txolops Chapter 43 Huangfeng Ridge: Master and Disciple Offering Incense
Chapter 43 Huangfeng Ridge: Master and Disciple Offering Incense
After bidding farewell to Zen Master Wuchao, Li Fa's next destination was Huangfeng Ridge.
He chased the clouds and the moon all the way, and soon arrived at that place.
However, since it was still several months before Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived, Li Fa was not in a hurry. He simply used the Five Elements Escape Technique to manipulate the earth and stone, and built a temple on the mountain.
To say his methods were extraordinary, just look at this magnificent temple:
The mountain gate soars high, its green tiles and flying eaves reflecting the sunlight.
The vermilion doors were all inlaid with gold nails; the carved railings and precious stones were all made of white jade.
The bronze bells on the eaves tinkle in the wind; the jade beasts before the steps stand silently, exuding power.
The roof ridge is adorned with coiled dragons and chimeras, their scales and claws gleaming with golden luster; in the courtyard, ancient cypress and pine trees stand tall, their branches and leaves shading the sun and shrouded in mist.
The guardian deities in the two corridors have fierce expressions; the Heaven and Earth in the front hall shine brightly.
Only in the central main hall stands a huge statue, which is neither the Three Pure Ones or the Four Emperors, nor Buddha or Bodhisattva, but a faceless statue.
Li Fa neither named the temple nor appointed a temple keeper, nor set up incense offerings. He simply transformed into a Taoist priest and temporarily resided there, comprehending supernatural powers and waiting for the right opportunity.
They stayed there for several months, during which time many villagers came to worship, and there was still some incense burning.
It wasn't until the height of summer that Li Fa, who was practicing his martial arts, suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.
Li Fa withdrew his supernatural powers and hurriedly went to open the door. As expected, it was Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Tang Sanzang was riding on the white dragon horse, Sun Wukong was leading the horse, and Zhu Bajie was carrying the load.
The old monk dismounted, chanted "Amitabha," and said, "Master, this humble monk greets you."
Li Fa feigned ignorance and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Elder, where do you come from? What brings you to my deserted temple?"
Tang Sanzang said, "This disciple is an imperial envoy from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, ordered by my lord to travel to Leiyin Temple in the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I have come this far and it is getting late. The mountain road is rugged, and I wish to borrow the temple for the night. I will set off at dawn tomorrow. I would be grateful if you could grant me this favor."
Li Fa quickly stepped aside to let him pass, saying, "So you are a high-ranking monk from the East! My apologies for my rudeness! Please come in and have a seat."
Tang Sanzang was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately summoned Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. He instructed Sun Wukong to lead the white dragon horse and pack the luggage, and the group followed Li Fa into the mountain gate.
Li Fa, however, pretended to be startled and said, "Oh dear, where did these two monsters come from! One is a thunder god, and the other has a pig's head; they've scared this humble Taoist to death!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong exclaimed, "This Taoist priest, your son is the Thunder God! You judge people by their appearance, which is a mistake. We may be ugly, but we are all useful."
Pigsy retorted, "This old Taoist doesn't know what's good for him! I, Pigsy, am not some monster, but a celestial being descended to earth. You might even have me enshrined in your temple!"
Tang Sanzang quickly stopped them and explained, "Daoist, don't be afraid. These are my two disciples. Although they look fierce, they are good people and not monsters. Please forgive them."
Li Fa feigned fear and took several steps back before regaining his composure and saying, "So that's how it is... With such a divine disciple protecting him, it's no wonder the elder dared to travel this perilous journey of ten thousand miles."
Tang Sanzang apologized, Wukong tethered the horse, and Li Fa then led the group inside.
As they walked, Tang Sanzang complained, "My disciples, you two are ugly and speak rudely, you've frightened this Taoist priest quite a bit, and you've both caused me trouble!"
Pigsy said, "To tell you the truth, Master, I've become much more handsome since I started following you. If I were still walking around Gao Village like before, I could just stick my snout out and wiggle my ears, and I'd scare twenty or thirty people to death."
Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, don't talk nonsense. Clean up your ugly parts too."
Tang Sanzang said, "Look at what Wukong said. Appearance is something we're born with; how do you expect him to change it?"
Sun Wukong said, "Put that rake mouth in your bosom and don't take it out; stick those palm-leaf fan ears to your back and don't shake them. That's it."
Li Fa chuckled inwardly and said, "No need, no need. I'm used to it. I know you're not bad people. Please come with me."
