Chapter 350 Wukong’s Enlightenment Appears

“It turns out that Huaguo Mountain is my home. It turns out that this is the hometown of my heart. What a beautiful cave with a crescent moon and three stars. So that’s how it is. So that’s how it is…”

Sun Wukong sighed and finally understood the meaning of this heart.

As the sky slowly rose, he seemed to understand some truth, some law. At this moment, he was no longer as ignorant and fearless as before, but understood a little bit of the true meaning of the way of heaven.

Those who are fearless are ignorant.

The more people know, the less they will have the idea that God is the boss, Earth is second, and I am third. Instead, they will become humble and introspective, because compared with God, they are nothing.

Even the Golden Immortals, Great Gods of the Primordial Chaos, and even the saints of the heavens who can transcend the heaven and earth, will not be the slightest bit arrogant and unruly, but will be able to treat everything with equality and harmony of fate.

A heart of Tao that is smooth, free, full and self-sustaining is the result of their years of hard practice.

This is the truth that Patriarch Bodhi wanted to teach Sun Wukong. It is not enough to conquer the unruly mind. This is only the first step. Although the first step is important, it is only the foundation. No matter how well you do in the first step, if you don’t move on, it will be useless.

As the saying goes, steel can be turned into soft silk even after being tempered a hundred times. Instead of trying to suppress the unruly mind by force, it is better to let these two beasts work for you.

The wild and unruly mind is hard to tame, because it is all about the ego. If the ego is not at peace, there will never be peace. When the mind is at peace, the wild and unruly mind will be subdued.

Trying to tame your unruly mind by force is only putting a layer of shackles on yourself. What is more important is to make your unhappiness docile and your unruly nature stable.

Finally, the three forces of heaven, earth, man and self coexist, knowledge and action are unified, the mind becomes docile, and the will becomes submissive. This is the true root of Buddhism and the Mahayana Dharma.

Patriarch Bodhi naturally understood the principle that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, so he spent a lot of effort to explain to Sun Wukong this wonderful law of heaven and earth, the supreme truth.

It can be seen that the Taoist Zhunti also took Sun Wukong seriously. Otherwise, if he only wanted to make the other party a good Taoist, it would be easy. He only needed to explain to the other party all kinds of powerful killing techniques. Why bother talking about these Taoist practices?

Anyway, after Guangchengzi achieved enlightenment, he could ignore these protectors. However, Zhunti Taoist did not do so, not only for any other reason, but also because he did not want to disappoint this young creature who was determined to seek the truth.

Sun Wukong understood the sincerity of the emperor, and his whole temperament instantly became softer and more human-like. He was no longer just a monkey head in human skin like before.

Afterwards, Sun Wukong went through hundreds of tests in succession, and these tests were just to teach him a truth, and Sun Wukong passed them all.

During these six or seven years, he studied polite speech, scriptures, calligraphy and burning incense every day, and occasionally even ran to a small town to receive instruction from private school teachers like those other children.

In his spare time, Sun Wukong would sweep the floor, hoe the garden, grow flowers and prune trees, look for firewood to make fire, fetch water and transport pulp. He prepared all the things that the brothers needed.

These things may seem trivial, but they are actually the most effective in honing a person’s habits. Under the continuous teachings of the Buddhas, Sun Wukong also got rid of his original stubborn and vulgar temperament one by one. There is a certain profound wisdom in his words and deeds, and he looks like a holy son of Buddhism.

Patriarch Bodhi took everything into consideration, and was extremely happy to see that Sun Wukong had been taught into this state.

After spending so much time together, he had already regarded the other party as his own disciple. How could the teacher not be happy that his disciple was safe and sound?
“But only after completing that calamity can it be perfect. Well, now I can teach Sun Wukong the great Dao and the wonderful method, but I still have to test its comprehension one last time.”

Patriarch Bodhi sat on the high platform, meditating silently in his heart, and then he summoned everyone to come, as he was going to preach the great truth again.

The Buddhas understood what was going on and knew that Patriarch Bodhi was about to complete his mission, so they rushed over immediately. Sun Wukong did not suspect anything and also went over to listen.

Patriarch Bodhi sat on the platform and began to preach the great Dao. Suddenly, flowers fell from the sky, golden lotuses emerged from the ground, his voice was like thunder, and his sound was like lightning. He interpreted the great Dharma of the three religions and fully supplemented the wonderful true doctrine. Even if the heaven, earth, humans, gods and ghosts coexisted, they would be amazed at the wonder of such a great Dao.

Many Buddhas were listening quietly and peacefully without saying a word. Only Sun Wukong was scratching his ears, grinning, and could not help dancing and hopping around on the spot.

When Bodhi Patriarch saw this, he shouted, “You naughty monkey, why are you dancing so wildly and madly, and not listening to my explanation of the Dao?”

Sun Wukong came back to his senses, and quickly bowed and said respectfully: “I have been listening to the lecture sincerely. I am overwhelmed with joy when I hear Master’s wonderful voice. That is why I am so happy. I hope Master will forgive me. I did not mean to disturb you, brothers, so please forgive me.”

