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

Chapter 127: True Man Comes to Help, Passing Falin Three Times

Behind the Liusha River, before Falin, at old man Li’s home.

Tang Monk was waiting here. Old Man Li treated the holy monk with courtesy and did not dare to make any mistakes. He provided him with sufficient tea and food, and chatted with Tang Monk to avoid any trouble. This lasted for five days.

One day, Tang Monk was unhappy and sat in the middle hall, saying, "I don't know where Wukong has gone. He said earlier that he would be back in a day or two, but now he has been gone for five or six days and there is no trace of him. If I see him like this, I will recite the old words sutra to make him come back."

Bajie heard this and asked, "Master, I have heard that Buddhism has many scriptures, such as the Shurangama Sutra, the Peacock Sutra, the Avalokitesvara Sutra, etc. When did this old saying sutra come about?"

Tang Seng said, "In the past, the Bodhisattva gave me something and asked Wukong to wear it. He couldn't take it off. If I recited a sutra, he would get a headache. This sutra is called the Tightening Hoop Scripture. I called it the Old Words Scripture because Wukong said he would listen to the teachings. I called it the Old Words because I hope he would not forget them."

Bajie smiled happily and said, "Since that's the case, Master, please recite it a hundred times quickly, so that Bi Ma Wen will be in great pain and wish he were dead. Then he will come back on his own."

Wujing said, "Second Brother, you can't do that. Since our eldest brother hasn't returned yet, he must be thinking of a way to resolve this disaster. Don't waste time. Just be calm and wait for our eldest brother to return and resolve the disaster. Then we can go west."

Bajie said, "Brother Sha, Bi Ma Wen has not returned for so many days. He may have gone back to his Flower-Fruit Mountain to enjoy his life under the pretext of solving a problem. We have been waiting here for so long. Master, why don't we split up and go? It's because Master is not proficient in Buddhism. He should go back and study Buddhism. Then we can gather together and have a debate in the Dharma Forest."

Tang Seng was moved, but lowered his head and said nothing. Wujing was extremely anxious, but to no avail.

This is when the mind is distracted, Huang Po does not stop it, and Mu Mu confuses the soul.

Just when Wujing was at a loss, a scolding came.

"How dare you say that, you idiot!"

But Monkey King appeared in the courtyard in a cloud of light, pulled out the golden hoop from his ear, and started to hit Pigsy. Pigsy was so frightened that he dared not say a word and kept circling around Tang Monk, fearing that he would be hit by the iron rod.

Bajie panicked and said, "Brother, I dare not say anything anymore. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

The traveler shouted, "Don't think I don't know. It was you who instigated the division of the luggage every day. Look for the beating!"

The Monkey King would not let Bajie off and raised his stick to hit him again.

Fortunately, Tang Monk stopped him and told him the "Old Stories Sutra", which made him stop.

Tang Seng asked, "You monkey, you said that you would return in less than one or two days if you were to look for the Bodhisattva. Now it's only five or six days. Can you do as Bajie said, be lazy and have fun somewhere?"

Sun Xingzhe said: "Master, I have never been lazy, I have been looking for a cure everywhere."

Tang Monk asked, "Have you found it?"

The traveler replied, "I found it, I found it. Earlier I went to the sea to look for the Bodhisattva, who told me that this demon was the mount of Master Guangxin, and that the Bodhisattva could not subdue it, so I went up the mountain again to look for Master Guangxin and ask him to come and eliminate it. Master, don't worry, just go west with all your heart, you have never failed in this area of ​​​​the Dharma."

Tang Monk asked: "How do you say that?"

The Monkey King said, “The truth that the thief said when he was debating with you, Master, was not what he said. It was what he heard when he was debating with the Buddha in the West Heaven. He stole it for himself. That’s why he argued with you, Master, and he was successful or unsuccessful.”

When Tang Monk heard this, he was surprised and asked, "Has this immortal ever debated with the Buddha?"

