Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 494: Creation and Transformation

Monk Nagarjuna showed not the slightest trace of arrogance, remaining as calm as before, his gaze steady as he turned to the next questioner.
The second person was an old monk with a long beard, holding a string of prayer beads. He spoke to Nagarjuna slowly, “I’ve heard that the Dharma taught at the Great Joy Zen Monastery differs greatly from other places. May I ask what the differences are?”
Nagarjuna replied, “I’ve never heard of Dharma teachings elsewhere.”
The old monk said, “That’s strange. Could it be that your Dharma has no origin?” Though he appeared honest, his smile hid malice.
Nagarjuna wore a reverent expression, bowed toward the west, and said, “I’m fortunate to have heard the Dharma taught by Venerable Maitreya. It is said, ‘The Dharma has no root or origin; those who practice goodness are sons of Buddha.’ If you say the Dharma has a root, where is it?”
The old monk was stunned. Where was the root of the Dharma? He had no idea. But he forced himself to say, “Of course, it lies with Venerable Maitreya on Mount Ling in the Western Heaven!”
Nagarjuna asked, “Were the Buddhist scriptures written by Venerable Maitreya?”
The old monk rolled his eyes and said, “Of course.”
Nagarjuna laughed and said, “Is this venerable monk trying to deceive me because of my youth? Do you know that this world is the future world, governed by Venerable Maitreya? Five hundred years ago, Buddha Tathagata was still the ruler of the world. Going back another thirty thousand years, it was the ancient Buddha Ratnasambhava who ruled. If you say the Dharma was created by Venerable Maitreya, then what was in Ratnasambhava’s hands—just a blank sheet of paper?”
The old monk’s thoughts were exactly what Nagarjuna had pointed out. Thinking Nagarjuna was young, he had tried to deceive him, only to be exposed. Ashamed, he stepped back.
Wukong, listening from the side, felt a stir in his heart. He knew that Ratnasambhava was an ancient Buddha, also called the Past Buddha, Tathagata was called the Present Buddha, while Maitreya was called the Future Buddha. All of this was recorded in the Buddhist scriptures. It wasn’t surprising that Nagarjuna knew about it. But the idea of a future world mentioned by Nagarjuna was something he had heard for the first time. Wukong couldn’t help but feel that this Monk Nagarjuna was not so simple after all.
He had rarely returned to the mortal world in a thousand years. How could it be that he happened to meet this Monk Nagarjuna today? If he called it coincidence, he wouldn’t believe it himself.
After the old monk left, the third monk stepped forward. This monk was thin and small, but his eyes moved rapidly, clearly indicating a clever mind.
The thin monk spoke in a sharp voice, “Nagarjuna, I have three questions.”
Nagarjuna said, “Please go ahead, brother.”
The thin monk asked, “Do you believe in karma?”
Nagarjuna replied, “I do.”

The thin monk said, “Then tell me, why were heaven and earth created?” As he posed this question, the thin monk showed a smug expression. He had spent a long time planning to challenge the Dala Reclining Buddha Monastery by posing this difficult question to several temples and monasteries in a row. He had asked the abbot and elders in the monastery, but no one could answer it. He didn’t believe that the young Nagarjuna could solve such a profound question about heaven and earth.

Nagarjuna thought for a moment and said, “Were heaven and earth created by humans?”

The thin monk had anticipated this answer from Nagarjuna and immediately replied, “How could that be? Everyone knows that heaven and earth existed first, and all things were created afterward. If they were created by humans, wouldn’t that disrupt the order?”

Nagarjuna looked up and said, “Everyone knows that Pangu created the heavens and earth—how can it not be created by a human?”

The thin monk sneered and said, “Pangu is a great deity who created the heavens and earth. To say Pangu is a human is pure nonsense!”

Nagarjuna smiled slightly and asked in return, “What is a deity?”

The thin monk was stunned for a moment, but he reacted quickly and replied, “One who is omnipotent is a deity!”

Nagarjuna asked, “How do you know Pangu is omnipotent?”

The thin monk replied, “Is there anything greater in the world than creating the heavens and earth?”

Nagarjuna suddenly became lost in thought. After a pause, he murmured, “Yes, there is. You just don’t know it yet.”

His voice was soft, but to Wukong’s ears, it sounded like thunder. Nagarjuna must know something! Who exactly was he?

The thin monk and Nagarjuna debated a few more times, but it seemed they were each sticking to their own views. What Nagarjuna said—things like heaven, earth, entering, and leaving—was incomprehensible to everyone. Then the monks who had come to criticize him started to make a racket, claiming that Nagarjuna had lost.

Nagarjuna remained silent, merely observing the ugly behavior of the crowd indifferently. Once everyone calmed down, Nagarjuna slowly said, “This senior monk said there were only three questions. I answered them one by one. What’s wrong with that?”

Upon reflection, the crowd realized that the thin monk had indeed said so. Nagarjuna had answered all three questions without missing a single one. As for the additional questions, it didn’t matter if he didn’t answer them.

The thin monk was still not convinced, but he was pulled away by a fourth person. The fourth monk, full of confidence, stepped forward and asked, “I’ve heard that junior brother Nagarjuna has extensive knowledge, not limited to Buddhism. I have a difficult question on my mind and have come here today to seek your advice.”

Nagarjuna clasped his hands and said, “Please go ahead, senior brother.”

The monk asked, “What is the purpose of studying Buddhism, junior brother?”

Nagarjuna replied, “For cultivation.”

The monk asked further, “There are countless methods of cultivation in the world. Why practice just one?”

Nagarjuna replied, “Among the vast expanse of waters, I choose just one to drink from.”

