Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 107: Fear of Distortion, Visiting the Monkey King at the Five Elements Mountain
It’s hard to describe how fast time flies. The days and months pass by like an shuttle and before I know it, three years have gone by.

A true man cultivates his nature and practices Taoism, so how can he know how much time he has? He only hopes that since his Taoism is shallow and his Dharma is weak, he will practice cultivation wholeheartedly and not dare to make any mistakes.

During these three years, disciples have come and gone in the mansion, and it is countless. Now there are still thirty or forty people in the mansion practicing with the master. There are only two disciples who practice with the master regularly. One is Jiang Yuan and the other is Zhen Jian.

In the second year, pairs of fairies from heaven came with treasures to thank the immortal for conquering the demon in the past. The treasures were all bestowed by the Jade Emperor, including a hundred golden flowers, a hundred bottles of royal wine, rare pearls, brocades and many other things, as well as a seven-star crown, which had the ability to protect the body.

Jiang Yuan obtained all the treasures and presented them to the master, giving a little to Zhenjian, but he did not keep any for himself.

The master could not refuse, so he left the Seven-Star Crown to Jiang Yuan. From then on, the immortal had another treasure.

One day, Jiang Yuan was cultivating his mind and cultivating his true self, trying to calm his mind and avoid any disturbance. There was a knock on the door, and it was the Ox King outside.

Jiang Yuan got up from his cushion and opened the door to his master, but when he saw Niu Wang standing outside, he smiled and said, "You cow, you don't practice. Now that you have some free time, you don't visit my family more often. Why do you come to my place?"

The Bull King said, "I was originally at the Yaotai. The Grandmaster saw that I was at leisure and asked me to come and call the master. The Grandmaster is waiting for the master at the Yaotai."

Jiang Yuan said: "This is the fate. You go ahead, I will go see the master."

The Bull King nodded and cleared the way for the immortal to leave.

Jiang Yuan, wearing a purple robe of the sun and moon, walked along the path towards the Yaotai. After a while, he arrived at the Yaotai and saw the ancestor sitting on the altar, waiting for him.

The real person walked up to the class, bowed before the master, and said, "Master, I am your disciple."

The master said, "Teacher, take a seat in the class."

Jiang Yuan sat down on the cushion in the class after hearing this. After he sat down, he asked, "Master, is there anything I can do for you?"

The master said, "I have recently felt something in my heart. With my profound Dharma power, I have looked throughout the three realms. I see that there is a person with whom you have a predestined relationship. He will lose his true self and will no longer cultivate his mind. I am now telling you. You can either go down the mountain and save one or two of them, or wait for them to reflect on themselves. It all depends on you, child."

Jiang Yuan didn't understand what he meant and asked, "Master, what is this fate?"

The master said, "You saved his mother and had meals at his home."

Jiang Yuan heard this and said, "Master, now I know that he is a filial gentleman. He is filial. When I first met him, his surname was Liu. When I met him again, his surname was Li. Now I don't know his surname or name. Master, do you know how I got to know him? I don't even remember my connection with him."

The master laughed and said, "Do you remember the Evil Wind Mountain?"

Jiang Yuan thought about it for a long time and replied, "Master, Junior Brother Dahui was in trouble in the mountains in the past. At that time, the five disciples were not yet determined. We went to subdue the monster and fought with the king of the beasts on the ground. We subdued the monster."

The master said, "There was an old man at that time. Do you remember?"

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "He is an old man in the village, so he will remember it."

The ancestor said, "When the old man saw you, he felt grateful and admired you, so he spent the rest of his life spreading your skills and increasing your reputation. He secretly cultivated his mind and came here because of the Dharma. In the future, you will cultivate the Dharma. When you succeed, the Dharma will also succeed, and then we will have the relationship of master and disciple. In the meantime, his original appearance has been lost, and the Dharma may be destroyed."

