Star Path — 4. Entering the Illusory Buddha Realm

Having left the Door of Goodness, she was already beyond the demon’s sphere of control, yet the mind of Dabei was still filled with demonic shadows. She hurried along the road without daring to relax for even a moment. At last, countless mountain caves and thatched huts appeared before her, forming a stark contrast with the resplendent splendor of the demon world. Dabei had entered the Illusory Buddha Realm in the Mountain of Self-Nature, and crowds of people had gathered outside every cave and thatched hut.

Dabei pushed through the crowd outside one of the caves and asked a young man with delicate, handsome features.

“What is this for?”

“Oh, you must be new here, right? You don’t even know that.” The young boy said scornfully, and Dabei saw the poison of arrogance drifting from the boy’s mouth.

“Haven’t you seen it? There are seven caves on this mountain, and all of them are for removing poison. Every cave master says his own cave is the best, and it’s gotten to the point where we don’t know which cave we should go into.”

“What are those thatched huts for?” Dabei asked sincerely. The boy became even more disdainful, and the poison of arrogance from his mouth grew heavier.

“You don’t even know that? I really can’t figure out how you got in here. Those thatched huts are for dissolving the five poisons of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt. Surely you know the five poisons — we’re all poisoned. But not one of the people staying in those thatched huts has come out, and nobody knows how their detoxification is going inside.”

“Aren’t there plenty of people over by those thatched sheds too?” Dabei asked.

“Those are all relatives and friends of the people in the sheds. They hope the ones living inside can come out and tell them how the detoxification is going. They’ve been waiting outside for many years now.”

Even as he spoke, the boy hurriedly squeezed into the cave on this side. Just then, the people outside one of the thatched huts burst into cheers. Gazing over from afar, Dabei saw a man with a completely shaved head wearing a gray robe. Dabei’s Life Detector suddenly began to sound, and a familiar figure appeared in the Heavenly Eye Mirror.

“It’s Duozhi!” Dabei moved over excitedly, but there were too many people, so he could only stand at the edge and listen to Duozhi speak. Someone asked,

“Master, have you removed the poison?”

“Oh, don’t call me Master,” Duozhi said modestly.

“I haven’t removed the poison, and a thatched shed can’t remove it either. But in the more than ten years I’ve spent inside, I’ve come to realize a truth.”

When they heard that Duozhi had not removed the poison, some people left, while others wanted to hear the truth Duozhi had realized.

“It turns out there is something called ego-clinging inside our bodies. The moment it breaks apart, our poison vanishes immediately.”

“Then how can this thing be broken apart?”

“On our mountain there is a Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes. When the water of merits in the treasure vessel in his hand is filled, it gives off a light of universal loving-kindness. If we can obtain this water and this light, our ego-clinging can be broken. But this water of merits can only be gathered in full if we keep doing good deeds and giving rise to wholesome intentions.”

“Can we find this Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes?”

“No, because no path leads up the mountain. Once the water of merits is filled, this Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes will appear on his own.”

“How long will that take? We want to be detoxified right now. Let’s go look in the other caves instead.” The people crowding around Duozhi then all dispersed.

Only one boy still followed Duozhi closely. Through the Heavenly Eye Mirror, Dabei saw that this boy was a member of a rescue team. Dabei was extremely excited and immediately walked up to Duozhi, grabbed his sleeve, and said

“Duozhi!” A tide of reddish poison mist rose swiftly over Duozhi’s face. He shook off Dabei’s hand, and the boy stepped across to stand between Duozhi and Dabei, saying angrily

“Do not be rude to the great master, little demon girl.”

Dabei was startled. Oh heavens, they no longer recognized me! “Duozhi, I am Dabei! Do you still remember King Duobao Ruyi? Do you still remember your rescue mission? What are you doing living here? This is the Illusory Buddha Realm. Living here, there is no way to get rid of the poison — you have to find the Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes.” Duozhi’s face began to change from peach pink to waxy yellow as the residual poison spread through his entire body.

“Where did you come in from?” Duozhi asked gravely.

Dabei said, “I came in through the Demon Palace.”

Haha, Duozhi laughed heartily. “How could a woman like you cross through the Demon Palace? Still, you demon girl seem fairly approachable — the demon poison in you probably isn’t much, and you wouldn’t lie. I won’t hold it against you, so you’d better be on your way. Otherwise, if the cave masters over there find out, they’ll beat you to death.”

Dabei grew anxious. “Duozhi, have you truly forgotten your mission? Then where did you enter the Illusory Buddha Realm from?”

“Demon woman, get away!” The boy shouted angrily at Dabei again.

“Duozhi, it was only because I brought the Mani Jewel, the Heavenly Eye Mirror, and the Life Detector that King Duobao Ruyi gave me that I was able to find you.” Duozhi had been about to walk away, but hearing this he turned back, looked at Dabei hesitantly, and asked excitedly with an “Aiya!”

“Laywoman — do you have the Mani Jewel?”

“Uh…” Dabei nodded.

