SFS Chapter 107 Subduing Dragons and Tigers on the Path of God
Chapter 107 Subduing Dragons and Tigers on the Path of God
Chapter 107 Subduing Dragons and Tigers on the Path of God
The Six Ding and Six Jia, the Daily Duty Officers, and the Twelve Guardians of the Faith are a bit numb.
They were tasked with recording Tang Sanzang's words and actions along the way, and protecting him from demons.
But I never expected to encounter something like this.
Instead of going on his journey to the West, Tang Sanzang insisted on visiting some temple.
As a result, he offended the temple keeper and was tied up.
Although from the perspective of the gods, all the lay Buddhists in the temples are monsters.
However, under the current Heavenly Law, anyone in the world with nine orifices can cultivate.
Monsters can also become immortals.
Even in the Heavenly Court today, there are many gods and immortals whose true forms were originally demons who had cultivated to enlightenment.
Although the lay Buddhists in the temple are said to be demons, their accumulated merits are so great that they almost blind the gods like Liu Ding and Liu Jia.
Clearly, these monsters had not done anything evil.
On the contrary, by accumulating good deeds and doing good, one accumulates great merit.
Even if the Six Ding and Six Jia have responsibilities, they still cannot use force when encountering such a monster.
All we can do is offer kind words of advice.
That night, the worshippers in the temple had already left.
Tang Sanzang remained bound to the pillar, unable to move.
Knowing he had done wrong, the monk dared not shout, but could only apologize to the lay Buddhists in kind words.
"Amitabha Buddha, what a sin!"
"I am guilty and accept the punishment. I would like to ask you lay Buddhists to give me a set of rules, and I will follow them."
"This humble monk has been ordered by the Tang Emperor to travel to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures."
"We really can't afford to delay."
"I beg you lay Buddhists to be lenient and spare this poor monk."
Tang Sanzang tried every kind word he could think of, offering apologies and proposing to hold a Buddhist conference as an act of atonement.
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to him.
Since the temple lay Buddhists' goal was to stop Tang Sanzang, they naturally wouldn't pay any attention to him.
When the gods, including Liu Ding, Liu Jia, and the Day Duty Officer, saw this scene, they all looked at each other in bewilderment.
A bad feeling welled up inside me.
It was late at night in the Scorpion Woman's room.
Two deities on duty called from outside the door: "Layman, may you come out and see us?"
The people from Heaven have finally arrived.
The Scorpion Woman smiled, opened the door, and welcomed the two gods inside.
The two deities bowed to the Scorpion Woman and said, "Laywoman, you have accumulated virtue and done good deeds, bringing blessings to the people of this region. Please accept our bow."
The Scorpion Woman sat calmly and accepted the greeting, then said, "The two celestial beings came here not just to tell me this, were they?"
The deity nodded, then pointed to Tang Sanzang, who was tied to a pillar in the main hall, and said, "To be honest, we two came specifically for this monk. This monk was chosen by the Buddha to spread Mahayana Buddhism to the Tang Dynasty in the East. This is a matter of great importance, so we beg you to show mercy."
The Scorpion Woman laughed: "I've never heard of any Mahayana Buddhism spreading eastward. All I know is that the deities enshrined in this temple have official status, yet this monk insulted them. I can't swallow this!"
The two deities narrowed their eyes: "Then, how can we make this layman swallow his anger?"
Hearing the two gods' words, the Scorpion Woman revealed the golden hook at the end of her tail: "Are the two gods threatening me?"
"We wouldn't dare! Your merits are immeasurable, of course we wouldn't do anything to you."
The Scorpion Woman smiled and said, "That's good. You can leave now. I won't let Tang Sanzang go."
—
The two gods exchanged a glance, knowing they could not act here, and had no choice but to fly back into the sky.
Upon seeing this, the other deities inquired about the two's achievements.
The two shook their heads and said, "No, that scorpion is tight-lipped and won't let us go at all."
Another deity asked, "What should we do?"
The two deities thought for a moment and said, "Let those bald Buddhist monks come. After all, the eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism is their domain. We shouldn't have to lower ourselves to beg them."
There are many deities protecting Tang Sanzang, including the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Daily Duty Officers, and the Buddhist Guardian Deities.
After the two deities finished speaking, the remaining deities immediately sent a message to the Buddhist guardian deities. Eighteen guardian deities rushed to the scene. Upon seeing Tang Sanzang's condition, they were extremely angry: "Hey, what's wrong with you Heavenly Gods? Can't you even do something as simple as protecting Tang Sanzang?"
The gods in Heaven narrowed their eyes: "What do you mean by that?"
"Hmph, what do you mean? Today is the day your Heavenly Court's gods are on duty, Tang Sanzang's ordeal has nothing to do with me."
"you?!"
The Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Daily Duty Officer were furious.
They never expected that the apostolic monks before them would have such an attitude.
The eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism is clearly a matter for Buddhism, so why do these monks who protect the Dharma seem completely indifferent?
The gods were about to object, but one of them stopped them and whispered, "Don't you think that even the Western Vulture Peak has some reservations about the eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism?"
"Surely not? I've heard this matter is of great importance, involving not only Buddhism but also the Heavenly Court. Even powerful demons and the ancestors of earth immortals in the lower realms are eager to get a share. How could Buddhism have any objections?"
"It's not that I have a problem with the event itself, but rather with the person hosting it."
"That is... Jin Chanzi?!"
The six Ding and six Jia, along with the daily duty officer, whispered among themselves for a while before finally realizing what was going on.
They understood why the apostolic monastery held this attitude.
Buddhism is not a monolithic entity!
"What should we do?"
The six Ding and six Jia, along with the daily duty officer, discussed the matter for a while and decided to no longer interfere.
"Report this to the Heavenly Court, and then wait!"
The gods reported back to Heaven, saying that Tang Sanzang had encountered a calamity that they could not rescue.
They did not mention the matter of the apostolic monastery.
After all, we'll be working together in the future, so it's really not a good idea to tattle on someone now.
If we just touch on it briefly, the Heavenly Court will naturally discover the truth.
When the Jade Emperor saw the memorials from the Six Ding and Six Jia, he smiled with disdain and then assigned Taibai Jinxing to handle them.
As the peacemaker of the Heavenly Court, Venus was naturally the most suitable person to handle this matter.
At this moment, Venus, having received the imperial decree, was pacing back and forth at the South Heavenly Gate, seemingly hesitant.
Today, the Heavenly King of Growth is on duty at the South Heavenly Gate.
Looking at Venus's appearance, the Heavenly King of Growth smiled and asked, "Old Immortal, what's wrong?"
Venus chuckled twice, then sighed heavily, "Disaster!"
"What? Isn't it that Tang Sanzang was captured? I heard that the monster who captured Tang Sanzang was a virtuous and kind person."
"If you go down there and say a few words of persuasion, the problem will naturally be solved."
Venus shook his head: "That's not the problem!"
The Heavenly King of Growth laughed and said, "Old Immortal, are you being a bit hesitant? Back then, you were so bold in persuading that demon monkey. Now that you've encountered such a small matter, why are you still hesitating?"
"It's different! This is something that will offend people."
With nothing else to do, the Heavenly King of Growth laughed and said, "Old Immortal, what are you saying? This is clearly a great act of merit!"
Venus shook his head, looking quite troubled.
"Back then, when I tried to persuade that demon monkey, I actually had some selfish motives. That demon monkey's cultivation had already transcended the mortal realm, and he possessed great supernatural powers in this life. If I could bring that demon monkey under the wing of my Heavenly Court, it would naturally be a great merit. Moreover, there are also powerful figures behind that demon monkey."
"But that won't work today."
"Do you really think that the eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism is a consensus within Western Buddhism?"
"No, no! Let's not even talk about Dipankara Buddha, the Buddha of the past. Maitreya Buddha alone has quite a few complaints about this."
"He doesn't have a problem with the matter itself, but he's dissatisfied with the people who carried it out."
"Maitreya Buddha is the future Buddha, and his chief disciple Huang Mei is truly extraordinary. His cultivation has already transcended the ordinary and entered sainthood, and his attainments in Buddhism are second only to a few, surpassing tens of millions. He is perfectly suited to take charge of the eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism."
"But the Buddha Tathagata forcibly assigned this matter to Jin Chanzi, which is equivalent to giving the modern Buddhist lineage an extra great merit out of thin air."
"Now, not only Maitreya Buddha, but also other Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are not very satisfied with the Western Vulture Peak."
"This is difficult, very difficult!"
Venus seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps complaining to the Heavenly King of Growth, as he blurted out the secrets of the eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism.
This gave the Growth King quite a fright.
The Heavenly King quickly approached Venus and whispered, "Immortal, please be careful what you say. This matter is of utmost importance and must not be spread around."
Venus smiled wryly: "Rumors? Almost everything is out in the open. Let me tell you, on the way Mahayana Buddhism spread eastward, many demons were sent down by the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect. Some of them genuinely wanted to bring Jin Chanzi a calamity, while others wanted to completely ruin it."
"6
'
The Heavenly King of Growth dared not speak, letting the old immortal mutter to himself.
Venus muttered to himself for a long time, then finally slapped his forehead: "One day in heaven is a year on earth. I only need to dawdle for half an hour, and fifteen days will have passed on the mortal realm! That's settled!"
Thinking of this, the old immortal actually returned to the Heavenly Court from the South Heavenly Gate, muttering that he was going to retrieve a treasure.
Then he rode on auspicious clouds and returned to Venus's residence.
The temple in Shuangcha Ridge in the lower realm.
The Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Daily Duty Officers received a response from the Heavenly Court and were finally relieved.