All the Buddhas said in unison: “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Seeing Sun Wukong like this, Patriarch Bodhi deliberately said, “Since you said that you are so happy because you heard the wonderful sound, then I would like to ask you, how long have you been in the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon?”

Sun Wukong thought about it and replied, “My disciple was ignorant and didn’t know how many seasons there were. I only knew that there was no fire under the stove, so I often went to the back mountain to collect firewood. Occasionally, I saw a peach tree in the back mountain full of fruits. I also ate peaches there seven times.”

Patriarch Bodhi smiled and nodded: “That mountain is called Rotten Peach Mountain. You have eaten it seven times, so it has been seven years. You often listen to me talk about these great principles, but I don’t know what kind of principles you want to learn?”

Sun Wukong said respectfully: “Master taught me what to teach. How dare I interfere? I just hope to gain some spiritual power and I will be satisfied.”

Patriarch Bodhi shook his head and said, “I know 360 side doors, and each of them can lead to the true fruit. But if you don’t tell me, how can I know which one you like? Which one do you want to learn?”

Sun Wukong still dared to change it and said it clearly, but asked Patriarch Bodhi to appoint him himself.

Patriarch Bodhi said: “Then I will teach you a way of the art. After learning this great way, you will be able to ask the gods to help you, ask for divination, and know the principles of seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster. You will also have a way to settle down and will not starve to death.”

Hearing that the Shuzi Sect only had this ability, Sun Wukong was somewhat reluctant, and he said hesitantly: “Disciple only wants to practice the art of longevity. May I ask, Master, is this Shuzi Sect able to achieve longevity?”

“Of course not.”

When he heard that he could not live forever, Sun Wukong immediately shook his head. He came here to seek immortals and ask for the secret of immortality. How could he be willing to learn such unorthodox techniques?
Patriarch Bodhi then successively spoke of the three great ways of flow, stillness and movement, but after learning that it could not lead to immortality, Sun Wukong was unwilling to learn anymore and just asked Patriarch Bodhi to explain more.

Patriarch Bodhi patiently explained the eleven great principles of the text, but Sun Wukong refused to learn either one or the other. He either disliked this one or that one.

Later, the master could no longer bear it, and immediately jumped off the high platform with a loud bang, pointed at Sun Wukong with a ruler and said: “You monkey, you don’t learn this, and you don’t learn that, what else do you want to do!”

Then he walked forward with the ruler and hit Sun Wukong on the head three times, then he put his hands behind his back, walked into the inner room, closed the middle door, and left the Buddhas behind. Seeing that Bodhi Patriarch had given them a test, the Buddhas were all terrified and complained to Wukong, “You naughty monkey, it’s really hard to change your bad habits!
“The master is willing to teach you the Dao, which is a great favor, but you are so unwilling and even talk back to the master. You have offended the master this time, and I don’t know when you will get out of this!”

At this time, everyone was complaining and disliked Sun Wukong. Even bluestone could be poked with a hole by such cold words. It is true that a kind word can warm you through three winter months, while an evil word can hurt you through six months of summer.

Despite being pointed at by so many people, Sun Wukong did not get angry. He just smiled and played along carefully, which made these Buddhas leave with complaints.

Sun Wukong’s face was dull, but he was happy in his heart. He had a sharp mind and seven orifices. As soon as Patriarch Bodhi hit him, he understood all kinds of truths. He did not argue with others, but kept silent for fear of alerting the enemy.

“Hit me three times at midnight, and walk in with your hands behind your back. Close the middle door. This is to let me in through the back door and teach me the secret way!”

Sun Wukong was even happier when he understood the secret, but he didn’t want his other brothers to see the truth. It wasn’t that he was jealous or full of malice and didn’t want to see his other brothers make progress.

But since Patriarch Bodhi had taught him the great Dao in secret, he should not reveal it without Patriarch Bodhi’s permission. This would be a great disrespect to the Patriarch and would make the Patriarch lose face.

Moreover, when the other brothers find out, they might also lose their composure. After all, what is worrying in the world is not the scarcity of food but the inequality of distribution. It is okay for everyone to be hungry, but if one person suddenly eats well and has a greasy face, I am afraid that others will be jealous.

Watching the Golden Crow slowly descending and the silver moon rising, Sun Wukong wished it was three minutes past midnight immediately. However, there were some fellow brothers drinking and having fun around him, so he did not want to be too happy, so he quietly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

It was not until around midnight that Sun Wukong opened his eyes and quietly walked out of the Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Looking at the heavy snow in front of him, he simply put on tight clothes, avoided the front door, and quietly entered the Patriarch’s Palace.

The place where Bodhi Patriarch preached was naturally extraordinary. No matter where it was in the heart or in the mind, as long as one was willing, one could naturally enter it.

After entering this room, Sun Wukong did not go in through the main door as he did in the past, but came in quietly through the back door.

