Chapter 9 6. Iceberg danger

Suddenly he heard a scream of "Ah!", and a groom fell down with his horse and man. Xuanzang wanted to go down to save him, but he slipped on his foot and almost fell downside down, getting stuck on a corner of the ice.The guide and several monks dragged him up with all their might.At this time, everyone looked down and gasped.Under the steep ice cliff, there is no trace of the man who fell just now... Xuanzang finally went west again. This time, though, it was no longer alone.The king of Gaochang presented him with horses, taels of silver, etc., and arranged for him a groom. The taels of silver donated were enough for the mage to go back and forth for 20 years.Xuanzang donated part of the silver to the local monastery.The king of Gaochang sent Xuanzang to escort Xuanzang to Turkic, and he also wrote 24 letters of credence asking the kings along the way to take care of him and let him go. At the same time, he prepared a lot of gifts for him.

Xuanzang finally set off, accompanied by about 20 monks, grooms, and other escorts, as well as some business travelers.However, after two days of walking, Xuanzang found that there were fewer and fewer people traveling with him. It turned out that some businessmen got up in the middle of the night and sneaked away in order to grab business. A few days later, I saw a pagoda in the distance, and a few white clouds floated beside the pagoda, which was very attractive. The companion said there was a spring there, so everyone quickened their pace. Before they reached the edge of the spring, they heard the sound of running water. When they got closer, they saw the spring water flowing down from a cliff several feet high. Xuanzang and everyone went to the edge of the spring water to wash his face, scooped up another bowl of water and sat down to drink. .The spring water is very sweet. When a monk told everyone about the origin of this spring water, everyone squatted down on the stone and listened to him with great interest while drinking the water:

"Once upon a time, a group of business travelers traveled together. When they came here, the water had already been cut off. Everyone was extremely thirsty, and some of them had already endangered their lives. They looked at this high cliff and imagined that a clear spring would flow down from it to save everyone's lives. At this time, they walked out A monk clasped his hands together and said to everyone: "The poor monk has been helped by many almsgiver along the way. Now that everyone is in danger, there is no reason why the poor monk should not be saved. Now I go to the cliff to pray for the Buddha to lower the spring water, but after I climb to the top of the cliff, everyone Say Buddha blesses you.” So the monk climbed to the top of the cliff, and everyone shouted as he ordered: “Buddha bless! Buddha bless!”

"After waiting for a while, there was indeed a trickle of spring water flowing down. Everyone was so happy that they happily used jars to catch the water. Suddenly, a monk called out: "'Where's the lifesaver? Why hasn't he come down yet?' "'Yes! What about him?' Then everyone thought of the monk. "Everyone looked around and couldn't see the life-saving monk, so a few people climbed to the high cliff to look for it, but they were stunned. They found that after the monk found the spring, he fell to the cliff because he tried his best to remove the huge stone blocking the spring. Then fell to his death.

"After the monk's body was carried down, everyone beat their chests and cried loudly. The cry moved the heavens, and there was a loud bang, the cliff was split in two, and the trickle of water turned into a small waterfall. People stunned again... "Those who were rescued solemnly buried the monk under the cliff. After that, the merchants in the past would drink water there, and in memory of this noble monk, they would spontaneously add a handful of soil to his grave and hold a handful of water. As a result, the monk's grave became higher and higher, and later people built a tower on it. Strange to say, the spring will not dry up if the monk's death tower does not fall down, and it will follow the number of pedestrians. And increase and decrease: when there are many pedestrians, the spring water will become thicker; when there are few pedestrians, it will become thinner;

Everyone was amazed when they heard this. "Oh! I'm talking about the history of this tower." "Ah!" Xuanzang was very moved when he heard this. He stood under the pagoda with his head bowed and his palms folded, and he said in his mouth: "Amitabha, as long as it is for the sake of all beings, Xuanzang would rather become a pagoda." The group of them continued to move forward, and in the distance, they saw a crowd of people outside a city gate, with flags and buildings facing the wind. "What country is this?" Xuanzang asked the guide. "Oh, it's the capital of Quzhi Kingdom."

