The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 59 - 0 Who Shall Reign Supreme Buddhist Law or
Chapter 59: Chapter 059: Who Shall Reign Supreme: Buddhist Law or Taoist Arts
Chapter 59 -059: Who Shall Reign Supreme: Buddhist Law or Taoist Arts
The story goes that Wukong had repelled the considerable generals Giant Spirit God and Nezha successively, causing the Heavenly Court’s Army to completely lose its fighting spirit. Li Jing, recognizing the futility of their cause, could only order a retreat and sent a letter to Wukong, requesting the release of the Giant Spirit God.
The Giant Spirit God was only a minor deity, and holding him captive was as useless as chicken ribs to Wukong, who couldn’t wait to let him go. Wukong commanded his little demons to unlock the chains and brought the Giant Spirit God, dragging him on a cloud to Li Jing’s military front and tossed him down. The Giant Spirit God landed on the ground, covered in dust, crying out in pain and writhing in agony.
After throwing the Giant Spirit God down, Wukong returned to Water Curtain Cave. Li Jing ordered his men to carry the Giant Spirit God into the camp tent. Seeing no serious injury, he decided to let it pass, commanding his men to dismantle the camp and return to Heavenly Court.
Thus, Heavenly Court’s first military expedition against Flower-Fruit Mountain ended in failure. Li Jing, who had hoped to earn great merit, could only return to the Heavenly Court to report his defeat dejectedly.
Wukong and his brothers joyously laid out a feast, inviting the Seventy-Two Cave Demon Kings, and they celebrated for days and nights before they were willing to rest.
Meanwhile, in the Southern Toad Continent of the Great Han Dynasty, the Daoist Equal to Heaven, along with Yang Jian, was cultivating in the Temple of the True Monarch, occasionally visiting the residence of Liu Cang to give instructions on this and that. In those days, Daoist Equal to Heaven devoted himself daily to the cultivation of the “Sutra of the Other Shore”. He had a deep understanding of the Buddhist principles, and for him, the cultivation of Amitabha Buddha’s scriptures wasn’t arduous; he was merely troubled by the lack of incense power and wishes from worshippers, which impeded his progress in cultivating the Magical Treasures of his golden body.
However, the Daoist Equal to Heaven had a Samsara Pen in his possession. Although it couldn’t exercise the kind of might it had before, it was still a formidable Magical Treasure.
One day, General Cai Yin finally returned to Southern Toad Continent with two high monks from the Buddhist sect, Shemoteng and Zhufalan, entering the territory of the Great Han Dynasty.
Upon arriving in Luoyang City, the common people showed little interest. The reason was that Emperor Liu Zhuang, though considering it an auspicious sign, also feared it might not be authentic, thus he hadn’t publicized the event to avoid potential embarrassment and loss of face. This diplomatic mission of Cai Yin and others was carried out in secrecy; even Emperor Liu Zhuang didn’t fully believe they could actually bring back a Buddha from the West.
Cai Yin’s subordinates had already reported the news to the Imperial Palace. Liu Zhuang, upon hearing the news, was overjoyed and quickly ordered the Imperial Censor, Fu Yi, to arrange a banquet to welcome the Great Holy Men from the West and cleanse them of their travel dust.
Fu Yi advised, “Your Majesty, those monks from the Buddhist sect do not consume meat or alcohol; a vegetarian feast will suffice.”
Emperor Liu Zhuang said, “Hmm, it seems your understanding of Buddhism is quite extensive, minister! Let’s do as you suggest. If these two truly possess great abilities, I will reward you handsomely.”
Fu Yi was overjoyed and said, “I will surely live up to Your Majesty’s expectations.”
The envoys, accompanying the two holy monks, entered the Imperial City, where the palace gates had been opened for them. Red carpets were rolled out and petals were scattered in welcome.
When Emperor Liu Zhuang saw the two bald monks with their fine features and dignified appearances exuding an aura of sainthood, he was quite pleased and stepped down from his jade carriage.
The two monks bowed deeply upon seeing Emperor Liu Zhuang and said, “The humble monks, Shemoteng and Zhufalan, pay their respects to the Son of Heaven of the Great Han.”
An Imperial Censor standing by couldn’t help but scold, “Insolence! Upon seeing His Majesty, how dare you not kneel?”
