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

Chapter 7: The Spirit Guides the Way
In the mountains of Shangjing, the narrow path is covered with dead leaves and withered vines.

Jiang Yuan walked on the road, holding the small tripod given by Laozi in his hand.

He must be looking for some Yin-Yang water to gain insight into the mystery of the cauldron.

There are many different interpretations of the so-called Yin and Yang water.

The first is to catch the rain from the sky before it hits the ground, which is called heavenly water, also called boundless water, and in the yin and yang water, it is called "yang water". The water in the deep mountain well that has never seen the sun is called ground water, also called "yin water".

The second is to mix raw water and boiling water to make Yin-Yang water. In the dream, there is a book called "Compendium of Materia Medica·Water·Earth Water·Shengshu Tang" which says: Mix one hundred boiling soups with freshly drawn water, so it is called Shengshu. People nowadays call it Yin-Yang water.

There are many other sayings, which are not worth mentioning.

What Jiang Yuan was looking for was the fusion of raw and boiling water.

The source of the water in Shangjing Mountain is outside the cave, three miles away.

Not long after.

Jiang Yuan found some firewood to start a fire, filled a small tripod with half of the river water, and placed the tripod on the fire.

It didn't take long before the water in the cauldron boiled.

Jiang Yuan put out the firewood, found some fresh water, and poured it into the small tripod.

When raw and cooked water were put into the cauldron, colorful light flashed in the cauldron.

Jiang Yuan looked into the tripod.

The water surface in the cauldron was rippling gently, reflecting his slightly otherworldly face, but he looked pale, with sunken eyes, and looked very weak, as if he had been ill for a long time.

Jiang Yuan was just thinking about it.

The 'he' in the water actually smiled at him, and then pointed at his heart.

The next moment, the water surface shook, the boiling water became turbid, and his face could not be seen.

Jiang Yuan seemed to have a gentle breeze that blew away all the fog in his mind.

The monkey mind is where his heart is.

The monkey heart, the wild horse, the male gold, the female wood, the female earth.

It originally corresponds to the five internal organs.

The five internal organs refer to the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

The heart is the monkey mind, the liver is the mother wood, the spleen is the mother earth, the lungs are the father metal, and the kidneys are the horse of will.

How to get five people to help.

Jiang Yuan didn’t know.

But he now has a direction, which is very different.

"These five people correspond to the five internal organs. I should have thought of this earlier, but I have not made any progress. Is this because of the obstruction of the consciousness spirit and the desire spirit?"

Jiang Yuan has sharp eyes and understands many things.

What he saw on the water surface in the cauldron just now should be his original spirit.

He was seriously ill and extremely weak.

This is also the appearance of the souls of most people in Jambudvīpa.

We should have invited five people to support us as soon as possible.

Jiang Yuan returned to the cave holding the small tripod.

……

Wait until you return to the cave.

The master was sitting cross-legged in front of the cave entrance. When he saw Jiang Yuan returning, his eyes were shining with joy, and he knew that the barrier between the two gods and demons had been broken.

The master said, "My boy, the demon barrier has been broken. You should find the protection of the mind monkey as soon as possible. Among the five, the mind monkey is the most valiant and the most difficult to subdue. You should encourage yourself."

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

He suddenly remembered the small tripod in his arms, raised it and asked again: "Master, what kind of rare treasure is this tripod?"

The master pointed at the small tripod and said, "This tripod is one of the Nine Tripods, the Yu Tripod! Yu cast the Nine Tripods to suppress the southern continent. Now they have failed and are useless. Boyang got the Yu Tripod and now I give it to you. You should hang it around your waist day and night to prevent the spiritual energy from leaking. It can protect you morning and night."

Jiang Yuan's palm trembled, and he almost dropped the small tripod. He didn't expect that the small tripod in his hand was actually the Nine Tripods. It was rumored that Yu collected the gold of the Nine Herdsmen and cast nine tripods, symbolizing the Nine Provinces. These nine tripods flourished when there was a saint, and disappeared when there was a decline. When Qin destroyed Zhou, the nine tripods sank and disappeared.

