Reflections on the Sage's Path and the Buddha's Teachings

Faced with the Monkey King's question, Skylar Loft hesitated for a long time, put down the melon seeds in his hand, let out a long sigh, lowered his head, and answered: "Cultivating the Path of Insight is not as straightforward as the Traveler's Path. It contains seventy-two auxiliary branches, including alchemy, artifact forging, and even bedroom arts. Each cultivator of the Path of Insight has their own strengths, and among these, divination is a compulsory subject for every one of them. Unlike the Traveler's Path, the most important thing for the Path of Insight is not talent, but time, followed by comprehension."

After a brief pause, seeing the Monkey King listening intently, he continued, "Cultivation often takes hundreds of years. If your life isn't long enough, no matter how good your talent or comprehension, it's all wasted effort. I heard that Eldest Senior Brother's talent was quite ordinary back in the day, but because Master obtained a divine peach from the Heavenly Court, he is now a top-tier earth immortal."

No matter what method is used, preserving life, prolonging lifespan, and surviving is the most important thing for every cultivator of the Path of Insight. That's why the art of divination, which helps one seek benefit and avoid harm, is eagerly pursued by all. As long as you can win time, everything else will follow."

The Monkey King shook his head helplessly and smiled faintly: "By comparison, I actually prefer Danny Crimson. When he's angry, he's just angry; if there's a fight, he fights; if a sword needs to be drawn, he draws it. There's none of that hiding and pretense."

Skylar Loft sighed: "Honestly, I don't like it either. Although Master always says I'm the best at divination, I haven't practiced it in ages. If I did, I certainly wouldn't have left Anna Yang here."

Whether this was true or not, it sounded somewhat comforting to the Monkey King.

The two fell silent for a long time before the Monkey King asked, "Skylar Loft, Senior Brother, I heard you originally practiced Buddhism and only later switched to Daoism."

"That's right. It must have been Belle, that little girl, who told you, huh?"

"Why did you switch from Buddhism to Daoism? I heard Master first practiced Daoism, then tried to study Buddhism later but didn't succeed. These days, the power of the Buddha in the Western Paradise is growing stronger—practicing Buddhism is no less than practicing Daoism, right?"

Skylar Loft stretched lazily, rubbed his neck, and said, "That's because Master didn't know what practicing Buddhism truly meant back then."

"Oh?"

"The Daoist path has a long history and many methods. Even if you don't sever worldly ties or let go of obsessions, you may still achieve something. But to practice Buddhism... Let me tell you a story."

"Mm." The Monkey King nodded quietly.

"Once, there was a woman. She was feeding her newborn child while eating her own meal. A mosquito flew over and bit her neck, and she killed it with a slap. After finishing her meal, she dumped the leftovers. Drawn by the smell, a skinny stray dog came over to eat, but she cursed at it and drove it away with stones."

After finishing, Skylar Loft looked at the Monkey King with a blank expression.

The Monkey King was utterly bewildered, lost in a fog, with no idea what it all meant.

Skylar Loft gave a bitter smile and continued: "So, the Buddha pointed at the woman and told his disciples: 'This woman has no idea—the mosquito she killed was actually her mother reincarnated, the stray dog she drove away was her old father reborn, and the child in her arms was the sworn enemy who killed her father, reborn as her son.'"

The Monkey King was rendered speechless.

Skylar Loft went on: "The Buddha used this story to warn his disciples never to take life. It also hinted at the limitations of mortal eyes, unable to distinguish truth from illusion. And the suffering of the mundane world, the emptiness of human feelings. He urged his disciples to cultivate diligently and attain Buddhahood as soon as possible."

The Monkey King thought this dull story was finally over. But it wasn't.

When Skylar Loft spoke the last sentence, his gaze was tinged with helplessness: "But do you know, this Buddha has long intervened in the cycle of life and death in the underworld. Why are such 'coincidences' arranged so that all suffering falls on one person? He destroys a woman's filial piety just to perfect his supreme theory. I, for one, could never do such a thing. But the Buddhas can. To sever the Eight Sufferings, to let go of obsessions, the day you become a Buddha, you lose your heart and soul. That is what it means to be a Buddha."

The Monkey King's heart skipped a beat; his eyes flew wide open, and his mouth hung slightly agape, unable to utter a word. Ling Yunzi, however, continued speaking to himself.

"To sever the Eight Sufferings, to let go of obsessions—where is joy to be found then? What is called 'Ultimate Bliss' exists only because all beings suffer."

"In their hearts, there is only the Dharma, nothing else can remain. I don't think I'll ever reach their level. Since that's the case, I might as well give up early and find another path."