Xuanzang speeded up after hearing this.When approaching the capital, I learned that the king and his ministers and thousands of monks were already waiting.In order to express their piety in welcoming Xuanfan, they temporarily set up a tent outside the east gate and placed a Buddha statue. Xuanzang quickly got off his horse and walked quickly. Rituals and music were played, and the king and the eminent monk Mu Chaluoduo went up to welcome them.The king put his palms together and saluted, "We welcome the Master." "Thank you, King, for waiting." Xuanzang also folded his palms together to thank him.

A monk presented a plate of flowers to the master. Xuanzang took the plate and walked towards the Buddha statue holding the flower plate. The king and the monks also paid homage to the Buddha statue. After Xuanzang was welcomed into the palace, he was warmly received by the king. After the banquet, Muchawuduo invited Xuanzang to visit his Buddhist temple, Azalier Temple. The temple is tall and majestic, and the environment is also very beautiful. After visiting with Xuanzang, the eminent monk Muchawuduo sat under the bodhi tree in the temple to discuss Buddhism. The eminent monk, Muchaluoduo, is a famous Buddhist scholar at home and abroad in Quzhi. In his early years, he traveled and studied in Tianzhu for more than 20 years, and his Buddhist principles are quite profound.

He wanted to keep Xuanzang here to preach the Dharma, so he advised: "This old man here has "Miscellaneous Heart", "Jushe Lun", "Viposha"... everything you need, enough for a mage to learn, why take the risk of going to Tianzhu?" Xuanzang replied: "The master's Buddhist principles are profound, and my disciples have heard about them for a long time, and they also want to study here, but I don't know if the master has "Yoga Treatise" here?" The eminent monk Mucha Wuduo replied, "What's the use of such an evil theory?"

Xuanzang sighed in his heart, he is a Theravada Buddhist, and he has a different view, so he naturally regards the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures as evil, and knows that the words are not speculative, but he is polite to each other.Then he replied: "My disciple is determined to go to Tianzhu to learn "Yoga Theory", because your monastery lacks Buddhist scriptures in this area." The eminent monk Muchawuduo also wanted to overwhelm Haizang with his own proficient "Viposa". "Kisha Lun" refuted him. The eminent monk Muchawuduo sighed to himself, and dared not look down on Xuanzang any more, and sighed to others: "This eminent monk in China is profound in Buddhism. When he arrives in Tianzhu, I am afraid that he will be inferior to the monks there."

