Chapter 007: Comprehending the Profound Principles of Morality

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Wukong had arrived at Mount Square Inch, in the Slanted-moon Three-star Cave, two days ago, and everything from eating to daily living had been guided by Wusheng. He feigned ignorance, starting from the basics, considering it a time to cultivate his character and polish his own self. The Dao is everywhere; even in the simplest aspects of life, its principles are naturally embedded.

This day, Patriarch Subhuti called for Wusheng and took a peach tree out of his sleeve. This peach tree bore forty-nine large peaches. He entrusted Wusheng with dividing the peaches into seven portions and to plant the peach tree on the Peach Mountain behind the Three Stars Cave. From another sleeve, he took out a single peach for Wusheng to use in alchemy. Wusheng knew that these were peaches from the Mother Peach Tree of the Heavenly Court. Eating one would mean one less; his master taking out forty-nine at once was truly startling.

"Sun Wukong is born from Nu Wa's Crystal Stone, which itself originated from the Heaven and Earth Spirit Root, and shares a common origin with the Peaches of Immortality. That's why eating the full forty-nine will have the greatest effect. This time, I've really invested a lot; I thickened my face to acquire fifty peaches, now take this single one for your alchemy," Patriarch Subhuti spoke calmly, but it set off a storm in Wusheng's heart. Is Sun Wukong really worth such nurturing?

Wusheng went to Peach Mountain and planted the peach tree, hanging seven peaches on it and preserving the remaining forty-two in a Cold Jade Casket, waiting for the next year when the flowers bloomed and bore fruit to hang the peaches again.

Following Wusheng up the mountain, a path difficult to navigate, Wusheng moved as if on flat ground, fleet of foot, while Wukong struggled to keep up. His senior sister seemed as unapproachable as before!

Upon reaching the mountain's summit, Wukong couldn't help but be overjoyed. He immediately plucked a peach and bit into it, his mouth filled with refreshing sweetness, a flavor that permeated his heart and spleen. He was no longer the naive Monkey King; eating the peach, he immediately felt a surge of energy and thought to himself that the peach tree must be a treasure. His overnight enlightenment on profound spells was probably thanks to these peaches.

"Senior sister, this peach is delicious, do you want some?" Wukong asked.

"No, beings of the Immortal Abode do not consume the fire-smoke of the mortal world. If you like it, eat it yourself," Wusheng said with a smile.

Wukong had eaten seven peaches, carelessly throwing the pits around, but Wusheng gathered them up. He laughed and said, "Could it be that senior sister likes eating these peach pits?"

Wusheng's face turned slightly red and scolded, "You Macaca, spouting nonsense! I'll take these peach pits back to the yard. Next year, they will bloom, offering a beautiful scene."

Wukong secretly thought the pits might also be refined into some kind of elixir or magical treasure. However, he didn't press the matter and, having his fill, followed Wusheng to study. Wusheng gave him scriptures like the Tao Te Ching, Free and Easy Wandering, and the Four Books and Five Classics to familiarize himself with but did not teach him any Taoist Teachings. Now, no longer unsophisticated, his Primordial Spirit briefly transcended the Heavenly Dao and understood many principles. The more he read these texts, the more flavorful they seemed.

Wusheng patiently explained aspects of the texts Wukong didn't understand and was internally shocked at how astonishingly learned the monkey was becoming. If he were to take a position as an official among the common people, he might as well qualify for the Hanlin Academy and hold the highest official rank.

Seeing Wusheng's astonishment at his knowledge thrilled Wukong, who reflected on how in a previous life his disinclination to study had earned him quite a few beatings from Wusheng.

Wukong had transcended the Heavenly Dao, which enabled him to subdue the restless monkey mind. Now, striving to strengthen himself, of course, he vigorously pursued knowledge, learning skills diligently. If he were to fall back into Tathagata's hands, it would be the plight of pleas to heaven unanswered, calls to earth unheard.

