Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey's Confusion

In the west, on the mountainside of Lingshan, lies a relatively secluded peak.

The area is lush with vegetation and full of spiritual energy.

This is the sacred site of Maitreya Buddha.

At this moment, on a stone platform, a monkey is sitting cross-legged.

He was tall and straight, with a human body and a monkey-like appearance. He wore a gray monk's robe, and a faint golden aura of Buddha Light emanated from his body.

He is none other than the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey, one of the Four Mixed-World Monkeys, who can grasp the sun and moon, shrink mountains, discern good and bad fortune, and manipulate the Qiankun.

At this moment, he is cultivating.

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him:

"Monkey, how's your cultivation going?"

The golden light around the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey disappeared, and he opened his eyes to see who it was.

He quickly stood up, clasped his hands together, bowed respectfully, and paid his respects.

"Disciple greets Master. Wasn't Master supposed to be attending the Sage's Dharma Assembly? How come you've returned so soon?"

The visitor was none other than Maitreya Buddha.

He was bare-chested and had large ears that reached his shoulders, holding a string of lustrous Bodhi prayer beads in his hand.

"The Dharma assembly was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances; the two sages had other important matters to discuss."

Maitreya Buddha spoke casually, his gaze falling on the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey. He swept his primordial spirit over it slightly, and his smile deepened. He nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad. Solid foundation, inner Buddha Light light, the Golden Immortal realm is completely stable. To have achieved such a feat in just a thousand years is truly remarkable."

"It seems that the Eight-Nine Profound Art is very suitable for you."

The Eight-Nine Profound Art were created by the two saints, Jieyin and Jieyin and Zhunti, based on the characteristics of the Nine Revolutions Profound Art of the Witch Clan.

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey humbly and said, "Master, you flatter me. I am dull-witted, and my meager Daoxing today is entirely due to your meticulous guidance and the true teachings you imparted. I am filled with gratitude."

Back in the Primordial Wilderness, he was bullied everywhere and, not knowing how to cultivate, was almost captured by those humans.

It was Maitreya who brought him back to this sacred mountain, taught him martial arts, and protected him.

He always remembered this destiny.

Maitreya smiled, patted the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey on the shoulder, and said gently, "Disciple, there's no need for such modesty. Your success today is due to your own efforts and Creation. As long as you always cherish the aspiration to become a Buddha and never waver, your future achievements will be limitless."

He paused, then continued, "When I brought you back, I never revealed your origins, only showing you my Daoist identity. Did you ever harbor any resentment?"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey shook its head and said, "How dare I? If it weren't for my master back then, I fear I would have perished long ago."

Seeing that he spoke sincerely and was not lying, Maitreya laughed heartily, "Good, good! You truly deserve to be my disciple, Maitreya! Your mind is clear and insightful!"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey hesitated for a moment, as if remembering something, then bowed again, its tone pleading, "Master, I have a question in my cultivation recently. May I ask for your guidance?"

Maitreya Buddha, in a good mood, twirled his Bodhi prayer beads and said with a smile, "Speak freely. On the path of cultivation, it is the right way to ask questions when in doubt."

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey slowly said, "I have heard some of my fellow disciples from Mount Ling mention that in the Primordial Wilderness, besides our Western Teachings, there is another Mahayana Buddhism, which has many followers and is highly revered. Its doctrines seem to have some similarities with our Western Teachings, but in some fundamental aspects, they are quite different."

Maitreya Buddha paused for a moment, his smile unchanged, "Oh? What did you hear?"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey continued, "This disciple is foolish and often hears Master and the Bodhisattvas preach the Dharma, saying that one can become a Buddha on the spot by laying down the butcher's knife, and that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature. Even the most heinous criminals can be liberated and attain Bodhi if they sincerely repent and take refuge in the Buddha."

"I am thinking, if a person of great evil, who slaughters living beings and commits boundless sins, could, in the end, simply by taking refuge in Buddhism, lay down his butcher's knife, instantly become a Buddha, and attain great freedom?"

"What about the innocent lives he killed? Who will bear the responsibility for their grievances, their suffering, and the lives and futures they were deprived of? Is this act of letting go an act of mercy to the perpetrator, or another form of injustice to the victims?"

He continued speaking, unaware of Maitreya's gloomy expression.

"Before entering Mount Ling, the most common phrase I heard among humans was 'a life for a life, a debt for a debt.' Faced with the Blood Sea, most people chose to repay evil with evil and blood with blood."

"We teach people to let go of hatred, which is the highest wisdom. But for those who have lost loved ones, how difficult it is to let go! I am foolish and cannot understand the key to this."

"Should we follow our true nature and resolve the Karma, or should we follow the Buddhist Dharma and extinguish all enmity?"

"These words..." Maitreya Buddha stared intently at the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey, "Who told you that?"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey felt a chill run down its spine, sensing the oppressive aura emanating from its master. It immediately knelt down and said, "Master, please calm your anger! This matter was not told to me by anyone else; it was merely my own wild imagination."

"This disciple has no other intentions, nor would I dare to speak presumptuously about Buddhist Dharma. I simply have some doubts in my heart and earnestly request Master's guidance!"

