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

Chapter 116: The True Man Discusses the Dharma of Tathagata and Bet on the True Scripture

It is said that after the Ullambana Festival ended, Tathagata invited the Immortal to meet him in the Main Hall. The Immortal held a whisk in his hand, walked to the lotus platform, and bowed to the Tathagata.

The Tathagata sent the divine monk to place the cushion and invite the immortal to sit down.

The immortal bowed again before sitting down on the cushion.

Tathagata said: "This method will be applied, but seeing the real person seems to be misunderstood with the Eastern Buddhism, is it true?"

Jiang Yuan sat down on the cushion and replied, "Venerable, I did not misunderstand. All living beings are suffering, and the people of Jambudvīpa are not like what you said."

The Tathagata asked, "The True Man has his own views. But I don't know what the True Man thinks of my previous teaching on the true Dharma of Nirvana."

Jiang Yuan pondered for a long time and said, "Great wisdom is leisurely, indifferent in the non-existence, true mechanism is silent, free and unrestrained in the extinction. This is called extinction."

Tathagata smiled and said, "If the real person has a very deep prajna, I heard that Zen was created by the real person. The real person is the ancestor of Zen enlightenment. I often hear that Zen does not rely on words, but directly points to the human heart, and seeing the nature leads to Buddhahood. Which is higher, the real person's enlightenment and nirvana or Zen?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "Venerable, there is no distinction between high and low among other methods. If we talk about the true one, it is only the golden elixir."

Tathagata said: "There is no high or low dharma. What the Immortal said makes sense. But what do you think of the profoundness of the two dharmas?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Each has its merits."

Tathagata asked, "How do you say that?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Nirvana lies in troubles and painful thoughts. Therefore, the mind does not arise and extinguishes the present. This method is very wonderful. If you master it, you will benefit infinitely. Zen is about enlightenment, awakening, and tranquility. This method is very easy to learn. It depends on self-cultivation and self-awareness."

Tathagata said: "If so, Zen is easy and can be practiced by everyone?"

Jiang Yuan said: "That's right, everyone can become a Buddha."

Tathagata said with a smile, "As the Immortal said, it is hard to achieve Nirvana, and it is also hard to achieve Zen enlightenment. Isn't this a waste of money? There is a saying that goes, 'If it is easy to obtain, then treat it as something easy'. In the past, I preached to a family in Savatthi. I only recited the true scriptures to keep the living safe and the dead at home. The head of the family thought this method was easy to obtain, and they didn't let me go. They just gave me gold and asked me to recite a high-priced scripture. At that time, I said that the true scriptures were priceless, and my saying was cheap. Do you think that if Zen is easy to obtain, no one would practice it?"

Jiang Yuan said, "The Tao is always there. To be honest, venerable, I was also a living being in the sea of ​​suffering in the past. Because the Tao is always there, I devoted myself to the Tao, found a good teacher, and succeeded in cultivation. I was able to escape from the sea of ​​suffering. How can the Dharma be cheap or expensive? If you are willing to cultivate, the Tao is at your feet. If you are not willing to cultivate, it is hard to get a fortune."

The Tathagata said: "If the Dharma is easy to obtain, but people always abandon it, it will not be passed down for three generations and the Dharma will perish."

Jiang Yuan said: "The Great Dao is one and true. If you keep it in your heart, the Dharma will never die. Among thousands of sleepers, someone will eventually wake up."

In the main hall, two people argued with each other, and saw infinite light appearing from the body of Venerable Muni, the golden light of the real person's precepts was shining brightly, and the Yu Ding was faintly shining with divine light. One said, "The Dharma is not passed on lightly. Living beings are ignorant and can easily obtain it. They must use words to slander it. The Dharma is cheap and not true." The other said, "The Dharma is a blank book, which cannot be found anywhere and is not contaminated by dust. Those who understand it learn on their own, and those who learn it realize it on their own."