Wukong also prodded Wusheng for details about Patriarch Subhuti's past but got nothing substantial in response; she always vaguely praised their master's inscrutable depth in the Dao. After a few inquiries leading nowhere, Wukong stopped asking and pushed aside his doubts to focus on his studies.

Before Wukong knew it, seven years had passed, eating peaches, and he knew his master would soon pass on the Longevity Method to him.

Throughout those seven years, he devoted himself to cultivation, chopping wood and carrying water, tending the garden, watering and planting trees, living like an ordinary person. He no longer felt impatient as before; he appeared calm and collected, finding peace in such a tranquil life, which he realized was another form of cultivation and enlightenment.

Wusheng grew increasingly impressed with him, not punishing and scolding him as in the past, which allowed Wukong to see a different side of his senior sister.

That day, Patriarch Subhuti held a lecture, and the disciples gathered below the Jade Terrace, listening quietly.

Patriarch Subhuti spoke eloquently, with golden lotuses springing from the ground and dragon and phoenix auspices; visions abounded, leaving the disciples nodding and shaking their heads in agreement.

"To live is to enter death; of those who live, three in ten are followers of life, three in ten are followers of death, and three in ten move from life to place of death. Those who live and die are actually followers of life because death is but the beginning of rebirth. Who can grasp this principle? Life is the congregation of qi. When it congregates, life arises; when it disperses, it returns to qi. What are the principles within this?" Patriarch Subhuti, sensing a moment, began questioning.

Qi—by its other name, True Qi—is the root of the Innate, born of heaven and earth. Practice of cultivation and spells is about gathering True Qi within oneself, cultivating the Three Flowers and Five Qi, to achieve the Path of Becoming an Immortal and enjoy eternal freedom. Patriarch Subhuti posed this question, and the disciples didn't know the answer, contemplating silently, but Wukong was eager to respond.

Patriarch Subhuti asked with a smile, "Wukong, do you understand the principles within?"

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Wukong hastily stood up and declared loudly, "The myriad things between heaven and earth are born in an endless cycle, human life is finite, and it often lies amidst dangers. Hence, one must value life, cherish life, delight in life, love life, respect and treasure life, enhance the quality of survival and the value of life, and live as freely and unimpededly as the immortals, with longevity and imperishability. Therefore, one must deeply root and solidify one's foundation, integrate with the Dao of Immortals, seek longevity and vision, and achieve the Dao to become an immortal. Immortality is learnable; they are all True People who have achieved the Dao, exemplars of life and goals for living. One must reach immortality and vision through one's self-cultivation."

Subhuti nodded his head in agreement, surprised at the macaque's scholarship, and then asked, "Life. Just this one word, what does it mean?"

Wukong fell silent for a moment, causing Subhuti to feel disappointment, but then he heard him continue, "Life, is another expression of the Dao! If we closely examine this body, it comes from nothingness, brought together by causes and conditions, and accumulates essence and gathers qi, transcends karma to descend as spirit, harmoniously receives life, follows the laws of heaven and mirrors the earth, contains yin and breathes out yang. It separates and matches the Five Elements to respond to the four seasons. The eyes become the sun and moon, the hair becomes the stars, the eyebrows become the canopy, the head becomes Kunlun, arranged like palaces and terraces, placing the spirit within. Among all beings, humans are deemed the most spiritual. Nature and life unify with the Dao; one should preserve and cherish it."

"Excellent!"

Subhuti praised with a clap of his hands and a laugh, "Let me ask you again—'The Dao that can be spoken of is not the constant Dao; The name that can be named is not the constant name.' What does this mean?"

Wukong answered smoothly and without hesitation, "The Dao that can be spoken of and the name that can be named pertain to things and shapes, and this is not their constant state! Hence, they cannot be talked about or named."

The Patriarch asked, "The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; The named is the mother of myriad things. What does this mean?"

Wukong replied, "All that exists begins with non-existence, thus before form and without name is the beginning of all things. And when it acquires form and name, nurture and rear it, raise and nourish it, and it becomes their mother. Speaking of the Dao, it begins with formlessness and namelessness to create all things. As all things begin to form but do not understand why, this is profound and yet more profound."

The Patriarch then asked, "How about 'Profound, and again profound; The gateway to all mystery'?"

Wukong pondered for a moment then said, "Profound is secret, silent, without existence; the beginning is where the mother emerges. It cannot be attained and thus named, hence it cannot be spoken, but commonly called profound! If we say that which is called profound signifies the unattainable and thus considered so, it is not limited to a single profound. Should we limit it to a single profound, then the essence would be far lost. Therefore, 'Profound, and again profound,' all wonders emerge from profound, hence called 'The Gateway to All Mystery'."

At those words, heaven and earth thundered, and within the Tai Qing Tian Dou Shuai Palace of the Thirty-Three Heavens, Laozi opened his eyes, calculating and saying, "To think he could decipher the mystery of my Tao Te Ching, excellent, excellent!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn stood to the side, unable to help asking, "Master, the scripture is extremely profound. How could someone decipher it?"

Laozi replied with a slight smile, "Your learning is inadequate; hence, you cannot grasp its meaning."

But Subhuti, having heard Wukong's words, was so delighted that he danced and jumped with joy. Seeing their master lose composure, the fellow disciples exchanged glances of bewilderment.

The path of the sages is most closely aligned with the Heavenly Dao. Yet Wukong transcended the Heavenly Dao, understood creation, and through seven years of tireless study of Laozi's Tao Te Ching, he finally grasped some of its profound truths. Now that he expressed them, it triggered an anomaly, causing the Heavenly Dao to thunder. With such principles within him, even if he did not become an immortal, he could be called a 'sage' in the mortal world across ages. Laozi, having attained the Dao at the beginning of heaven and earth's creation, knew the principles the best. He once transformed into Li Dan to descend to the mortal world and enlighten Confucius, who then founded Confucianism and was called 'Sage Confucius.' If Wukong were to enter the mortal world and discuss these principles, it is likely that other scholars would also have to respectfully call him 'Sage Sun.'

"Excellent, excellent, Wukong, you truly are remarkable, to understand the profound meanings in the Tao Te Ching. You indeed are my disciple! Very good, very good!" Subhuti sat down again, smiling and nodding at Wukong, feeling very content.

He was, of course, omniscient, and understood everything. The Tao Te Ching, written by Laozi, was exceedingly profound. While he often used this text to teach his disciples, they had difficulty comprehending its depths. But now, Wukong hit the mark, exactly meeting Subhuti's expectations, thus he did not stint his praise.

The rest of the disciples looked at Wukong with great envy, knowing that receiving such praise from the Leader Teacher must surely bring many benefits.

Meanwhile, Wukong reflected internally, "Master speaks to me of the Tao Te Ching; could it be that he is Laojun? Laojun's abilities are formidable; just with Golden Horn and Silver Horn, he gave me quite a challenge, and capturing me in the Bagua Oven instead perfected my Flaming Eyes. He also let me eat quite a few elixirs... Such reasoning could make sense! Moreover, he possesses the Divine Skill of 'One Qi Transforms into the Three Pure Ones.' In bygone times, he ventured west through Hangu Pass and transformed barbarians into Buddhists. These three characters of 'Subhuti' do have some connection with Buddhism; could it be that Master is an incarnation of Laojun?"

Subhuti said, "Wukong, now that you have grasped the true essence of the Dao De Jing, I will begin to transmit to you the profound teachings of the Dao. Here in the Daoist School, there are three hundred and sixty side disciplines; which one do you wish to learn?"

Wukong replied hastily, "I will follow Master's arrangement."

Patriarch Subhuti glanced at him and began to inquire.

To find out what happens next, please follow the subsequent episode.