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

Chapter 449 Overcoming Desire with One's Body is True Cultivation

In the cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, Mo Zhi entered the mansion and became a disciple of the Immortal. The Immortal bestowed upon him the Dharma name "Xin Zhou". The Immortal did not immediately teach him magic, but instead instructed Sun Wukong and the others to look after him.

After the True Man finished speaking in the Jade Terrace, he dismissed the disciples and went to the ancestral master's quiet room behind the Jade Terrace.

When the True Man met the Patriarch, he paid great respects, and the Patriarch then allowed the True Man to sit down.

The patriarch smiled and asked, "Young boy, have you taken on any disciples?"

The master nodded and said, "Master, one person has already entered the manor. He is from Anling Kingdom in Xiniu Hezhou. His surname is Mo, his given name is Zhi, and his Dharma name is 'Xinzhou'."

The Patriarch said, "Do not cling to the boat of your mind, for this is surely the reason why you will find it difficult to attain enlightenment. Do you think so, child?"

The master laughed and said, "Master's eyes are discerning. This cannot be hidden from you. Just as you said, this disciple is in my household, but his heart is in the sea of ​​suffering. He has a name but is not attached to it, yet his heart is biased. If he does not understand the meaning of self-salvation, he will find it difficult to achieve true cultivation."

The patriarch said, "Now that you know this, do you have any intention of helping me?"

The master gently shook his head and said, "Master, you are wise. But I have already helped him. When I gave him his Dharma name, I made it clear that if he cannot understand the mystery in this plate, it is his fate. I cannot help him any further."

The patriarch nodded with a smile and said, "You understand this principle, and my teachings to you have not been in vain."

The Master said, “I dare not forget Master’s teachings from years past. As for my matter, the riddle in the plate is enough to help me. Everything else depends on myself; no one else can help me. Just like many of my fellow disciples in the past, whether they could understand or not depended entirely on themselves.”

The patriarch said, “That is indeed the truth. I possess greed, anger, and ignorance, but this is nothing to fear. If one feigns celibacy and abandons desires, one will create heresy. Only those who can cross the sea of ​​desires themselves and overcome desires with their own bodies are truly practicing cultivation.”

The master smiled and said, "Master, I also sought immortality in the past, just like those who went up the mountain to seek immortality and ask the Dao."

The Patriarch said, “You are like this, true insight is like this, and so is Wukong. Just as you said, those who hear the Way are all one person.”

The true master bowed deeply to the patriarch.

The patriarch smiled and helped the master up, then asked, "Young man, how will you teach this disciple?"

The master said, “Master, if I wish to have him undergo hardship first, I must toughen his mind and strengthen his body. There is no need to rush in imparting the techniques.”

The patriarch said, "If they can't bear it and come to ask you, what will you do?"

The master said, "If you cannot endure it, I will pass on the techniques. The method to sever the ties is entirely up to you; it cannot be forced."

The patriarch smiled and nodded, without saying anything more.

The True Man and the Patriarch then discussed the path of cultivation for a long time in the quiet room before the Patriarch finally asked the True Man to leave and go to the quiet room to cultivate.

The Patriarch watched the True Man depart, full of praise, and said, "The boy resembles me, and now the boy is also the Patriarch. Those who hear the Dao are all one person; the boy of today is the same as I was in the past."

The patriarch sighed inwardly, "The true man has inherited his mantle."

……

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The manor gained a disciple named Xinzhou, but he did not disturb the peace of the manor too much. Most of the time, the manor remained as peaceful as before.

The day after Mo Zhi entered the sect, Sun Wukong came and taught him to work hard every day. He had to learn etiquette, discuss scriptures and doctrines, practice calligraphy and burn incense. In his spare time, he had to sweep the floor, hoe the garden, grow flowers and prune trees, find firewood and start a fire, and carry water and slurry.

Such toil would be unbearable for Mo Zhi, but now that he was in the abode of immortals, how could he give it up? He had no choice but to endure it.

One day, after finishing his many tasks, Mo Zhi squatted on the threshold of the quiet room. He looked around but saw no one. His limbs ached and he could hardly bear it.

Mo Zhi said in a low voice, "Why is it that when I entered the Immortal Mansion, I was not taught any immortal techniques, but instead did all this useless work? Could it be that the immortal does not want to teach me immortal techniques? Or is the immortal testing me here?"

Just as he was pondering this.

Suddenly, Zuo Liang was seen walking out of a quiet room.

Mo Zhi was overjoyed to see Zuo Liang and immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Junior brother greets senior brother!"

Zuo Liang was somewhat surprised to see Mo Zhi suddenly appear. He turned around, returned the greeting, and asked, "Junior Brother, what brings you here? You have surprised me quite a bit."

