The voices of the [Tomie]s never ceased, sounding like a flock of chattering crows. At times they mocked his futility, at times they tempted him to give up, and at times they hypocritically promised peaceful coexistence.
"[Rin]-kun, it's so hard. Don't go to that broken temple; come keep me company instead."
"What's the use of chanting sutras with a monk? Don't be stupid."
"With such excellent assets, wouldn't becoming a monk be too much self-torture?"
"[Rin]-kun, why are you so guarded against us? We bear you no malice."
"Let's have a good talk. Our hearts are connected; there's no need for things to be so stiff."
"Let's all get along peacefully."
[Amamiya Rin] clenched his teeth, striving to ignore this static noise. He focused his attention on the road beneath his feet and the crutch in his hand, trying his best not to think, so that the [Tomie]s could not capture his thoughts.
[Tomie] was not to be trusted.
The thought flashed by in an instant.
He didn't deny that [Tomie] might not hold malice toward him. If she simply wanted him to submit to [Tomie]'s charm, that indeed wouldn't count as malice. However, once he truly yielded to [Tomie]'s charm, he would naturally fall into an abyss of despair. This had nothing to do with [Tomie]'s will.
Finally, just as the sky began to turn yellow, [Amamiya Rin] stepped onto the stone stairs in front of [Kikoku Temple].
He was so tired he was nearly prostrate; sweat dripped down his chin, and his lungs burned with pain.
The temple before him was smaller and more dilapidated than he had imagined. The courtyard walls were mottled, and the wooden temple gates stood open, the paint peeling off to reveal the wood grain beneath. The courtyard was very quiet; only the rustling of wind through leaves and the chirping of unknown insects could be heard.
Through the open gates, the courtyard appeared silent. There was only an old monk, dry and thin in stature with kind eyebrows and benevolent eyes, wearing an old monastic robe. He was holding a broom, leisurely sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground.
[Amamiya Rin] panted for a moment, adjusting his breathing, before walking into the temple and bowing respectfully to the old monk.
"Excuse me, are you the abbot here?"
The old monk stopped sweeping. He raised his head, narrowing his eyes to size up [Amamiya Rin]. His gaze lingered for a moment on [Amamiya Rin]'s pale complexion and the crutch before he slowly nodded.
"This poor monk is he. Does the benefactor have some urgent business? To drag a sick body all the way to [Kikoku Temple]."
[Amamiya Rin] said, "It was Officer [Indou] from the Police History Compilation Office who introduced me."
"Ranko? Come in and have a cup of tea first."
A look of surprise appeared on the Abbot's face. He set the broom aside, led [Amamiya Rin] to a simple tea room next to the side hall, and poured him a cup of hot tea.
[Amamiya Rin] lifted the teacup. As the hot tea went down his stomach, he finally felt a bit of warmth return to his freezing hands and feet.
"That child, Ranko, is far more capable than this poor monk. She can handle ordinary demons and abnormalities on her own. For her to send you to the temple, you must have encountered a difficult problem regarding the mind, correct?"
The Abbot also held a cup of tea and sat opposite [Amamiya Rin], a peaceful smile on his wrinkled face.
[Amamiya Rin] put down his teacup and got straight to the point. "Abbot, have you heard of [Tomie]?"
Hearing this, the Abbot's expression slightly congealed. "I have heard a little. It is a demonic barrier of extremely deep obsession; one could call her a Demoness of the Desire Realm."
"Since the Master knows of [Tomie], you must understand my purpose in coming."
[Amamiya Rin] took the copy of The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan from his bag and placed it on the low table between them.
"Officer [Indou] instructed me to come ask the Master for guidance in studying this sutra."
"The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan?"
Seeing the name of the Buddhist sutra, the Abbot shook his head slightly, his tone carrying disapproval. "Ranko is being reckless as usual."
He looked up at [Amamiya Rin] and asked, "Does the benefactor know what the [White Skeleton Visualization] is?"
"I know a little. Roughly speaking, it involves visualizing the vibrant, living flesh gradually turning into a skeleton to eliminate lust. I have previously encountered concepts related to the Kusozu and the Clavicle Avalokitesvara."
[Amamiya Rin] nodded. If he didn't know about the [White Skeleton Visualization], he wouldn't have asked [Yuko]-san to help buy a book explaining it this morning.
Though it had been a futile effort.
Without a famous teacher to guide him, he couldn't understand it at all.
Phrases like 'Bind the mind thus, observe the five knots closely, do not let it scatter. If the mind scatters, gather it back.' Or 'Like the previous thought of half a knot, when the thought is formed, the body feels warm and the heart hot. When this thought is attained, it is called the abiding of the bound mind.'
And things like 'In the receptacle of life, there are eighty million small worms. Each worm is born from the veins... forty-nine heads...'
It was all mystical babble. He recognized every single character, but once they formed sentences, he couldn't comprehend them.
"Correct, yet incorrect. Too superficial. The fundamental purpose of the [White Skeleton Visualization] lies in breaking the greedy attachment to this physical body of desire, and observing the principles that all phenomena are impermanent and impure," the Abbot said slowly, nodding and then shaking his head.
"The Buddha Shakyamuni entrusted his disciple Ananda: 'You teach the people of the world to cultivate Samadhi; they must first cut off the mind of lust. This is called the first clear and decisive instruction of the Tathagatas and World-Honored Ones of the past. Therefore, Ananda, if one does not cut off lust while practicing Zen meditation, it is like steaming sand and stones hoping they become rice; even after hundreds of thousands of kalpas, it will only be named hot sand.'"
The Abbot continued, "To practice Zen observation and attain liberation, one must first cut off greedy lust. However, among the various methods of practice, the [White Skeleton Visualization] is one of the most radical. One slip, and you will enter fire deviation, developing a loathing for all sentient beings. This method originated from the ascetic Shramanas of India. They chose to live in the Sitavana, observing the process of corpses decaying into dust to realize the impermanence of worldly things and the shortness of life. This is not the method of cultivation advocated by the Buddha."
[Amamiya Rin] spoke decisively, "I do not have the time to proceed step-by-step with gentle methods. Even if the [White Skeleton Visualization] is radical, it is my only choice right now."
The Abbot said, "The [White Skeleton Visualization] is not something that can be achieved overnight. Even using the most extreme method—finding a corpse to visualize—would require a year."
[Amamiya Rin] immediately responded, "The length of time doesn't matter. What I value is that its method of practice is relatively simple and doesn't require an extremely profound foundation in Buddhist studies."
"Precisely because the entry is simple, it is all the more dangerous."
The wrinkles on the Abbot's forehead gathered as he held a negative attitude toward [Amamiya Rin]'s words.
"During the visualization process, the practitioner must directly face the most essential and cruel aspects of life. Without the Zen foundation of a mind of renunciation and Bodhicitta, the practitioner is prone to falling into the error of excessive loathing for life, deviating from the original intent of breaking attachment, and transforming into another kind of demonic barrier."
[Amamiya Rin] listened quietly. When the Abbot finished, he spoke calmly, "Abbot, I understand everything you've said. However, you seem to have misunderstood my purpose. I am not trying to understand the original intent of the Buddha's teachings, nor do I seek any enlightenment or liberation. All I want is to borrow the practice of the [White Skeleton Visualization] to fight against [Tomie]'s magic power. Radical? Paranoid? That is exactly what I want. Ordinary Buddhism cannot contend with [Tomie]; otherwise, [Tomie] wouldn't have been at large for so many years, would she?"
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