After hearing this, the Monkey King fell completely silent.

Deep down, he vaguely felt that the Buddha was even more detestable than the Path of Insight.

And essentially, they were the same kind.

Gradually, a smile returned to Ling Yunzi's face, and he joked: "Back then, it was this story that helped me sneak into Crescent Star Cave. Hahaha, Master wasn't going to accept me at first, since I was a disciple of Buddhism. But in the end, he took me in and even praised my wisdom. Hahaha!"

The Monkey King also gave a faint, accompanying smile.

"I should get going, there are still some matters I haven't finished, and I need to see Master. Junior Brother, don't rush your cultivation—focus on recovering your health. Longevity is the key; don't be too hasty about immortality. Also," Ling Yunzi stretched, pursed his lips, looked at the Monkey King, slowed his speech, and said softly, "Actually, Senior Brother Qing Yun and Senior Brother Danny Crimson are both good people. If someone was truly malicious, they wouldn't be able to enter Crescent Star Cave."

With that, Skylar Loft bid farewell and left.

Watching Skylar Loft's departing figure, the Monkey King's mind was consumed by everything Skylar Loft had said.

Gradually, a smile returned to Skylar Loft's face, and he joked: "Back then, it was this story that helped me sneak into Crescent Star Cave. Hahaha, Master wasn't going to accept me at first, since I was a disciple of Buddhism. But in the end, he took me in and even praised my wisdom. Hahaha!"

"Buddhism..."

He realized he still knew far too little about this world.

"I should get going, there are still some matters I haven't finished, and I need to see Master. Junior Brother, don't rush your cultivation—focus on recovering your health. Longevity is the key; don't be too hasty about immortality. Also," Skylar Loft stretched, pursed his lips, looked at the Monkey King, slowed his speech, and said softly, "Actually, Elder Sky and Danny Crimson are both good people. If someone was truly malicious, they wouldn't be able to enter Crescent Star Cave."

Staring at the empty ground for a long, long time, he muttered to himself: "Just retrieve the Golden Staff, maybe visit the Underworld one last time, and do nothing else. As long as I don't cause trouble in the Heavenly Court, the Buddhist sect shouldn't interfere, right?"

Around noon, Belle returned, holding Elder Sky's handwritten letter like a treasure, her smile as radiant as a blooming flower.

The Monkey King hadn't seen this little girl so happy in a long time.

This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!

Perhaps to her, Elder Sky's handwritten letter truly was a treasure—not only could it save the lives of two little demons, but it also signaled that the conflict between the Monkey King and Elder Sky would no longer continue.

It's said that when she first arrived, Elder Sky hesitated for a long time before answering, making Belle think he wouldn't agree. In the end, Elder Sky pulled out a sheepskin map of Enlightenment Peak, circled a few spots, and asked Belle which place she thought was best.

It seems what he was struggling with wasn't whether to agree, but how to choose a suitable spot—one where the two little demons could stay, but that wouldn't threaten the safety of Enlightenment Peak.

At the very least, they should avoid areas dense with formations.

This gesture led Belle to praise Elder Sky endlessly for the next few days.

The Monkey King hadn't expected Elder Sky to agree so readily. But now that things were patched up, what should he do about going to the Scripture Pavilion in the future?

When everyone was at odds, the Monkey King's disruption of the place seemed justified. Now that they've shown goodwill, going to embarrass them again doesn't seem appropriate.

But that's a matter for later. Over the past few months, the Monkey King hadn't managed to get into the Scripture Pavilion even once, though he'd taken a couple of beatings.

Thinking about it, he felt at ease.

Three days later, Danny Crimson suddenly announced he was leaving to travel and resigned from his position as head of the temple. Qing Yunzi returned to take charge.

Three days later, Danny Crimson suddenly announced he was leaving to travel and resigned from his position as head of the temple. Elder Sky returned to take charge.

After about seven more days, the Monkey King had fully recovered, and his cultivation progressed more smoothly.

Although this injury was no lighter than the last, at least Subhuti had fed him medicine to stabilize his wounds, and Qing Yunzi personally prepared medicine to help. These were certainly better than Belle's self-taught herbal remedies.

Although this injury was no lighter than the last, at least Subhuti had fed him medicine to stabilize his wounds, and Elder Sky personally prepared medicine to help. These were certainly better than Belle's self-taught herbal remedies.

The Monkey King didn't mind. After all, their relationship was just mutual use, and given what happened, shouldn't he be the one who's angry now?

On the morning of the eighth day, Yu Yi knocked on Belle's door.