txolops Chapter 149 Wuji Kingdom - Visiting Ksitigarbha
Chapter 149 Wuji Kingdom - Visiting Ksitigarbha
However, the way of Yin and Yang lies in mutual concealment; the realm of purity and turbidity is boundless.
Heaven is Yang, Earth is Yin, yet Heaven has its dark and gloomy moments, while Earth has its peaceful and harmonious times; the human world is Yang, the netherworld is Yin, yet even in the netherworld, there exists a pure and tranquil lotus paradise.
As the saying goes, "All things carry yin and embrace yang, and the interaction of these energies creates harmony." The netherworld is inherently yin, where all souls gather and karmic obstacles are cleansed. However, when yin reaches its extreme, yang is born. Thus, amidst countless eons, a pure land was conceived, named "Cuiyun Palace."
This place is not under the jurisdiction of the underworld, nor is it subject to the cycle of reincarnation. It is the sacred site of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who possesses great vows, great compassion, forbearance, immovability, tranquility, and profound contemplation.
Li Fa mounted the black tiger and left the Fengdu Palace, heading straight for the Cuiyun Palace.
After traveling a short distance, a bright light suddenly appeared ahead, surrounded by auspicious clouds and the faint sound of chanting. Thereupon, they saw:
Emerald bamboo and yellow flowers reflect the Dharma platform, while gold, tin, and precious pearls illuminate the heavens.
One cannot attain enlightenment until hell is emptied; one can only become a Tathagata when all sentient beings are liberated.
What a magnificent and solemn Buddhist temple!
Li Fa pressed Xuan Hu down, straightened his clothes, and walked forward. Golden boys and jade maidens immediately came forward to greet him, asking, "Who goes there?"
Li Fa took out his waist token and said, "I am the Grand Censor of Fengdu in the Underworld, requesting an audience with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
The golden boy went inside to announce the arrival, and soon after, a Buddhist chant was heard: "Amitabha! It turns out to be the Imperial Censor of the Underworld Emperor. I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner."
Then a Bodhisattva slowly emerged, wearing a Vairocana crown, a kasaya, and holding a staff. It was none other than Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Li Fa bowed respectfully: "Your humble servant, a junior official, pays his respects to the Bodhisattva."
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva returned the greeting with palms together, saying, "Your Excellency, there's no need for such formalities. Please come inside and have a talk."
The two entered and took their seats, one as host and the other as guest. The golden boy served fragrant tea, and only then did the Bodhisattva ask, "What brings you here, sir?"
Li Fa said, "To be honest, there is a wrongful case before the Bodhisattva. I humbly request the Bodhisattva's judgment."
The Bodhisattva said, "Please speak, Doctor."
Li Fa said, "In the mortal world, there was a country whose king was fond of charity and offering alms to monks. This moved the Buddha, who then sent a Bodhisattva to descend to the mortal world to guide him to the Western Paradise and quickly attain the golden body of an Arhat. The Bodhisattva then followed the Buddha's instructions and transformed into an ordinary monk to descend to the mortal world."
However, the king, being of mortal eye, could not recognize a true deity. When the Bodhisattva challenged him with words, the king became extremely angry and threw the Bodhisattva into the water for three days and nights. Fortunately, the Six Jia Golden Body rescued the king and brought him back to the Western Paradise, reporting the incident to the Tathagata.
The Tathagata then commanded the Bodhisattva's mount to descend to the mortal realm, kill the king, push him into a well, and submerge him for three years, to avenge the Bodhisattva's three days of flooding. This is what is meant by "every drink and every bite is preordained."
Unexpectedly, the Bodhisattva descended to the mortal realm again, harming the king's wife and children, and drowning them in the water. Was this not an injustice?
Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva said, "The doctor is referring to the Queen and Prince of Wuji, isn't he?"
Li Fa said, "Bodhisattva's wisdom is truly profound. That is why. I have already rescued the Queen and the Crown Prince's bodies, but their souls are missing. I humbly beg the Bodhisattva for mercy to return their two souls to their rightful place. I would be eternally grateful."
Upon hearing this, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva pondered for a long time before sighing, "Doctor, you are unaware of the truth. Those two wisps of souls were not forcibly retained by me, but entrusted to me by Manjushri Bodhisattva. He said that the calamity of Wuji Kingdom is not yet over, and they will come to retrieve them after the matter is resolved. It is not appropriate for me to make the decision on my own."
Li Fa said, "Bodhisattva, the king has already completed his karmic retribution after being submerged in the well for three years. But now the queen and the crown prince have died unjustly, causing the family to be torn apart. Isn't this contrary to the compassionate heart of the Bodhisattva?"
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "Indeed, I have broken my promise. However, a promise is as good as gold and will not be broken for a thousand years; having been entrusted with a task, I will do my best."
Upon hearing this, Li Fa thought to himself: This Bodhisattva isn't unwilling to give it up, but rather hesitant to intervene directly due to consideration for his fellow disciple. He needs to find a pretext to make him hand over the soul legitimately.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Bodhisattva, you are mistaken. May I ask, Bodhisattva, when you made the great vow, 'I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty,' for whom were you saving?"
The Bodhisattva said, "It is for the sake of saving all suffering beings."
Li Fa asked, "If it's for the sake of saving all living beings, then aren't the Queen and the Crown Prince among those suffering beings?"
The Bodhisattva said, "Of course."
