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

Chapter 194 The pilgrim finally reaches Lingshan

The Immortal and his group went to western Hebei, intending to find the Fen River. We will not mention what happened here for the time being.

The story goes that the group of pilgrims finally approached Mount Lingshan and went on until they entered the Buddhist land in the West. They found that this place was indeed different from other places. There were many beautiful flowers and plants, ancient cypresses and pines on the roadside, and they often saw people practicing at the foot of the mountain and chanting scriptures in the woods.

Tang Monk rode on a white horse and looked around. He said, "My disciples, this is really a Buddhist place. Are we close to Lingshan Mountain?"

The Monkey King said, "Master, if it were any other time, I would not be able to tell you much, but I can tell you a little now. We are now at the foot of the Holy Mountain. We will reach the Holy Mountain in less than two or three days."

Upon hearing this, Tang Seng's eyes were filled with tears and he nearly fell off his white horse.

The Monkey King put away his golden cudgel, stepped forward to support him, and said, "Master, why are you in such a posture?"

Tang Monk said: "I have come from the East through fourteen years of cold and heat, through thousands of mountains and rivers, and encountered countless obstacles and difficulties, and suffered countless attacks from demons and evil spirits. Now that the end is near, I am overjoyed."

The traveler said, "Now that all the hardship has paid off, it is normal for Master to be happy, but you must not relax."

Tang Monk said, "I dare not slack off. Disciple, you don't know that I have thought more than once a day and night whether I can reach Lingshan in this lifetime. I am now over 40 years old and I don't know how much time I have left. I often wonder if I will die of illness on the way. I even wrote a letter and hid it in my arms. If I die of illness on the way and cannot go to Lingshan, I ask you to take my place and inherit my cassock, bowl, and staff, and ride a white horse to Lingshan again."

The traveler shook his head and said, "Master, your heart is sincere, so we are here today."

Zhu Bajie came forward with his baggage on his shoulders and said, "Master, where is your writing? Can you show it to me? Does it say how much luggage I will get?"

The Monkey King grabbed Zhu Bajie's ear with his palm-leaf fan and cursed, "You idiot, you're asking for a beating!"

Tang Seng said, "My disciple, let Bajie go. Bajie has done his best to carry the burden along the way. Now that his mission is accomplished, don't make trouble. Bajie, there is no mention of dividing the luggage in the book. If I die, Wukong will walk for me, but you must not divide the luggage."

Zhu Bajie yelled, "Master, this is a little unfair. If Master dies, why should he be the one to decide, instead of me and Lao Sha?"

Tang Seng said: "If you and Wujing were to take charge, it would definitely be bad. It's not that Wukong is not capable of moving forward. But don't have that thought now, we will be there soon."

The Monkey King said, "Master, what you said makes perfect sense. There is no need to think too much about it. We are about to reach Lingshan Mountain, so we will not mention the documents."

Sha Wujing said: "What the elder brother said makes sense."

As they talked, they moved forward.

After walking for a long time, I suddenly saw a row of tall buildings in front of me, with several floors of pavilions, which was exactly the "Spiritual Palace and Treasure Palace, Crystal Pavilion and Pearl Courtyard".

When Tang Seng saw this, he asked, "Disciple, is that Lingshan Mountain ahead?"

The Monkey King, swinging his golden cudgel, stepped forward, opened his eyes wide, took a closer look, and said, "Master, that is not the Holy Mountain, but the Jade Temple. This temple is at the foot of the Holy Mountain, and the one who lives here is a Golden Summit Immortal. If we want to go to the Holy Mountain, we must go and pay a visit to the Golden Summit Immortal."

Tang Monk clasped his hands and said, "In that case, we will go and pay a visit."

The Monkey King pointed to Yuzhen Temple and said, "Master, there is no need to pay a visit. Look over there, isn't that the Golden Summit Immortal?"

Tang Seng looked in the direction where Monkey was pointing, and saw a Taoist priest standing at the gate of the Taoist temple, calling out to him.

The Immortal of the Golden Summit shouted, "Who is this person? Is this the holy monk from the Eastern Land Tang Dynasty who came to seek Buddhist scriptures?"

Upon hearing this, the group of pilgrims approached the Yuzhen Temple.

Tang Monk dismounted his white horse, walked to the front of the mountain gate, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Immortal! We are the people who have come from the Eastern Land of Tang to seek Buddhist scriptures."

The Immortal of the Golden Summit said with a smile, "I have been waiting for you for a long time. More than ten years ago, the Bodhisattva Guanyin said that she would follow the Buddha's golden order to find a good believer to be the one to obtain the scriptures, but she didn't say how long it would take. I thought it would take two or three years, but it turned out to be more than ten years. The holy monk is here now, please follow me in quickly."

Tang Seng clasped his hands together and bowed, saying, "I am grateful for your kindness, Great Immortal, and have been waiting for you for a long time. Disciples, follow me inside."

The group then entered the Yuzhen Temple with the Jinding Immortal. The Jinding Immortal served tea and vegetarian food, burned incense, and bathed with the group of pilgrims. After they finished bathing, it was already dark, so they rested in the Yuzhen Temple for one night.

