Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 106: The Great Sun Tathagata Visits Guanyin

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: The Great Sun Tathagata Visits Guanyin

On one side, Wukong and Yuan Hong looked towards White Tiger City. On the other, Sun Wukong approached the Two Realms Passage. For now, let’s leave them and turn our attention elsewhere. Now, the Great Sun Tathagata came to Mount Putuo with the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips in search of Guanyin.

Having reached the foot of the mountain, he said to the apprentice guarding it, "Go tell your master, the Bodhisattva, that the Ancestor of Esoteric Buddhism seeks an audience."

The apprentice took one look at the monk in white, as pure as snow, with fine features and an aura of profound cultivation that was intimidating. Not to mention, the Dharma seal he held was also extremely profound, so naturally, the apprentice did not dare delay and hurried up the mountain to report to the Bodhisattva.

Guanyin was meditating with closed eyes, contemplating the Buddhist Law, when the apprentice arrived and quickly prostrated himself.

Guanyin said, "Haven’t I told you not to disturb me unless there’s a matter of great importance?"

The apprentice replied, "I dare not disturb the Bodhisattva without good reason, but this matter is significant. The Ancestor of Esoteric Buddhism has come to visit."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin quickly opened her eyes and asked, "What did you say? What does this person look like?"

The apprentice answered, "This person is dressed in pure white, with clear brows and handsome features, stands around nine feet tall, steps on an eight-petal lotus platform, wears a treasure crown of the five Buddhas, and holds a profound Dharma seal that this humble one fails to comprehend."

Guanyin stood up from the lotus platform, took the pure lapis lazuli bottle, and said, "I see. This person must be the Great Sun Tathagata, the Ancestor of Esoteric Buddhism. I shall personally welcome him."

Having said that, she rode on clouds towards the mountain base and descended at the mountain gate, then she walked downstairs. The Great Sun Tathagata was the Ancestor of Esoteric Buddhism, and she held a much lower status compared to him, so she must not lose the propriety.

"Disciple Guanyin pays respects to the Buddha Great Sun Tathagata," Guanyin said, holding the clean lapis lazuli bottle in her left hand and making a respectful gesture with her right.

"Amitabha! Bodhisattva, you need not be overly formal," said the Great Sun Tathagata, raising his hand.

Guanyin apologized and said, "Not knowing of the Buddha’s arrival, this disciple failed to welcome you from afar. If the Buddha has a message for this disciple, you only need to send a talismanic decree, and I dare not trouble the Buddha to come in person. May I know the purpose of your visit, Buddha? Please, let’s ascend the mountain and speak there."

The Great Sun Tathagata smiled and said, "Please!"

This was Guanyin’s second encounter with the Ancestor of Esoteric Buddhism. The previous occasion was during a Buddhist Law discourse between Esoteric and Exoteric traditions, where all the great Buddhas of each tradition revealed their prowess and expounded on the Law. Even the Sakyamuni Tathagata Buddha of the Western Heaven would offer him three points of respect. Little did outsiders know that the Great Sun Tathagata originated from the good thoughts of Lu Ya and had long reached the Saintly Realm. How could the Tathagata dare to consider himself an equal to a Saint?

Once at Guanyin’s place of practice, she ordered the apprentice to bring fine tea to entertain the guest.

The Great Sun Tathagata, however, was not in a hurry, his demeanor gentle as he chatted and sampled tea with Guanyin.

After a while, Guanyin, feeling a stir in her spirit, couldn’t help but ask, "May I know the reason for the Buddha’s visit and what instructions you have for me?"

The Great Sun Tathagata said, "I’ve heard that the Bodhisattva Simhavaktra had some grudge against that monkey, Wukong. I wonder if it’s true or false."

Hearing this, Guanyin felt somewhat displeased, but she did not show it and replied, "That monkey disrespects the Law and is wildly arrogant, indeed offending me beyond forgiveness!"

The Great Sun Tathagata nodded and said, "For such a person, you must deal with him strictly to avoid any loss of propriety."

Guanyin heard this but didn’t know what to say.

The Great Sun Tathagata waved his hand and pulled out an ancient book with a golden cover, smiling and asking, "Do you know what this is?"