After hearing this, Jiang Yuan realized that fate is hard to come by. The fate between master and disciple is very important and should not be treated according to common sense. Those who can become disciples have usually practiced for several lifetimes and have a desire for the Tao in their hearts and a thought of their true self. Only after practicing the fate for several lifetimes can they be granted the opportunity to enter the door.

However, these are only the conditions for getting started. If you practice side doors after getting started, it is your own choice.

He said, "Master, I understand now."

The ancestor said, "It's up to you to go or stay."

Jiang Yuan pondered for a long time and said, "Master, I have known for a long time that this person has a predestined relationship with me. However, because the time has not come, I have never stayed with him. Now that he is about to lose his true self, I will leave."

The master smiled and said, "Good."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Master, I will go now. I hope you can show me the way."

The master pointed to the east and said, "Just go east. You have a predestined relationship with him. If you are willing to help him, you will definitely meet him again."

Jiang Yuan bowed again before leaving.

He left the Yaotai and followed the old path back to the quiet room. When he arrived in front of the quiet room, he saw Niu Wang sitting at the door, not knowing what he was doing.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and asked, "Niu'er, what are you doing?"

The Bull Demon King replied, "I know the master will come back, so I am waiting for him."

Jiang Yuan said, "You are quite wise. I am going down the mountain and heading east. Are you willing to go with me? If you don't want to, you can practice in the mountains and I can go home to look after you. Just don't let your practice be disrupted."

The Bull Demon King said, "I am willing to follow you down the mountain."

Jiang Yuan said, "In that case, you take your armor and call the deer over. I will pack everything up and then we will set off eastward."

The Bull Demon King bowed and said, "Master, I will go right away."

After the ceremony, he turned around and went out of the mansion.

Jiang Yuan entered the room and took all his treasures with him. He saw that the immortal was wearing a seven-star crown on his head, a purple robe of the sun and the moon, his eyes were full of spirit, he held a jade-handled whisk in his hand, a Yu Ding tied around his waist, and square shoes on his feet. He looked even more immortal and full of majesty.

The immortal put on all his treasures, packed them up, left the quiet room, bowed three times to the master, and left the Sanxing Immortal Cave.

When they arrived outside the gate of Sanxing Cave Mansion, Dan Youzhen was seen sitting beside the gate, holding a leaf fan and smiling.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward, Zhen Jianwang stood up and bowed, saying, "Big Brother."

Jiang Yuan returned the greeting and said, "How is your junior brother?"

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "I heard that the Bull King was leaving the palace, so I stopped him and asked him. Then I knew that you were leaving. Big Brother, can I help you? If I can help you, I will definitely follow you."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "This time, I have a destiny outside, and I will lose my true identity. That's why I am going down the mountain, but I don't need you. If I have something to do next year, I will ask you to go with me. I hope you won't refuse then."

Zhen Jian bowed and said, "Just follow your orders, Senior Brother. Senior Brother, take your time."

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded. He could see that Zhenjian had considerable magical powers. Things were different now. If Zhenjian needed help with something, he would tell him.

Zhen Jian bowed and sent Zhenren away from the house.

When they arrived outside the mansion, they saw the Bull Demon King, dressed in armor, holding a mixed iron stick, and leading a white deer, waiting for a long time.

As Jiang Yuan approached, the white deer crouched. The immortal turned over and rode on the deer, while the Bull King led the deer down the mountain.

The Bull King asked, "Master, just go east?"

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Just go east."

The Bull King said nothing and led the deer forward.

Jiang Yuan lowered his head to look at the Bull King. Compared with the beginning, the Bull King was now much calmer. Although the five people were far away, they had hope. As the saying goes, 'the road is long and difficult, but if you keep walking you will reach your destination'.

I just hope that King Niu can practice with peace of mind, and sooner or later the five people will surrender.

……

Autumn has gone, winter is coming to an end, and spring is halfway through. I don’t know where the fate is.

