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

Chapter 200: The five people who went on a journey to the West finally parted ways, and the Fighting Buddha returned to Fangcun Mountain
The words showed that the five people had attained the right results, and the Buddhas all praised them. It was the moment when their merits and deeds were perfect, so Tathagata Buddha asked the Buddhas to take seats in the treasure hall and was about to lecture on the Dharma.

All the Buddhists took their seats, with the Buddha in front, the Bodhisattvas in the back, and the Arhats at the end. The five people also took their seats following the Buddhists.

The Fighting Buddha, the Buddha of Meditation Wisdom, and the Sandalwood Merit Buddha are all in the front row, sitting on lotus pedestals.

Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and Ao Lie are in the row of Bodhisattvas at the back.

The fruit positions attained by these three persons are all in the same row as Bodhisattvas. Sha Wujing's fruit position is Golden Body Arhat, but his full name is 'Namo Eight Treasures Golden Body Arhat Bodhisattva'. He sits in the same row as Bodhisattvas, a little further back.

Zhu Bajie's achievement is Jingtan Bodhisattva, and the whole process is "Namo Jingtan Bodhisattva". He sits in the row of Bodhisattvas, near the end.

Ao Lie's status is that of the Eight Heavenly Dragons, and his full name is 'Namo the Eight Heavenly Dragons Guangli Bodhisattva', and he ranks after Zhu Bajie.

Zhu Bajie was a little indignant, and he shouted in a low voice: "How come they became Buddhas, and I am only a purifier of the altar? It would be fine if I were a purifier of the altar, but why do I have to sit in such a backward place?"

Ao Lie pulled Zhu Bajie out and said, "Brother, don't make such a fuss. This is the Great Hall of the Buddha. You should be respectful."

Zhu Bajie said, "Brother, you are still behind me, how can you not complain?"

Ao Lie said: "Brother, this is arranged according to the ability of the fruit position, why complain? We are Bodhisattvas, and it is rare to be ranked here."

Zhu Bajie pointed to the front and said, "If we talk about the fruit position, it is even more unfair. Junior brother, look ahead. The Arhat Subduing the Dragon and Arhat Subduing the Tiger are above us, and the Buddha is in the same row. Avalokitesvara is also above there, and is in the same row with several Buddhas."

Ao Lie said: "Brother, this is different and cannot be generalized."

The two were whispering, so no one would mention it for now.

……

But in the group of Buddhas, Zhenjian was talking with Wukong.

Zhenjian put his hands together and bowed, smiling, "I pay my respects to the Fighting and Victory Buddha."

When Wukong Jiaozhen saw this, he was so frightened that he bowed down and said, "Second Brother, don't say such words. It makes me feel ashamed."

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Don't take me seriously when I'm joking with you. I'm really happy to hear that you have achieved enlightenment and have been conferred the title of Buddha. If Master and Big Brother knew about this, they would also be happy."

Wukong said: "It is all thanks to the guidance of Master and my two senior brothers that I was able to wake up. Otherwise, I am afraid I would still be confused and at a loss now."

Zhen Jian shook his head and said, "Junior brother, there is no need to be modest. You have just achieved success, and it is time to celebrate."

Wukong said, "Second Brother, please don't say that. Even if I have achieved success, my practice is still shallow. How dare I be happy? I just need to keep practicing and don't forget to cultivate my mind."

Zhen Jian bowed and said, "Junior brother, you have indeed succeeded today."

Wukong returned the greeting and asked, "I haven't asked you, Second Brother, how did you enter Lingshan to become the 'Buddha of Meditation and Wisdom'? When I first met you, I was really shocked."

Zhen saw, heard and understood everything, so he told Wukong what had happened.

After hearing what Wukong said, he suddenly realized something and said, "I never thought that it was the Buddha who personally sent a golden decree to invite me."

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "After the Buddha finishes his lecture on the Dharma, would you like to return to the mansion and pay your respects to the Master?"

Wukong said: "That's right."

While the two were talking, Tang Seng came forward and paid his respects.

Zhenjian clasped his hands and said, "Sandalwood Merit Buddha, it has been a long time since we last met. Now that we meet, you have already achieved enlightenment and become a Buddha."

Tang Seng was puzzled and asked, "Buddha of Meditation and Wisdom, when have we not seen each other? Otherwise, why do you say 'it's been a long time'?"

It's really a smile but no words.

Wukong laughed and said, "Master, how could you forget the 'Chao Zen Master' outside Fuling Mountain? He is the incarnation of the Buddha of Meditation and Wisdom, and he is there to help you."

Upon hearing this, Tang Monk stood up and bowed, saying, "I never thought it was Master Wuchao. I didn't recognize you. I didn't recognize you! It's all my fault. In the past, you taught me a scripture, which benefited me a lot. Now that I have met you, please accept my bow so that I can repay your kindness."

Zhenjian helped Tang Seng up and said, "In the past, I received the order from Guanyin Bodhisattva and just transformed into a Zen master to teach you. You don't need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, you should thank the Bodhisattva."

However, Tang Seng refused and insisted on thanking Zhenjian.

While the two were arguing, Tathagata Buddha was preaching the Dharma in the hall. The two did not dare to talk any more, so they had to sit down and listen to Tathagata Buddha preaching the Dharma.

This sermon was about the true Dharma of Nirvana. All the Buddhists who heard it praised the Buddha's Dharma as being profound and wonderful.

After a long speech, Tathagata Buddha finished and dismissed all the Buddhists, leaving only the five people who were seeking the scriptures.

In the Mahavira Palace.

The Tathagata said, "Now that you five have been granted the title of Righteousness, you should be given a place to practice. But I wonder if you five have a place to go?"

When the five people heard this, they knew that the Buddha wanted to choose a place for them to practice and keep them here.

Wukong stepped forward and said with a smile: "Buddha, I have two families. One is in Huaguo Mountain in Dongsheng Shenzhou, and the other is in Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou. There are many places to go. You can choose any place to practice."

Tathagata nodded and said, "Those two mountains are both good places to go. You can choose either one of them to practice and fight against the Buddha. You don't have to worry. You can leave first or wait here."

Sun Wukong smiled when he heard this, but did not move, waiting in the hall. Tathagata then asked the other four people, "How are you four?"

Tang Monk stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I, the Buddha, have nowhere to go."

Sha Wujing and Ao Lie both stood up and said, "Reporting to the Buddha, we disciples have nowhere to go."

Zhu Bajie stepped forward and said, "Buddha, I can go to Fuling Mountain."

The Tathagata said, "Since this is the case, the Sandalwood Merit Buddha, the Golden Body Arhat, and the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons should stay in Lingshan to practice. Purifier of the Altar, Fuling Mountain is not a good place to go, but if you insist, you can go there."

Zhu Bajie bowed and said, "I am going to Fuling Mountain. I am going to Fuling Mountain!"

Tang Seng and his two other companions thanked Tathagata.

They all decided on a place to practice and left the main hall, ready to go their separate ways.

The five people felt reluctant to part. They had been together for more than ten years, and had traveled west together, going through thousands of mountains and rivers. Now that they had achieved their goals, they had to go their separate ways. They didn't know when they would meet again.

Tang Seng sighed, "My disciples, today I have accomplished my mission and it is time for me to leave. Thank you for supporting me along the way. Bajie, you should be careful with your words and actions and stop making trouble. It is time to practice. Wujing, you are honest and down-to-earth, but I heard that you were fierce in the past. It was because you succeeded in your practice and did not keep the precepts. Now that you have succeeded in your practice, you must not repeat the same mistake. Bailong, I am grateful for your kindness in carrying me westward, but you should also practice well. Wukong, you have taken good care of me along the way, but I don't need you to say much."

Everyone responded.

