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

Chapter 119: The Golden Horn and the Silver Horn descend to the world, and Monk Tang travels west

Time flies, and before I know it, half a month has gone by.

Jiang Yuan took the whisk and the white deer, the tripod and the ox king, and waited for the pilgrim outside Fuling Mountain with his true vision. The three of them left. Yu Zhenren and the ancestor were in the palace.

One day, the master was in his quiet room.

The master and his disciple were playing Go here, setting up their positions and fighting each other move by move.

The game ended and Jiang Yuan was defeated.

Jiang Yuan was not annoyed. He smiled and put away the chess game, saying, "Master, there are only two of us left in the mansion."

The master said, "I expected this. Why don't you return to heaven to practice cultivation? Why are you still hanging around in the mansion?"

Jiang Yuan said: "There is no one in the house, I will stay here to wait for Master."

The master laughed and scolded, "You are disturbing my peace here, how can you wait for me? Just go away."

Jiang Yuan said: "No hurry."

The master said: "Why not? You are about to master the outer alchemy, and supernatural powers will be at your fingertips."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Master, don't be impatient."

The master said, "I have always taught you to cultivate a peaceful mind, and now I will teach you to cultivate so that you will not be startled by anything."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, your teaching has been rewarding."

The master smiled and said, "Boy, don't talk to me so much. Go outside the palace again, and Guanyin Bodhisattva will come."

Jiang Yuan was puzzled when he heard this. He had just said goodbye to the Bodhisattva half a month ago, so why did the Bodhisattva come here again?

He bowed and said, "Master, I will go out to greet you."

The master waved his hand and said, "Go, go."

Jiang Yuan bowed again and again before leaving. He walked out along the Yaotai path and came to the gate of the mansion. He straightened his clothes and pushed the door open. He saw the Bodhisattva standing outside the mansion, with three people following him. One was the traveler Hui'an, and the other two were his acquaintances, Jinjiao and Yinjiao.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Buddha."

Guanyin Bodhisattva responded, "Master, thank you for your patience."

Jiang Yuan said: "I dare not say such things. Bodhisattva, since you have come here again, is there anything you need my help with?"

The Bodhisattva said, "Not yet. Not long after, I went to Tushita Palace and met Laojun in person. I explained to him that I wanted to borrow someone to help me in the lower world to resolve my misfortune, but Laojun refused. I repeatedly asked him to borrow someone, and he finally agreed. He sent the two boys, Gold Horn and Silver Horn, to let me transform into demons and stop them from moving forward. Gold Horn and Silver Horn were originally the immortals who were watching over the furnace in the upper world, so I came here today to explain to him and hand over the furnace to him."

Upon hearing this, Jinjiao and Yinjiao took out a cauldron that was three inches and six inches in diameter, and a medicine box, saying, "Brother, we are going to the lower world to stop the Great Sage from moving forward, but we are not allowed to watch the furnace for you. The master here said that you can make the elixir in the lower world. When the elixir is ready, we will find him to learn his magical powers."

Jiang Yuan took the cauldron and the medicine box and said, "Please trouble my two junior brothers to go down to the mortal world and bring these to me."

Jinjiao and Yinjiao bowed and said, "I can't help you now. When we are successful, we can help you."

Jiang Yuan said: "You two are going to the lower world to stop the road. Do you have any treasures with you? If not, I am afraid you will not be able to stop it, and your life will be in danger."

Jinjiao and Yinjiao laughed and said, "Yes, there are treasures! To be honest, brother, the master has allowed us two to have five treasures, a gourd, a clean bottle, a sword, a fan, and a rope. With these five treasures, we can protect ourselves! Who knows, the pilgrim may not be able to pass our test."

Jiang Yuan felt relieved after hearing this and said, "In that case, you two junior brothers can go now. We will talk again when you have accomplished your mission."

Jinjiao and Yinjiao bowed again before retreating behind the Bodhisattva.

Guanyin Bodhisattva just said: "I came here for this matter, and I will leave when it is done."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Bodhisattva, please go slowly."

