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

Chapter 14 Sea of ​​Suffering
The Patriarch and his disciple Jiang Yuan passed through Hangu Pass, walked on the Golden Road, and headed west, leaving the Southern Continent and entering the Western Continent.

When he first entered Xiniu Hezhou, Jiang Yuan was shocked and surprised. Looking at the situation, "flying rocks blocked people's eyes, and the scorching sun was like fire." In the desert, in the desolate desert, there was no continent at all. He thought it was a place where "no civilization could be reached."

Jiang Yuan was feeling bored, as in his dream of Journey to the West, the Buddha said that the people of Xiniu and Hezhou were "not greedy or murderous, and they cultivated their energy and were spiritually alert. Although there was no supreme truth, everyone lived a long life."

How can this wild and desolate place be a place for self-cultivation?

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, this place definitely doesn't look like a spiritual place."

The ancestor walked in front and said, "In Xiniu Hezhou, there is no education, there are many monsters, the elders have no ambition, the young have no order, and the spirits of plants and trees do not exist here. It is actually the 'sea of ​​suffering'. However, the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain mentioned by Boyang is a wonderful place. It is deep in Xiniu Hezhou. Children, walk slowly."

Jiang Yuan heard this and responded with a "yes".

The master pointed at the golden light on the road and said, "This journey will definitely bring disaster. I have paved the way with gold. No tigers, leopards, wolves, insects, demons or monsters dare to enter. I have the power of the law. Boy, do not go outside the road when you travel west. If you go outside the road, you will be killed and your soul will be in danger of being overturned."

Jiang Yuan replied: "Yes."

The master walked forward along the golden road.

Jiang Yuan followed closely behind.

When he first left, Jiang Tong'er was still somewhat interested in looking around, but after walking for ten days, he realized that this was a wild and desolate place with dazzling wind and sand. There was nothing else to see, so he had to give up and just worked hard every day to refine his mind and use it as his soul.

After walking for a while longer, he realized that the wildness of Xiniuhezhou was not something that could be expressed by wind and sand. When he was in Nanzhanbuzhou, he ate wind and drank dew every day, and for fifty or sixty days, his heart was even more subdued.

It is impossible to drink dew in Xiniu Hezhou, and one can only eat wind every night. The wind in Xiniu Hezhou is strong and rough. When it enters the throat, it is bitter and dry, and the progress is very slow.

Jiang Yuan had no choice but to calm his mind and spend more time on it.

……

Traveling in Xiniuhezhou, it is hard to describe how time flies like an arrow and the days and months pass by quickly.

The master and his disciple just walked along the golden road, and it took them five or six years. On the way, they saw some vicious tigers and foxes, but Jiang Yuan kept walking and did not leave the golden road, with his soul protecting him.

During this day, the wind and sand rose.

The master and the disciple continued to move forward.

Suddenly there was a voice of a passerby.

"Hey, guests in front, where are you from?"

The ancestor stopped.

Jiang Yuan turned his head and looked, and saw a dark-skinned man walking behind him. When he stepped into the golden road, he didn't feel anything strange. His mud palace was shaken, and his eyes became bright. He saw that half of this man's body was covered with black mud that was invisible to the naked eye, and he looked like an ordinary person.

When the man came over, he said, "Guests in front, my name is Ladi, I am from Xijie country in front, I come here to fetch water for the king, where are you from?"

The master remained silent.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and said, "We are travelers from the Southern Continent."

He looked at this man called "Radi". He was dressed simply, with no clothes on his upper body. He looked primitive and had no signs of civilization. He must be a tribe pretending to be a country.

Looking at his face again, it was indeed shaped like a "full moon", but his body length was not recorded, about sixteen cubits.

Sixteen cubits should be eight meters.

Ladi looked at the master and his apprentice and said, "Where is the Southern Continent? Why are you wearing so much? How can you stand the scorching sun?"

Jiang Yuan replied: "Always be still and responsive, and you will be pure and clean. Being still will bring you coolness, while being active will bring you heat."