Boundless energy emanated from the Main Hall. The monks who were offering sacrifices outside the door panicked and knelt down. The Buddhas, Arhats, Jietis, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Bhikkhus, and Nuns all bowed and praised. Some were practicing Zen, some were practicing Nirvana, and all heard the sound of the Dharma debates coming from the Main Hall.

Guanyin Bodhisattva looked into the hall, clasped his hands and said, "The True Man's Dharma principles are quite profound."

Maitreya Buddha smiled and said, "The real person should be the Buddha's teacher."

The ancient Buddha Dipankara praised: "Zen has its own subtlety."

……

In Yuzhen Temple.

The departing Immortal Zhen Yuanzi is meeting the Immortal Jin Ding here.

When the great immortal Zhen Yuanzi saw the boundless energy emerging, he looked towards Lingshan and understood everything.

The Immortal of the Golden Summit was surprised and said, "This Immortal Guangxin is indeed amazing. He debated with Venerable Muni and caused infinite energy to appear. The Immortal of the Three Stars Immortal Cave has a profound method."

Zhen Yuanzi smiled and said, "You don't know that the value of Guangxin is not in his method, but in his heart. His heart is unshakable, no matter how many words you say, it can't move his heart. Besides, Bodhi's ruler protects his mind, and the Buddha can't say anything to him."

The Immortal of the Golden Summit said: "Given time, the Immortal will surely become a person of great magical power in the Three Realms."

Zhen Yuanzi said: "Guangxin and Laojun are practicing now, but they are a little short of the right time."

……

Oblique Moon Samsung Cave.

The master was sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, feeling something in his heart. He looked towards Lingshan and said with a smile: "My dear boy, your heart is as hard as iron and stone, how can you be moved by this?"

The master closed his eyes and rested, no longer watching, and did not realize that the Tathagata's Dharma had moved his heart.

……

Before I knew it, more than half a month had passed. No matter what Tathagata said, his Taoist heart remained unchanged. He had his own way of speaking, and no one could convince anyone else. So they had to give up.

The two men stopped discussing the Dharma, and the boundless energy dissipated on its own.

Tathagata said: "I didn't expect that the true Dharma nature is so mysterious that it cannot be explained."

Jiang Yuan stood up and bowed, saying, "I am a shallow person, and I appreciate your courtesy."

Tathagata said, "Since you are saying that the Tao is always there, and I am saying that the Tao is important, I can't get the truth. How about I make a bet with you?"

Jiang Yuan asked: "How do you say that?"

The Tathagata said, "Now the Venerable Avalokitesvara will go to the East to find a good believer. He will teach him to go through thousands of mountains and rivers to obtain the true scriptures at Mount Lingshan. Then he will spread the true scriptures to the East to teach sentient beings. One copy of this true scripture is Zen, and one copy is Nirvana. The Zen is given for free, and Nirvana is worth a thousand gold. When the good believer comes, he will take the copy. How about that?"

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Since Your Excellency has such an elegant taste, I will accompany you."

Tathagata said: "In this case, please leave the true scripture behind."

Jiang Yuan said: "Venerable, can you please ask everyone to take a white original."

The Tathagata then sent Venerable Kasyapa to get a white paper and some writing brush and ink. After a while, the white paper and the writing brush and ink were placed in front of Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan did not take the pen and ink, but picked up the white book. It was indeed the wordless sutra. He smiled, blew on the white book, held it in both hands and approached Tathagata, saying: "Venerable, this is the true sutra of Zen."

The Tathagata took it, looked through it with a smile, and then handed it to the Venerable Ananda, saying, "Show this true scripture to the Buddhas, let them see it, and ask what it is like."

Venerable Ananda clasped his hands together, bowed, sang a yes, took the white book, and walked out of the main hall.

Not long after, Venerable Anan came in again and handed the white book back.

The Tathagata asked, "What do the Buddhas think?"

Venerable Ananda replied: "Many Buddhas saw it and said that the white paper was rolled up. The Bodhisattvas seemed to be thinking about something and did not answer. The Venerable Avalokitesvara said that the Dharma was profound. Maitreya Buddha smiled but did not speak. Dipankara Buddha smiled and said that the Dharma was wonderful. There were many different kinds of Dharma."

