Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 319: Three Lifetimes

King Ksitigarbha had not spoken yet when Di Ting spoke up, saying, “I am the Hearing of Fate.”
Di Ting’s voice was extremely muffled, as if coming from deep beneath the earth. Not only was Wukong shocked, but King Ksitigarbha also showed a look of surprise. He asked Wukong, “Do you know how many years it has been since he last spoke?”
Wukong naturally shook his head. How could he care about how long Di Ting had been silent? He hurriedly asked, “The Hearing of Fate? What is that?”
King Ksitigarbha replied, “It listens to all the sounds of fate.”
Wukong fell silent for a moment. He knew that Di Ting could hear everything from the thirty-six heavens down to the depths of the netherworld—a truly remarkable ability. If it listened to all the sounds of fate, then surely no sound in this world could escape its ears?
King Ksitigarbha understood what Wukong was thinking and said, “Though it can hear everywhere, there is only one Di Ting.”
Wukong immediately understood. Countless great events occurred in this world in an instant. Although Di Ting was extremely good at listening, it had only one heart. Even if it listened all day long, how much could it actually hear? Still, this was enviable enough. If such an ability were given to him… Goodness, no secret could escape his ears!
Wukong then remembered that strange feeling from earlier and asked, “What is the origin of Di Ting, and what is its connection to the Divine Monkey?”
King Ksitigarbha replied, “It is part of Pangu’s lineage and is somewhat related to the Divine Monkey as well.”
Wukong remembered Kunpeng saying that the essence of fate was divided into nine parts: Pangu got three, Kunpeng got two, the Seven Divine Monkeys got one, and the rest scattered throughout the world. Since Di Ting was part of Pangu’s lineage, it must also be derived from the essence of fate. No wonder it felt so similar to the encounter with Kunpeng.
King Ksitigarbha continued, “After Pangu created the heavens, his body merged with the earth, and they have been inseparable ever since. He is the earth, and the earth is him. But he had three extraordinary abilities related to fate, which he passed on to three people. One of them is the Hearing of Fate.”
Wukong asked, “Why was it passed on only to Di Ting? Is there any reason for that?”
King Ksitigarbha shook his head and said, “I don’t know either.”
Wukong asked, “What are the other two abilities?”
King Ksitigarbha replied, “One is the Eye of Fate, and the other is the Judgment of Fate.”
The Eye of Fate? The Judgment of Fate? What were those?
Wukong thought for a moment and asked, “Can the Eye of Fate see all aspects of fate?”
King Ksitigarbha nodded and said, “Exactly.”
Wukong shook his head and said, “The Seven Divine Monkeys possess such abilities. Could that also be the Eye of Fate?”
King Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “What you see are only minor aspects of fate; you cannot see the greater aspects.”

