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

Chapter 115: Jin Chan has been demoted for a long time, Xiao Xian is actually a native of Nanzhanbuzhou (asking for monthly tickets)

But when Jiang Yuan came out of the Main Hall, a divine monk came and took him to the seats, which were divided into upper, lower, left and right seats. The immortal came from the Three Stars Immortal Cave, and the divine monk invited the immortal to sit in the upper seat. All the people in this seat were people with great supernatural powers, or they were immortals in heaven or famous immortals in the Three Realms.

When Jiang Yuan sat down, Buddhists came with spiritual fruits and fragrant tea. However, one of the seats on the left and right of his seat was empty, and the other was occupied by an immortal. The immortal had an dignified look, a precious scroll hanging from his waist, and bare feet. He looked like an immortal, and he was indeed an enlightened immortal.

When the immortal saw Jiang Yuan, he stood up and bowed, saying, "But is it Master Guangxin who is here in person? I have long admired him."

Jiang Yuan stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "It is me. Please forgive my poor eyesight for not recognizing the immortal in person."

The fairy smiled and said, "It's better not to mention my nickname. People often see me barefoot and call me the barefoot fairy."

Jiang Yuan said: "It turned out to be the barefoot immortal in person."

The barefoot immortal smiled and said, "My name is insignificant, but it is not as good as the real one. The Jade Emperor invited the real one twice but was refused. His name has spread far and wide in the three realms."

Jiang Yuan said, "I didn't know how to appreciate your kindness. The Jade Emperor didn't blame me, which made me feel deeply grateful to him. How could I be so ashamed to receive such a high reputation? Please don't mention it, Barefoot Immortal."

The barefoot immortal said, "I know you, you just want to practice freely."

Jiang Yuan talked with the barefoot immortal about the affairs of the three realms and the ways of cultivation. They had a very pleasant conversation. They were both very happy to have made good friends at the basin festival.

The barefoot immortal held Jiang Yuan's hand and said, "Master, please come sit in my temple when you are free."

Jiang Yuan said: "If I have time, I will definitely go and have a chat. Then, please don't blame me for disturbing you."

The barefoot immortal laughed and said, "How can you say I am disturbing you?"

While the two were talking, there was suddenly a fragrant breeze. Jiang Yuan looked up and saw someone sitting at the table next to him. As soon as he saw this person, he stood up quickly to greet him.

This person is none other than the Immortal Zhen Yuanzi.

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Guangxin pays homage to the Immortal Zhen Yuanzi."

Zhen Yuanzi came over and said with a smile: "Guangxin, you came here today, but I didn't expect Bodhi to come."

Jiang Yuan said: "Great Immortal, I am here on behalf of my master."

Zhen Yuanzi exchanged a few pleasantries with him with a smile, then greeted the barefoot immortal before taking a seat.

After Zhen Yuanzi sat down, he asked, "I heard that you, Guangxin, have been practicing with Laojun recently."

Jiang Yuan said: "Great Immortal, I have received some care from Laojun. I dare not say that I practice with you."

Zhen Yuanzi pointed at Jiang Yuan and said with a smile: "Your character has not changed for many years. This is a good thing. Your heart is not swayed, and you go far and are not entangled by the world. Guangxin, do you know everything about this Dharma Assembly?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Great Immortal, my master and Laojun once told me about this."

Zhen Yuanzi asked, "Now that you know this, what do you think?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Great Immortal, my master and Laojun once said that this matter is related to all living beings, so we cannot stop it, we can only help."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded and smiled, "That's right."

While the two were talking, more and more Buddhists and immortals gathered in front of the main hall, and all the seats were occupied, except for one or two seats at the top.

Jiang Yuan asked: "Great Immortal, who is sitting on these two seats?"

Zhen Yuanzi said, "The Great Celestial Lord and the Lord Lao. The Great Celestial Lord is the common ruler of the Three Realms. It is normal for him not to come here. The Lord Lao is the Supreme. It is up to him to come or not. There are only a handful of people in the Three Realms who can invite the Lord Lao."

Jiang Yuan was about to say something.

Suddenly he saw someone coming, he looked up and it was Maitreya Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva was smiling and had a Zen spirit in his body. It was the moment of enlightenment and the wonder of Zen.

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Maitreya Bodhisattva, I haven't seen you for many years. I didn't expect that you have already mastered the exquisite Zen method. Congratulations, congratulations!"

