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

Chapter 96: Wukong Lifts the Cauldron and Returns to the Mountain (4k, monthly ticket requested)

But in the Senluo Hall of the underworld, the ten kings were trembling with fear and urgently ordered the judge to find out where Liu's mother came from and follow the immortal's instructions.

Jiang Yuan and Hui'an asked the ten kings to welcome them to the center of the hall and sit down facing south. They offered them fragrant tea and fruits, and then stayed beside them.

The traveler Hui An clasped his hands and bowed, saying: "If the Immortal is truly profound, where does his supernatural power come from? I am no match for him, but I can't withstand even one move from him."

Jiang Yuan responded by saying, "Traveler Hui'an, this fellow has extraordinary martial arts skills and is a Taoist master. He is very skilled and difficult to defeat. I will use a little of my magical powers."

The traveler Hui An looked at the ten kings again and said, "Although this fellow has caused trouble in the underworld and caused the gates of the underworld to be closed, there is a reason for this. I have heard what this fellow said, and he is the one who caused the underworld to make trouble."

The Tenth Prince panicked and said, "I don't recognize him, I don't recognize him. I guess he must have taken the wrong person."

Jiang Yuan laughed and said, "You took the wrong path this way and that way, how come the underworld doesn't know the advantages of the terrain?"

The Tenth King said, "I won't dare to do it again, I won't dare to do it again, I beg the Master to forgive me!"

Jiang Yuan said: "If I hear that the underworld is wrong to summon the dead again, I will definitely find you ten people to know the effectiveness of my magical powers."

The ten kings responded with trepidation.

Not long after, the judge brought out the book of life and death and presented the accounts.

Jiang Yuan took a closer look and saw a record in the Nudibranch Book: "Liu Zhang of the Southern Continent, No. 90,043, lived to be 73 years old." He asked, "How old is Liu's mother now?"

The judge said, "After investigating the whereabouts, it is found that Liu's mother was forty-five years old and her life span had not yet ended. It is true that the person who hijacked the dead went wrong. Liu's mother was hijacked here as a scapegoat."

The Tenth King said, "How can this be possible! Where is the person who hooked the dead?"

The judge said, "Tell that evil spirit to kill him."

Jiang Yuan said: "Let's return Liu's mother to the living and don't cause any trouble."

The Ten Kings then ordered the judge to bring Liu's mother. After a while, the judge brought Liu's mother, explained the reason, apologized, and asked for forgiveness.

When Liu's mother heard the story, she bowed to Jiang Yuan and said, "I am so grateful to you for helping me. I will never forget your kindness. Please leave your name so that I can know your kindness."

Jiang Yuan got off his seat and helped him up, saying, "Because I know your son is a filial gentleman. When I met him, he was determined to die. I was afraid that you would be bullied, so I taught him to protect you. That's why I helped him a little. Now I meet the old lady, and she knows that only when there is a mother can there be a son. If the mother is polite, the son will be filial. This is called 'teaching by words and deeds'."

Mother Liu cried with tears in her eyes, "Thank you so much, Immortal! Thank you so much, Immortal! But please leave your name."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "You don't need to remember my name. If you want to feel grateful for my kindness, just do more good deeds during the day."

Liu's mother replied.

Jiang Yuan called the judge to bring Liu's mother back to the living. He handled the matter and got the promise of the Ten Kings, so that there would be no more chaos in the underworld. Then he rode away on a white deer, and the Ten Kings saw him out of the underworld.

After leaving the underworld and returning to the human world, Jiang Yuan and the traveler Hui'an parted ways.

The monk Hui An put his palms together and said, "I originally taught you to protect the Immortal back to the mountain, but I am injured and holding a stick is useless. I am afraid I cannot protect him properly."

Jiang Yuan rode on a white deer and said with a smile: "You have protected me for a long time, I am grateful, how can I have the audacity to ask you to take me back to the mountain. Go back to Luojia Mountain, and thank Guanyin Bodhisattva for me."

The monk Hui An nodded and said, "That should be the case. If you have time, you can come to Luojia Mountain. I will certainly welcome you and discuss some Dharma with you."

Jiang Yuan readily agreed.

The traveler Hui'an said no more, rode on the clouds and returned to Mount Luojia.

Jiang Yuan sent the white deer to a high mountain and stopped in front of the cliff to look. He saw that the mountain top was connected to the blue sky, and there were thousands of white clouds. In front of the mountain, there was a winding dragon cave, and there was a soul-holding cliff thousands of feet high. Behind the mountain, there was a trickling cold stream, and the cold air was chilling. It was really a dangerous place.

When the immortal arrived here, he dismounted the white deer, opened his sleeve, pinched his hand, and took out the monkey. The monkey was like a straw man, and he let him play with it.

Wukong took out his sleeves, put away his golden cudgel, rushed forward, supported Jiang Yuan with his hands, and said, "Brother, don't blame me, don't blame me! It was me who offended you."

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "You monkey, I won't mention the offense. Why do you leave when you see me?"

Wukong said, "Big Brother, I was frightened when I saw you. I was at a loss as to what to do. I was afraid that it would be difficult for me to recognize you. I did not mean to do that. Big Brother, please forgive me."

Jiang Yuan said, "Why can't we recognize each other? Tell me."

Wukong bowed and said, "Brother, listen to me. When I was giving lectures in the mountain, the brothers in the mansion respected me because I had magical powers and my methods were mysterious. Brother, you said you could see the true method, so I obeyed your orders and used your methods. Unexpectedly, my master came here and wanted to expel me from the sect and send me back home. I begged and pleaded for mercy but I got no response. My master told me personally that my master had not returned to the mountain. I sighed and left the mountain to go home. Before leaving, my master told me again that he thought I would have a bad life after leaving the mountain, so he would not let me report to the sect. If I told him in the future, he would take my life. That's why I didn't dare to recognize you. Brother, please forgive me."

Jiang Yuan heard this and understood. He said, "How did you show off your skills to make the master expel you?"

Wukong said: "My fellow brothers in the palace want to see the seventy-two transformations, so I used a magic trick to change into an old cypress tree."

Jiang Yuan said, "You monkey, why are you showing off for no reason? If you show off like that, won't it tempt people? If they are tempted, they will definitely come up with a plan to harm you. I don't even dare to show off, so how dare you, a shallow person like you, to do so?"

Wukong didn't dare to say much and just held his elder brother's hand.

Jiang Yuan said, "Since you have returned home, why don't you hide in the mountains and practice? Why do you appear in the underworld?"

Wukong was annoyed when he heard this and said, "Brother, this is not my fault. I was meeting guests in the mountains and was just going to sleep when that dead man lured me to the underworld. How could I not make trouble in the underworld? I have achieved immortality and am beyond the three realms. I am not in the five elements. How could that dead man find me? He deserves to be beaten, he deserves to be beaten!"

Jiang Yuan said, "You are not to blame for what happened here. I came to the underworld to do this. From now on, no one will come to lure you back. You can just practice in seclusion. If there is such a thing again, come back to the mountain and find me. I will ask for an explanation for you."

Wukong said, "Thank you, Brother."

Jiang Yuan said, "Then go ahead. If you see me next day, just say you are right and you don't need to hide from me. If you are wrong, I will definitely catch you when I see you."

Wukong said, "Big Brother, I understand."

After saying this, he was about to leave, but suddenly stopped and said, "Big Brother, I recently got a magical weapon, which is from the same clan as your treasure."

Jiang Yuan asked: "That treasure?"

Wukong said, "It's the Yu Ding."

Jiang Yuan held the Yu Ding on his waist and asked, "What do you think, fellow clan member?"

A treasure came out of Wukong's ears, and with a shake, the Ruyi Jingu Bang appeared. The monkey threw away all his tricks and spun around in the mountain, scaring the wolves and insects so much that the tigers and leopards fled. It turned out that he was a man with great supernatural powers.

He held the golden cudgel firmly and said, "Big Brother, this treasure of mine is called the Ruyi Golden Cudgel. It was given to me by a good neighbor. Some say it was used by Dayu to measure the depth of rivers when he was controlling floods. I heard from a good neighbor that this Yu Ding, Big Brother, was cast by Dayu. This is from the same clan."