Wukong asked, “Then what exactly is great fortune, and how can one see it?”
Ksitigarbha King smiled and said, “There is no real distinction between great and small fortune. What you see are merely the fortunes of individual fruits, leaves, or people. If one develops the eye of fortune, they can see the workings of fortune in heaven and earth, and it will naturally be very different.”
“What? The eye of fortune can be developed later in life?” Wukong asked in surprise.
Ksitigarbha King was also puzzled and said, “Aren’t you already practicing it?”
Huh? One shock after another struck Wukong, who exclaimed, “Could it be—the Secret of the Mysterious Sky?”
Ksitigarbha King replied, “Exactly!”
“Then the one who passed down the eye of fortune must be the Nine Heavens’ Mysterious Maiden.”
Ksitigarbha King nodded in agreement. Wukong realized that the Secret of the Mysterious Sky was indeed an extraordinary skill. Both Dayu and the Three Pure Ones spoke highly of it, with Laojun even saying it represented the culmination of the Nine Heavens’ Mysterious Maiden’s two lifetimes. He never knew, however, that this skill stemmed from the realization of the eye of fortune.
Wukong asked further, “Is there any way to develop the ear of fortune?”
Ksitigarbha King shook his head and said, “Only the eye of fortune can be developed through this method. The ear of fortune and the judgment of fortune are not possible. You are a Divine Ape of Fortune, possessing the essence of fortune within you, which is why you can develop the eye of fortune. Others cannot.”
Wukong said, “That’s not right. This mantra was taught to me by the God Erlang, Yang Jian—”
“Yang Jian only reached the second level. No matter what, he cannot learn beyond that,” Ksitigarbha King added, “He will never be able to.”
Wukong blurted out, “How do you know?”
“Because I am the judgment of fortune,” Ksitigarbha King replied calmly.
Wukong was no longer surprised. Too many shocks had come his way today. He remembered Hou Tu once saying that Di Ting was best at distinguishing good from evil and the wise from the foolish. Since he recognized Ksitigarbha King Bodhisattva as his master, he naturally believed that Ksitigarbha King Bodhisattva was the most virtuous and wise person in the world.
It now seemed that it was Ksitigarbha King, not Di Ting, who was best at distinguishing good from evil and the wise from the foolish. Perhaps Di Ting followed Ksitigarbha King because both of them inherited Pangu’s lineage of fortune.
“What’s the use of the judgment of fortune?” Wukong asked.
Ksitigarbha King replied, “To remain unmoved by fortune and discern all good and evil in the world.”
Wukong asked again, “Then why are you only here to save people?”
“If people are good, everything is good,” Ksitigarbha King said.
Wukong asked further, “So am I good or evil?”
“Fortune itself has no concept of good or evil. In my view, you are naturally good.”
Wukong didn’t understand and said, “If there’s no good or evil, why am I good?”
“Because I uphold the heart of fortune. You and I share the same origin, so naturally you are good.”

Wukong understood. Since Ksitigarbha was kind, then Diting was too, and naturally, the Nine Heavens Goddess was kind as well. Thinking of this, he felt much more at ease. The struggles in this world were already complex enough; if the Nine Heavens Goddess had any hidden schemes, things would truly become chaotic.

Recalling the incident with the Boundless Gorge, Wukong asked, “What does it mean that Buddha is essentially Tao?”

Ksitigarbha glanced at Wukong and said, “That’s all there is to it—Buddha is essentially Tao.”

“Is the Tathagata a Taoist? Is Buddhism Taoism? Or something else?”

“All of them. It’s either Buddha or Tao; it’s just a different name—what’s the difference?” said Ksitigarbha.

“What exactly does the Heavenly Court want to achieve, and what does the Tathagata want to do?” Wukong pressed further.

“Both want to survive.”

“Is the Calamity of the Beginning Real or False?”

“Of course it’s real.”

“Is it man-made, or is it just the way of the universe?”

Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “That’s too difficult a question—even Pangu wouldn’t know.”

Wukong, who usually had countless questions, didn’t know what to ask in front of Ksitigarbha. Ksitigarbha, aware of Wukong’s thoughts, wasn’t in a hurry and simply watched him with a smile.

Focusing on the present, Wukong asked, “What’s the mystery behind the River of Mother and Child? Who created it?”

Ksitigarbha replied, “Search along the river.”

Wukong slapped his thigh. How could he be so stupid? He had entered the River of Mother and Child and tried to go upstream to find its source. But after seeing the Cradle of Creation, his thoughts changed, and he ended up in the netherworld.

Wukong asked again, “When will the struggles in the world cease?”

Ksitigarbha said, “No one knows about things in the future.”

Before Wukong could ask more, Ksitigarbha stopped him and said, “Wukong, the fate of the world depends on you. Why ask others?”

Wukong replied, “I can’t be satisfied without asking.” Then he asked, “Why did the Bodhisattva set up the Boundless Gorge as an obstacle?”

Ksitigarbha said, “She doesn’t want to see the struggles in the world, nor does she want the quest to succeed.”

“Oh? Why doesn’t she want the quest to succeed?”

Ksitigarbha shook his head and said, “She simply doesn’t want it.”

Wukong asked, “You don’t know the reason either?”

Ksitigarbha replied, “I truly don’t know. I just feel that if the quest succeeds, the world will change.”

Wukong said, “Even if Buddhism spreads to the Eastern Lands, it shouldn’t change the world, right?”