The monk asked, “There are three thousand rivers of weak water, and likewise three thousand great paths. If one only takes a single scoop, won’t that result in losing everything?”
Nagarjuna replied, “By taking one scoop at a time, eventually all three thousand rivers of weak water will be exhausted.”
Everyone was shocked. Nagarjuna was truly too arrogant—unbound by Buddhist teachings, he even aspired to master all the great paths in the world!
The monk asked again, “Buddhist teachings are vast and boundless. Even in a lifetime, it’s likely you won’t be able to learn them all.”
Nagarjuna said, “All matters in the world fall into two categories: matters and principles. The same matter can be understood through Buddhism, Taoist scriptures, or Confucian texts. Why exhaust oneself studying endless volumes when it’s enough to grasp the essence rather than mastering everything?” Hearing this, Wukong was almost certain that this Nagarjuna was the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna mentioned by the Dragon Maiden—the one who sought the ultimate principles of heaven and earth! But the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna had already been killed by Xuan Nu, whose soul and essence had been incorporated into the immortal stone on Flower-Fruit Mountain. Now, Wukong was his descendant. Where did this Nagarjuna come from? Wukong really wanted to catch this monk and question him thoroughly, but since Nagarjuna couldn’t escape anyway, he wanted to hear what astonishing things he could say next.
Hearing Nagarjuna’s profound words, the monk realized his own ambitions were far below Nagarjuna’s, so he sighed and said, “I can only admire you!”
Nagarjuna showed no sign of pride and bowed, saying, “Your kindness is excessive, senior brother.”
Although there were many monks, their morale had plummeted. The questions posed by the later monks were all simple, so they couldn’t stump Nagarjuna. In less than half an hour, these dozen or so people gave up and returned to their temples in disappointment.
Gradually, the onlookers and monks who had come to see Nagarjuna’s prowess also dispersed. By then, a full moon had risen in the east, illuminating the ground brightly.
Nagarjuna glanced at the moon and sighed, “A splendid dream within the furnace; upon waking, the moon remains the same.”
These words sparked endless thoughts in Wukong. Monk Nagarjuna also understood that heaven and earth were like a furnace. He said he had just woken from a dream—where had he dreamed of?
In front of the Dala Zen Monastery, only Nagarjuna and Wukong remained. Nagarjuna looked at Wukong but said nothing. He stepped down the stone steps, left the monastery, and headed east.
Wukong couldn’t help asking, “Where are you going?”
Nagarjuna didn’t turn around and replied, “To spread the Dharma and seek the Way.”
Wukong chased after him and said, “How about we go together?”
Nagarjuna looked at Wukong and laughed, “Go together? What do you plan to do?”
Wukong replied, “I want to seek the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.”
Nagarjuna said, “That’s not difficult. The ultimate principles of heaven and earth are just two words.”
“What two words?” Wukong asked, puzzled.

“These two words are all too familiar to you—‘creation’!”
“What? Creation? Creation is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. How does this come into play?”
Nagarjuna said, “All things in heaven and earth are born and will die. Death is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. It’s truly sad when things follow their natural course.”
Wukong asked, “What does this have to do with creation?”
Nagarjuna replied, “All things have birth and death—that is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. You must understand that birth is ‘creation,’ and death is ‘transformation.’ Isn’t that—creation?”
It was the first time Wukong had heard that the term “creation” could be interpreted in this way. He couldn’t help but clap his hands and laugh, saying, “Wonderful! Truly wonderful!”
Nagarjuna asked, “You’ve been observing me for a long time. Do you know who I am?”
Wukong nodded and said, “You are Nagarjuna.”
Nagarjuna replied, “Everyone knows I’m Nagarjuna. What’s so extraordinary about that?”
Wukong said, “You’re not just the monk Nagarjuna; you’re the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna who seeks the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. Going back to your past life, you were once the Spirit Monkey. Ha ha! Do you think you can deceive me?”
The Bodhisattva Nagarjuna looked confused, staring at Wukong with a puzzled expression and saying, “What are you talking about? Some Bodhisattva or Spirit Monkey? I’ve never heard of such things.”
Now it was Wukong’s turn to be puzzled. He thought his guess was absolutely correct. If the monk Nagarjuna wasn’t the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, how could he know so many secrets?
Not to mention anything else, just his views on Pangu were so similar to his own conversations with Dayu in the three realms back then.
“There were originally no gods in the world. It was because of the many fools that gods came into existence.” In Wukong’s eyes, all the Buddhas and sages in heaven and earth were merely those with greater magical powers. Even Pangu, who was regarded as the supreme being by people, who knew what role he played beyond the heavens?
Just now, Nagarjuna had asked that thin monk, “How do you know Pangu is omnipotent?” If it weren’t for his memories of past lives, how could he have such astonishing ideas?
But if Nagarjuna was truly the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna from his past life, then he had a deep connection with Wukong. There was no reason for him to deceive Wukong.
Wukong asked, “Alright, let’s say I’m delusional and talking nonsense. Then tell me, who are you?”
Nagarjuna replied, “You’re not entirely wrong. I am indeed the Nagarjuna who seeks the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. But I’m not a Bodhisattva; I’m just an ordinary person.”
“An ordinary person? Aren’t you a monk anymore?” Wukong asked.
Nagarjuna said, “What monks or Taoists? They’re just superficial pretenses. People exist because their inner morality remains intact. If it’s for other reasons, then they’ve fallen to a lower level.”
Wukong said, “That makes some sense. But it’s easy to say. For ordinary people, they can barely afford food and clothing every day. How could they have the leisure to seek the truth?”

Nagarjuna said, “Those who pull carts or buy milk do not lack the Way.”