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

Chapter 150: Two Hearts in One Body, Difficult to Distinguish, Seeking a True Person to Distinguish True and False (asking for monthly votes)

But it is said that the Monkey King was demoted again and entered the Chaoyin Cave, where he met the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

The Bodhisattva sat on the lotus platform and asked, "Wukong, when you come to my place again, will you encounter any danger?"

The Great Sage bowed down and mentioned the matter. He was filled with sorrow and tears in his eyes. He said, "Bodhisattva, I have lived for many years, how can I bear such humiliation? In the past, I was a demon king with countless soldiers and horses under my command. I was so free and at ease. Now, Bodhisattva has enlightened me and helped Tang Monk to travel west, cleanse his karma and eliminate evil. I have fought against demons many times and saved his life. But he did not recognize my intention to protect him and demoted me."

The Bodhisattva said, "Why did he demote you again? Tell me the reason in detail."

The Great Sage recounted the events that had taken place, and when he had finished, he said, "Please, Bodhisattva, make the decision for me."

The Bodhisattva said, "I already know what happened here. Tang Sanzang went west by order, he is a good believer, he would never hurt anyone. He is not as powerful as you, so he doesn't know what you are thinking. But now that you have converted to Buddhism, you should not commit such a sin of killing. Both of you are at fault in this matter."

The Great Sage said, “Bodhisattva, even if I made some mistakes, he shouldn’t have chased me away like this.”

The Bodhisattva asked, "Does the Immortal Sanxing Cave know about this?"

The Great Sage said, “I have not yet spoken to my elder brother, and I do not know what to say, so I have come to seek the Bodhisattva.”

The Bodhisattva said, "You don't need to argue with the real person for now. Just stay here with me and I will give you justice in the evening."

The Great Sage sang a greeting and then said, "I was restless earlier, but now that I have come to Mount Luojia, I feel refreshed. It is indeed the Bodhisattva's power that is profound and his place of practice is different."

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva immediately focused his mind on the Three Realms and soon understood what had happened. He said, "Wukong, your practice should have paid off."

The Great Sage was puzzled and said, "Bodhisattva, I achieved enlightenment after practicing for five or six hundred years. How can you say I have achieved enlightenment?"

The Bodhisattva smiled but said nothing.

……

Talk about the journey west.

The pilgrims lost their heart monkey's protection and had to continue their journey to the West. Tang Monk taught Zhu Bajie to lead the horse and Sha Monk to carry the load, and they set out together on their journey to the West.

Not knowing where they were, Tang Seng felt hungry and thirsty, so he pulled his horse to a halt and said, "Disciple, I have been walking for a long time in the past half day, so I am hungry and thirsty. Who can go and beg for some food for me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie flew up into the sky on a cloud, looked around, and then landed on the ground again. He said, "Master, there is no place to beg for alms here."

Tang Seng thought of the monkey. If the monkey was still here, he would have found a way to get him some vegetarian food. However, considering the monkey's vicious nature, he could only sigh secretly and said, "Since there is no one here, go get some water to quench my thirst."

Zhu Bajie was a little indignant and wanted to order Sha Seng to go, but seeing Sha Seng carrying the load and serving Tang Monk, he had to hold back, took the bowl and went forward to fetch water.

Tang Seng sat by the roadside and waited for a long time. He didn't know how long he had waited, but Zhu Bajie didn't come back. Seeing this, Sha Wujing had to go look for him himself and let Tang Seng wait there.

However, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing did not know that the two minds of the walker came out from his own body and transformed into six ears. They were born in the walker's heart and were the same as the walker's. He knew everything about the walker's past and present.

When Liu'er saw Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing leaving, he wanted to replace the Great Sage with a substitute, in order to correct the two minds.

The six-eared macaque rode on a cloud, took out a porcelain cup containing water, and landed it in front of Tang Monk.

When Tang Seng saw that the person coming was Xingzhe, he became angry and scolded, "You monkey, what are you doing here again?"