The Monkey King smiled and said, "Master, you don't know. The True Man's Dharma is profound. The Jade Emperor twice asked the Heaven to make him a god but failed. Even the Taoist Patriarch, the True Man once practiced with him and was undefeated in debates with the Buddha. These things are not a big deal."

Tang Monk was surprised and asked: "Where is the real person?"

The Monkey King pointed to the sky outside the courtyard and said, "I have asked the Immortal to come down the mountain to subdue the demon. He is now going up the mountain. At that time, the True Lord Erlang Xiansheng was also on the mountain, so they came together. The wind and fog in the sky here are his manifestation."

Upon hearing this, Master Sanzang led his disciples out of the courtyard and looked up. They saw violent winds and gloomy fog in the sky, with a faint divine light above.

Everyone was amazed when they saw this. Tang Seng picked up some soil, burned incense, and worshiped towards the sky, not daring to make any mistakes.

The Monkey King said, "Master, you wait here with Bajie and Junior Brother Sha. I will go with them to the forest of Dharma and resolve the disaster."

Tang Monk said: "Go now, go now."

The traveler leaped into the strong wind.

When the grass-headed god on the cloud saw the traveler, it dispersed its formation and allowed him to enter.

In the wind and fog, Zhenren and Erlang Shen are here.

The traveler stepped forward and said, "Big Brother, True Lord."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I accept Tang Monk's greeting. You can talk to him when you go. We will go to Falin first."

The traveler sang a deep "yes", and everyone followed his order.

The group then rode the wind and fog and headed for Falin. After a while, they arrived in front of Falin and looked down from afar.

Erlang Shen pointed at Falin and said with a smile: "This is a good place."

Jiang Yuan said: "That's right, this is a rare blessed place in Xiniu Hezhou."

He looked at Monkey and said, "Wukong, I saw that deer practicing here. Go and call the deer out, and I will talk to it."

The Monkey King was overjoyed and said, "Yes, yes, yes! Brother, please wait here. I will go and call the deer out."

Say it.

The traveler leaped into the forest of Dharma and shouted, "The one who argues about the Dharma, please show yourself quickly."

The white deer in the forest of Dharma heard what was said and was confused. He thought to himself, "Did this monkey go to find some great monk to debate with me? It must be so. I have my master's whisk in my hand, so the monkey dare not fight with me. I have my master's true words of debate with Buddha, so no matter what great monk he is, he can't do anything to me. He will definitely not be able to get through this kind of obstruction."

Bai Lu was pleased with himself, whisk in hand, and walked out of the forest, but he saw Monkey standing there, without Tang Monk and others accompanying him. He did not understand what he meant.

The white deer asked, "Monkey, what are you doing here? Do you want to argue with me?"

The Monkey King cursed, "You bastard, did you call me Monkey? According to seniority, you should call me Young Master."

Bai Lu asked, "Why do you say that?"

The traveler pointed to the sky and said, "Look up."

The white deer looked up and saw the fog in the sky dissipate. The immortal appeared and stood on the cloud. He shouted, "Deer, do you still recognize me?"

When Bai Lu saw that it was a real person, he was too proud to be proud. He knelt on the ground, his whisk dropped to the ground, and said in fear: "I didn't know that the master was in front of me. I'm sorry for not welcoming you. I beg the master to forgive me!"

Jiang Yuan stretched out his hand and the whisk flew onto him. He picked up the whisk and said, "You deer, I and the Bodhisattva have sent you here to test the heart of Tang Monk. Why are you using the debate between me and Venerable Muni to challenge Tang Monk?"

Bai Lu kowtowed and said, "Forgive me, forgive me!"

Jiang Yuan said, "You have caused Tang Monk to lose his temper, which is not a moral thing. I order you not to speak the truth, but to debate with Tang Monk with your own Buddhist teachings. If you win, let him go, and if you lose, let him practice Buddhism again."

