Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 133 Wuji Kingdom - Lotus Realm Issues Buddhist Edict

Meanwhile, the Arhat who subdued the tiger, his true spirit drifting and drowsy, shed his mortal body and headed straight for the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Paradise.

The spiritual light dimmed along the way, and the spirit was extremely weak, until finally it drifted into the sacred mountain realm.

At that time, the Great Thunderclap Temple was filled with auspicious energy and the fragrance of lotus flowers wafted around the beams. All the heavenly bodhisattvas, eight hundred arhats, Dharma protectors, and monks sat cross-legged under the seven-jeweled lotus platform, heads bowed and minds focused, listening attentively to the Buddha preaching the supreme Dharma. The entire hall was solemn and quiet, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, a fragment of true spirit broke through the air outside the hall, its spiritual light dim and swaying as it fell straight down in front of the white jade steps.

Upon seeing this, all the Buddhas were astonished and looked up in surprise.

The true spirit of the Tiger-Taming Arhat solidified into a human form before the steps, but it was already a flickering, illusory image, almost dissipating. He forced his palms together and whispered, "World Honored One... This disciple is incompetent, my cultivation is completely destroyed, I have already fallen victim to the evil hands of villains, and my soul has returned to Mount Ling."

As Ru Laiwang sat down, he lowered his eyes and looked down, his expression unchanged. He merely nodded slightly and said in a calm voice, "You may rise."

The Arhat Subduing Tiger dared not rise, but prostrated himself on the ground and solemnly begged for forgiveness: "Disciple was indignant for a moment and became obsessed with something. He secretly left Mount Ling and descended to the mortal world without the World Honored One's knowledge. His original intention was to avenge the tragic death of the Silver-Headed Jiedi and to uphold the reputation of Buddhism."

"How could I have imagined that the thief was so powerful and possessed such extraordinary abilities, while I was so weak and powerless, that I was no match for him and ended up dying and my soul being shattered. Now I have committed a grave mistake and disgraced the Buddhist precepts, and I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I beg the World Honored One to punish me, and I will have no complaints whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha raised his eyes and said, "Subduing Tiger, do you know your crime?"

Fuhu said: "Disciple knows his crime."

The Buddha asked, "What crime do you know?"

Fu Hu said, "This disciple should not have descended to the mortal realm without permission, and even more so, should not have acted foolishly and mingled with the two demons, Golden Horn and Silver Horn, thus tarnishing the reputation of our Buddhist sect. This is a grave sin."

The Buddha shook his head and said, "What you have said is merely a minor transgression, not a fundamental sin. Your grave sin lies in your stubbornness and refusal to see the truth."

Fu Hu was taken aback: "This disciple is dull-witted and cannot fathom the mystery within. I humbly beg the World Honored One to mercifully enlighten me."

The Buddha said, "The death of Silver-Headed Jiedi has its own cause and effect. Your revenge for him may seem righteous, but in reality, you are creating karma with anger."

"In Buddhist practice, the most important thing is to eradicate the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. If anger is not eliminated, one will fall into the demonic path. After you descended to the mortal realm, you associated with Golden Horn and Silver Horn. Although you did not harm anyone, you have already been tainted by karma."

"You were originally an Arhat who had attained enlightenment. You should have had a compassionate heart and practiced forbearance. However, due to a moment of anger, you lost your true nature, stepped into the realm of Asura, and harbored murderous thoughts. This is your true sin."

After listening, Fu Hu remained silent for a long time, then kowtowed and said, "This disciple was foolish and has only now realized the truth. However, the mistake has already been made, and it is too late to regret it."

The Buddha said, "It is not too late. Although you are dead, your spirit still lives on. If you are willing to repent, there will still be a day when you can regain your true nature and attain enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Fuhu's eyes, and he said, "World Honored One, have mercy! This disciple is willing to accept any punishment, only begging for the World Honored One's mercy to allow this disciple to attain enlightenment again!"

The Buddha said, "Excellent, excellent! Since you have a repentant heart and still come to listen to the sutras, I will restore your golden body and your original position."

Fu Hu quickly thanked him, and his true spirit transformed into a ray of light, drifting into the Arhat group. But that will not be discussed for now.

