Volume 1: Unsayable, Chapter 14: The Great Path Achieved

In the main hall of Sanxing Cave, Patriarch Subhuti sat motionless like a statue. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew in from outside, causing the strands of his dust whisk to flutter slightly, enhancing his otherworldly aura and divine appearance.
Hui Neng rushed in from outside, followed by a group of acolytes. Their expressions varied—some looked anxious, some confused, and some gleamed with schadenfreude.
All his disciples knew that Patriarch Subhuti was extremely strict, forbidding anger and wrath. Given Hui Neng’s demeanor, it was clear he would be punished.
Sure enough, Patriarch Subhuti opened his slightly lowered eyes. Hui Neng and the others felt as if a cold wind had blown across them, filling them with fear, and they all knelt on the ground.
“What’s the rush?” Patriarch Subhuti asked calmly.
Hui Neng replied, “Please forgive me, Patriarch. The situation is truly strange, so I hurried to report it to you and stepped faster.”
“All forms are illusory; what troubles you is your mind,” the Patriarch instructed.
Hui Neng agreed repeatedly. The Patriarch gave him a meaningful look and said, “Follow me to the back hall.” With that, he turned and left through the back door, and Hui Neng hurried after him.
In the back hall, Hui Neng repeated what Wukong had told him in the backyard about his dream. After listening, the Patriarch remained silent for a while, then asked how many people had heard about it before waving him to leave.
A Buddha with a six-zhang-tall golden body—this was indeed interesting. Could it really be the Buddha, the current ruler of the world who “achieves all righteousness and all matters”? Few knew about the Stone Monkey—only Laojun, Zhenwu, and he himself. Could it be that Grand Sage Wang the Bodhisattva had leaked the information? Patriarch Subhuti’s slightly closed eyelids twitched, revealing a sharp glint.
If that were the case, this matter couldn’t be delayed. He had intended to tame the Stone Monkey’s wild nature to prevent him from being too reckless and ruining his plans. But now, the Stone Monkey had developed intelligence beyond his expectations. Success lies with Buddha, and completion lies with heaven—let’s see what happens.
“Someone!” Patriarch Subhuti called softly. An acolyte appeared out of nowhere and bowed deeply to him. “Bring that Stone Monkey here!” the Patriarch said, taking a deep breath.
At that moment, the Stone Monkey was scheming in the backyard. He had resorted to this tactic out of necessity. Even if someone from another era had come, they wouldn’t be able to fathom Patriarch Subhuti’s character. Though he knew for sure that Subhuti would take him as a disciple and teach him martial arts, it was uncertain how long he would have to wait. If it really took seven years, as written in the books, it would be unbearable for him.

He deliberately created confusion by bringing up a dreamer whose appearance was said to resemble that of the Tathagata. This matter would surely reach Master Subhuti’s ears. If Master Subhuti was determined to take him as a disciple, he would not allow anyone else to interfere. Hearing that the Tathagata was actually interested in the Stone Monkey, he must have grown suspicious. The most likely outcome would be that the Tathagata would impart divine powers to the Stone Monkey in advance, thus establishing a master-disciple relationship. Once things had progressed this far, given the Stone Monkey’s honest and upright nature, he would naturally not rebel.

The Stone Monkey knew that he had played nothing but a pawn role throughout the Journey to the West. Who held this pawn in their hands was not something he could decide. He could only let things take their course and gradually strengthen his own strength if he wanted a chance to lift the veil covering the true faces of immortals, Buddhas, and demons, to uncover the truth.

Master Subhuti, who exactly are you?

As he pondered this, a Taoist boy came in through the courtyard gate and called out, “Younger brother Wukong, your master wants you to go over.” Wukong nodded and followed the boy.

Upon arriving in the rear hall, he saw the master sitting gracefully on a couch. The Taoist boy led Wukong there and then left. Wukong assumed a humble and fearful attitude and paid his respects to the master.

The master said kindly, “Has Wukong settled in well these past two months?”

Wukong replied, “I’ve settled in well, really well. It’s just that I’m too idle.”

“Hehe, as the saying goes, idle people have many dreams. Starting today, your master will teach you the methods of cultivating immortality. Are you willing to learn?”

Wukong thought to himself, This is exactly why I came. Only a fool wouldn’t learn. “I want to learn, I definitely want to.”

“I have 360 different techniques. Which one do you want to learn?”

“Well…” Wukong began to consider carefully.

In Journey to the West, the master listed four major paths—techniques, schools, stillness, and movement—all of which, it was said, could not lead to immortality. Naturally, Wukong wouldn’t learn them. Was that really the case? Or perhaps the master never intended to teach these techniques to Wukong at all?

