Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything-Chapter 612: The Leaves of Buddha Mother Zhunti
At the entrance of the Illusionary Demon Cave, Bodhisattva Guanyin stood at the cave’s mouth, her footsteps pausing ever so slightly in thought before she clenched her teeth and walked in.
The Journey to the West to seek scriptures, although a great calamity, was equally a great merit.
When the Journey to the West had first begun, and the Tathagata had entrusted her with this task, her heart was actually filled with joy. If she managed the coordination of the scripture-seeking well, it would indeed be an immense merit!
Today, she had made a grave error; the Drought Demon had gone missing, and Tathagata had punished her by having her face the wall in the Illusionary Demon Cave to reflect for two years. Guanyin was not angry; she knew this was already considered a lenient punishment.
But, to just cast aside her identity as the coordinator of the Journey to the West for scriptures so easily?
Originally, Bodhisattva Guanyin thought she would feel a great loss, but after truly relinquishing the coordination duties for the Journey to the West, she found, surpriseingly, no sadness within her heart. Instead, she felt a sense of relief?
This left Bodhisattva Guanyin herself quite astonished.
However, upon further reflection of the journey thus far, with its eighty-one trials and only thirty-one having been faced, the thought of the hardships encountered along the way felt like an overwhelming flood of tears.
Looking back, it seemed that temporarily handing over the work of coordinating the Journey to the West was not too bad of an idea after all?
...
Let’s set aside Guanyin’s thoughts for now. At this time, at Great Thunder Monastery on the Western Spirit Mountain, many Buddhas were arriving one after another.
Not everyone had assembled yet, so the Tathagata remained silent.
However, many a Buddha’s gaze swept past the Tathagata’s hand, observing the Calamity Book he held, their expressions varied.
After a long while, aside from Ancient Randeng Buddha, even Maitreya Buddha had arrived.
The Great Thunder Monastery could be said to have gathered all the Buddhas at this point.
"Today, I have convened all of you here to discuss a matter of great importance!" Once the expected attendees had nearly all arrived, the Tathagata began to speak.
"The Journey to the West for Scriptures is a matter of great importance to the Buddhist Sect. It has always been under the coordination of Great Bodhisattva Guanyin. Since Xuanzang started his Journey to the West, almost four years have passed, and out of the eighty-one tribulations, thirty-one have already been faced," he said, raising the Calamity Book in his hand, essentially recounting the progress of the Journey for Scriptures to everyone.
Following that, the Tathagata continued, "However, during the most recent tribulation, Great Bodhisattva Guanyin had dispatched the Drought Demon to create calamity, which led to its disappearance. She made a great mistake; therefore, Great Bodhisattva Guanyin has been sent to face the wall in the Illusionary Demon Cave for two years!"
As these words were spoken, the faces of the Buddhas present changed, and a buzz of low murmurs began, making the assembly somewhat noisy for a moment.
Clearly, for most people, the notion of Bodhisattva Guanyin being punished in the Illusionary Demon Cave was something completely unexpected.
However, considering the Drought Demon’s disappearance and the responsibility laying on Bodhisattva Guanyin, her punishment seemed to be within the bounds of reason.
"Amitabha, Buddha, Great Bodhisattva Guanyin has dedicated herself to the Journey to the West, having worked tirelessly even at great cost to herself. Even if she has occasionally erred, she shouldn’t be so severely punished. Please release Bodhisattva Guanyin, allowing her to atone and contribute. At such a crucial time, the matter of seeking scriptures for the Journey to the West is of utmost importance to the rise and fall of our Buddhist Sect!"
In the midst of the murmuring, all of a sudden, the smiling Maitreya Buddha stood up and spoke to the Tathagata, pleading on Bodhisattva Guanyin’s behalf.
"Maitreya Buddha, I summoned all of you here today not only to inform you of this matter but also to discuss another important issue with you all!" the Tathagata said, glancing at Maitreya Buddha before continuing.
This response clearly did not accommodate Maitreya Buddha’s plea.
Maitreya Buddha sat down without pressing the matter further.
"Maitreya Buddha’s words are sensible. The Journey to the West for Scriptures is a matter of great importance for our Buddhist Sect. Now that Bodhisattva Guanyin has made an error and entered the Illusionary Demon Cave, someone must replace her in coordinating this Journey to the West. I ask you, who among you is willing to take up this task?" With Maitreya Buddha sitting down, the Tathagata swept his gaze around everyone at the Great Thunder Monastery and asked.
This question did not elicit much response.
Seeing the Calamity Book in the Tathagata’s hands and knowing that Bodhisattva Guanyin had been confined in the Illusionary Demon Cave, those present could guess the purpose of the Tathagata bringing everyone together.
Indeed, the merit involved in the Journey to seek scriptures was tempting.
Yet the great calamities of this Journey made one’s heart tremble.
Since the beginning of the Journey to the West, how many had died because of its challenges? Wasn’t even Bodhisattva Guanyin punished in the Illusionary Demon Cave?
Isn’t this a cautionary example?
Thus, this immense merit was not so easily claimed.
One may crave it, but one must also weigh their own capabilities before taking it on!
"Amitabha, the matter of seeking scriptures for the Journey to the West is the most pressing concern of our Buddhist Sect. If anyone is able to replace Great Bodhisattva Guanyin for two years, they shall be credited with a great deed, and furthermore, if they perform well, the entire responsibility of coordinating the Journey may be transferred to them!"
In light of the Buddhas of Great Thunder Monastery all being deep in thought, with none stepping forward to take on the task, the Tathagata, after a moment of silence, made his promise.
A great deed, and even potentially taking over the entire coordination work for the Journey to the West if one did well—that was indeed a tempting proposition.
It can be said that men die for wealth, as birds die for food, and it is no different for the Immortals and Buddhas.
"As long as there are sufficient benefits, life-threatening dangers? Even Immortals and Buddhas are willing to take the risk!"
"Amitabha, reporting to the Buddha, since this matter is a major concern of the Buddhist Sect, I naturally cannot stand by idly!" Finally, a Buddha stepped forward, and it was none other than the Buddha of the East Immovable.
"For this cause, I am also willing to exert every bit of effort for our Buddhist Sect!" Following the statement of the Immovable Buddha, the Buddha of the South Baosheng, also one of the Five-Direction Buddhas, spoke up to express his willingness.
Subsequently, three or four more Buddhas voiced their intentions.
Although Bodhisattva’s abilities and methods aren’t inferior to those of the Buddhas, these Buddhas were also confident in themselves.
Just because Bodhisattva might not handle it well, does not mean they wouldn’t be able to, right?
Tathagata, sitting serenely on his throne, watched as these Buddhas eagerly vied for this task, yet he silently shook his head.
Unbeknownst to them, Tathagata was well aware of the challenges faced by the coordinator of the Journey to the West for Scriptures.
After all, one could tell from his previous venture into the Demon Realm to rescue someone from Wutian’s grasp.
Although these Buddhas’ skills were not lacking, they weren’t necessarily better than Guanyin’s.
If they took over, it wasn’t certain they could do a better job than Guanyin.
So, while they were willing to agree, Tathagata harbored some doubts about their abilities in his heart.
"Amitabha, let me undertake this matter; as a duty of the Buddhist Sect, it’s incumbent upon me!"
Just as these several Buddhas had declared their stance, seemingly even competitive with each other, suddenly, at that moment, a jovial voice rang out.
Upon hearing this voice, everyone in the Great Thunder Monastery was inwardly startled and looked toward its source. The speaker was none other than Maitreya Buddha!
"He wants to take on this mission!?" Hearing Maitreya Buddha’s words and seeing the mirthful expression on his face, Tathagata’s heart tightened slightly.
The Three-World Buddha, the Past Buddha Randeng, had already withdrawn from worldly matters of the Buddhist Sect, and the present Buddha, Tathagata, was overseeing all affairs of the Sect.
And Maitreya Buddha is the Future Buddha, as well as the next sovereign of the Buddhist Sect.
In terms of influence within the Buddhist Sect, aside from Tathagata, of course, Maitreya Buddha held the greatest clout.
Between Tathagata and Maitreya Buddha, naturally, there was some level of competition and even friction.
The task of the Journey to the West for Scriptures is a great calamity as well as a great opportunity for merit. Tathagata had entrusted it to Bodhisattva, effectively securing this merit for himself.
But if it were given to Maitreya Buddha...
For Tathagata, if Maitreya Buddha managed to successfully coordinate the grand undertaking of the Journey to the West for Scriptures, his prestige would rise even higher, posing an even greater threat to Tathagata’s own position.
Tathagata opened his mouth, intending to find a reason for a polite refusal.
However, just at that moment, suddenly, the skies above the Great Thunder Monastery were ablaze with Buddhist Light.
A tree leaf floated down from above the Great Thunder Monastery, gently descending.
Brilliant light burst forth from that leaf.
What is this!?
Watching the leaf falling from the skies above the Great Thunder Monastery, all the Buddhas, including both Tathagata and Maitreya Buddha, stood up and bowed in respect toward the leaf.
"Paying respects to the Buddha Mother!"
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Led by Tathagata, all those present bowed to the leaf, calling out loudly.
The Buddha Mother referred to here is none other than Zhunti, one of the twin saints of the Buddhist Sect.
This leaf, recognized by all, was from the Seven Treasure Marvelous Tree, the Supreme Treasure of Enlightenment of Buddha Mother Zhunti.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the leaf slowly fell and, as fate would have it, landed right in front of Maitreya Buddha.
Fortuitously, Maitreya Buddha extended his palm.
Just then, the leaf settled into the palm of Maitreya Buddha.
Seeing this scene, the many Buddhas of the Great Thunder Monastery fell silent, revealing varied expressions.
Tathagata’s expression momentarily stiffened, then quickly returned to calm.
"Since Maitreya Buddha is willing to personally oversee the task of the Journey to the West for Scriptures, it is fortunate for our Buddhist Sect. As such, this task of the Journey to the West shall then entrust to Maitreya Buddha!" Tathagata spoke, addressing Maitreya Buddha and handed over the Calamity Book in his hand.
"For the prosperity of our Buddhist Sect, I shall spare no effort!" Still wearing a delighted smile, Maitreya Buddha accepted the book with a spirited demeanor.
(PS: Due to a miscalculation of the explosion time, it’s pushed back one day! The explosion will start at 12 pm tomorrow night!!! Three more updates for tonight, alas, and also, the new book has been renamed "Master of Plane Leveling," which is a better name...)