Emperor Liu Zhuang, too, disliked those who didn’t kneel before him, for the Son of Heaven was a being of unparalleled reverence, before whom everyone must kneel and pay their respects!
After exchanging looks, Shemoteng and Zhufalan reluctantly knelt to spread the Buddhist Law, and since this man was the Emperor of the Eastern Land, a little kneeling wouldn’t hurt.
“The humble monks have come from afar, unaware of the Great Han’s etiquette; we beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness,” Shemoteng prostrated and said.
“Ah! No need for excessive formalities, two holy monks. The Golden Man that appeared in my dreams has long made me yearn for the teachings of the West!” Liu Zhuang immediately cheered up, realizing they didn’t refuse to kneel out of disrespect, but simply because they were unaware of the Great Han’s customs. Thus, they could be excused for their ignorance.
The two holy monks expressed their gratitude once again for the generous pardon from the Emperor of the Great Han and then rose to their feet.
Normally, they would only bow before the Buddha Ancestor; no king of West Cow He State had ever made them kneel.
Emperor Liu Zhuang chuckled, “You two holy monks have traveled a great distance and must be weary. I have prepared a vegetarian feast, please come and dine.”
Shemoteng responded, “It would be disrespectful not to obey, thank you for going to such lengths, Your Majesty.”
As an Emperor, arranging a vegetarian meal was hardly any trouble; it was just the Emperor’s word, and his officials would run around to complete the task. Whatever Emperor Liu Zhuang wanted to do, merely verbalizing it was sufficient to have subordinates eagerly carry it out.
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Emperor Liu Zhuang appreciated the two holy monks’ good looks and aura of humble assertiveness. Their holy demeanor and rational speech made him believe in them even more.
Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian sat upon the clouds, with Yang Jian asking, “When do we take action?”
Daoist Equal to Heaven replied with a smile, “Let’s do it tomorrow. Tomorrow they will surely reveal their talents in the royal court, and we will have Liu Cang invite us to make an appearance. Besides, you are known far and wide as Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun; the Emperor of the Great Han will certainly take you seriously. We must prevent the spread of the Buddhist sect with all our might!”
Yang Jian nodded in agreement, “There will surely be some powerful figures from the Buddhist sect who will step in, and a struggle is inevitable. We must be prepared.”
Daoist Equal to Heaven said, “Those two are under the covert protection of Bodhisattva Guanyin. They are determined to succeed in their mission to the East! Tomorrow, we must severely undermine the Buddhist sect’s vigor, making them dare not underestimate the Eastern Taoist Sects.”
Yang Jian affirmed, “Of course!”
Below, Emperor Liu Zhuang ordered Cai Yin and others to join the feast at the great hall, planning to have a larger banquet with all the officials the following day. As things were a bit rushed today, they would first chat with the two holy monks.
A group of people arrived at the grand hall and took their seats, while maids came forth with plates and drinks, setting them out one by one.
Shemoteng and Zhufalan sat quietly without much talk, answering only when Liu Zhuang posed questions.
Liu Zhuang asked, “I just don’t know whether your Buddhist law is more profound, or the Taoist arts more formidable?”
Shemoteng said, “Naturally, it is the Buddhist law that is more profound.”
Liu Zhuang asked again, “Oh? How so?”
Shemoteng laughed and said, “Your Majesty, during ancient times there were five great calamities of slaughter, and Your Majesty must have heard of the story where Shang was destroyed, Zhou thrived, and Jiang Shang oversaw the divine enthronement.”
Though Liu Zhuang had heard of this part of history, he hadn’t considered there to be any twists to it, and also didn’t understand what ‘calamities of slaughter’ meant, so he asked Shemoteng to explain.
“The so-called calamity of slaughter is initiated by the Heavenly Dao. When Heaven sends down its killing intent, constellations turn and shift. The reason why Heavenly Dao releases a calamity of slaughter is due to the world being laden with too many sins, karmic causes, and forces. The Heavenly Dao seeks to cleanse these karmic forces, thus the calamity is wrought. Coincidentally, it was the time when the Shang was to be vanquished, and the Western Zhou to rise, so among the immortals and humans, some relied on this calamity to settle their own karmic retributions.” Shemoteng spoke eloquently, leaving Liu Zhuang taken aback.