Upon hearing this, Tathagata looked at Jiang Yuan again and said with a smile, "The True Man's Sutra is very wonderful. It does not contain any words, but directly points to the original mind, and seeing the nature leads to Buddhahood. The True Man has explained all these things in the True Man's Sutra."

Jiang Yuan said: "I don't deserve it."

Tathagata said: "Such a gambling match will not be successful in a short time, so please wait patiently."

Jiang Yuan responded. The Tathagata then asked the Venerable Kasyapa to call Guanyin Bodhisattva into the Mahavira Hall.

Upon hearing the call, Guanyin Bodhisattva came in and paid homage to the Buddha.

Tathagata said, "I have a bet with a real person now, to obtain scriptures for a believer. I will not tell you what scriptures I will obtain. But you need to go to the East to find a believer, Avalokitesvara."

Guanyin Bodhisattva clasped his hands and asked, "My disciple will go there. I wonder if the Buddha has any instructions for you?"

Tathagata said: "It is easy to find a good believer, but a good believer cannot go west alone, so he needs a guardian. You must walk the road and not walk in the sky. You must walk in half cloud and half fog, look at the mountains and rivers, remember the number of roads, and find a guardian for the good believer. In this way, I will give you five treasures to help the pilgrim to obtain the scriptures."

Say it.

The Tathagata ordered the two venerables, Ananda and Kasyapa, to bring five treasures.

One is a brocade cassock, the second is a nine-ring staff, and the remaining three are three hoops.

Tathagata said: "This cassock and staff can be used by those who seek the scriptures. Just keep your mind focused and head west. Wear my cassock to avoid falling into the cycle of reincarnation, and hold my staff to avoid being harmed by poison."

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked: "Buddha, what are these three hoops made of?"

Tathagata said: "This treasure is called 'Tightening Hoop'. It has three parts, but they are different. There are three types: gold, tight and forbidden. I have three corresponding spells. If you encounter a powerful demon on the road, you can persuade him to learn well and become a disciple of the pilgrim. Protect him to the sacred mountain, and then he will have a positive result. If he does not obey my orders, you can put this hoop on his head. When he sees flesh, he will take root. When he recites the corresponding spell, his eyes will swell and his head will ache. Then he will be forced to come to my sect."

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva clasped his hands together, bowed, and told them to leave.

Jiang Yuan stopped the Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva asked, "Master, what is this for?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Since we need a Dharma protector, I have one who can talk to the Bodhisattva and the Venerable and protect the pilgrim from hindrance."

Tathagata asked, "Can you tell me about that monkey?"

Jiang Yuan said: "That's right."

Tathagata said with a smile: "If it is that demon monkey, he will definitely protect the pilgrim. Wukong has great magical powers and is hard to find in the world. I used my profound magic power to subdue him in the past. If I can make him willing to obey, the pilgrim will have no worries on his journey to the west."

Jiang Yuan said: "Venerable, if you teach my junior brother Wukong to travel west, it will certainly help him practice, but the five of them are difficult to subdue. They are one body with two minds, so it is not easy to subdue them. Maybe this hoop will be needed. But I don't know what will happen in the future. If he succeeds, it will not be good to wear this hoop. I wonder if there is a way to get rid of this hoop?"

Tathagata said: "There is a way to untie this hoop. I will teach you the true words and you can untie this hoop yourself."

After that, Tathagata told Jiang Yuan the solution to the hoop, and then said, "Master, please rest assured. This hoop has a spirit. If Wukong wears it, when his practice is perfect, this hoop will disappear."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "In that case, thank you very much, Your Excellency. Now that I have nothing to do, I will go home."

If you come from here, please agree.

Jiang Yuan then left the Main Hall and returned to the Sanxing Cave on a auspicious cloud.

The Bodhisattva also went eastward with his disciple Hui'an Xingzhe, holding five treasures.

