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

Chapter 89 Keep Your Mouth Shut (asking for monthly ticket)

But when Jiang Yuan arrived at Wuzhuang Temple and had not yet entered the temple, Zhen Yuanzi came out to greet him as he did in previous years.

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Greetings, Great Immortal."

Zhen Yuanzi greeted him and said with a smile: "Don't be too polite. Guangxin should be called a real person now. There is no need for this."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Etiquette cannot be abolished. Besides, my Taoism is far inferior to yours, Great Immortal."

Zhen Yuanzi said: "How many kalpas have you practiced? Nearly a thousand years, how can you compare with me? Your Tao is already powerful."

Say it.

Zhen Yuanzi invited Jiang Yuan into the hall, and after they entered the house, he set up a table for Jiang Yuan to sit down. A Taoist boy brought him fruits, and the manners were very polite.

This time is different from when Jiang Yuan first arrived. At that time he was just a boy and his golden elixir was not yet complete. Now he has succeeded and is a real person.

Zhen Yuanzi said, "Qingfeng, take the golden hammer and the alchemy plate, and beat a ginseng fruit for Guangxin to quench his thirst."

When the Taoist boy Qingfeng heard this, he curled his lips, responded, and turned to leave the hall.

Jiang Yuan said: "Great Immortal, how can this be possible? There is a saying that 'no merit, no reward'. I was invited by the Great Immortal, but I have not made any merit. Why is the Great Immortal like this? How can I accept it?"

Zhen Yuanzi said: "Why do you need to have merit? Just give me a fruit. If Guangxin had not achieved merit, this fruit would be hard to come by. Now that Guangxin has achieved merit, he will live forever. This ginseng fruit is just to quench your thirst. Don't take it too seriously."

When Jiang Yuan heard what Zhen Yuanzi said, he couldn't help but wonder why the immortal called him here. But if it was as the immortal said, the ginseng fruit would only be able to quench his thirst. His immortal body would be flawless and he would live forever.

After a while, Qingfeng brought the plate and presented it in front of Jiang Yuan. On the plate, there was a fruit that looked like a baby less than three days old, and the fruit fragrance was strong.

Zhen Yuanzi called Qingfeng away, pointed at the Danpan, and said, "Guangxin, eat the fruit now. I can't leave this ginseng fruit. If I leave it, it will become stiff and lose its effect. If you want to eat it in water, you can take a porcelain bowl. If you want to eat it raw, it is also convenient."

Jiang Yuan couldn't refuse the kindness, so he had to eat the ginseng fruit. The fruit tasted very good, but he ate it just to satisfy his hunger, it was of no use to him.

He finished eating the ginseng fruit and asked, "Great Immortal, I still don't know what I need to take care of in this matter?"

Zhen Yuanzi smiled and said, "It is a small matter. I have many disciples, but they are not united. They like to fight. They do not know the wonderful use of the right way, but think of the side door. I want to invite you to come and teach them so that they can be united and not lose their spirits."

Jiang Yuan heard this and replied, "Great Immortal, my teachings are shallow, how can I teach you?"

This is because it is easy for children to practice Taoism, but difficult to preach Taoism. If one does not have a deep understanding of Taoism, one cannot preach Taoism.

Zhen Yuanzi said: "I am not asking you to teach me, but I ask you to try your magic so that my disciples can know your ability."

Jiang Yuan had no intention of showing off his magical powers. He said, "Great Immortal, if we can unite our minds, there is still a way. Why is it like this? If magical powers can be used, then your magical powers are much better than mine."

Zhen Yuanzi said: "Because when you became enlightened, all my disciples knew about it. If I teach you to use your supernatural powers, it will be more effective."

Jiang Yuan had no choice but to agree, thinking to himself, "The Immortal and Master are indeed different. The Immortal's disciples are unrestrained and free-spirited, and they have mastered the mystical arts. The cooperation between the three families of Master is just like that, and Master pays more attention to the law of fate. When fate is gone, it is up to the individual to practice."

He replied: "In that case, I will give it a try, but I don't know if I can make them united."

Zhen Yuanzi said, "Just do your best."

Jiang Yuan had no choice but to agree, and said goodbye to Zhen Yuanzi, and stayed in the temple for a short time.

After Zhen Yuan Zi finished telling this story, he asked, "Guang Xin, how is Bodhi doing these days?" Jiang Yuan replied, "Thank you for your concern, Master."

Zhen Yuanzi said: "I haven't asked you yet, what method have you been practicing since you achieved success?"

Jiang Yuan said: "These are the 108 great methods, the universe in my sleeves, and there is also the Samadhi True Fire, which I have not yet mastered in its entirety."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi was surprised and said, "It is enough for us to learn the Disha number and Tiangang number. There are not many people in the three realms who can do this. This magic is better than thousands. Why can't Bodhi pass on all the magic skills in his body to you?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Master, please have pity on me."

Zhen Yuanzi said, "Because you are outstanding and amazing, otherwise, how can I teach you all kinds of methods? If you are not good enough, even if I teach you the methods, you will not be able to practice them. Guangxin, I heard that the celestial being came to lead you to the heaven, and the great celestial being conferred the title of a true monarch, but you still cannot succeed. What do you think?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Great Immortal, cultivation is for longevity and freedom, not for becoming a god. If you want to be a god, why bother to correct the Tao and endure all kinds of suffering?"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi burst into laughter, and then talked with Jiang Yuan for a long time, mostly about things related to spiritual practice. Then he sent two Taoist boys to take Jiang Yuan to the Taoist room to rest.

The second Taoist boy was an old friend, and he escorted Jiang Yuan into the Taoist room.

Jiang Yuan wanted to reminisce about the past, so he led the two Taoist boys in and asked them to sit down.

The two Taoist boys sat down and bowed: "Thank you, Senior Brother Guangxin, for your advice."

Jiang Yuan just sat down, not understanding what he meant, and asked, "Two junior brothers, why do you say that?"

The two Taoist boys said, "We know that our master asked Senior Brother Guangxin about our views in the past. It was Senior Brother Guangxin who told us that our master passed on the Dharma to us two."

Jiang Yuanfang understood and said, "The Immortal asked me this in the past, and I told him the truth. You two are really sincere, not just out of favor."

The two Taoist boys bowed again, unable to stop the tears on their cheeks, and said: "This is the kindness of Senior Brother Guangxin. We two recognize it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan felt helpless, but he had some realization. The ancestor had said in his early years that for a cultivator, "when the mouth opens, the spirit dissipates, and when the tongue moves, trouble arises." This was exactly the truth. He spoke well of the two Taoist boys, which is why he has such a kindness today. If he had said some bad things about the two Taoist boys at that time, wouldn't he have created the root of disaster?

The result of spiritual practice is to "keep one's mouth shut" and not allow cause and effect to occur.

Jiang Yuan helped the two Taoist boys up and said, "You two should practice hard and don't do this."

The second Taoist boy then stood up.

Jiang Yuan asked, "Two junior brothers, I heard what the great immortal said, but the disciples in the temple are not united, and some are thinking of taking a side path. Do you know why?"

The second Taoist boy replied, "It's not that we are not on the same page! It's because Qingfeng and Mingyue, the two Taoist boys, are always at odds with the other brothers, and they have caused a lot of trouble, which has reached the ears of our master."

Jiang Yuan asked again: "Which one is Qingfeng Mingyue? Have I seen it before?"

The second Taoist boy said, "Qingfeng was the one who handed the ginseng fruit to Senior Brother Guangxin today, and Mingyue was the other one. In the past, Senior Brother Guangxin and I were guarding the temple. When Mingyue came back, he went to the ginseng fruit garden. He was afraid that the two of us would do something with Senior Brother Guangxin, and he didn't like him. Many senior brothers in the temple had grievances against him. My master once blamed him and sent him to the Kong family in the Southern Continent to learn etiquette, but it was useless, useless!"

Jiang Yuan heard what was going on and said, "In that case, I understand. Please tell me, brothers."

The second Taoist boy said, "I don't deserve it!"

Jiang Yuan did not ask about the matter here. He talked about cultivation with his two fellow apprentices and many other things. Seeing that it was getting dark, the two Taoist boys brought him tea and food and left, not daring to disturb Jiang Yuan's rest.

(End of this chapter)