Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 309: Right and Wrong

Wukong examined carefully. This person wore a precious jewel on his head and a robe made of seven treasures, with a throne below emitting the radiance of relics. It was clear he held the highest status in Buddhism.
Was it Zhenwu? His appearance undoubtedly matched Zhenwu, but the Dragon Maiden said this person was a Bodhisattva? When did Zhenwu become a Bodhisattva? Had he been subdued by Tathagata?
Suddenly, Zhenwu spoke, “Master Longshu, what brings you to my Dragon Palace?”
Wukong suddenly realized that he was not himself at this moment, but someone named Master Longshu. Strange—how had he ended up in this mysterious realm again? Who exactly was this Master Longshu, and what was his connection to him?
Longshu did not reply but bowed deeply, as if making a request.
Zhenwu laughed and said, “Many have come from the West. What ability do you have to take away the treasures of my Dragon Palace?”
Longshu replied, “I ask out of respect for the Great Dragon King Bodhisattva.”
Only then did Wukong understand that Master Longshu had come to the Dragon Palace to steal treasures, and that Zhenwu must be the Dragon King Bodhisattva. This was not the first time he had found himself in such a strange situation—once in Honghaier’s dream, and the other time in the netherworld learning about Zhu Bajie’s pig-like nature. Based on these experiences, it seemed that what he saw now—Longshu and Zhenwu—also happened at some point in the past.
Zhenwu had even been a Bodhisattva before? That was truly unexpected. Judging by his status, Zhenwu must have held a high position. But it was unclear when this took place—was it during the time when the Buddha Ran Deng was in charge, or now under Tathagata?
Zhenwu said, “It seems you understand the rules. Then I’ll ask my question.”
Hearing that Zhenwu intended to ask, Longshu stopped bowing and stood upright, looking straight at him. Wukong observed Master Longshu closely—his eyes were clear, his expression calm. Facing the highly respected Zhenwu, he showed neither fear nor excitement, nor arrogance nor humility. Just this alone showed that he was by no means an ordinary person.
Zhenwu, standing above him, showed no sign of disrespect as he slowly asked, “In the current world, where do all dharmas in birth, death, and nirvana reside?”
Longshu replied without hesitation, “All dharmas, past and future, exist entirely within the realm of pure clarity and emptiness.”
Zhenwu then asked, “And where is this realm of pure clarity and emptiness?”
Longshu replied, “Pure clarity and emptiness are the true nature of Tathata.”
Zhenwu appeared somewhat confused. Longshu’s answer was too vague. Tathata was the Buddha nature; if so, all dharmas ultimately belonged to the Buddha. This explanation seemed rather narrow.
Zhenwu asked again, “Could you explain ‘pure clarity and emptiness’ in more detail?”

Nagarjuna spoke eloquently, saying, “Great Dragon King Bodhisattva, listen carefully. Spiritual clarity and emptiness arise from awareness, which in turn brings clarity. Once spiritual nature becomes truly spiritual, one sees pure and bright light, utterly clear. Thus, the terms ‘spiritual’ and ‘clear’ are inseparable. Without spirit, there is no clarity; without clarity, there is no spirit.”

“‘Emptiness’ means the absence of inherent nature. All phenomena arise from causes and conditions; I say these are empty. There is nothing in emptiness; not a single thing exists.”

“‘Stillness’ refers to the eternal stillness of heaven and earth, the single mind of awareness—unchanging, unshaken, neither coming nor going. This is what ‘stillness’ means.”

Zhenwu pondered for a long time before nodding and saying, “Your insights are quite good. But since you say clarity arises from awareness, what if there is no awareness?”

Nagarjuna replied, “All sentient beings possess awareness.”

“Then where does this awareness come from, and where is it at ordinary times?” Zhenwu asked.

Nagarjuna smiled slightly and said, “It was never born; what can it rely on?”

Zhenwu continued, “What about awareness in the cycle of birth and death?”

Nagarjuna answered, “The awareness within the body has never experienced birth or death. It’s like a dream in which one is driven about, yet the true body remains at peace; like water turning into ice, its inherent wetness remains unchanged.” Even Wukong understood these words—they meant that awareness is neither born nor dies, just like a person being forced to work in a dream, yet the true body remains calm, or like water turning into ice but retaining its original wetness.

Since he could explain the terms ‘spiritual clarity’ in detail and speak of emptiness without inherent nature, Wukong felt it was related to the spiritual ape.

The more Wukong observed Nagarjuna, the more he thought he was extraordinary, and he felt a sense of closeness toward him. Yet he also wondered why, given Nagarjuna’s profound mastery of Buddhism, his name had never been heard before.

Then Zhenwu said, “Good. Even if what you say is true—that all sentient beings have awareness—what exactly can be done with it?”

Nagarjuna’s expression grew solemn. After pondering for a while, he said, “It’s no different from Buddha!”

Zhenwu was shocked. “What did you say? All sentient beings are no different from Buddha? By your words, anyone can become a Buddha?”

Nagarjuna affirmed, “Exactly!”

Zhenwu asked, “Then why do so few people become Buddhas?”

After further reflection, Nagarjuna replied, “It’s because they lose their original heart.”

Hearing this, Zhenwu laughed in surprise. “As you say, if one doesn’t lose their original heart, they can become a Buddha? Then becoming a Buddha seems quite simple.”

Nagarjuna shook his head. “That’s precisely where the difficulty lies.”

Zhenwu gestured for Nagarjuna to continue. Nagarjuna said, “Buddha-nature is inherently pure, empty, and unique. As long as one’s original heart isn’t tainted by ignorance and afflictions, affected by worldly dust, then there is no sense of separation, no descent into evil thoughts, no sinking into delusion… But as long as one awakens, they can turn confusion into awareness and impurity into purity. This is when awareness turns into spirit.”

Zhenwu asked, “When tainted by dust, do sentient beings suffer greatly?”

Nagarjuna replied, “Their suffering is beyond description.”

Zhenwu asked, “Where does this source of suffering come from?”
Nagarjuna replied, “Suffering arises from the absence of an ego.”
Zhenwu frowned and said, “Where is this ego?”
Nagarjuna pointed at Zhenwu, implying that he was the ego.
Zhenwu said, “What is true now may not be true tomorrow.” This made sense too—by pointing at me, you mean the me at this moment, not the me from before; so after I speak, I am no longer the me at this moment.
Nagarjuna shook his head with a smile and said, “Deceiving oneself.”
Zhenwu also shook his head and said, “Bluffing others.” Clearly, he meant that Nagarjuna couldn’t justify his own words.
Nagarjuna said, “The so-called absence of an ego is an extension of understanding ‘emptiness,’ but those who seek only liberation have gone astray. Those who keep saying ‘there is no ego’ still have an ‘ego’ intact. If you claim ‘what is true now may not be true tomorrow,’ then try cutting off your own arm and see if it really isn’t the same as before. If your arm is intact the moment after you cut it off, then I’ll acknowledge your theory of ‘what is true now may not be true tomorrow.’”
Zhenwu was stunned for a moment before laughing and saying, “There’s some truth to that. Enough. Let me ask you again: you say suffering arises from the absence of an ego. How can one escape suffering?”
Nagarjuna replied, “By not losing one’s true nature, one escapes suffering.”
Zhenwu thought for a while and said, “If you don’t lose your true nature, you have no attachments or self-control, so naturally, you suffer no pain. But I’m afraid it’s others who will suffer.”
Nagarjuna said, “Not losing one’s true nature helps others retain theirs. Since there is no suffering, it is ultimate bliss!”
Wukong was extremely shocked upon hearing this. What Nagarjuna said was exactly the same as what he had said himself, word for word, even the expression and tone seemed identical. He had never heard these words before. When Laojun asked him, he had only spoken from intuition. Now, hearing Nagarjuna say them, he couldn’t tell whether it was Nagarjuna who had said them or himself.
“Not losing one’s true nature helps others retain theirs…” Zhenwu repeated these words to himself several times with downcast eyes, then looked up at Nagarjuna and repeated them. Nagarjuna met his gaze calmly and said solemnly, “Exactly. Not losing one’s true nature helps others retain theirs. All beings possess Buddha-nature!”
Suddenly, Zhenwu exclaimed, “Good! Then I’ll place my burden on you!”
As soon as he said this, Longnu joyfully entered the back hall, carrying a gold and jade inlaid box. She handed the box to Zhenwu and stood beside him, her beautiful eyes fixed on Nagarjuna.
Nagarjuna had been fearless during his conversation with Zhenwu, but upon seeing Longnu looking at him, he became uneasy, not knowing where to put his hands and feet. Fortunately, Zhenwu paid no attention.

Zhenwu opened the jade box and said, “In the past, the Buddha of the Lamp entrusted this scripture to me and instructed practitioners in the West, regardless of rank or status, to come to my Dragon Palace to obtain treasures. I have examined thousands of people but found none who truly grasped its essence. Only Master Longshu has filled me with admiration.”

Master Longshu thanked Zhenwu and spoke humbly for a while. Zhenwu added, “Perhaps it is through you that Buddhism will flourish.” Longshu replied, “Whether there is a ‘self’ or not is just a matter of time.” What he meant was that with him, Longshu, Buddhism would flourish right away; without a self, it was uncertain when that would happen.

Zhenwu appreciated Longshu’s straightforward nature and signaled the Dragon Maiden to hand over the box. Longshu took the jade box from the Dragon Maiden’s hands and thanked Zhenwu again. As he raised his head, he saw the Dragon Maiden staring at him with her eyes as clear and bright as water.

Wukong felt dizzy. It seemed he had become Longshu at that moment. He steadied himself and opened his eyes. Before him was indeed the Dragon Maiden, looking at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Wukong felt his body rising and falling. Upon checking, he found himself lying on the water’s surface. The Dragon Maiden leaned down concernfully and asked, “What’s wrong? How did you suddenly fall into the water?”

Wukong didn’t know how to answer her, so he simply closed his eyes and recalled what had happened. The changes were sudden and full of mysteries. As Wukong pieced things together, he gradually began to understand.

It turned out Zhenwu had not always been in the Heavenly Court; he had once been the Dragon King Bodhisattva in Buddhism’s Western Realm. Judging by his status, he was a being of extraordinary importance. Perhaps for this reason, the Buddha of the Lamp had placed such an important scripture with him.

Later, Zhenwu said, “Buddhism will flourish through you.” Could this scripture be closely related to the spread of Buddhist teachings? Zhenwu had gone through many hardships—chased by the Phoenix and Xiangliu, serving as the Supreme God in the Heavenly Court, and even harboring ambitions to replace the Jade Emperor. Could all this be connected to his past role as the Dragon King Bodhisattva? Could Zhenwu actually be a spy sent from the Western Realm to the Heavenly Court?

No! The Phoenix and Xiangliu were closely tied to the Tathagata. If Zhenwu were one of them, why would they imprint a mark on him and pursue him relentlessly?

Master Longshu was quite mysterious, seemingly having some connection to him. It was obvious from the outside that the Dragon Maiden had feelings for Longshu, and she also showed strange behavior when she saw him—another puzzling matter.

Could it be…? Wukong’s mind surged with thoughts as he formed a bold hypothesis: Could he be the reincarnation of Bodhisattva Longshu? If so, it seemed the game in the Western Realm had been planned for a long time…