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

Chapter 370 Mara, Kinnara Bodhisattva
On their journey west, in a mountain range, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie discovered that there were many demons in the mountains, an unusual sight indeed.

Seeing that there were many demons in the mountains, Pigsy lost all courage and grabbed Sun Wukong to leave.

Unexpectedly, Sun Wukong was unwilling to leave and instead went into the mountains to gather information.

When Pigsy heard that Monkey King was going to enter the mountain, he became timid and said, “Brother, the Lion Camel Ridge we saw in the past was better than this place, but at that time we had the Bull Demon King leading troops to help us, and the Holy Infant King and others also came. That’s why we were able to defeat Lion Camel Ridge. Now there are only the two of us. If there are other great demons in this place besides the demons all over the mountain, we will have a hard time escaping. You should listen to what I have to say and go and get reinforcements first.”

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "You fool, if you are afraid, you should leave first. I must go in and find out what kind of demon has summoned all these evil spirits in the mountain."

Say it.

Sun Wukong pulled Zhu Bajie aside, intending to enter the mountain.

Pigsy said urgently, "Brother, wait a moment."

Hearing Pigsy's shouts, Sun Wukong had no choice but to stop and asked, "Pigsy, what brings you here?"

Pigsy said, "Brother Monkey, I'll accompany you on this journey."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed and said, "In that case, you may come with me."

Pigsy, carrying his nine-toothed rake, followed closely behind Monkey King and said, "Brother, I'll go with you to venture into this dragon's den and tiger's lair. Monkey King, you must protect me and not let me be captured by that monster."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "You fool, don't worry, I have my own supernatural powers to protect you."

Pigsy said, “Only then can I feel at ease. Brother Monkey, should we charge straight in, or should we sneak in by some means? If we are to sneak in, I can only transform into the big one, not the small one. Brother Monkey should know this.”

Sun Wukong said, "Don't worry, I have a way to turn you into a smaller one."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong grabbed Zhu Bajie and headed down.

Pigsy wanted to ask, but Monkey King held him back, so he couldn't answer.

The two descended from the clouds, intending to enter the mountain.

Before Sun Wukong could drag Zhu Bajie into the mountain, they suddenly saw a monk on the hillside.

Sun Wukong said, "Bajie, there's a monk over there who seems to know some Buddhist teachings. Let's go and ask him to find out what kind of teachings this mountain has."

Pigsy looked closely at the direction Sun Wukong pointed and saw that there was indeed a monk. But for some reason, he found the monk rather strange and said, "Brother, this monk doesn't look like an ordinary person. We must be careful."

Sun Wukong said, "We are also Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of Mount Ling, so he is no ordinary person. We are of the same origin as him, so we should not be guilty of disturbing him."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy felt it made perfect sense and said no more.

The two stopped their flight on the clouds and headed towards the hillside where the monk was. After a short while, they arrived at the hillside.

Sun Wukong stepped forward, put his hands together, and said, "May I ask your Dharma name? I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of Heaven, Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha of Mount Ling. I have come here today and found monsters running rampant in the mountains. I have come to ask you, and I wonder if you can tell me where the monsters on this mountain come from and what the origin of this mountain is."

The monk turned and looked at Sun Wukong.

When Sun Wukong saw the monk's face, he was startled. The monk had blood-red eyes, a broad forehead with horns, wore a five-sided jeweled crown, adorned with necklaces and iron chains, and wore a thousand-layered kasaya embroidered with gold thread and ashes. He held a white jade alms bowl in his hand, and his face resembled that of an angry Asura. Red lightning flashed past from time to time, and the scene of Avici Hell appeared beneath his feet. This was definitely not a high monk, but a demonic monk.

The monk smiled and said, "I never expected that the Victorious Fighting Buddha would be in front of us. As for where these mountain monsters came from, I know the answer. These mountain monsters are the ones I gathered here, and they are here to prepare for the attack on Mount Ling."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong knew that this demonic monk was no ordinary person. He stared at the monk, as if trying to figure out his background. After staring for a long time, he still couldn't figure him out. He then noticed that Zhu Bajie was trembling with fear, so he protected him behind him.

