Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 358 The Buddha is one foot taller, the demon is ten feet taller; a great calamity is imminent for all realms.
Chang'an City, the main hall of the imperial palace.

Emperor Taizong sat on his throne and looked at Tang Sanzang and the others, saying, "Before you left, my brother said you would return in two or three years. This time, I have been kept waiting for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang quickly clasped his hands together and said, "This journey has been extremely arduous, and I have failed to keep His Majesty's appointment. This is my fault."

Emperor Taizong waved his hand and laughed, "Why do you say that, Imperial Brother? Ignorance is no crime, but rather a merit. I just don't know who these three monks are..."

"These are the three guardian deities I have encountered along my journey; they are all celestial beings..."

Tang Sanzang then introduced Wukong and the other two in turn.

Wukong and his two companions then paid their respects to Emperor Taizong in turn.

Emperor Taizong then asked, "The three monks have rendered meritorious service in escorting my younger brother. What reward should be given to them to repay their kindness?"

Wukong chuckled and said, "What good are ten thousand bushels of grain to me? Since Your Majesty is so kind, why not treat my second junior brother to a vegetarian meal? He has a big appetite and has rarely eaten his fill on this journey."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy quickly replied, "Your Majesty, please don't think I eat too much."

Emperor Taizong laughed and said, "I will order that a vegetarian feast be prepared. After the scriptures are handed over, a banquet will be held. No matter how much the Pig Master eats, our Great Tang Dynasty can afford it."

"Very well, Your Majesty, I thank you. You are too kind."

"Hahaha……"

After some pleasantries and inquiries, the ceremony of exchanging scriptures began.

A head eunuch immediately bowed and announced loudly, "Great Tang Tripitaka Master, now presenting the scriptures!"

Tang Sanzang immediately took out the scriptures and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look at the true scriptures."

Emperor Taizong read through the scriptures, finding them incredibly profound. Then he came across a book of blank scriptures and was immediately taken aback.

"Brother, why is this scroll of scripture blank?"

Tang Sanzang then bowed and said, “Your Majesty, these scriptures are the wordless scriptures of Zen. Only in these scriptures can one find the way to save the world and deliver all sentient beings.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Taizong immediately asked, "Please explain, Imperial Brother."

Tang Sanzang then expounded on Buddhist teachings and the wonders of Buddhism and Taoism.

Buddhism is extremely profound and cannot be comprehended by anyone other than highly accomplished monks, Taoist masters, or immortals.

The Buddha and the Tao are found in all things in heaven and earth, in all sources and streams. All sentient beings who see their true nature are Buddhas, and those who turn to goodness are Buddhas.

"Your Majesty's benevolence and good deeds are the path to Buddhahood." Tang Sanzang then raised his hands and bowed to Emperor Taizong.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Taizong exclaimed, "So this is the profound mystery of the wordless scripture; it truly is a Mahayana scripture!"

"My dear brother, this wordless scripture is profound and difficult to comprehend. I hope you will explain the scripture with words and spread the great law to the world."

"This humble monk will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

……

The intercourse has ended.

Emperor Taizong led his entourage and prepared a vegetarian feast to entertain the pilgrims on their journey to the West.

Then, starting the next day, Tang Sanzang and other eminent monks were seen discussing the essential meaning of the scriptures.

After several days, the sermons were finished, and Tang Sanzang bid farewell to Emperor Taizong. He and the three others, including the Monkey King, left Chang'an and ascended to the clouds.

It is said that above the clouds, the Four Heavenly Kings, having received the Buddha's decree, awaited their arrival.

Upon seeing Tang Sanzang and his companions return, the Four Heavenly Kings asked in unison, "Holy Monk, Great Sage, has this mission of transmitting the Dharma been completed?"

Tang Sanzang then clasped his hands together and said, "Everything is perfect, the Buddha's teachings are being spread, and I have fortunately fulfilled my mission."

Upon hearing this, the Four Vajras said, "In that case, please allow us to return to Mount Ling and present the Dharma decree to the World Honored One."

"As it should be!"

Immediately afterwards, the four members of the Tang Monk's group, along with the white dragon horse, headed towards Mount Ling.

