Chapter 10 7. Swamp Road End

"Oh!" Xuanzang fell into the mud with his horse and man.The more he struggled, the more he sank, and the mud flooded Xuanzang's chest like lightning. Everyone screamed and crawled over, throwing the rope to him, and finally Xuanzang was dragged up.However, the horse was swallowed by the mud.Everyone is very panic, surrounded by mud, where is the road?Even the guide is at a loss... After climbing over the iceberg, not long after walking, I saw a large lake (Issyk-Kul Lake in the former Soviet Union) with boundless waves and waves. This lake is also called Daqing Lake.At this time the wind was not strong, but the lake waves were very strong. Xuanzang was very surprised and asked the guide:

"What kind of sea is this, why are the waves so high?" "Oh, this is Atami." "Atami! Is the water hot?" "No, the water isn't hot, it's just not freezing all year round." Xuanzang felt even more strange when he heard this, so he said: "Then let's go by boat, so we can avoid detours." The guide shook his head repeatedly after hearing this and said: "It must not be done. The water in this lake is black, the water depth is unpredictable, and the waves of the lake are changeable. There are hidden currents in the lake, and ghosts appear and haunt, so even if there is no wind, there will be waves of several feet."

Xuanzang asked in surprise, "There are still ghosts?" "That's right!" Seeing Xuanzang's mouth opened wide, the guide went on to say, "It is said that there is a water monster that can eat people in the lake. Once, a fishing boat encountered a water monster, and the people who escaped said that the water monster was as big as a monster." The camel is big, and the waves it set off are several feet high. When the people on the boat encountered the water monster, they were overturned because they couldn't dodge in time, and the people fell into the stomach of the water monster."

"What kind of water monster is that?" asked a monk. "I heard it looks like a big turtle." A merchant said: "No, I heard it is a giant fish." Another entourage said, "I heard it's a dragon." Xuanzang and the others stood by the vast ocean and the lake with black waves. After hearing these legends, they felt terrified. The guide wanted to abandon the ferry, so he asked: "Are mages afraid?" Xuanzang shook his head and said firmly: "The poor monk is not afraid, as long as the poor monk can reach Tianzhu one day earlier." "Okay, then we have to take the risk of going to Atami."

When they boarded the boat, everyone pushed forward, not daring to sit in the stern, so Xuanzang sat in the stern automatically. Xuanzang and his party took a bamboo raft down the hot sea. The water in the hot sea was not only a little hot, but also deep and dark, which made people feel horrible. Afraid of accidents, the guide desperately urged the boatman to row faster. The bamboo raft quickly sailed towards the center of Atami... Everyone sat close together, holding their breath, for fear that they would be heard by the water monster when they were out of breath... They nervously crossed the Haixin Stone, and their hanging hearts were relieved.Just when they were rejoicing that they didn't encounter any water monsters today, a sudden gust of wind blew, and the raft made a sharp turn and almost flipped over. Xuanzang, who was sitting at the stern of the raft, was thrown into the hot sea. Fortunately, he grabbed the bamboo raft with one hand. A section of bamboo pole.

"Hurry up and save the mage." A monk who escorted him screamed, grabbed Xuanzang's hand with both hands and fell down on the ground. Seeing this, the guide quickly stretched out his hands to catch Xuanzang, but seeing that the boat was about to capsize, a military boat suddenly came over and rescued them aboard. It turned out to be a warship from the Turkic Kingdom. When they found out it was Master Xuanzang, they saluted him and gave Xuanzang a change of clothes.After the boat docked, Xuanzang put his palms together to thank the Turkic soldiers and started walking again. After walking for about 500 miles, when they approached Suye City, they saw a group of cavalry surrounded by a luxuriously dressed headman hunting.When the soldiers saw Xuanzang and his party, they came up to question him. Xuanzang learned that the noble man was the Turkic Khan.

