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

Chapter 358 Searching for Tang Sanzang, the Path of the Demons
In a mountain in Jingzhou, Zuo Liang helps Sun Wukong and Nezha search for the Sandalwood Merit Buddha.

Zuo Liang set up an altar in the mountain palace, issued documents, burned proclamations, and invited the land gods, mountain gods, river gods, and the Yin and Yang departments of Jingzhou to assist him.

But after he left with the document, a short while later, a local deity entered the altar to pay homage to Zuo Liang.

When the local earth god appeared, he saw Zuo Liang in the altar, and then saw Sun Wukong and Nezha. He was startled and bowed deeply, saying, "The earth god of Yun Village in Jingzhou greets Master Zhengyuan, greets the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and greets the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas!"

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "But there's no need for formalities. Today, I've come to seek my nephew's help, so he's sent you a document asking if there's any trace of the Sandalwood Merit Buddha within Jingzhou."

The local deity said, “We never expected this to be the case. We were unaware of this and were simply following Master Zhengyuan’s instructions. However, we have already made connections in various places and found the Sandalwood Merit Buddha within the territory of Jingzhou. Therefore, I have come to inform Master Zhengyuan.”

Zuo Liang immediately stood up and said, "Where is the Sandalwood Merit Buddha?"

Sun Wukong and Nezha were both overjoyed, never expecting that the Sandalwood Merit Buddha was indeed in Jingzhou. They had come to the right place to seek Zuo Liang's help.

The local deity bowed and said, "Master, the Sandalwood Merit Buddha is currently in Wuling, south of Jingzhou, where he teaches and enlightens the people."

Zuo Liang returned the greeting and said, "I understand. Thank you all for your help."

The landowner hurriedly said he didn't deserve the honor, and after talking with Zuo Liang for a while, he left.

Zuo Liang turned around and said, "Uncle-Master, the Great God of the Three Altars and the Sea Gathering, the Sandalwood Merit Buddha is currently in Wuling, Jingzhou. We can go there and meet him."

Sun Wukong said, "Zhengyuan, you don't need to go. You should stay here and cultivate. The Third Prince and I will handle this matter."

Nezha said, “What the Great Sage says makes sense. Zheng Yuan, you are currently cultivating, so you should not do this. You should cultivate peacefully.”

Zuo Liang was about to refute him, but Sun Wukong said that the True Man would be opening his own residence soon, and he was the True Man's second disciple. He would definitely have to go back then. He was cultivating now, and only when he returned could he make the True Man happy. He should not waste his time.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang could only agree and said no more.

Sun Wukong and Nezha then got up and left, exiting the mansion and riding away on clouds.

Zuo Liang watched Sun Wukong and Nezha leave until they disappeared from sight, then he turned around and went back to his residence.

A follower behind him exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, those two are immortals! They can actually ride the clouds and mist!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang laughed and said, "If it is my uncle and the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, then they are immortals without a doubt."

Many of the attendants were astonished upon hearing this, and some knelt down and kowtowed in the direction the two had left.

Zuo Liang shook his head without speaking, turning around to begin his cultivation.

Wang Shou, who was serving behind him, said, "Master, I have been learning medicine for some time and am willing to go down the mountain to try it out. What do you think, Master?"

Zuo Liang said, "But if you think the medical skills are feasible, you can go down the mountain."

Wang Shou was overjoyed and, after paying his respects, went down the mountain.

One of the attendants said, "Sir, although Wang Shou's medical skills are quite advanced, he has never treated anyone before. I'm afraid he may not be up to the task. Is there anything wrong with sending him down the mountain like this?"

Zuo Liang laughed and said, "The path is right under our feet, let it go."

Upon hearing this, the attendants had no choice but to give up and say no more.

……

Meanwhile, in Wuling County, south of Jingzhou, Sun Wukong and Nezha arrived at this place. The two rode on clouds and lingered in mid-air, looking down to search for the Sandalwood Merit Buddha.

Nezha looked around for a long time, then pointed to a spot in the city and said, "Great Sage, look over there, the Sandalwood Merit Buddha is there."

Sun Wukong looked in the direction Nezha pointed out and saw that the place was filled with auspicious clouds and mist, indicating that there must be a deity there. However, the local earth god and mountain god said that the Sandalwood Merit Buddha was here, so that must be the Sandalwood Merit Buddha.

Sun Wukong said, "Third Prince, let us go."

Say it.

Sun Wukong descended from the clouds and headed in that direction.

Nezha followed closely behind.

The two entered the city.

……

Meanwhile, in the city of Wuling, in a wealthy mansion, the former Tang Monk, now the Sandalwood Merit Buddha, was discussing Buddhist scriptures with the wealthy family.

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and preached Buddhist teachings for a long time, also performing rituals to help the deceased souls of the family's head of household find peace.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang possessed Buddhist knowledge, the parents wanted to ask him to leave behind a Buddhist scripture so that they could recite it daily and hear the Dharma.