Liu Er held the porcelain cup in his hand and said with a smile, "Master, I know I was wrong. Without me, you would never have been able to travel to the west and obtain the true scriptures. Master, please forgive me this time, and I will never dare to kill again."

Tang Seng cursed, "I can't leave. What's the point of you being a monkey? Just leave. Why are you bothering me?"

Liu Er was born with two minds and evil thoughts. How could he hear such insults? His face was ferocious and he cursed: "You old monk who doesn't know how to live or die, how dare you insult me."

Liu'er raised his stick and hit Tang Seng on the back, knocking him unconscious. He then snatched the luggage and took out the pass. With a beaming smile on his face, he rode his somersault cloud to the Flower-Fruit Mountain.

When Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing returned, they saw Tang Seng fainted, so they stepped forward to help him up. After asking carefully, they found out the reason. It turned out that it was Sun Wukong who came to steal the bag and injured their master.

Bajie was furious when he heard this, and said, "Wait until I go to his house. I know where his farm is, and I will talk to him and get his luggage back."

Tang Seng stopped him and said, "That monkey has some skills. Wu Neng, you are impatient. If you try to reason with him, they will definitely fight. Then you will teach him to kill Wu Jing with a stick and let him go. Wu Jing is kind and you should try to reason with him and ask for his bag back. If he refuses to return it, there is no need to fight with him. Just go and ask the Bodhisattva for help."

……

But Sha Wujing received the order and rode a cloud to the Flower-Fruit Mountain. When he entered the Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sha Wujing saw Liu'er sitting in the main seat, muttering something. After listening carefully, he realized that it was a pass disc, so he went forward to ask for it.

Sha Wujing stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Brother, I am here to pay my respects."

Seeing this, Liu Er asked, "What are you doing here, you hypocritical good guy?"

Sha Wujing controlled his temper, bowed again, and said, "Brother, I came here because of the bag. Master has been punished by you, and I have repented. But please return the bag and continue on the journey west. If you are reluctant to return to the mountain, please return the bag to us. We will never disturb you."

Liu Er Ben used the method of "Li Dai Tao Jiang" and was unwilling to return the bag. He said, "The old monk is not a good person. I want to find a wise monk and go to get the scriptures."

Upon hearing this, Sha Wujing was terrified and asked, "Brother, why do you say that?"

Liu Er said, "You idiot, leave quickly and don't say anything more. I have my own way to obtain the scriptures."

Sha Wujing said, "Brother, you are from a famous family, how could you do such a thing? How could Master Guangxin of Fangcun Mountain be willing to see you like this?"

When Liu'er mentioned 'Master Guangxin', he looked a little flustered and didn't want to say much. He just sent his monkeys to drive Sha Wujing out.

Sha Wujing was driven out by the monkeys and had no choice but to ride a cloud to the South China Sea to pay homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva and seek justice.

……

Sha Wujing rode the cloud for a day and a night and finally arrived at Luojia Mountain.

Venerable Hui An appeared and asked, "Sha Wujing, if you are not going to protect Tang Monk in his quest for the scriptures, why are you here?"

Sha Wujing bowed and said, "Venerable, I have come to sue the monk. Please speak to the Bodhisattva."

Venerable Hui An asked, "I have heard about this before. Tang Monk demoted the Great Sage, and the Bodhisattva said that they were both at fault. Why are you suing again? Don't take advantage of the Great Sage because he has no one to look after him. If you anger the Bodhisattva, you will have a hard time on your journey to the West."

Sha Wujing said: "It's not about this, it's about something else."

Venerable Hui An said, "In that case, please wait a little longer."

Say it.

Venerable Hui An went to Chao Yin Cave to talk to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. At that time, the Great Sage was talking to the Bodhisattva below the stage. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "It must be that Tang Monk is in trouble and has come to ask for help from the Bodhisattva."

The Bodhisattva said, “I have never seen it.”

The Bodhisattva then ordered Venerable Hui'an to bring Sha Wujing in.

When Sha Wujing saw the Great Sage on the stage, he cursed, "You monkey, you are going too far! You insulted me in front of the Flower-Fruit Mountain, and now you rely on your speed to come to the Bodhisattva to file a complaint."