When Xuanzang left Quzhi Kingdom, he was sent away by Qingcheng. From then on, Tang Monk Xuanzang's reputation spread far and wide to all countries in the Western Regions... Xuanzang and the others walked more than 500 miles along the bones of the desert, and came to a small country. The guide said, "Master, this country is called Samo Jianguo (Kangguo). They don't believe in Buddhism but only worship fire. It is not very friendly to the monks in the past, and the mage should be more careful." Xuanzang clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, it doesn't matter if monks treat others with the heart of Buddha." Sure enough, when he arrived at the city gate, there were no monks to greet him, let alone princes and ministers, so Xuanzang handed the letter written by King Gaochang into the palace. King Kang saw it, and then sent an order to let Xuanzang enter the palace. "The poor monk Xuanzang pays homage to His Majesty the King, and wishes the King good luck and the country's well-being." Xuanzang put his palms together and bowed to King Kang sitting on the throne. "Ah, I've heard of the Master's name for a long time, and it's a great honor to meet you today. Hurry up and give the Master a chair." Kang Wang restrained his arrogance when he saw the Master's politeness. Only then did the courtier bring a chair to Xuanzang, and Xuanzang sat beside him. "I heard that the master went to Tianzhu to learn Buddhist scriptures without fear of hardships. I really don't understand. What's the use of Buddhist scriptures? What's the meaning of Buddhism?" "Okay, please let the poor monk answer one by one. Buddhist scriptures are the essence of Buddhism and a guide for Buddhist practice. Tianzhu is the birthplace of Buddhism and the hometown of Buddha Sakyamuni. The poor monks go to learn scriptures to seek higher Buddha's decree." "Oh... that's right." Kang Wang's attitude became sincere.Kang Wang asked again: "Then... dare to ask Master, what is the meaning of Buddhism?" Xuanzang bowed his body and replied: "The purpose of the Buddhist world is to relieve suffering. The Hinayana focuses on personal liberation, and the Mahayana requires the liberation of all sentient beings." "Oh, that's right." Kang Wang moved forward with great interest and said: "Master, please continue." Xuanzang also said: "The foundation of Buddhism is great compassion, saving the suffering." King Kang nodded in admiration, and asked, "I heard that Buddhism talks about reincarnation and karma in the third life. Please enlighten me, Master." As soon as Xuanzang opened his mouth to answer, King Kang said, "Give me an order to hold a fasting banquet for the master tonight. After the meal, I will invite the master to give a lecture." After the fasting banquet, it was late at night, but King Kang still asked Xuanzang to continue talking, Xuanzang obeyed, so the two sat on their knees, and the more King Kang listened, the more interesting they became. "So, Master, what is karma?" King Kang asked eagerly. Xuanzang replied seriously: "Cause refers to all causes that can produce results; effect refers to the results produced by causes. Retribution is a sentence: good will be rewarded with good, and evil will be rewarded with evil." "Oh, what is the standard for a mage to distinguish between good and evil?" Xuanzang said: "Excellent! There are ten standards for good and evil in Buddhism: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no greed, no..." "Oh, mage, let me interrupt, don't kill, why is it listed first?" "Because Buddhism loves all life the most, and forbids harming life..." King Kang nodded frequently, and was listening intently, when he suddenly saw the flames outside the official, and heard shouting and scolding, when he was surprised, the waiter came to report: "King, a group of barbarians came. They burned the temple and killed the monks brought by the mage." King Kang was furious when he heard this, and shouted, "Catch me." On the square outside the official, the soldiers held up the torches, and Kang Wang angrily ordered the person who set the fire to be brought in. The soldiers tied up more than a dozen barbarians who set the fire and brought them over. Kang Wang shouted angrily: "Chop off their hands." After hearing this, Xuanzang put his hands together and said to Kang Wang: "Amitabha, this is too cruel. Why don't the king lock them up, influence them, and let them go out after they change their ways and do good." "King, forgive us, we will change from evil to good in the future." Kang Wangling said: "Okay, for the sake of Master Datang, I will forgive you, but if you continue to be evil in the future, I don't care." "Thank you Master of China, thank you King Kang, we will never do evil again." The Hu people bowed down to Xuanzang and King Kang. King Kang and his subjects were very moved when they saw this, and they were in awe of Xuanzang. Many subjects asked Xuanzang to shave them on the spot.When Xuanzang set off, King Kang and his subjects all sent him off at the city gate.Since then, the whole country has admired Buddhism, and the burning of temples and expulsion of monks have never happened again. Xuanzang and his party continued on their way. Xuanzang rode on his horse and found that there was an iceberg not far away. This mountain was called an iceberg, and it was located in the north of the Congling Tianshan Mountains (now the Bedieli Mountain Pass in the northwest of Wushi, Xinjiang).The mountains are high above the clouds, birds cannot enter, and the ice and snow do not melt all year round.Although it is midsummer and the snowy road is just open, the mountain pass is still cold and windy, and the road is cold and slippery. If you don't pay attention, you will slide down the cliff and be smashed to pieces. Xuanzang turned his head and asked the guide, "Can this iceberg be bypassed?" The guide shook his head and said, "No, this mountain is the only way to go." A merchant said to Xuanzang: "Master, it is extremely dangerous to cross this mountain. Many people died on this mountain." Xuanzang was not afraid when he heard