From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Mentioning this, Jiang Liu recalled his past life and the Taoist master's interpretation of the Little Thunder Temple's ordeal in the main world of Under One Person.

Gee!

They completely disregarded the appearance of the golden gong, the spiked club, and the human race bag, focusing only on the so-called "profound meaning."

For example, the *True Interpretation of Journey to the West* mentions the Golden Bell:

"铙" and "挠" are synonyms.

Zhuangzi said, "Heaven creates all things, none of which can disturb the mind," meaning that they are unyielding and extremely strong.

The heart of a petty person is wicked and driven by desires, stubbornly persistent, committing evil to the very end, obstinate and ignorant, utterly shrouded in darkness, without a glimmer of insight; they are what is meant by "the most foolish and unyielding," like gold glued together so tightly that it cannot be separated and makes a resounding sound.

For example, in the original text of Journey to the West, when the golden bell traps Sun Wukong, the emphasis is on the line "Indeed, though small, the demon is great; he mistakenly entered a side path and wasted his efforts," which says:

[If a practitioner is not careful, they may mistake a koan for reality, pondering endlessly in the darkness, making wild guesses and conjectures, believing that great doubt leads to great enlightenment and small doubt to small enlightenment, progressing to the very top and suddenly achieving enlightenment. Little do they know that doubts, large or small, are created by the mind itself, completely obscuring the light; they are merely probing a koan, from which no real truth can be derived.]

how to say?

Jiang Liu agrees with the logic, but forcibly linking it to the Xiao Lei Yin Temple... he thinks it's really a bit far-fetched.

The shapes of the golden cymbals, the spiked club, and the human seed bag are clearly metaphors for the root of sexuality, but the Taoist "true men" simply ignore this point when interpreting them.

Why?

Is it because these are all filthy things that we avoid talking about them?

Maybe there is.

However, Jiang Liu believed that those who practiced Qi cultivation were well aware that the main content described in the Lesser Thunder Temple was not the principle of alchemical cultivation at all.

Instead, it transcends the cycle of reincarnation!

To escape the cycle of reincarnation...

Those who have not yet attained immortality or Buddhahood all possess a humble heart, so how dare they make presumptuous remarks?

One can only try to ignore the relevant content and focus on associating it with the mindset that practitioners should uphold and the great principles they should abide by.

But perhaps it is because they lack that arrogance in their hearts and dare not think about the kind of spiritual practice that is "escaping the cycle of reincarnation," that they can hardly escape the cycle of reincarnation even if they practice for a lifetime.

It means cultivating the true Yang Spirit of the Quanzhen lineage—

Don't you see that even the twenty-eight constellations, the tortoise and snake generals, and Prince Zhang, whom Sun Wukong invited, couldn't escape the human seed bag?

"What? You mean the lower three ways?"

Duanmu Ying was taken aback. "Then why did you say no before?"

"The lower three paths are merely external appearances; upon closer inspection, they reveal the very foundation of reproduction and life!"

Jiang Liu took out the golden cymbal, the wolf-tooth club, and the human seed bag. With his discerning eyes, he saw not only the root of human desires but also the fundamental nature of all living beings: reproduction and propagation. "Therefore, the essence of this tribulation is to make Tang Sanzang and his disciples truly break free from the cycle of reproduction and propagation."

To escape this cycle, one must consider the concept of 'cause and effect'.

The Buddha taught about cause and effect.

What is cause and effect?

In short, it can be summed up in one sentence: you reap what you sow.

However, this concept was actually created to make it easier for people to understand. The original Buddhist concept of cause and effect only had one concept: the three lifetimes.

Past life, present life, future life.

World.

This concept is not the same as what people usually refer to as a lifetime, but rather a general period of time. It can be a lifetime, several lifetimes, or even just a second or an hour.

The causes of past lives lead to the effects of the present life, and the effects of the present life can be transformed into causes, and then give birth to future effects. This is a logical concept.

