Why does the author spend a lot of time writing about this thorny ridge? Why did Pig Bajie, who had been lazy before, take the lead in this story? Why did Pig Bajie kill all the tree spirits that didn't hurt anyone?
To understand the moral of this chapter, we must first understand the living conditions of Thorn Ridge and its tree spirits.
Thorn ridge covers an area of 800 miles. The road can be seen vaguely between mountains, but the road is blocked by thorns and vines all over the mountain.
In the original work, the Tang Priest said, "The road sign is below, and the thorns are above. Only snakes and insects will go upstream. If you walk, it is difficult for your waist to stretch. Teach me to ride a horse? "
Tang Priest's words pointed out a harsh reality: because of the thorns, ordinary people simply can't cross the thorn ridge unless there are snakes and insects. In other words, this prickly ridge, like the flaming mountain in front, has become an important obstacle to the exchange and dissemination of ideas between eastern and western countries, especially the eastward expansion of Buddhism.
How long has this obstacle existed?
Pig Bajie has sprung up as a giant of 1670 meters. After a hard day's work, he went to the mountainside and saw a stone tablet that read:
Thorns climb 800 miles, and few people walk in ancient times. Eight quit heroism, added two sentences:
From then on, Bajie can break through, and the road to the west is smooth!
From the stone tablet, this thorn ridge has blocked the traffic between east and west for many years (since ancient times). How many years has it been? From the conversations of later scholars, we can know that all scholars have a history of 1000 years, that is to say, this thorny ridge is insurmountable, at least for thousands of years.
In order to promote the expansion of Buddhism, it is necessary not only for the Monkey King to exorcise demons and expel non-Buddhist forces, but also for the eminent monks on earth to go to other countries, build temples and educate all sentient beings. The importance of Buddhism promoted by secular monks is definitely not under the Monkey King.
If there is a powerful demon ahead, Pig Bajie is naturally lazy and slippery. No matter how high the contribution of demon reduction is, it is not as important as life. At present, we just pull the thorns to both sides and clear a path. There is no risk, but it is of great help to the expansion of Buddhism. Pig eight quit to fight for the first place.
Pig Bajie added two poems to the stone tablet, making Bajie an important contributor to the eastward expansion of Buddhism, and his achievements will last forever and be worshipped by the people.
Then, after seeing the tree spirits, why did Pig kill them all?
The apparent reason is that after talking about poetry, the tree spirits encouraged Tang Yan and the beautiful and enchanting apricot fairy to enter the bridal chamber. Tang Priest's attitude was firm, and his eyes were full of tears. During the fight, Pig Bajie and the Monkey King appeared, saved the Tang Priest, and then tried to kill the tree spirit.
Seeing Pig Bajie's murderer, all the tree spirits were killed. The Tang Priest grabbed Pig and said, "Wuneng, don't hurt him! Although he became a climate, he never hurt me. I will find a way. " Indeed, even if he entered the bridal chamber, Xingxian was kind enough to appease him, which was useless at all. As for other immortals, it is even more elegant. Everyone talked about poetry all night, and no one mentioned eating the meat of Tang monks at all.
The Monkey King said, "Master doesn't pity him. I am afraid that he will become a monster in the future and harm others and himself. "
The Monkey King, is this reason valid? It doesn't hold water at all. At present, people's skills are low and will not harm people; If you have high skills in the future, it will definitely harm people? According to this logic, the more powerful the fairy monsters are, the greater the harm. What about the Monkey King and Pig Bajie? Their skills are much higher than those of tree spirits. Isn't that 100% harmful and should definitely be killed?
The Monkey King is obviously trying to cover up the truth, so he must let Bajie kill the tree spirit.
What is the truth?
It turned out that after seeing the Monkey King, the Tang Priest had told the story of that night in detail. The Monkey King immediately understood that the tree spirits in Thorn Ridge were absolutely not allowed to stay.
Why do you say that?
Almost every tree spirit has a poem with Tang Priest. There are too many poems, so I won't quote them one by one. Just as everyone was chatting happily, a loophole made a haha and said, "What you said is obviously a leak. Please don't believe all the saints. "
Kong Ling's implication is that everyone else is subtle, but it's too straightforward and a little exposed.
So, what did Mrs. Fu Yun say? The original text is as follows:
Tao Ye and Anwar, in turn, verified the West. Straw shoes are too wasteful. I don't know what to look for. The stone lion gouged out his heart, and the wild fox poured saliva into his bone marrow. Forgetting one's roots and seeking Buddha's fruit in vain are all like my riddles of thorns and vines. How can such a gentleman lead? How to print such a scale? You must show yourself well and see what you have before. Only when you are unknown can you have a career.
It turns out that these tree spirits in Thorn Ridge are staunch Taoist immortals, who worship Taoism and suppress Buddhism. For example, Mrs. Fu Yun thinks that Tao originated in China. Now the Tang Priest has gone to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures. Isn't this the opposite direction? He also said angrily that today's Tang priest is forgetting his roots and attending Zen Buddhism, and seeking Buddha's fruit is just a delusion.
On the surface, Pig Bajie and the Monkey King killed these tree spirits because Xingxian forced Tang Priest into the bridal chamber. In fact, the fundamental reason is that these tree spirits are staunch anti-Buddhists.
At the top of the mountain, there is an ancient temple that has been abandoned for thousands of years. It is conceivable that more than a thousand years ago, this thorn ridge was unblocked. Only then, somehow, the ancient temple was abandoned, and then, someone ordered pines, cypresses, plums, peaches, apricots and so on near the ancient temple. While practicing, these people blocked the Thorn Ridge, completely cutting off the communication between human beings and the eastward expansion of Buddhism.
Who is the immortal who enlightened these tree spirits? My understanding is too old gentleman.
At that time, the old gentleman went to the Western Ocean, turned Hu into a Buddha, lit a lamp and founded Buddhism. At that time, there must be smooth roads on the thorn ridge, and there will naturally be Buddhist temples. However, after burning the lamp, he abdicated and the Tathagata came to power. The old ancestors got rid of the monks in the thorn ridge, let the tree spirits block the way and curb the Tathagata's forces.
However, now the action of learning from the scriptures is the official action of heaven approved by the Jade Emperor, and the obstacles in Thorn Ridge must be removed. An important fairy, too old gentleman will take refuge. For example, these low-level tree spirits, without further use value, naturally become the abandoned children of the old gentleman-not completely useless. The Monkey King and Pig Bajie can prove their innocence and loyalty to the Tathagata by the death of the tree spirit, so as to get more returns.
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