This Yehu Khan is the king of the Western Turks. He is wearing a green silk robe, his head is wrapped in long white silk hanging behind his head, and his shoulders are covered with long hair.There are two hundred officials standing around him, all of them are dressed in brocade robes, and the soldiers participating in the hunting are also wearing fur battle suits, holding bows and crossbows, riding horses and camels...there are many horses, sheep, and camels grazing You can't see it all at a glance. Xuanzang came forward to meet: "Monk Xuanzang of Tang Dynasty pays homage to Khan Yehu."

Xuanzang also presented a letter from King Gaochang to the Khan. After reading it, the Khan said happily: "It is a great honor for our country to hear the name of the master early and to invite you to visit me. I respectfully invite the master to visit my account." Khan's account is decorated with golden flowers, which is dazzling and luxurious. When Xuanzang was still 30 steps away from the Khan's tent, the Khan greeted him out of the tent and took Xuanzang's hand inside. Xuanzang was arranged to sit at the VIP seat on the right side of the Turkic Khan.In front of the banquet table sat two rows of luxuriously dressed dignitaries, followed by a row of guards holding weapons.Because the Turkic people are in awe of fire and believe that wood is combined with fire, they do not use wooden utensils but use carpets for seating. They only prepared an iron chair for Xuanzang to ask him to sit down.

Xuanzang handed the letter of credence and gifts to Khan, and Khan was very happy. The banquet began, and with the sound of drum music, the waiters brought all kinds of wine and dishes, including fresh lamb, roast calf... and also presented grape sauce and various vegetarian dishes to the mage: short milk, honey, wheat cake... … A burst of cheerful music was played, and several beautiful Turkic girls came to the hall to perform a rough and graceful Turkic dance, and then a group of warriors came out to perform a sword dance. After the banquet, the wine and food were removed and crisp tea and fruits were served.Khan asked the master to speak, and the master explained the principles of Buddhism not to kill and transcend life and death.He said:

"Abstaining from killing is the first of the ten good deeds in Buddhism, so reckless killing is also heinous. The first is that life is the most precious thing in the world, but since ancient times, with human beings, there have been wars. Innocent lives are ruined. Therefore, as the monarchs and ministers of a country, the common people have actually given their lives to you. With the power of life and death, those who have always believed that monarchs and ministers need to have the good fortune to cherish the lives of the people." Khan nodded frequently and sighed: "What the mage said is true. Our Western Turkic initiative to make peace with the Tang Dynasty is for the long-term peace between the two countries, and there will be no war."