The immortal Zhen Yuanzi stood up and said with a smile: "Guangxin, you don't know that Maitreya Bodhisattva has become a Buddha now. You should call him Maitreya Buddha."

Jiang Yuan was surprised and said, "I didn't expect this. I hope Maitreya Buddha will forgive my ignorance."

Maitreya Buddha smiled and said, "This is the Dharma taught by the True Man. It cannot be explained in words."

Jiang Yuan said: "It has long been said that Zen does not rely on words. This is what Maitreya Buddha realized on his own."

Maitreya Buddha said: "This Dharma of mine came from the hands of a real person. No matter what you say, you should treat the real person with respect as a disciple."

How could Jiang Yuan accept such a gift? He talked to Maitreya Buddha for a long time. Maitreya Buddha was determined to do so and no one could persuade him.

Maitreya Buddha talked to Jiang Yuan for a while and then left and returned to his seat.

Jiang Yuan suddenly felt helpless.

The immortal Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile: "You are also a Buddhist master now."

Jiang Yuan said: "Great Immortal, you can't say that."

Say it.

He looked up and looked around the table, looking for old friends to greet, but after looking for a long time, there was no one.

The immortal asked, "Who are you looking for, Guangxin?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Great Immortal, I once taught at a ceremony in Zizhu Forest and met a man named Jin Chanzi, who was the second disciple of Buddha Lao, but I don't see him now."

The immortal said, "Guangxin is in heaven cultivating with Laojun, so he doesn't know that this is a common thing. Jin Chanzi is not in Lingshan now, but he committed a crime, so he was demoted to a true spirit and reincarnated in the East to cultivate again."

Jiang Yuan asked, "What did you do?"

The immortal said, "Golden Chanzi has always liked Zen. At the Dharma Assembly, he looked down on the Dharma of Nirvana and refused to listen to what the Buddha said. He often talked about the importance of Zen and the triviality of Nirvana, so he was demoted. By the way, this Golden Chanzi is also an old friend of mine. Hundreds of years ago, there was a Dharma Assembly. At that time, Golden Chanzi personally served me tea. We have some affection for each other."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he was silent for a long time. He never expected such a thing to happen.

Suddenly, there was a sound of bells, and infinite light was seen coming out from the main hall. The Tathagata came out riding on this light, sat upright on a lotus platform, and landed among the people, occupying the most honorable position.

All the people stood up, put their palms together, bowed to the Buddha three times, and chanted "Venerable Muni".

Tathagata said, "Since I was a monkey in heaven, I have lived in seclusion and rarely come out. I am seldom seen by other gods. Today, on the first day of the first month of autumn, I will hold a Ullambana Festival and meet with you all. I have a basin with hundreds of exotic flowers and thousands of exotic fruits. I will share them with you all. After you have enjoyed them all, I will explain the true Dharma to you all."

Say it.

The Tathagata asked Ananda and Kasyapa to hold the treasure bowl for the crowd to watch. Everyone who saw it praised it and was obsessed with the treasure bowl, as if they were praising the incomparable treasure.

The two venerables held the treasure bowl in front of Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan looked around, and saw precious light all around in the basin. He looked carefully and found that the basin was empty, without a single object in it. He didn't understand what it meant.

The second venerable smiled and went to other seats with the treasure bowl.

The immortal asked, "Guangxin, what did you see?"

Jiang Yuan sat upright and answered, "I don't see anything. It's completely empty." The immortal smiled and said, "Excellent, excellent, excellent!"

Jiang Yuan didn't understand what he meant, so he asked, "Why is it called wonderful, Great Immortal?"

The immortal said, "You don't know that this treasure basin was created when the universe was first divided, when the universe was first divided. This treasure basin can illuminate all aspects of human life, including appearance, voice, thoughts, past lives, mysteries of the womb, and troubles. However, if one's mind is defective, one will see something in the basin, and the view will be different. If one sees nothing, then one's Tao mind is intact, and it should be called wonderful."

Jiang Yuan said: "It is like this."

He knew that his mind was flawless, and had no intention of trying to spy on the flaws in others' minds. He just sat at the table, quietly waiting for the Dharma Assembly.