Mo Zhi smiled and said, "I have finished many chores here and have nothing to do, so I am sitting on the threshold. I originally wanted to go and talk to you senior brothers to relieve my boredom, but I was afraid of disturbing you, so I dared not go. Now that I see you appear, I stopped you. Please forgive me for being rude."

Zuo Liang said, “There’s no crime between fellow disciples. You’ve only been in the manor for a short time and are feeling a bit confused and bored, which I understand. Since that’s the case, you’ve stopped me here to have a chat. But it’s not appropriate to talk here. Let’s go to that cypress tree over there and talk some more.”

Do not insist on responding voluntarily.

The two walked one after the other and sat down under the old cypress tree.

Mo Zhi felt very uncomfortable sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion, and found it difficult to sit or stand still.

Zuo Liang smiled and said nothing more, saying, "Junior brother, is there anything you wish to say to me? Please feel free to speak."

Mo Zhi listened to Zuo Liang's words and was at a loss for words. He was so anxious that he scratched his head and sweated profusely. After a long time, he finally said, "Senior brother, since I entered the manor, I have often gathered firewood and cooked, but I have mostly eaten by myself. I have never seen anyone from the manor at the stove. Why is that?"

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "We are all cultivators. Fasting is a minor practice that we are all familiar with, so there is no need for us to go to the stove. You have never seen us before."

Upon hearing this, Mo Zhi felt a longing in his heart. For him, a mere mortal, fasting was already a skill of immortals, but for his fellow disciples, it was merely a 'minor path'. He couldn't help but stand up and ask, "Senior brother, could you teach me these minor skills? To be honest, I've been constantly searching for firewood and cooking lately, which is quite a hassle. I was originally meant to cultivate, but now I'm entangled in trivial matters. How can I cultivate? If you could teach me these skills, I could concentrate on my cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang felt helpless and thought to himself, "This junior brother couldn't hold back after all. This conversation was only a short while before he revealed his true intentions."

Seeing that Zuo Liang remained silent and did not answer, Mo Zhi couldn't help but ask Zuo Liang a question.

Zuo Liang stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Junior brother, you've been too hasty this time. Gathering firewood and starting a stove is no trivial matter; it requires careful attention and cannot be taken lightly or hastily. As for minor practices like fasting, there's no need to rush to find them. When the time is right, you will naturally master such practices."

Mo Zhi was a little anxious and said, "Senior brother, the trivial things I do are not just gathering firewood and starting a stove, but also sweeping the floor, hoeing the garden, growing flowers and pruning trees, carrying water and transporting slurry, and so on, there are countless things."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "Junior brother, do you know that when we first entered the sect, we did such things? But I once followed Master from the Southern Continent to the Western Continent, and the distance we traveled was more than 108,000 li. The trivial matters you mentioned are nothing compared to that."

Mo Zhi was taken aback upon hearing this and asked, "Southern Jambudvipa, where is that?"

Zuo Liang pointed eastward and said, "Follow the main road to the west and you will reach Jambudvipa."

Mo Zhi then said, "I once heard an elder say that there was a great country to the east that called itself the superior country of China, also known as the Great Tang. Is that place?" Zuo Liang replied, "That is indeed the place, that is indeed the place! But now it is not called the Great Tang, but the Great Song."

Mo Zhi was surprised. He had only heard about such a place from the elders. It was extremely far away, and ordinary people would probably not be able to get there even if they traveled for a lifetime. But his senior brother had actually come all the way from the Southern Continent. Compared to that, his trivial matter seemed very easy.

For a moment, he didn't know how to express it.

Seeing Mo Zhi's state, Zuo Liang said, "Junior brother, you must not treat this matter as a trivial matter. If it were truly a trivial matter, Master would not have taught you to do it. Therefore, you should calm down and not be impatient."

Mo Zhi heard his words but didn't take them seriously. However, seeing Zuo Liang's instruction, he didn't dare to refute them and quickly responded.

Zuo Liang was somewhat disappointed, so he didn't say much. He chatted briefly with Mo Zhi for a bit, and then they parted ways.

Zuo Liang had just left and was heading to the library. When he entered the library, he saw Zhen Jian browsing through books.

Not daring to be impolite, he stepped forward, served at the side, and waited patiently without disturbing the person.

Zhenjian quickly came to his senses, looked at Zuo Liang, and asked, "Nephew, why did you stand there silently when you arrived?"

Zuo Liang bowed and said, "Seeing my uncle reading inside, I dared not disturb him, so I stood by his side waiting. Uncle, have I disturbed your peace?"

Zhenjian shook his head and said, "I have not disturbed you, yet you are too polite. But since you have come here to read, please take a seat and find a book you wish to read."

Zuo Liang responded, found a book, and sat down opposite Zhen Jian.

Zhen Jian smiled and asked, "You have a junior brother now, have you met him yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang shook his head helplessly and recounted his conversation with Mo Zhi to Zhen Jian.