Xuanzang clasped his palms together and praised: "Khan is wise." Khan said again: "Master, please talk about the issue of transcending life and death." "Very good, as for the issue of detachment from life and death, I would like to tell you why the Buddha Sakyamuni gave up his noble throne to attend Buddhism. "When Sakyamuni was still Prince Siddhartha, he encountered three things on two outings. One was to see a lonely old man with a hunchback sitting on the side of the road crying, and Prince Siddhartha got off the road. Car, go over and ask the old man: "'Why is the old man sad?' "The old man said: 'I am old, and the children at home think I can't work, so they kicked me out.' "The Buddha felt sorry for him when he heard this, and said: "'Don't cry, old man, I'm going to take you into the palace so that you can enjoy your old age.' After hearing this, the old man sighed: 'Thank you, Prince Ende, but even if you take me into the palace, you can't solve my aging day by day .Besides, can you bring so many elderly people into the palace?' "The Buddha was deeply touched when he heard this, and he deeply felt that the pain caused by human aging is too great." Khan is an impatient person. While nodding frequently, he asked: "Oh, what about the second one? Please tell the mage quickly." Xuanzang said calmly: "The second thing is to meet a leper and see his face disfigured, his fingers and toes have fallen off, lying on the ground moaning. "The Buddha gave him a luxurious coat, but the patient refused. He said: 'Thank you for your kindness, prince, but you can't cure my disease with this luxurious crop, so why do I need clothes? And there are so many leprosy patients in the whole country, can you give them so many clothes?" "Buddha was sad again when he heard this: 'Yes! Isn't disease another curse that brings suffering to people?' "The third thing is that Prince Siddhartha met a group of mourners. Their grief greatly stimulated him, and he was extremely sad. He came to the conclusion that death is the greatest pain in life. Later, the Buddha died under the Bodhi tree for seven days. Qiye's practice finally realized that birth, old age, sickness and death are the greatest sea of ​​suffering in life. To overcome this sea of ​​suffering, one must first transcend life and death. Transcending life and death is the root of helping people overcome the sea of ​​suffering. "How can I transcend life and death? "The Buddha proposed the reincarnation of the three lives. The reincarnation of the three lives is: the past, the present, and the future. That is to say, all sentient beings will not die, and they are reincarnated in the three lives. "And reincarnation is divided into six types: heaven, human, ashe, hell, hungry ghost, and animal, which are called 'six reincarnations'. The principle of the six reincarnations is also 'causal reincarnation', that is, good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with evil. That is to say, all sentient beings who practice goodness and achieve good results can be reincarnated as heaven or human beings and ascend to heaven after death. On the contrary, evildoers will become ghosts or animals after death and go to hell to suffer. "The great enlightenment of the Buddha is to warn all living beings to do good and not to do evil, otherwise they will suffer karma." After Xuanzang finished speaking, the Khan and all the courtiers admired them very much. They raised their foreheads with both hands to express their gratitude to the master's explanation. After Xuanzang stayed in the tent of the Turkic Khan for a few days, Xuanzang, who was deeply attached to Tianzhu, came to bid farewell to the Khan. Xuanzang bowed deeply to Khan and said: "Thank you Khan for your warm hospitality. Xuanzang is eager to go west and is going to leave soon. I am here to say goodbye to Khan." Khan persuaded the master: "Master, don't go to the country of Intega (India), where the climate is extremely hot, October is as hot as May, and a body like yours has not been melted by the heat. Moreover, the people there have dark skin and violent temperament, You better not go!" Xuanzang said without fear: "Tianzhu is the origin of Buddhism. There are many famous eminent monks. I went there to learn from them, get back the scriptures and spread Buddhism, so I will not be afraid of any difficulties." Khan was moved by his spirit, so he found him a translator who was proficient in Chinese and the languages ​​of various countries in the Western Regions, and wrote several letters for him to the kings along the way, and sent Modu to escort the mage to the country of Kapishi . Before leaving, he gave the master a red cassock and fifty bolts of silk, and sent them with all his courtiers more than ten miles away. After leaving Gaochang and passing through sixteen small countries, after traveling about 300 li, I arrived at a dangerous place - Tiemen Tianxian. The guide walking in front pointed to the mountain ahead and said to Xuanzang: "Master, look, the narrow path hanging on the high mountain cliff is the iron gate and natural danger. Below is the cliff. If you accidentally fall off the cliff, you will