The treasure bowl was passed around the table for the Buddhas and immortals to read. All of them praised it and said that the treasure was exquisite. One said there were all kinds of fragrant flowers in the bowl, another said the wine in the bowl was better than the imperial wine, and one said there was a wonderful Dharma in the bowl that would lead to enlightenment. Their opinions were different.

Tathagata sat upright on the lotus platform, smiling without saying a word, looking at Guangxin and the immortal Zhenyuanzi at the table, and nodded slightly.

After an unknown amount of time, the treasure bowl passed through Tathagata's hands, who put it away and asked, "What do you think of this treasure bowl?"

Everyone left the table to express their gratitude, saying that the precious basin was exquisite. They paid homage to the Venerable Muni and presented poems to the Buddha.

These are poems of blessing, prosperity, and longevity praising the Buddha, who spoke of them with joy.

We all again ask the Tathagata to make clear the root, explain the source, and expound the true Dharma of Nirvana.

The Tathagata said: "Since the public has invited me, I should not refuse. I should preach the wonderful Sutra of Nirvana."

Let us all pay our tribute again.

The Tathagata then preached the wonderful Dharma. When one heard his preaching, there were celestial dragons surrounding him and colorful rain of flowers.

Jiang Yuan washed his ears and listened attentively to the Dharma. This Dharma of Nirvana was very different from what Avalokitesvara taught at the Purple Bamboo Forest Dharma Assembly. The Dharma of Nirvana taught by Avalokitesvara was the most exquisite Dharma, pointing directly to the true Dharma. What Tathagata taught now was the superior Dharma of Nirvana, but he was able to explain such difficult and obscure words in an easy-to-understand way. This is a practice that only a real person can compare to.

To measure the depth of the Tao, preaching is the most subtle expression. Those with shallow Tao are unable to express what they have learned, while those with deep Tao can give people a sudden enlightenment and feel it is exquisite.

However, there are very few people who have a deep understanding of the Tao. If you meet someone preaching the Tao, eight or nine out of ten are not those who have a deep understanding of the Tao. They are those who have been deceived by two spirits and use their little knowledge to talk eloquently, claiming to be the true Tao.

Jiang Yuan listened to Buddhist teachings and improved his own ways.

……

It’s hard to describe how fast time passes. The four seasons change and before you know it, two or three hundred years have gone by.

Practitioners have no count of the time. In two or three hundred years, dynasties change and kings come and go. When you look at the scene again, there is nothing else but this Dharma Assembly.

Two or three hundred years later, after the Tathagata had finished speaking, the crowd began to savor the teachings and awakened to the profoundness of Buddhism.

Jiang Yuan also felt that nirvana was wonderful and that it was, after all, the true Dharma that existed today. He benefited greatly from what the Tathagata said, but there were many difficult to understand parts in it and he was deeply confused. Fortunately, Patriarch Bodhi taught him a lot and enabled him to understand and resolve his doubts.

If this Dharma is taught to those who do not understand it, it is very likely that they will figure it out on their own and thus distort the true Dharma.

Tathagata said, "I have just finished speaking."

When everyone heard this, they praised the Buddha and expressed their deep gratitude.

The Tathagata said again: "Now that I have finished speaking, I must speak to you all. Before this Dharma Assembly, I looked at the four continents and saw that the good and evil beings in each continent were different."

A bodhisattva was present and asked, "Buddha, what do you say?"

Tathagata said: "Looking at the people of Dongsheng Shenzhou, they respect heaven and earth, and their hearts are clear and calm. People of Beijuluzhou like to kill, but they only do it to make a living. They are clumsy and indifferent, so they don't do much harm. People of Xiniuhezhou are not greedy and don't kill. They cultivate their spirits and have a long life. Although they are not the Supreme Truth, everyone has a long life. Looking at the people of Nanshanbuzhou, they are greedy, lustful, and enjoy misfortune. They kill a lot and fight a lot. All living beings are stupid and slanderous. It is a vicious place of words and a sea of ​​right and wrong. Among those in the three realms, there is no one born in Nanshanbuzhou. This is the most evil place, without any good, so there are no people with supernatural powers. What do you think?"

Everyone praised the Tathagata’s wisdom eye.

When Jiang Yuan heard this, the holy fetus in the Niwan Palace was slightly shaken. He knew what the ancestor had done with him, and why Laojun said that this matter had cause and effect with him. How could he be taught to go with the flow, echo the Buddha and Laozi, and accept the evil of the Southern Continent. He practiced and lived in seclusion, but he had traveled to the Western Continent and the Southern Continent.