Wukong said, "Master, Idiot, Junior Brother Sha, Little White Dragon, we are leaving now, and I don't know how long it will be before we meet again. I can no longer protect you, but if you are in trouble, you can call for me loudly, or go to Flower-Fruit Mountain or Fangcun Mountain to find me. As long as I know you are coming, I will definitely help you and do my best to keep you safe and save you from disaster."

Tang Seng and others thanked Wukong and then left.

Wukong walked down the mountain. Before he had walked long, he saw Zhenjian waiting for him in front.

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Junior brother, can you come back to Fangcun Mountain with me?"

Wukong bowed and said, "I will go there and pay my respects to the master."

Zhen Jian said: "Since that's the case, please follow me, Junior Brother."

Say it.

He was really seen riding on a cloud, leaving Lingshan and heading towards Fangcun Mountain.

Wukong smiled and waited for Zhenjian to fly away on the cloud. After about an incense stick of time, he rode his somersault cloud and chased after Zhenjian.

The two of them, one in front and the other behind, returned to Fangcun Mountain. In a moment, they arrived in front of the Sanxing Immortal Cave on Fangcun Mountain.

Zhen Jian landed on the ground, but saw that Wukong was calm and relaxed. He said, "Junior brother, you have achieved success in your practice now. There is indeed a difference. Your ability has improved. If it were in the past, I don't know how much you can defeat me. As long as you focus on defending, you can't easily defeat me. But according to your current state, if I fight with you, it won't take long for me to defeat you."

Wukong scratched his head and said, "Second Brother, why do you say that? How dare I fight with you? I can't, I can't."

Zhen Jian laughed and said, "It's not that you and I are bound to fight again, but it's just about our abilities."

Wukong said: "Second Brother, no matter how powerful we are, we are no match for the eldest brother."

When Zhenjian heard what Wukong said, he suddenly laughed and said, "Come to think of it, Junior Brother, have you ever fought with Senior Brother, so you know this?"

Wukong shook his head and said, "I dare not deceive Second Brother. I have fought with Big Brother more than once. No matter how skilled I am, they are useless in front of Big Brother. As the saying goes, 'showing off one's skills in front of an expert', that's exactly what it means. Big Brother only needs to flick his sleeves, and no matter how many transformations I make or how many magical powers I have, they are all useless and can only be taken away by him."

Zhen Jian laughed and said, "I don't have your courage to compete with the eldest brother."

Wukong said: "I was ignorant then and didn't know what to do. I wouldn't dare to do that again now."

As the two of them talked, they walked into the mansion.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Chongyang picking up a broom and sweeping the house. When Wukong saw Chongyang, he stepped forward and said, "Nephew, nephew!"

Chongyang raised his head, bowed quickly and said, "Chongyang greets Uncle Master."

Wukong stepped forward and put his arm around Chongyang's shoulders, saying, "My nephew, I haven't seen you for a long time. Do you miss me?"

Chongyang said: "I miss you."

After saying this, he looked at Wukong again, pondered for a long time, and said, "Uncle Master, how come the change is so great?"

Wukong did not understand what he meant and asked, "How did I change? I am not the same as before, with a hairy face and thunder god's mouth."

Chongyang shook his head and said, "I can't really explain it, but I've seen a big change in Master's appearance. He seems gentler now than before, when I thought he was very fierce."

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Now, Junior Brother Wukong, you have achieved success in your cultivation and have a spiritual appearance. What Junior Brother Chongyang said was your spiritual appearance. You have shed your demonic appearance and reappeared your spiritual appearance. Isn't that a big change?"

After hearing this, Wukong finally understood and said, "I didn't know that this is what my nephew was looking at."

Zhen Jian said: "Brother, you can chat with me later. You can practice in the mountains and meet me anytime. Come with me to visit Master first."

Wukong said: "That's right."

Wukong agreed to talk with Chongyang later, and then he and Zhenjian walked along the Yaotai path to the master's quiet room.

(End of this chapter)