The Great Sage said, "I have been with the Bodhisattva for a long time and have never been back to the Flower-Fruit Mountain. How can you say such a thing?"

Sha Wujing asked, "How dare you coax me in front of the Bodhisattva?"

The Bodhisattva stopped and said, "Wujing, please be patient. Wukong has been listening to my lectures for the past three or four days and has never left. Why do you say this? Don't blame Wukong."

Sha Wujing then recounted what had happened and spoke to the Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva heard this and asked, "You said there was a traveler in the Flower-Fruit Mountain?"

Sha Wujing nodded and said, "Bodhisattva, that's right. The Monkey King said he wanted to go fetch the scriptures by himself, and he hurt Master and stole the bag."

Before the Bodhisattva could say anything, the Great Sage became furious, scratching his head and ears, and said, "What kind of demon is this that dares to impersonate me? Bodhisattva, I will go and capture that demon." The Bodhisattva said, "You go ahead."

The Great Sage stepped down from the stage and said to Sha Wujing, "My dear brother, you don't know what kind of person I am. How could I do such a thing? I was upset and angry earlier, so I committed a crime. Now I have come to the Bodhisattva's temple, and the Bodhisattva has cured me."

Sha Wujing was skeptical and said, "I will walk with you to avoid any mistakes."

The Great Sage agreed, and together with Sha Seng, they rode on a cloud to the Flower-Fruit Mountain.

……

After another day and night, the Great Sage and Sha Monk returned to the Flower-Fruit Mountain. The Great Sage saw a false hermit sitting on a stone platform, being worshipped by a group of monkeys.

When Sha Wujing saw this, he realized that he had wronged the Great Sage and was about to hold him back, but the Great Sage rushed forward.

The Great Sage was furious and cursed, “That demon is the one who changed into my appearance and is worshipped by my children and grandchildren. I’m going to beat you now!”

Say it.

The Great Sage raised his stick and hit him.

The six-eared creature spun around, raised his golden cudgel, and went to meet the Great Sage.

When the two men were walking together, others could not tell who was real and who was fake. The two iron rods hit each other and a fierce fight broke out.

This one is the real Great Sage, that one is Six-Eared Heart. The two iron rods shake the sky, each showing their ability and strength. They are originally one body with two minds, so how can there be victory or defeat, strong or weak? The rod has the ability to do what one wishes, so they are two rods born from the two minds, and they fight ferociously with each other behind the shield. They fought outside the cave before, and then they argued in mid-air for a while, fighting back and forth.

How could Sha Wujing and the monkeys know which was true and which was false?

The four warriors stepped forward and said, "Do you know who is the real king? Tell us so that we can help him."

Sha Wujing swung his demon-subduing staff and said anxiously, "How should I know? Just watch carefully. If anyone reveals his true form, go forward and beat him up."

The four strong men responded.

The two monkeys fought for a long time, but there was no clear winner in the lily fight.

The Great Sage stopped fighting and said to Sha Wujing, "My dear brother, since you cannot help me, please leave immediately and report to Master. I will fight this fellow at the Bodhisattva's Dojo in the sea, and let the Bodhisattva see clearly."

The Great Sage had just spoken it when Liu'er said it at the same time, making it difficult to tell the truth from the false.

When the Great Sage saw this, he became angry and started to hit Liu'er with his stick. They quarreled with each other again, and then they went towards the South China Sea, walking and fighting.

This fight lasted for an unknown amount of time before they finally arrived at Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea.

The two minds were originally one, and they possessed supernatural powers. When they entered Mount Loka, the two of them fought with each other, causing chaos in the mountain. The Venerable Hui'an, Shancai and the Dragon Girl, the Black Wind Monster and others appeared together, but they could not stop the two monkeys.

The two monkeys are very powerful and cannot be captured without someone with profound magical powers.

This commotion alarmed the Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva walked out of the cave and shouted, "Don't be naughty."

The Great Sage put away his golden cudgel and dared not act rashly.