Just then, more people began crowding around. Duozhi grabbed Dabei’s hand, said “Come with me,” and hurried toward one of the caves. The people who chased after them were blocked at the cave entrance by the boy.

“Laywoman, do not blame me for my earlier rudeness. Some time ago, the Demon King dispatched a horde of demonesses who threw the Buddha-realms into utter chaos and scattered demonic toxins everywhere. Originally, those mountain caves served as places to purge poison, but now certain demon cubs and minions have disguised themselves and infiltrated those caverns. Now that demonic poisons infect the caves, many people have contracted new toxins before being cleansed of their old ones; this is why I dared not reside in the caves and chose to live alone in a thatched hut instead. When you mentioned earlier that you crossed through the Demon Palace to enter here, I was deeply astonished. Could you share with me the story of how you navigated through the Demon Palace?”

Daibei then recounted the ordeal of Duoli and the journey through the Demon Palace. Hearing this, Duozhi sighed and remarked, “For the sake of purging everyone’s poison, Duoli ventured deep into the demonic phantom-realm in search of a cure. Her compassionate resolve and courage fill me with both awe and shame. That even the dark nature of the Demon King could harbor a single thought of goodness is truly mind-boggling.”

“Then where did you all enter the Illusory Buddha Realm from?” Dabei asked.

“Laymoman, there’s another entrance on the other side of the mountain, but it only lets people in, never out. Anyone who enters the Illusory Buddha Realm and fails to get rid of the poison has to cross the Illusory Demon Realm to leave, and in doing so many of them are poisoned by the demon poison and become the minions of demons. That’s why most of the people here have lived here for a long time — I can’t find a way to get rid of the poison, and I can hardly walk out either.”

“How did you end up looking like this?” Dabei asked. Duozhi touched his head and said with a smile,

“Many of us are like this—it serves as a distinctive mark, so that whenever others see us, they recognize us as individuals dedicated to seeking a cure for the poison. We do not marry and we maintain a vegetarian diet. Because of the sacred nature of our vocation, we receive deep reverence from many. Once you emerge from the mountain cave, if anyone should ask, never reveal that you entered through the Demon Palace. People here have never seen anyone cross from the Demon Palace into the Buddha-realm without becoming contaminated by demonic toxins; they will surely take you for a demoness, and your plight would be dire indeed. Strict vigilance currently governs the Buddha-realm, primarily to prevent demon minions from infiltrating. Thus, mighty Guardian Spirits guard every entrance. Unless you are acquainted with a Cave Master who can introduce you and bring you in, the people within the Buddha-realm will never accept you. My influence here is modest, but I am well acquainted with one of the Cave Masters. I can introduce you to him, and I believe he will grant you his protection.”

Hearing this, Dabei grew anxious and said, “Duozhi, I don’t need to stay in the Illusory Buddha Realm being protected by someone. I have to hurry and find all the rescue team members and lead you all out.”

“Yes, how could I have forgotten my mission again?” Duozhi patted the back of his head.

“Now it has all come back to me. All of us in the rescue team are afflicted with toxic addiction, and we can no longer find the way back home. Even if you were to lead us out right now, it would be nearly impossible for us to break free. When our rescue team first arrived, there were three thousand of us. Approximately fifteen hundred now reside within the Buddha-realm. Of the remainder, over a thousand are burdened with heavier toxins, still trapped in the illusion of the Five Poisons (Wǔdú Huànjìng), while about five hundred dwell within the demonic phantom-realm. By comparison, my own toxicity is the mildest—yet even so, the moment I step outside the Buddha-realm, the poison flares throughout my entire body in unbearable agony, leaving my head spinning and incapable of discerning directions, let alone the others.

Therefore, if you are to lead us out, the single most critical task is to purge the poison. And to purge the poison, we must find the Divine Being of Ten Thousand Hands and Ten Thousand Eyes (Wànshǒu Wànyǎn Shénrén). Within the Buddha-realm, I have been constantly searching for the path leading to the summit of the Mountain of Self-Nature (Zìxìng Shān), but I later discovered that there is no path leading up the mountain.” As Duozhi spoke to this point, he lowered his head in helpless resignation.

“Now it has all come back to me. All of us in the rescue team are afflicted with toxic addiction, and we can no longer find the way back home. Even if you were to lead us out right now, it would be nearly impossible for us to break free. When our rescue team first arrived, there were three thousand of us. Approximately fifteen hundred now reside within the Buddha-realm. Of the remainder, over a thousand are burdened with heavier toxins, still trapped in the illusion of the Five Poisons, while about five hundred dwell within the demonic phantom-realm. By comparison, my own toxicity is the mildest—yet even so, the moment I step outside the Buddha-realm, the poison flares throughout my entire body in unbearable agony, leaving my head spinning and incapable of discerning directions, let alone the others. Therefore, if you are to lead us out, the single most critical task is to purge the poison. And to purge the poison, we must find the Divine Being of Ten Thousand Hands and Ten Thousand Eyes. Within the Buddha-realm, I have been constantly searching for the path leading to the summit of the Mountain of Self-Nature, but I later discovered that there is no path leading up the mountain.” As Duozhi spoke to this point, he lowered his head in helpless resignation.

