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

Chapter 59 It’s better to seek help from others than from yourself
The master was pleased to say that the boy knew the "signs of the elixir being ready," and wanted to teach the boy how to refine it so that he could make the elixir as soon as possible.

The master sat cross-legged on the cushion and said, "Boy, since you know that the elixir is ready, I will teach you how to make it. What do you think?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Master, I just know the timing. Time is running out. I will listen to Master's teachings on the Great Dao, and then practice the four secret steps of the Dao."

Upon hearing this, the master clasped his hands and said, "Tong'er, are you really not in a hurry?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head: "No hurry."

The master smiled without saying a word, took out a chessboard and wanted to play a game with the boy.

Jiang Tong'er looked down and saw that it was "Go". He bowed and sat down, holding the white piece.

The master has just placed his piece on the chessboard.

The boy smiled and responded.

The master and his disciple placed their pieces one by one, and the chessboard suddenly became like a battlefield, with black and white dragons fighting each other. The game between the two chess pieces was intense, it was truly a case of 'the chessboard is the ground and the pieces are the sky, and the colors are created by yin and yang'.

The master and his disciple were playing a game of chess. On the second day, the boy was defeated and felt ashamed of himself.

The master collected the chessboard and said, "Boy, your chess skills have improved a lot compared to before. I beat you by a lot earlier, but now I am three or four moves ahead of you."

Jiang Yuan said: "I feel that my master is asking me to do this. I haven't learned chess for a long time, so how can my chess skills improve?"

The master smiled and said, "This has nothing to do with chess skills. In the past, you were impatient and not yet an immortal, so you often lost to me in chess. Now you are calmer, unlike before, so you lose less to me."

Jiang Yuan suddenly realized and bowed to the master.

The master said, "Since you are not in a hurry to cook, please do it for me."

Jiang Yuan sang a promise and said, "Master, just give me your instructions, and I will definitely take care of it."

The master said, "Since you and I have lived in the mountains for so many years, the disciples in the mountains have come and gone, and never cultivated their minds. There are people from the southern continent who escaped the three disasters and gathered at the foot of the mountain, living in the shops. They often heard that there are people in the mountains who know about my Sanxing Cave, so they set up a shrine to offer sacrifices. I have never protected the people in the mountains, so how can I accept this gift? I asked Zhenjian to go down the mountain to dissuade him, but he refused. Boy, you go there yourself and persuade the mountain people not to offer sacrifices."

Jiang Yuan responded, "Yes."

The master then waved his hand and told the boy to leave.

Jiang Yuan bowed and left the quiet room.

……

Jiang Tong'er left the quiet room, took the jade whisk, and was about to go down the mountain.

The boy has three treasures to protect him, one is a purple robe, one is a jade whisk, and one is a Yu Ding. These three treasures are to save his life before the elixir is made.

He traveled with the Three Treasures and walked outside the quiet cave. When he reached the mountain path and passed a hillside, he saw a woodcutter and his men coming towards him from afar.

This woodcutter is none other than the former head of the Zuo family. He is now very old, while the man next to him is still in his prime. It is truly a case of 'passing down the tradition from one generation to the next'.

The old woodcutter came over, placed two bundles of firewood on the ground, and bowed, saying, "Master!"

The man behind him followed the old woodcutter's actions.

Jiang Yuan returned the greeting and said, "Boy, it's been many years since we last met."

He spent more than 30 years collecting herbs and learning how to control the temperature of fire. The former woodcutter is now old. He has long understood that there is no time for cultivation. Often, when he meditates for a while, several generations of the human world will pass.

The old woodcutter sighed, "Master is truly a god! More than thirty years have passed, and Master has retained his youthful appearance, just as he did when we parted. What a magical power, what a magical power!"

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "Boy, you are chopping wood now, are you going home?"

The old woodcutter said, "That's right, that's right! May I ask where the master is going?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I am following the orders of my master in the mountains. I heard that the people below the mountain are offering sacrifices to my master. This will waste people's money and resources, so I am following the orders of my master to dissuade him."