……

Jiang Yuan left the Da Lei Ancient Temple and used the Qingyun spell, and auspicious clouds rose up over 240,000 miles, heading towards Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

After a while, he landed at Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, released the white deer on the cliff, told him to practice well, and walked towards Sanxing Cave. When he got closer, he saw that the mansion was deserted and the house was deserted. He had to take a broom and sweep the door.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and said, "Junior brother."

Zhenjian looked up and put down his broom, then bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother. After more than 200 years of separation, Senior Brother has finally returned home."

Jiang Yuan returned the greeting and looked at his junior brother carefully. He saw that his junior brother had Dharma in his body and his eyes were full of awe. He had never slacked off in his practice over the years. He asked, "Junior brother, why are you cleaning here?"

Zhen Jian said: "To be honest, Senior Brother, I have been practicing with Master recently. Master said that you will be returning soon, so I have been sweeping the house and the streets to welcome you."

Jiang Yuan replied, "I am sorry to have troubled you, Junior Brother. But I wonder why the sect is so deserted?"

Zhen Jian said: "Brother, you don't know that the master no longer accepts disciples. All the disciples have gone down the mountain. There is no one in the mansion, so it is deserted."

Jiang Yuan heard this and suddenly realized why it was so quiet. It turned out that the master had closed the cave. He wanted to give it to him and open it when he succeeded. He said, "I know what you mean. I will go to visit the master when I return home. I will catch up with you later when I have free time."

Zhenjian let Lu go and said, "Brother, please come in, please come in."

Jiang Yuan then entered the cave, and found it quiet, without the noise of the past. All the fellow disciples in the cave had left, each going their own way. No one knew where they were now, nor how they were practicing.

The immortal walked past the Yaotai and followed the small path to the master's quiet room. The door of the room was wide open and the master was waiting for him.

Jiang Yuan went into the master's quiet room, bowed deeply, and said, "Master, I am back now."

The Patriarch stepped forward, helped Jiang Yuan up, and said with a smile: "My boy, you are back. I am glad to tell you that I have heard about your discussion of Dharma with the Buddha."

Jiang Yuan took out the ruler, held it back with both hands, and said, "It was indeed the Buddha's words that were wrong. I did not mean to be rude. Fortunately, Master's ruler was powerful and helped me. Now I will return the ruler to Master. But please do not blame me."

The master did not take the ruler, but said with a smile: "You have never lost in the debate with the Buddha, how can you say that you are guilty? I should congratulate you for your great ability. You can keep this ruler. When you succeed, you should also open a palace. This ruler has the effect of stabilizing the sea, and it can also teach people to be sober at ordinary times. It will definitely be useful for you to open a palace."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, it's too early for me to start my own residence."

The master said: "Your current magical power is not far from opening a palace. You just need to learn all the supernatural powers. When you have achieved success, those who are destined to practice with you will come to find you if they do not lose their true appearance."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, let's not talk about this for now, but I have something else to ask."

The master said, "Tell me about it."

Jiang Yuan then told the master about the bet with Tathagata and Wukong's journey to the west.

Upon hearing this, the master smiled and said, "In the past, the boy was only thinking about saving himself, but now he is also saving others. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose this bet. Zen can be practiced by everyone, without any written words. If there is a predestined law, you should take it to save the world and educate all living beings. If there is no predestined law, you cannot take it. This is because you don't know the true number, not because you lost. Buddha and Laozi exist for the law of nirvana, but you are anxious in this bet."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, the method of Nirvana is very wonderful, but the essence is hard to keep. The Buddhas are not people of great wisdom, so how can they understand its essence? If they don't understand the essence, they can teach sentient beings and make Xi Niu Hezhou ignorant and the most ignorant in the world."

The master said: "Don't worry, boy. Practice the external alchemy well and you will achieve supernatural powers soon."

Jiang Yuan nodded deeply.

The master said again: "The boy should return to heaven to practice. However, your cow has a son who has found a place in the mountains and has been practicing for a long time. You should go and see him. Moreover, you should teach him well and prevent him from causing trouble."

Jiang Yuan heard this and understood, "Yes, Master."

Say it.

He bowed again and again and left the quiet room...

(End of this chapter)