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

Chapter 187 The difficulty of the Dragon King's cultivation, the true vision should be the Buddha
The story goes that Jiang Yuan stopped in a long pavilion in the mountains of Jizhou, accompanied by the Dragon King of Qingsong River, who thanked the immortal for his kindness.

Jiang Yuan helped the Dragon King up and said, "I already know what happened to you. Good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished. I hope you understand this and don't let anger confuse you."

The Dragon King said, "I dare not do it again. In the past, I was so angry that I almost ruined the whole county. Now I have come to my senses and realize the kindness of the real person. If you let me flood the county, it would be great, but I would have to go to the Dragon Slicing Platform. Then, all my thousand years of hard training would be in vain, which would not be worth it."

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and said, "You, the Dragon King, should be right to say so. How can you say that a county city was flooded because of one person? I had heard you say that you became a dragon through hard training from a snake body. For a dragon like you, training is much more difficult than that of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. If you really gave up a thousand years of hard training just to train one person in these twenty years, wouldn't that be a great injustice?"

The Dragon King said, "What the Bull King said is true."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Do you recognize me?"

The Dragon King bowed and said, "I have often heard that the True Man has a guardian Bull King beside him. He is very powerful and is good at using a mixed iron stick. But when the Bull King is beside the True Man, the demons and evil spirits will never dare to approach him."

The Bull Demon King was overjoyed and said, "Is my name really so famous?"

The Dragon King smiled and said yes.

Jiang Yuan sat on a stone chair and said, "I heard you say that you came here to practice as a snake. Is this way of practice difficult?"

The Dragon King replied, "Master, it is extremely difficult for a snake to transform into a dragon. Without great perseverance, it will never be possible."

Jiang Yuan said: "Tell me what the method is."

The Dragon King replied, "Master, if a snake wants to transform into a dragon, it has to fight with the heavens, the earth, and people to find a way. When I was born, I was a snake, and I was confused. It was only with some luck that I woke up and became kind and helped others. I was alone and helpless all the way. I practiced hard for many years before I transformed from a snake into a dragon. I hid in the mountains and practiced hard. After another 500 years of practice, I followed the will of heaven and turned into a dragon by walking on water. Because I was kind, I was named the Dragon King of a river and achieved the right result."

Jiang Yuan said: "Your cultivation is so difficult. Since you were a young snake, you have gone through countless hardships to be free today. You should be careful with your words and actions. You should understand this. Don't fall into the sea of ​​suffering again. The sea of ​​suffering is boundless. If you fall into it again, when will you be able to get out again?"

The Dragon King bowed and said, "Master, I will no longer enter the human world. I will only concentrate on my cultivation. When I saw that child in the past, I took him in because I remembered that I was alone and helpless. I never thought that he would grow up to be like that. It makes me sad."

Jiang Yuan smiled but said nothing.

The Dragon King pondered for a long time and asked, "Master, I have a question."

Jiang Yuan asked, "What do you mean?"

The Dragon King asked, "Master, why did I guide that person to practice cultivation and teach him to understand the Dao? His cultivation has magical powers and he should have the heart to understand the Dao, but why did it have no effect?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "You have done your best. The rest is not up to you to decide."

The Dragon King asked again: "Master, what do you think of this?"

Jiang Yuan said, "The Tao is always there. When has the Tao ever left? You led him to hear the Tao, which is a great achievement. However, he saw the Tao but did not move forward, practiced the Dharma but did not hear the Tao, and put his mind aside, without any reason to practice. In this way, how can he not be confused? You have the merit of saving him, but he has no heart to hear the Tao. You cannot force him to do so. Even if you force him to hear the Tao, but his mind is not stable, how can he practice the true Tao?"

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King bowed deeply and said, "Master, I understand. I am grateful for your advice. But please come with me into the Dragon Palace in the Water Palace. I will treat you with courtesy. Only in this way can I keep my favor."

Jiang Yuan readily agreed and asked, "Where is Qingsong River?"