Sun Wukong asked, "What is your Dharma name, Your Excellency?"

The monk laughed and said, "Moro, I have long heard of your name. You once wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, causing unrest in the Three Realms. You are truly capable. Now that I have met you, I can invite you to join me in attacking Mount Ling, so that we can jointly control Mount Ling. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was unconcerned and said, "Even if you gather such demons, what use is it? The World-Honored One's magical power is profound. How could you possibly defeat him with just a motley crew?"

Mara clasped his hands together and said, “If we were to go forward, we would certainly not be able to. But now we are fortunate to have the Dharma of Zen. The Buddha’s Dharma has declined and is no longer the Dharma of this world. Its power is not as great as before. If we attack here, we will surely make it retreat.”

Sun Wukong said, “Even if the World Honored One is not as good as before, he is still far beyond the reach of a demonic monk like you. But now my eldest brother has issued a decree that demons are not allowed to cause trouble on the main road to the west. Your summoning of demons here is a violation of the decree.”

Moro said, “Although I have summoned demons here, I have never allowed them to go out of the mountains to do evil. If anyone goes into the mountains and is killed, it is their fate. You are ordered by law not to allow demons to cause trouble, and the demons here have never gone out of the mountains to travel the west road.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong did not refute Mo Luo. He looked around and, unaware of what was happening, found himself surrounded by a large number of demons and monsters.

Pigsy stepped forward and grabbed Monkey King, whispering, "Brother, this demonic monk is probably no ordinary person. He dares to talk about attacking the World-Honored One and ruling Mount Ling. As the saying goes, 'two fists can't beat four hands.' If we fight him here, we're afraid we won't be able to win."

Sun Wukong knew that Mo Luo probably wanted to invite him to join his gang. If he refused, they would attack him and capture him. He had no intention of fighting Mo Luo here. He grabbed Zhu Bajie and leaped away.

With his hands clasped together and his face contorted with rage, the demonic aura reappeared on his face. He said, "Victorious Fighting Buddha, since you've come, stay and join me in conquering Mount Ling. Why leave again?"

Say it.

As if commanded, all the demons and monsters in the mountains rushed towards Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong pulled the golden cudgel from his ear, and with a loud shout of "Big!" the cudgel grew to a hundred feet in size and struck forward. As soon as the cudgel rolled over, most of the demons and monsters perished.

Just as he was about to make another move, he suddenly saw Moro approach him and grab him.

Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel and charged forward.

Pigsy was trembling with fear, but seeing Monkey King approaching, he mustered his courage and said, "Brother Monkey, I'm here to help you!"

Pigsy swung his nine-toothed rake and began to rake and strike wildly at Demon.

Moro, seeing the two attacking, was not afraid at all and engaged them in battle.

The three fought for four or five rounds without a clear victor. Then, Moro took out a white jade alms bowl and hurled it at them.

Sun Wukong saw that it was a porcelain bowl and was about to use his golden cudgel to hit it away, but as soon as he raised the golden cudgel, black water flowed out of the white jade bowl, which entangled his golden cudgel and made him unable to move.

Despite using all his skills, Sun Wukong could not break free from the black water's restraints and could not retrieve his golden cudgel.

Pigsy said, "Brother, I'm here to help you!"

Pigsy picked up his nine-toothed rake, fearless of the demons, and headed towards the black water that had entangled the golden cudgel.

Unexpectedly, when Pigsy used his rake, he was also entangled by the black water and could not move.

Sun Wukong said, "Bajie, don't be hasty! This black water is soft; the harder it is, the more difficult it is to break free. Let's wait a while."

Say it.

Sun Wukong was about to use his magic to break free from the black water.

Unexpectedly, Moro reached out again and grabbed at the two of them.

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong hurriedly instructed Zhu Bajie to abandon his nine-toothed rake and escape with him. He knew that this demon was difficult to deal with and possessed profound magical power. He was unaware of the demon's abilities and was likely to suffer losses.

Pigsy said, "This rake is a treasure from heaven; it must not be discarded, it must not be discarded!"

Sun Wukong said, "That Demon is troublesome. If we don't leave here, we may be captured by him."