The Bodhisattva rode on a cloud and carried the three of them outside, looking for a place where he could transform Gold Horn and Silver Horn into demons to stop the pilgrim from going forward.

The immortal watched the Bodhisattva go away, then took the cauldron and medicine box home, placed them not far from the Yaotai, and turned back to the master's quiet room.

Entering the master's quiet room, the master sat cross-legged on a cushion and asked, "How is it?"

Jiang Yuan said, "Master, it is the two boys of Laojun, who came with Guanyin Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva used the boys to block the way. The two boys and I have a past relationship. They helped me build fire and wind in heaven to make the golden elixir. They came here on the order of Laojun to send the cauldron and medicinal materials to me so that I can refine the external elixir in the lower world. When the elixir is ready, I will go to heaven to learn supernatural powers."

The ancestor said, "In that case, the boy is refining the elixir in the mansion. If you don't have the herbs, I will get them for you."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Disciple thanks Master. In this way, disciple can wait for Master in Master's house."

The master said: "You are a child, and you still have a childlike heart."

Jiang Yuan kowtowed and said, "Master, there is a saying in the world of Jambu that 'a teacher is like a father'. In the past, I received great kindness from you and became enlightened. Now you have passed on everything to me. I will serve you like a father and will never forget your kindness. No matter what I do, I will always be a child beside you."

The master stepped forward and helped the boy up, saying, "I know you have filial piety. Just concentrate on your practice. If you open a temple, I will also be there, and no one will dare to embarrass you."

The master and the disciple talked for a while, and Jiang Yuan suddenly mentioned Red Boy who lived outside the mansion and asked, "Master, what do you think of the Bull Holy Infant?"

The master said: "It is a spiritual being. I let it eat wind and drink dew, which has the meaning of its true master. After a long time, I can pass on the secrets to it."

Jiang Yuan asked: "Master, what sect should I choose to practice?"

The master nodded and said, "Of course. But I'm afraid that he has a stubborn character and is still a young boy, so it's hard to make a good decision."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, why don't we invite his father?"

The ancestor shook his head and said, "No."

Jiang Yuan said: "What should I do?"

The master pondered for a long time and said, "You can ask him a few questions to see if he has the mischievous behavior of a young man. If he does not have the mischievous behavior of a young man, teach him the way of cultivation. If he has the mischievous behavior of a young man, you can take him by your side and teach him by words and deeds."

Jiang Yuan said: "Yes, Master."

The master and disciple talked for a long time before Jiang Yuan left the quiet room and headed for the mansion.

The Immortal walked to an old cypress tree in the mansion. This was the place where his fellow disciples liked to have lectures in the past, and he had also participated in lectures here. When he arrived under the cypress tree, he saw Red Boy playing there, fiddling with a fire stick.

He came a little closer, but saw Red Boy holding a fire starter and placing it next to a tree, doing nothing else.

Jiang Yuan approached and asked, "Red Boy, what are you doing?"

When Red Boy saw that it was Jiang Yuan, he stood up and bowed, saying, "Sir, I am trying to keep the tree warm."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Why are you trying to keep the trees warm? It's warm in the winter and cool in the summer here, and it's protected from the elements all year round. How can the trees be cold?"

Red Boy said, "When I touch the tree, it is cold, and the flame is gentle. I feel warm when I am close to it, so I take the fire to warm the tree."

Jiang Yuan said, "Recently I have asked you to study etiquette, have you made any progress?"

Red Boy bowed and said, "I have learned all the books that the Master has asked me to read."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Is it true?" Red Boy replied, "I dare not deceive you, Master."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "In that case, come with me."

Say it.

The immortal walked toward Yaotai, and Red Boy followed closely behind him, not understanding what he meant.

The two walked one in front and the other behind to the Yaotai. Jiang Yuan did not want to go up to the altar and was about to join the class when suddenly a gentle breeze blew and pushed Jiang Yuan towards the altar.

This is the intention of the founder.

Jiang Yuan understood immediately when he saw it, and bowed from afar towards the master's quiet room before ascending the altar and sitting high.