Although the Southern Continent has suffered from the Three Disasters, the rituals are still there. On the other hand, the Western Continent is a land of suffering. The foot of the Lingshan Mountain is rich, but those who are far from the Lingshan Mountain are suffering. The ancestors once said, "If there is no education, there will be many demons, the elders will be without ambition, the young will be without order, and the spirits of plants and trees will not exist in this place."

In the past, he and Laojun went west out of Hangu Pass and walked for thirty-three years without finding a way. They were afraid of the Tao like a tiger and only respected the distorted Tao of Nirvana. They sought for the afterlife and suffered life and death without caring. How could he not know why?

The immortal was a little disturbed, and immediately came forward and said, "Venerable Muni, I am a native of Jambudvīpa."

But the people in the Dharma Assembly were seen looking around with their eyes lowered, and many of them had heard of and recognized the True Man.

The Tathagata looked over and said, "I know that the Immortal Guangxin has long since severed the causal relationship with the Southern Continent."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Venerable, I am practicing this method of severing ties because I came into the world to practice, so as to avoid the disturbances of human calamities during my practice. I am indeed a person born in Jambudvīpa."

Tathagata said: "In this case, I was wrong."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Venerable Sir, all living beings suffer. In Jambudvīpa there are places like the sea of ​​suffering as you have said, and in Aparagodānīya there are also such places."

Tathagata said: "Master Guangxin is well versed in Buddhism. It is because all living beings suffer. Xi Niu Hezhou is under the guidance of Buddhism and deeply influenced by it. Sooner or later, he will be saved. That is why Jambudvīpa is far from Buddhism. Therefore, I want to pass on the Tripitaka to Jambudvīpa to persuade people to be good and save them from the sea of ​​suffering."

A Bodhisattva clasped his hands and asked, "Do you have the Three Treasures?"

Tathagata said: "There is a collection of Dharma, which talks about heaven. There is a collection of theories, which talks about earth. There is a collection of sutras, which saves ghosts. The three collections total 35 volumes, 15,144 volumes, which are the supreme scriptures and the door to goodness. I originally taught to send them to the East, but I am afraid that the people in the East will despise them. Therefore, I need a Buddhist with magical powers to go to the East to find a good believer, teach him to endure thousands of mountains and cross thousands of rivers, and go to Lingshan to obtain the true scriptures, so that I can spread them to the East and teach the people. This is a great blessing and a great blessing. Who is willing to go?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva approached and said, "Disciple is willing to go."

The Tathagata was overjoyed when he saw this and said, "Since the Venerable Avalokitesvara is willing to go, then he can go. The Ullambana Festival will be over now. Thank you for coming."

The crowd repeatedly praised Sakyamuni before dispersing.

Jiang Yuanben was about to leave when he suddenly felt something in his heart. He turned around and saw Guanyin Bodhisattva coming towards him, asking him to stay.

The Immortal Zhen Yuanzi was about to talk to Jiang Yuan, but when he saw the ruler on Jiang Yuan's waist, he smiled, shook his head, and left on a auspicious cloud.

Jiang Yuan was waiting quietly at the table.

The Bodhisattva approached and said, "Master, you cannot say this. Master's Zen method is suspected of competing with the Dharma. Master's words may cause discord."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, there is a saying that 'monks do not tell lies'. The Western Niuhe Continent is right before our eyes, how can we not see its suffering? Instead, we slander the Southern Jambudvīpa Continent with our words."

The Bodhisattva said, "The True Man is indeed a man of profound Dharma. When I saw you before, you only cared about saving yourself. Now I see that you have compassion for all living beings. Now is the time when the World Honored One asks to see you."

Jiang Yuan said: "Please let the Bodhisattva show us the way so that we can see the Venerable."

The Bodhisattva said, "Please follow me, True Man."

Say it.

The Bodhisattva and Jiang Yuan walked towards the Main Hall. There were monks offering sacrifices and paying respects in front of the hall door. The monks did not dare to stop them and opened the door to let the Bodhisattva in.

When he entered the Main Hall, he saw the Buddha Tathagata sitting on a lotus pedestal, waiting for him.

Jiang Yuan waved his whisk lightly and walked towards the lotus platform...

(End of this chapter)