By applying the concept of three lifetimes to the concept of "human beings," and comparing it to the growth experience of Sun Wukong in Journey to the West—

Before the creation of heaven and earth, there was a vast expanse of chaos, where nothing existed and there was no thought. This concept is called "ignorance" in Buddhism, corresponding to the celestial stone that gave birth to the stone monkey.

After being exposed to the essence of the sun and moon, the immortal stone acquired spiritual power, which corresponds to the Buddhist concept of "karma".

What is "business"?

That is, trouble.

The Buddhist practice of cultivating tranquility of mind is because once consciousness arises, afflictions will follow.

Once the celestial embryo was fully developed, it separated from the stone fetus and transformed into a stone monkey. To avoid the wrath of the heavens, it jumped over the water curtain, seeking a peaceful and prosperous place to live.

To avoid being under the jurisdiction of Yama, the King of Hell, they set sail on a raft in search of immortality.

The subsequent actions of the Dragon Palace forcibly demanding weapons and armor, the Underworld forcibly ending life and death, and the Heavenly Palace serving as the Horse Keeper and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, constitute "creating karma," and this process is called "action."

Through all these processes, the three stages of ignorance, karma, and action in the past life are completed, thus forming the result of "consciousness" in the present life.

What is "knowledge"?

The cognition of the present world is called consciousness, and the organs through which the human body perceives the world are nothing more than the six senses: eyes, ears, mouth, nose, body, and mind.

"Understanding the true meaning of cause and effect across three lifetimes, as well as the concepts of ignorance, karma, volition, and consciousness, makes it easier to transcend the cycle of reincarnation..."

# Chapter 924 How Easy is Reincarnation and Nirvana? (IX) The Saha World... is the Best Place for Nirvana

"The Tathagata has eight aspects: descending to Tushita Heaven, being conceived, being born, renouncing worldly life, subduing Mara, attaining enlightenment, preaching the Dharma, and entering Nirvana."

Jiang Liu continued, "Therefore, in order to generate knowledge of the present world, that is, to give birth to 'consciousness,' one must come into the world through the means of entering the womb."

This is how the Tathagata is.

All living beings are like this.

In Buddhist mythology, the human world is the most painful and unbearable Saha world, and only two types of people would think of returning to the human world through reincarnation.

One is a deity or Buddha who wants to enlighten ignorant beings and teach them to cultivate themselves and awaken to enlightenment.

The other is the ignorant masses.

Just as described in mythology, after such people die and enter the underworld, most of them are determined to be reborn into a better family in the next life, while a few are stubborn and unwilling to be reborn or cultivate themselves. They only want to wait until the enemies who cause them resentment and hatred also go to the underworld.

Ultimately, these kinds of people all want to return to the human world and experience birth, aging, sickness, death, love, hate, and so on.

Therefore, in this mythological worldview, because sentient beings are ignorant, after death they only want to be reborn into a good family and still think about returning to the Saha world. And because sentient beings are ignorant, after death they will unconsciously fall into the cycle of birth and death, constantly experiencing the endless, beginningless, and lawless eternal afflictions under the cause and effect of the three lifetimes.

It's a vicious cycle.

In traditional mythology, the reincarnation of immortals and Buddhas is largely a process of gradually breaking this vicious cycle.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin suddenly realized and exclaimed, "I understand! The Golden Bell, the Wolf Fang Mace, and the Human Seed Bag are the tools that drive the cycle of life and death!"

It will continue to operate in the world!

Even if one becomes a deity, like the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Tortoise and Snake Generals, or Prince Zhang, one cannot truly escape the cycle of birth and death unless one does so!

"That's exactly right!"

Jiang Liu laughed and said, "Now do you know why Sun Wukong first entered the Golden Bell, then escaped through the single horn of the Golden Dragon, fought against Huang Mei's wolf-tooth club, and finally was put into the human seed bag along with the Twenty-Eight Constellations?"

If we look at this process in reverse, isn't it just the normal process of human reproduction?

Ultimately, only Sun Wukong's "seed of consciousness" successfully entered the womb and was conceived; the other twenty-eight constellations were of no use.

However, the author of "Journey to the West" reversed the normal order of human reproduction, precisely to teach Sun Wukong to completely break free from the cycle of reincarnation in this tribulation.

