Western Teachings

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Western Teachings (西方教)
Alias(es)	Buddhist Gate; the West; Western Heaven 6 12 55
Affiliation	Mystic Gate under Dao Ancestor Hongjun; later allied with the Heavenly Court and Shang Dynasty against the Three Teachings 59 78 79
Occupation/Role	Saintly orthodox lineage based in the Western Heaven, seeking to expand its Destiny and spread its teachings eastward 55 67
Status	Active, but repeatedly depleted by war, the loss of prominent disciples, and the Investiture of the Gods List 84 85 96
First Appearance	Chapter 5

Background

The Western Teachings are an ancient Saintly lineage whose origins reach back to the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation. At that time, Demon Ancestor Rahu shattered the Western spiritual veins, leaving the region barren and causing the collapse of numerous Buddhist realms. This scarcity remains a defining weakness of the Western Heaven and its cultivation resources. 55

The sect is jointly led by Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti, the Two Sages of the West. Both were disciples of Dao Ancestor Hongjun and originally regarded the rise of the Human Race as an opportunity to reverse the West's declining Destiny. 6 11

Organization

Leadership

• Daoist Jieyin — Co-leader of the Western Teachings; characterized by a sorrowful bearing and commonly acts in concert with Zhunti. 55 57
• Daoist Zhunti — Co-leader and Deputy Sect Master; frequently directs the sect's schemes and personally recruits potential converts. 52
• Dao Ancestor Hongjun — Teacher and patron. He strengthens the Two Sages to preserve balance against the increasingly united Three Pure Ones. 47 59

Notable Members

• Maitreya — The Future Buddha and one of Zhunti's most valued disciples. He was sent to support the Jiu Li Tribe, but his death severely damaged the Western Teachings' Destiny. 35 40
• Ksitigarbha — A disciple associated with the Underworld through his vow. He later severed his karma with the Western Teachings and joined the Underworld. 40 73
• Chang'er Dingguang Xian — An Intercepting Sect attendant immortal recruited as a covert agent. Zhunti intended him to become the Happy Buddha, but Primordial Lord annihilated him after exposing his betrayal. 51 52 54
• Golden Cicada — A disciple taken in from the East after the Daoist Gate was established. He is considered important to the future Journey to the West Calamity. 92 96
• Medicine King Buddha, the Fifty-Three Buddhas, Thirty-Three Buddhas, Twelve Divine Generals, Bodhisattvas, Venerables, and Vajras — Major forces mobilized during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. 55 84

Teachings and Methods

Conversion and “Destined” Recruitment

The Western Teachings repeatedly claim that people or treasures are “fated” for the West. Zhunti used the Dream Affinity Method to contact Dingguang Xian, offering him Buddhahood in exchange for entering the Western Teachings and sowing discord between the Heavenly Origin and Intercepting Sects. 51 52

• Zhunti placed a Western Teachings mark on Dingguang Xian’s spiritual platform to preserve his true spirit and permit escape to the West. 52
• The sect attempted to recruit Kong Xuan by declaring that he was destined for the Western Teachings, but he had already joined the Heavenly Origin Sect. 79
• The same rhetoric was used to claim a supreme treasure emerging at the former site of Buzhou Mountain. 63

Buddhist Light and Conversion

Jieyin's Buddhist light can project Buddha images into the minds of living beings, creating the impression that they are about to be converted. 85 86

• The sect fields Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Arhats, and other Buddhist cultivators across the Western Pure Land. 55 84
• Its teachings are portrayed as a means to consolidate the West's Destiny and extend its influence into the East. 67 79

Resources and Treasures

• Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree — Zhunti's artifact for proving the Dao; an Innate Supreme Treasure capable of sweeping away targets with seven-colored divine light. 9 17
• Demon-Quelling Pestle — Jieyin's primary weapon, used alongside the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit. 9 56
• Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit — A treasure used to suppress and stabilize the Western Teachings' declining Destiny. 54
• Six Roots Pure Bamboo — Wielded by Zhunti during the Saint-level battle against the Daoist Gate; its light seals the six senses. 86
• Green Lotus Treasure Banner — Jieyin's defensive treasure, forming a protective green radiance around him. 86
• Investiture of the Gods List and God-Beating Whip — Initially bestowed upon the Two Sages by Hongjun, but later taken by the Three Pure Ones through pressure and stratagem. 65
• Innate Spiritual Roots — A scarce and vital resource for the impoverished West. The sect later sacrificed five roots to aid the birth of the Flower-Fruit Mountain spirit stone. 96

History

Contest for the Human Race Sage Teacher Positions

When the Human Emperor was due to arise, Zhunti and Jieyin approached Nuwa to seek a share of the eight Sage Teacher positions for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. They argued that the Buddhist Gate's difficult circumstances warranted support. 6

Zhunti initially proposed allocating three positions to the West, while leaving one to the Intercepting Sect and two each to the Human and Heavenly Origin Sects. Primordial Lord rejected the proposal and defended the Intercepting Sect, while the Three Pure Ones ultimately secured the positions for their own lineages. 7 9 12