……

In a short while, the group, along with the Four Heavenly Kings, returned to the sacred land of Mount Ling and entered the Great Buddha Hall once more.

Inside the main hall, the Buddhas of the three worlds were gathered, and countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from past eons were seated in two rows.

Then Tang Sanzang, Wukong, and the others bowed to the Buddha three times and then said, "Disciples have been ordered by the Buddha to retrieve the scriptures and spread the Dharma. Five thousand and forty-eight days have passed since then, and now our mission is accomplished. We return to the Buddha to report our mission."

"Approved payment."

The Buddha's voice rang out, and he continued, "Holy Monk, in your previous life you were my second disciple, named Jin Chanzi."

"Because you disrespected the Buddha's teachings during the Ullambana Festival, your true spirit was banished to the mortal realm and reborn in the Eastern Land."

"Now that you have returned to the monastic life, traveled westward to obtain the true scriptures, and propagated the righteous path, your merits are immeasurable. Therefore, you are hereby promoted to a higher rank and attained the highest fruition, and are given the title: Sandalwood Merit Buddha."

He simply said that his words were law, and instantly countless rays of light shot straight into the sky, illuminating all the worlds of the three realms.

Immediately, a magnificent golden body materialized and hung high above Mount Ling, bowing to the four directions.

This extraordinary phenomenon startled all the gods in the void.

Upon seeing the golden body of the Sandalwood Buddha, the assembly realized that their journey to the West had been successfully completed.

After the strange phenomenon subsided, Tang Sanzang bowed to the Buddha.

Immediately, the Buddha's gaze fell upon Wukong.

“Sun Wukong, you were once the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but instead of protecting all beings, you presumptuously proclaimed yourself supreme, and thus you suffered calamity.”

"Now that you have realized your true nature and taken refuge in the righteous path, you have made outstanding contributions in your journey to the West, punishing evil and promoting good, and subduing demons and monsters. You are now promoted to a higher rank and attain the highest honor, and are given the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha."

Upon hearing this, Wukong accepted the imperial decree.

Suddenly, all sorts of extraordinary phenomena appeared.

It is said that divine light and Buddha's light rose together, illuminating all worlds, forming the image of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the golden body of the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

When this extraordinary phenomenon occurred, all immortals and gods in the Three Realms and Ten Directions showed no disrespect, and all cultivators paid homage.

In terms of Buddhist status, Wukong is after Tang Sanzang, but Wukong's position as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven still exists, and he is naturally as high as the heavens.

This is similar to Guanyin Bodhisattva, who, though not yet a Buddha, is one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions, and is revered alongside the Buddha and the Elder of the Western Paradise in all the worlds of the Three Realms.

At this point, Buddha's gaze fell upon Pigsy.

Pigsy's face lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped forward to bow.

"Pig Wuneng!"

The Buddha's voice rang out again, echoing throughout the palace.

Pigsy kowtowed repeatedly and said, "Disciple is here."

"You were originally the water god of the Milky Way, but you were banished to the mortal world for committing a serious crime. Fortunately, your heart still yearns for goodness, and you are happy to return to the great teachings and join my Buddhist order to protect the holy monks on their journey. However, you also have an unsettled mind and often express discouragement. Because of your merit in carrying the load, you are promoted to a higher position and become the Cleansing Altar Messenger."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy felt somewhat dissatisfied and muttered, "Buddha, how come they both became Buddhas, but I, Old Pig, am only a Clean Altar Messenger?"

The Buddha said, “What’s wrong with being the Clean Altar Messenger? Because you have a large appetite, you are in charge of cleaning the altar and enjoying the offerings at all Buddhist ceremonies and temples throughout the world. It is a wonderful job.”

Upon hearing this, Pigsy immediately knew he was in for a bad time, so he simply said he had obeyed the imperial decree and stepped aside.

Immediately afterward, the Buddha's gaze turned to Sha Wujing.

“Sha Wujing, you were originally the Curtain-Raising General, but you were demoted to the mortal realm for breaking a glass cup at the Peach Banquet. Fortunately, you converted to my teachings, sincerely and respectfully uphold the Dharma, protect the holy monks, and devoutly safeguard the Way without ever slacking off. Therefore, I have promoted you to a higher position and made you a Golden-bodied Arhat.”

