The prince was walking forward when he saw an old woman with chicken skin and white hair appearing on the roadside not far ahead. She was squatting next to a well that had not been there when he came, holding long sleeves in her hands and holding an egg.
The thick iron pestle was placed on a stone in front of her and she kept pumping water to grind it. The other rusty iron pestle was placed beside the old woman, showing that work had not started yet. The old woman was sweating profusely and could not move.
He stopped and was grinding very hard. The water stains under his feet looked like iron filings. It was obvious that he had been working here for a long time.
However, this old woman seemed ordinary, but there were many unusual things about her. The prince was walking from a distance. From a distance, he saw that she kept moving. Although she moved slowly, at her age and body, she held a hand.
It is really incredible that such a heavy iron pestle continues to work. Moreover, when she saw the black tiger that followed the prince and roared from time to time, she could actually turn a blind eye and remain calm. This courage alone is extraordinary.
It can do what it can. Moreover, although the black tiger has been domesticated since childhood and has never hurt anyone, its royal aura is still there, and it is proud and proud. Even when it sees the princes and ministers in the Jingle Palace, it does not shy away and behaves calmly.
, but as soon as it saw this old woman, it suddenly became a little timid and shy. Along the way, it kept hiding behind the prince, dodging, and the roar in its mouth became much lower and softer. Besides, this Taihe Mountain has never been seen before.
Humans are inaccessible, and there are many wolves, insects, tigers and leopards in the area. How can such a frail old woman survive in such a desolate place? However, the prince is very preoccupied at the moment and his eyes are erratic. How can he notice it?
These details? Therefore, with his intelligence and wit, he didn't notice anything unusual until he walked to the old woman.
And this kind of ability is indeed something that the prince at this time has not been able to get a glimpse of. It is precisely because this old woman can turn the tangible into the intangible. Although she has transformed into hundreds of millions, she can still integrate with the surrounding scenery seamlessly.
Decay is magical, abrupt but not obvious; it moves but seems to be still. It is real but seems to be empty, seems to be nothing but is real. Everything in the world is a foil, seems to have no spiritual consciousness but exists forever. Just like an ordinary rock,
No matter you place it in the jade trees or in the flying sand of the desert, it will blend into the surrounding environment silently, seeming indifferent yet friendly, without edges and corners yet able to repel people thousands of miles away. It
Just staying there simply seems to have already seen through everything with a cold eye, because the sky and the earth are endless and have nothing to do with it. It is just an ethereal illusion and the vast world of mortals.
The prince walked straight to the old woman and suddenly noticed that there was another person on the roadside. He did not realize why such an old man suddenly appeared in this barren mountain and wilderness, but he was just curious about the work in her hands. It happened to be
He was confused and uncertain at this time. When he saw someone at first sight, he suddenly felt a sense of intimacy. The old woman was calm and unfazed, turning a blind eye to the people and animals who came to her, and she still seemed to be unhurried at all times.
The ground was grinding the iron pestle on the stone, seeming to continue this boring and monotonous action forever.
The prince stood aside and watched for a long time. Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, he could no longer bear the curiosity in his heart, so he took a step forward, bowed to the old woman, and respectfully asked: "This old man,
Seeing that you are old and frail, you are still grinding these two heavy iron pestles here. What are you doing? Do you need help?"
The old woman seemed to have just discovered that there was someone beside her. She kept her hands on her hands and raised her head calmly. She looked at the prince with a kind smile and said tremblingly: "Young man, go and walk by yourself.
Pestle, but what’s wrong with it?”
The prince looked at the old woman with a look that seemed a bit familiar. His face turned red for no reason, and he said at a loss: "The old man misunderstood. I was just passing by here and saw you acting strangely, so I asked if you were disturbing the old man."
, please don’t be offended!”
The old woman smiled slightly again, lowered her head and continued to sharpen the pestle, and said softly: "I see. I just lacked two sewing needles at home, and there happened to be two iron pestles idle and useless, so I used them to grind two sewing needles.
You can use the needles for your own use. If you have nothing to do, go ahead and take care of yourself. Don't waste your time sharpening your needles."
After hearing this, the prince lowered his head and looked at the two thick iron pestles and the old woman's head of pale hair. He couldn't help but laugh. He couldn't bear to see the old woman working so hard in vain, so he tried to persuade her: "Old man,
, I think it’s because you are old, so you are a little confused, so I advise you not to grind anymore!”
The old woman's eyes that lowered her head suddenly flashed with a clear light, and in an instant they returned to the dim and cloudy look of her old eyes. She raised her head and said: "Young man, what do you mean by this? Could it be that old age makes you tired?"
Don’t you need sewing needles?!”
The prince felt slightly embarrassed and quickly waved his hands and said: "Old man, that's not what I meant. I just meant that these two iron pestles are so big and you are already old. If you want to grind them into sewing needles, it will not only waste materials and time."
, it must be a futile effort and a waste of effort. I’m afraid you won’t be able to succeed even with all your efforts, so it’s better to just give up and don’t look for other ways.”
