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

Chapter 55: Success in Collecting Herbs
The wind blew fiercely in the sky, and heavy snow covered the ground.

Time flies so fast that it goes by without you noticing.

Jiang Yuan finally collected one or two ounces of golden essence when the north wind stopped for a moment. He kept his mind focused, and got help from the Monkey King, the Wood Mother, and the Will Horse. The two gods had no way to find him, so they could only see him collecting the golden essence.

When the four medicines were complete, they had to be mixed by Huang Po and put into the golden tripod and jade furnace under the navel. His mind entered the tripod and furnace, and the four medicines contained in it were exactly all the medicines in the tripod. He had to start fire to burn the medicines, and then the elixir would be ready.

Jiang Tong'er was happy in his heart, but he did not forget what his master had said. He had invited five people first, so it was easy for him to make the elixir in seven steps and to collect herbs and control the fire.

The following four steps of cooking, warming, intercourse, and transforming into the golden elixir are by no means easy, and he must not be careless.

Jiang Tong'er finished collecting herbs, picked up the whisk in his hand, stood up from the mossy stone, and returned to the cave to congratulate his master.

Not long after, Jiang Yuan returned to the Sanxing Immortal Cave. Now the cave was a little deserted. Most of the disciples had left. Generation after generation, no one had solved the mystery on the master's plate. They practiced unorthodox methods for two or three years and then went down the mountain. Later, like Dahui, they showed off their spirits in the mountains and talked about the skill of not eating and sleeping, and were killed by a tiger.

When he arrived at the Yaotai, he saw the master sitting high on the altar waiting for him. No matter how he practiced, the master knew that he would succeed and would definitely come to congratulate him, so he waited for him here before he succeeded.

This work reflects the tacit understanding between the master and the disciple.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, I have successfully collected herbs, and I am here to share my joy with you!"

The master looked up and down at the boy, and he had a keen eye. Seeing the boy preparing the medicine in the cauldron, he smiled and said, "Good, good, good! Boy, you have completed the second step of the elixir. If you can complete the fifth step, the elixir path will be complete, and you will be immortal."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Master!"

The master said, "Why do you say this so many times? If I have completed my work, why don't you see people in the mountains who have found the right way? This is because you are smart. Boy, you still know the other step of the fire control, but I need to explain the fire control to you in detail. This is almost the same as when I burned the golden man. However, I see that you are tired. Rest for a year or two, and then take charge of the fire control and cook the medicine in the cauldron."

Jiang Yuan nodded and talked with the master.

……

Talk about the beautiful scenery of Lingshan Mountain.

The Tathagata resides in the Great Leiyin Temple, with a Bodhisattva sitting below him.

But when we see this Bodhisattva, he has 'big ears, a broad chin, wide shoulders, a full belly, a plump body, a heart full of spring joy, and two eyes full of autumn light'. This is because he is Maitreya Bodhisattva, one of the Eight Bodhisattvas.

The Tathagata said, "Maitreya Bodhisattva, why have you come here?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands together and bowed. After the ceremony, he said, "I have come to the East for the Dharma."

Upon hearing this, Tathagata said, "The Buddhism that came to the East was created by Bodhi's disciple in the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon on the Fangcun Mountain of Lingtai. I have a word with Bodhi that the Buddhism that came to the East will never become popular."

Maitreya Bodhisattva pointed to the east and said, "Buddha, I saw a purple cloud coming from the east for 30,000 miles in the past, when the nobleman arrived. When the nobleman left, the Buddha's infinite light extinguished it. But now, the Dharma from the east is coming with the remaining purple cloud, and the Buddha cannot stop it. At this time, no one in the Western Niuhe Continent can stop it."

Tathagata said: "During this period, my Buddha will not perish."

Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands together and took refuge, saying, "Buddha, I wish to learn this Dharma."

Tathagata asked, "Is it true?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva said: "It is true."

The Tathagata asked, "What is the purpose of this method?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva said: "I have asked about this incarnation. This method is called 'Zen'. It was created by Bodhidao's brother, Guangxin. There are already books written in the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon on the Fangcun Mountain of Lingtai."

