Upon seeing this, the Buddha was overjoyed and said, "No one else can go; only the Venerable Guanyin, with her great supernatural powers, can go." The Bodhisattva asked, "What instructions do you have for me on my journey to the Eastern Land?" The Buddha replied, "On this journey, you must carefully observe the road and not travel in the heavens. You must travel through half-clouds and half-mist, observing the mountains and rivers, and remembering the distance of the journey. I urge the pilgrim to make these instructions. I fear that it will be difficult for the faithful to travel, so I will give you five treasures."
Then the Buddha ordered Ananda and Kasyapa to bring out a brocade robe with bat motifs and a nine-ringed staff, saying to the Bodhisattva, "This robe and staff may be given to the pilgrim. If he is determined to come here, wearing my robe will prevent him from falling into the cycle of reincarnation; holding my staff will protect him from harm." The Bodhisattva accepted and submitted. The Buddha then took out three hoops and handed them to the Bodhisattva, saying, "These treasures are called tight hoops. Although there are three of them, they are used differently. I have three incantations: one for gold, one for tightness, and one for restraint. If you encounter a powerful demon on the road, you must persuade him to be good and become a disciple of the pilgrim. If he does not obey, you can give him these hoops to wear on his head, and they will naturally take root in his flesh. Recite the incantation according to the one you are using, and his eyes will bulge, his head will ache, and his forehead will split open, forcing him to enter my gate."
Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva bowed deeply and withdrew. He then summoned the pilgrim Huian to accompany him. Huian wielded a massive iron cudgel, weighing a thousand catties, and stood beside the Bodhisattva, acting as a powerful warrior to subdue demons. The Bodhisattva then made a bundle from his brocade robe and had Huian carry it. The Bodhisattva concealed the golden headband, took his staff, and descended Mount Ling. This journey is said to have led to: the Buddha's disciple returning to his original vow, and Elder Jinchan, wrapped in sandalwood.
When the Bodhisattva reached the foot of the mountain, the Golden-Crowned Immortal of the Jade True Temple greeted him at the temple gate and offered him tea. The Bodhisattva dared not linger, saying, "I have received the Buddha's decree to travel east to find the scripture seeker." The Immortal asked, "When will the scripture seeker arrive?" The Bodhisattva replied, "Uncertain, perhaps in two or three years." He then took his leave of the Immortal and, amidst the clouds and mist, made a rough estimate of the journey. A poem testifies to this: "Searching ten thousand miles is beyond words, yet who can truly be content? Seeking help suddenly becomes so unexpected; is this merely a coincidence in my life?"
To preach the gospel in a way that turns into falsehood demonstrates the lack of faith and the falsity of the teachings. I am willing to open my heart to seek acquaintances, and I believe that fate will surely bring us together.
As the master and disciple were walking, they suddenly saw the Weak Water Three Thousand, which was the boundary of the Flowing Sand River. The Bodhisattva said, "Disciple, this place is difficult to cross. How can a mortal with impure bones cross it?" Huian said, "Master, look how far the river is." The Bodhisattva stopped and looked, and saw—to the east, it connected to the desert; to the west, it reached the various barbarian lands; to the south, it reached the Ugo; and to the north, it connected to the Tatars. It was eight hundred li in length, and ten million li in length. The water flowed like the earth turning over, and the waves rolled like mountains rising up. It was vast and boundless, and the sound of its ten-thousand-foot-high torrent could be heard from ten li away. Even a celestial raft could not reach this place, and even lotus leaves could not float. Withered grass and the setting sun flowed along the winding riverbank, and yellow clouds and the shadow of the sun darkened the long dike. Where were the merchants coming and going? Where were the fishermen who lived? No geese landed on the flat sand, and monkeys cried on the distant shore. Only the red smartweed and the white iris knew the scenery, and the fragrance of the white iris lingered.
The Bodhisattva looked closely, and with a splash, a demon leaped out of the river, utterly hideous. He was neither green nor black, with a gloomy face; neither tall nor short, barefoot and with a sinewy body. His eyes gleamed like two lamps at the bottom of a stove; his mouth was forked, like a butcher's brazier. His fangs resembled sword blades, and his red hair was disheveled. His roar was like thunder, and his movements were like a whirlwind.
Coincidentally, this fellow was none other than the Curtain-Raising General, who had been ordered by the Queen Mother of the West to be banished to the mortal realm. He was indeed a destined person. After descending to the mortal realm, the originally tranquil and inactive immortal became tainted by the five desires of the human world, and his personality became somewhat violent. Furthermore, because the Queen Mother of the West misunderstood Haotian, she secretly became jealous and tripped him up, banishing him to the mortal world and transforming him into a demon. Fortunately, he was not as ruthless as Haotian. Marshal Tianpeng was in the same group as this Curtain-Raising General and suffered the same fate, but he was not as miserable as Marshal Tianpeng. At least he still had his cultivation. Marshal Tianpeng, on the other hand, suffered a great injury to his primordial spirit. What's more, his primordial spirit was thrown into the body of a domestic pig. His physical body was not good, and his roots and horns were even worse. Needless to say, his aptitude was terrible. He was extremely unlucky.
The general who had transformed into a monster, wielding a precious staff, went ashore to seize the Bodhisattva, but was blocked by Huian, who drew his iron cudgel and shouted, "Don't run!" The monster then came to meet him with his staff. The two engaged in a fierce battle on the banks of the Flowing Sand River—the wooden fork and iron cudgel, the guardian displaying their divine powers; the monster's demon-subduing staff, striving to be a hero. Two silver pythons danced on the riverbank, a pair of divine monks charged ashore. One, with his mighty power, subdued the flowing sands; the other, with his mighty protection of Guanyin, performed a great feat. One surged and leaped through the waves; the other spewed mist and wind. The surging waves darkened the heavens and earth; the spewing mist and wind obscured the sun and moon. The demon-subduing staff was like a white tiger emerging from the mountains; the iron cudgel was like a yellow dragon lying in wait. One used it to search for snakes and part the grass; the other threw it away, swooping down like a hawk parting a pine tree. The battle raged until the stars shone brightly; the mist rose, and the world was shrouded in haze. The one who had long resided in the Weak Water was ruthless; the other, newly emerged from Mount Ling, performed a great feat.
The two fought back and forth for dozens of rounds, neither gaining the upper hand. The monster blocked the iron staff and said, "Where are you, monk? Dare you fight me?" Muksha replied, "I am Muksha Huian, the second prince of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. I am here to escort my master to the East to find the pilgrim. What kind of monster are you, daring to block our path?" The monster then realized what was happening and said, "I remember you were cultivating with Guanyin of the South Sea in the Purple Bamboo Grove. Why are you here?" Muksha said, "Isn't that my master on that shore?"
Upon hearing this, the monster repeatedly bowed and said "Yes, sir!" He put away his magic staff and let Muzha take it away. He then knelt before Guanyin and said, "Bodhisattva, please forgive my sins, let me explain. I am not a demon, I am the Curtain-Lifting General who serves the Jade Emperor in the Lingxiao Palace. At the Peach Banquet, I accidentally broke a glass goblet, and the Jade Emperor punished me eight hundred times, banishing me to the mortal realm, where I became this way. He also decreed that every seven days, a flying sword would pierce my chest and ribs over a hundred times before returning, hence my suffering. Helpless against hunger and cold, I would venture out into the waves every two or three days to find a traveler to eat. Unexpectedly, today, in my ignorance, I have offended the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva." The Bodhisattva said, "You have sinned in Heaven, and having been banished, you now harm living beings, adding sin upon sin. I have received a decree from the Buddha to go to the Eastern Land to find a pilgrim to retrieve the scriptures. Why don't you come into my fold, convert to goodness, become a disciple of the pilgrim, and go to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek the scriptures?" "I will teach you to use flying swords to avoid piercing you. When you succeed, you will be pardoned and reinstated to your original position. How does that sound?" The monster replied, "I wish to convert to Buddhism." He then stepped forward and said, "Bodhisattva, I have devoured countless people here. Several times, pilgrims have come to seek the scriptures, and I have eaten them all. The heads of those I ate sank to the bottom of the quicksand. Even a goose feather cannot float in this water. Only the skulls of nine pilgrims float on the surface and cannot sink. I thought they were strange objects, so I strung them together with a rope and play with them in my spare time. Now, I fear the pilgrims will not come here, which would ruin my future." The Bodhisattva said, "How could they not come? You can hang the skulls around your neck and wait for the pilgrims; they will be useful." The monster said, "Since that's the case, I accept your teachings." The Bodhisattva then touched his head and gave him the precepts, pointing to sand as his surname. He became known as Sha Wujing and received the Dharma name Sha Wujing. He then entered the Buddhist order, saw the Bodhisattva across the river, cleansed his mind and thoughts, and never harmed any living being again, waiting solely for the pilgrims.
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