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

Chapter 461 The establishment of the residence is complete, and the three gatherings of Longhua are held.
Time flies, and several decades have passed in the blink of an eye.

The True Man was cultivating in seclusion in his mansion. Several days ago, he finally succeeded in establishing the mansion. All the fourteen-generation disciples had left, and most of the disciples in the mansion had dispersed and gone down the mountain. Not one of them was willing to look back.

Since he established his academy, only two disciples were willing to cultivate in seclusion within its walls: the Great Sage of the Water Ape and Zhao Shifan. Apart from these, not a single disciple was willing to stay.

The master observed silently. After the establishment of his residence, he did not take on any more disciples. Instead, he cultivated in seclusion in the residence, spending his free time discussing the ways of the world with the disciples. He lived a very peaceful life.

One day, Sun Wukong entered the quiet room and came to find the immortal, instructing the immortal to return to his senses and entertain him.

The immortal led Sun Wukong into a quiet room, brought some apricots to entertain him, and said with a smile, "Junior brother, what brings you here today?"

Sun Wukong replied, "Eldest brother, I have come here for the Dragon Flower Assembly. I have heard that you are also going to participate, so I have come to ask if you would like to go with us."

The Master said, “I am aware of the Three Assemblies at Longhua. I originally intended to go later, but since you, Wukong, have come, I will go with you.”

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "In that case, eldest brother, let's go together. I see you and that fool waiting outside. Once it's over, we can go."

The master smiled and said, "You should come with me to pay respects to our master. Once we receive his permission, we will leave the mountain."

Sun Wukong said, "That's how it should be, that's how it should be."

The immortal then left the meditation room with Sun Wukong and entered the patriarch's meditation room. He told the patriarch that they were going to Mount Ling to participate in the Dragon Flower Assembly.

When the Patriarch learned of this, he laughed and said, "Since you are determined to go, then go. Just follow your heart and do not worry about anything. In the Three Realms today, there is nothing that you should worry about."

The master responded, bowed, and said, "Master, this disciple understands."

The Patriarch nodded, then looked at Sun Wukong and said, "Monkey, come closer."

Sun Wukong stepped forward in response, bowed, and said, "Master, your disciple is here."

The Patriarch gently stroked Sun Wukong's head and smiled, "Monkey, since you became my disciple years ago, much time has passed. You never heeded the advice of me and your senior brother, which led to your failure in cultivating your mind and caused chaos in the Three Realms. Fortunately, you later realized your mistakes, embarked on a journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, and successfully refined your mind. You have been cultivating in the Patriarch's abode for a long time now, and your abilities have improved. However, from my observation, you are currently facing some difficulties in your cultivation, and your magical power is not increasing. This is because there are still many aspects of cultivation that you have not yet comprehended. Today, at the Dragon Flower Assembly, I can offer you some assistance, which may help you grow."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "I owe my success today to my master and my senior brother."

The patriarch laughed and said, "Don't say such things. It's enough that you, little monkey, can remember what I said. You may all go now."

Say it.

The Patriarch waved his hand, instructing Sun Wukong and the immortal to leave.

The immortal and Sun Wukong dared not disobey, so they bowed and left the quiet room.

The two walked along a small path, heading towards the outside of the mansion.

Sun Wukong, however, was puzzled along the way. He scratched his head and said, "Elder brother, I don't understand why Master said that this Dragon Flower Assembly can help me. I know that this Dragon Flower Assembly is the meeting where the World Honored One and the Buddha from the East take over. How can it help me?"

The Master laughed and said, "Junior Brother Wukong, since you have something you don't understand, why don't you go and ask your master? Why did you come out here to ask me?"

Sun Wukong said, "Elder brother, I was afraid of disturbing Master, so I dared not say much. I followed Master's instructions and left as instructed, so I did not ask any questions."

The master said, "This Dragon Flower Assembly is not as simple as it seems. Wukong, you must be careful, there must be something unexpected going on."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "With my eldest brother here, what can happen even if something changes?"

The master shook his head and said, "I am not from Mount Ling. There will be changes at the Dragon Flower Assembly, and I will not intervene. Therefore, I am going there only to observe the ceremony."

Sun Wukong suddenly understood what the immortal meant. His senior brother was not from Mount Ling, but he was the Victorious Fighting Buddha. Therefore, this matter was related to him and was something he could not change.

As the two talked, they arrived outside the mansion gate, where they met Zhenjian and Zhu Bajie.

The group was heading towards Mount Ling.

The master suddenly stopped and said, "Gentlemen, please wait a moment."