That's just how work is.
There will always be difficulties, but we must find suitable solutions.
Such a major matter, involving both the Buddhist and Heavenly systems, is not something that a minor deity like myself can decide on my own.
Therefore, when faced with any difficult decision, all they need to do is report it and then follow instructions.
Once they reach the Heavenly Court, they bear no responsibility for anything that happens in the future.
But if you make the decision yourself, any slight disturbance in the future will bring a mountain of blame upon you.
This is the way of survival for immortals in Heaven.
The Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Daily Duty Officers have already reported this matter to the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court also issued a document stating that Venus would descend to earth to help Tang Sanzang.
That's fine.
The six Ding and six Jia, and the daily duty officers are all very relaxed.
They only needed to ensure Tang Sanzang's safety; they didn't care about anything else.
In Buddhism, the eighteen guardian monasteries are not actually a monolithic entity.
The monk, who was connected to the Buddha, was impatient and wanted to directly save Tang Sanzang.
The rest of the Garan stood by and watched coldly, making no move whatsoever.
The monks of the Buddha's lineage glared angrily: "The eastward transmission of Mahayana Buddhism involves our Buddhist tradition in Jambudvipa (the southern continent), a matter of great importance. How dare you stand by and watch?"
The other guardian deities wore helpless expressions, saying, "You've seen it yourself; these demons have practically created golden bodies of merit. As gods, we can't possibly attack them, or we'll be consumed by karmic fire and endless calamities. Besides, Jin Chanzi was in the wrong first; what can we do?"
"Good! Very good! We will go to the Western Paradise to report to the Buddha."
"Heh, go ahead."
The Dharma protectors of the Buddha's lineage, angered by this, rode on auspicious clouds and flew westward.
The remaining guardian monks remained in the area to ensure Tang Sanzang's safety.
The matter seems to have reached a stalemate.
Tang Sanzang remained bound to the stone pillar, his cries for help going unanswered.
He felt bitter and didn't know what to do, so he could only plead desperately.
The Scorpion Woman didn't care about any of that; she just waited for the experts from the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect to arrive.
Even so, the temple here still welcomes pilgrims every day as usual.
Because this temple is exceptionally efficacious, the worshippers there are quite devout.
Even those who had never seen Tang Sanzang in person had heard about him.
Therefore, filled with righteous indignation, they said that Tang Sanzang should be severely punished.
With the help of these ordinary mortals, the Scorpion Woman felt even more confident.
She knew that it wouldn't be long before the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect would lose patience.
At that time, the world will know of the existence of Mount Buzhou.
Things unfolded much faster than the Scorpio woman had anticipated.
Three days later, two strange worshippers suddenly appeared outside the temple.
A chubby man with a kind smile on his face.
The other was quite strong, with a physique far exceeding that of ordinary mortals.
The two arrived outside the temple but did not rush in. Instead, they bowed and said, "Amitabha, please ask the lay Buddhists in the temple to come out and greet us."
Their voices were so soft that even the ordinary people around them couldn't hear them.
I just felt that these two worshippers were a bit peculiar.
The lay Buddhists in temples are different.
They were helping ordinary people solve their problems as usual, when suddenly they felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in their souls.
A Buddhist mantra exploded in their minds.
The Scorpion Woman covered her forehead, her expression slightly ferocious: "Finally, you two have arrived."
Buddhist Arhats, who subdue dragons and tigers!
Legend has it that there are five hundred Arhats in Buddhism, the strongest of whom are the two Arhats who subdue dragons and tigers.
Not only is his Buddhist knowledge profound, but his cultivation has also reached a transcendent and saintly level.
Ordinary monsters are no match for them.
More importantly, the two Arhats, Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger, are direct descendants of the Buddha.
Not only is he exceptionally powerful in combat, but he is also incredibly cunning and shrewd!
Scorpion Woman knew that Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger were important figures in Buddhism.
Therefore, they dared not be negligent and immediately led the lay Buddhists out to greet them.
The lay Buddhists in the temple were all demons, and they were quite frightened when they faced the two Arhats who subdued the dragon and tiger.
It wasn't that they were afraid; it was simply that their duty as dragon tamers and tiger subduers was to eliminate all demons in the world.
Therefore, it can naturally suppress demons and monsters.
The Scorpion Woman led the layman to the Dragon Subduer and Tiger Tamer, cupping her hands and saying, "What brings you two Arhats to my humble temple?"
The Arhat Subduing Dragon smiled, his eyes narrowed to slits: "We two have come here to plead for Tang Sanzang. This matter is of great importance, so we beg you to show mercy, fellow Daoist."
The Scorpion Woman smiled and said, "This is of course simple; all that's needed is the consent of the deity."
Jianglong opened his narrowed eyes a crack: "Gods—you mean the statues in the temples?"
"That's right, the deity I worship resides on Mount Buzhou!"