Seeing that he had the desire to hear the Buddha's teachings, Tang Sanzang gladly agreed and wrote down a Buddhist scripture. This scripture was recorded in the Buddhist scriptures stored in the Vulture Peak Library and was used to calm the mind.

Upon seeing this, the parents were delighted and put the scripture down. Then they asked, "By the Living Buddha, may I shamelessly ask for another scripture?"

Tang Sanzang was puzzled. He put his hands together and asked, "Why is that? Is there something wrong with this scripture? If there is, you can tell me, and I will definitely replace it for you."

The parent shook his head and said, "This scripture is wonderful, but I want to obtain another scripture. I can give this scripture to the Living Buddha for a hundred gold pieces. I hope the Living Buddha will pass on the scripture to me."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang knew perfectly well that the family head thought the scriptures he had obtained were worthless because they didn't require gold or silver to purchase, and therefore wanted to ask him for a more valuable scripture.

He laughed and said, "The scriptures worth a hundred gold pieces are certainly available."

Upon hearing this, the parent was overjoyed and immediately sent someone to fetch the hundred taels of gold.

Before long, the parent brought out a hundred taels of gold and handed it to Tang Sanzang, saying, "Living Buddha, I give you this hundred taels of gold in the hope that you will give me a scripture."

Tang Sanzang casually stuffed the hundred gold coins into his bundle, not minding its weight, and with a smile handed another scripture to the parents. Without saying much, he got up and left.

The parent was overjoyed and took the scripture. Upon opening it, he was stunned. He looked closely and realized that the scripture was the same as the previous one. He was about to look up and speak to Tang Sanzang, but when he looked up, he couldn't see Tang Sanzang anywhere.

The parents were baffled and had no idea why Tang Sanzang would give them two identical scriptures.

Tang Sanzang walked out of the wealthy mansion, casually gave a hundred taels of gold to some poor and helpless people in the city, and was about to leave.

But before he could go any further, he suddenly saw someone blocking his way.

Tang Sanzang looked up and saw that it was Sun Wukong and Nezha. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Wukong, Third Prince, what are you two doing here?"

Sun Wukong and Nezha stepped forward and returned the greeting to Tang Sanzang, both addressing him as "Buddha of Sandalwood Merit" to show their respect. After hearing Tang Sanzang's questions, the two recounted the events of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom in Xiniu Hezhou to him in detail. Tang Sanzang, upon hearing this, was taken aback and asked, "There are actually such demons who take my appearance and usurp the throne in the Western Liang Women's Kingdom?"

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "That's right, that's right."

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, you have fiery eyes, and the Third Prince is a skilled warrior who slays demons. How could you two not be able to figure out the secret?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "That demon is extremely powerful. Neither of us could figure out his tricks. Not to mention the two of us, even the local earth gods and mountain gods could not figure out his tricks. Although I know he is a demon and want to get rid of him as soon as possible, that fellow has usurped the throne of the king and ordered his soldiers to block him. I cannot hurt anyone else, so I had to leave. I can't do anything about him. Today I have come to seek the Buddha of Merit to get rid of this demon."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang pondered for a long time without speaking, seemingly unaware that a demon had impersonated him and usurped the position of Queen of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom.

Looking at Tang Sanzang's appearance, Nezha asked, "Buddha of Sandalwood Merit, do you know the origin of that demon?"

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "I have some guesses, but I shouldn't be sure. Therefore, I must go to Mount Ling to find out if what I think is true."

Sun Wukong scratched his head and asked, "Buddha of Merit, why don't you just tell me? Why are you hiding this from me?"

Tang Sanzang felt helpless and said, "Wukong, do you remember when we went to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures and we had just succeeded, we encountered the Buddha of Guidance at Lingyun Ferry?"

Sun Wukong said, "I know that, but at that time, I intended to take that fool along for a while, but he was too afraid to go forward, so I had no choice."

Tang Sanzang nodded and smiled, “It’s because Bajie was not destined for this, so you can’t blame him. Back then at Lingyun Ferry, the Buddha of Guidance used a bottomless boat to ferry us. My mortal body collapsed on that shore. If I’m not mistaken, my mortal body was stolen by a demon, which is why it has my appearance, and you, Wukong, cannot see through it.”

After a moment's thought, Sun Wukong realized that what Tang Sanzang said was true, and he said, "If that's the case, why should we go to Mount Ling?"

Tang Sanzang said, “Go and confirm whether my mortal body is still there. Furthermore, if it is indeed my mortal body that was stolen by demons, then they must be extraordinary to be able to steal my mortal body in the Spirit Mountain. The Buddhas of the Spirit Mountain must know their origins. Go and ask them to find out their background.”

Sun Wukong said, "If that's the case, we can't stay any longer; we should hurry on our way."

Tang Sanzang said, "That must be so."

Sun Wukong and his companion naturally complied.

The three of them rode on clouds toward the sacred mountain of Xiniu Hezhou.