be smashed to pieces." Xuanzang went as expected, my God!Seeing a small path hanging across the steep mountain wall, and the cliff below, Xuanzang shrank in his heart, but he quickly calmed down and blamed himself: What's wrong with me!Why is my heart so tense? Could it be that I was so scared that I came here after going through all kinds of difficulties and dangers. In order to obtain the truth, I have already disregarded life and death, so why should I be afraid of this cliff?If you are afraid of death, you will not come, if you come, you will not be afraid of death.So he raised his head, reined in his horse, and caught up with the guide. When I arrived at the small road on the Tiemen Mountain Cliff, I saw that the cliff was steep and bare, and the mountain road was narrow and overhanging, and only one person could pass through it; if I looked down into the abyss, I might not even find the corpse if I fell down. Xuanzang was really shocked. To tell the truth, in order to seek the Dharma, Xuanzang has been to many famous mountains and rivers, almost all the great Buddhist temples in China, and has crossed mountains and mountains several times, but he has never experienced such a thrilling journey. Now looking at this mountain that birds cannot enter, of course, I can't help feeling a little scared.He looked around and several companions were standing there hesitating, then said: "This road is very dangerous, please be careful. How about this, I will go ahead, please follow me." Seeing that Xuanzang was not afraid, everyone emboldened and followed him. So Xuanzang led the horse and walked ahead, and after the guide was terminated, the group embarked on this dangerous road. Xuanzang walked carefully while turning around to encourage everyone: "Don't look down, just look ahead." Walking in the narrowest place, the companion behind Xuanzang stumbled and almost fell off. He held on to the reins tightly, and Xuanzang came to help quickly when he saw it. They moved cautiously on the six-mile-long cliff path like this... When they walked to the middle, a sudden gust of wind blew through the gorge, and the hats of several of them were blown down the cliff at the same time. Everyone had to watch the hats being blown away, and looked down at the deep ravine, let alone Hats, even gold, no one dares to pick them up. They had to lie down on the horse, then squatted down, holding the reins tightly with both hands, for fear that they and the horse would be blown away by the wind in the gorge. After a while, the wind calmed down, and everyone dared to stand up. Xuanzang touched his monk's bald head and said with a smile: "The wind was so strong that it flattened my head." Everyone looked at Xuanzang's bald head and laughed. Xuanzang shook his clothes and said: "Let's go, even if we don't care about life and death for the sake of the Dharma, let's not be afraid of the wind blowing our hats." "The mage is right. Seeking the Dharma is not afraid of the wind blowing your hat." One by one, they pulled up their horses again, talking and laughing, and walked forward.At this time, in Xuanzang's eyes, this cliff was nothing but a path in the fields. After several dangers, they finally came to the "Iron Gate" (now west of Derbent in southern Uzbekistan).This "iron gate" is a pass made up of two cliffs. It is an important card for the Turks, the only way to enter and exit the Turkic country, and a fortress for north-south transportation.It can be said that one husband is in charge of the gate, and ten thousand husbands cannot open it. This "iron gate" has checkpoints and is guarded by heavy soldiers.Xuanzang stepped forward and said: "Amitabha, this is a beautiful article written by a poor monk." The sentinel looked at it, and then handed it to their superior. After seeing the letter from King Gaochang to the "Iron Gate" pass of the Turkic Kingdom, the superior immediately saluted with a smile: "It turns out that the Archmage is visiting our country, respectfully, respectfully." Xuanzang folded his palms together and returned the salute: "Amitabha, thank you poor monk for your care." After passing the "iron gate", Xuanzang and the others came to the side of a mountain that afternoon, only to see an abyss below, and a narrow bamboo trestle hanging between the two mountain gorges.Although the rope can be used to support walking, it is still thrilling. People who pass the hanging stack must be very careful. If they step on the empty space, there is a danger of falling. Once they fall, even the corpse will not be found.Several people looked at each other, looking at the dark bottom of the canyon and the hanging bamboo plank road, everyone was trembling in their hearts... exactly: Xuanzang thought, since he was a child, he followed his elder brother all over the ancient temples and temples. He often climbed mountains and ridges and went through hardships, but it was the first time he had passed such a sky stack. Seeing such a narrow and swaying hanging stack, Xuanzang's calf trembled.But he thought of how many life-and-death trials he had passed before he came here. In order to obtain the scriptures, he would regret