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

Chapter 34 The Right Path is Difficult

But time passed quickly, through summer and autumn, I saw some cicadas chirping in the withered willows, and the fire flowed to the west.

Jiang Tong'er has been practicing meditation and searching for Yi Ma for more than forty years, and he doesn't know when he will achieve true immortality.

After practicing for more than forty years, he saw disciples coming and going in the cave, generation after generation. Most of them practiced for two or three years. The children were as calm as an ancient well, and they were dedicated to practicing the righteous way.

Although he couldn't find the hiding place of "Yima", he was not impatient.

This means that the horse is three out of five people.

The ancestor said that the two gods would bring disaster, so he couldn't find the horse he wanted.

He must not be in a hurry on this trip, so that the two gods will not cause any disaster and the child will be at ease. He will go when the master ascends the altar to preach, and practice meditation in peace when he has nothing to do.

During this day.

Jiang Yuan sat in the Yaotai class, listening to the master's lectures and scriptures, and listening to the wonderful music. He was the only one in the class, as most of his fellow disciples left to practice side skills, thinking that they were the real practitioners and went down the mountain.

When the child heard the wonderful words, he shook his head and his mind became clear.

Suddenly, the master's voice stopped.

Jiang Yuan opened his eyes, not knowing what was going on.

The ancestor pointed to the outside of the Three Stars Immortal Cave and said, "There is a cultivator coming outside. You can go and receive him."

Jiang Yuan heard this and stood up and bowed, "Yes, Master."

He was not surprised, as there were often disciples going down the mountain and practitioners going up the mountain from the fairy cave, coming and going as fate would have it.

It won't take long.

Jiang Tong'er walked out of the Sanxing Fairy Cave, the cave door was wide open, and he saw a man in cloth clothes outside the cave.

The man bowed and said, "God, God! Disciple, let me start!"

Jiang Yuan avoided the offer and said, "I don't deserve it. I'm not a god."

The man said, "I heard there is a fairy cave on this mountain, called 'Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave', and there are fairies in the cave. Now I see you coming out of the cave, how can you not be a fairy?"

Jiang Yuan said, "I am a cultivator, and I am cultivating with my master, Bodhi Patriarch. This immortal cave is my master's residence. My master was just sitting on the platform giving a sermon when he suddenly told me that there was a cultivator outside the door. I think it must be you."

The man bowed down and said, "It's me, it's me! Master, I came to Xiniuhezhou across the sea. I don't want to live in the secular world. I want to learn the way and go into the mountains to practice!"

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Come in with me."

Say it.

He turned and walked back into the cave.

He has seen this kind of scene many times.

The man felt uneasy and followed.

The two walked one in front and one behind to the Yaotai of Sanxing Fairy Cave.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward to report and took a seat in the class.

The man knelt down before the master and said, "Old Immortal, I am a sincere disciple. I beg you to accept me as your disciple and teach me the way!"

The master said, "There is no need to rush to practice. Please tell me your hometown, name and surname clearly."

The man said anxiously, "Old immortal, I live in the Qin State of Nanzhanbuzhou, my name is Zhao Heng, because of the three disasters in my family, I heard that the old man taught me that the predecessors had traversed the waterway to Xiniuhezhou, so I came to Xiniuhezhou to do business."

The master nodded when he heard this and said, "If that's the case, why don't you do business and want to practice cultivation?"

The man bowed and said, "Old Immortal, I don't want to live in peace in the world anymore, so I came to practice Taoism."

The master said, "If I teach you how to cultivate, what will you do?"

The man's eyes rolled and he said, "It is time to educate the world."

The master asked again: "How to teach?"

The man said, "I heard that my country is at war with other countries, and the royal family doesn't care. If you can cultivate the true way, you will surely revive the royal family, implement Zhou rituals again, and stop the war among the countries."

The master pondered for a while, then said, "It is easy to deceive others, but difficult to deceive yourself. If you want to cultivate a sect, I hope it will be as you said. Now that you have entered my sect, I will give you a Dharma name."

The man was overjoyed, kowtowed countless times, and said, "Master, please give me a name!"

The master said, "There are twelve characters in my sect, which are 'vast wisdom, true nature, and perfect enlightenment'. You are of the 'Zhen' generation, so your Dharma name will be 'Zhenjian'. Since you have just started practicing, I will teach you to fetch water every day so that the cave will not run out of water." The man kowtowed and agreed.

The ancestor taught the man to have "true vision" and to find a quiet room.

The man took the order and left Yaotai.

Jiang Yuan sat in the class, saying nothing and remaining motionless.

The Patriarch Zhang looked around and smiled, "I expected the boy to ask, but I didn't expect the boy to be so quiet. These forty years have taught the boy to change and become a true practitioner."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Master, I know that this junior fellow has a restless mind. If you teach me to carry water, I will definitely become lazy and it will be difficult for me to master the art."

The master smiled and said, "The Tao is under your feet."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he suddenly thought of what his junior brother said, "The nations were at war, and the royal family didn't care." Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the royal family's majesty had disappeared and was in name only. It was called the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in the dream.

He said that it was time to approach the Warring States period.

Jiang Yuan asked: "Master, if I can teach you to truly master the art and establish a royal family, can you do it?"

What I couldn't do in the past, how can someone do it even if they can find a way to do it?

The master shook his head and said, "Get the rope."

Jiang Yuan was puzzled, so he listened to the master's words, turned around and went to the foot of the Yaotai, took a vine and weaved it into a rope, then returned to the class.

He handed the rope to the master and said, "Master."

The master walked down from the altar, took the rope, pointed to an empty spot on the stage, and said, "Tong'er, look here, there is a rope. Tong'er, how can we stop the rope from moving forward?"

Say it.

Gently place the rope on the ground.

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Master, how about tying a knot?"

The master smiled and walked forward to tie a knot in the rope, but found that even though the rope was knotted, the end of the rope was still pointing forward.

He said: "The southern continent is like a rope. If you can truly practice, it will just tie a knot, and the result will not change. This rope is like cause and effect. Once the cause is created, how can it stop without bearing fruit?"

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "I will teach you, disciple."

The master said again: "The same principle applies to spiritual practice. Boy, you are now looking for the 'intentional horse', which is like a rope. If the two gods disturb your practice, and the rope ends with the two gods, it will be too late to regret. If you find the intentional horse, and the rope ends with you, you will be able to achieve the right path."

Jiang Yuan nodded, and his affection for Yi Ma became even stronger.

This is the most difficult time for him to practice. Success or failure depends on his mind.

Upon hearing this, the master went up to the platform and sat on it, preaching the Dharma.

……

After the master finished preaching, Jiang Tong'er escorted him back to his room, and then he went into his own secluded room to meditate.

He sat cross-legged on a cushion, holding Yu Ding in front of him, calming his mind, and then explored his kidneys to try to find the location of his desired horse.

Jiang Yuan searched for a long time but could not find any trace of the horse.

This has been the case for more than forty years.

"It is hard to find a horse of will. The five organs make up five people. If a gold man needs fire to burn, where is the horse of will?"

Jiang Yuan thought to himself.

In his dream of "Journey to the West", his horse turned into a white dragon.

But he didn't know what he was thinking or where he was.

Jiang Yuan knew that he could not find the trace of his favorite horse at the moment. It was difficult to find the favorite horse, and the two gods were obstructing him, making it impossible for him to find it.

At this moment, it was just like when he first met the 'five persons'. His consciousness obscured his mind, and his desire blinded his eyes, leaving him clueless and in a daze.

Jiang Yuan sighed and said, "Difficult, difficult, difficult! Don't take the golden elixir lightly!"

The right path is difficult...

(End of this chapter)