Guanyin saw the golden brilliance of the book but sensed an ominous aura within. After pondering with furrowed brows, she ventured to guess, "Could it be some profound Buddhist sutra?"

The Great Sun Tathagata replied, "No, indeed not! This object was once used by Jiang Ziya."

Guanyin, as the reincarnation of Ci Hang the Taoist, was naturally well-versed in the wars of deification, and she pondered deeply for a while before exclaiming in shock, "Could this be the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips that Jiang Ziya used to ambush Zhao Gongming?!"

Zhao Gongming was a disciple of the Jie Taoist sect, with profound mana and the backing of the Three Pure Ones, making him extremely difficult to deal with. Even the twelve Golden Immortals had been reluctant to provoke him recklessly. Yet in the past, it was Jiang Ziya who easily killed him with the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips and sent him to the Deification Platform; he remains in the Heavenly Court today as the defeated God of Wealth.

The Great Sun Tathagataplaced the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips on the desk and said, "Precisely."

Guanyin’s breath stalled, her eyes fixed on the golden ancient book laid out on the desk, her breath gradually becoming more rapid.

The Great Sun Tathagata continued, "That monkey is quite capable, and I fear delaying may lead to unwanted changes and be detrimental to our Buddhist Sect; he must be eliminated as soon as possible."

Guanyin nodded and said, "Although I dislike that monkey, his abilities are indeed not insignificant. Moreover, he has received the inheritance from the past Demon Emperor Di Jun and the Green Emperor Ling Weiyang. I agree that it is high time we eradicate that monkey!"

She thought of Wukong and clenched her teeth in hatred. He had caused her significant embarrassment, and for the past few years, she had not stepped out once, spending every day on the mountain in meditation and cultivation, precisely because of this demon in her heart, which prevented her from improving her cultivation level. Without vengeance, unless one’s mind transcends completely, it is difficult to make progress in one’s practice.

The Great Sun Tathagata smiled and said, "This macaque is a great bane to our Buddhist Sect. I know you have a grievance with that macaque, and it has become a mental obstruction, creating a demon in your heart. If not eliminated, your cultivation level will struggle to advance further. I have come to seek you out specifically to give you this Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips, to let you kill that macaque."

Overjoyed upon hearing this, Guanyin bowed and said, "This disciple thanks the Buddha Great Sun Tathagata!"

Guanyin grasped the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips in her hand and felt a strong malevolent energy from the book, enough to disturb one’s mind. Upon opening it, she found it described the Dharma Gate for utilizing the marvelous method of the Seven-Arrow Spell. She noticed a few names in the book, one of which was remarkably familiar—it was Zhao Gongming.

Great Sun Tathagata said, "If you don’t understand anything, feel free to ask me."

Filled with joy, Guanyin replied, "I am indeed capable of understanding! There is no need for the Buddha Ancestor to trouble himself."

Great Sun Tathagata clasped his hands together with a smile and said, "Since that is the case, I must bother the Bodhisattva to take action and use the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips to kill that macaque."

Guanyin closed the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips and said, "I dare not defy the decree of the Buddha Great Sun Tathagata. I will certainly slay this macaque!"

The Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips was a top-notch Magical Treasure used for clandestine assaults. After Lu Ya achieved sainthood and refined it further, its power became even more formidable. However, such treasures were of little use to saints, as it was impossible for one saint to ambush another. Saints of the Heavenly Dao, throughout past, present, and future, omniscient, need only calculate with their fingers to be aware of their own tribulations. Moreover, they have already attained immortality, and thus the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips could never harm them.

"You must create a straw doll, establish a square ritual platform, place the doll atop the platform, write talismans on the body of the doll, inscribe the name of Sun Wukong on these talismans, and then enter this name into the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips," explained the Great Sun Tathagata, teaching Guanyin how to use the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips.

"Thereafter, you’ll walk around the ritual platform using the steps of the Big Dipper, writing the talismans and inscribing the name of Sun Wukong on them, then burning them in front of the platform three times a day, bowing in reverence. You must burn three sticks of incense facing Mount Sumeru. By the twenty-first day at noon, the macaque will surely have lost all three souls and seven spirits, with no chance of entering the cycle of reincarnation."

"Furthermore, you’ll need to obtain a Mulberry Branch Bow to avoid karma of evil deeds, and prepare three Peach Branch Arrows, embodying the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Man. With these arrows, shoot the left and right eyes of the straw doll, and finally the heart. In this way, success is guaranteed without fail."

After Great Sun Tathagata had finished explaining the use of the Seven-Arrow Book with Fixed Tips, even Guanyin couldn’t help but feel a chill down her back. Such cunning methods of assassination were formidable indeed, killing undetectably.

"Amitabha Buddha, how splendid!" Guanyin couldn’t help but exclaim.

"In that case, I shall leave this matter in the Bodhisattva’s hands," said the Great Sun Tathagata with a smile.

"I shall not fail Great Sun Tathagata Buddha’s expectations," replied Guanyin.

The Great Sun Tathagata nodded and said, "I apologize for troubling you, Bodhisattva."

Guanyin quickly replied, "It’s no trouble at all, you are too kind, Buddha Ancestor."

Guanyin couldn’t help but silently grumble, "Both are Tathagatas, yet the Tathagata of Western Heaven is not quite like this Esoteric Tathagata! That fellow sits high on the peak of Spiritual Mount, commanding with authority. He was merely my peer in the past! Compared to the Esoteric Tathagata, who is always so polite, it is said he has already achieved sainthood, yet he is still this courteous! Ah, how can Buddhas differ so greatly from one to the other?"

Great Sun Tathagata, wearing a faint smile, said, "That being said, the humble monk shall take his leave."

Wishing to foster a better relationship, Guanyin said, "Please finish your tea before you go, Buddha Ancestor."

Seeing Guanyin’s eagerness, Great Sun Tathagata no longer declined. Guanyin summoned an apprentice to bring a new pot of water and brewed the tea afresh.

"No need for flowers to appreciate the fragrance of books, nor wine for the intoxication of tea. This act of drinking tea also subtly embodies Buddhist Law and reason," praised Great Sun Tathagata. The tea was no less exquisite than the ethereal cloud-mist tea from the Celestial Realm; it started slightly bitter, but bitterness gave way to sweetness, leaving a lingering fragrance after drinking.

Guanyin laughed and said, "Buddha Ancestor indeed has profound insight."

However, Great Sun Tathagata said, "It’s merely a result of drinking too much tea, over a span of one hundred and twenty thousand years. Not to realize some truth would be impossible! Even a common man chopping wood for one hundred and twenty thousand years would likely uncover great truths."

Guanyin praised, "The Buddha Ancestor speaks wisely."

As the Great Sun Tathagata had not drunk tea for a long time and the tea at Guanyin’s was quite good, he stayed and had several more cups. As the sky began to darken, he finally stood up to bid farewell.

Great Sun Tathagata said, "Bodhisattva need not see me off."

Guanyin insisted, "I must see you off, to observe proper etiquette."

She accompanied the Great Sun Tathagata to the gate of the mountain, and he, with his hands pressed together, said, "Thank you for the tea, Bodhisattva. After travelling a thousand miles together, there’s always a moment of parting. Let us part here."

Guanyin replied, "Buddha Ancestor, go in peace!"

Great Sun Tathagata mounted the Eight-Petal Lotus Platform and ascended to the heavens, his white robes fluttering. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from sight.

Guanyin returned to her own retreat, unable to wait, and instructed her apprentice to close up the retreat quickly. She acquired mulberry branches to craft a small bow and peach twigs to make three small arrows, then set off to the back mountain where she established a four-foot-square ritual platform, tied up a straw doll, drew the talismans, inscribed Wukong’s name, and began casting spells.

In just a short moment, the preparations were complete. She placed the straw doll on the ritual platform, attached the talismans, inscribed with "Sun Wukong" in large characters, and placed a lamp both above the doll’s head and beneath its feet. Then, she set up an incense burner facing Mount Sumeru.

With a glint of vengeance in her eyes, Guanyin thought, "Sun Wukong, this time you cannot escape death! You dared to disturb my retreat and tarnish my reputation. Now, you shall never recover for an eternity!" and her heart’s grudge dissipated greatly.

After a few hours, the apprentice brought the bow and arrows, and after sending him away, Guanyin shot at the doll’s eyes and heart with the arrows and then stopped.

When midnight came, and a moment more had passed, she began to perform the ritual steps of the Big Dipper.