……

Half a day later, the three of them finally arrived at the sacred mountain by riding on clouds.

Sun Wukong arrived at the foot of Mount Ling and laughed, "Buddha of Merit, why don't you learn the art of cloud-riding? With your cloud-riding ability, it would be enough for me to make two round trips, or even go home and take a nap."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "Wukong, but I am different from you. I don't need that kind of cloud-flying technique. It is enough for me now. If I had the energy to learn the full cloud-flying technique, I would rather save one or two more people."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Learning the complete art of cloud-riding and strengthening oneself is also a way of helping others."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang became curious and asked, "How does one save oneself by strengthening oneself?"

Sun Wukong said, "This is self-salvation, fighting and defeating oneself. This is self-salvation. If one does not strengthen oneself, how can one fight and defeat oneself?"

Tang Sanzang was deeply moved and said, "Wukong, your cultivation has truly improved, far surpassing mine."

Sun Wukong was about to say something more.

Nezha said, “Great Sage, Buddha of Merit, let’s stop chatting here and go up the mountain. Pigsy is guarding the Women’s Kingdom of Xiliang, but I’m afraid he’ll be negligent. If the demon escapes, it will be hard to find him.”

Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong said no more and got up to head towards Mount Ling.

A short while later, the three arrived at the mountain gate, where the Four Heavenly Kings blocked their way.

The Four Heavenly Kings had intended to block the way when they saw people approaching, but upon closer inspection, they realized that Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, and Nezha were coming, so they quickly let the road open.

The Four Heavenly Kings bowed and said, "Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sandalwood Merit Buddha, Great God of the Three Altars and Ocean Assembly, we pay our respects here."

Sun Wukong and the others returned the greetings to the Four Heavenly Kings, and then explained the matter, asking the Four Heavenly Kings to inform the Buddha that they wished to meet with him.

Upon hearing of this, the Four Heavenly Kings were all alarmed and dared not be careless. They went to the Great Buddha Hall to report to the Buddha.

Before long, the Four Heavenly Kings returned and led Sun Wukong and the other two inside, telling them that Buddha was waiting for them in the Great Buddha Hall.

Sun Wukong and his companions entered the Great Buddha Hall, but as soon as they entered, they saw the Buddha sitting on a lotus throne, seemingly waiting for them.

Sun Wukong and the others stepped forward to pay their respects, addressing him as "World Honored One".

The Buddha sat on his lotus throne and said, “Wukong, Jinchan, Nezha. I already know where you have come from. The demon in the Western Liang Women’s Kingdom is a fox spirit. She often listened to my lectures on the Buddhas of the heavens. I saw that she was inclined to Buddhism, so I ignored her. In recent years, I have not seen her appear. However, with my profound wisdom, I have seen the entire Three Realms and know that she stole Jinchan’s mortal body and escaped. Therefore, she came to the Western Liang Women’s Kingdom and enjoys wealth and honor.”

Sun Wukong clasped his hands together in reverence and praised the World Honored One, then said, "World Honored One, I do not know who collected the Buddha's mortal body in the past, and how it was stolen by demons."

The Buddha said, “In the past, when the Golden Cicada returned to its position, the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra was supposed to collect its mortal body. However, Samantabhadra overlooked something, which led to disaster. I sent him to accompany you to subdue this demon and make amends for the mistake.”

Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, "But we don't need the help of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra's abilities are not that great, so there's no point in sending him."

The Buddha pointed at Sun Wukong and laughed, "You monkey, if Samantabhadra Bodhisattva knew your language, he would surely have to fight you."

Sun Wukong said, "But he is incompetent, which has caused disasters in other places. What if we say a few words to him? If he is not satisfied and comes to me, I will teach him a lesson."

The Buddha laughed and said, "Now that you are the Victorious Fighting Buddha, how can you be so fierce and ruthless?"

Sun Wukong said, "I no longer act fiercely, but since Bodhisattva Samantabhadra does not do human things, so what if I act fiercely and violently with him?"

The Buddha said, “Enough, enough, enough. Since you feel that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva cannot help you, I will send Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva with you to help you subdue the demon. What do you say?”

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "If it is Guanyin Bodhisattva, then there is nothing wrong with it."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha smiled and pointed at Sun Wukong, instructing Venerable Kasyapa to go to the South Sea to invite Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The Buddha said, "Victorious Fighting Buddha, why have you returned to the westward journey?"

Sun Wukong replied, "World Honored One, it is because my eldest brother is about to establish his own residence, and the road to the west is full of demons. Therefore, we are acting on my eldest brother's orders to subdue the demons and monsters on the road to the west."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha knew the matter and said that once the True Man opened his residence, he would descend and apologize to him.

Before long, Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea arrived at the Mahavira Hall.

The Buddha spoke of the matter to Guanyin Bodhisattva, who then received the imperial decree and prepared to travel to the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang with Sun Wukong and the others.

(End of this chapter)