Sun Wukong and the others responded, though they did not understand why the immortal had stopped, they still obeyed his words. The immortal pointed ahead and said with a smile, "A guest has arrived. We will wait a moment and then go with him to Mount Ling."

Sun Wukong asked, "Senior Brother, who are you from?"

The master smiled and said, "It is Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea. She came to invite me in the past on behalf of the Buddha. Now that she has come, she must be going with me."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately understood.

After waiting for a while in front of the mansion, the group saw Guanyin Bodhisattva arrive on auspicious clouds, accompanied by Huian Xingzhe, the Dragon Girl holding a pearl, and others.

The real person saw the Bodhisattva and went forward.

The Bodhisattva, along with his retinue, descended from the clouds to meet the True Man.

He and his group talked for a long time before heading to India.

When everyone was riding the clouds.

Guanyin Bodhisattva and the True Man rode on a cloud and talked among them. The Bodhisattva said, "True Man, the Dragon Flower Assembly here is held ten miles outside of Mount Ling in India, under the shadow of a Dragon Flower tree. We should be going to that place."

The master said, "If that's the case, then let's go to the Dragon Flower Tree."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "There are signs of unrest in the Three Realms. If a True Person intends to use magic, the Three Realms will not be disturbed. I wonder what the True Person is worried about?"

The Master laughed and said, “Bodhisattva, whether the Three Realms are in turmoil or not is not up to me, but up to the Three Realms. I am well aware of the matter of Kinnara. Does the Bodhisattva really think that I can resolve this crisis by subduing Kinnara? Furthermore, I have never believed that the matter of Kinnara can cause turmoil in the Three Realms. If we are talking about the extent of the chaos, it is probably not even as bad as when Wukong made a great disturbance in the past.”

Guanyin Bodhisattva sighed and said, "True Man, you must know that times are different now than they used to be."

The Master asked, "Bodhisattva, what do you mean by that?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, “True Man, this is the time when the Ziwei Emperor is saving all living beings. Many gods in the Heavenly Palace are helping him, all of whom are in the mortal world. Even the True Martial Emperor is in the mortal world. The remaining gods in the Heavenly Palace are all performing their duties and are rarely idle. If Kinnara were to cause trouble at this time, how could the Three Realms not be in chaos?”

The Master smiled and said, "There are countless cultivators and accomplished practitioners in the world. Kinnara cannot disturb the Three Realms, so the Bodhisattva can rest assured."

Guanyin Bodhisattva understood the true meaning in the words of the true man, sighed, and said no more.

All of them were accomplished cultivators, and before long they arrived at the foot of a mountain in India. They stopped their cloud-borne journey and descended.

Once they landed, Pigsy looked around and couldn't help but say, "Master, Monkey King, Bodhisattva. Wasn't it said that the banquet was held under the Dragon Flower Tree? Why is there no tree, only a mountain? Could it be that they changed the venue to a banquet held under Dragon Flower Mountain?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and said, “Bajie, don’t talk nonsense. The Dragon Flower Tree is the Bodhi Tree. This tree grows from the mind and is seen by the mind. This is Maitreya Buddha’s projection from his Dragon Flower Tree. It cannot be seen with the naked eye, but can be seen only by the mind.”

Pigsy looked towards the immortal and saw that the immortal was looking at the place in front with his naked eyes. He seemed to know that he could see the Dragon Flower Tree. He said, "Bodhisattva, look at the master. He can't see the Dragon Flower Tree with his naked eyes."

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled helplessly and said, "The True Man possesses great magical power, and his magic is boundless. It is very easy for him to glimpse the Dragon Flower Tree."

The master laughed and said, "If you wish to see the Dragon Flower Tree, what difficulty is there? I will take you all to see it."

Say it.

The immortal flicked his sleeve, and the group felt a gentle breeze brush their faces. Opening their eyes again, they saw Longhua Mountain in the center of the distance. Its branches were gnarled and twisted like dragons, its bark rough like scales, its color ancient and weathered like iron. Its leaves were long and narrow, leathery and bluish-black, with veins as dense as a Buddhist net. Its flowers were like golden cups, with double petals and overlapping stamens, their fragrance carried for miles. Its fruit was like bells, ringing in the wind. Its roots entwined around a giant rock, covering half an acre, appearing majestic and awe-inspiring.

Pigsy and the others were all amazed by the Dragon Flower Tree.

Guanyin Bodhisattva exclaimed, "The True Man is truly skilled!"

The master laughed and said, "It's just a minor matter. Now that we've arrived, let's move on and not keep others waiting."

Guanyin Bodhisattva responded, "That is so."

The group then entered the banquet.

(End of this chapter)