dying, especially when his companions were in trouble, so he made up his mind and said: "In my opinion, please ask the guide to fight forward. After I break, let's pull the rope tightly with one hand and the person in front with the other, and go slowly. Bind the important things and carry them on the back, and the horse will have to be left behind." This guide was in his early forties, with a dark complexion, not tall, and a stocky build. It was specially assigned by King Qu Wentai for Xuanzang and his party.Xuanzang looked at his always squinting eyes and said, "It has to be like this." The guide nodded in agreement and looked at Xuanzang with admiration. So several people made preparations for crossing the sky stack. With the guide in front, they led one by one and carefully stepped onto the sky stack. When they reached the heart of the gorge, although Xuanzang was very nervous at the end, he kept saying in his mouth: "It's almost over, eyes go forward Look, don't look down." The guide also called out: "Tighten the rope with your hands." Finally they reached the opposite mountainside, and everyone was sweating profusely. Looking back at the bottom of the unfathomable canyon, everyone gasped.One person said: "I really don't know how I got here just now. If you ask me to do it again, I don't have the guts." After going through the life and death test of Iron Gate and Tianzhang, Xuanzang's direction began to move from west to south, gradually approaching Tianzhu Kingdom. After leaving Tianzhan, it has entered the Turkic sphere of influence, and after traveling hundreds of miles southward, it arrived at Heguo (northern Afghanistan today).The king of this country is the eldest son and Dushe of Turkic Yehu Khan, and the queen is Kehe Dun, the princess of Gaochang Kingdom and the younger sister of King Qu Wentai. After Xuanzang came to the country, the king and Du met Hua on the sickbed. Xuanzang presented a letter from the king of Gaochang, and the king burst into tears when he read it.He said: "The queen is dead, and I am sick again. I am sad to see the letter from my relatives. Master, please stay for a few more days. I want to hear more about Brother Gaochang's situation." Although Xuanzang was eager to get on the road, seeing the king was so sad that he couldn't refuse, he said: "The poor monk obeys." So Xuanzang stayed in the palace temporarily, and talked to the king every day, and Dushi's illness also improved day by day.Xuanzang was in a hurry and was just about to leave when a coup took place in the palace and the king was killed. It turned out that the king's concubine had an affair with his ex-wife's son Teller, and the two colluded and poisoned the king.When Princess Gaochang's son was young, Teller usurped the throne and married his stepmother who had an affair with him. After Xuanzang heard and witnessed the bloody storm, his heart was very heavy.He finally understood why King Hedushe shed tears after reading the letter that King Qu Wentai asked him to bring. Xuanzang remembered the saying that the court had no father and son, and felt deeply the cruelty of power desire, so he made up his mind: get back the scriptures, promote Buddhism, try to make people more Buddha-nature and less greedy, and less A crime. After Xuanzang left the river country and passed through several small countries, one day, Xuanzang and his party strayed into the swamp because they were avoiding the pursuit of a bandit.Looking around is full of water and grass, if you are not careful, you will fall into the mud and suffer disaster. They trekked hard... Suddenly, "Oops!" shouted, and everyone saw that Xuanzang fell into the mud with his horse and man... Xuanzang sank deeper and deeper, and the mud covered his chest. Several people screamed and crawled over, and threw the rope to him. Finally, Xuanzang was pulled up, but the horse was submerged in the mud. .Everyone is very panic, where is the way?Even the guide was at a loss. ... How to do it? Xuanzang clasped his hands together after changing dry clothes, and recited the scriptures devoutly: "Amitabha, son Xuanzang died here. May the Buddha bless us to tide over the difficulties." After a while, the sound of wild geese suddenly came. They raised their heads and saw two wild geese flying in the sky. The two wild geese, one big and one small, stopped on the water plants and called "coo, coo". Xuanzang looked up and saw the two geese, and exclaimed happily: "Ah! Buddha, you finally sent a guide bird, we are saved." "It's saved!" So they happily followed the geese out of the swamp. Later, when Xuanzang returned to Chang'an, in memory of the two wild geese, he proposed to build the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas, one big and one small, have brought people a lot of reverie when looking at each other from a distance, and now they have become a major landscape in Xi'an, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda has also become Xuanzang's place to store scriptures. After going through the life-and-death test of going through the iron gate and getting lost in the marshes, Xuanzang finally embarked on the road to the west again. exactly: