Lessons Learned from an Episode in Journey to the West

(Minghui.org) As we cultivate in the human world, any experiences may cause our hearts to be moved and provide opportunities for us to improve our character. Whether such things are big or small, we should unconditionally look inward. This is a fundamental ability that every cultivator should possess.

The other day while I was reading Zhuan Falun, I was reminded of the “Real or Fake Monkey King” episode from Journey to the West, a classic of Chinese literature. In the story, Monk Tang had conflicts with Monkey King during their journey to retrieve the Buddha's scriptures from the West. He encountered a false Monkey King, who was transformed by a mortal into a six-eared macaque with the same abilities as the real Monkey King, and this imposter planned to steal the scriptures. Upon the real Monkey King’s return, no one could tell who was genuine.

Bodhisattva Guanyin, the gods, and Yama all tried various ways to distinguish between the two but to no avail. Eventually, the real and fake Monkey Kings fought all the way to the Buddha in the Western Heaven. The Buddha quickly subdued the imposter, transforming it back into a six-eared macaque.

The Buddha resolved the issue on the spot and did not blame the other gods for their inability distinguish which was the real Monkey King. Different gods have their own realms with distinct abilities, which reflect their characters and levels. In fact, everything is predestined, and nothing is accidental.

We cultivate in Dafa, the cosmic law, and during the Fa-rectification period and in Master’s presence we have been entrusted with the mission of saving people. As practitioners, we should maintain a positive state of mind when others are unable to do well, whether they are fellow practitioners or everyday people, regardless of the outcomes. Beings in higher realms, due to their greater wisdom and ability to understand the causes and effects of matters, remain unaffected by those at lower levels and should stay calm and composed.

At our respective levels, we should quietly fulfill our responsibilities and genuinely harmonize and complement things instead of complaining about or blaming others. This approach fosters better cooperation, while we continuously ascend by improving our characters.

As cultivators, we perceive everything in the world more lightly as our levels elevate, eventually becoming unswayed by anything. This human world was created for our cultivation, and the people around us are for us to save.

Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s current understanding meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare in studying, compare in cultivating” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)