Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty wanted to choose a virtuous and eminent monk to go to the Great Leiyin Temple in Xitian to obtain the Mahayana Sutra. Once the news came out, it immediately caused an uproar in Buddhism.
Nowadays, of all the Buddhist schools in the Tang Dynasty, only Theravada Buddhist scriptures are passed down. Suddenly, I heard that the Great Leiyin Temple in the west has Mahayana Buddhist scriptures that can be passed down. This is naturally a great attraction for Buddhists.
What's more, the Great Leiyin Temple in Xitian is the birthplace of Buddhism. The place where our Buddha, Tathagata, lives, is a holy place in the hearts of all those who practice Buddhism.
Moreover, if you go to Daleiyin Temple to obtain the Mahayana scriptures, you will have the opportunity to achieve Buddhahood and become a Buddha and ancestor, immortal. What a temptation!
When they heard that the Tang Dynasty was one hundred and eight thousand miles away from the Great Leiyin Temple in the west, and that they not only had to climb mountains and ridges along the way, but also faced threats from various demons and monsters, the Buddhist disciples all retreated.
And those virtuous and eminent monks who are determined and have faith are almost all old and frail people. I am afraid that these virtuous and eminent monks have already died of exhaustion before they have left the realm of the Tang Dynasty!
It is not an easy task to choose an eminent monk who has a firm belief in seeking scriptures, is not afraid of danger, and is proficient in Buddhism to represent the Tang Emperor to the Great Leiyin Temple in Xitian to obtain the true scriptures.
However, as soon as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty opened his mouth, those court officials naturally took action. At this time, during the Water and Land Dharma Conference, at least 80% of the famous monks from the Tang Dynasty came, and there was just enough to choose from.
And Xuanzang's reputation had gradually spread in the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, and he soon came into the court's sight.
The main reason is that Xuanzang's conditions were very suitable in all aspects. Not only was he an eminent monk who was proficient in Buddhism, but he was also a physically strong man. He was simply a natural Buddhist learner.
Therefore, Xuanzang, an eminent monk in his early thirties, instantly attracted the attention of Tang officials.
After investigating Xuanzang's origins, it was discovered that he was the grandson of the old Duke Yin Kaishan. He had a clean family background and was an excellent candidate.
After learning about Xuanzang's life experience, Tang Emperor Li Shimin thought that Xuanzang was the best candidate to learn from the scriptures.
A descendant of the Duke of the Tang Dynasty, he was brave and resourceful, and no eminent monk was more suitable than him!
Later, Emperor Tang Li Shimin sent his chamberlain to summon Xuanzang to the palace for an audience. Xuanzang's majestic appearance and elegant appearance immediately won Li Shimin's favor.
The journey to the West to obtain scriptures is more than 100,000 miles away and must pass through many countries along the way. Xuanzang went to the West to obtain scriptures on behalf of Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, which also represented the face of him and the Tang Dynasty.
If Xuanzang was ugly, wouldn't it mean that he was disgraced and sent abroad? People in the Western countries must have secretly laughed at the Tang Dynasty, because he didn't even have any face.
After talking with Xuanzang, Li Shimin became more satisfied with Xuanzang. He immediately worshiped Jinlan with Xuanzang, named Xuanzang his imperial disciple, and went to the Leiyin Temple in Xitian to obtain the Mahayana Sutra on his behalf.
Xuanzang was the reincarnation of the Golden Chanzi. He was dedicated to good deeds and was an eminent monk who had done good deeds and accumulated virtues in ten lifetimes. He died on the way to the West for Buddhist scriptures in his first nine lives. It can be said that the obsession to seek Buddhist scriptures from the West has long been imprinted in the depths of his soul.
I saw Xuanzang clasped his hands together, his eyes full of piety and determination, and said to Li Shimin: "The young monk is willing to go to the Leiyin Temple in the West to obtain the Mahayana Sutra for your majesty."
Li Shimin was overjoyed when he heard this and said loudly: "Really?"
Xuanzang nodded and said: "Monks do not tell lies, poor monks cannot seek the true scriptures, and have no face to bow to His Majesty's heavenly face!"
The next day, Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty personally saw Xuanzang off, while Guanyin Bodhisattva's masters and disciples transformed into scabies monks and sold the nine-ring tin staff and eight-treasure cassocks given by Tathagata Buddha on the street.
The tin staff and Buddha's cassock shone brightly, which immediately attracted the attention of Prime Minister Xiao Yu, who hurriedly went to inquire about the price.
The leper monk said: "If you don't follow the Buddha's Dharma, don't respect the Three Jewels, and forcefully buy a cassock and a tin stick, I will sell him seven thousand taels. If you respect the Three Jewels, rejoice when you see good things, and take refuge in my Buddha, I will give him a good relationship!"
Xiao Yu was overjoyed when he heard this and reported the matter to Tang Emperor Li Shimin. Later, Tang Emperor Li Shimin paid a lot of money to buy the tin staff and cassock and gave them to Xuanzang.
When the leper monk heard that Xuanzang was going to the West to obtain the true scriptures, he asked for no money and was willing to give Xuanzang this tin staff and cassock to help him.
Xuanzang put on his cassock and held a tin staff. He was as pure and pure as a living Arhat in Paradise, which surpassed the Western enlightenment show. The tin staff jingled with nine rings, and the Vairocana hat reflected abundantly. Sincerity is a true disciple of the Buddha, and it is better than Bodhi without deception.
At this time, the leper monk had just manifested his true form, and it was Guanyin Bodhisattva who came to earth. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty bowed to the sky, and all the civil and military officials knelt down to burn incense. The scholars and craftsmen bowed their heads and worshiped, shouting "Meet Guanyin Bodhisattva!"
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva looked at Xuanzang and said: "The journey to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures is difficult and dangerous. I hope you can maintain your original intention, overcome many difficulties, and obtain the Mahayana scriptures in an instant!"
After saying this, the figure of Guanyin Bodhisattva disappeared. With the Bodhisattva's endorsement, everyone looked at Xuanzang with even more reverence.
The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, along with the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, sent Xuanzang out of Chang'an City and gave him a purple and gold alms bowl for him to use during the journey.
Li Shimin took out the wine glass, poured a glass of wine, picked up a handful of dust from the ground, flicked it into the wine, and said: "As time goes by, the mountains are far away and the roads are far away. I can drink this wine. I would rather love my hometown and twist the soil."
, Don’t love a foreign country for ten thousand taels of gold.”
Only then did Xuanzang understand the meaning of twisting the soil. He drank all his thanks and drank it. He took his exit certificate, took two guards with him, thanked him and left.
Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty looked at Xuanzang's retreating back, and the gloom in his eyes flashed away. As the king of a country, he was forcibly taken into the netherworld and forced to hold a large water and land ceremony. How could he not feel hatred in his heart!
I was just afraid of the great power of Buddhism and the unfathomable power of gods and Buddhas, so I had to endure the humiliation in my heart.
In the City God's Law Domain, a flash of light flashed in Wang Mingzhen's eyes. This Buddhist practice is really watertight and leaves no room for anyone to plan.
Not only were Xuanzang arranged for three disciples with great supernatural powers, but they were also protected by the guardian deities such as Jia Lan and Liu Ding Liujia.
Even in order to prevent Xuanzang from being eaten by those lawless monsters or suffering from birth, old age, illness and death, two precious treasures, a nine-ring tin staff and an eight-treasure cassock, were given to him for protection.
With the brocade cassock on his body, Xuanzang could be said to be not afraid of water, fire, poison, or even illness, thus eliminating all kinds of unexpected situations.
If Wang Mingzhen hadn't started the plan five hundred years ago and was careful enough, his plan would have been discovered by the powerful Buddhists long ago.