Ksitigarbha shook his head again and said, “It’s not that. With each step you take westward, I feel more distressed.”

Wukong really couldn’t understand. It seemed that every step taken by the quest group hurt Ksitigarbha’s heart. Wukong smiled and said, “Bodhisattva, you say no one knows about the future. It must be because you’re too worried.”

Ksitigarbha replied, “The future hasn’t arrived yet, so I dare not speak rashly.”

Wukong asked, “Then what should we do? Should we still go on the quest?”

Ksitigarbha King said, “Follow the trend—I won’t interfere again.”
Wukong secretly kept these words in mind. Since Ksitigarbha King had inherited the lineage of Pangu’s creation, he surely wouldn’t speak casually. His mention of the pilgrims heading west saddened Wukong. Though he didn’t know the reason, there must be a reason behind it. But now, the quest for the scriptures must not be abandoned halfway. If they didn’t reach the Western Heaven, how could they expose Buddha’s scheme?
Wukong thought back to past events. The fact that Guanyin had switched sides seemed suspicious to him. Not knowing if Ksitigarbha King was aware of this, he asked, “Was Guanyin Bodhisattva initially very close to the Eastern Buddha?”
Ksitigarbha King nodded.
“Why did she later join Buddha’s camp?”
Ksitigarbha King looked slightly surprised. “You even know about this?”
Wukong replied, “It’s just a guess; I don’t know the details.”
Ksitigarbha King said, “Dieting happened to share this with me through telepathy, so I’ll tell you. Guanyin changed sides because Buddha used tactics to cut off her life force. She went to the Ten Continents in search of an elixir of immortality and stole the ginseng fruits from the Five Mansions Temple, causing a big uproar.”
“The Heavenly Court naturally refused to reveal Guanyin Bodhisattva’s true identity, so they informed the Buddha. Once Buddha realized his goal was achieved, he gave her an antidote. ‘Once bitten by a snake, one fears ropes for years.’ From then on, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to serving Buddha. That’s roughly how it happened.”
Wukong was amazed. Buddha truly had clever tactics—capable of cutting off Guanyin’s life force. And Guanyin also had ways to turn the situation into a major scandal. It seemed hopeless, but in reality, it was a well-planned strategy. At least Buddha intended to keep her, so he would save her. He never expected such undercurrents within Buddhism—human hearts were truly unpredictable.
With Buddhism on his mind, Wukong naturally thought of his past life as Nagarjuna Bodhisattva. He asked, “Was I Nagarjuna Bodhisattva in my past life?”
Ksitigarbha King smiled. “You were very close to me in your past life. Don’t you remember at all?”
Wukong replied shamefully, “I really don’t remember anything.”
“Then how do you know you were Nagarjuna?”
Wukong smiled. “I tricked it out of Laozi; I didn’t remember it myself.”
Ksitigarbha King laughed. “Clever trick.”
Wukong asked further, “What did Nagarjuna Bodhisattva do?”
Ksitigarbha King said, “Nagarjuna was extremely intelligent. His knowledge of Buddhism was profound, and his theory of emptiness was unmatched in the world. Especially his concept of ‘the way of the original mind,’ which aligned with the way of creation—even I greatly admired it.”
Wukong said, “To preserve the original mind and help others do the same—this is still the path I follow in this life.”

Ksitigarbha King gave a thumbs-up and said, “All dharmas converge into one; this principle never changes. Nagarjuna resolved to spread Buddhism throughout the world. His understanding of Buddhism even made the Buddha himself feel ashamed. Yet aside from Nagarjuna, it was difficult for others to accomplish this.”
“In ancient times, there was no concept of Buddhism in the Eastern lands. It was Nagarjuna, alone and without any support, who spread Buddhism step by step, barefoot and in simple clothes, until it could rival Taoism.”
Wukong asked in confusion, “If Nagarjuna achieved such great things, why didn’t Buddhism stop others from killing him?”
Ksitigarbha King sighed and said, “Perhaps they couldn’t stop them, or perhaps… they didn’t want to. Such underhanded tactics aren’t really admirable.”
“Then who exactly killed Nagarjuna?”