Jiang Yuan pointed at the monkey and scolded him with a smile: "You monkey, how can you be so calculating with your fellow clan members? How come you can't even compare your golden hoop with my Yu Ding?"

The monkey said, "Brother, I was just thinking of competing with you."

Jiang Yuan asked: "Really?"

The monkey said, "It is true."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "How do you want to compete?"

Wukong said, "Brother, I will use the stick and you use the tripod, let's just give it a try." Jiang Yuan said, "You monkey, your weapon is a sword, and my tripod is a treasure to protect myself. How can I compete with you? Come on, come on, come on, why should I compete with you? Just go away and don't bother me."

Wukong asked: "If so, what is the specific gravity?"

Jiang Yuan took a closer look at the golden hoop stick and asked, "How heavy is your stick?"

Wukong wanted to show off, so he said, "Big Brother, my Ruyi Jingu Bang weighs 13,500 kilograms."

Jiang Yuan took out the Yu Ding from his waist and turned it over. The Yu Ding showed its true form, a large tripod, 18 feet high, with various patterns written on it, and a divine light was faintly visible, carrying a heavy and profound virtue.

He said, "Wukong, lift up this tripod and it will be your victory."

Wukong said, "Brother, let go of the Dao and I will lift it up."

Jiang Yuan heard this and made way. Wukong then walked to the tripod and touched it. It was indeed a heavy treasure. He exerted force from his waist and tried to lift the tripod. Unexpectedly, the tripod glowed with divine light. No matter how hard the Monkey King exerted, the tripod did not move at all.

This Yu Ding was cast by Dayu to suppress the southern Zhanbuzhou. It was made of divine gold, and its aura flowed through the continent. It was also enlightened by the Supreme Lord Lao, and its aura was nurtured. Later, it followed the immortal to practice, and was warmed by the aura. The immortal achieved enlightenment, and got the benefits. He had supernatural powers and was immune to all kinds of attacks. Now it is different from the past.

The monkey has great magical powers, how could he lift the Yu Ding this time?

The monkey let go and said, "Good tripod, good tripod! My golden cudgel cannot defeat you."

Jiang Yuan waved his hand, and Yu Ding made a small tripod, tied it around his waist, and said, "Monkey, go to the mountains and practice in seclusion, and achieve enlightenment as soon as possible. Don't be so impatient."

Wukong agreed, and said no more. He bowed three times to his senior brother, shook his body, jumped up, and somersaulted a distance of 180,000 miles, and no one knew where he was going.

Jiang Yuan watched the monkey go away, and then walked to the side of the white deer. The deer was very spiritual, and it lowered its body, allowing the immortal to ride on it. When the immortal sat firmly on it, the white deer walked down the mountain.

Jiang Yuan stroked the deer's head gently, knowing that the white deer had some abilities, and said with a smile: "During this Dharma meeting, I will learn a little bit of the true Dharma of Nirvana. I will teach you a good thing, and you must practice well when you return to the mountains."

The white deer cried and walked down the mountain.

……

It is said that the Monkey King somersaulted ten thousand eight thousand miles, and his soul returned to the Flower-Fruit Mountain. He entered into an immortal body, suddenly woke up, and stretched his waist and legs.

The four old monkeys shouted, "My king, how much wine did you drink? How come you just woke up after sleeping for more than a day?"

The Monkey King said, "You don't know, a lot of things will happen during this sleep."

The four old monkeys asked, "Your Majesty, why are you sleeping here?"

The Monkey King said, "You don't know, my soul was taken away by two dead-catchers from the underworld. I used my magical powers to beat up those dead-catchers and cause chaos in the underworld, forcing everyone in the underworld to close their doors. I led my people into the Senluo Palace, but I didn't expect that my eldest brother was sitting in the Senluo Palace. I was no match for my eldest brother, so I turned around and tried to escape, but he grabbed me with his sleeves and took me away. Fortunately, he let me go."

The four old monkeys were shocked and said, "The king is so powerful, how could anyone subdue the king?"

The Monkey King said: "My eldest brother has great magical powers and great abilities. I cannot compare with him. His teachings are profound while mine are shallow."