Red Boy didn't dare to enter the class and just waited on the stage.

Jiang Yuan sat high in the altar and said, "The Holy Bull Infant."

Red Boy knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "Master, I am here, but please give me your orders."

Jiang Yuan asked, "You have been studying for a long time now. Have you practiced any skills during the day?"

Red Boy replied, "My Lord, eating wind and drinking dew during the day is considered a skill."

Jiang Yuan said: "You have been living on wind and dew, thinking for a long time, I wonder what you have realized?"

Red Boy said, "Master, I have not understood anything."

Jiang Yuan asked, "What do you mean?"

Red Boy bowed and said, "Master, I am a little stupid, I eat wind and drink dew, and I can't understand anything. If you teach me something, I wonder if my words can be used as enlightenment?"

Jiang Yuan heard this and took a closer look. He saw that Red Boy's eyes were full of spirit and his Yuanshen Niwan was visible. There were no two gods to disturb him. He asked, "Do you know my true self?"

Red Boy said, "My Lord has me read books often. There is a note in the books that the center of the eyebrows is the Heavenly Gate, behind the Heavenly Gate is the Bright Hall, behind that is the bridal chamber, and the bridal chamber is the Niwan Palace. The primordial spirit lives here, and that is my true self. Since I began to eat wind and drink dew, I know where my true self is."

Jiang Yuan understood clearly that this boy was born under the protection of the Bull Demon King and had never entered the world, so it was easy for him to obtain his true self.

He once read the book given by Laojun, in which it was said, 'After the birth of human body, what we see and hear give rise to the god of consciousness and the god of desire. These two gods are the most familiar with human beings, because they are born from human beings, so these two gods know what human beings fear the most and what they like the most. When these two gods are powerful and in power, they will definitely cause the original spirit to lose its place. This is the beginning of human death.'

Red Boy's conscious spirit and desire spirit are still weak, and his primordial spirit is in power. With the help of eating wind and drinking dew during the day, his primordial spirit will emerge.

This recipe is not suitable for passing on the Golden Elixir. If this method is passed on, after some time, the second spirit will grow up and his mind will surely be confused. By then, he will probably become another Sun Wukong.

Jiang Yuan said: "Niu Shengying, since you know my true self, from today on, you will stay by my side and cultivate your mind and character together, how about that?"

Red Boy kowtowed and said, "But I dare not disobey the master's order."

Jiang Yuan then got down from the altar, helped Red Boy up, and together they moved the cauldron and medicine box into an empty room. He was about to start refining the elixir.

He walked out of the mansion and made a wind gate, then returned to the mansion and taught Red Boy how to use the wind gate. He refined external elixirs himself, and he was not shy about talking about the art of external elixir. When taking medicinal materials, he told Red Boy some simple numbers of heaven and earth.

Red Boy is very clever and can often draw inferences from one instance.

Jiang Yuan stood up the cauldron, which was called "setting up the furnace and the cauldron". Then he cleaned the cauldron, which was called "cleaning the furnace and sweeping the cauldron". Red Boy wrote them down one by one.

……

It is said that Jin Chanzi was reincarnated in Juxian Manor, Hongnong County, Haizhou, Jambu Continent. After many twists and turns, he entered Buddhism and was named Zuochen, with the Buddhist name Xuanzang. Now, with the guidance of the Bodhisattva, he carried the two precious robes and the staff, and followed the holy will of the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty to travel west.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty appointed him as his younger brother, hoping that he would travel west to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, he took the name of the scriptures and took Tang as his surname, so he was also called "Tang Sanzang". Because he was a monk from the Tang Dynasty, he was called "Tang Monk".

In the 13th year of the Zhenguan reign, Tang Sanzang set out from Chang'an City. He was accompanied by two followers, both of whom were ordinary people, to protect him on his journey west.

A group of three people were walking on the westward road. They didn't know how far the west road was, so they just kept going west and walked into a mountain range. However, the mountain range was extremely rugged and difficult to walk on. They had to pull out weeds to see the road ahead, and it took them a long time to walk.