Sha Wujing originally thought he was just a junior official, but he never expected to be a senior official.

"This disciple accepts the decree and expresses gratitude."

Finally, Buddha's gaze fell upon the white dragon horse, Ao Lie.

"Ao Lie, you were originally the prince of the Dragon King of the West Sea. Because you committed the crime of deceiving Heaven, you were fortunate enough to convert to Buddhism. You carried the holy monk to the west and carried the true scriptures to the east. Your hard work and merits are great. Now you are promoted to a higher rank and given the title of one of the Eight Heavenly Dragons."

As soon as he finished speaking, he said that the white dragon horse had regained its human form and was now a handsome and dashing young man, the Bodhisattva Guangli Tianwang.

"Disciple thanks Buddha!"

The Buddha nodded and said, “Now that the five saints have attained enlightenment, there will be three hundred years of peace and stability, so that the true Dharma can be propagated and the great teachings can be expounded.”

As soon as the Buddha finished speaking, endless auspicious omens and golden light rose into the sky. All the Buddhas of the three worlds emitted great Dharma light, illuminating all demonic forces in the three realms and all worlds.

"Shh!"

Suddenly, a dark cloud swept across the three realms and vanished into the abyss of heaven and earth.

None of them could perceive it, and they only said that it was the Buddha's light shining down and dispelling the demonic energy.

Only the Buddha sighed inwardly.

It is said that Buddha is one foot taller than Taoism.

With the rise of the Buddhist order, the day when demons wreak havoc on the world is not far off.

Just then, the two Venerables Ananda and Kasyapa entered the hall, bowed to the Buddha, and said: "World Honored One, we have prepared a simple vegetarian meal in the Fragrant Accumulation Hall. We respectfully invite all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats to take their seats later."

……

Inside the Xiangji Hall, all the saints gathered to celebrate this grand event in the Buddhist realm.

Just as the banquet was in full swing, Wukong leaped into the hall, clasped his hands, and addressed the Buddha.

"Venerable Buddha, I have a matter to discuss with you."

As soon as Wukong finished speaking, Buddha smiled and asked, "Wukong, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong then asked, "If any Buddhist bodhisattvas have been wronged, would you be willing to uphold justice?"

With a single thought, the Buddha saw past and future events, and amidst the surge of boundless wisdom, he made a decision.

"I shall preside over this; Wukong, please speak."

Immediately, Wukong said, "This is the injustice suffered by the Bodhisattva Guangli of the Eight Heavenly Dragons. Little White Dragon, quickly come and tell the Buddha the cause and effect."

Upon hearing this, Ao Lie immediately stepped forward, first bowing to the Buddha, and then paying his respects to Wukong.

“Buddha, my dearest Jing River Dragon King was unjustly killed. The one who arbitrarily gambled with others and altered the rainfall schedule was the Wei River Dragon King. He suffered this calamity simply because the Jing River Dragon King was the chief administrator of the eight rivers…”

"Buddha has the power to see all the heavens and observe the laws of the past and future. We beg Buddha to uphold justice for his disciples."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha said, "I have already seen through this, yet such an injustice has occurred. Alas, matters of the celestial realm are not something our Buddhist realm can easily intervene in..."

As soon as he finished speaking, golden light flashed in the old Buddha's palm, and a Bodhi fruit appeared.

"This is a Bodhi fruit, which can save the Jing River Dragon King from death and bring him back to life."

Upon hearing this, Ao Lie immediately knelt down and said, "I have heard that Buddha is the supreme ruler of the world. I beg Buddha to clear the name of the Jing River Dragon King."

Upon hearing this, the old man remained silent.

Wukong was taken aback and immediately said, "Does the Buddha intend to blur the lines between good and evil?"

Upon hearing this, the two Venerables were shocked and enraged, and immediately said, "Sun Wukong, how dare you roar at this sacred land and disrespect our Buddha?"

"Hmph, how could I, Old Sun, not respect the Buddha? Even mortals can distinguish between good and evil, so why can't we, the saints of Buddhism, do the same? If we cannot punish evil and promote good, then... are we worthy of being called saints?"

"Wukong! We'll discuss this later."