The same is true for the six ears.

The Bodhisattva said, "Separate the two of you and tell who is real and who is fake?"

The Great Sage pointed to Liu Er and said, "I am real, and he is fake."

Liu Er also pointed at the Great Sage and said, "He is fake, and I am real."

Bodhisattvas have their own wisdom eyes to see, but the two minds are originally one, so how can there be a distinction between true and false? If they are confused, even Bodhisattvas will find it difficult to tell them apart.

The Bodhisattva said: "It is difficult for me to tell. In this way, the true practitioner has his own tight hoop. When I chant the tight hoop mantra, if there is pain, it is true. If there is no pain, it is false."

The two monkeys said, "Please ask the Bodhisattva to chant the mantra."

The Bodhisattva then chanted the spell to tighten the hoop.

The two monkeys suddenly felt the golden hoop tightening their flesh, their heads ached and they rolled on the ground.

When the Bodhisattva saw this, he shook his head helplessly and had to stop chanting the mantra, sighing that the Buddha's treasure was extraordinary.

When the two monkeys saw that the Bodhisattva did not recite, they started fighting again and became a ball, fighting endlessly.

The Bodhisattva wanted to say something, but seeing the two of them making a fuss, he said, "Wukong, you once received the immortal certificate in the Heavenly Palace. The gods and immortals in the Heavenly Palace all recognize you. Why don't you go to Heaven to find out?"

The two monkeys responded in unison, pulling and tugging at each other, and the fight continued. Their two golden hoop sticks fought against each other from time to time, and they fought outside the South Heaven Gate. The Four Heavenly Kings came together, stopped the two men, heard what had happened, and welcomed them into the Heavenly Palace to report to the Jade Emperor.

When the Jade Emperor heard that there were two Great Sages Equaling Heaven, he took a closer look. After another look, he thought that it would be a pity to disturb the peace of the Heavenly Palace, so he sent the two Great Sages to go to the Underworld to take a look.

The Great Sage and the Six-Eared One obeyed the order and went to the underworld. There was another fight, but neither could do anything to the other. They were originally one body, so how could they determine the winner?

The two monkeys made a commotion in the underworld again, and no one could tell them apart. Just when they were at a loss, Venerable Hui'an arrived and stopped their fight.

Venerable Hui An said, "Great Sage."

The Great Sage and Liu Er asked in unison, "What is it?"

Venerable Hui An could not tell the difference between the real and the fake, so he said, "Two great saints, the Bodhisattva knows that you cannot tell the real from the fake. I can tell the real from the fake in your two places."

The second monkey asked, "What do you mean?"

Venerable Hui An said: "One is the Western Paradise, the sacred mountain. The other is Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, the three-star cave of the slanting moon."

When the Great Sage heard this, he immediately said, "Go to Fangcun Mountain, go to Fangcun Mountain."

When Liu Er heard the name "Fang Cun Mountain", he was a little panicked and said, "Go to Lingshan, go to Lingshan!"

The Great Sage asked, "You demon, why don't you dare to go to Fangcun Mountain with me?"

Liu Er said, "Why don't you dare? You are afraid of disturbing the elder brother and the master. You are so fake, you really don't have any filial piety at all."

The Great Sage said, "It is hard to tell the real from the fake at this moment. If you dare not go to Fangcun Mountain with me, then you are fake."

Liu Er said: "Why not? Just go!"

Venerable Hui An said: "Since you two are like this, please don't make any more noise in the underworld. The underworld cannot stand your noise. Go to Fang Cun Mountain quickly and let Master Guangxin argue with you two about the truth."

The Great Sage said, "You fake one, come with me quickly and teach my senior brother how to distinguish them."

Liu Er said: "That's my senior brother, yours is fake."

The Great Sage cursed, "That's my senior brother."

The two monkeys came out of the underworld together and went to Fangcun Mountain in the mid-air and fog. Along the way, the two iron rods were still fighting with each other and were unwilling to give up.

The battle lasted for several days before they reached the territory of Fangcun Mountain.

(End of this chapter)