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

Chapter 395 A Gift of Spiritual Fruit on Double Ninth Festival, Half of the Analects to Govern the World

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zuo Liangzhi greeted Wang Chongyang with courtesy upon his arrival.

When Zuo Liang saw Wang Chongyang, his eyes lit up. He vaguely saw the figure of his senior brother in Wang Chongyang. He felt that the day his senior brother returned to his position was not far away.

Wang Chongyang bowed deeply to Zuo Liang in the central hall and said, "I received a great favor from the Celestial Master in the past, and I have no way to repay it. Now I have returned the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, some spiritual fruits, and a strong horse. I offer them to you to repay your kindness."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "I helped you not for such a reason. You can rest assured and settle your spiritual fruit and horse."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang was deeply moved and rose to bow again.

Zuo Liang helped Wang Chongyang up and said, "No need for formalities. But when I see you today, you are dignified and elegant, with the demeanor of an elder. I suppose you have profound knowledge, is that right?"

Wang Chongyang said, "I cannot hide it from your discerning eyes, sir. In the past, when I left my residence, I traveled all over the land and reached two states. I was assisted by some eminent monks and great scholars, and thus gained some knowledge. Furthermore, due to a predestined encounter, I met an immortal in a mountain and received his teachings, which is how I acquired my knowledge."

Zuo Liang clapped his hands and laughed, "I'm so envious of you having such an opportunity."

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "Even if I have the opportunity, I am still far inferior to you, sir."

Zuo Liang said, "Don't be modest. You are no ordinary person. But you are very knowledgeable. Could you tell me about your knowledge so that I can understand what you have learned?"

Wang Chongyang said, "Please tell me what you need me to explain, and I will do my best to explain it."

Zuo Liang said, "In that case, tell me the essentials of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism."

Wang Chongyang said, "Please forgive me, sir, for my knowledge is too shallow to speak."

Zuo Liang asked in surprise, "Why do you say that? When you were here before, you were able to talk about the essence of the Dao. Why are you afraid to say such words now?"

Wang Chongyang said, “Sir, you are wise. In the past, I was guilty of ignorance. I only glimpsed a little bit of the basics and then spoke out of it. That was foolish of me. Now that I have gained some knowledge, I know how weak my words were in the past, and I also know how profound the doctrines of the three schools are. Therefore, I dare not speak of them.”

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang burst into laughter and exclaimed, "You truly are a great sage now!"

Wang Chongyang said, "I dare not accept such praise!"

Zuo Liang said, “Since you do not speak of the essentials of the three schools, I will ask you a question or two and teach you how to answer it. From your answers, we can see your cultivation level.”

Wang Chongyang bowed deeply and said, "Please ask him, sir."

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "I have heard that Buddhism has three virtues: the virtue of Prajna, the virtue of liberation, and the virtue of Dharmakaya. What are these three virtues?"

Without hesitation, Wang Chongyang replied: "The virtue of Prajna is wisdom, which allows one to see the true nature of all phenomena and eradicate ignorance, like the bright moon in the sky. The virtue of liberation is severance, which allows one to be forever free from afflictions and bondage and transcend the cycle of birth and death. The virtue of Dharmakaya is realization, which is entering into the true nature of reality that is neither born nor dies. There is also a fourth virtue, which is permanence, bliss, self, and purity."

Zuo Liang laughed and said, "What a wonderful 'eternal bliss, selflessness, and purity'! You are truly a sage in this day and age. You have already mastered the essentials of Buddhism, but I wonder if you are reading about Nirvana or Zen?"

Wang Chongyang said, "Sir, there is no two schools of Buddhism. Even the three schools are of the same root but different branches, and they all lead to the same goal. How much more so should Buddhism?"

Zuo Liang smiled and nodded, saying, "I am very pleased with your achievements today. But is there anything important that I need your help with now that you have come to see me?"

Wang Chongyang replied, “There is nothing urgent, but I need to go elsewhere to verify my knowledge. Now that I have achieved some success, I should go to see you, Master, to put your mind at ease, and to find an opportunity to repay your great kindness.”

Zuo Liang waved his hand and said, "This is unnecessary! You should focus on your cultivation and gain more knowledge. There's no need for you to come and see me. Besides, what you're saying about gratitude is nonsense. You don't need to repay me."

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "If one knows kindness but does not repay it, one is not a gentleman, but a petty person."

Zuo Liang smiled, yet his expression held a deeper meaning, and said, "Indeed, there is no need for repayment. You need not be overly polite when you see me. Perhaps one day I will return all these gifts to you."

