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

Chapter 456 The Water Ape's Open-mindedness, Ziwei's Descent

As the years pass, the maple leaves turn white, and I've seen the evening clouds carrying the lingering rain, and crows perching on thin branches.

Having received his surname and Dharma name, the Great Sage Water Ape settled down in his quiet room. From then on, he spent his days practicing sweeping, cleaning, and social etiquette within his residence. He also frequently discussed scriptures and doctrines with his fellow disciples, including Sun Wukong, and practiced calligraphy and incense burning. Every day, he swept the floor, tended the garden, tended flowers and pruned trees, gathered firewood, and carried water.

Several years passed in this way, during which the True Man did not instruct the Great Sage Water Ape. The Great Sage Water Ape, however, showed no impatience and busied himself in his residence.

Over the past few years, many people from outside the manor have ventured into the mountains to seek immortality and enlightenment. As a result, the manor has become quite lively, reminiscent of its former glory.

However, the newly initiated disciples were not very good-natured; impatience was the norm.

One day, in Wang Chongyang's quiet room, Wang Chongyang, the Great Sage of the Water Ape, Red Boy, Zuo Liang, and others were gathered together discussing scriptures.

During this time, the Great Sage Water Ape had become familiar with Wang Chongyang and the other two. When Wang Chongyang and the others heard that the Great Sage Water Ape had committed evil deeds, repented, and saved the common people for more than four hundred years, they all admired him greatly.

This principle is just like that of Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), hence "it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, but easy to go from frugality to extravagance." Similarly, it is "it is difficult to go from evil to good, but easy to go from good to evil."

But the Great Sage Water Ape did just that. Although he was enlightened by a True Man, after the True Man left, the Great Sage Water Ape could still do whatever he wanted and commit evil. However, he chose to do good, kept his promise, saved the common people, and controlled the floods. How could they not admire him?

The group was talking, and they discussed the scriptures for a long time.

Red Boy suddenly asked, "My three senior brothers and junior brothers, what do you think of the people who have come to the manor to seek apprenticeship recently? From what I can see, there are quite a few people seeking apprenticeship recently. Including those who came before, there are more than ten people in the manor now."

Zuo Liang said, "If we're talking about these junior brothers, Junior Brother Xinjiang knows them best. He's busy in the manor every day, and so are the other junior brothers. Junior Brother Xinjiang should know these junior brothers well."

All three looked at the Great Sage Water Ape, waiting for his words.

The Great Sage of the Water Ape pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, those junior brothers are not true cultivators, but rather more like passersby."

Wang Chongyang asked, "What do you mean by this, junior brother? Could it be that these dozen or so people are all just passing through, and none of them are truly cultivating?"

The Great Sage of the Water Ape nodded and said, “None of them are truly cultivating. To be honest with you, fellow disciples, I do some menial work in the manor every day. Most of them are my companions, and many of them are restless and impatient. How could someone who comes to seek immortality and ask the Dao be willing to do such menial work? Therefore, they are not truly cultivating. The others are alright, though. A few of them are at peace in their hearts and willing to do menial work.”

Wang Chongyang asked, "If there are a few who find peace in their hearts, why do you say they are all just passersby?"

The Great Sage of the Water Ape said, "Have you fellow disciples ever heard of the concept of 'morale'?"

Wang Chongyang and the others exchanged glances and said, "Junior brother, please tell us what you have to say. There's no need to hide anything."

The Great Sage Water Ape laughed and said, "Morale is the soul of an army. Its essence lies in emotion, and its change lies in coordination, just as water has no constant shape and an army has no constant formation. It is said that the essence of morale lies in emotion. This is not unique to the army, but to all living beings. Those who have this emotion will rejoice when others rejoice and grieve when others grieve. This is the case in the manor today. Although there are many junior brothers, there are a few who are restless and eager to learn a trick so they can go down the mountain and show off. If someone really does learn a trick, how can others be at peace when they see it? Most of them are just imitators, so they are all just passersby."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang and the other two pondered it carefully and all nodded in agreement with what the Great Sage Water Ape had said.

Wang Chongyang said, "What you say makes a lot of sense, junior brother. Now that I have heard your words, I understand why you said that all those junior brothers are just passing through."

Both Red Boy and Zuo Liang agreed that this made sense.

Zuo Liang said, "I once spoke with Uncle Zhenjian about this place. Uncle Zhenjian said that when our patriarch first established his academy, he took in more than a dozen disciples. At times, there were dozens, even nearly a hundred, disciples in the academy. The patriarch's twelve generations combined could not have been the only ones he took in. However, in the end, only three remained: our master, Uncle Zhenjian, and Uncle Wukong. The rest were all just passing through."

The Great Sage of the Water Ape said, "Master has fourteen generations now, I wonder how many people can be retained."

Red Boy said, "I'm afraid there are only one or two people left besides us."