Bai Lu panicked and said, "Master, I will never do evil again. Just argue the law."

Jiang Yuan asked Monkey to speak to Tang Monk, and he and Erlang Shen and his companions were waiting in the clouds.

The traveler left upon hearing the news.

Jiang Yuan then and Erlang Shen rode the wind and mist away from the forest, and the two of them looked into the distance above the clouds.

Erlang Shen laughed and said, "Lu'er is quite smart. He remembered the words between the Buddha and the Immortal exactly and used them to embarrass Tang Monk. If Elder Jin Chan came in person, he might have a chance of winning. But how can Tang Monk win now?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "This deer needs to cultivate his character. He is too concerned about winning or losing, and is trying to win by taking advantage of others. This is not a true victory."

Erlang Shen said: "It's an interesting one."

Jiang Yuan said: "I just hope I don't cause any trouble."

...It is said that the Monkey King left Falin and went straight back to Old Man Li’s home, where he told Tang Monk everything.

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "Disciple, can I really have a debate with that demon king?"

The Monkey King laughed and said, "Master, you will definitely lose if you debate with the Immortal. If it weren't for the deer's trick, you wouldn't be defeated. Now I will let it debate with you fairly and impartially."

Tang Monk asked: "Who is that immortal? How can he be so well versed in Buddhism?"

The traveler asked, "Master, do you know the source of the Zen you are reading now?"

Tang Monk said: "I don't know this. I only think that Zen is a method from the East, which should be from the Tang Dynasty. I also heard that Zen came from the West, from the Western Paradise."

The traveler smiled and said, "Master, you are young, so you don't know. Zen comes from the real person."

Tang Seng asked: "What do you mean?"

The traveler said, "This kind of Zen was established by the Immortal. The Western Paradise has always called the Immortal the founder of Zen. There is a saying that Zen came from the East because the Immortal was from Jambudvīpa. Therefore, his Zen is a method that came from the East."

Tang Monk suddenly realized, and said, "It turned out to be like this. I didn't expect the Zen Master to be here. I'm so rude, so rude."

The Monkey King said, "Don't even mention paying respects, Master. Let's pack up and head west. The deer in the forest of Dharma has not stolen the true words, so it is definitely no match for you. Then we can pass through the forest of Dharma."

Tang Monk said, "In that case, listen to what Wukong has to say. Wuneng, Wujing, quickly go get the horses, pack your luggage, and say goodbye to Elder Li."

Bajie and Sha Seng obeyed the order and took their weapons. Bajie carried the load and Sha Seng led the horse.

Tang Seng stepped forward and said goodbye to the old man from the Li family.

Elder Li said, "Why do you have to go there again, Elder? Why not have some tea and food here?"

Tang Seng smiled and said nothing.

The monk said, "Monks do not tell lies. There is no way back from this place."

Elder Li bowed and said, "In this case, I wish you success here. Once you leave Falin, if you succeed, will you come back?"

Tang Seng replied: "I will come back on my own."

Li Laodao: "When you come back, the elder will come again. Please stay and let me congratulate you."

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, donor. When I return with success one day, I will stay at your home. Donor, please go back now."

Mr. Li said goodbye with a smile.

The group of people who were seeking the scriptures went to Falin, with Tang Monk sitting on the horse, Sun Wukong leading the way, Sha Monk leading the horse, and Bajie carrying the load.

It won't take long.

When they arrived at the forest of law, they saw the Taoist priest Luer waiting in front of the forest. When he saw the group of people seeking scriptures, he came forward and said, "Everyone, I've been waiting for a long time."

Bajie asked, "Why are you waiting outside?"

Bai Lu said, "The young master is here, so I will welcome you from afar. Since you have offended me, we must have another debate this time. I took advantage of you in the past, and I will never dare to do that again."

Tang Monk dismounted from his white horse, clasped his hands in front of his chest and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know how to explain the Dharma."

