Chapter 37 — One Shout Startles Awake the Long-Deafened Soul
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 3
Old Man Ma's chest rose and fell; plainly he was not calm at heart. He said coldly, "I cut off my own arm and sent it to the Great Thunderclap Temple, returning the Great Thunderclap Temple's divine powers. Why then did you still hunt me down and scatter my wife and children? Since you are so set on my death, why may I not pass the Great Thunderclap Temple's divine powers on to outsiders?"
The old monk shook his head. "Junior brother, one arm does not stand for all of your divine powers."
Old Man Ma chuckled low. "The divine powers in my body did not all come from the Great Thunderclap Temple either. Do you mean to strip away my other powers as well? I was born of the Great Thunderclap Temple, but in those years I fought my way out with my own two hands, and you did not dare to bar my way then. When I had a wife and child, you came looking for me again, and for their safety I was willing to cut off one arm and give you back the Great Thunderclap Temple's divine powers!"
His face darkened. "And then? You hunted me down and scattered my wife and children, destroyed my home and killed my family!"
The old monk's white eyebrows twitched. "Rules are rules; change them and they are no longer rules. The red dust of the world, the vulgar world, hinders cultivation. Junior brother, in truth we do not mean to kill you, but to save you from the bitter sea of the red dust, to bring you back to the Great Thunderclap Temple to cultivate, that you may attain the true fruit. Had you not stirred worldly desire in those years and fought your way out of the Great Thunderclap Temple, the seat of Tathagata would be yours today. If you are willing to return to the temple with me, the old Tathagata will surely be greatly pleased, and the seat of Tathagata will still be yours." (Zhaizhu's note: in common parlance Tathagata means Shakyamuni, but in the specialized language of the Buddhist order Tathagata means Buddha; any Buddha is a Tathagata. The scriptures say that because he speaks according to reality as it is, he is called Tathagata, which denotes the state of Buddhahood.)
"Go back?"
Old Man Ma said woodenly, "In those years I fought my way out. If I am to go back, then naturally I must fight my way back in!"
The old monk's face fell, and he sighed. "The Tathagata will be greatly disappointed. This youth on the platform — he is your disciple, is he not? You taught him the Thunderclap Eight Formulae, but you did not teach him our Great Thunderclap Temple's heart method, the Thunderclap Mahayana Sutra."
He looked toward Shen Mu, who was fighting a young man on the platform, and said, "The Thunderclap Mahayana Sutra is the dharma for subduing demons. Without cultivating this heart method, the Thunderclap Eight Formulae, however strongly refined, are but an empty show. Today I have brought my disciple with me. Mingxing, come and pay your respects to your uncle-master!"
Behind him a tall, lean young monk stepped forward, a string of prayer beads hanging from his hand, and saluted with palms joined. "Uncle-master."
The old monk's white eyebrows fluttered upward. "Mingxing is also a martial artist of the Spirit Embryo realm. I stake my Zen staff here. Will you take the bet, junior brother?"
Granny Zhu's eyebrows rose and she was about to speak, when Old Man Ma said without expression, "Monastic rules and precepts are all dog shit. I will bet with you: my head — how does it weigh against your Ximilo?"
The old monk nodded. "The weight is about the same."
The Blind Old Man, Granny Zhu, Grandpa Alchemist and the others frowned deeply and were about to dissuade him, when Old Man Ma said decisively, "If my Mu'er loses, take my head back to the Great Thunderclap Temple to see the Tathagata. If Mu'er wins, the Zen staff stays, and you get as far away as you can."
"Sadhu."