At dawn the next day, Tang Seng and his three disciples met the Golden Summit Immortal in the central hall of Yuzhen Temple. Tang Seng thanked the Golden Summit Immortal again and again.

The Immortal at the Golden Summit helped Tang Monk up and said with a smile, "Saint monk, there is no need to be polite. It is my honor to meet you today."

Tang Monk said: "I have met the Immortal and received his kindness. I should have stayed with him for a while, but now that we are near the sacred mountain, I dare not stay, for fear of delaying the imperial edict of His Majesty the Great Tang and me."

The Immortal of the Golden Summit said with a smile: "The holy monk has been practicing asceticism for more than ten years, and he is finally nearing his goal. I know his heart. So, I will send the holy monk off. When he comes again after achieving his goal, please do not leave so soon."

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for seeing me off, Great Immortal. If I succeed, I will come to thank you for your kindness."

The Immortal of the Golden Summit stood up with a smile and was about to see Tang Seng off.

The traveler stopped him and said, "No need, Immortal, I know the way."

The Immortal of the Golden Summit said, "Great Saint, what you know is a cloud road, how do you know how to use this road? Could it be that you have the ability to carry the holy monk on the cloud road?"

The traveler waved his hands and said, "No, no. I don't know the way. I have always walked along the cloud road to Lingshan."

The Immortal of the Golden Summit said with a smile: "If your elder brother came, he would definitely know this way, but you don't, so let me take you there for a while."

Say it.

The Golden Summit Immortal walked forward, and Tang Seng and others followed closely behind him. They followed the Golden Summit Immortal through the central hall, where there was a back door. After going out of the back door, they could reach the beautiful scenery of Lingshan Mountain.

The immortal came out of the hall and said, "Saint monk, I will take you here. Go towards the auspicious light of five colors. That is the sacred mountain, where you can see the Buddha."

Tang Monk thanked him and said, "Thank you for seeing me off, Immortal."

The immortal looked at the three monks again and said, "Great Sage, Tianpeng, Juanlian, you three must protect the holy monk well and not let his mission fail."

The traveler said, "We are so careful."

The immortal said no more, turned around and left, returning to Yuzhen Temple.

Tang Monk said: "Disciple, let's go ahead and enter Lingshan as soon as possible."

The traveler said, "That's right. Idiot, you carry the load, and Junior Brother Sha, you lead the white horse. We will continue along this road."

Upon hearing this, the crowd gathered their forces and headed for the sacred mountain.

After less than five or six miles, we suddenly saw a flowing stream ahead. The stream was eight or nine miles wide, with rolling waves and rapid currents. Only a thin and slippery log could allow us to cross it. Next to the log was a plaque with the words "Lingyun Ferry" written on it.

The group stopped in front of Lingyun Ferry.

Tang Seng was shocked when he saw the turbulent water. He asked, "Disciple, how can there be such a waterway in this sacred mountain? I am afraid I cannot cross it. Is there any way to cross it?"

When the traveler saw Lingyun Ferry, he understood what was going on and said with a smile, "Master, this is the road we must take. Walk with peace of mind. There is a single-plank bridge over the river. Walk on it and you will definitely be able to cross this road."

Tang Seng was a little frightened and did not dare to cross the single-plank bridge.

Zhu Bajie put down his burden and said in surprise, "Brother, are you trying to kill us? The water here is wide and the waves are turbulent. How can we get across the thin and slippery piece of wood? I am still quite good at swimming after I got into the water. I may be able to swim to shore. If Master is like this, he will disappear in a moment once he falls into the water."

When Tang Seng heard this, he became even more frightened. The Monkey King said, "Master, don't listen to Bajie's words. You can definitely cross this bridge if you just keep your mind calm. Just wait and see, I will help you."

After saying this, the traveler jumped onto the single-plank bridge. Although the bridge was thin and slippery, he could walk on it smoothly and steadily, and in a moment he reached the other side.

The Monkey King waved to Tang Seng and his companions on the other side of the river, saying, "Master, Idiot, Junior Brother Sha, come here quickly!"

When Tang Seng saw the surging water, he was frightened and dared not go forward.

Bajie and Sha Seng both said it was difficult and they could not cross the bridge.

The Monkey King walked back across the single-plank bridge from the shore, pulled Zhu Bajie and said, "Fool, come with me. I'll help you cross the bridge."

Zhu Bajie trembled and said, "Brother, I can't go through. I can't go through. Please forgive me, and I will ride the wind and fog over."

The Monkey King scolded him, "You fool! Where is this place? How can you ride on the wind and fog? What you are doing is hard work. If you want to become a Buddha, you must cross this bridge. I will help you. You can cross it."

Zhu Bajie said: "It doesn't matter if I don't do this Buddha thing. This bridge is really uncrossable."

The Monkey King sighed and said no more. He was just about to invite Tang Seng to cross the bridge, but before he could do so, he heard someone shouting in the distance.

"Go up, go up!"

Tang Monk was worried, he looked up, and saw a ferry coming from afar, crossing the water, coming towards him. He said happily: "Disciple, there is no need to cross the bridge, there is a ferry, there is a ferry."