this, and rode his horse ahead. After walking for a while, the horse could no longer be ridden, and everyone had to walk.Entering the depths of the mountain, the mountain is really steep and the road is slippery and rugged, but there are ice blocks hanging upside down everywhere, and snow caves are hidden. There is a danger of sliding down the ice cliff and falling into the snow cave at any time. Xuanzang followed the guide and climbed in front, and his entourage followed behind him. They climbed hard along a rugged mountain road... It gets colder towards the top of the mountain.Walking on the steep winding mountain road, everyone led the horses and walked cautiously with their heads down. They neither dared to look up nor looked down. Xuanzang followed the guide walking deep and shallow... Suddenly, the gorge was blown by wind and snow. Fearing that they would be blown to the bottom of the cliff, they all lowered their horses, and then squatted down holding the reins tightly, and dared not walk until the wind and snow passed. After the snowstorm, Xuanzang looked up at the top of the mountain, my God!It's white, how can you tell the top of Cangtian Mountain, those ice cubes hanging upside down seem to be falling head-on. Xuanzang said "Amitabha Buddha" angrily. He lowered his head and grabbed the rein with one hand, and climbed the ice corner with the other hand, almost crawling forward... Suddenly I heard a scream of "Ah!", and a groom fell down with his horse.Xuanzang rushed to rescue him, but he slipped on his foot and almost fell upside down, getting stuck on a corner of the ice.The guide and several monks dragged him up with all their might.At this time, everyone looked down and took a deep breath. Under the steep ice cliff, there was no trace of the man who fell just now... Xuanzang wanted to go down to save him, but was persuaded by the crowd. He stared at the bottomless ice cliff, two lines of tears dripped down his cheeks to the cold cliff... Halfway down the mountain, the guide said: "Entered the iceberg canyon. This is an ice road that is hundreds of miles long, but it is the only way to cross the Tianshan Mountains. It takes seven or eight days to get out. This ice road is not a flat road but a rugged and narrow road. It makes people feel that sometimes they hang on the mountainside, and sometimes they fall into the bottom of the glacier valley. Not only is the road slippery, there is a danger of falling into the ice cave if you are not careful, and what is more terrible is that you will be buried in an avalanche or ice collapse. Maybe, is the mage afraid?" Xuanzang shook his head and said, "Not afraid." The guide looked at him with admiration and said: "The bravery and fortitude of the mage really deserves his reputation. I have traveled all over my life and met many monks. You can be called the most courageous mage." "You are too much, the poor monk is just trying to achieve his wish to get back the scriptures." Xuanzang looked forward and saw the snow-capped ice peaks thousands of miles away, and the narrow passages of the ice gorge were winding and rugged like mountain snakes, but Xuanzang let the wind blow his clothes, and he was not afraid. She said: "Let's go, take one more step, and we can reach Tianzhu earlier." After hearing this, everyone was moved by his spirit, so they all took another step full of energy. The so-called roads are actually ice edges and snow, which are extremely slippery, and horses and people often slip and fall.Everyone's buttocks and clothes are almost covered with slush, because almost no one does not fall. Too tired, they sat on the ice rocks, drank water and ate dry food, and started walking again after eating. The sun was setting, and they were too hungry and tired. Finally, they came to an ice rock that blocked the wind. The guide said, "This is a place for cooking. Let's light a fire and cook!" So Xuanzang and the others took off the saddle, let the horse rest, and opened the horse feed bag and put it around the horse's neck to let it eat. The two accompanying monks lit the dry firewood, set up the iron pot filled with ice and snow, and then poured rice to cook. After the meal, the sun had already set, the sky was getting dark, and the temperature dropped suddenly. The guide told everyone: "Crossing the iceberg, the most difficult hurdle to avoid is sleeping at night, because the iceberg canyon is hundreds of miles long, and it takes seven or eight days to walk. When you lie down and sleep, you may not be able to get up, but you have to sleep. So everyone should pay more attention.” However, they were so sleepy that they unrolled their bedding one by one and lay down on the ice. After a while, snoring started everywhere. At night, the weather dropped very badly, lying on the ice "bed", they wrapped the quilt tightly next to each other... Xuanzang wrapped the quilt tightly and fell asleep. A burst of cold woke him up, and he wanted to turn over, but the edge of the quilt was frozen with ice and snow, so he could only lie down and recite the "Prajna Heart Sutra". After dawn, the guide used a wooden stick to break the frozen ice from Xuanzang's quilt, and Xuanzang got out of the quilt. Others also got up one after another, but many horses froze to death on the ice. , never get up.What broke Xuanzang's heart was that one of the people sent by Gaochang State to escort him froze to death. After he buried him in snow with others crying, he continued to climb the iceberg. After seven days and seven nights of hard work, they finally crossed the iceberg. Xuanzang counted the number of people, except for those who escaped at night and died of freezing, there were only seven or eight people left. Xuanzang passed the test of life and death again, and finally left the dangerous situation and embarked on the journey to the west. The seven days and nights of climbing the ice and snow damaged Xuanzang's body, leaving him with bone cold and lung cold. The pain of the disease afflicted him in his later years, affected his translation of scriptures, and shortened his life span. exactly: