The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 309 - 271: But with My Heart to Seal the Heart of Heaven

Chapter 309: Chapter 271: But with My Heart to Seal the Heart of Heaven

Wukong folded back to his own Daoist sanctuary, which was located near Mount Meru.

The sanctuaries of all Buddhas were spread across West Cow He State, and beneath most sanctuaries, there were various small kingdoms. The people of these small kingdoms, protected by them, provided incense power and wishes.

Constant thought brings recollection. Praying to Divinities and Buddhas every day naturally elicits a divine response. In ancient times, when immortals abounded, people prayed not to Divinities and Buddhas but to the heavens, communicating with the Heavenly Dao. It was because Chi Songzi frequently offered sacrifices to the heavens in ancient times that he possessed the ability to use the "Nine Heavens Thunder Movement" divine skill.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha was a recently risen Buddha with few followers. In the vicinity of his sanctuary was a small kingdom named Qingyu Kingdom. The kingdom’s walls and fortresses were few, and the population was just over a million, but due to its favorable geographic environment, it was still relatively affluent.

West Cow He State’s national destiny was tumultuous with numerous small kingdoms waging wars against each other, very unstable. In contrast, Southern Toad Continent’s national destiny was stable with a unified dynasty, and even if there were temporary disturbances, it was a case of separation leading to eventual reunification.

Wukong returned to his sanctuary and was welcomed by a little novice monk who pressed his palms together and bowed, saying, "Victorious Fighting Buddha."

Wukong replied, "No need for such formalities! These days, I will be in retreat in my quiet room to meditate on the Heavenly Dao and refuse all visitors."

The little novice monk said, "As you decree."

Wukong settled down in his quiet room when suddenly a flash of light passed through, revealing the figure of the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating.

Wukong hurriedly bowed, "I’ve failed to greet my teacher from afar."

The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating said, "You’ve been contemplating the laws of the Heavenly Dao lately; I have this Mixed Yuan Meditation Mat, a primordial magical treasure, to lend to you."

The Buddha Ancestor had his Lotus Platform, sitting upon which he could get closer to the Great Dao. Saints had meditation cushions, which also had the wonderful effect of facilitating better communication with the Heavenly Dao. The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating had a Mixed Yuan Meditation Mat, which he used for meditation, and now that Wukong intended to contemplate the laws of the Heavenly Dao, having this Mixed Yuan Meditation Mat would naturally be better!

"Good, good! Thank you, teacher!" Wukong took the meditation mat and bowed again.

"The ’Heart Sutra’ passed on to you by Donghuang Taiyi has its own wondrous uses. Tathagata’s brainwashing skills are highly ingenious. You should keep both my ’Sutra for Crossing Sentient Beings’ and Donghuang Taiyi’s ’Heart Sutra’ to protect your own mind," the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating said with a smile.

Wukong then understood that Donghuang Taiyi too had made early plans, knowing he would come to the Western Heaven to become a Buddha and ancestor, and thus had transformed into the Zen Master Wu Chao on Mount Futu to impart the ’Heart Sutra’ to him, allowing him to see his true nature, cultivate his spirit, and not be converted by Tathagata.

Wukong asked, "When I was listening to Tathagata’s preaching on Mount Meru, I was in a daze; was it Kasyapa who awakened me with the ’Sutra for Crossing Sentient Beings’?"

The Leader of Heaven-Penetrating nodded, "Indeed, when I met him on Yingzhou Island, I awoke him with the ’Sutra for Crossing Sentient Beings.’ It seems, upon reflection, that he has now regained his senses and will no longer be controlled by Tathagata. However, he must feign compliance, and if there is any major issue, you may seek Kasyapa’s help. In addition, in the Western Heaven, you should also investigate the situation of The Two Saints of the West and seize any opportunity to rescue them."

"Yes," Wukong replied.

When Kasyapa subdued the Nine-Headed Insect transformed from Yamata no Orochi on Yingzhou Island, he was intercepted and fought before escaping, evidently encountering the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating. It was no wonder that Kasyapa made little effort in the battle on Flame Mountain, failing even to deal with Princess Iron Fan. Had it not been for his divine thoughts transmitted in the Da Xiong Palace with the ’Sutra for Crossing Sentient Beings,’ awakening Wukong’s spirit, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating delivered the Mixed Yuan Meditation Mat, he left on his own. Wukong sat cross-legged on the mat and began to comprehend the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao is vast, great, infinite, and inscrutable; it is the fundamental force that sustains the operation of this world. Without the Heavenly Dao, the elemental forces of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire would disperse, and the world would return to chaos.

