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

Chapter 126 The Great Sage Returns to Fangcun Mountain and Meets the Immortal

But the group of people who were seeking the scriptures encountered obstacles in the Dharma Forest. They could not explain the Dharma, nor could they force their way across. They had no idea how to get there. So Monkey King went to the sea and met the Bodhisattva, asking for a solution.

When Monkey King heard the Bodhisattva's question, he said he had no face to see his eldest senior brother.

The Bodhisattva heard this and said, "Why do you have no face to see me?"

The Monkey King said, "I have received great kindness from my master. I was ignorant in the past and never repaid him. Now I have returned to the right path and followed Tang Monk on his journey to the west. I have taken refuge with the monks. I often miss you at night, but I am ashamed to see you now. I will have the face to see you when I have accomplished my mission in the future."

The Bodhisattva said: "This place can only be visited by you if you personally see the Immortal Guangxin of Sanxing Immortal Cave."

The traveler asked, "What do you mean?"

The Bodhisattva replied, "I will not hide it from you. The demon in the forest is the mount of Master Guangxin."

The traveler was surprised and asked, "Bodhisattva, is that thief the white deer?"

The Bodhisattva said, "That's right. As the saying goes, 'The one who tied the bell must be the one who can untie it.' If you want to teach in this forest, you must have the help of Master Guangxin."

The traveler said, "Bodhisattva, is there really no other way? It is often said that 'the way comes from the sea'. Why don't I go to the sea, travel around the three islands and ten continents, and seek a way."

The Bodhisattva said, "This Immortal is the mantle of the Three Stars Immortal Cave. In the past, he practiced with Laojun. The Jade Emperor refused to invite him twice. He debated with our Buddha Tathagata and never lost. Xiansheng is his good friend. Who dares to capture the white deer inside or outside the Three Realms? Tell me, how did this deer debate with Tang Monk, and why did Tang Monk retreat after just two words?"

The traveler said, "Bodhisattva, that white deer has some secrets. Ask my master about the true words of tranquility and Zen. Whoever says the true words are the most wonderful will win."

The Bodhisattva asked, "How about the deer's words of the mantra of nirvana?"

The traveler replied, "It means 'Great wisdom is at ease, indifferent in the state of non-birth, true wisdom is silent, free and unrestrained in the state of extinction'."

The Bodhisattva asked again: "How do you explain the Zen riddle?"

The traveler replied, "He said 'Do not establish words, point directly to your original mind, and you will become a Buddha by seeing your nature'. These two words made my master afraid to talk about Buddhism anymore."

The Bodhisattva said, "You have been fooled by that deer."

The traveler did not understand what he meant and asked, "Bodhisattva, why are you being laughed at for preaching?"

The Bodhisattva said, "In the past, after the Ullambana Festival at Lingshan, the True Man of Guangxin once debated with the Buddha Tathagata in the Great Hall of the Buddha. The words they debated were exactly what you said. These words were all said by the True Man during the debate."

The traveler suddenly realized and said angrily, "I thought to myself, that white deer, how could the Buddha's teachings be so profound, yet it is like this!"

The Bodhisattva said, "Tang Monk is now wavering in his heart. He must debate the Dharma with the deer fairly and impartially in order to preserve his Buddhahood. Wukong, this place cannot be accomplished without the help of a real person. I will go with you to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain."

Sun Xingzhe scratched his head and said, "No need to wait, no need to wait. I will go and invite my eldest brother myself."

The Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Really?"

Sun Xingzhe said, "It is true."

The Bodhisattva said, "Then go on your own and come back soon, so as not to keep the pilgrims waiting for too long."

The traveler said, "It is urgent to save the life. I dare not make any mistakes. I will go home and take a look."

Say it.

The traveler bowed and left the cave, then jumped towards Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

The Bodhisattva watched the traveler leave.

Venerable Hui An came forward and said, "Master, you borrowed the white deer to test its heart. How come Tang Monk seems to have lost his temper after listening to the Great Sage's words?"

