some ditch right in front of him!
Bei Feng continued on steadily . His footsteps left deep marks on the snow as he headed deeper into the snowy forest . His back view looked exceptionally desolate and lonely .
The snow fell heavier and heavier as time went by . Before long, everything within his vision was just a glaring white . Bei Feng felt his head spin and he immediately found a spot under an overhanging cliff and pitched his tent . Then, he found some twigs, dried them and set up a small fire .
Bei Feng looked extremely miserable right now as he huddled up within the tent, shivering like a leaf . He bit down on a piece of beef jerky and drank some water to fill his stomach .
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