The failure denied the Western Teachings access to the Human Race's rapidly growing Destiny and became a central cause of its rivalry with the Three Pure Ones. 24 34

Schemes for Human Race Destiny

The Two Sages obeyed Hongjun's edict to bring Human Emperor Fuxi to Fire Cloud Cave, viewing the matter as unrelated to the Western Teachings' own interests. 15

They later allied with Haotian, using Shennong's daughter Nüwa's soul as leverage to pressure Shennong into accepting Maitreya as the next Human Emperor's Sage Teacher. Shennong refused to compromise with the Western Teachings. 25

Seeking another route to influence the Human Emperor, Zhunti sent Maitreya and hundreds of Buddhist Venerables to support the Jiu Li Tribe against Xuanyuan Clan. Maitreya's death and Ksitigarbha's disappearance subsequently caused repeated collapses in the sect's Destiny. 35 40

Conflict with the Three Pure Ones

The Two Sages repeatedly confronted the Three Pure Ones over Fuxi, the Human Race, and the Western Teachings' interference. They were defeated and forced to compensate Primordial Lord with six high-grade Innate Spiritual Roots after attacking his disciple and the Three Pure Ones' lineage. 18 20 21

Zhunti later recruited Dingguang Xian as a spy within the Intercepting Sect, hoping to provoke a war between Tongtian and Primordial Lord. The plan failed when Primordial Lord exposed Dingguang Xian's allegiance; Tongtian executed him, and the Human, Heavenly Origin, and Intercepting Sects declared war on the West. 51 53 54

The Three Teachings broke through the Western Teachings' protective formations and invaded the Western Heaven. Their disciples overwhelmed the Western forces, while Primordial Lord confronted the Two Sages directly. 55 56

Hongjun's Support and Renewed Alliances

After the Western campaign, Hongjun chose to strengthen Zhunti and Jieyin as a counterbalance to the Three Pure Ones. The Two Sages received cultivation gains, and Zhunti reached the sixth level of Sainthood after recovering from his injuries. 47 59 60

The Western Teachings rebuilt its Pure Land and Buddha Kingdom during the ensuing period of stability. 59

Zhunti and Jieyin later accepted Haotian's invitation to intervene against the Three Teachings' disciples. While they were absent from the West, however, the Three Pure Ones' disciples looted the Western Teachings, leaving its foundations in ruins. 62 63

Hongjun eventually revived both Two Sages after their defeat and continued to employ them as part of the Mystic Gate's opposition to Primordial Lord and Nuwa. 69

Investiture of the Gods Tribulation

During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, the Western Teachings formed an alliance with the Heavenly Court and Yin Shang. Di Xin established the Western Teachings as Yin Shang's state religion, linking the sect's Destiny to that of the Shang Dynasty and briefly improving its disciples' cultivation prospects. 78 79

The sect deployed Sunlight Bodhisattva, Moonlight Bodhisattva, the Eight Vajras, and other disciples against Xi Qi. Zhunti and Jieyin sought to preserve their own disciples by withdrawing them from the battlefield, even at the expense of Shang's army. 79 80

The strategy failed. Western disciples suffered extensive casualties, and the Investiture of the Gods List was filled almost entirely with members of the Western Teachings rather than disciples of the Three Pure Ones. 81 84 85

After the Founding of the Daoist Gate

The establishment of the Daoist Gate left the Western Teachings hostile to the new power. Its long conflict with the Three Pure Ones, the loss of its disciples to the Investiture of the Gods List, and the depletion of its resources created an irreconcilable enmity between the West and the Daoist Gate. 85 93

Despite its losses, the Western Teachings regained some vitality, accepted Golden Cicada as a disciple, and prepared for the Journey to the West Calamity. To ensure the birth of the Flower-Fruit Mountain spirit stone, Zhunti reluctantly committed five Innate Spiritual Roots from the West's already limited foundation. 92 96

Relationships

• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin — Joint leaders and the Two Sages of the West; their shared efforts center on restoring the Western Teachings' Destiny and influence. 35 57
• Dao Ancestor Hongjun — Teacher and benefactor who strengthens the Western Teachings to maintain balance against the Three Pure Ones. 47 59
• Three Pure Ones — Principal enemies. Their unified lineages repeatedly defeat, extort, invade, and undermine the Western Teachings. 20 54 55
• Heavenly Court — Political and military ally in plots for Human Race influence and during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. 25 62 78
• Nuwa — Publicly courted as an ally under Hongjun's arrangement, but she ultimately supports Primordial Lord and the Daoist Gate instead. 59 62 69
• Shang Dynasty — Allied state whose adoption of the Western Teachings as its state religion tied Yin Shang's Destiny to the West. 78 79
• Underworld — Hostile after Ksitigarbha severed his Western karma and joined Houtu's side. 40 73