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

Chapter 451 The Triumph of Xuzhou, The Three Gatherings of Longhua

The story begins at the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave, within the Jade Terrace.

The Bull Demon King led Huian Xingzhe into this place, where the True Man was sitting on a high platform.

Huian Xingzhe stepped forward to pay his respects and congratulate the True Man on achieving great magical power.

The Master smiled and nodded, saying, “Venerable Huian, there is no need for such formalities. But you have come here today on the orders of Guanyin Bodhisattva to see me. Now that you have seen me, please tell me the instructions of Guanyin Bodhisattva.”

Huian Xingzhe put his hands together, bowed again, and said, “True Master, I have come here today on the orders of the Bodhisattva to invite you to Mount Luojia in the South Sea for a chat. The Bodhisattva will be discussing something with you. This matter is related to the Nine Cauldrons. There are people in the human world who are trying to steal the Nine Cauldrons. This matter is also related to the Bodhisattva, so the Bodhisattva sent me to invite you.”

The real person heard this but had not yet spoken.

The Bull Demon King, who was standing nearby, spoke up and said, "Venerable One, you said that someone tried to steal the Nine Cauldrons. How is that possible? The Nine Cauldrons are no ordinary treasures. How could anyone but Master take them? Let alone those evil demons, even my virtuous brother, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, would find it difficult to lift the Nine Cauldrons without Master's permission."

Huian Xingzhe bowed to the Bull Demon King and said, “Bull King, this claim of usurping the Nine Cauldrons does not mean that the Nine Cauldrons will actually be taken away. This claim of usurping the Nine Cauldrons means that someone is trying to do something with them, but it is difficult to take the Nine Cauldrons away, and it may even tarnish them.”

The master nodded and said, "I already know about what happened here. In that case, I will go to Mount Luojia to meet with Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Huian Xingzhe was expressing his gratitude.

The Master waved his hand and said, “Venerable One, you shall come with me. Ox King, you are my protector. Now that I am going ahead, you may also come with me, but whether you go ahead or not is entirely up to you.”

The Bull Demon King bowed deeply and said, "I am willing to accompany you to Mount Luojia, sir."

The master smiled and said, "In that case, you shall come with me."

The Bull Demon King responded.

The True Man said, “Ox King, before you leave, go to True Man’s place and speak with him, instructing him to look after the manor for me. If any of the disciples in the manor are troubled, ask him to help them resolve their doubts. If any disciple in the manor wishes to leave, do not stop him, just let him go.”

The Bull Demon King said, "Master, I will go now and speak with the Buddha of Wisdom. Please wait here for a while."

The real person smiled and nodded.

The Bull Demon King then left the Jade Terrace to seek out the True Man and convey his decree.

The Master looked at Huian Xingzhe and observed him closely. He then said, “Recently, Venerable One’s cultivation has made great progress. I am somewhat puzzled as to why I had a banquet for all the gods, but why did you not attend? At that time, you must have been in seclusion, focusing on your cultivation and seeking progress. Is that so?”

Huian Xingzhe put his hands together and said, “True Master, you have the discerning eye to see through me. I was in seclusion when I did not come to offer my congratulations. Please forgive me for not coming. I have a very close relationship with you and should have come. I should not have done so.”

The Master shook his head and said, “There is no fault in this, but it is enough that you have made progress in your cultivation. Whether you come or not is not something I will force. Besides, I know that you are congratulating me.”

Huian Xingzhe laughed and said, "Master, I had not yet arrived at that time. How could you know the meaning of my congratulations? Master, please do not try to fool me."

The master laughed and said, "I did not speak nonsense, but I know as soon as you have a thought in your heart. How could I not know whether you had any intention to congratulate me?"

Upon hearing this, Hui'an Xingzhe was deeply impressed by the profound teachings of the true master and bowed again in gratitude.

The two talked for a while in the Jade Terrace, and then the Bull Demon King came over wielding the Black Dragon Spear and told the True Man that it was time to leave.

The master said, "In that case, let us go together."

Both the Bull Demon King and Huian Xingzhe responded.

The three then headed outside, but when they reached the gate of the mansion, they saw a white deer waiting there. Upon seeing the immortal, the white deer prostrated itself on the ground and paid homage to him.

The immortal looked at the Bull Demon King and laughed, "Bull King, when did you come to summon this deer?"

The Bull Demon King said, "Master, I knew you were about to travel, so I sent this white deer to accompany you. This is what I, as your protector, should do."

The master smiled and said, "That's thoughtful. In that case, let's head to Mount Luojia."

Say it.

The True Man rode on a white deer, and with a gentle wave of his sleeve, boundless Dharma light arose. In a short while, the Dharma light transformed into auspicious clouds, lifting up the Bull Demon King and Huian Xingzhe.

The group then headed towards Mount Luojia in the South China Sea.

Although the Bull Demon King and Huian Xingzhe knew that the True Man's magical power was profound, they had never personally experienced it. Now, with the True Man's magical power supporting them, they were able to glimpse a fraction of the True Man's magical power.

The two teachers, using their magical powers to gather auspicious clouds, felt a sense of lightness within them, as if all the turbid air in their bodies had been expelled, leaving only pure air. It was as if heaven and earth were helping them. This feeling amazed them greatly.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them looked ahead again and found themselves in the South China Sea, not far from Mount Luojia.

The immortal looked back from the deer's back and laughed, "Don't be distracted, we are almost there."

Both of them responded.

The group looked ahead and saw Mount Luojia standing tall above the vast sea, shaped like a lotus just beginning to bloom, shrouded in auspicious mist. The purple bamboos swayed in the breeze, creating a hazy, ethereal atmosphere; the sound of the tide echoed, resonating with a profound sense of sorrow.

The master smiled and said, "Let us go forward and meet Guanyin Bodhisattva."

The Bull Demon King and Huian the Pilgrim responded and served on either side of the True Man.

As the group approached Mount Luojia, they suddenly saw celestial music resounding from the sky, and a strange fragrance permeating the surrounding fields. Golden lotuses emerged from the sea, paving a bright and open road, and jeweled banners descended from the clouds, displaying supreme majesty.

Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea, accompanied by a dragon girl, and all the Buddhas were waiting outside Mount Luojia, with all the proper etiquette.

Guanyin Bodhisattva also saw the real person and spoke, her voice clear and melodious, saying, "Guangxin Zhenren! I have been waiting here for a long time! I am extremely grateful for your visit."

The immortal descended from the clouds and, together with the Bull Demon King, fell into the sea, where they met Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The True Man bowed deeply and said with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, Bodhisattva, for personally descending to welcome me. I should be the one who is grateful to you."

The Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Let's not waste time on such polite words. Master, please come into my residence with me so we can talk further."

Say it.

The Bodhisattva took a willow branch from the jade vase, gently touched it forward, and sweet dew flowed out, forming a golden lotus path that led the immortals forward.

The True Man, along with the Bodhisattva, treaded the Golden Lotus Path and entered the Tide Sound Cave. Outside Mount Luojia, Huian Xingzhe, along with the Dragon Girl and the Buddhas, invited the Bull Demon King and the White Deer to enter the mountain and meet with them.

Inside the Tide Sound Cave, the Bodhisattva invited the True Man to sit upright on a futon. The two stood side by side, without any distinction between master and servant.

The True Man smiled and said, "Bodhisattva, you instructed me to come here because of the Nine Cauldrons. Now that I have arrived, Bodhisattva, can you tell me about it?" Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I will certainly tell you, True Man. However, this is one matter. There is another matter that I must tell you."

The Master asked, "Bodhisattva, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, “In some time, the World-Honored One will hold an assembly called the ‘Three Assemblies of Longhua,’ which will invite all the Buddhas to attend. The True Man is the patriarch of the Chan school, so the World-Honored One intends to invite the True Man to this assembly and has instructed me to invite him. I wonder what the True Man thinks?”

The Master said, “Bodhisattva should know that my name as the Zen Patriarch is not worthy of the title. If we talk about the Buddha’s teachings, there are countless people who are better than me. If there is a great assembly that invites me, how can I possibly accept such an invitation?”

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Why do you say such things, Master? Your name as the Zen Patriarch is known throughout the Three Realms. The word Zen originated from you. If you have not gone there, then those who practice Zen cannot go there."

The master shook his head and said, "Since the Bodhisattva has spoken thus, I will go. I wonder what the purpose of the Three Assemblies at Dragon Flower in this place is, could the Bodhisattva explain it to me clearly?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "This Dragon Flower Assembly is the assembly where the World-Honored One and Maitreya Buddha take turns. After the Dharma assembly, Maitreya Buddha will become the World-Honored One."

Upon hearing this, the True Man was surprised. He immediately possessed the Dharma Eye and surveyed the Three Realms. In a short while, he understood and sighed, saying, "This matter is somewhat related to me."

Guanyin Bodhisattva shook her head and said, “True Man, you must not speak like this. True Man, you were born of the Dharma of Zen, which is in accordance with the times. The decline of the Dharma of Nirvana is inevitable. Therefore, True Man, you need not speak like this.”

The Master said, "The matter of Kinnara is not yet over. Why doesn't the Buddha intervene?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I do not know what the Buddha is thinking, but he must have a profound meaning."

The Master pondered for a moment and said, "Bodhisattva, I will certainly participate in the Three Assemblies of Longhua. You may report this to the World Honored One. But I do not know when this assembly will begin?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "It will begin again after three hundred years."

The master asked, "Where will the Three Gatherings of Longhua be held?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Maitreya Buddha manifested his Dragon Flower Tree in the Bodhimanda and descended to the Western Continent of Niuhe, which was done in the country of Tianzhu."

The immortal responded, saying, "I have remembered this well, and I will definitely go there to meet him three hundred years from now."

Guanyin Bodhisattva bowed to the True Man and said, "Having heard these words from the True Man, I will report back to the World-Honored One."

