The night faded away and morning soon arrived, meaning it was time for Baishi Shu to begin his daily routine.
After washing up, he went for the morning service.
Since it was already midnight by the time they finished the exorcism, Baishi Shu and Asada Senna did not dawdle around. After they split up the remuneration, they locked the main door and returned to their temple and shrine.
This time, he had earned a total of 650,000 yen. Although the payment he got from Kondo Private Junior High School put that amount to shame, it was still a considerable sum of money. Besides, it was a long-term agreement with sustainable development, so he was very happy with that situation.
Asada Senna had promised him a minimum payment of 500,000 yen for featuring in her video in the future. Not only did he get the chance to promote himself, he could also put some money into his pocket.
'She really is my benefactor,' he reflected.
However, although he had 770 thousand yen in his savings account and was richer now, there wasn't much happiness or contentment in his heart. Instead, he felt strangely empty.
Perhaps it was because the total amount needed to build a kyozo was 30 million yen. Having 770 thousand yen in his savings was similar to trying to extinguish a cartload of firewood on fire with a cup of water. It was simply not enough and he needed more.
Indeed, money was the root of all evil. Human beings were insatiable and had an endless desire to accumulate wealth. Nobody was able to escape this fate, not even monks were an exception.
The silver lining was that he was able to clear his mind of these poisonous thoughts through reading scripture. By doing so, he could stay in tiptop condition and fully absorb whatever knowledge he had learned.
By the time his class ended, he experienced two enlightenments and gained 130 points of spiritual power. He had also successfully pushed the progress of his research on his appen… body cultivation method to 50%.
He had experienced six enlightenments in the span of several days. Was this considered a huge breakthrough?
In his own opinion, no. After all, he usually didn't encounter enlightenment on a daily basis. There were times where he would not have a single enlightenment for a whole month. It was only when he got into the groove that he was able to experience consecutive enlightenments every day.
He did not find his achievement a wonderful thing. Instead, it felt weird. After all, it had been too easy for him to reach enlightenment. From the fantasy novels he used to read, he realized that regardless of whether they were the main character or the side character, they would only encounter enlightenment by happenstance. It needed to happen in the right place, at the right time, and with the right people. In his case, it happened so many times and very easily, making it as common as drinking water.
With that thought in mind, he recalled one conversation he had with the old abbot some time ago.
...
It was a bright and sunny afternoon. Sitting on a cattail hassock in front of the Buddha statue, the sun spilled down on the old abbot and cast a golden halo around him. If one ignored the cellphone in his hand and the uncanny smile that danced on his lips, he was the perfect representation of a holy monk.
At that time, Baishi Shu was trying to understand a certain skill. Just after he finished comprehending the skill and gained another enlightenment, he felt something was amiss, causing him to turn to the old abbot. He asked, "Abbot, I feel that something isn't right with me."
"Oh? What's the matter, Shinsei?" asked the old abbot in a soft but firm voice.
"I have been experiencing enlightenment every day recently."
"Oh? Why are you so sure that it is an enlightenment and not just a stroke of inspiration or something similar?" The old abbot looked up from his phone and held Baishi Shu's gaze.
The old abbot had gone through the whole gamut of human experience and his eyes were brimming with the wisdom of life. Baishi Shu had always been very respectful of the elderly, their long lives often representing experience and wisdom.
As for Baishi Shu himself, he had arrived in this world about half a year ago. Even if he'd lived enough for two lifetimes, he was just a young man in his mid-twenties. He was not even one-third of the way through his life, so he was far from being mature.
Upon hearing the old abbot's question, he thought for a beat before answering, "I came across an explanation when I was reading through the Buddhist scripture. Enlightenment is the state of experiencing or having experienced an epiphanic moment. When we enter such a state, our mind will expand, our brain will become pure, and it allows us to comprehend some theories more rapidly. I found my state quite similar to that of the description. Whenever that moment occurs, sometimes for longer periods of time while others for shorter periods of time, the details in the scriptures and the theories I read will fully soak into my brain at a rapid rate. Besides, there is one thing that the Buddhist scripture didn't mention. Every time I get enlightenment, my spiritual power grows."