He doesn’t go to this back door very often. After all, he doesn’t have such a habit of going through the back door instead of the main door.

But now seeing the back door half open, Sun Wukong was even more surprised, knowing that his guess was correct and that Patriarch Bodhi really wanted to teach him the great way in secret.

Then Sun Wukong walked sideways into the room, not even daring to open the back door for fear of alarming some people.

Seeing that Sun Wukong had really understood all kinds of truths, the Hunyuan Buddha who had been hiding in the dark finally breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was delighted. The Xumi King Buddha even smiled and said, “This matter is over. We can return to the Pure Land in the future.”

The Sunlight King Buddha and the Moonlight King Buddha were equally surprised, but the Ancient Buddha Dipankara shook his head and said, “I think it will be difficult.”

After hearing this, King Sumeru Buddha asked, “Why is this?”

The ancient Buddha Dipankara pointed to the sky in the distance and said, “Look there, and you will understand why I say it is difficult.”

After hearing this, many Buddhas looked up and were stunned. The reason was that all the immortals of the orthodox teaching had now been fully mobilized, and they had formed an official position in the heavenly court for themselves.

For example, the names of the Five Directions Jie Di, the Five Directions Five Elders, the Five Great Emperors, etc., all have such identities hidden in the heads of the two enlightened people in heaven, and it is obvious that they are going to follow them to start the journey to the West.

In addition, there are the various Hunyuan divine dragons, who have also transformed into a cloud of smoke, wind and rain that never dissipates, following closely behind Ao Lie, and are also ready to follow him on his journey to the West.

And in the more distant Flower-Fruit Mountain, one demon saint after another was roaring and screaming. Endless demon wind was blowing up from the ground, followed by thousands of demon clouds. Countless bright lights were shining in the sky, and countless stars had already covered the area.

The intentions of these demon saints and star gods are very clear. They also want to follow Sun Wukong on his journey to the West, to escort him all the way and accompany him at all times.

The orthodox sect, the demon sect, the heavenly court and even the dragon clan have all tried their best. There is no way that Western Buddhism can retreat, otherwise it would be a laughing stock to others.

When the many Hunyuan Buddhas saw this, their eyes were sharp, and bursts of brilliant golden light lingered around their bodies. The scent of countless sandalwood filled the sky and earth. The pious Buddhist chanting resounded throughout the universe, and countless time and space were transformed by faith.

It would have been fine if they hadn’t seen it, but now that they have seen these people’s full efforts, it is impossible for them to remain indifferent. It is obvious that they are showing that they also want to join the journey to the West.

The ancient Buddha, Dipankara, holds twenty-four magical beads in his hands, and twenty-four directions of time and space appear behind him. In each direction of time and space, there are endless living beings who are kneeling devoutly, and under the burning of a bright lamp, they are reincarnated and reborn without stopping.

The Medicine Buddha stands on a red lotus, and a wonderful fragrance emanates from around him. Countless universes are immersed in the true meaning of Buddha. In the name of the Western Lord, he is bound to join every battle.

Now that these two great Buddhist figures had expressed their attitudes, Chi Jingzi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then stretched out his hand and a white crane flew over. He then sat on the white crane and soared into the sky, never looking back.

This time he is going to the Heaven. He will uphold the name of Taihao Qingdi and personally protect Jin Chanzi on his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures!
In the Fire Cloud Cave, the Three Emperors sent out their soldiers and horses to reincarnate and transform into gods, Buddhas, immortals and demons to embark on the journey to the West.

The filthy sea of ​​blood, the moon, the Longevity Mountain, the remnant Buzhou Mountain, the Thunder Pond, the Four Seas, the immortal volcano, the Kunlun Mountain, the Xumi Mountain, the Shouyang Mountain, the Fengqi Mountain…

As Sun Wukong began to practice the last great way, all those who were paying attention to the journey to the West had already started to prepare themselves, ready to compete in this great catastrophe.

Decide life and death.

Sun Wukong entered the door and walked quickly to the master’s bed. He saw the master curled up and sleeping facing inward. Wukong did not dare to disturb him and could only kneel in front of the bed, waiting for Master Bodhi to wake up.

When Patriarch Bodhi woke up not long after, he stretched out his legs and sang to himself: “There is no peaceful day in heaven and earth. One day of peace brings worry tomorrow. Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!”

Sun Wukong was listening carefully, but for some reason, he forgot the seventeen words that Patriarch Bodhi had said, and even his mind was a little confused. But when he woke up, he found that the Patriarch was still asleep, so he thought he had seen it wrong.

When Bodhi Patriarch stretched his body again, he also sang the same words: “Difficult! Difficult! Difficult! The Tao is the most mysterious. Don’t take the golden elixir lightly. If you don’t meet a wise man to pass on the secret, it’s useless to talk about it. Your mouth is tired and your tongue is dry.”

Sun Wukong shouted in response: “Master, I have been kneeling here waiting for you for a long time!”

(End of this chapter)