Sun Wukong carried the luggage inside and tied the white horse to the post.
This Tang Monk was the kind of person who would visit any temple he encountered and bow to any shrine he saw. He had only just reached the front hall when he was about to go in and pay his respects.
Li Fa feigned reluctance for a few moments, but had no choice but to lead them into the front hall.
Tang Sanzang looked up and saw two deities in the front hall, one being the Heavenly Emperor and the other the Earth Goddess.
Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong asked in confusion, "Taoist priest, in the Taoist temples I've seen, the front hall usually enshrines Wang Lingguan. Why is yours enshrining Heaven and Earth?"
Li Fa smiled slightly and said, "This elder is unaware of the truth. This temple of mine is not an ordinary Taoist temple. We do not worship the Three Pure Ones or any other gods. We only respect the two words 'Heaven and Earth'."
"Heaven above and Earth below, encompassing all things and giving birth to all living beings, are the most supreme and impartial beings. As for the spirit officials and protectors..." He raised his hand and pointed to the Vajra statues in the two corridors, "they are all under the command of the officials."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang nodded repeatedly: "What you say, Daoist, resonates deeply with me. Heaven and earth are the framework, and the universe is the principle—this is indeed the ultimate truth."
Having said that, he straightened his clothes, stepped forward to burn incense, and respectfully bowed to the altars of Heaven and Earth.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie had no choice but to respond with a perfunctory bow as a form of greeting.
After Tang Sanzang finished bowing, Li Fa led them out of the front hall and continued walking towards the back. Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the main hall.
Tang Sanzang stepped inside and immediately noticed the faceless statue in the hall. He was even more astonished and asked, "Daoist Master, why does this statue in your hall have no face, nor any divine tablet?"
Sun Wukong also stepped forward and chimed in, "Indeed, indeed! That Taoist priest, your temple has no plaque above the gate, and the statues in the hall have no faces. What kind of temple is it? Are you just pretending to be a ghost and fooling people?"
Li Fa said, "So that all the elders may know, my temple is called the Nameless Temple."
Sun Wukong asked, "The Nameless Temple? What is nameless? What does it mean?"
Li Fa said, "The Supreme Celestial Venerable of the Great Purity said: 'The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of Heaven and Earth; named, it is the mother of all things.' My view is the view of namelessness. Although it is 'nameless,' it is actually named. It is truly existence within non-existence, and non-existence within existence."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong seemed to understand something and laughed, "This must be what they mean by 'pointing at the moon with a finger, but the finger is not the moon'!"
Li Fa nodded slightly and said, "Excellent! Excellent! This elder is exceptionally talented, understanding things immediately. He is truly a person with profound wisdom."
Pigsy, standing to the side, was completely bewildered and growing impatient. He asked, "What kind of convoluted nonsense are you two spouting? I, Old Pig, don't understand a word! Taoist, I'll just ask you, what god is this faceless statue dedicated to?"
Seeing this, Sun Wukong jumped forward, grabbed Zhu Bajie by the ear, and scolded, "You idiot, you're so dull! You don't even understand this simple principle! This statue of a deity has no face or form; it is inherently formless."
"To put it simply, when you worship him, if you think of him as the Buddha, then you are worshipping the Buddha; if you think of him as a Bodhisattva, then you are worshipping a Bodhisattva. It all depends on your mind!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Pigsy winced in pain, broke free from the monkey's grasp, and muttered, "You wretched monkey, why are you hitting me again! I was just asking a question, why are you being so fierce!"
"According to you, I think he's Marshal Tianpeng, and worshipping him is like worshipping myself?"
Having said that, he actually straightened his robes, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the statue, which made Sun Wukong burst into laughter.
Seeing this, Tang Sanzang quickly stopped him, saying, "Bajie, stop talking nonsense! Divine statues have no form, so that they may encompass heaven and earth. How can you treat them with such disrespect?"
After saying this, he bowed deeply to the faceless statue.
"This humble monk is foolish and ignorant, unaware of the true form of the deity. I only wish to worship Heaven and Earth and follow the righteous path, praying that my master and I may have a safe journey, reach Leiyin Temple soon, retrieve the true scriptures, and save all living beings in the East."
After Tang Sanzang finished his prayers, Li Fa said, "Elder, your sincerity is as heaven and earth bear witness. We will surely protect you and ensure a smooth journey. It's getting late, so I have prepared your quarters. Please follow me to the back courtyard to rest."