The Dragon King replied, "It is fifty miles away, in a small river."

Jiang Yuan said: "In that case, you lead me there."

The Dragon King took the order and led the way down the mountain.

Jiang Yuan sat on the back of a deer. The Bull Demon King originally wanted to lead the deer, but the Dragon King jumped up and led the deer himself. The Bull King had to follow behind with Zuo Liang.

Seeing Zuo Liang sighing, the Bull Demon King couldn't help but ask, "Old Zuo, why are you like this?"

Zuo Liang said, "In the past, I felt that these gods and immortals were far away from me. When I worshipped them in the past, I only saw clay statues. Now, since I have followed you, I have seen many gods and immortals, such as the Black Emperor and the Dragon King. I have actually seen them all." The Bull Demon King patted Zuo Liang on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry too much. Just practice well. Follow the master, not only the Black Emperor and the Dragon King, but also the Western Buddha and the Great Heavenly Venerable can be seen."

Zuo Liang asked, "The Great Celestial Lord that Master Niu mentioned, is it the Jade Emperor?"

The Bull Demon King nodded and smiled, "That's right."

Zuo Liang said tremblingly: "Then can God also see it? Lord Niu, please don't deceive me."

The Bull Demon King said, "You don't know, the master has a past, just listen carefully, I will tell you."

The Bull Demon King was just about to tell his story so that Zuo Liang could listen.

Jiang Yuan felt something in his heart, and turned back and said, "Niu'er, stop talking nonsense and walk properly."

After hearing this, Bull Demon King dared not say anything and immediately fell silent.

Zuo Liang opened his mouth to ask something else, but seeing the Bull Demon King's appearance, he could only stop talking and walk forward.

……

Talk about the sacred mountain.

When Zhenjian arrived here, Manjushri Bodhisattva took him inside. Today, there were eight Vajra guarding the mountain gate. Manjushri Bodhisattva said that he brought Zhenjian here on a golden order. The eight Vajra did not dare to make any mistake, so someone went inside to inquire.

Zhenjian looked at the Eight Vajras and saw that they were full of vigor and momentum. They must be extraordinary people and good fighters. He sighed in his heart at the grandeur of the Lingshan scenic spot.

Manjusri Bodhisattva asked: "Master, how is Lingshan?"

Zhen Jiandao said: "I haven't seen all of them, but these eight Vajra are very powerful. I can't defeat any one of them."

Manjusri Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Vajra means guarding, so it should be known for its bravery."

Zhenjian asked, "Bodhisattva, are there many sacred mountains like the Eight Vajra?"

Manjusri Bodhisattva shook his head and said, "Not many, very few. If it is a Buddha who is good at fighting, there are even fewer. Speaking of which, Master, I am not far from Lingshan now. If you wait for Master, Master to come, Lingshan will have one more Buddha who is good at fighting."

Zhen Jianyi Wukong smiled and nodded, saying: "My junior brother is indeed a brave man. There are very few people as brave as him in the Three Realms."

Manjusri Bodhisattva nodded and said, "Sun Wukong is a good fighter. On the journey to the west, he subdued demons and protected Tang Monk on his journey to the west. He has made great contributions."

Zhenjian said: "Brother Wukong will also be successful in his practice today."

Manjusri Bodhisattva nodded and said, "If the pilgrim comes here to seek the scriptures, the Immortal at the Golden Summit of the mountain will tell us about the events of the past few years. Speaking of which, the Buddha has sent a golden edict to invite you, most likely to ask you to be the Buddha. You should be prepared."

Zhenjian was confused and asked, "Manjusri Bodhisattva, how can I become a Buddha with my abilities?"

Manjusri Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Zen Master is a master of Zen, so how can he not be a Buddha?"

Zhenjian shook his head and said, "My practice is not enough to be a Buddha."

Manjushri Bodhisattva smiled but said nothing, waiting for the Vajra to come and report so that the true vision could enter.

(End of this chapter)