The four old monkeys said, "The way of the great king is higher than the sky. If we teach this man to defeat the great king, wouldn't that be higher than the sky?"

The monkey king did not answer. He was just about to gather his people for fun when one of his descendants came to report, "Your Majesty, many monkey soldiers have died recently."

The monkey king was furious when he heard this and asked, "Who hurt my monkeys?"

The monkey grandson said: "It's not that anyone was injured, but that the monkey soldiers are old and weak."

The four old monkeys said, "Your Majesty, this is the end of your life span. We live in the blessed land of the immortal mountain, and we have your Majesty's protection. We are not subject to the control of the Qilin, the Phoenix, or the bullying of demons, but we are secretly controlled by the King of Hell. Your Majesty has achieved enlightenment and is immortal, but it is difficult for us. We will die sooner or later. There is a saying in the world that 'a lonely man' will die, and your Majesty will be no different then."

When the Monkey King heard this, he scratched his ears and cheeks, became restless and extremely angry. He was just about to find an opportunity to release the King of Hell from his secret control, but we will not talk about this for now.

……

Time flies, and before I knew it, half a year had passed.

Jiang Yuan rode the white deer back to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. When he arrived in front of the Xieyue Sanxing Cave, he released the white deer back into the mountains and told it to practice well. Then he entered the Sanxing Immortal Cave.

Soon after entering the Three Stars Immortal Cave, they came to an old cypress tree, where they saw the disciples having a conversation. They were talking about the most exciting part, how the side sects fought each other.

When Jiang Yuan arrived, Zhen Jian stood up and walked forward to greet him, "Big Brother."

Everyone greeted him: "Big Brother."

Jiang Yuan said: "No need to be polite, you can talk later, I will return to the mountain and worship the master."

Everyone said, "Big Brother, please go now."

Jiang Yuan looked at the real Zhang Zhen, and after a closer look, he saw that his body and mind had increased, and the fruit was ahead. This junior brother really saw the breakthrough, and the road was ahead. He was not anxious or impatient, and walked slowly.

Zhen Jian said: "Big Brother, I will definitely visit you later."

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, and walked towards Yaotai. After a while, he arrived at Yaotai. The master was not there, so he took a small path to the quiet room. When he arrived at the quiet room, the door was wide open, and the master was sitting cross-legged on a cushion in his robe, waiting for a long time.

Jiang Yuan walked to the door of the room, bowed deeply, and said, "Master, I am going home."

The master said, "Just come in, boy. Why do you need such a big ceremony?"

Jiang Yuan entered the room upon hearing the voice, and, understanding the master's intention, he sat down on the cushion. When he was seated firmly, the master asked, "Did you gain anything from this journey out of the mountain?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, I have gained a lot. I went to the underworld and also met Wukong."

The master asked, "How do you say that?"

Jiang Yuan said, "My disciple was originally going to the South Sea, but Lu'er went astray and entered the country of Wuli. I saw a gentleman crying, and after asking, I learned that the underworld had taken his mother by mistake. So I first attended the Dharma Assembly and then went to the underworld to understand cause and effect and help people return to the living world. I then saw Junior Brother Wukong being taken away by the underworld and making trouble in the underworld, so I took Junior Brother Wukong away and returned home."

The Patriarch asked, "Did you gain anything from the Dharma Assembly?"

Jiang Yuan replied: "Master, I have gained something from listening to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's teaching of the true Dharma of Nirvana."

The master said, "Tell me about it."

Jiang Yuanfu then told the master the true Dharma of Nirvana.

The master was amazed when he heard this and said, "Although you don't know everything, you have grasped the essence of the Nirvana. You are indeed smart. What do you think of the Nirvana?"

Jiang Yuan said: "As Master said, one day this Dharma will be extinguished."

The master laughed and said, "Tong'er, how do you understand this?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "It is because this Dharma is difficult to understand. I have heard that many Buddhas do not understand it and misinterpret its meaning, which leads to the ignorance of the world and the extinction of the body. The essence of this Dharma can only be understood by the wise, so this Dharma will not last long. There will definitely be a new Dharma to replace it in the future, so the Dharma will be extinguished."

(End of this chapter)