"Gatha of Maitreya in the Past? This... In the rumors, it is one of the three shockingly important scriptures of the Great Zen Temple, mysterious and unfathomable, the supreme technique for cultivating the spirit soul? Zi Yue, being one of the eight great demon immortals in the world, also came from afar to search for it. How could it be mixed in this martial scripture engraved by the imperial court?" Hong Yi looked at the scripture scroll in his hand, as thin as a cicada's wing, square, dark gold, and as soft as water when touched. Looking at the bright golden small characters on it, the shock in his heart was simply beyond description. The Great Zen Temple was an ancient temple that had stood for a thousand years. When it was still prosperous, with countless experts, before it was eradicated, all sects in the world had to admit that it was the number one temple and the sacred place of the highest achievement in cultivation. And the highest secrets of cultivation of the Great Zen Temple were recorded in the three scriptures of the past, present, and future. The past was the "Gatha of Maitreya", the present was the "Sutra of Tathagata", and the future was the "Sutra of Non-Birth". The "Gatha of Maitreya" is the supreme technique for cultivating the spirit soul, the present "Sutra of Tathagata" is the path of martial arts and human immortality, and the "Sutra of Non-Birth" is the most mysterious. In the rumors, if the three books were combined and comprehended thoroughly, one could transcend the sea of suffering in the world and truly reach the other shore. Moreover, even Li Yan, who among the scholars most despised gods and Buddhas and always used the great way of scholars to explain them, the founder of the Li School, expressed regret in his notes for not having seen these three books with his own eyes. From this point of view, Hong Yi, who is best at reading and inferring the thoughts of the authors, is sufficient to draw a conclusion. That is: These three scriptures are indeed genuine supreme secrets. Such books are much more powerful than the rough and full of loopholes martial and Taoist scriptures. The difference between pearls and dung is not enough to describe the disparity between the two. "Perhaps when the Great Zen Temple was on the verge of destruction, the monks were afraid that this scripture would be taken away, so they hid it in one of the most ordinary martial scriptures. Also, the imperial court would definitely not seize the martial scriptures they engraved themselves. Unfortunately, what Zi Yue was looking for was actually so close at hand..." Hong Yi held the "Gatha of Maitreya", took several deep breaths, and calmed his mind. The principle of scholars is to not be moved by beauty and not be disturbed by treasures. Hong Yi knew that he had almost lost control just now. Not being disturbed by treasures does not mean disregarding them, but warns people not to be carried away when obtaining treasures and to maintain a calm state of mind. Otherwise, various flaws will be exposed, allowing the vigilant to notice and easily leading to fatal disasters. This kind of scripture is as soft as silk but does not burn when exposed to fire. Not to mention someone like Hong Yi who understands the principle, even an idiot would know that this is a treasure. "However, although this Gatha of Maitreya is rumored to be the supreme secret for cultivating the spirit soul, there were so many monks in the Great Zen Temple, among whom there were no shortage of extremely talented and brilliant ones, but it seems that none of them cultivated into the Yang God. Otherwise, they would not have been completely wiped out by the large army. It seems that this scroll is not so easy to practice and comprehend. I only have a rough understanding of the method of the spirit soul leaving the body and cannot comprehend it yet. It would be great if Zi Yue were here, and we could comprehend it together. Unfortunately..." After calming his mind, Hong Yi neatly folded this silk-like scripture into a handkerchief-sized piece, kept it close to his body and did not rush to read it. After storing it properly and being confident that there were no flaws, Hong Yi sat upright, lit an incense stick, then gently ground the ink and wrote the character "Quiet" on the paper. He wrote more than ten "Quiet" characters in a row, and his mind completely calmed down. After calming down, Hong Yi got up, washed his hands, then closed his eyes and sat in meditation until the incense burned out. He was extremely stable and suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes swept around and his ears listened. After confirming that there was no one around, he carefully took out the scripture from his bosom, opened it and read it carefully. A serious scholar has this set of rules. Before reading, one should calm the mind, burn incense, wash hands, and do a set of preparations. These are not useless rituals but means of adjusting the body and mind to enable oneself to concentrate fully. Only in this way can one read well. How could Hong Yi not be cautious? Especially when reading this legendary "Gatha of Maitreya". When the scripture was taken out from the place close to the body, the silky smooth feeling made Hong Yi very comfortable. The scripture was spread on the table, square, three feet long and wide, like a large calligraphy and painting. The characters on it were very small, like tiny regular script, but also very clear, as if engraved by a knife, without any blurriness. Moreover, the font had a power that reached deep into the bone marrow, giving people a feeling that these small characters would move and fly. The characters already had spirituality. "Excellent calligraphy!" Seeing these characters, Hong Yi couldn't help but shout out in his heart. He was confident that his own calligraphy was good, but compared to the characters in this scripture, it was simply unremarkable. In the middle of the scripture was a golden Buddha, sitting in the void, with countless suns, moons, and stars surrounding it, bestowing their radiance upon this golden Buddha. This golden Buddha's eyes were slightly closed, sitting cross-legged, with hands forming seals, and a serene expression. Unlike the majesty of the Buddha statues in other temples, it exuded a kind and familiar atmosphere. Even, even Hong Yi had a feeling that this Buddha was the previous life of his countless past lives. "This is the true Buddha statue. This expression and this temperament can resonate with people. It has the artistic conception of one's own enlightenment." The teachings of Buddhism emphasize the equality of all sentient beings, and everyone can become a Buddha. A true Buddha statue is neither majestic nor huge. Instead, when one looks at it, one feels that this Buddha is one's own past life. It evokes the Buddha nature and the heart of the Tao in people. Unfortunately, a person capable of drawing such a Buddha statue cannot appear once in five hundred years. Just in terms of painting, it is a saint among paintings. Not to mention whether this volume of the "Gatha of Maitreya" is a supreme scripture or not, at the first glance, Hong Yi saw that it was the supreme art of painting. Hong Yi looked at this Buddha statue and was shocked in his heart. He had read widely in his studies and had the ability to appreciate calligraphy and paintings, and also knew some of the essence of Buddhism. "Not to mention anything else, just these characters and this painting, if sold, would be priceless treasures." Hong Yi sighed and then began to read the main text of the scripture. This article begins with four characters, "Thus Have I Heard........." "Thus Have I Heard? Was this scripture recorded after personally hearing the Buddha's teachings?" Hong Yi wondered. Originally, Buddhist scriptures that begin with "Thus Have I Heard" were all left behind after truly hearing the Buddha's teachings in ancient times. These four characters are the difference between heterodox scriptures and genuine ones. Logically, if it is a cultivation method, these four characters would not appear because the Buddha did not teach the cultivation method at all, but only told people to understand their hearts and see their nature. It is somewhat similar to the ancient sages only instructing scholars to cultivate righteousness. It is a general direction. The specific ways of understanding one's heart and seeing one's nature, and how to cultivate righteousness, are all for one to explore on their own. Each has its own achievements and principles. Whether it is the Buddha or the ancient sages, they only pointed out a clear path and direction. As for the specific way to walk, perhaps even those sages did not know. It depends on the gradual exploration of later generations. Whether it is martial arts or the immortal path of cultivating the spirit soul, they were all refined by the Great Zen Temple after absorbing the essence of various sects over thousands of years. "Regardless of him, perhaps the author wanted to make the scripture more formal. Let's look at the specific cultivation method." Hong Yi certainly would not dwell too much on this issue but continued reading.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.