The Bodhisattva said, "This place is bound to have disasters. Just as the Immortal said, if it weren't for us, there would be hundreds of spirits descending to the world to cause disasters. This is the disaster that Tang Monk has lost his spirit. Who would have thought that the white deer remembered the true words of the Buddha and the Immortal's debate and used it to embarrass Tang Monk."

Venerable Hui An said, "I wonder if the Great Sage can ask the real person to come out."

The Bodhisattva smiled and said, "This must be a success. That Immortal valued the friendship between fellow disciples and helped Wukong many times. Since Wukong personally asked for it, there is no reason for the Immortal not to help."

……

Talking about Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Jiang Yuan had a very pleasant conversation with Erlang Shen and they were in love with each other. Jiang Yuan was determined not to let Erlang Shen go, so she just arranged a place for him to stay for a long time.

The two chatted during the day and had a close relationship. From time to time, Erlang Shen would go hunting and invite Zhenren to go with him, and Zhenren would always agree.

One day, Erlang Shen asked Zhenren to test his magical powers and martial arts with him. Zhenren agreed. After a fight between the two, Jiang Yuan's magical powers finally won. After the fight, the two were ready to return home.

Before the two men returned home, brothers from Meishan came to report that there was a figure acting suspiciously outside the mountain and they didn't know what he was doing. They came to ask Xiansheng whether he should send troops to capture the figure.

When Xiansheng heard this, he just said, "This is the real person's home, and the real person's will is the decision."

Jiang Yuan heard this and said with a smile, "Let me take a look."

Say it.

Clouds and mist gathered under the Immortal's feet, and he lifted up his body and moved closer to the outside.

Erlang Shen also accompanied him on a cloud, holding a three-pointed, double-edged spear, with a guardian beside him.

The two men left Fangcun Mountain and looked around to see where the person the Meishan brothers mentioned was.

Erlang Shen held down the cloud and said, "Master, this place has all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, tall bamboos and pines. It is a blessed land for immortals. If you ask me to look for it like this, I don't know where to find it. Master, please look at my magical power."

Jiang Yuan said: "In this case, please trouble the True Lord to cast a spell."

Erlang Shen put his energy into his eyes, and a golden light appeared. As soon as he saw the golden light, he knew what was going on. He dispersed the golden light and said, "Master, you are a monkey spirit."

Jiang Yuan asked: "How do you say that?"

Erlang Shen said, "There is a monkey spirit in the south of the mountain. It has a golden hoop on its head, flaming eyes, and a cotton robe. It has some tricks and hides here. It intends to go up the mountain, but after walking three or four steps, it retreats."

Jiang Yuan heard it and understood it immediately, saying, "This is my junior fellow apprentice Wukong."

Erlang Shen said, "I heard from the Immortal earlier that this great sage converted to Buddhism and protected Tang Monk on his journey to the West. Now that his mission has been accomplished, he has returned to his master's sect?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I have two people who are still out there to rob. If the mission is successful, I will know. I don't know the reason here, so let me go and see them."

Erlang Shen said, "This Great Sage has some transformation skills. True Man, do you need me to join you?"

Jiang Yuan said, "There is no need for that. The monkey is well-behaved when seeing me and will not dare to offend me. But please come into the mansion and wait for me for a while. I will go and see what this monkey wants to see you for."

Erlang Shen responded and rode on the clouds to the Sanxing Immortal Cave.

Jiang Yuanfang then led the auspicious clouds to the south of the mountain.

After a while, the immortal reached the south of the mountain and looked down, and saw a monkey squatting on a tree, mumbling to himself.

Jiang Yuan pressed down the cloud and said, "Wukong." The monkey was frightened when he heard it and fell off the branch. He looked up and saw the eldest brother coming. He panicked and said, "Elder Brother."

Jiang Yuan, wearing a purple robe of the sun and moon, walked to the front of the monkey head and said with a smile: "I have heard that King Yu controlled the floods, and I passed by his door three times without entering. Monkey head, you have learned the determination of King Yu to control the floods, so how can you not learn from him? Now that Fang's family is in front, stay here."

The monkey head stumbled and said, "I dare not, I dare not."

Jiang Yuan said: "If you don't dare, how do you know that you are playing here and not entering the house?"

The monkey head knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said: "I have committed a crime and have not yet accomplished my mission. I have no face to return home, so I am staying here."

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "You monkey, since you have returned to the right path and are doing good deeds, why are you ashamed to see me? As long as you have a righteous heart, you can enter Fangcun Mountain and Sanxing Immortal Cave at any time. If you have no good heart and are bent on doing the way of demons, then you will be ashamed to see me."

The monkey's eyes were filled with tears. He kowtowed countless times and said, "Thank you so much, Senior Brother. Thank you so much, Senior Brother!"

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and helped the monkey up, saying, "No need to do this, you and I are from the same sect, and follow me to become my master."

The monkey was terrified and said, "I really can't bear to see the master. Big brother, please forgive me. If I succeed in the future and have a good career, I will see the master again then."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "It's up to you. Monkey, what are you doing in the mountains today?"

The monkey head said: "To be honest with you, Senior Brother, I am here for a matter and I want to ask for your help."

Jiang Yuan asked, "But what terrible disaster have you caused, monkey head, to come to me for help?"

The monkey head said: "Big Brother, I will return to the right path and will never cause trouble again."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Will you never get into trouble again?"

The monkey head said: "Don't get into trouble again!"

Jiang Yuan said, "I am listening. If you get into trouble and then tell me what you know, I will definitely laugh at you. Since you are not in trouble, just tell me what you know."

The monkey head said, "Big Brother, I am here to protect Tang Monk on his journey to the West, to seek a positive result, to teach him to practice perfectly and never cause trouble again. However, when we reached the Flowing Sand River, we passed through the Forest of Dharma, where we were blocked by a demon. The demon said that the winner would pass through the forest and the loser would return. Tang Monk could not win the argument, so I crossed the forest at night without letting the demon know. I wanted to fight with him, but when I saw that the demon was holding Big Brother's magic weapon, I dared not fight with him and had to retreat. We could neither argue nor fight. We went to find the Bodhisattva on the sea, only to find out that the demon was Big Brother's mount. So I came to find Big Brother, but I ask Big Brother to show mercy and call the mount back so that we can pass through the Forest of Dharma and there is hope for us to follow the right path."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he said, "The Bodhisattva asked me to borrow the deer in order to test Tang Monk's sincerity. How come Tang Monk couldn't even argue with my deer? Tang Monk's origin is Elder Jin Chan, so he shouldn't be like this."

The monkey head asked, "Big Brother, who is the Bodhisattva?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Bodhisattva of the sea."

The monkey-headed man listened to this and thought to himself, "What a great Bodhisattva! He was just being lazy. He asked me to protect Tang Monk on his journey to the west, and then brought disaster upon me. I was looking for him, but he never told me anything. Fortunately, the eldest brother told me, and I know what he said. This Bodhisattva is really unrighteous, and he deserves to be single for the rest of his life!"

He then said, "Big Brother, you don't know. If it was Tang Monk who was debating the Dharma, it wouldn't have come to this. But the deer remembered what Big Brother and Tathagata said in their debate, and used it to embarrass Tang Monk."

Jiang Yuan said, "What a deer! How could you say such things and embarrass Tang Monk? In this case, Monkey Head, I will go with you. However, True Lord Erlang Xiansheng is a guest in the mansion. If I leave, it would be impolite. Why don't you go with me to see True Lord Erlang Xiansheng? I will introduce you to him and then go and get the deer."

The monkey head said: "Just listen to the senior brother."

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked the monkey to follow him. He then rode the clouds and went up the mountain. The monkey did not dare to disobey and followed closely behind him.

Jiang Yuan originally wanted to go into the mansion to look for Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun, but unexpectedly he had not returned yet, and Zhenjun was just waiting outside the mansion.