Upon hearing this, the traveler immediately opened his flaming eyes wide and took a closer look, realizing that the old man rowing the boat was the Guide Buddha, also known as Namo Baozhuang Guangwang Buddha. He did not point it out and waited for the Buddha to come.

Wait until the Buddha arrives by boat and approaches the shore.

Tang Monk was about to get off the boat, but suddenly he saw that the boat was bottomless. He asked in surprise, "Disciple, this is a broken boat, how can you take me across?"

The traveler said, "Master, don't worry. This boat is very stable. Although it has no bottom, it can carry people."

Tang Monk asked, "Disciple, can this boat really carry us across?"

The traveler said, "Yes, yes!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "On this journey, I have relied on your magical powers to subdue demons and monsters and protect my life, so that I can get here. Now that you have said that this boat can take me across, then I will board it."

Tang Seng jumped off the ferry, and was dazed, but he stood firmly on the ferry. The boat was bottomless, but it still stood firm, which surprised the elder.

The traveler said, "Brothers, please lead the white horses and carry the luggage, and we will get on the ferry and cross the river."

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing obeyed the order and carried the white horse and luggage into the ferry one by one.

Everyone got on the ferry, and the Buddha pushed the boat open and rowed to the other side.

Tang Seng pointed to the shore and saw a dead body on the shore. He was surprised and asked, "Disciple, who is that?"

The traveler laughed and said, "Master, that's you, that's you!"

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing also recognized it and said, "That's you!"

The Buddha also smiled and said, "Congratulations, congratulations!"

Tang Seng suddenly realized, and actually understood that he was now his true self. The ignorance and stupidity, the turbidity of the two gods, had kept him before Lingyun Ferry. Now he was his true self.

The Buddha said nothing, but ferried Tang Monk and his companions to the other side, crossing Lingyun Ferry.

When Tang Seng crossed Lingyun Ferry, he was about to turn around and thank the ferryman when he saw that the ferryman had disappeared without a trace. He asked, "Disciple, why is the ferryman gone?"

The traveler smiled and said, "Master, the ferryman is the Buddha, who wants to ferry you across."

Upon hearing this, Tang Monk bowed deeply to Lingyundu, and then bowed to Monkey, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, saying, "Disciples, we have finally arrived at Lingshan. It has been a difficult journey, and I am sorry to have you come with me."

The three of them were afraid to accept it and said, "I don't deserve this."

The traveler said, "Master, please don't stay here for long. We should go up the mountain."

Tang Seng stopped him and said, "Wukong, please listen to me. I have you to thank the most."

The Monkey King said, "Come on, come on, come on. Master, you speak, and I will listen."

Tang Seng said: "Wukong, I have always had disagreements with you. I was often confused and did not listen to you. This caused me to suffer and you to suffer. This hurt your heart. This is my fault. Please accept my greeting."

Say it.

Tang Seng bowed deeply.

The Monkey King accepted it and returned the greeting, saying, "Master, I must thank you as well. It was you who rescued me from the Two Worlds Mountain."

Zhu Bajie said, "Master, please don't say any more here. We are close to the sacred mountain now. When we obtain the true scriptures and complete our mission, there will be plenty of time. It won't be too late to thank you slowly."

Tang Seng responded with a smile, and then spoke some personal words to Monkey, then he mounted his white horse and headed up the mountain.

The Monkey King led the way, Sha Seng led the horse, and Zhu Bajie carried the burden, and everyone was just as usual.

Before long, the group finally approached the Great Leiyin Temple. Tang Monk stopped his horse and looked around. He saw that the Great Leiyin Temple had "yellow golden tiles with mandarin ducks on them, bright and glittering flower tiles paved with agate. There were also "a row of palaces and pearl pavilions in the east and west, and treasure pavilions and precious towers in the south and north". It was truly a Buddhist holy place.

When Tang Seng saw them, he bowed three times before walking in with the three Monkey Kings.

Before he entered, he saw the Buddhist monks, nuns and other lay Buddhists there. When Tang Monk saw them, he wanted to pay his respects.

The Buddhists panicked and said, "Holy monk, please don't bow to me. We can't bear it, we can't bear it!"

The traveler smiled and said, "Master, please don't embarrass them. We will go in."

The Buddhists welcomed Tang Monk and his entourage into the Great Leiyin Temple. Not long after they entered, they saw the Four Vajra blocking the way and asking, "Has the holy monk arrived?"

Tang Seng bowed and said yes.

The Four Vajra Kings rushed inside to inform the Buddha that Tang Monk and his entourage had arrived. They were very happy and quickly summoned the Buddha, Bodhisattva, Vajra, Arhat, and Jieshi to come and welcome Tang Monk.

When the Buddhists received the golden order, those who were in Lingshan hurried over, and those who were not in Lingshan rode on the clouds to come quickly. In a short while, all arrived.

Zhenjian, the Buddha of meditation and wisdom, also received the golden order and came to the main hall. He was ranked among the Buddhas and sat at the back of the group of Buddhas.

After everyone lined up in two rows in the main hall, Tathagata summoned Tang Seng to enter the hall.

(End of this chapter)