Jiang Yuan rode a white deer, with the Bull Demon King as his guardian, and traveled thousands of miles. Before he knew it, nearly a year had passed. He was traveling on the road to Hezhou in the West Niu, but wherever the real person went, the demons would retreat and would not dare to attack him.

The breeze is blowing strongly here, and it is the time of spring.

Jiang Yuan traveled to many countries, but never found the law of fate.

But he saw that most people were those who loved fame and wealth, and none of them were those who cared about their lives. Therefore, the Immortal did not stop, but went east. After traveling for a long time in the Southern Continent, he saw a mountain in the distance. This mountain was as high as the sky, towering and steep. Jiang Yuan thought to himself that it was strange. He had traveled between the two continents many times, and when did such a high mountain appear on this road? He gathered his energy and eyes, and saw that this mountain was full of the energy of the five elements. There was a golden note on the top of the mountain, which read "Om Mani Padme Hum", and infinite light was there.

This is the Five Elements Mountain.

Wukong is imprisoned here.

The Bull Demon King held the reins in one hand and held a mixed iron stick in the other, and asked, "Master, is there a demon in this mountain? I want you to stop and watch."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "There is no demon, it is Wukong who is here."

The Bull Demon King asked in surprise: "Is the monkey head pressed here?"

Jiang Yuan said: "That's right."

The Bull Demon King stuck the iron rod into the ground, loosened the reins and took two steps forward. He took a closer look and saw that there were a lot of mosses in the mountains and a lot of ivy on the walls. There were few people. He asked, "Although the monkey was defeated in the riot in the Heavenly Palace, he made friends with countless heroes in the past. Why is there no one to see it now? It's so deserted. Could it be that there are gods secretly watching over it and not letting others come?"

Jiang Yuan said: "There are five Jiedis in this mountain, and the land god is guarding it, but they have no intention of stopping him, they just monitor him and don't let Wukong escape."

The Bull Demon King said, "That monkey has made so many friends, yet no one comes to see him!"

Jiang Yuan said, "Well! Since we have come here today, let's show our transformation and see what happens."

The Bull King took the order and felt disappointed in his heart, thinking that he, the old bull, had made countless friends in the past, almost as many as this monkey-headed man. If he were to behave like this, surely no one would come to see him.

Jiang Yuan made the white deer travel a long way.

The five Jiedis descended from the mountain on clouds, bowed to the Immortal, and said, "We pay our respects to the Immortal Guangxin."

The five gates are golden-headed gate, silver-headed gate, paragate, parasamgate and mahagate, who are the guardian gods of the west.

Jiang Yuan returned the greeting and said, "No need to be so polite, the five of you. Is this where the Great Sage is imprisoned?"

The Five Jiedis replied, "That's right. We are following the Buddha's command to keep the Great Sage in custody so that he won't escape."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Has anyone come here since the Great Sage imprisoned me?"

The Five Directions Jie Di replied, “Some ordinary people only see the great saint’s miraculous powers and often come to see him. Apart from him, no one else comes.”

Jiang Yuan said, "To be honest with you, the Great Sage and I were once fellow disciples. I have been traveling east and would like to meet him. Is that possible?"

The Five Directions Jie Di bowed and said, "The old Buddha said that the Great Sage would not escape. If the True Man wants to see him, then of course it is okay. Please feel free to do so."

Jiang Yuan nodded, talked with him for a while, and then asked the Five Directions Jie Di to leave.

When the Bull Demon King saw the Five Jiedis leaving, he approached and said, "Master, these five people are quite capable."

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "How can we protect Hercules without any ability?"

The Bull Demon King said: "It's OK, but if you fight me, five people can't resist my iron rod, and the Lily Sect will beat them to death."

Say it.

The Bull King covered his stomach and cried out in pain, which was exactly because he was distracted.

It took a while before it stopped.

Jiang Yuan said, "You little idiot, stop saying such things."

The Bull King said, "I know, I know."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Will you go with me?"

The Bull King said, "We were sworn brothers in the past, so we should investigate further."

Jiang Yuan said: "In this case, don't say anything more, just go with me."

