Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 275: The Wordless Text Wukong searched for a good strategy to cross the ravine when Wu Ping reminded him, “Great Sage, why not go and ask the Bodhisattva again?” Wukong felt the answer was right before his eyes but just couldn’t figure it out. Stubborn, he ignored Wu Ping and continued to ponder hard. Just as he was deep in thought, a voice came from the sky, “Sun Wukong, I am here by the order of the Eastern Emperor to capture you!” Wukong looked up and saw over a dozen immortals arranged in formation, looking mighty, but he didn’t recognize any of them. Unfazed, Wukong asked, “Who are you? State your names!” One of them said, “You only need to remember the Eight Great Immortals; there’s no need to ask more!” Wukong smiled and asked, “What brings you here?” The immortal replied, “You are too bold and have angered the Eastern Emperor. We’re here to take you back for punishment!” Wukong said, “You fools with eyes but no wisdom! If you want to die, come ahead.” The immortal wielded a long scythe and leaped down from the sky, swinging it at Wukong. With all his anger nowhere to vent—and though he knew the Six-Eared Monkey was impersonating him—he saw no point in explaining. It was better to intimidate them with force to avoid further harassment. He simply raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang, and the scythe vanished without a trace. The immortal’s arms became weak, his palms cracked, and he shouted, “Attack together!” Wukong swung his staff like a tiger among sheep, breaking the bones of these so-called Eight Great Immortals, but he controlled his force and didn’t kill a single one. Wukong said to the immortal, “Go back and tell your master that these wretches are far from enough to capture me.” The immortal left in anger, but Wukong paid him no mind. He knew that though the Eastern Emperor was furious, he also understood the strength of the Heavenly Court well. Most powerful figures stayed in the shadows; those visible, like Emperor Gou Chen and the Heavenly Lord of Saving Sufferers, were the most troublesome, but even they might not obey the Eastern Emperor. As for the rest, who could really harm him? Among the powerful beings in the Ten Continents and Three Islands, only the Three Stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity were somewhat formidable. If the Eastern Emperor really wanted to capture him, he would have to go to Kunlun Island for help. But by then, the Western Heaven surely wouldn’t stand idly by. How could the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother allow things to escalate this far? They would definitely intervene. At that moment, Tang Seng stood up from the ground and paced back and forth. While Wukong fought the Eight Great Immortals, he didn’t inquire further. He simply said, “Wukong, I remember now.” Wukong asked, “What have you remembered, Master?” Tang Seng replied, “Someone once taught me this scripture.” Wukong quickly asked, “Who?”
Tang Seng said, “I simply can’t remember who it was. Besides this scripture, that person also read out a verse to me in detail, which went, ‘The sea of suffering has no bounds; turning back is the shore.’”
Wukong was confused and asked, “Isn’t that just the same verse on the stele? What’s the difference?”
Tang Seng replied, “There’s a big difference. That person said that though the sea of suffering has no bounds, we must not give up on the path ahead. Everyone says turning back is the shore, but who knows if there’s no shore ahead?”
Wukong asked, “Was that person Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?”
Tang Seng’s eyes lit up as he said joyfully, “It seems to really be him. I’ve heard that name before. It’s him! Definitely him!”
Wukong suddenly understood why Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva didn’t wish to become a Buddha. His vow, “I won’t become a Buddha until hell is empty,” was actually just an excuse; in his heart, becoming a Buddha wasn’t considered an honor at all.
The Buddha said the sea of suffering has no bounds and turning back is the shore, but after Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s interpretation, it turned into a lie to deceive people into entering Buddhism. Indeed, though this phrase sounds reasonable, it can’t stand up to scrutiny. If you don’t move forward, how can you know if there’s no shore ahead? Though turning back seems closer, is it really what you want?
Most religions in the world are like this—they elevate themselves while belittling others. According to Buddhism, only your path has a shore, only your path leads to enlightenment, and all other paths are wrong? Absurd!
As Wukong thought about this, he couldn’t help but feel admiration for this unseen Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Seeing this, Tang Seng gathered his strength, adjusted his clothes, and stepped forward toward the bottomless ravine. Wukong quickly shouted, “Master! What are you doing?”
Tang Seng didn’t even turn around and replied calmly, “I’ve figured it out. This side is a shore, but it’s not what I desire. The other shore is what my heart truly wants.”
As Tang Seng continued toward the edge of the ravine without stopping, Wukong quickly leaped over to pull him back. Tang Seng said, “Wherever my heart is, there is a shore beneath my feet. Why should Wukong fear?”
Just as Tang Seng finished speaking, there was a loud roar, and a strong tremor came from beneath their feet. Wukong, fearing an accident, pulled Tang Seng behind him. They saw that the hundred-zhang-wide ravine was gradually closing up. In just a moment, the bottomless ravine disappeared without a trace, not even a crack remaining on the ground.
Everyone was stunned. Wukong was the first to understand and exclaimed, “Congratulations, Master, for achieving enlightenment!” It turned out that this bottomless ravine couldn’t be crossed by magic—it was meant to test Tang Seng’s determination to go west, asking where his “shore” lay. Now that Tang Seng had clarified his resolve, though it didn’t exactly match Ksitigarbha’s thoughts, reason prevailed, and right or wrong couldn’t be determined.
After this ordeal, Tang Seng’s determination to obtain the scriptures grew even stronger, but what he truly thought in his heart remained unfathomable.
While Wukong was still in awe, he realized that so much effort had been put into crossing this bottomless ravine, yet it was passed through so easily. It seemed that the ways of the Dao were truly profound and unfathomable.