The Buddha continued, "Those who harmed the Tiger-Taming Arhat and the Silver-Headed Jiedi may have had their reasons, but they have repeatedly interfered with the Buddhist journey to the West. The dignity of Mount Ling cannot be compromised. Venerable Guanyin, you are in charge of the great undertaking of the Journey to the West, overseeing the entire process. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva rose, clasped his hands in prayer, and said, "World Honored One, you are wise. I have fought him several times. He possesses a wide range of supernatural powers, is indestructible, and his physical body is immortal; he can use the Five Elements Escape Technique to escape nimbly; his flying sword can pierce the heart and specifically target the primordial spirit; he can transform into different forms and is unpredictable."

"Previously, I had already laid a trap and devised a brilliant plan to capture him, but the Old Mother of Lishan personally intervened and spoke up to protect him. The Old Mother said that she had some connection with this fellow, and I did not act rashly out of consideration for her feelings. This person's background is very strange, and I have investigated several times but have not yet learned his real name."

Upon hearing what the Bodhisattva said, Fuhu immediately spoke up to complete the details: "So that the World Honored One and the Venerable Guanyin may know, when I fought him, I asked him to state his name, but he only said that his Daoist name was something like Plasma."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin said, "So it was him. I recently heard that Laozi has taken in an outsider called Plasma, but I couldn't verify whether it was true or not."

The Buddha said, "Whether it's true or false, the journey to the West is ordained by Heaven and cannot be easily changed. Even the Supreme Dao Ancestor himself could not disrupt it. How much less could a mere disciple?"

"In fact, although this person has interfered in the journey to the West many times, he has not done anything entirely bad. He shaved Sha Wujing's head in advance at the Flowing Sand River, which disrupted the calamity, but did not fundamentally harm the cause; he also killed a few demons, so he has some merit. This person has both merits and demerits, and cannot be judged in the same way."

Guanyin said, "What the World-Honored One said is absolutely right. However, although he killed the Tiger-Taming Arhat, and the Tiger-Taming Arhat was said to have descended to the mortal realm as a demon first, if the Buddhist sect does not react at all, I fear that we Buddhist disciples will be disheartened, and who will be willing to protect the Dharma in the future?"

The Buddha asked, "In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Guanyin pondered for a moment, then said, "This disciple believes that this person does not openly intend to be our enemy. Wouldn't it be better if we could skillfully convert him and bring him into our Buddhist community?"

The Buddha said, "He may not be willing to join my sect."

Guanyin smiled and said, "World Honored One, please rest assured, I have already made a plan. Why not select a capable assistant to capture him and bring him to Mount Ling? We can then use the supreme Buddha Dharma to guide him, and even if he has a dishonest heart, he will eventually convert. What do you think, World Honored One?"

The Buddha said, "This plan is excellent, achieving the best of both worlds. I wonder if the Venerable One has any recommendations?"

Guanyin said, "Your disciple has already made plans. After Tang Sanzang and his disciples pass through the Lotus Cave on Pingding Mountain, the next tribulation will be the Kingdom of Wuji. Manjushri Bodhisattva's mount, the Green Lion Spirit, is already in the Kingdom of Wuji, disguised as the king, waiting to meet the calamity."

"This time, we will send Manjushri Bodhisattva down to the mortal realm. Firstly, we can deal with the plasma incident while we're at it, and secondly, we can also attend to the calamity in Wuji Kingdom. It's a win-win situation. I wonder what the Buddha thinks?"

Upon hearing this, the Tathagata repeatedly praised it and called out loudly, "Where is Venerable Manjushri?"

Upon hearing this, Manjushri Bodhisattva quickly stepped forward and said, "This humble monk is here."

The Buddha asked, "The Venerable Guanyin has recommended that you descend to the mortal realm to capture the alien. What is your opinion?"

Manjushri said, "I will obey the Buddha's decree, but I fear that this fellow is so powerful that I will not be able to defeat him quickly and thus delay the important affairs of Buddhism."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha flipped his hand, and a bronze mirror appeared in his palm.

He said, "You have achieved a golden body, which is inherently indestructible, and you are not afraid of his Vajra Indestructible. You also have the Seven Treasures Golden Lotus, which can restrain the Five Elements Great Escape. However, just now the Venerable Guanyin said that that fellow also has a method to restrain the primordial spirit. I am giving you this treasure so that you can be on guard."

"This treasure is called the Mirror of Equality. If he uses a technique to injure your primordial spirit, you only need to take out this mirror, look at the incoming force, and you can reflect all his magic back. Just remember, do not touch the mirror with your hands. If the mirror is damaged, the treasure will lose its power and become ineffective. You must not be careless."

Upon hearing this, Manjushri said, "Disciple obeys," and then accepted the treasure before returning to Mount Wutai.