Tang Seng was panting and saw the road forked. He didn't know which way to go. He stopped his white horse and asked, "This road is difficult to walk on. Where should I go?"

The follower said, "Just go west. We will lead the way. Just go slowly."

Tang Seng responded, and not long after they walked along, the white horse stumbled, and his followers were horrified, and actually fell into a pit. The three of them were terrified and didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, there was a strange wind, and fifty or sixty demons came out of the wind, with a demon king at the head, shouting "Catch them, catch them".

The evil spirit captured Tang Monk and his followers. The mage was trembling with fear. When he looked up, he was frightened out of his wits. The two followers were so weak that their bones and muscles became numb. This was because the evil spirit looked so ferocious, with a bloody mouth and a roar like thunder, which made people afraid.

The demon king said, "I'm catching people now, so they can warm my life."

Not long after the devil king roared, two more monsters came closer, smelling the scent of humans, and they were actually discussing eating humans.

After hearing this, Tang Seng was at a loss and held his cassock tightly to his body.

The demon king called the two demons to come forward. When they saw Tang Monk and his two followers, they said, "This person has a pure and bright nature and has a cassock on his body. We cannot harm him. Why don't we eat the two of them?"

The two demons both responded, and then joined the devil king, with fifty or sixty demons to share the two followers. The two followers were disemboweled, their hearts removed, and their bodies chopped into pieces. Their heads, hearts, livers, and limbs were eaten by the devil king, and the rest of their bones and flesh were cut into pieces by the demons. There were screams in the forest, which almost frightened Tang Monk to death.

It was because Tang Monk had not changed his determination to travel west, his cassock protected him, and his soul was alive, otherwise he would have died here.

This is exactly what we should practice. The primordial spirit is lonely and helpless, and will inevitably suffer. If it cannot take power, it will be harmed sooner or later. It is necessary for the monkey in the heart to protect the golden man, the wood mother to keep the commandments, the will horse to ride, and the yellow woman to reconcile, then we can walk on the great road.

Tang Seng was so frightened that he didn't know how long he had been there. He only heard chirping sounds in his ears and before he knew it, the east was getting brighter. The demons and evil spirits saw that Tang Seng had not changed his mind and were not allowed to share any food with him, so they sighed and dispersed.

Tang Seng was drowsy and could not tell the way from where he came or where he was going. He was panic-stricken and thought to himself, "The journey to the west is so difficult, how can I go west? My two followers taught the evil spirits to share the food, and I was lucky to survive. If I go west, I will definitely be harmed. Why not retreat?"

When Tang Seng thought of this, he wanted to retreat, but he remembered the kindness of the Tang King. How could he retreat when he had not yet obtained the true scriptures?

Tang Seng had many thoughts in his mind, but finally he made up his mind to travel west, with the cassock as protection.

Just when his mind was calm, he suddenly saw an old man coming. This old man was the incarnation of Taibai Jinxing, who was invited by the Bodhisattva to come down to the human world to show him the way.

The old man stepped forward and removed the rope from Tang Seng's body. When Tang Seng saw the old man, it was like seeing his relatives in his hometown. Tears welled up in his eyes and he told the old man everything.

The old man smiled and said, "Don't worry. This place is full of mountain spirits, tree ghosts, monsters and wolves. You are protected by your cassock and your nature is intact, so they can't harm you."

Tang Monk said: "With all this going on, how can I travel west alone? I am afraid I will be harmed."

The old man pointed to a place ahead and said, "Just follow this path with all your heart. There is a monkey with great magical powers. It has a predestined relationship with you and should be your disciple. It will protect you on your journey to the west. If you accept it as your disciple, you will have no worries on your journey to the west from now on."

Tang Seng looked in that direction and was about to turn around to express his gratitude when he suddenly saw the old man jump into the clouds and transform into a god. He left only a note of calligraphy and disappeared.

Only in this way did Tang Seng know that the old man was Taibai Jinxing.

It is exactly like 'the soul finally knows where the mind is'.

(End of this chapter)