The Tathagata sighed: "A spirit boy, a spirit boy! How come there is no such a great man in the Western Niuhe Continent? The Buddha Dharma came to the East and practiced Zen. It is like this. Maitreya Bodhisattva, are you going to practice in the mountains?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Yes. I will go to practice Zen now, Buddha. I have predicted that this Zen coming from the East will be powerful and magnificent. There will be no obstacles in the way."

The Tathagata thought for a while and said, "If this is the way I teach you, then you can go ahead and learn this Dharma. It will also be beneficial to my Western Paradise. If one day my Dharma perishes and your Dharma is reborn, you will become a Buddha."

Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands and bowed again.

……

Before I knew it, a year had passed.

On this day, in the Sanxing Immortal Cave, spring is in full bloom.

Zhenjian invited all his fellow disciples to have a lecture under an old cypress tree, and Jiang Yuan came here just because of the invitation.

Jiang Yuan was wearing plain clothes, but he saw a dozen people under the old cypress tree, most of whom he was unfamiliar with. He called Zhenjian and asked, "Junior brother, what is the generation name of the disciples here?"

Zhenjian replied, "Big Brother, there are more 'Ru' and 'Xing' generations. There are more 'Ru' generations and fewer 'Xing' generations."

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "I don't know how many years I have spent in cultivation. I rarely see my fellow disciples on weekdays."

Zhen Jian said: "Brother, the path is difficult, so you should focus on practicing."

Jiang was invited here because he also wanted to meet his fellow apprentices. He saw many of his fellow apprentices showing off their spirits under the old cypress tree. He was very interested and did not stop them. He just saw some side doors and found them quite interesting.

It seemed that after collecting herbs, he became much smarter, and he often saw some unorthodox methods, and he found them easy to learn.

The fellow disciples here have learned a lot of wonderful things from the side doors. One studied Mohist school and was very clever and deft. Another studied the art of summoning fairies and had a strong spiritual power.

If you teach yourself to practice with peace of mind, you may achieve enlightenment in the future.

Jiang Yuan said: "Zhenjian, Junior Brother, how many Junior Brothers have left the mountain in recent years?"

Zhen Jian shook his head and said, "No, there are about dozens of disciples before that. I don't know."

Zhenjian is a disciple of the fifth generation. How could he know the vast wisdom of these four generations?

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he had an idea in his mind. He was afraid that the master had taught hundreds of disciples, and he could not remember most of them. Among the few he remembered, there was only Dahui, who truly saw these.

Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly saw the master coming towards him.

When the crowd saw this, they hurriedly said, "Greetings, Master!"

The master said, "You should practice now, don't be lazy."

Everyone bowed and left, leaving Jiang Yuan alone.

Jiang Yuan asked, "Master."

The master said, "Boy, follow me out of the palace. There is a cultivator who wants to practice with you."

Jiang Yuan heard this and was confused, saying, "Master, what are you talking about? I have been following your teachings to cultivate myself. But now my cultivation is not complete and I have not yet achieved the Dao. Why are you looking for me to cultivate myself?"

The ancestor smiled and said, "If I really want to practice with you, I will never trick you. Follow me out of the palace."

Say it.

The master pulled Jiang Yuan out of the cave.

Jiang Yuan accompanied them. When the master and his disciple reached the Sanxing Immortal Cave, they opened the middle door and saw someone outside. He took a closer look and found that it was a smiling Bodhisattva with a magical light around his body. It was indeed amazing.

This image is easy to recognize because it is "Maitreya Bodhisattva".

Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands together and bowed, saying, "Brother Bodhi, you are the real person of Guangxin."

The Patriarch responded with, “Maitreya Bodhisattva.”

Jiang Yuan also returned the greeting and said, "I don't deserve the title of 'real person'."

He has not yet completed his golden elixir, and his practice has not yet been perfected. How can he have the face to call himself a "real person"? If others knew about it, wouldn't he be laughed at? He would never dare to accept this title.

If he has mastered the art of alchemy, it will not be too late to discuss the number then, but it is not possible now.

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(End of this chapter)