Wang Chongyang exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be? Sir, please don't speak nonsense. I wouldn't dare to do such a thing, absolutely not!"

Zuo Liang said, "It cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken."

Wang Chongyang was about to say something more.

Zuo Liang interrupted, saying, "Now that you've returned, you should rest in the manor for a while, and then you can go and learn more."

Wang Chongyang naturally agreed.

Zuo Liang then sent his attendants to take Wang Chongyang to rest.

……

Time flies, and before we knew it, five or six months had passed.

Wang Chongyang instructed Zuo Liang to stay in the mansion and rest for a while. Zuo Liang then taught Wang Chongyang medicine, explaining that mastering medical skills would protect him from illness and allow him to heal those who were suffering.

Wang Chongyang naturally learned the skills, but due to his exceptional intelligence, he mastered many medical techniques in just over five or six months.

Seeing that his medical skills were decent, Zuo Liang did not want to force him to stay, so he said little and allowed him to leave to travel the world and verify his knowledge.

Wang Chongyang then bid farewell to Zuo Liang and his entourage, preparing to depart for a place beyond the mountains to continue his pursuit of knowledge.

The attendants were all reluctant to part with Wang Chongyang. They saw him off at the foot of the mountain, saying, "Chongyang, why must you leave so soon? Why not stay in the mansion for a few more days? We can discuss medical techniques together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Wang Chongyang turned around and bowed, saying, "But I must continue on my path of learning and cannot stay long. If I stay in such a peaceful place for too long, I fear I will no longer be willing to endure the torment of asceticism. Please forgive me."

The group of followers had no choice but to say, “Enough, enough, enough. What you say makes a lot of sense. How can we stop you after hearing what you have to say? If we stop you, wouldn’t we be making things difficult for you? Just go, but when you travel to a foreign land in the future, don’t forget us.”

Wang Chongyang said, "I will not forget you all, so please rest assured."

The attendants beamed and said, "In that case, we are relieved. However, since you are embarking on a long journey, we have nothing to give you. If we were to give you dry rations, we fear it would be too much of a burden and inconvenient for you, and they might not suit your taste. We have plenty of money to give you, to lend you a helping hand."

As he spoke, a group of attendants took out a heavy bundle filled with money, clearly prepared in advance.

Wang Chongyang was deeply moved upon seeing this, and said, "I accept this gift from you all, and thank you all. But I also have a gift to share with you all, and I would like to teach it to you." The group of followers laughed and said, "What is it? You have nothing, so how can you give us something? Don't talk nonsense."

Another attendant said, "Are you going to give us the Heavenly Ruler? That is the master's treasure. He told you to keep it. Don't give it to us, or we will be punished."

Another attendant said, "Don't give us the horse either, we don't need it."

The group of attendants were overjoyed.

Wang Chongyang took out a bundle of spiritual fruits and said, “Everyone, I once entered a sacred mountain by chance and was given so many spiritual fruits by the spirit beasts there. These fruits have the effect of abstaining from grains and can also prevent people from getting sick. I have more than enough to use. Now that I am leaving, I will give them all to you. I hope you will not find them too much.”

Upon hearing his words, the group of followers were all greatly shocked. They all knew that Wang Chongyang had entered the immortal mountain and obtained many immortal fruits, but they dared not covet such precious things, so they pretended not to know. Even now, when they were talking about it, they dared not mention those immortal fruits.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chongyang took out those immortal fruits and even wanted to give them all to them.

The attendants all politely declined, saying, "No, no! Chongyang, please don't say such things. We all know that this fruit of yours is a celestial fruit, extremely rare. It was obtained from a celestial mountain and is exceptionally precious. It is far beyond the reach of ordinary treasures. We dare not accept it. Please keep it safe, Chongyang, and do not take it out casually. You should know that wealth can be tempting, let alone such a celestial fruit."

None of the followers were tempted; they all tried to dissuade Wang Chongyang from putting away the immortal fruit.

Wang Chongyang laughed and said, “Gentlemen, I am giving these to you, so you may accept them without hesitation. Now, please accept these fruits and share them. How can that possibly repay your kindness to me?”

The attendants said, "These immortal fruits are extraordinary and cannot be measured in money. They should not be taken out so casually. Chongyang, you should take them back quickly."

Wang Chongyang still handed out the bundle, saying, "Don't say anything more. These fruits are precious, but they are not as precious as the friendship between us. If you truly consider me your friend, then accept these fruits and share them with you. If you don't consider me your friend, then you don't need to accept them."

Upon hearing Wang Chongyang's words and seeing his sincerity, the group of followers were all moved. After bowing deeply to Wang Chongyang, they each accepted the fruit.