However, now that the general trend has been achieved, the difficulty of the journey to the West has increased a thousand times. Thinking of the four masters and disciples of Tang Xuanzang, as well as the gods and Buddhas in the sky who were about to be tortured by the catastrophe of the Journey to the West, Wang Mingzhen felt inexplicably happy.
The official road near Chang'an City was relatively smooth, allowing horses to gallop. However, more than ten miles away from the capital, the official road fell into disrepair and became bumpy.
Wang Mingzhen had long ago ordered the city gods in the Tang Dynasty to entrust dreams of Xuanzang's westward journey to the officials along the way.
Therefore, although the road was difficult to travel along the way, officials held banquets to welcome him wherever he went. In the Tang Dynasty alone, Xuanzang walked for a whole year. He gained dozens of pounds and looked like a greasy monk.
!
However, although the territory of the Tang Dynasty was vast, there were also boundaries. After leaving the territory of the Tang Dynasty, he had to sleep in the open air, climb mountains and ridges, and eat dry food, which made Xuanzang somewhat unacceptable.
It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to return from luxury to frugality. After a year of extravagant life, both Xuanzang and the two guards have become accustomed to the beautiful life of banquets hosted by the government!
Comparing the two aspects, it became increasingly difficult for them to accept such a life. That is to say, Xuanzang's Buddhist teachings were profound and his will was firm, otherwise he would have been like the two guards, feeling regretful.
After half a month of trekking, Xuanzang and his party finally arrived at the boundary of Shuangcha Ridge. The three demons of Shuangcha Ridge were a casual chess set up by Wang Mingzhen, and it was time for them to come into play.
The three demons captured Xuanzang and his entourage, served them well with wine and meat, and forced Xuanzang to explain Buddhism to them, without giving Xuanzang any chance to go west.
Originally, Dharma protector Jialan was quite happy to see the three demons sincerely devoted themselves to Buddhism. But after Xuanzang was forcibly detained for a month, they looked at the three demons with murderous intent.
In the end, Taibai Jinxing took action and secretly subdued the three demons. Then the three demons allowed Xuanzang and his party to continue their journey westward.
Looking at the two lively guards beside Xuanzang, Taibai Jinxing smiled bitterly, not knowing what to do!
Jialan, the protector who secretly guarded Xuanzang, looked at each other and secretly cast a spell. Two traps suddenly appeared on the path of Xuanzang and others.
Sure enough, the two guards accidentally fell into the trap one after another and died on the spot without ever closing their eyes.
Xuanzang spent time with the two guards day and night for a year, and they had a deep relationship with each other. He was immediately overcome with grief, and he sat cross-legged on the ground and recited the mantra for rebirth for them.
At this time, a figure came slowly with a few prey in his hands and singing folk songs. It was Liu Boqin, the Taibao of Zhenshan.
Later, Liu Boqin warmly invited Xuanzang to his home as a guest. His father had just passed away, and he wanted to ask Xuanzang to perform a ritual ceremony to save his father's soul.
Xuanzang went happily without any hesitation. After delivering the blessing for Liu Boqin's late father, Xuanzang was also a little tired and fell into a drowsy sleep.
In the middle of the night, a dark wind blew by, the earth trembled slightly, and a figure slowly crawled out of a new grave, which was the grave of Liu Boqin's father.
The figure looked like a dead tree, with gray hair and sunken eyes, exuding the aura of a rotting corpse, staggering towards Liu Boqin's house in the distance.
It seemed that he was not very fast, but in just a few seconds, he had already entered the courtyard and headed directly towards where Xuanzang was.
What's even more strange is that no one noticed it. You must know that Xuanzang was surrounded by Dharma Protector Jialan, Liu Ding Liujia and other Dharma Protector Generals. This shows that this matter is not simple.
I saw a ferocious look flashing in the eyes of the rotting corpse, and it stretched out its claws as black as ink, and grabbed straight at Xuanzang who was sleeping peacefully.
Xuanzang still looked completely unaware, and he was about to die under the claws of the rotting corpse.
At this time, the brocade cassock suddenly burst out with immeasurable light, and the Buddha's light filled the air, forcefully shaking the rotting corpse away.