The old abbot's expression froze and he fell silent. His breathing quickened and his heartbeat accelerated.
Even though Baishi Shu did not activate his Divine Eye, under the blessing of Buddha, his hearing and sight were a lot better than that of ordinary people. He noticed the changes in the old abbot, suddenly feeling nervous.
"Abbot?"
The abbot was old and it was normal for an elderly person of his age to have some occasional aches and pains. He just hoped that it wasn't a heart disease.
Just when he was about to take out his phone to summon an ambulance, the old abbot returned back to normal.
After a short moment of silence, he asked, "Are you saying that you experienced enlightenment every day?"
"Not really…" replied Baishi Shu hesitantly. "It will only happen when I am researching or working on something wholeheartedly. On normal occasions, it happens about once every two or three weeks."
"..."
The old abbot fell silent again, seemingly locked in his own thoughts.
Since the old abbot seemed to be fine, Baishi Shu waited patiently.
After a short while, the old abbot cleared his throat and asked, "Shinsei, do you know there is one school in Buddhism known as Zen Buddhism? And in Zen Buddhism, there is a teaching known as Sudden Enlightenment Doctrine?"
It went without saying that Baishi Shu knew about that.
Buddha had said, "One man can ascend into Buddhahood with just a thought."
The Sudden Enlightenment Doctrine was a kind of teaching founded by Huineng, a seminal figure in the early history of Chinese Zen Buddhism. The teaching focused on immediate and direct attainment of Buddhist enlightenment by dismissing the usage of written language. Apparently, all the enlightenments Baishi Shu had been experiencing could only be counted as "small enlightenment". It was something very normal that could only improve his spiritual power. It would not allow him to ascend into Buddhahood, so there was nothing to be proud of.
This was probably what the old abbot was trying to tell him. Impressed by his wisdom, he nodded respectfully at the old abbot.
"Thank you for your hint, abbot. I already understand."
"?"
The old abbot opened his mouth wide, but when he saw Baishi Shu's earnest expression, he swallowed back his words. Smiling, he said, "Well, it's good that you understand."
...
His recollection came to a stop.
Baishi Shu had to admit that the old abbot's wisdom was as vast as the sea. He was like a beacon, always shining light towards the right path when he got lost.
After he got out of school, Baishi Shu hopped onto his bicycle and made a beeline towards Reimei Temple.
When he arrived at the winding cobblestone pathway that led to Reimei Temple, he got off his bicycle and walked.
Like always, the old abbot was sitting cross-legged in front of the Buddha statue. He was still holding his iPhone, a smirk on the corner of his lips, and time didn't seem to have left an impression on him. When the thought crossed Baishi Shu's mind, he felt there was an enigmatic aura emanating from the old abbot.
The old abbot had noticed him as well, turning to him and pointing at the phone in his hand.
"Shinsei, you are famous again."
'Hmm?'
Baishi Shu was stunned for a second before realizing what the old abbot was talking about. Asada Senna had apparently finished editing the video and posted it online. The old abbot was probably talking about how the video had gone viral.
He was delighted. After all, the more widespread the video became, the more famous he would get. Once he became famous, more people would come to him, which meant he had more opportunities to earn money.
With that thought in mind, he quickly went to the old abbot's side. Then, he suddenly realized something. It seemed that the old abbot was always one step ahead of him in noticing Asada Senna's video.
"Abbot, are you subscribed to Asada Senna's channel?"
The Onryo was the first time Asada Senna had taped an entire exorcism, but it was not her first video. It seemed that she had been a creator for the website for a long time. She just didn't have much of a reputation before.
As expected, the old abbot offered him a smile and nodded.
"Amitabha."