After giving all the fruit to his followers, Wang Chongyang bid them farewell, mounted his horse, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, Chongyang is leaving now. When Chongyang returns in the future, we will meet again."

Say it.

Wang Chongyang then said no more, spurred his horse forward, and descended the mountain to continue his journey through the world.

As Wang Chongyang departed, his entourage bowed once more.

Before long, Wang Chongyang's figure had completely disappeared from their sight. Only after seeing this did the group of followers enter the mansion.

After the group of attendants entered the mansion, they did not say anything, but went to the central hall to pay their respects to Zuo Liang.

After paying their respects to Zuo Liang, the attendants offered him the sacred fruits one by one, daring not to hold back a single one.

Seeing that all his followers were giving him fruit, Zuo Liang was puzzled and said, "These fruits are rare treasures, and there are very few things in the world that can compare with them. It is your destiny that you have obtained such treasures. Why are you doing this? If you give me the fruits, you will have no fruits left."

The attendants all said, "We are deeply grateful for the Chongyang Festival and have been given these divine fruits. However, we know that we are just ordinary people and dare not steal such treasures. Please accept them, sir."

Zuo Liang laughed and said, "Do you really want to give me this fruit? You should know that even ordinary people can enjoy this kind of fruit. It can prolong life and has many benefits."

The group of followers then said, "We are deeply grateful to the master for passing on his skills to us. We have no way to repay him. Now that we have this opportunity, we should repay him with some of the immortal fruits. This is one of the reasons."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang was greatly moved and said, "I am passing on my skills to you, but it is the right thing to do. Although you only have medical skills, your cultivation of the mind is quite good."

The attendants remained silent, only bowing again, and said, "Please accept the divine fruit, sir. If you refuse, we will not rise!"

Zuo Liang smiled and pointed to the fruit in the hands of his followers, shaking his head and saying, "These fruits are useless to me, so you don't need to give them to me. These fruits are useless to me, but they are of great use to you. Since they are given to you on Chongyang Festival, you may accept them and enjoy them."

The attendants were somewhat flustered and said, "Sir, how can we use these immortal fruits? This is not suitable."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "Don't underestimate yourselves. You are my followers. Although you are not well-known in the world now, you all possess remarkable medical skills. If you are born in the future, you will definitely receive extraordinary treatment. So rest assured and use the immortal fruit. I will not blame you."

Say it.

Zuo Liangchao and his entourage waved their hands, telling him to leave and not to linger.

The attendants were moved to tears and bowed deeply to Zuo Liang, saying, "We thank you, sir. We are grateful for your kindness today. If we are treated well in the future, we will definitely repay your kindness."

Zuo Liang waved his hand, pretending to be nonchalant, and said, "You don't need to say anything more. Just leave quickly and don't disturb my peace. If you have any questions, come and find me again."

The group accepted the order and withdrew from the group.

……

Time flies like an arrow, and the years pass like a shuttle. Before we knew it, more than a year or two had passed.

After leaving Zuo Liang's residence, Wang Chongyang went straight to Xuzhou. Upon arriving in Xuzhou, he sought out great Confucian scholars, eminent monks, and high-ranking Taoist priests to discuss his knowledge. However, after searching for many people in Xuzhou, he found none who could rival his knowledge, and thus gained nothing from their teachings.

Although Wang Chongyang gained nothing in Xuzhou, his journey earned him a great reputation. The name of the extraordinary Wang Chongyang resounded throughout the three states, and it is now gaining momentum.

One day, Wang Chongyang was in a pavilion in Xuzhou, discussing Confucianism with an old man.

The old man asked, "I have heard the scholar Zhao Pu say that 'half of the Analects can govern the world.' The Analects is a classic of Confucianism, containing the literature of Confucianism and the words of sages. I think his words make sense. What do you think, young friend?"

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "The world is so vast, how can it be governed by a single Analects? This statement is false, this statement is false!"

The old man laughed and said, "How could this be false? Tell me in detail."

Wang Chongyang said, “The saying that half of the Analects can govern the world does not mean that. It means that the teachings of Confucianism should be transformed from theory into practical wisdom for governing the country, rather than the literal meaning that half of the Analects can govern the world. If anyone actually believes that, then they are truly foolish.”

The old man said, “You are truly an extraordinary person. In just a few words, you have fully explained Zhao Pu’s teachings. If you were to enter the world, you would surely become a prime minister. In recent years, there has been an enlightened ruler on the move who has the momentum to unify the world. This momentum is unstoppable. Why don’t you help him? If your time comes in the future, you will surely become a prime minister.”

(End of this chapter)