Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 74 Jin Chanzi Appears

"Amitabha."

A monk emerged from under the tree, chanting Buddhist mantras, his hands clasped together, and a string of prayer beads in his hand.

"This humble monk, Jin Chanzi, greets all benefactors."

At that moment, he looked up and saw a handsome young man's face.

As Jin Chanzi spoke, he gracefully walked up to Zhong Xuan.

Amidst the cries of the caravan members, "Master, have mercy, save them!"

Jin Chanzi bowed slightly to Zhong Xuan and said, "Benefactor, Heaven cherishes life; why must you exterminate them?"

Zhong Xuan wasn't angry. He calmly asked in return, "May I ask where you come from, Master?"

Jin Chanzi replied, "This humble monk came from the Ling Mountain and traveled all the way. When I saw this, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him."

Zhong Xuan then asked, "Fellow Daoist Jin Chanzi, do you mean that these three enemies who attacked me should not be let go?"

It turns out that the three cultivators who were captured at this moment were not dead yet, but were clearly being controlled.

He looked completely immobile, his face and nose bruised and swollen.

It was Wang Lin, Wei Xian, and Han Yi.

Wang Lin is one of the descendants of Wang Tianlin of the Celestial Masters sect, and his cultivation strength has reached the level of condensing the first golden flower of essence.

Han Yi joined the fight as a henchman for his seriously ill sister, and he was even a master of the second level of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

Wei Xian was merely a rogue cultivator at the Innate Foundation Establishment stage, who had been fawning over and clinging to Wang Lin all along.

As for the pig demon they were controlling, it had already been killed long ago.

Zhong Xuan was just about to handle the matter properly when Jin Chanzi interrupted him and then questioned him in return.

Then Jin Chanzi said, "Benefactor, when will this cycle of revenge end?"

Zhong Xuan chuckled and countered, "If that's the case, then wouldn't it be enough to eliminate the problem completely by cutting off the roots?"

When he said this, the old man, who looked like a wise and venerable man, had a hint of mockery in his voice, clearly intending to tease the other party.

Therefore, Jin Chanzi was neither angry nor annoyed when he heard this. He smiled faintly and said, "It may appear clean on the surface, but inner demons have been born because of it."

At that moment, the three people beside him and some caravan guards shouted loudly, urging the master to quickly lead them away or drive away this terrifying old sorcerer.

However, the reactions of these people surprised Jin Chanzi.

Zhong Xuan found it even more interesting.

The people and events encountered in this world, with the involvement of these mysterious forces, are far more bizarre than anything seen in my previous life.

Zhong Xuan then asked the other party, "Fellow Daoist, you have also seen this extraordinary scene. It was clearly because of the cause set by these three that this group of people were implicated here by chance or by fate, yet now they are showing fear towards me, along with the perpetrators. How strange is this?"

Jin Chanzi said earnestly, "This is why we want to spread Buddhism widely, precisely to enlighten all sentient beings and dispel their doubts."

He then changed the subject, saying, "Benefactor, although these people have committed evil deeds, they do not deserve to be killed. Please show mercy."

Zhong Xuan said, "Their malice towards me goes beyond this. You want me to raise my hand, but how can you untangle the cause and effect involved? Do you want to get involved?"

As he spoke, Zhong Xuan picked up the weapon that the pig demon had used earlier, raised his hand, and pretended to smash the rake down on the head of Wang Lin, the leader.

Wang Lin, whose magical powers had already been suppressed, was so frightened that he crawled backward on the ground, using both his hands and feet to escape.

With a clang, Jin Chanzi took out a staff and blocked the rake blow.

The sound of weapons clashing between the two sides, the metallic clang of metal striking metal, made the ears of everyone around ring.

The blast wave rolled outwards, causing many people's clothes and hair to fly wildly, as if they had encountered a strong wind.

"Well done, monk! Come and test your skills with me. If you've had your fill, I'll let these three go."

Zhong Xuan laughed three times, then swung the rake in his hand. After only a few circles, he grasped the basic technique and swung it at his opponent with great force, just like a farmer making a plow mark on the ground.

He wanted to see what kind of person Jin Chanzi, who would later become Sun Wukong's master on his journey to the West and the Tang Dynasty monk, was in this world, more than six or eight hundred years ago!

As for how long it will be before the journey to the West, Zhong Xuan was not entirely sure.

Because the true historical evolution of this world seems to have some variables hidden in time and space, we can only estimate a distance of about six to eight hundred years.

"Okay," Jin Chanzi replied.

At this time, Buddhists, or rather, Taoists, had not yet degenerated into the kind of people who, in later generations, generally enjoyed empty talk and grandstanding.

Therefore, seeing Zhong Xuan like this, Jin Chanzi did not hold back and swung his staff to fight him.

This staff looks extremely heavy. When swung, it whistles through the air with tremendous force.

But when it fell into the hands of the handsome young Jin Chanzi, he had to use his waist to generate power, moving with the staff, swinging the staff in circles and smashing it down on his opponent in succession.

Faced with this Zen staff fighting style that combines offense and defense, Zhong Xuan had no choice but to parry repeatedly with his rake while trying to hook the clanging copper rings on the Zen staff, using the hook and sickle to block the opponent's weapon.

After the fight, both of them were panting heavily.

Jin Chanzi braced himself against the rake, then raised one hand and said with admiration, "Benefactor, you truly have excellent comprehension! I never expected that in such a short time, you would have learned seventy or eighty percent of this Arhat Subduing Demon Staff Technique."

At this moment, Zhong Xuan's gesture of withdrawing his hand was a mirror image of Jin Chanzi's.

He slowly put away his staff, then tossed it over.

During the fight, he found an opportunity to hook the opponent's staff and disarm him.

But the opponent is not weak either.

Through his machinations, Jin Chanzi managed to swap the weapons between the two men.

Therefore, although they lost the staff, they were able to grab the rake and fight each other for a while.

Zhong Xuan looked at the pitted and deformed rake and casually tossed it aside.

Looking at the other person's almost undamaged staff, one could tell that he truly was worthy of being a direct disciple of the Buddha.

This staff is truly powerful, and its quality is top-notch.

Recalling the fight between the two, with weapons in hand, one could sense that the other had also crossed the five thresholds.

They are able to incorporate their own understanding of Taoism or Buddhism into what appears to be a mere fight, creating a distinct and strong personal style.

Zhong Xuan also expressed his admiration, saying, "But there are still two or three parts that you can't learn. I'm afraid it can only be comprehended through years of immersive practice. With such cultivation and realm, you can also be called a Zen master."

Jin Chanzi also said, "Since we couldn't determine who was better in this, let's compare our magical abilities next."

Then Jin Chanzi began to recite scriptures eloquently.

After hearing this, some of the people around noticed that their bodies were rapidly improving.

While it wasn't quite as miraculous as bringing the dead back to life, it did stop the pain and bleeding.

They felt much better and began to call him a divine monk.

Zhong Xuan was being watched by Jin Chanzi, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"You want to save people, but I won't compete with you in that. However, these three may be spared the death penalty, but they can't escape punishment. I'll use them as an example."

Zhong Xuan also recited a scripture, while his fingers lightly touched the bodies of the three people, and he channeled his energy into their bodies.

The transferred magical power quickly unlocked some of the abilities that had been locked away from these three people.

One by one, they stood up again, full of energy, their faces flushed.

The three were overjoyed and immediately tried to escape.

However, the high monk Jin Chanzi behind them shouted anxiously, "Don't run, come back quickly!"

But these three had regained their mobility, so how could they dare to stay?

Jin Chanzi was about to give chase immediately.

Just then, Zhong Xuan stepped forward and waved his hand.

A strong wind arose from all around, preventing Jin Chanzi from leaving.

At this moment, Zhong Xuan said calmly:

"Everyone has their own cause and effect, and everyone has their own inherent nature."

"What I've done has given them chance after chance, but they've only succumbed to depravity and gone astray time and time again."

"Even if you catch up, can you completely rescue them?"

As Zhong Xuan spoke, he headed towards the Zhu Zi Kingdom.

Jin Chanzi followed behind, angrily accusing, "You unleashed their full energy, drastically improving their condition, yet you didn't tell them about it. Isn't that like burning firewood? This method is indeed mysterious, but using it in this way is nothing short of demonic!"

Zhong Xuan strode forward, his sleeves fluttering, and laughed three times as he addressed Jin Chanzi, who was catching up with him:

"Whether it is a demon or a Buddha, according to Buddhist scriptures, it is only a matter of a single thought, and sometimes it is even two sides of the same coin."

"The true Buddha simply subdued them all."

"As far as I'm concerned, I have no hatred for them. It's just that they came looking for me and used all sorts of methods, so I'm like a mirror, responding in kind."

As he spoke, he pointed to the river not far away.

"If I had no inherent nature, I would be nothing more than a mirror."

Zhong Xuan turned to Jin Chanzi, who was walking beside him with a frown, and asked again, "If a demon sees me, he sees a demon. If a Buddhist chanter sees me, he sees me as if I were the Buddha, then what should be done?"

Jin Chanzi immediately shook his head and advised, "Benefactor, you may be falling into the trap of delusional thinking! While it's true that there are Buddhas and demons, how can someone who hasn't attained Buddhahood speak so arrogantly?"

Zhong Xuan asked unhurriedly, "I just heard that you came from Mount Ling, but I don't know what realm you are in. I have heard that there is a Buddha on Mount Ling, and below the Buddha are Bodhisattvas, below the Bodhisattvas are Arhats, and below the Arhats are Jiedi, Sangharama, and other beings."

Jin Chanzi replied, "I come from Mount Ling, but I am just an ordinary monk traveling eastward, learning and practicing along the way. However, I see that you, my fellow Daoist, are also extraordinary, so I can humbly say: I am but a mere Arhat."

Despite saying that, the pride in his tone was evident.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xuan, unusually, offered a word of praise: "So it was the Venerable Arhat who was in front of me; I was blind to his presence."

"It is said that to attain the Arhatship, one must hear the truth of the four fruits."

"Pre-flow fruit, once-returning fruit, non-returning fruit, Arhat fruit."

"Among them, the first fruition is the elimination of the three fetters, and the fourth fruition is the state of no more learning."

"It has already reached the true essence of Buddhist teachings, which is quite remarkable."

Zhong Xuan naturally doesn't judge people with prejudice; he praises them when they deserve it.

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi was delighted and immediately asked, "So, you also understand Buddhism?"

It turns out that Buddhism on Lingshan Mountain was not yet widely spread at this time.

Even in Xiniuhezhou, it has only spread widely in the westernmost Lingshan and surrounding countries, and already has many believers.

But if you go further ahead, to about the middle of Xiniuhezhou, and then eastward, gradually fewer and fewer people will believe in it.

Or rather, there are relatively few people who even listen to lectures on Buddhism or learn about it.

Jin Chanzi was also troubled by this, and for various other reasons, he came out of Lingshan this time to travel eastward, spread Buddhist teachings along the way, increase the influence of Buddhism, and save all sentient beings.

The Buddhist scriptures and doctrines that Zhong Xuan studied came from later generations, containing more sectarian categories and essence, but also more falsehoods and confusions.

Therefore, at this moment, he said quite happily, "Buddhism and Taoism are also among the great paths. As far as I am concerned, how can someone who seeks the Tao not understand them? But I dare not even say that I understand them."

Jin Chanzi was even more delighted upon hearing this, but his expression remained serious.

Jin Chanzi carefully explained, "Based on the recent internal debates at Mount Ling, I must correct you. While the previous understanding of the four stages of enlightenment did exist, they now belong to the Hinayana school of Buddhism, not the Mahayana."

Zhong Xuan, still curious, walked with Jin Chanzi and asked, "I have heard of Hinayana and Mahayana, but I have never been able to make a judgment. Now that I hear you are an Arhat, I would like to ask you for clarification and explain the differences between them."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi naturally agreed, even raising his hands and shaking his sleeves to straighten his face.

He spread out his left and right hands respectively, and then explained: "First of all, you should know that Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism both come from the same source, originating from the original teachings of Shakyamuni, and sharing the basic doctrines such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, Dependent Origination, and the Three Marks of Existence."

Zhong Xuan nodded upon hearing this, knowing that Shakyamuni was the true ancestor of all Buddhas, and felt a deep respect for him. He then said, "Since it comes from the true ancestor of all Buddhas, then it seems that both of these are genuine teachings."

Jin Chanzi nodded with satisfaction, feeling a sense of "this child is teachable," and then continued:

"It should be noted that we have never had the concept of Mahayana or Hinayana before."

Theravada Buddhism, also known as Hinayana Buddhism.

"But Theravada Buddhists today are unwilling to accept this name."

"If you encounter this, you must understand the difference and be careful with your words to avoid disputes."

As Jin Chanzi spoke, he shook his head.

Clearly, Lingshan is not a monolithic entity.

Zhong Xuan remained silent.

Jin Chanzi sighed, "You are indeed well-informed."

"It should be known that the distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism is only just beginning to emerge in our Vulture Peak, and has not yet been clearly explained to outsiders."

"But since you've brought it up, I'll explain the differences."

Jin Chanzi raised his left hand and said, "This is Hinayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism."

"From today's perspective, it is self-interest and self-cultivation. The Buddhahood they attain is that of an Arhat or a Pratyekabuddha."

"To be liberated from the cycle of rebirth, one must emphasize the principle that 'the Dharma exists but I do not,' and break free from attachment to self and others."

Jin Chanzi, having reached this point, wanted to hear the other party's opinion.

Seeing that the other party had stopped, Zhong Xuan casually said: