"Tell me...
What is the purpose of living?"
Gu Qingfeng had few friends, and even fewer with whom he could share heartfelt words. When his mood was foul, when troubles disturbed him, when he was filled with confusion about life, he could only chat idly with the Old Monk. "When I was young, I spent my days fighting and killing, thinking only of how to become stronger. I never really considered this question carefully. Perhaps it's because I've experienced more, especially recently—I've grown increasingly confused, increasingly uncertain about what the purpose of living truly is."
A long time passed before the Old Monk's aged voice responded.
"The question Layman Gu asks is one that every person encounters, a stage that anyone inevitably experiences on the path of life."
"So then?"
"So, Layman Gu should not ask me this question, but rather ask yourself. After all, what each person pursues is different. Some pursue family happiness, others pursue fame and fortune, still others pursue power, pursue the Great Dao, pursue the true meaning of life, pursue Karma, pursue the origins of Heaven and Earth...
I wonder what Layman Gu wishes to pursue."
Family happiness?
Fame and fortune?
Power?
The Great Dao?
The true meaning of life?
Karma and Fate?
Gu Qingfeng had no interest in any of these. He pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm not a person with lofty ideals or grand aspirations. If you ask what I've pursued in this life, I truly don't know. Perhaps it's that elusive sense of freedom and ease that has been hidden in my heart since childhood."
Nodding, Gu Qingfeng seemed to confirm something to himself, continuing, "Yes, that should be it. Freedom and ease, living without worries, without constraints."
"Since Layman Gu has something he pursues, why ask this old monk?"
"I used to think the life I pursued wasn't particularly high, even simple. But now I realize that while it's easy to say, doing it is extraordinarily difficult. After all, I live in the mundane world. I have the seven emotions and six desires, so naturally I cannot avoid being worldly. Since I cannot avoid being worldly, it's impossible to be without worries. If there are worries, there will be entanglements. With entanglements, it's impossible to live freely and without care."
Changing tack, Gu Qingfeng added, "Of course, if I severed the seven emotions and six desires, and achieved something like 'Supreme Self-Forgetfulness,' perhaps then I'd have no worries. But thinking about it carefully, if a person had no worries, how boring would living be? How dull, without even a bit of fun—what enjoyment would there be?"
"Since Layman Gu can say such words, it seems you have already gained some understanding of the word 'freedom.' So in Layman Gu's eyes, what exactly is living freely and at ease?"
"Simple. Four words: follow one's heart's desires."
Gu Qingfeng fell silent for a long while before supplementing, "If I want something, Heaven cannot be without it. If I want nothing, Earth cannot have it. That is probably following one's heart's desires, and perhaps the true freedom and ease I pursue. To put it plainly, only by being the sole honored one between Heaven and Earth can one attain true freedom and ease."
"'If I want something, Heaven cannot be without it. If I want nothing, Heaven cannot have it... The sole honored one between Heaven and Earth...'" The Old Monk murmured these words, his aged voice seeming to tremble slightly. "Amitabha...
Layman Gu, are you preparing to become the overlord between Heaven and Earth?"
"Overlord between Heaven and Earth?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a bitter smile. "No interest. Besides, one doesn't necessarily have to be the overlord between Heaven and Earth to be the sole honored one there."
"Amitabha."
The Old Monk uttered another Buddhist phrase.
Gu Qingfeng said, "Cultivation is about cultivating the heart and walking the Dao. I cultivate a heart of ease, and I should walk a Dao of ease. Don't you agree?"
"Congratulations, Layman Gu."
"Congratulations for what?"
"Congratulations on comprehending the true meaning of the words 'ease and freedom.'"
"It's only a partial comprehension, unfortunately. Right now, my heart is not at ease, and I cannot walk that Dao of ease."
"At the very least, Layman Gu is clear about what he seeks and has not lost his way. As long as Layman Gu pursues what he seeks, this old monk believes you will certainly cultivate a true heart of ease and set foot upon a true Dao of ease."
"I'll take your auspicious words. I hope so."
Another stretch of silence ensued.
Gu Qingfeng asked, "Old Monk, do you believe in Fate?"
"This old monk does not know."
"Then do you believe in Karma?"
"This old monk believes."
"Heh."
Gu Qingfeng laughed, then pressed further, "Then tell me, are Karma and Fate the same thing?"
The Old Monk remained silent for a while before responding, "This old monk does not know."
"I remember you once said, 'Do not mistake coincidence for Fate, nor accident for Karma.' You also said that all things between Heaven and Earth, all living beings—be they Human, Immortal, Demon, even Gods and Buddhas—none can escape the two words 'Karma.' Life is, destiny is, all are merely Karma."
The Old Monk uttered another Buddhist phrase.
"The All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda that I gestated nine years ago, the Ancient Taboo, and that drop of Blood of Original Sin—I believe they are neither accidents nor mere coincidences. It's as if there is a will of Heaven pulling strings behind the scenes, predestined long ago, and that includes you, hiding within this Bone Jade of Annihilation, are no exception."
Speaking to this point, Gu Qingfeng seemed to have realized something. "Actually, I'm increasingly feeling that all things between Heaven and Earth, all living beings—Immortals, Demons, monsters, Humans, Buddhas, Gods—are all chess pieces. They are pieces on this chessboard of Karma, and also on this chessboard of Fate."
"Many people, from the moment they are born, have their Karma predetermined, their Fate arranged for their entire lives. They cannot change it; they can only accept it."
"There are also some who are unwilling to obey Fate's arrangements, unwilling to be Fate's chess pieces. They try to defy Heaven and change their Fate, which is the so-called 'Severing Karmic Bonds.'"
"Heh, before, I didn't understand why one must Sever Karmic Bonds."
"I also didn't quite understand why, according to legend, only by severing Karma can one become a God."
"Now, I seem to understand a bit. Whether severing Karma leads to Godhood or not is fundamentally unimportant. What's important is that by severing Karma, one can leap out of this chessboard, no longer bound by Fate's arrangements. I think that's the root reason."
"I asked you earlier, what is the purpose of living?"
"You answered: pursue what one pursues—be it fame and fortune, power, the Great Dao, or the true meaning... Heh...
These are merely branching desires on the path of life. They will ultimately return to the main road of the path of life. And the end of this main road of life's path is Severing Karmic Bonds."
"If life has an end, I think Severing Karmic Bonds should be it."
"If life has an origin, I think Severing Karmic Bonds should also be it."
"If life has a true meaning, I think Severing Karmic Bonds is it."
Gu Qingfeng spoke these words softly and plainly. Throughout, the Old Monk remained silent.
"A pity!
What a true pity. Wanting to Sever Karmic Bonds—how easy is that? To Sever Karmic Bonds, one must first understand Karma. That is the so-called path of seeking. Many lose their way on this path...
Because this path is endless. The day you begin seeking, you have already lost."