When Jiang Yuan approached, Erlang Shen came to greet him.

Jiang Yuan asked, "Why is the True Lord here?"

Erlang Shen said with a smile: "Wait here for a moment. We are both entering the palace together. True man, could this be the Great Sage?"

Jiang Yuan said: "This is my junior fellow apprentice Sun Wukong."

The monkey head stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I didn't know that the Sage Master was here. I'm sorry, sorry."

Erlang Shen returned the greeting and said, "I have heard of the great sage's name a long time ago."

The two men exchanged some pleasantries, and Jiang Yuanben invited everyone to enter the mansion. Fearing that the monkey was cowardly, he went to the camp where the six brothers from Meishan and their troops had set up camp, set up a table and sat down. Erlang Shen brought out some prey and offered wine to welcome them.

The monkey said in embarrassment: "Big Brother, True Lord, you don't know that now, monks of the sect must eat vegetarian food every day and cannot break the precepts, but they cannot drink this wine or eat this meat. I will just sit here and you two brothers can eat."

Jiang Yuan was delighted to see this, as he knew that only by observing the precepts could one be practicing diligently.

Erlang Shen said with a smile, "Knowing that the Great Sage has converted to Buddhism, I will not make it difficult for you. This wine is vegetarian and is not suitable for meat. I will send someone to get some fruits for you."

The monkey head said happily: "Trouble, trouble."

Erlang Shen then sent his soldiers to fetch some fruits.

After a while, the seasonal fruits were brought in. The monkey was delighted and smiled. He took the seasonal fruit wine and drank it.

Erlang Shen and Zhenren have no taboos, except eating meat.

The three of them were talking happily, all of them were people who were at ease in their hearts, and there was some similarity in their words, so they should be bosom friends.

……

This went on for three or four days without anyone noticing.

The monkey was really free in the mountains. He chatted with his eldest brother, Xiansheng, and drank fruits and vegetarian wine during meals. He also sparred with Xiansheng and they were evenly matched. However, the monkey's immortal body was intact, as if it was created by heaven and earth. After fighting for five or six hundred rounds, Xiansheng inevitably ran out of strength. On the other hand, the monkey became more and more ferocious and fearless as the fight went on. He was truly the most famous demon in history.

After discussing and trying out their magical powers, the three of them set up a banquet and had fun.

Jiang Yuan remained smiling and silent. He did not mention anything about Tang Monk. He just thought that the monkey was not awake and the monk should just drink and have fun here.

After one or two days of this, Monkey finally came to his senses, stood up from the table, and said in surprise, "Big Brother, something bad has happened, something bad has happened!"

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

The monkey head said, "I have been so relaxed here that I almost forgot about Tang Monk. But please help me, elder brother, and take the deer so that I can help Tang Monk go west. When I succeed and have a positive result, I will meet Master and come back to enjoy myself with elder brother, the True Lord."

Jiang Yuan said, "Why don't you enjoy yourself here before talking?"

The monkey said, "The pleasure here is only temporary. When the success is achieved, the pleasure will be long-lasting. Junior brother is incompetent, but he can still consider the pros and cons. If I don't leave now, Tang Monk and Bajie may split up and divide the luggage. By the time I return, many people will have left. Then I will not be able to be at ease."

Jiang Yuan said: "In that case, I will say goodbye to Master and go with you."

Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun said: "I have lived here with the real person for a long time. Now I have to go back and go with the real person to Guanzhou. Great Sage, when you are free in the future, you can go to my place. If you need my help, you can tell me."

The monkey thanked him again and again, saying, "Okay, okay."

Jiang Yuan said no more and went back to the mansion to bid farewell to the master. Together with Erlang Shen and the six brothers of Meishan, he assembled the troops and dismantled the camp. Then he sent falcons circling and dogs following, and headed towards Falin in the rolling wind and gloomy fog.

This trip is to solve the problem.

(End of this chapter)