Upon hearing this, Zhenjian laughed and said, "This is common. When Master opened his academy years ago, countless fellow disciples filed in, most of them like Xinzhou. Even before I witnessed life and death, I was like Xinzhou. Your advice is useless, so don't worry about it. People come and go, clouds gather and disperse. Wait a hundred years, and then you will see what true cultivation is and what false cultivation is."

Zuo Liangchao knew that he had been properly received after bowing once, so he did not think about it any further.

Zhen Jian laughed and said, "I reckon he won't be able to restrain himself. After all, he's attached to the mortal world, how can he settle down to cultivate?"

Zuo Liang asked, "Uncle-Master, your insight is truly remarkable. If what you say is true, what method is there to make this junior brother suddenly realize his mistake?"

Zhen Jian smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, yes. There are many methods, countless in number, but ultimately, there is one step that must be taken. If Xin Zhou takes that step, then all the methods will work."

Zuo Liang couldn't help but ask, "Uncle-Master, what is the purpose of this step?"

Zhenjian replied, “Self-salvation. If one truly has the will to save oneself, countless methods are possible. Once this step is taken, the world becomes vast. If this step is not taken, no method can save one. This is not a choice between you and me; it depends entirely on oneself. When the mind dies, the Way is born.”

Zuo Liang simply said "I have learned something" and bowed deeply to Chao Zhen.

Zhen smiled and waved his hand, instructing Zuo Liang to read the book.

Zuo Liang readily agreed.

The two remained silent, each reading their own book.

……

Time flies, autumn goes and winter comes, I've seen the north wind roll up yellow leaves, and the evening snow cover the thatched door.

Although Mo Zhi complained a lot while in the mansion, he never made a move to leave. Instead, he worked hard and dutifully, doing trivial tasks in the mansion.

However, over time, Mo Zhi grew increasingly impatient, because the mansion was often deserted, leaving him to do all the work alone. He felt resentful, thinking that the immortals in the mansion were being unfair. The immortals were all cultivating, and their magic was endless, while he was stuck doing manual labor, having to find firewood and start a stove every day. He had entered the immortal mansion but had not received any immortal magic. How could he endure this?

Mo Zhizheng made up his mind that when he met the immortal again in the future, he would definitely tell him about the hardships he had endured over the years. When he was in Anling Kingdom, he often heard that immortals were all compassionate. If he told him about his suffering, perhaps the immortal would teach him immortal techniques and stop him from doing these boring and trivial things.

Just as Mo Zhi was pondering this, he suddenly heard a golden bell ringing in the mansion, which shook his mind and made him feel somewhat dazed. He felt as if something was about to break free from between his eyebrows, but this feeling disappeared in a moment.

Mo Zhi, not understanding why, went outside to find out.

But when he went outside, he saw Zuo Liang, Wang Chongyang and others traveling, as if they had been summoned.

Mo Zhi stepped forward and asked, "Fellow disciples, where does this bell sound come from?"

Zuo Liang said, "This is the sound of Master summoning us. Hearing this sound, we must be heading to the Jade Terrace. Master must be there. This sound is Master's summons, either because Master is expounding on the Great Dao, or because Master has something to instruct us. We will know once we go. Junior brother, would you like to come with us? What do you think?"

Mo Zhi replied, "That is indeed the case."

Say it.

Mo Zhi followed behind Zuo Liang. After arriving at the mansion, he talked with Zuo Liang quite a bit. Moreover, Zuo Liang had the appearance of a kind old man, which made him feel more at ease than Wang Chongyang and Hong Hai'er.

Wang Chongyang and Red Boy did not say much about it, but returned the greeting to Mo Zhi and headed towards Yaotai.

Halfway there, the group saw the Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, and others. After paying their respects, they headed towards the Jade Terrace together.

Before long, the group entered the Yaotai Class, and the True Person ascended the high platform to expound the Great Dao.

The group then entered the classroom and waited for the master to begin his lecture.

Mo Zhi, sitting at the very back, noticed Wang Chongyang sitting beside the high platform. He approached Zuo Liang and asked, "Senior brother, why is that senior brother able to sit so formally beside Master?"

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "That is the eldest brother. Of course he can sit next to Master. The eldest brother is the one who inherited Master's mantle. It is only right and proper. There is no need to worry about it."

Mo Zhi nodded thoughtfully, then remained silent. He sat at the back of the class, filled with anticipation, wondering what profound truths his master would impart and perhaps teach him immortal techniques.

Seeing so many people here, including the Monkey Master, who was also there with a respectful demeanor, one could tell that this was no ordinary occasion.

Mo Zhi felt a surge of excitement at the thought, and he perked up, eager to hear the immortal's teachings.

The True Man sits upright on the high platform, and upon seeing that everyone in the class has gathered, he begins to expound the Great Way.

(End of this chapter)