The old man suddenly spoke.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Wukong became furious and said, "You are not worthy of being called the World Honored One. How can you expect everyone to be convinced by such behavior?"

"Sun Wukong, how dare you insult the World Honored One! I will never let you get away with this!"

The two Venerables were shocked and enraged, and immediately unleashed their magic power to strike at Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong was surprised that these two dared to fight him, and he sent them flying with a single punch each.

"stop!"

The Buddha's voice rang out again, and instantly boundless magical power immobilized the traveler.

“You monkey, though you have entered the Buddhist order, you are still unruly and your crimes are unforgivable. Today, I will execute you to uphold the law of the Three Realms.”

As soon as the Buddha uttered these words, the expressions of all the saints changed drastically.

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly, the ancient Buddha Dipankara spoke, and then said, "Wukong is straightforward and fierce, and is indeed an indispensable person in our Buddhist sect. Dipankara begs the World Honored One to grant him leniency beyond the law."

After he finished speaking, the ancient Buddha immediately bowed to Tathagata.

The Buddha quickly said, "Dilthanda Buddha, please rise. How dare this humble monk accept the courtesy of a great monk?"

Dipankara Buddha said, "We beg the Buddha to show mercy beyond the law."

Immediately, the situation reached a stalemate.

All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas present were unaware of the cause and effect, and could not see through the past and future. This was the first time that the two World-Honored Ones had confronted each other in this way, so no one dared to utter a sound.

"Ugh……"

Guanyin Bodhisattva sighed softly, then stood up and said, "Please, Buddha, forgive Wukong."

Tang Sanzang could no longer sit still, so he said, "Buddha, your disciple is willing to exchange his Buddhahood for Wukong's safety."

Pigsy's eyes darted around, and then he stood up and said, "Please forgive my senior brother, Buddha."

Sha Wujing and Ao Lie also quickly stood up and said, "Please forgive our senior brother, Buddha."

At this point, the Buddha sighed softly: "Since all beings have pleaded for you, I will forgive your disrespect today. From this day forward, you will be confined to the blessed land of Flower and Fruit Mountain until your mind is calmed down, at which point I will release you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Buddha waved his hand. Wukong's figure instantly disappeared from the spot and was sent to Flower Fruit Mountain.

A profound magical power descended, transforming into an invisible barrier that isolated Flower Fruit Mountain from all the worlds of the Three Realms, preventing it from entering or leaving.

After dealing with Wukong, Tathagata turned to the White Dragon: "Bodhisattva Guangli of the Eight Heavenly Dragons, since you claim to be wronged, collect the evidence. I will personally hand it over to the Great Heavenly Venerable for your disposal."

Ao Lie had initially felt guilty for implicating his senior brother, but when he heard Tathagata speak like this, he was stunned.

"Disciple thanks Buddha, but may the Victorious Fighting Buddha..." Little White Dragon hesitated.

The old man said, "Let's test his temper a bit. You and your disciples can go and visit him."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Buddha."

……

Now, let's talk about Flower and Fruit Mountain.

A brilliant light flashed, and Sun Wukong's figure suddenly reappeared.

The monkeys patrolling the mountain were immediately alerted and quickly approached, armed with knives and spears. When they saw that it was their king, they were all overjoyed.

"Your Majesty!"

"It's Grandpa! Grandpa's back!"

"Your Majesty!"

"..."

A group of little monkeys were very excited.

Wukong was taken aback. Looking at the familiar Flower Fruit Mountain, a thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes.

Why did Buddha send me back to Flower Fruit Mountain?
When the Buddha said he would punish Wukong, Wukong knew that there were probably some hidden reasons he himself was unaware of.

If the Buddha truly despises him, at most he will relinquish his Buddhahood.

Such a sudden change in attitude must have a reason that one is unaware of.

"Alright, alright. That old Buddha has also shown me some kindness. Since he taught me to stay in Flower Fruit Mountain, then I will stay."

"But... I didn't stand up for Little White Dragon, and I failed his expectations."

"Hmph, when I, Old Sun, am released, I will personally go to the Heavenly Realm to set the record straight."

Wukong immediately stopped thinking about it and looked at the monkeys and their followers who had gathered around him. He shouted, "My children, your king has returned from his pilgrimage!"

(End of this chapter)