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

Chapter 60 Cooking
Time really flies, and before I knew it, three years had passed. Jiang Tong'er appeared at the temple at the foot of the mountain, but the small temple had indeed been demolished. Tong'er never went down the mountain again, and only stayed in the Sanxing Cave, listening to the ancestors' lectures and scriptures, and discussing Zen with Maitreya Bodhisattva from time to time, leisurely and contented, without any anxiety or impatience.

One day, the master started to lecture on the great Dao. After the lecture, he dismissed the class and left Jiang Yuan here.

Jiang Yuan waited for all his fellow apprentices to leave before leaving the class and bowing, saying, "Master."

The master sat on the altar and asked, "Boy, how long have you been practicing fire?"

Jiang Yuan heard this and made a rough plan in his mind, and then replied, "Three years."

The master asked, "Are you learning how to cook now?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I hope Master can teach me how to cook it!"

The master smiled and asked, "I should teach you, but I see that you are not as quiet as before, so why is this?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Study the fire and the spirit by yourself. Five people are used. There is no need to be disturbed by the two gods. So there is no rush. Although I don't know how to cook, I know it will be difficult. You need to have a sufficient spirit and preserve your essence before you can cook."

The master walked down from the altar, patted the boy's Niwan Palace, and said with a smile: "If one acupoint is opened, all acupoints will be opened. Don't say such ridiculous words as the golden elixir became Niwan in the past."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he just said, "Master, please don't expose my shortcomings."

The master helped the boy sit down and said, "Please sit down. I will teach you the cooking method."

Jiang Yuanduan did not dare to accept it, and served the master to sit in the class. He was told to sit down, wash his ears and pay attention, saying: "I hope the master will spare his mercy and teach me!"

The master smiled and said, "The cooking method can only be learned if you know the right fire. It is the theory of starting a fire and extinguishing a fire, gentle fire and martial fire. It teaches you how to use the true fire to forge the great medicine in the cauldron, so that the four medicines can be refined into a form. When they become a perfect primordial mixture, then the work is done."

Jiang Yuan wrote down everything and asked, "Master, when calcining, you use the secret of the fire to control the temperature, to start the fire, to extinguish the fire, to use the gentle fire or the strong fire?"

The master nodded: "Yes! When the four medicines are formed, this step will be completed."

The master’s teachings on cooking can be summed up in a few words.

The boy knew that this step was difficult. He had to control the temperature while calcining the furnace. The temperature must be accurate. If it is wrong, the medicine would be wasted.

This medicine is called the innate great medicine. It exists before the body is born. It is integrated into the invisible, intangible, and cannot be seen or touched. Only then can the energy be gathered to make the medicine appear.

How could such a powerful medicine be easy to make?

Even if there is real fire, it may not be able to be refined in a short time.

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Master, I understand."

The master said: "My boy, you must remember that you must not make mistakes in this fire. You must be taught the secret method of moving the fire. When you are cooking, the two gods will definitely stop you. This is a good opportunity! Because when cooking, you must concentrate your attention and not be distracted. If you are stopped by the two gods, even the slightest difference will lead to your death. Cooking this step is the most dangerous step in the practice of Dan Dao!"

Jiang Yuan was horrified when he heard this, he knew that the two gods loved to find opportunities to exploit his skills and defeat his practice. If he were to ask the master to tell him, he would put all his mind into it and would be unable to resist, only to be constantly obstructed by the two gods. But if he made the slightest mistake, he would die and his Tao would be gone.

The path to the Golden Elixir is difficult and dangerous. Each step has its uses, but if you take a wrong step, your life will be in danger.

Cooking is difficult!
When collecting herbs, he was blocked by two gods, because his primordial spirit helped him. However, when refining herbs here, the primordial spirit is used, and with five people working together, how can they be of any help?

He knelt down again and said, "Master, please save me!"

The master smiled and said, "We saw how you broke the impasse, but we didn't expect you to take advantage of it and come to ask me."

Jiang Yuan said: "Since Master is teaching me, there must be a way to break the impasse. I hope Master will be merciful and teach me as well!"

The master took out a talisman, handed it to the boy, and said, "This jade talisman can protect you from the interference of the two gods when you are cooking. It is only useful when you are cooking, and it is useless at other times."