Pigsy disagreed. Sun Wukong was about to abandon his golden cudgel and fight the demon with his bare hands, but before he could do anything, a divine light suddenly appeared, and a large cauldron slammed down, hitting the white jade bowl and shattering it.

The bowl shattered, and the black water vanished.

Both of their weapons fell back into their hands.

Sun Wukong looked in that direction and was overjoyed. He said, "This is the Yu Ding. My senior brother has arrived with his magic. Fool, come with me."

Sun Wukong grabbed Zhu Bajie and headed towards the location of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

The two left the place shortly afterward, and as soon as they left, Yu Ding fled in the direction they had gone.

Moro clasped his hands together, gazing in the direction of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, without uttering a word.

……

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie rode on a cloud and soon returned to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. The two were in a sorry state and returned to the front of the Sanxing Immortal Cave.

Meanwhile, the Bull Demon King was practicing his martial arts alone in front of the Three Star Immortal Cave. He held the Black Dragon Spear firmly and wielded it with great power. Just as he finished practicing a set of spear techniques, he looked up and saw Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie panting and looking disheveled.

The Bull Demon King immediately withdrew his Black Dragon Spear and asked, "Brother, Pigsy, what are you two doing? Weren't you two going to the Western Road to vanquish demons? Why are you in such a sorry state?"

Sun Wukong breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Bull Demon King, put away his golden cudgel, sat down on the ground, and said, "Brother, this is a long story, and it was truly a mess. If it weren't for my senior brother's rescue, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it back."

Pigsy also plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, unable to speak for a long time.

The Bull Demon King asked, "On the main road to the west, how could there be a demon who could make you so disheveled, my brother? Moreover, you said that if it weren't for my rescue, you wouldn't have been able to return here. What kind of demon is this, with such great supernatural powers?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Brother, I really don't know. But that demon was a monk named Mo Luo, who was extremely powerful. He gathered a group of demons and claimed that he wanted to attack Mount Ling and attack the Buddha. But when Zhu Bajie and I fought with him, we didn't know where he came from and suffered a great loss."

The Bull Demon King asked in confusion, "What kind of demon is Moro? How can he be so arrogant as to say that he wants to attack Mount Ling and attack the Buddha?"

Sun Wukong said, "I don't know the secret, but now is the time to go find my senior brother and ask him for clarification before we discuss anything else."

The Bull Demon King nodded and said, "In that case, my good brother, hurry inside and meet the master."

Sun Wukong responded, grabbed Zhu Bajie, and walked inside.

Pigsy shouted, "Brother, why don't you go and talk to the master? Why are you trying to catch me?"

Sun Wukong said, "Stop talking and come with me to see my senior brother."

The two entered the mansion and soon arrived at the Master's meditation room.

The door to the meditation room was wide open, as if waiting for the two. After bowing outside, the two entered the meditation room.

The two entered the quiet room and bowed to thank the immortal for saving their lives.

Jiang Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a gentle breeze came to help the two up. He said, "That Mo Luo is no ordinary person. You two didn't know his moves and suffered a little loss. It's nothing to be ashamed of. There's no need to thank me."

Sun Wukong asked, "Elder brother, I wonder who that Demon is? I've never heard of him before, but his magical power is profound and rarely seen in the Three Realms!"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "His magical power is indeed profound, no less than yours, Wukong. We don't need to speculate about his background. You two come with me to see Master."

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie responded.

The three left the meditation room and went to the patriarch's room to pay their respects to the patriarch.

The three had just been invited to an audience when the door to the patriarch's meditation room was opened wide, and the patriarch invited the three inside.

The three entered, completed the formalities, and took their seats.

The Patriarch said, “I know the purpose of your visit. You three have come to inquire about Mara, haven’t you?”

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "We cannot hide it from Master's discerning eyes. We have come here for Mara."

Sun Wukong said respectfully, "Master, that Demon is extremely powerful. If it weren't for my eldest brother's rescue, I might have fallen into his trap. That's why I came to ask you for clarification and find out who that Demon really is."

Pigsy, standing behind, dared not utter a sound and remained obedient.