After a long while, Maitreya Buddha's voice rang out again. "Amitabha, my disciple, you are attached to appearances."

"Attachment to appearances?"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey raised its head, its eyes filled with confusion.

"Exactly." Maitreya Buddha looked down at him. "Your thoughts and concerns are all bound by appearances. Hatred is an appearance, resentment is an appearance, injustice is an appearance, debt is an appearance, and even the worldly principle of 'a life for a life' is an appearance. The wonderful teachings of Buddhism aim to transcend all appearances and see one's true nature."

"The so-called right and wrong, Karma, suffering and hatred, in their essence are nothing more than the ignorance and delusion of sentient beings, who cling to illusions as reality, creating karma and receiving retribution in endless Reincarnation, with vengeance never ending."

"The Buddha, in his compassion, reveals the supreme Dharma precisely to sever the chains of Reincarnation and extinguish the flames of resentment, enabling perpetrators to repent of their karmic obstacles and return to their pure nature."

"To help victims let go of their attachments and be freed from the shackles of suffering—this is true compassion and liberation, which cannot be measured by worldly good and evil, gratitude and resentment."

His gaze was profound. "My disciple, you are exceptionally intelligent and have a deep-rooted nature, which is a good thing. But you must not let your limited wisdom lead to great doubts, or let worldly views obstruct your Bodhi Dao Heart."

"Your question today has deviated from the Buddha's correct view and fallen into attachment to self and attachment to the Dharma. If this continues, it may give rise to Heart Demon and hinder your spiritual practice."

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey wanted to say something more, "But, Master, what exactly is good, and what is evil? Could it be...?"

"Enough!" Maitreya was getting impatient and furious. "It seems that I have been too lenient with you, which has made you arrogant and conceited, daring to question the very foundation of Buddhist Dharma."

He turned around, his voice cold. "You are punished to go to the Sutra Repository and hand-copy the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Shurangama Sutra a thousand times each."

"You may not leave the house until you have finished copying it. You may only come to see me again when you have finished copying it with a calm mind and all distracting thoughts have disappeared."

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey hands in prayer:

"Yes, Your disciple obeys."

Maitreya Buddha said no more, his figure transformed into a golden light and disappeared above the mountain peak.

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey stood still for a moment before slowly straightening up. It glanced in the direction where its master had disappeared, sighed helplessly, and turned to walk towards the ancient scripture pavilion on the other side of the mountain.

Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey walked in, a small head peeked out from behind a bookshelf next to it.

A boy who looked about seven or eight years old had his hair in two buns, wore a light yellow jacket, and had delicate features.

He was still holding a half-open Buddhist scripture in his hand, as if he had been hiding in the back taking a break.

"Huh? Brother Tongbi?" The little boy blinked his big eyes and saw the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey walk in with a worried look on his face. He immediately went up to him and asked, "Why do you look like this? Did the Buddha scold you again?"

This little boy is the attendant of Maitreya Buddha, a weasel spirit with Yellow Brow.

Although he was just a child and not a formal disciple, he had served Maitreya for a long time and had become familiar with the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey, often playing together.

"It's Junior Brother Yellow Brow!"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey walked to a prayer mat and sat down. He briefly recounted how Maitreya had punished him, and sighed, "I only had doubts in my heart and wanted to ask my master for clarification, but who knew..."

Yellow Brow stuck out his tongue. "Senior brother, you're really brave! You actually dared to discuss this with Buddha? No wonder Buddha was angry, hehe, you're in for it now!"

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey rolled its eyes at him, annoyed. "All you do is make sarcastic remarks."

He suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice, saying, "By the way, Junior Brother Yellow Brow, didn't you say before that the Five-Colored Golden Pheasant has gotten fatter recently?"

The Yellow Brow Boy immediately looked around warily and lowered his voice, "Keep it down! Buddha forbids us from eating meat. Hehe, I've already prepared it, just waiting to roast it and eat it!"

Upon hearing this, the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey bobbed involuntarily, and its eyes lit up.

Under the precepts of Mount Ling, such acts of killing and consuming meat are absolutely forbidden.

But he was a glutton, and Yellow Brow was even more mischievous and greedy. The two hit it off and secretly did it a few times, each time with them on tenterhooks.

"Wait for me! Junior Brother Yellow Brow, oh no, Senior Brother Yellow Brow!" The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey blurted out, even messing up the seniority system for the sake of food, "You must wait for me! I can copy scriptures very quickly! Using my magic power, it's only a thousand times, just give me two Shi Chen... no, an Shi Chen and a half will be enough!"

The Yellow Brow Boy was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly, his face turning pale. "Hey, Brother Tongbi, don't call me that! I'm just a boy. If anyone hears you calling me 'Brother,' and it gets back to Buddha, we'll both be punished!"

He patted his chest, rolled his eyes at the Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey, and said, "Alright, alright, I'll wait for you. Hurry up and copy it. I'm going to sleep here for a while. Wake me up when you're done."

As he spoke, the Yellow Brow Boy yawned and found a corner to go to sleep.

The Arm-Through-Heaven Ape Monkey quickly found the scriptures, prepared paper, ink, and pen, and began to write rapidly.