"Ouch!"
The rotting corpse let out an inhuman howl, and billows of black energy overflowed, immediately alerting the protective generals around Xuanzang.
The eyes of the guardian gods flashed with fear. If something happened to Xuanzang under their protection, they would definitely end up in a miserable state.
As soon as the thought came to this point, a group of Dharma Protector Gods took action at the same time, smashing the rotten corpse into pieces. After covering it up, they reported the matter to heaven and Buddhism.
However, neither the Jade Emperor in Heaven nor the Tathagata Buddha could figure out the origin of the corpse, and a gloom could not help but arise in their hearts.
The next day, Xuanzang, who was unaware of the danger last night, headed towards Liangjie Mountain under the leadership of Liu Boqin.
At this moment, an erratic voice suddenly came from the distance: "Haha, the master is here, and I, Old Sun, can finally get out of trouble!"
Although the voice was erratic, it could be heard clearly. Xuanzang couldn't help being frightened when he heard the words, and almost fell to the ground in fright.
Seeing this, Liu Boqin quickly supported Xuanzang and explained with a smile: "Elders, don't be afraid, this must be the cry of the sacred monkey in the mountain. This mountain was formerly called Wuxing Mountain, but it was renamed Liangjie Mountain because of my Tang Dynasty's expedition to the West to Ding Kingdom."
"In the past, I heard word of mouth from my ancestors: When Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, the sky descended on this mountain, and a divine monkey was suppressed under it. He was not afraid of cold and heat, and did not eat or drink. He was confident that he was under the supervision of the earth god, who taught him to eat iron pills when hungry and drink when thirsty.
Copper juice. From the past to the present, I will never die of cold or hunger."
After walking for a few miles, I saw a magical monkey suppressing under the steep peak, with its head exposed, hands stretched out, and yelling: "Master, why did you come just now? Rescue me quickly, and I will protect you."
Go to the west!"
Liu Boqin was indeed brave. He stepped forward, pulled the grass from the temples for the monkey, nodded, and then asked, "What do you have to say?"
The monkey god said: "I have nothing to say, teach that mage to come up and I will ask him."
Xuanzang asked doubtfully: "What are you asking me?"
The monkey god said: "Are you a monk sent by the Tang Dynasty from the East to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures?"
Sanzang nodded when he heard this and said: "Exactly, why do you ask this?"
The monkey god said: "Five hundred years ago, my old grandson made a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace and was suppressed here by the Buddha. Fortunately, Guanyin Bodhisattva enlightened me. I am just waiting for the master to come and save me. I am willing to be your disciple and help you go there.
Go to the west to learn scriptures."
When Xuanzang heard this, he looked troubled and said helplessly: "How can I save you if I don't have an ax to cut with?"
Sun Wukong laughed loudly and said: "As long as the master climbs to the top of the mountain and removes the Tathagata Dharma sticker, I, the old grandson, can come out!"
After Xuanzang heard this, he slowly climbed up the mountain and saw a Dharma post, shining with bright Buddha light, attached to the rock on the top of the mountain.
Xuanzang bowed slightly towards the dharma post, and immediately the dharma post opened on its own and turned into a stream of light, heading towards the west.
Wukong asked Xuanzang to stay away from him, only to hear a loud roar, a figure rising into the sky, and at the same time a joyful voice resounded throughout the world.
"Hahaha, my grandson is out! My grandson is out!"
Many gods, Buddhas and saints have paid attention to it. Who made Sun Wukong become a quasi-mighty person despite not practicing for a long time? If he was given more time, his achievements would be immeasurable!
In a dark place, a curtain of light appeared in the sky. It was dark all around, and the sun could not be seen. Several figures were blurred. However, in the light curtain in the sky, the figure of Sun Wukong who escaped from the trap clearly emerged.
A voice said faintly: "This monkey is also a wretch. His destiny is controlled by others. How sad! We might as well win over him, maybe he can be used by us."