The old woodcutter heard this and replied, "It is fate, Master. There is indeed a temple at the foot of the mountain. Inside is not only the old immortal, but also you, Master."

Jiang Yuan was surprised and asked, "Why am I here?"

The old woodcutter said with a smile, "Master, you may not know that you have conquered demons in the past. You have conquered the demons in Yuzhu Mountain and Efeng Mountain, as well as the demons around Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. You are so powerful." Jiang Yuan never expected that he had been ordered by his master to conquer demons and guard Fangcun Mountain, and everyone knew about it. Now he came to offer sacrifices to him. He said, "Boy, will you come with me and lead the way?"

The old woodcutter readily agreed, handed the two bundles of firewood and the old axe to the man, and said, "Take it back, take it back! I will go with the master."

The man had no choice but to pick up the axe and go home.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "This boy is a filial gentleman."

The old woodcutter said, "It doesn't bother me, how can I be filial? I sigh that he is following my old path."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Boy, do you know how many generations your family has lived in the mountains?"

The old woodcutter shook his head and said, "I don't know, I don't know!"

Jiang Yuan said, "I don't know either. I only know that the father passed it down to the son, and the son passed it down to the grandson, and the descendants are endless. You think your son is following the old path, but you don't know that he also followed the path of your father."

The old woodcutter was speechless.

Jiang Yuan smiled without saying anything and walked towards the mountain path.

The old woodcutter was nimble and caught up.

……

It won't take long.

The two men walked down the mountain. It was the first month of spring. They saw that "the warm sun melted the ice and the earth was balanced, and the gentle wind and rain brought benefits to the people."

The old woodcutter took Jiang Tong'er to a small temple at the foot of the mountain.

Jiang Yuan looked inside. Although the temple was small, it had everything it needed. There were all kinds of ritual instruments and music inside, and it looked very decent. There were people worshipping inside. Looking more closely, there were two clay statues at the top. One was the ancestor, but his appearance was unknown. On the contrary, the clay statue next to him looked about 50% similar to him.

The old woodcutter asked, "Master, we have just entered the house. Should we send someone to welcome you?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "How much money does this cost?"

The old woodcutter said, "In the past, people from Jambu Continent waded across the sea and sailed to Xiniuhe Continent. It became a familiar route, so in recent years, many people from Jambu Continent have come here. This temple was built by putting together many companies, and it cost a lot of money. It's even more difficult to calculate the cost every time we have to offer sacrifices."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he said nothing and walked inside.

The old woodcutter accompanied him.

Jiang Tong'er walked in and first bowed down before the clay statue of the ancestor. Then he walked to his clay statue, knelt down and worshiped, speaking and acting piously.

Everyone asked, "Where are you from? How come you are so polite?"

Jiang Yuan stood up and said with a smile: "I am from Lingtai Fangcun Mountain."

Suddenly, someone asked, "Why do you look like a fairy boy?"

Jiang Yuan picked up the whisk and swung it, saying: "I am a boy who practices in the mountains. I am the clay statue you are worshipping."

The crowd was surprised and puzzled, saying, "Since you are a fairy boy, why do you want to worship yourself?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Because I know that 'it is better to rely on oneself than to rely on others'. What is the use of setting up this shrine? Tear it down as soon as possible and divide the money among them. You must know that a good ironmaker must be strong himself. It is better to rely on oneself than to rely on gods and Buddhas. If you teach people to use the skills of worship for other purposes, what can't be accomplished?"

Say it.

The boy ignored the crowd and went back to the mountain.

If he had been wholeheartedly seeking the truth and immortality in the past, and had not been moved and had burned incense and worshipped Buddha at home every day, he would probably have turned into a pile of bones by now, and there would be no way he would have made the golden elixir here.

Tao is always there, awakening is hidden in the heart. It is fine to ask a good teacher to lead you into the door, but how can you always ask a good teacher to help you practice? In the end, you are "seeking yourself".

The old woodcutter followed.

The crowd remained silent and did not chase after him.

(End of this chapter)