The Master nodded and said, "That is so. But Bodhisattva, can you tell me about the Nine Tripods? How can you say that the Nine Tripods have changed?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva chanted a Buddhist mantra, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter is a long story. The True Man has now obtained seven of the nine tripods, but the remaining two have not yet been obtained. These two tripods are the 'Yanzhou Tripod' and the 'Xuzhou Tripod,' and this matter concerns the Xuzhou Tripod."

Then the Bodhisattva explained the whole story to the True Man.

When a true person hears this, they will understand.

The Xuzhou Ding is located in Bailong Mountain, east of Xuzhou. The chaos mentioned by the Bodhisattva originated from a village at the foot of Bailong Mountain. This village has always been a Buddhist village, with many believers, and most of them worship Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The people of this village, having somehow acquired some magical arts, unexpectedly learned of the location of the Xuzhou Cauldron. They also learned it was one of the nine cauldrons cast by King Yu, and thus attempted to steal it. However, the Xuzhou Cauldron was a divine object; how could they be allowed to take it? Even a thousand men could not budge it an inch. Seeing that they could not take the Xuzhou Cauldron, the people of the village harbored evil thoughts, attempting to use some wicked methods to steal the cauldron's energy in exchange for the opportunity to become Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.

This incident was also mixed with many demonic and malevolent forces that caused chaos and disorder. As a result, the atmosphere in Xuzhou was thrown into great disarray, and there was a tendency for disaster to follow.

Upon learning of this, the Master shook his head and said, "It is indeed my fault. I was delayed by the matter of establishing my own government and failed to obtain the Xuzhou Cauldron and the Yanzhou Cauldron, which led to this incident and caused great chaos in Xuzhou."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, “It is not so. All these things are caused by the greed of the villagers. I invited the True Man here for two reasons. First, I want to ask the True Man to take away the Divine Cauldron. Second, I ask the True Man to consider that the villagers have supported me for many years and to give me some face by only punishing the wicked and pardoning the innocent. I thank the True Man here.”

The Master smiled and said, "Bodhisattva, what do you mean by this? I have never liked matters of killing and fighting, so why would I say such a thing? Bodhisattva, you can rest assured."

As he spoke, the Master stood up and said, "Since you know about what happened here, I will go to Xuzhou, obtain the Xuzhou Cauldron, and resolve this matter."

Guanyin Bodhisattva also stood up and said, "This journey of the True Man is indeed related to me. Many people in that village make offerings to me, and I cannot sit idly by. I should go with the True Man. What do you think?"

The master smiled and said, "It is my good fortune that the Bodhisattva is willing to go with me. There is nothing wrong with it."

Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and said, "In that case, please wait here for a while, so that I may make preparations and explain the affairs of the mountain abode."

The master said, “Bodhisattva may go ahead; I will wait here for your return.”

Guanyin Bodhisattva responded, put her hands together in prayer, bowed to the real person, and then emerged from the Tide Sound Cave.

Not long after he left the Tide Sound Cave, a dragon girl entered carrying a spiritual fruit and greeted him on behalf of the Bodhisattva.

The immortal smiled and accepted the spiritual fruit, then inquired about the dragon girl's cultivation.

The Dragon Girl answered truthfully.

The sage spoke with him and answered many questions about his spiritual practice.

After an incense stick has burned, Guanyin Bodhisattva returned, accompanied by the Bull Demon King and Huian Xingzhe.

When Guanyin Bodhisattva saw the Dragon Girl's appearance, she knew what had happened and said with a smile, "I am very grateful for the guidance of the True Man this time."

The master shook his head and said, "It's not a matter of teaching. The Dragon Girl is naturally intelligent and can be easily enlightened with a little guidance."

Guanyin Bodhisattva shook her head and said, "But no matter what, the True Man's teachings are of great kindness."

The Master said, "Let's not talk about these things. The Bodhisattva has come today, and everything is ready."

Guanyin Bodhisattva replied, “We are fully prepared, True Man. We are ready to travel to the human world.”

The immortal said, "I will only instruct the Ox King to accompany me."

The Bodhisattva said, "I have a dragon girl and Huian accompanying me."

The two agreed that once they left the Tide Sound Cave, they would each ride on a cloud and head towards the Southern Jambudvipa.

Both of them were highly skilled in magic, and their speed in flying through the clouds was far beyond what ordinary people could match.

A short while later, the two of them led the Bull Demon King and the others to the territory of the Southern Jambudvipa. The two of them were stunned when they entered the Southern Jambudvipa.

The two could see that chaos was already brewing in Jambudvipa, and the aura of the Three Calamities was gradually intensifying. However, Jambudvipa had only been established during the Song Dynasty for a relatively short period of time. Therefore, Jambudvipa should not have such an aura.

The True Man and Guanyin Bodhisattva exchanged a glance, already having some guesses in their hearts. The Song Dynasty's fate was so dire that there were probably many things involved, but these matters were none of their concern; they were all human affairs, and they did not need to get involved.

The two men spoke without saying a word and headed towards Xuzhou.

(End of this chapter)