Jiang Tong'er took the jade talisman and thanked the master for his kindness.

The master waved his hand and called the boy to practice. Jiang Yuan bowed again, but first served the master back to the quiet room. He supported the master to the quiet room, but before he returned, he suddenly felt a great vibration in the Niwan Palace. He looked towards the cave with his energy.

In those secluded and quiet rooms, infinite light rose up and illuminated the Three Stars Immortal Cave. However, it did not last long before it disappeared into thin air.

The master said: "Bodhisattva Maitreya has realized something."

Jiang Yuan nodded: "Maitreya Bodhisattva does have profound wisdom."

At some point, the master took out a ruler and tapped the boy's forehead, saying, "You have introduced Zen to become Maitreya Bodhisattva. Now that you have realized something, go and congratulate him."

Jiang Yuan sang a promise and was not afraid of the master's ruler. He knew that the master's ruler was effective in raising the sea, but how could it use force when hitting him? He accompanied the master back to the quiet room, and then walked towards the residence of Maitreya Bodhisattva.

……

It won't take long.

Jiang Yuan walked into a quiet room and saw Maitreya Buddha standing in front of the door with a smile on his face.

Jiang Tong'er stepped forward and said, "Congratulations to the Bodhisattva Maitreya for his enlightenment!"

Maitreya Bodhisattva saw the boy and came forward, saying with a smile: "It is indeed a wonderful Dharma, it is indeed a wonderful Dharma! Thank you, Master Guangxin, for teaching me the Dharma!"

Jiang Yuan asked, "Is the Bodhisattva enlightened?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva shook his head, clasped his hands and bowed, saying: "I have never been enlightened, but I know how to practice Zen. There is a saying that 'Buddha is the mind and the mind is Buddha'. This method is really the way I practice. Thank you for your teaching!"

Jiang Yuan responded: "Bodhisattva, there is no need to thank me. Zen is there. Everyone can learn it and everyone can become a Buddha. How can you thank me?"

Upon hearing this, Maitreya Bodhisattva sighed deeply, thinking that it would be wonderful if this real person could become the Buddha of his Western Paradise. He clasped his hands together and said sincerely, "Real Person, I will return to the Western Paradise to practice. You are well versed in Buddhism, would you like to enter the Western Paradise and sit on the lotus platform? You will have a great position and attain the right result."

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "Bodhisattva, I am still a young practitioner. I am a rotten person and I dare not steal the lotus platform."

Maitreya Bodhisattva was very wise, so how could he not know the implication of Jiang Yuan's words? He clasped his hands and said, "I will not say any more! Master, I am leaving soon. Please tell my Taoist brother for me."

Jiang Yuan agreed.

Maitreya Bodhisattva went out and Jiang Yuan saw him off. When they were far away from the Sanxing Immortal Cave, Maitreya Bodhisattva rode on a auspicious cloud and went to the Western Paradise.

The boy had just returned to the Sanxing Cave, informed the master of the departure of Maitreya Bodhisattva, and returned to the quiet room to practice.

……

Before I knew it, five days had passed.

During this day, Jiang Yuan cultivated his spirit and energy, practiced hard, put on a purple robe, placed the jade whisk, Yu Ding, Taixuan Qingsheng Talisman, jade talisman and other magical objects beside him, and then started the fourth step of practicing the Taoist secrets, 'refining'.

This step is dangerous and must not be taken lightly.

You need to use real fire to calcine the four medicines in the furnace, so that the four medicines can be refined into form from the invisible.

Jiang Yuan calmed his mind and called the five people to gather in the cauldron under the navel, and then asked the primordial spirit to come out from the Niwan Palace.

It is said that the primordial spirit has miraculous uses. The primordial spirit is like the person inside the body. It can feel, move, think, and generate true fire. It has repeatedly helped him to block the two gods, allowing him to practice without hindrance. It is indeed the true me!

Jiang Yuan waited until everything was ready, and used the secret of the upper level of fire to make his primordial spirit generate true fire. With the help of five people, he inhaled and exhaled true breath, used fire to burn the cauldron, and performed the "cooking" operation.

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(End of this chapter)