Unexpectedly, Yu Ding was in his hands.

His master said that the function of the Nine Cauldrons was to stabilize the southern continent, but now they are useless. How can this be possible?

"Master, why is this failure?"

Jiang Yuan asked doubtfully.

The master said, "Don't think too much, boy. I will explain it to you one day. Don't let the two spirits get the hang of it."

After hearing this, Jiang Yuan stopped asking questions, found a rope, and hung the tripod around his waist.

The master nodded and said, "My boy, go back to the quiet room and cultivate your mind. When you enter the Dao, I will go with you to the Western Niu Hezhou to find a place to settle down. Then it will not be too late for you to know about these things."

Jiang Yuan thanked the master and followed him into the cave.

Before the Patriarch returned to his cave, he took out a fire date and said, "If you practice meditation and are protected by the Dharma of No Self, you will die within three to five days. Now I also want to practice meditation. You hold this date in your mouth and it will keep you safe."

How could Jiang Yuan not know that he had been meditating for three years and had received the support of the ancestor's Dharma? He kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Master!"

In his dream, the Monkey King, the beloved disciple of Patriarch Bodhi in Journey to the West, did not perform any magic to protect him. When Monkey King wanted to eat, he saw that there was no fire under the stove and had to pick peaches by himself to fill his stomach.

When he came to him, the master performed magic to protect him and also allowed him to eat fire dates. How could he not know such love and care? He was extremely grateful.

The master helped Jiang Yuan up, handed him the fire dates, and said, "There is no need to say more between master and disciple."

The master flicked his sleeves lightly, smiled and walked back to the quiet room.

Seeing the door of the master's room closed, Jiang Yuan did not leave. He kowtowed again and again on the spot, thanking him in his heart, and then walked towards his own quiet room.

Wait back to the quiet room.

Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the cushion, took out the jujube and put it in his mouth.

When you take a bite of the jujube, you’ll feel a wave of coolness that flows into your stomach along with your saliva, and you’ll naturally feel full.

It is truly a magical thing.

Jiang Yuan sighed in his heart, he didn't think any more, closed his eyes and rested, and when his condition improved, he dared to enter into meditation and try to feel the location of his heart.

The monkey mind is located in the heart.

It is just like the heart, beating like a drum in the sky, and depending on the emotions, it beats fast, sometimes slow, like a mountain monkey, which is difficult to subdue.

The heart is the head of the five internal organs and has strong power in itself.

He needs to understand where the 'monkey in his heart' is before he can talk to it and ask for its help.

Jiang Yuan concentrated his mind on his body, trying to move his thoughts towards his heart.

But he just made a move.

There were constant whispers in his ears, some telling him to relax a little, some telling him to eat some delicious food, and some telling him to give up.

Jiang Yuan turned a deaf ear.

Instead, the small tripod on his waist shook slightly, as if a bell rang, and the whispers in his ears were cleared away.

Jiang Yuan suddenly understood. He thought the master said that hanging this tripod around the waist could protect oneself in the morning and evening. He thought the master said it was to protect against sharp weapons, but it turned out to be to protect against the two gods and demons.

Got help from Yu Ding.

Jiang Yuan calmed down and just tried to figure out what was in his heart.

When he was calm, the world seemed to slow down because of his calmness.

Boom, boom, boom!
The sound of my heartbeat rang in my ears like the sound of gongs, drums or bells.

Jiang Yuan was in a trance, and seemed to feel that there was a mystery hidden in his heart. As his mind entered it, he saw a "heart palace" emerging, and a huge force burst out from his body.

The next moment, before he could feel it carefully, his heart suddenly thumped.

Jiang Yuan opened his eyes, his heart was beating wildly, his face turned pale, and he felt restless in his heart. His heart was beating uncontrollably fast, thump, thump, thump, making him feel weak.

"Is this the Monkey King? It lives in the center of the heart. It is unruly, impetuous, arrogant, has great strength, and has an erratic temperament."

The moment Yu Jiangyuan's mind entered the heart, he knew that there was a monkey living in the middle of the heart...

(End of this chapter)