Thinking of this, Wukong said, “As a newcomer to this path, I don’t understand its mysteries. Please, master, enlighten me.”

The master then explained in detail each of the four paths—techniques, schools, stillness, and movement. After that, Wukong fell into deep thought. The techniques path focused on summoning immortals, divination, and understanding how to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune. The schools path involved the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and the School of Yin-Yang—methods of studying scriptures and chanting. The stillness path dealt with meditation and deep concentration. As for the movement path, it was more familiar to him—focused on practices such as cultivating yin and yang, massaging the navel, using medicinal formulas, and burning herbs in cauldrons.

Wukong thought hard but couldn’t be sure. All these paths to enlightenment involved profound knowledge, and since they came from the Patriarch, they surely weren’t mere gimmicks. He glanced secretly and saw that the Patriarch remained expressionless, giving no hints and showing no urgency.

Wukong pretended to scratch his head for a while before saying, “It’s hard to achieve immortality. If I don’t learn, I won’t be able to.”

The Patriarch chuckled and said, “If you’re here for immortality, that’s quite simple. I’ll give you a few pills; taking them will prolong your life. But what if you lack the skills to protect yourself from swords, axes, thunder, and lightning in the future?”

Wukong suddenly realized that the Patriarch never intended to teach him the way to immortality. His goal was to impart to him the seventy-two transformations and martial arts skills.

Wukong immediately knelt down and said, “Patriarch, I understand now. Although taking the pills can grant immortality, having a long life doesn’t mean having the ability to survive. Please teach me a lasting method, the true path to immortality.”

Subhuti Patriarch nodded and said, “You grasp things quickly. Remember, you were born uniquely, different from others. I’ll teach you a quick method to spare you the hardship of meditation and energy cultivation, so you can achieve great things.”

Heh, finally it was time for the exciting part, Wukong thought to himself with joy.

The Patriarch instructed Wukong to lie flat on the ground. With a wave of his dust whisk, Wukong fell asleep.

“Nine transformations inward—this will ensure your life force endures endlessly. Don’t disappoint me,” the Patriarch muttered an incantation. A stream of air surrounded Wukong, with strands of milky-white energy emerging from within, passing through his nine orifices, and circulating back in, all entering through his fontanelle. “Truly extraordinary!” the Patriarch praised. The silver threads on his dust whisk trembled as he pointed into the air.

The milky-white energy flowed throughout Wukong’s body, growing denser and faster, eventually gathering in his dantian to form a golden pill.

After completing the ritual, the Patriarch inwardly exclaimed, “Amazing!” It was thanks to the Golden Elixir of Laozi; otherwise, it would have taken at least two or three years to establish a foundation. Though Wukong possessed much innate potential, he didn’t know how to utilize it. The power of Laozi’s Golden Elixir naturally channeled his innate energy into his dantian, like rivers converging into the sea.

Subhuti Patriarch awakened the stone monkey and taught him another method for cultivating energy. This method was profound and mysterious; mastering it could lead to endless possibilities, but how much one could understand depended on their innate aptitude.

This mantra was exactly the same as in the original “Journey to the West”:
“The profound and secret, the complete and wonderful mantra—there’s no other way to cultivate life. It all boils down to essence, energy, and spirit. Guard them tightly and don’t let them leak. Keep them hidden within you, and by following my teachings, you’ll thrive. Memorizing this mantra brings great benefits; rid yourself of evil desires for peace of mind.”

Coolness and bright light—perfect for admiring the moon on the immortal terrace.
The moon hides the jade rabbit, the sun hides the crows; turtles and snakes entwine around each other.
Entwined together, their life force becomes strong, enabling them to grow golden lotuses in fire.
By reversing the five elements, one can achieve Buddhahood or immortality once the practice is complete.
Wukong had already memorized this mantra thoroughly. It wasn’t just because of anything else, but because Subhuti was truly too mysterious—every word and action of his could not be taken lightly. After hearing it just once, Wukong recited the mantra aloud. The patriarch, pleased by his quick understanding and memory, explained the mantra in detail to him.
The so-called “manifest and esoteric, complete and universal” refers to the need to master both the exoteric and esoteric teachings. Following only the esoteric path is considered heterodox, while relying solely on the exoteric path leads to slow progress. As for what exactly constitutes exoteric and esoteric teachings, the patriarch did not elaborate much, merely brushing it aside lightly.
Little did he know that Wukong had already investigated thoroughly in his past life: exoteric teachings are those that are clear and easy to understand. They refer to various schools of Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, all of which adapt to the capacities of sentient beings, presenting theories and methods for dispelling delusions, realizing truth, cultivating causes, and attaining fruits. They are teachings tailored to individual needs, hence the name “exoteric.”