The Patriarch smiled and said, "I know the purpose of that Mara's visit, but if I were to reveal his methods, I fear you would form a karmic bond with him, and a fierce battle would surely follow in the future."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Master, but he almost injured Wukong and Bajie. Even if we have no chance, I will fight him one day."

The patriarch pointed at Jiang Yuan, smiled, and said, "Alright, alright, alright. Since that's the case, I will explain the ins and outs to you."

All three listened attentively.

The Patriarch then said, “That Mara is not his original name. His original name was Kinnara Bodhisattva, a Bodhisattva of extremely high magical power from Mount Ling.”

"When he was a Bodhisattva, you, my child, had not yet been born. At that time, the Bodhisattva Kinnara received the golden decree of the Tathagata to spread the Dharma to the countries of the Western Continent of Niuhe. The Bodhisattva Kinnara spread the Dharma for a long time and taught in countless countries. Later, when he came to a country, the priest of that country did not allow the Bodhisattva Kinnara to spread the Dharma. The Bodhisattva Kinnara did not understand and explained the profound Dharma to him. The priest was not tired of it and granted him three requests. If he could accomplish them one by one, he would allow the Bodhisattva Kinnara to spread the Dharma in the country."

“The Bodhisattva Kinnara asked him three questions, and the priest told him that there were three people in the country: the one who liked to grope was named ‘A-Liu’, the street ruffian was named ‘A-Dao’, and the prostitute was named ‘A-Xiu’.”

"When will the Bodhisattva Kinnara teach the three women to stop groping, stop doing evil, and stop selling themselves, and when will he allow them to preach? The Bodhisattva Kinnara is a being with great supernatural powers. He used the Dharma to influence A-Liu and make her stop groping. He used the wisdom of the Dharma to resolve A-Dao's violent temper and make her take refuge in the right path. He also taught the prostitute A-Xiu for a long time and made her regain her dignity and stop selling herself."

"However, after the Bodhisattva Kinnara had accomplished his goal, the priest went back on his word and said that he would only allow the courtesan Ashu to preach if she sold herself again. To repay the Bodhisattva Kinnara, the courtesan sold herself again and then committed suicide to show that she would never enter the world of prostitution again."

"After the courtesan committed suicide, the priest burned her body in a great fire and told the Bodhisattva Kinnara that it was all a joke and that the Bodhisattva Kinnara was not allowed to preach in other countries. The Bodhisattva Kinnara was very angry at this time, but he was mindful of the precepts and dared not offend them, so he left and returned to Mount Sumeru."

"After he returned to Mount Ling, the Buddha saw that his six senses were impure and that he was full of resentment, so he expelled him from the Buddhist order and told him to wait until he had completed his meditation and returned. Kinnara Bodhisattva felt that this was unfair and had deep doubts about the Buddhist doctrines he had learned. Therefore, he had demonic thoughts, abandoned his lotus throne and his title, and called himself Mara. He slaughtered a country of priests and claimed that Buddhism was false and that the Buddha should be killed. Afterwards, he hid in the Northern Continent of Uttarakuru for many years and did not make a move."

The patriarch then explained the matter of 'Mara' in detail.

Upon hearing this, all three suddenly realized what was going on.

Sun Wukong said, "I wondered how that Demon could have such magical power and such a great background."

Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Buddha and demon are but a thought away."

The Patriarch looked at Jiang Yuan and said with a smile, "This Mara has now appeared in the world, surely to deal with Mount Ling. He has appeared because the Buddha and the Dharma of the West are about to disappear, and this is related to you."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Master should know that although I am the Zen Patriarch, my Zen methods are weak and not worthy of being called the Way. However, regardless of whether it is related to me or not, I should avenge Wukong's death."

The patriarch smiled and nodded, saying, "Moro is quite capable; you must be careful."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Master, rest assured, I understand."

The Patriarch said, “Child, you have several cauldrons protecting you, which can be used to deal with Mara. However, Mara is not shallow in Buddhist principles, but now that he has fallen into demonic ways, he also has some twisted ideas. Do not let him mislead you.”

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Master, my eldest brother is proficient in all three schools of thought, so why should he fear that demon?"

The patriarch smiled but said nothing.

(End of this chapter)