Continuation of Journey to the West - Five Continuations of Classical Chinese Novels with Illustrations

Author: (Ming) Anonymous
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This is a continuation of a classic work, a significant cultural tradition in China. Journey to the West, like other Chinese classical masterpieces, has numerous sequels. Some of the more famous ones include A Continuation of Journey to the West, A Supplement to Journey to the West, and A Post-Journey to the West. During the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, works such as Journey to the West as Well and A New Record of Journey to the West were also created. This book is one of the most influential and widely circulated sequels to Journey to the West and is highly worth reading. Journey to the West is also known as the "Record of Buddha" and the "Record of Demon." The demon can be called Buddha, and the Buddha can also be called the demon. Why is this the case? It is because Buddha manifests through wisdom, while the demon subdues through intelligence, making it possible for the demon to enter the Buddha. Therefore, even though all the thirty-two manifestations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and countless transformations are listed, why should the demon not be included? The demon's delusion of the Buddha is also like this. It is a chain reaction that arises solely from the movement within the mind. Life can give birth to both Buddha and demon, so it returns to nothingness by emptying everything. Nothingness is the truth of stillness. If there is nothing to move, what is the meaning of stillness? Then in the profound and subtle realm, it encompasses all aspects of wisdom, the music of heavenly beings, radiant hair and precious heads, crystal and gold, lions and divine kings, playing miraculous abilities—this can be clearly recognized. The ordinary people fail to realize this, giving rise to the mind of calculation. What can be done about calculation? The Zhuangzi says, "All things arise from calculation and return to calculation." Calculation is the key to the mystery of creation, seizing the essence of the five elements, holding it at the most subtle level and unfolding it at the greatest risk. Thus it is said: "When heaven manifests killing calculation, it shifts stars and changes constellations; when the earth manifests killing calculation, dragons and snakes rise from the ground; when humans manifest killing calculation, heaven and earth are overturned." It is also said: "The mind arises from things and perishes with things. Calculation lies in the eyes and words, so it must be used with caution." Calculation is the pivot between the demon and the Buddha. To seal it leads to darkness, to open it leads to movement. In an instant, it changes, in an instant, it becomes clever, in an instant, it creates meaning within meaning, the mind giving birth to the mind, restless and chaotic, driving the divine and subduing wisdom; intelligence becomes an obsession, mechanical constraints become the cause; burning the void and hollowing the openings, the entire body is corrupted, and the truth of profound stillness becomes unattainable. Far from the subtle essence of the Buddha, they seek words in delusion, overturning and dreaming endlessly. With calculation lingering in the mind, the great way is abandoned outside, which is an inevitable outcome. The preface falsely claims to practice cultivation, filled with cunning and humor. Generally, it aims to subdue the demon with the mind, setting up seventy-two transformations to explore the use of the mind. It searches to the highest heavens and the deepest depths of the underworld, collecting nearly all the sages of the three realms, mixing with the sayings of alchemy and immortality, seeking to align with the principles of the golden elixir. The world loves and spreads it, yet the author still worries about its absurdity and desecration. Moreover, with too much calculation, disturbances arise daily, logic contradicts the void, and the way deviates from equality. In compiling this work, I have cut and edited it, allowing the past and present to have their roots, and distinguishing between the real and the illusory in enlightenment. To subdue and capture the demon is near at hand, in the realm of the mind. No need for violent suppression or tedious methods; the scripture is the mind, the mind is the Buddha. Those who awaken will hear the sound of enlightenment, achieve perfect and solid practice, assist in crossing the shore, and return to the spiritual void, transforming impure roots and breaking the bonds of the path. The author's dedication is briefly seen here. I hope readers, with the wisdom of both humans and heaven, will read this book and reflect upon it, understanding it as the unwavering ground of thought. Do not merely dismiss it as redundant and superfluous, like the foolish and the vain.