Emperors cannot cultivate immortality; otherwise, if Qin Shi Huang had practiced cultivation, it’s likely that the Great Qin would have remained forever unyielding, and where then would have been the Chu and Han contention for power and the eventual rise of the Han? This is the work of the Heavenly Dao.
Liu Zhuang said, “Hmm… Holy Monk, please continue.”
Shemoteng continued, “This calamity is known as the Great Divine Enthronement Calamity. It involved the twelve disciples of the Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun who faced the calamity. The Emperor of Heaven sought to have the twelve Celestial Chiefs pledge fealty, after which six saints endorsed the Investiture of the Gods, ascending the ranks depending on their destiny. The struggle unfolded around the battle between Shang and Zhou, and at that time, our Western Buddhism had just begun to rise, known as the Western Religion.”
Liu Zhuang listened spellbound.
Shemoteng then recounted the affair of the divine enthronement, where the two saints of the West employed an infallible strategy, greatly advancing the Western Religion, which later renamed itself Buddhism. Judging purely from the story itself, indeed, the Buddhist sect appeared to have gained a significant advantage, slightly surpassing the others.
“Your Majesty!” Liu Cang suddenly stepped forward and said.
“Oh, do you have an opinion,” asked Liu Zhuang.
“I wish to report to Your Majesty, these two monks spoke of the Great Divine Enthronement Calamity, but I am aware that within that calamity, the Patriarch of the Highest Clarity, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, set up an array at Boundary Marker Pass that was supposedly impregnable,” said Liu Cang.
“Oh? What sort of array? Was it eventually broken?” Liu Zhuang asked, curious.
Liu Cang then declared proudly, “This formation is called the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array, consisting of four divine swords, named the Immortal-slaying Sword, Immortal-trapping Sword, Immortal-executing Sword, and Immortal-extinguishing Sword! The four divine swords, arranged according to the formation diagram, transformed into four gateways positioned at Boundary Marker Pass, unbreakable and unrivaled! This sword array is extremely dominant, only breakable by four saints!”
“Which four saints?” asked Liu Zhuang.
“The so-called saints refer to the great mystics from the Daoist Three Pure Ones lineage, not specifically any four individuals. This shows the prowess of Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, who alone laid down the sword array that was impenetrable. Had it not been for the combined efforts of the Western Buddhism saints with the patriarchs of Yuqing and Taqing, how could it have been broken? Therefore, these two monks claiming that our Taoist arts are inferior to the Buddhist law are simply bloviating and spreading nonsense!” Liu Cang said indignantly.
Ordinary people do not understand these matters; that the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating set up the Four Swords of Celestial Slaying at Boundary Marker Pass, forming the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array, was something he learned from a Daoist Equal to Heaven.
Liu Cang’s words immediately reversed the situation; just recently, the two monks were claiming that the Western Religion’s Buddhist law was much more formidable, but now it appears that Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun’s sword array required four individuals to break it. Being one of the Three Pure Ones and a patriarch of the Daoist sect, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun was immediately portrayed as having boundless mana, while the Western Religion’s two saints were far from comparable.
Shemoteng and Zhufalan countered, “That’s merely because our Western saints lacked magical treasures. It’s only that the Patriarch of the Highest Clarity was uniquely favored by Heaven.”
Liu Cang scoffed, “Had it not been for their joint efforts, how could they have been a match for the Patriarch of the Highest Clarity?”
The two sides then began to argue fiercely, words clashing like swords in battle.
Liu Zhuang, growing somewhat impatient with the noise, threw his wine cup to the ground with a clang. Everyone stopped their bickering and turned to look at the Emperor, whose face was as still as water.
Liu Zhuang’s expression softened slightly as he said, “Gentlemen, don’t argue. Whether Buddhist law is more profound or Taoist arts more mysterious, I too wish to know, but quarreling will not yield an answer. Let’s save the debate for court tomorrow. For today, let’s just enjoy a joyful banquet.”
“Your subjects obey the decree.” The officials knelt at their seats, not daring to continue the prior topic or quarrel any further.
Liu Zhuang smiled and said, “No matter what, General Cai has earned outstanding merits this time; I must toast to you.”
Cai Yin hastily responded, “I dare not; I dare not; Your Majesty, you flatter me!”
This exchange of verbal sparring was quelled by Liu Zhuang, to be decided on the morrow.
After all, whether Buddhist law is more profound or Taoist arts more mysterious remains to be seen. Please tune in next time for the resolution.