The Bull King sang a yes.

Jiang Yuan shouted "change", and his body shook, and he changed into a shepherd boy of seven or eight years old, with a yin-yang corner bun on his head and simple clothes.

The Bull King chanted a mantra and said "change", and he transformed into an old yellow bull.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "You, the cow, are really good at transformation. I will become a shepherd boy and you will become a yellow cow."

The old ox let out a cry and its tail swung.

Jiang Yuan smiled and rode on the yellow ox, asking the white deer to wait in the forest. He rode the yellow ox toward the mountain. When he reached the foot of the mountain, he took a closer look and saw a stone box. Between the stone boxes was a head, which belonged to the monkey.

But the monkey now looks no longer as glorious as it used to be. It has a pointed mouth and shrunk cheeks, golden eyes and fiery eyes, moss on its head, grass on its temples, dirt between its eyebrows and mud between its nose. It looks miserable. Only its eyes can move, its throat and tongue can open, but its body cannot move.

This is undoubtedly a difficult place for the Monkey King, who is disturbed by the two gods and uncertain about the five people. However, this place is still a place for self-cultivation. Only in this way can one practice tranquility and return to the truth, and have hope of teaching the true master.

Jiang Yuan sent the yellow ox to the foot of the mountain, where he saw two or three young men who were not afraid of the Monkey King. They picked some wild grass on the Monkey King's head and played with it. The Monkey King bared his teeth and tried to scare them, but he could not scare the young men. It was just like 'a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, how could you know that this is the Sage Equal to Heaven'.

Jiang Yuan ordered the yellow ox to move closer and pretend to hit the boys, which frightened them and made them retreat. They dared not tease him anymore.

When the Monkey King saw the cattle-herding boy, he did not recognize him as his eldest senior brother and sworn brother, and said, "Thank you, little boy."

The shepherd boy approached, got off the ox and asked, "Where did you come from, and why are you trapped on the mountain?"

The Monkey King said, "You little kid, you are not afraid of me."

The shepherd boy laughed and said, "You are imprisoned in the mountains, why should I be afraid of you? No matter what I do to you, you can't do anything to me. You haven't told me yet, why did you grow up under the mountain? Are you a mountain monster?"

The Monkey King said, "Your son is a mountain monster! I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Because I caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace, I was tricked by Tathagata and was pressed under the mountain."

The shepherd boy said, "You mountain monster, you are really good at fooling people. Although I am young, I know what is true and what is false. How can you fool me with such words?"

The Monkey King scolded, "Go away, go away! What can I say to a child like you?"

The shepherd boy was not angry, but took a peach from his back and said, "I saw the priest in the mountains and I couldn't bear it, so I picked this peach during the day and gave it to you."

Say it.

The shepherd boy put the peach near the monkey king's mouth. The monkey king ate the peach in two or three bites and said with a smile: "You are really kind-hearted, little boy. I will not deceive you. It is getting dark, so go home quickly."

The shepherd boy said, "I am homeless and have only this yellow cow as my companion."

The monkey king asked: "You are so young, why are you homeless?"

The shepherd boy said, "Monster, listen to me. I was born in a poor family. Fortunately, my parents are alive. I make a living by herding during the day. I have enough food and clothing. One day, my father got a windfall and changed his mind. He divorced his wife and children and then dismissed his relatives. He only cared about the gold and treasure in his eyes and left home alone. How could he look like the father he used to be? He was confused and didn't know it. I heard that he left and suffered a disaster. He died and I don't know where his bones are. So I have no home to return to when I herd. How can I describe how miserable I am? Monster, I am homeless."

The Monkey King thought about it and said, "Since you are homeless, why don't you stay here with me?"

The shepherd boy laughed and said, "You are a mountain monster who grew up in the mountains. If I accompany you, won't I become a mountain boy?"

Say it.

The shepherd boy turned around and left on his ox.

The Monkey King was silent and thoughtful...

(End of this chapter)