When Radi heard this, he murmured to himself, his eyes lit up, and he seemed to understand something, so he said, "What you said makes sense. I would like to invite you to my house so that I can entertain you."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "No need. My master and I are just passers-by. We stopped when we saw you talking to us. Now we should go forward."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the master and walked along the golden road.

Ladi touched his head, not knowing what was going on. Seeing that the two did not agree, he did not try to tangle with them. Ladi took only two steps when he suddenly saw something strange in the sky. He looked up and saw a large eagle galloping over, grabbing Ladi and flying away.

Jiang Yuan was furious upon seeing this. His robes fluttered and two black and white fish formed a Tai Chi in front of him. He was about to step out of the way, shoot down the eagle and rescue the person.

He stepped on the edge of the golden road and stopped suddenly. His Mud Palace shook violently and Yu Ding also shook slightly, as if giving a reminder.

The black and white fish around Jiang Yuan disappeared. There was a bright light in his eyes. He looked up at the sky again, but there was no eagle catching people.

All appearances are false!
Where is the laddie, where is the big eagle? There is a demon trying to lure him out of the golden road so as to harm him.

The master came over, gently pulled his hand and said, "Tong'er, do you understand?"

Jiang Yuan was still frightened and asked, "Master, what is that?"

The ancestor pointed to the front and said, "In the Xiniu Hezhou, there are many monsters and demons, forming a sea of ​​suffering. The black mud you see is the sea of ​​suffering. If you leave the golden road, the black mud will pollute your mind and soul, and drag you into the sea of ​​suffering."

Jiang Yuan was shocked and said, "Master, this person is too real."

The master smiled and said, "This is the appearance of all living beings. All living beings are in the sea of ​​suffering. Seeing that you have escaped from the world and left the dust, your mind is still unsettled, and there are still two gods making trouble. They should find you and teach you to enter the sea of ​​suffering. Child, the road ahead is long and there are many demonic obstacles. Your two gods will resonate with them and plot to harm you."

Jiang Yuan knew that this was because his cultivation was shallow. If he obtained the golden elixir, how could anyone dare to murder him? He looked around and a plan came to his mind.

He tore off his robe, pretended to cover his eyes, and said, "Master, if I cover my eyes, can I pass the test?"

The master shook his head and said: "You can blindfold yourself today. When you practice in the future, if the golden elixir is completed, it will definitely be missing a corner. This is the disadvantage of blindfolding you today."

How can one achieve enlightenment through practice?
If you can’t find the secret of the side door, how can you find the right way?

Jiang Yuan understood and said, "Master, I understand."

The master said again: "Keep your mind focused and don't be attached to appearances. People from Hezhou in Xiniu will never take this road. Wherever the golden road passes, there are no people. It leads directly to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, where there are only demons."

Jiang Yuan responded.

The master and his disciple set off again.

Jiang Tong'er suffered a loss, and his mind was calm. He dared not look at the road anymore, and he held the Yu Ding in his hand all the time to keep his mind calm.

……

Another seven or eight years passed while I was walking.

Jiang Yuan saw many strange things along the way, such as a person crying out from a mud puddle on the side of the road, an old woman sitting on the side of the road crying for help, and a tiger with an extraordinary size scaring people.

The boy learned his lesson and pretended not to see or hear anything. When the evildoers got angry, he took the Yu Ding and pretended to smash it. The evildoers and ghosts were so scared that they dispersed and dared not cause trouble anymore.

The master saw it all and smiled without saying anything.

After walking for more than ten years, we finally got out of the desert.

The master stood still, pointed to a high mountain in the distance, and said, "My boy, that is Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. My master and I are close."

Jiang Yuan stopped and looked into the distance. The distant mountains were indeed a beautiful place, with elegant and graceful scenery, deep forests and lush mountains. It was a fairyland.

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, it has taken more than ten years, and we have finally arrived."

While traveling in Xiniu Hezhou, he seldom practiced cultivation, fearing that he would miss out on his spiritual purpose.

The master smiled and said, "Boy, try to jump for me."

The master taught him to jump?

Jiang Yuan did as he was told...

(End of this chapter)