Li Fa said, "These two were unjustly killed, their souls adrift and unable to return to their places. Is this not suffering? Since the Bodhisattva is concerned with saving all sentient beings, how can he sit idly by and watch them suffer without offering help, simply because they are fellow disciples? This is putting the cart before the horse!"
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva remained silent for a moment before sighing and saying, "The doctor is right. Very well, I will hand over the souls of the queen and the prince to the doctor."
Li Fa was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Bodhisattva!"
The Bodhisattva waved his hand and said, "Doctor, please wait a moment to thank me. This humble monk has handed over the soul, but I have a request."
Li Fa said, "As long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva glanced at him and said, "Doctor, would you like to hear a story from me?"
Li Fa said, "Bodhisattva, please speak."
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly said, "Countless eons ago, I was a Brahmin woman, and my mother's name was Yuttiri. Before my mother was born, she did not believe in the Three Jewels, loved to eat fish roe, and committed many acts of killing. After her death, she fell into the Avici Hell and suffered immeasurable torment."
To save his mother, the poor monk sold his house and property, and generously donated incense and flowers to Buddhist temples and pagodas. Later, he was enlightened by a Buddha and realized that his mother had been liberated from hell and reborn as a human.
Therefore, this humble monk made a vow: Throughout all future kalpas, I vow to employ various expedient means to liberate all sentient beings suffering from sin and pain. This is the origin of the vow, "I will not become a Buddha until hell is emptied."
Li Fa nodded and said, "I know a little about this matter. Did the Bodhisattva's mother escape the cycle of reincarnation afterward?"
The Bodhisattva said, "No. Although my mother was able to escape hell and be reborn as a human, she died young at the age of thirteen because her past karma was not exhausted, and she fell back into hell. I used my great Dharma power to help her be reborn in the Asura realm."
However, the Asuras are fond of fighting and killing, and my mother's nature was hard to change. She committed further acts of killing and was thus reborn into the evil realms, specifically the animal realm.
At this point, the Bodhisattva sighed: "Unexpectedly, in the animal realm, my mother was enlightened by someone, and her spirit relapsed. Therefore, this humble monk placed her at the foot of Mount Ling, hoping that she would listen to the Dharma and save herself."
Who would have thought she would cultivate into a demon, now ruling a mountain and dedicated to harming people. I have tried several times to convert her, but she remains obstinate and has become my enemy. Although I am a Bodhisattva, I cannot harm my own mother; I can only watch helplessly as she commits her sins.
Upon hearing this, Li Fa's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what it was.
As expected, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "Doctor, you possess great supernatural powers and often travel among humans. I wish to entrust you with a matter. If you encounter my mother in the future, I hope you will consider my sake and save her from suffering. If you agree, I will entrust the souls of the Queen and the Prince to you."
Li Fa pondered for a moment and then asked, "May I ask, Bodhisattva, where is your mother currently practicing? What is her name?"
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "She is now on the Western Road, in a place called 'Poisonous Enemy Mountain,' and calls herself 'Pipa Spirit.' She was originally a scorpion spirit who cultivated into a female form. She is skilled in using poisonous stingers that can topple horses, and even the Buddha Tathagata has suffered at her hands. Doctors, if you encounter her, be extremely careful."
After hearing this, Li Fa felt enlightened.
It turned out to be a scorpion demon!
In "Journey to the West", when Tang Sanzang and his disciples passed by Poisonous Enemy Mountain, they were kidnapped by the Scorpion Demon. Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie were both injured by her poisonous stingers. In the end, it was Guanyin Bodhisattva who gave them guidance and invited the Pleiades Star Lord to subdue her.
This scorpion demon is actually the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's mother?
No wonder the Bodhisattva was in a dilemma.
The biological mother has become a demon; she cannot be beaten, killed, or saved, so the only option is to use someone else's hand.
Li Fa immediately cupped his hands and said, "Bodhisattva, rest assured. If I encounter your mother, I will do my best to save her, without harming her life, and persuade her to convert to the righteous path."
Upon hearing this, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva showed a look of relief and put his palms together, saying, "Excellent! Excellent! With such a compassionate heart, I am relieved."
After saying that, he took out a glass bottle from his sleeve. Two points of spiritual light flickered inside the bottle, which were the souls of the Queen and the Crown Prince.
The Bodhisattva handed the glass bottle to Li Fa, saying, "These are the souls of the two men, completely intact. Doctor, take them back; they can bring them back to life."
Li Fa accepted the glass bottle, put it into his robes, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Bodhisattva! I take my leave."
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "Doctor, please wait. I have something else to tell you."
Li Fa said, "Bodhisattva, please speak."
The Bodhisattva said, "Although the Queen and the Crown Prince have both physical bodies and souls, their primordial spirits have been drawn out by the Divided Spirit Jade Tablet for a long time, and the connection between their physical bodies and souls has weakened."
Even if the soul is returned to its place, it may not awaken immediately. The Soul-Dividing Jade Disc must be used again to re-establish the soul within the body to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Li Fa was taken aback: "The Distraction Jade Disc? Where is that treasure?"
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "The Jade Disc of Divine Incarnation belongs to the Great Deity of Salvation from Suffering. Manjushri Bodhisattva borrowed it from the Deity for this purpose. Now, that treasure is most likely still in Manjushri's possession."
Li Fa's heart sank.
How could the treasures in Manjushri Bodhisattva's hands be easily obtained?
He pondered for a moment and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Bodhisattva. I have my own plan."
Having said that, he bid farewell to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, mounted the black tiger, left the Emerald Cloud Palace, and returned directly to the mortal world.