“Duozhi, have you forgotten that the Mani Jewel can shine the way out?” Dabei said, immediately setting the Mani Jewel spinning and silently reciting, “Mani Jewel, please help me find the way up the mountain.” At once the Mani Jewel emitted ten thousand rays of golden light, then suddenly drew the golden light back in again. After it did this several times, the Mani Jewel abruptly shot out a bolt of lightning pointing at the top of the cave, and following that beam of light, a door opened in the ceiling of the cave.

“Quick, look! The road to the mountaintop has appeared!” Dabei shouted.

“Where?” Duozhi looked at Dabei in bewilderment, his face full of confusion.

Duozhi actually couldn’t see the road illuminated by such a strong light. Watching Duozhi’s eyes, so filled with poisoned lust, Dabei felt deeply sad at heart.

“Duozhi, the Mani Jewel has grown together with my heart’s channels and I can’t take it out. But with my Heavenly Eye Mirror I can see the road it illuminates, so you just need to follow me. However, from the ground to the top of the cave there’s no path at all — the cave is so high that we need a tall ladder. Where can we find a ladder this tall?” Dabei said anxiously.

Hearing this, Duozhi smiled with ease.

“Dabei, in the Illusory Buddha Realm almost every cave master owns a ladder like this,” Duozhi said as he walked out of the cave. A moment later he came back carrying a finely crafted ladder. The ladder could be folded up and pulled open whenever needed, and once extended it was more than long enough to reach the top of the cave. Dabei was full of admiration for the ladder’s ingenious workmanship and easy portability. She and Duozhi climbed up the ladder toward the cave’s ceiling and entered the doorway revealed by the Mani Jewel’s light, where they found a long passage stretching into the distance, its depths flickering with bizarre, dazzling lights. Dabei and Duozhi walked forward cautiously, and as Dabei looked at these lights, she thought of the lights in the Illusory Demon Realm.

“It looks so similar!” She suddenly thought of the Demon King and Duoli. The instant the thought stirred, “Hahaha!” — the Demon King appeared in the air above their heads, laughing loudly, and, glaring fiercely at Dabei, said:

“Dabei, you’ve taken the wrong path. This is the Illusory Demon Realm — with your power alone, you can’t escape from the palm of my hand. Hand over the jewel!”

Duoli also appeared, her face deathly pale, and shouted at Dabei, “Run!” Then she spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.

“Consort Li died because of you — give back her life!” The fierce, menacing Demon King lunged at Dabei, and Dabei, terrified, could only keep backing away.

“Dabei, the light here is emitted by the five poisons together with the poisons of the Illusory Demon Realm and the Illusory Buddha Realm. The poisonous vapors here are even denser, so whatever you do, do not let your mind stir. The moment you think of anything in your heart, the light will conjure up whatever it is you imagine.”

At that moment the Demon King suddenly vanished, and there in the air appeared a Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes. At the sight of him, Dabei was overjoyed beyond measure.

“We’ve finally found you!” Dabei said excitedly.

“Dabei, this is all false — it’s an illusion, conjured up from your own thoughts,” Duozhi said.

“But I didn’t even think of him just now!” Dabei said anxiously.

“Even though you didn’t stir up a thought just now, the attachment in your heart to finding him can also magnify his image into being.”

Sure enough, as Dabei was caught off guard for a moment, the Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes vanished, and at that moment Duozhi suddenly moved closer to Dabei.

“Dabei, I have no strength left in my body — I’m afraid I can’t go on. Even though I don’t have a single stray thought, the poison and lust have grown heavy in me; all I want to do is sleep, and my head is dull and heavy.” Before he had even finished speaking, Duozhi had already fallen asleep leaning against Dabei. Dabei knew that what Duozhi said was true — she too felt a little drowsy and weak.

“I absolutely must not fall asleep,” Dabei thought, remembering the antidote pill her father, the King, had given her. The moment the thought stirred, her father appeared in the air, but Dabei knew it was an illusion and paid it no heed. She took out the antidote pill, broke off half, and put it into Duozhi’s mouth.

“Daibei, you must hurry back! You have already exceeded six days!” Upon hearing this, even though Daibei clearly recognized it to be an illusion, agitation surged within her heart. Taking advantage of the moment, the Five Poisons instantly erupted and spread throughout Daibei’s entire body. Daibei swiftly placed the remaining half of the antidote Pill into her mouth. After a brief moment, Duozhi regained his composure, and Daibei felt refreshed, clear-minded, and serene.

Dabei thought to herself, “That was a close call!”

For the rest of the journey, they both focused their minds and conserved their energy, not daring to let their attention wander in the slightest. They had no idea how long they had walked before Duozhi and Dabei finally saw another exit.