Zuo Liang laughed and said, "We will know the answer to this in the future, so there is no need to speculate too much. In fact, I am going to bid farewell to my master and leave the mountains soon. You all should come and see me off, so that I will not leave alone."

Upon hearing this, all three were startled and asked in unison, "Why did you leave so quickly? Wouldn't it have been wonderful if you had stayed in the mountains to cultivate in seclusion?"

Zuo Liang knew the three meant well, so he smiled and shook his head, saying, "My path is not in this mansion, but in the human world. I will follow my path, so I should go to the human world."

Upon learning this, the three of them naturally decided not to try to persuade Zuo Liang any further.

Wang Chongyang rose and bowed, saying, "If we talk about cultivation and self-cultivation, Junior Brother is the best among us. Now that Junior Brother wishes to go and find a way, we naturally cannot stop him."

Red Boy and the Great Sage of the Water Ape also rose and bowed, showing their respect for Zuo Liang.

As Wang Chongyang said, among them, Zuo Liang was the best in cultivating his mind. He entered the path of cultivation at an advanced age, and what he saw and heard was different. Now that he has walked his own path, he is even more extraordinary.

Zuo Liang returned the bow to the three men and said with a smile, "In that case, we must agree that when I leave the mansion, you will all come to see me off."

All three responded.

Red Boy asked again, "Junior Brother Xinjiang, you've been busy in the manor for so long, but Master hasn't taught you any secrets. Aren't you anxious?"

The Great Sage of the Water Ape shook his head and said, “What’s the rush? I’ll just do what Master instructed and keep busy in the manor. If Master wants to teach me, he will teach me. There’s no need to be anxious. Since Master hasn’t said anything, I’ll just finish what I need to do. Master is a Supreme Immortal, he couldn’t possibly have forgotten this matter.”

Red Boy and his two companions were surprised by the 'open-mindedness' of the Water Ape Great Sage.

After talking for a while, the four of them left to pursue their spiritual practice.

……

Meanwhile, in the patriarch's quiet room...

The true man was there, conversing with the patriarch.

The patriarch looked helpless, pointed at the real person, and said, "You child, since you have acquired great magical power, you come to find me every few days. What is the reason for this?"

The master smiled and said, "Master, at that time, in order to achieve great magical power and establish my own residence, I naturally had to cultivate diligently and neglect serving you. Now that I have achieved success, I should serve you more."

The patriarch said, “Why should I need a boy like you to serve me? But you have more than ten disciples under your tutelage. Why don’t you think about how to teach them?”

The master shook his head and said, "Master, but I don't need to think about how to teach those disciples."

The patriarch asked, "Why do you say that?"

The Master said, “Master, how to teach depends on oneself, not on me. Even if you enter the Immortal Abode, you must not act recklessly. You should strive for self-salvation, not become lax just because you have entered the Immortal Abode. What path you want to learn, when to learn it, and when to leave are all up to you.” The Patriarch smiled and said, “Your teachings are like this, which is in line with ‘governing by non-action,’ you are a Taoist.”

The master said, "The three families are as one."

The patriarch smiled and nodded, saying, "Your own methods are sufficient. As for the place where the heart is subdued, how will you handle it?"

The master said, “Master, as I feared, we should teach him to sever his ties with the mortal world. He is currently engaged in many kinds of work, and I have a wonderful method to teach him to repay his karmic debts. However, he will live in the human world for an unknown number of years. If he is to completely sever his ties, it will take a long time. Therefore, I will still give him the choice and see how long he can endure. If he cannot endure, I will teach him the method. If he can endure, there will be a quiet room for him in the mansion.”

The patriarch said, “Now that you are handling things, I feel at ease. All matters, large and small, in the mansion can be entrusted to you. No matter what it is, you are welcome to do it. If you are not capable enough, I will help you.”

The master bowed deeply and said, "Disciple thanks Master!"

The patriarch shook his head and said, "No need for thanks."

The Master said, “Master, in over two hundred years, the Buddhist community will hold a Dragon Flower Assembly. This disciple should go. In Master’s view, what should this disciple do?”

The patriarch said, "What is your own feeling?"

The master said, "You may go, but there is no need to concern yourself with it. This is ultimately a matter for Buddhism; let's observe how things unfold."

The patriarch smiled and said, "Since you have already told me, why do you need to ask me again?"

The master said, "But I fear that my thoughts may be flawed, so I ask my master to instruct me and teach me how to act."

The Patriarch said, “Child, you are now a person of great power, so you don’t need to think too much. But if you do not wish to participate, even if heaven and earth cease to exist, you will still exist. If you insist on participating, who in the Three Realms can stop you? You have a body and nine cauldrons, and you are no longer the same as before.”

The master seemed to understand, then nodded and said, "Master, I understand."

Just as the patriarch was about to say something more, he suddenly looked out of the mansion.

The real person followed closely behind, sensing something, and looked out of the mansion.

He possessed the divine eye, gazing upon the celestial realm, and saw: "At the extreme of the void, the purple walls shone brightly. The imperial star shone brilliantly, its light illuminating the eight directions. In the beginning, it was like a lotus blooming in a jade pool, its precious stamens just opening; gradually, it was like jade splitting in Kunlun Mountain, its radiance overflowing. The Milky Way seemed to pour down, and the Big Dipper seemed to rise and fall. The twenty-eight constellations followed their orbits and circled around it, and the nine heavenly palaces thundered in praise."

The True Man knew that this was a movement of the Ziwei Star. He used his great magical power to survey the Three Realms. In a short while, he knew that this was a movement of the Ziwei Emperor. The Ziwei Emperor's descent to the mortal realm was set for two hundred years from now.

He also saw that in the mortal realm of Moling, there was an aura of royalty, seemingly echoing the aura of the Purple Emperor.

Moling in the human world is the place where the Purple Emperor will one day rule the world.

The True Man, knowing the truth, looked at his master and said, "Master, the Ziwei Emperor was born two hundred years later. In these years, many things have happened, including the Three Dragon Flower Assemblies and the birth of the Ziwei Emperor."

The Patriarch said, "There are signs of great chaos in the human world. The Red-Bearded Dragon has invaded, making it difficult for the Song Dynasty to survive. However, the Red-Bearded Dragon's abilities are not enough to completely destroy the dynasty. Judging from the current situation, the Song Dynasty will only be able to survive for a short time. When the dynasty changes in the human world, a great ruler will be born from the north of the human world. His aura of war and disaster is hidden and may enter the Western Niuhe Continent."

The master said, "This powerful ruler is quite capable. In my opinion, after this powerful ruler, it will be the time when the Ziwei Emperor appears."

The patriarch smiled and nodded, saying, "Just as you thought."

The master and disciple then talked for a long time in the quiet room.

……

Time flies, and more than fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The Master remained in his residence, cultivating in seclusion, and did not leave. In contrast, the disciples in the residence had come and gone, and many had already left. The Master's teachings, as he said, depended entirely on oneself. The Master would offer a few pointers when bestowing a Dharma name upon someone, and another few pointers when they could no longer endure and wanted to learn the ways of the world. After that, he said nothing more, leaving it to the individual to choose whether to stay or leave.

As a result, disciples came and went in the mansion, and before they knew it, they had reached the fourth generation, which was the "Li" generation.

To the Master's surprise, it was the Great Sage of the Water Ape who was busy with some menial tasks in the mansion without the slightest complaint. When the Master was lecturing, he would come to listen to the lectures, and when he was not lecturing, he would be busy in the mansion. His heart was very devoted to the Dao, which made the Master look at him with new eyes.

The real person's expectations for the Great Sage of the Water Ape have also increased by three points.

One day, the Master once again preached the Great Dao, summoning all his disciples to his residence.

Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and others arrived on foot and entered the hall to listen to the Master's sermon. Sun Wukong and the others naturally sat at the front of the hall. Of his three former disciples, Zuo Liang had long since left to return to the mortal realm and was no longer in the mansion; Wang Chongyang sat beside the Master; and Red Boy sat behind Sun Wukong and the others, while the Water Ape Great Sage sat a little behind Red Boy.

Behind the Great Sage of the Water Ape were more than twenty disciples of the manor. These disciples were somewhat in awe of the True Person and dared not act recklessly, so they sat there obediently, though their restless appearance was somewhat comical.

The True Man saw the disciples but didn't say much. Instead, he looked at the Great Sage Water Ape and asked, "Heart Subjugation."

The Great Sage of the Water Ape stepped out of the classroom and said, "Master, your disciple is here!"

The master said, "Xinjiang, how long have you been my disciple?"

The Great Sage of the Water Ape pondered for a moment, then replied, "Master, it has been fifty-four years."

Upon hearing this, the disciples nearby were all astonished. They never imagined that this monkey had stayed in the mansion for more than fifty years, which is more than half the lifespan of a human.

When they entered the sect and saw this monkey, they thought it had entered the sect a year or two earlier than them. They never imagined that it had entered the sect so much earlier than them.

The master laughed and said, "You remember it clearly. But since you joined my sect, you have never learned the way. Why have you never spoken?"

The Great Sage of the Water Ape said, “Master has not taught me, but he has his own plans. I will wait and see. There is no need for me to say more. When Master feels that I am ready to cultivate, there will be no need for me to speak. Master will teach me.”

The master nodded, said nothing more, but looked at the disciples in the class and began to explain the intricacies of the art.

He knew that most of his disciples were those with shallow spiritual cultivation, so when he spoke about the ways of the world, he mostly talked about cultivating the mind, hoping that his disciples would listen to him.

But if you can take some of what he says to heart, it might teach you how to protect your life someday.

(End of this chapter)