Although the Bottomless Gorge had closed, the stone tablet on the ground remained. Everyone carefully crossed over. Unkong turned his head casually and noticed that there were words on the back of the tablet. He remembered clearly when he first entered the gorge that the back was a blank slate with not a single word on it. How could there be words now?
Unkong examined those four words closely, and his mind buzzed. What exactly did Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva intend to do? Or had he also traveled through time? How did he manage to have these four words engraved on the tablet? It really gave Unkong a shock.
The four words were—Buddha, Origin, Is, Dao!
“Buddha Is Dao” is a web novel from later generations. Although Unkong had never read it, he had heard of it. Those four words were indeed engraved on the back of the tablet: Buddha Is Dao. What did that mean?
Was Buddhism originally Taoism? Was the Buddha originally a Taoist? Or were Buddhism and Taoism indistinguishable—Buddha is Dao, and Dao is Buddha? Were Buddhism and Taoism of the same origin?
Though it were only four words, three of them were difficult to explain, making it hard to figure out their meaning. “Buddha” could refer to the Buddha, Buddhism, or the Dharma; “Origin” could mean origin, essence, or foundation; “Dao” could refer to Taoism, Taoists, or the ultimate truth of heaven and earth. Unkong’s head ached from thinking, yet he still couldn’t understand.
Then he thought, since Tang Seng said he and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had once been destined to meet, perhaps these four words were meant for Tang Seng. Unkong called out, “Master, come and take a look.”
Tang Seng turned around and asked, “What to look at?”
Unkong pointed at the stone tablet. Huh? How had those four words disappeared again?
Tang Seng asked again, “Unkong, what is it?”
Unkong thought that since they were gone, perhaps Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva didn’t want Tang Seng to see them, so he decided not to mention it. He said, “The Bottomless Gorge is gone, but the stone tablet remains. Future generations who come here will wonder why the ground is flat with no sign of a deep gorge.”
Unkong was just casually changing the subject, but Tang Seng pondered it very seriously. He said, “Unkong, everyone has a gorge in their heart. Some can cross it, while others cannot. Those who can cross it have fortune; those who can’t… perhaps also have fortune.”
Unkong was speechless for a moment. After going through this ordeal, Tang Seng had suddenly become more sensitive, always seeking logic in everything. Unkong said, “Master, how can those who can cross and those who can’t be the same?”
Tang Seng replied, “Some people are on this shore and want to reach the other shore, thinking that the other shore is a pure land. Yet on the other shore, countless people also want to come to this shore, thinking that this shore is paradise. In that case, aren’t those who can cross and those who can’t the same? Can we tell which is right and which is wrong?”
Wukong really wanted to ask Tang Seng, “Have you read Qian Zhongshu’s Fortress Besieged?” He casually replied, “Wherever my true heart lies, that is right!”
Tang Seng retorted, “If you’re wrong from the start, then your true heart is also wrong—everything will be wrong!”
Wukong said, “Master, there’s nothing in this world that can make everyone consider it good. I’ll just stick to my own heart. What do others say? Why worry about it?” After saying this, Wukong stepped forward, leaving Tang Seng alone to ponder.
Wuhui wondered, “Senior brother, why don’t you care about the master?”
Wukong replied, “The master is still stuck in thinking about right and wrong. By the time he figures it out, we might have gone far.”
Hearing this, Tang Seng started walking again, smiling and saying, “Good, Wukong. I’ll think while I move—how about that?”
Wukong said, “That’s exactly what we need!”
Meanwhile, on the Immortal Island, the true immortals from the Eight Great Caves were thoroughly defeated by Wukong, all covered in wounds. They went to Emperor Donghua to complain.
Seeing them return injured, Emperor Donghua asked, “Did you manage to talk to that monkey and make him come to apologize to me and stop troubling Zhu Bajie? If so, I’ll let it go.”
One of the true immortals said, “Of course we tried, but that monkey didn’t say a word and just started hitting us.”
Emperor Donghua asked further, “Did Tang Seng try to stop him?”
The true immortal replied, “Tang Seng didn’t even look; he just closed his eyes and chanted scriptures.” Having suffered such a great loss, how could they speak well of Sun Wukong? They exaggerated their stories, claiming that Sun Wukong had slandered and degraded the Taoist sect and planned to conquer the Ten Continents and Three Islands to use them as a preaching ground for Buddhism and Taoism.
Hearing how arrogant Sun Wukong was, Emperor Donghua became furious again and said, “Who will go capture Sun Wukong? I must lock him up for a few years to ensure his quest for the scriptures fails!”
Seeing that even the golden immortals of the Eight Great Caves had suffered greatly, no one dared volunteer, and the atmosphere turned cold.
Dongfang Shuo stepped forward and said, “Master, this matter concerns the reputation of Taoism—it’s not just a matter related to our Ten Continents and Three Islands. How about we consult the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones before making a decision?”
Dongfang Shuo was always slick and extremely cunning. He knew well that although the Ten Continents and Three Islands were famous, most of the powerful golden immortals, after passing through the Taiyuan Palace, were chosen by the Kunlun Island to ascend to the Great Luo Heaven, with none remaining there to continue their cultivation.
But it was difficult to find anyone on the Ten Continents and Three Islands who could match Sun Wukong. While spiritual power was important, fighting was another matter. Influenced by the local atmosphere, most of the immortals there focused on achieving immortality and living in peace, without bothering to craft magical weapons or learn spells to fight others.
Upon hearing this, the Eastern Emperor understood Dong Fang Shuo’s intention and said, “Good, Manqian, come with me to the Great Luo Heaven.”