After hearing this, the old woman suddenly threw the pestle on the ground and sighed with emotion: "Oh! It's no wonder that most of the young people today are mediocre and accomplish nothing, but they are so afraid of difficulties! Originally, I thought you were extraordinary, but I thought you were different from those common things.
It’s different, I didn’t expect it to be so unbearable! Alas! You might as well go, it’s a waste of good talent and quality, but it’s a pity that you don’t have a strong mind, so it’s useless in the end! What a pity! What a pity!”
This sentence just touched the prince's mind. He was touched in his heart, and he quickly bowed and saluted and asked: "There seems to be a deep meaning in the old man's words. It just so happens that the young man has some unresolved knots in his heart at this time, so I would like to ask the old man to teach me!"
The old woman bent over and picked up the iron pestle, looked at the prince twice, and asked happily: "Young people are neither arrogant nor impetuous, and they are polite to the elderly. Not bad! Not bad! Children can be taught! Do you really want to ask?!"
The prince handed over his hand again: "I was about to ask the old man for advice!"
The old woman stretched out her hand and stroked the smooth surface of the iron pestle twice, and then said: "Young man, I don't know how to explain this. Let's just talk about the iron pestle in my hand. Do you think this iron pestle is thick and big?"
, the sewing needle is small, and the body is old and frail, so it will definitely be difficult to succeed?"
The prince nodded and said, "That's exactly what I mean!"
This time it was the old woman's turn to laugh. She looked directly at the prince and said: "Young man, you are wrong! Although this iron pestle is thick, as long as I grind it on the rock, it will become smaller.
If you persevere and keep your mind focused, not be tied down by anything else, not as good as the rest, just focus on one point, and keep grinding it day after day, why worry about not being able to make a sewing needle?! Everything in the world is like this.
So. It is said that what you think comes true, but sometimes if a person wants to do something, he not only needs to think, but also needs to have the determination and will to abandon everything. And everything in the world, when he first starts from scratch, will inevitably
It is extremely difficult, but once you can stick to it wholeheartedly, once you break the confusion in front of you, then the subsequent things will inevitably fall into place and become much easier. Just like this iron pestle, I have worn it out.
One day, it becomes smaller one day, and every time it becomes a little smaller, the effort required by the body becomes correspondingly smaller. Until the final moment of sharpening the tip of the needle, the effort required by the body is only
It’s just a tiny bit, so how can it not succeed?!”
After hearing this, the prince seemed to have some understanding and was silent.
The old woman smiled slightly and said leisurely: "Young man, it seems that you are still doubtful. Come and see!"
As he waved his arm, there seemed to be a flash of purple light in the air. The prince's eyes were in a trance for a while, and he felt that endless time was passing quickly in front of his eyes. The sun rose and the moon set, the flowers withered and bloomed. Spring passed and autumn came. In front of him was an old woman holding a hand in her hand.
The iron pestle was grinding on the stone in front of her all the time. Gradually, the depression in the rock became smaller, so the old woman went to get another piece and continued grinding. The iron pestle also gradually became smaller, and the old woman grinded harder and harder.
It became more and more relaxed. I don’t know how many years had passed, but finally a small sewing needle with a cold light appeared in the old woman’s trembling hand.
On the day of success, the old woman leaned over and picked up the rock that had been polished smooth and thin, and held it in front of her face. She picked up the sewing needle in her hand and poked it gently. The sewing needle turned out to be so silent.
The breath penetrated the rock, like penetrating the layers of confusion that filled the prince's heart, and suddenly came between his eyebrows. The tingling feeling came suddenly, like a sharp electric light, parting the clouds
, to dispel the haze, there is a hint of coldness and a ray of warmth, which hit unobstructed and go straight into the heart.
The prince was shaken all over and woke up suddenly. However, he saw that the Taihe Mountain in front of him was still blurred with autumn colors, a black tiger was roaring beside him, and an old woman, holding an iron pestle, was looking at him with a smile...
Like an enlightenment.
This scene of illusions passed by in an instant, and the confused prince also understood the old woman's profound meaning at this moment. He thought of his original intention to leave Mount Taihe this time, and couldn't help but feel ashamed of his weak will and Taoist heart.
I couldn't stop thinking about my obsession with the earthly world when I entered samadhi in the cave. I just felt ashamed and helpless. In an instant, sweat poured down my back.
He bowed deeply to the old woman devoutly and was about to speak when he saw the old woman suddenly swayed slightly and disappeared into a purple mist, drifting away with the wind. Only a well was left, a piece of wear and tear.
The broken rocks and two rusty iron pestles still silently tell the difficulty of cultivating Taoism and the true meaning of worldly affairs...
A voice came from far away in the void: "Spiritual consciousness lasts forever, and the door of the heart opens by itself. Cultivation is difficult, so take care of yourself!"
The prince was grateful for Zixia Yuanjun's several suggestions. He looked up to the sky and worshiped devoutly, then turned around decisively and walked along the winding mountain path again towards the pure land in the misty mist.