The white deer said, "Let's talk about Buddhism. How about telling me how high or low I am based on what I have learned?"

Tang Monk said: "Of course it is possible."

The two of them were devoted to discussing the Dharma. They walked to the Dharma Forest, found a clean place, and sat cross-legged to discuss the Dharma. They debated the Dharma and exchanged sharp words. One asked, "Where is Nirvana?", and the other replied, "Nirvana is everywhere." One asked, "What is Nirvana like?", and the other replied, "In the door to Nirvana, one must recognize one's nature." One asked, "What is it like to be a monk?", and the other replied, "A monk should let go of all worldly concerns."

The two asked and answered each other, and talked for a long time. The white deer had followed the immortal for a long time, and the Tang Monk had been practicing since childhood. The white deer had experienced many Dharma assemblies, and Sanzang's previous life was the golden cicada. The two gathered together to discuss Buddhism, and both were unwilling to be mediocre. They talked until the sun set in the west and the sky was dark and full of stars.

In the end, the White Deer was slightly inferior. He had listened to many Dharma meetings but had never studied them carefully. The Tang Monk was better because he had studied for a long time.

During this conversation, Bai Lu pondered for a long time after Tang Seng's words and didn't know how to refute.

Bai Lu sighed, "It is my failure."

When Tang Monk heard this, he looked delighted.

Bajie was delighted, Sha Seng said it was amazing, and Monkey bowed to the sky, each doing his own thing.

Bai Lu stood up, made way for him, and said, "In that case, you just need to wait for Falin."

Tang Monk bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for letting us go. Disciples, pack your luggage quickly and don't be lazy. We will go west through Falin together."

Tang Seng's eyes were bright and he looked nothing like he did a few days ago.

The three pilgrims all responded.

Sha Seng came forward, helped Tang Seng to mount the horse, led the horse forward, and Bajie followed with the load on his shoulder.

The traveler followed, and suddenly he had an idea, so he walked to the side of the white deer.

Bai Lu bowed and said, "Young Master, is there anything else?"

The Monkey King said, "Please thank my elder brother on my behalf and tell him that I will return home to see my teacher in person when I have accomplished my mission."

Bai Lu said, "Young Master, please go ahead. I will definitely convey your words."

The traveler said, "Thank you for your help, thank you for your help."

Say it.

The Monkey King followed Tang Seng and his companions and headed west together.

The group of pilgrims on this journey passed through Falin three times and finally made it. After overcoming this difficulty, Tang Monk's Buddhist heart became stronger and all his concerns were let go.

……

Above the clouds, Jiang Yuan and Erlang Shen saw Tang Seng leaving and were about to go and call the white deer over.

Erlang Shen stopped him and said, "You don't need to go there in person. I will send a group of soldiers to bring them back."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your help."

Erlang Shen immediately sent a grass-headed god to bring the white deer.

Erlang Shen said: "Tang Monk has some Buddhist teachings."

Jiang Yuan said: "Tang Seng was previously the Golden Cicada Elder, how could he not have the Dharma? I didn't expect this to be such a difficult problem for Tang Seng. I never thought that this deer would use such a mantra to embarrass Tang Seng."

Erlang Shen smiled and said, "Although it is difficult for Tang Monk, Tang Monk has a calm mind and has achieved good things while passing through the forest."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "We have passed this difficulty, but the next one is coming, Master Zhenjun, please look ahead."

After Erlang Shen heard what Jiang Yuan said, his eyes were shining with golden light. He looked forward and saw four beams of divine light in front of him. It meant that there was a Bodhisattva in front of him.

Erlang Shen asked: "What is that?"

Jiang Yuan said: "The Mother of Mount Li, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva are all in front of us. They should be testing Tang Seng's heart, but Tang Seng has achieved good things here. His heart is as firm as a mountain. This test of his heart is absolutely impossible and will not move Tang Seng."

(End of this chapter)