Chaos is "nothingness," while the world is built upon the foundations of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire.

"The Heavenly Dao is infinite and unpredictable. As they say, the Heart of Heaven is unfathomable, and to use one’s Daoist heart to verify the Heart of Heaven is extremely difficult. No wonder countless great beings spend hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years in seclusion. To comprehend the Heavenly Dao is indeed hard. Even Guanyin and others are stuck at the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal First Layer and cannot advance; hence, one can imagine how difficult it must be to verify the Heavenly Dao," Wukong thought clearly to himself. To comprehend the Heavenly Dao should not be taken lightly, for a careless step can lead to deviation into madness, with aberrant fire blazing up from the Bubbling Spring acupoint at the foot’s sole, consuming the person’s seven meridians and eight vessels, leaving nothing but ashes.

Wukong had a significant karmic connection with the Heavenly Dao; he found it much easier to comprehend than others, yet it was still an exceedingly arduous process.

"How difficult is it that the Heart of Heaven is also my heart?" At the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layered Heaven Law Realm, one must verify the heart as Kasyapa did with the flower—an act of verifying heart with heart, except it is far more challenging as it’s the Heart of Heaven, not the heart of Buddha Ancestor, being verified.

To verify heart with heart, to sense the Heavenly Dao, and to comprehend the law, one can then use the laws of the Heavenly Dao to display divine skills, with power increasing a hundredfold, or even achieving the state where words and actions are in accordance with the Dao, Buddha, law, and righteousness. Tathagata achieved such a realm, hence a simple act of offering a flower to all Buddhas became the Buddhist Law, the "Tathagata"!

"From chaos comes the Dao, that is, Tai Chi. Tai Chi gives birth to the Two Instruments, from which emerges Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang merge, all things come into being! Therefore, the Dao is Heaven!"

"Buddhist law, discarding the physical body and cultivating the spirit, transcends all things but is still under the Heavenly Dao, therefore it is Earth!"

"Confucianism teaches to achieve righteousness and benevolence, respecting the laws of Heaven and the paths of humans, so it is Benevolence, that is, Humanity."

There were heaven, earth, and man — only then could one consider it a complete world. At this moment, Wukong understood an even deeper principle.

"Taoist teachings fill the heavens, Buddhist law covers the earth, Confucianism governs humans!"

At this moment, Daoist Equal to Heaven brought his palms together and chanted the "Sutra of the Other Shore," with a majestic appearance, like a Buddha Ancestor come to save the world; Enlightenment Dao in Yingzhou Island wielded his brush vigorously, composing a splendid article from the times when the Ancient Heavenly Emperor ruled to the flourishing age of Zhenguan; Wukong recited the "Tao Te Ching," contemplating the naturalness of the Great Dao.

The so-called greatest sound is scarce, the Great Dao is formless; everything between heaven and earth has a reason.

"Who would have thought that Daoist Equal to Heaven was actually one with the deepest Buddhist roots, cultivating the ’Sutra of the Other Shore,’ and becoming a Buddha and an Ancestor! Unity of the Three Teachings, the Primordial Dao Fruit!"

Wukong sighed, formed a spell with his hands, and reached a realm of "Unity of Heaven and Man," sensing the laws of all things, their natural operations, and the cycles of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

This was an expression of the Heavenly Dao!

Wukong let out a hearty laugh, with my heart imprinting upon the Heart of Heaven, he felt the vastness of the Heavenly Dao and comprehended the regular pattern of the Law’s operation.

Inside Daoist Equal to Heaven’s Buddha Kingdom, a million Heavenly Demons prayed to the Heavenly Dao, making offerings. They burned their own souls, returning to the Heavenly Dao.

Incense Power and Wishes were important, but sensing the Heavenly Dao and being closely connected to it was even more essential! This choice was worth the trade-off.

The million Heavenly Demons offered sacrifices to the Heavenly Dao, naturally resonating with it, countless Laws descended, purifying the souls of the three individuals and allowing their hearts to attach more closely to the Heavenly Dao.

"Good! Achievement in the Law Realm!"

Wukong shouted loudly, formed the spell, and between his fingers, chains of Law Divine Chains rotated, still somewhat weak, but much stronger than the people who had just advanced to the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven.

This was the advantage of extraordinary favor!

In the Primordial Dao Fruit, there was a mark of the Heavenly Dao, bobbing within his dantian. Black and white intertwined, with the order of the Laws wrapped around it. As long as he operated his Divine Skills, he could mobilize the Laws, enhancing the power of his Divine Skills! The path of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal was a step for each layered heaven. Although now he had reached the Law Realm, the difficulty of cultivating further to Creation Boundary was unknown. Creation of the Void was a means to penetrate the roots of the world, directly evolving the source through Laws, crafting life, and forging Secret Realms.

That Wukong could cultivate to the Law Realm so quickly was naturally due to a series of fortuitous occurrences, as well as a Saint expounding the Dao to him.

This period of seclusion was yet another number of years.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang in the Great Tang of the Eastern Land was translating the True Mahayana Sutras. These Scriptures were written in the subtle and complicated Sanskrit of the Tianzhu country, and to translate them into Chinese was extremely difficult. However, he possessed great wisdom and fortitude, and having already become a Buddha Ancestor, his fruit position being Sandalwood Buddha made interpreting the Scriptures somewhat easier.

Buddhist Scriptures began to spread within the Tang Dynasty territories, especially around Chang’an. Although the Louguan Sect was also flourishing, with most of the Guanlong nobility following it, the charm of Buddhism’s philosophy also fascinated countless scholars. The rise of Buddhism was thus inevitable.

Buddhist temples sprouted like bamboo shoots after the rain within the Tang Dynasty, and the incense offerings to various Bodhisattvas and Buddhas increased, dividing up a significant portion of the incense offerings that would have gone to the Taoist Sect.

"How dare Sandalwood Buddha alter my Scriptures on his own?!" Tathagata, after receiving a copy of the translated Scriptures and reading its content, couldn’t help but rage. The wisdom in the Buddhist Scriptures wasn’t diminished, but what had been omitted were passages that brainwashed, teaching the belief in Buddha religiously.

Indeed, the Buddhist Scriptures contained great wisdom, but these were left by Amitabha Buddha, Zhunti, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, and the true Buddhas. Tathagata obtained these Scriptures only to modify them slightly, even inserting his own brainwashing text to make people fervently believe in Buddhism.

Faith is free, and to constrain people’s faith is the act of a cult, an abomination to the heavenly and earthly order! Tathagata’s actions, full of vile ambition, threatened to topple the Tang Dynasty’s national destiny, as everyone believing in Buddhism and leaving secular life to become monks could cripple the Tang’s economy and plunge it into chaos, continuously weakening the great destiny of the Southern Toad Continent!

After examining the Scriptures, Medicine Buddha said, "Sandalwood Buddha is venerated in all directions of the Southern Toad Continent, and the common people are devoted to him. We should not act against him for the time being."

With his fruit position and being the Royal Brother, and highly regarded in the Tang Dynasty with profound virtue and high prestige, Sandalwood Buddha was beloved by the people. To apprehend him and bring him back to Mount Meru may cause turmoil in Buddhism. Should this occur, the Daoist Sect would take advantage of such unrest, and the Buddhist roots laid in the Tang Dynasty would be destroyed.

All Buddhas, seeing their own incense power flourishing in the Southern Toad Continent, were unwilling for Tathagata to start more trouble, potentially allowing the Daoist Sect to reclaim lost ground, and they universally advised moderation.

"Now that the Victorious Fighting Buddha has left his retreat, the grand celebration of Buddhahood cannot be omitted. Please invite all esteemed individuals to come to Mount Meru for a reunion!" Tathagata set aside the matter of the Scriptures for now. Since Wukong had exited his retreat, having achieved the Law Realm, the grand celebration of his Buddhahood, previously delayed due to seclusion, should be brought up again.

It seems that Tathagata is ready to clash with the Daoist Sect once more! Still harboring resentment from the defeat at Louguan and the substantial losses suffered during the Journey to the West, he found it hard to console himself.

To find out what happens next, please join us in the following Chapter. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest encouragement. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)