What does crossing out of the Book of Life and Death mean in terms of escaping the cycle of reincarnation?

It's just that the King of Hell no longer dares to send people to collect souls.

Only by reversing this process of reproduction can we truly escape the cycle of reincarnation!

Moreover, among the eighty-one tribulations, most of the attendants and mounts who descended to the mortal realm, according to the so-called karma, were not initially related to Tang Sanzang and his disciples. They were basically the ones who actively encountered these tribulations. Only three of these tribulations were explicitly designed to test Tang Sanzang and his disciples:

The first is the test of Zen mind by the Four Sages.

Secondly, the Golden and Silver Boys of Lotus Cave in Pingdingshan were borrowed by Guanyin Bodhisattva from Laozi himself.

Finally, there's Huang Mei, mentioned by Maitreya Buddha himself.

The Four Sages Tested the Mind of Zen: This means that the pilgrimage team had already "gathered the five elements" and was going to test the quality of this team.

The jade bottle, red gourd, banana leaf fan, seven-star sword, and golden rope have a clear meaning: they are for refining the elixir of immortality. Even Laozi himself spoke of the use of these five treasures at the end of this ordeal, pointing out the path of cultivation.

The symbolism of the golden cymbals, wolf-tooth clubs, and human seed bags is somewhat misleading, but in essence, they are all meant to help practitioners escape the cycle of reincarnation. This also confirms the first chapter of "Journey to the West" which says, "Inner contemplation does not reveal the cause of formlessness, while outer cooperation clearly shows that it has form." The cycle of birth and death has no concrete form, but it operates through the human body. Isn't this just a metaphor for the tool of reproduction?

Unfortunately, those who haven't achieved inner peace and enlightenment either avoid discussing this topic altogether, offering unrelated explanations, or consider it too unrealistic and dare not speak of it.

But what is the truth?

Jiang Liu's conclusion on these two matters is as follows:

Those who avoid discussing this topic feel ashamed and embarrassed even when they see the true nature of a person, let alone understand the principle that "the Tao is in excrement and urine." When listening to such people talk about the path of cultivation, you can only believe one or two out of ten; for the rest, you should seek out a renowned teacher.

Those who dare not speak rashly are either humble or honest; in any case, they still achieve results. Listening to their teachings and doctrines, one can believe seven or eight out of ten. As for the remaining two or three, one must experience life and understand for oneself.

"So, these three magical treasures can really help people transcend the cycle of life and death?" Duanmu Ying's attention was drawn to the golden cymbal, spiked club, and human seed bag in Jiang Liu's hand.

This is even more outrageous than her cultivation goals!

"certainly--"

Jiang Liu drew out his words, then changed the subject, "No!"

There are countless times in space and time, countless worlds, but only one human being.

Where in the world is there a true paradise or holy land?

The so-called escape from reincarnation is roughly similar to Jiang Liu's situation of being in the three realms of human existence. It means escaping the cycle of reincarnation within the system of the three realms of human existence, rather than escaping the cycle of reincarnation within the material universe of reality.

"Otherwise, with just these three treasures, Daolong could have transcended the mortal world and become a Buddha directly. Why would he need to seize the power of the local Mingfei?"

Jiang Liu then revealed the fundamental reason why the Nine-Eyed Dzi Bead transformed into these three magical artifacts that drive the cycle of life and death: "In terms of material, the Nine-Eyed Dzi Bead is nothing more than silicon dioxide, agate, chalcedony, etc. Although it has value, it is far inferior to gold and silver."

But perhaps because it had been with Padmasambhava for many years and was influenced by his energy, when he attained liberation, this stone also contained the wonders of the cycle of birth and death.

When it was touched by such ignorant beings as the Blade Dragon, it confirmed the principle of the cycle of life and death in the world, thus giving birth to these three things…”

That being said, Jiang Liu did not actually agree with this set of Buddhist theories.

Take the timeline of "The Adventures of Jade" as an example. At the end of the 20th century, there is still constant suffering, but it is still much better than the past, isn't it?