Black Myth Wukong Part 4

Xiaoxitian: The Dao of Heaven and Buddhist Dharma Are Nonsense

Chapter 3: Night Birth of White Dew

“Confusing hearts, reversing cause and effect”

Buddhism speaks of the “Horizontal Three Buddhas” and the “Vertical Three Buddhas.”

The “Horizontal Three Buddhas” refer to three Buddhas existing simultaneously in space: the Medicine Buddha of the Eastern Pure Lapis World, who governs the Eastern Lapis Light World; Shakyamuni Buddha of the Saha World, who governs the Central Saha World; and Amitabha Buddha of the Western Pure Land, who governs the Western Pure Land.

The “Vertical Three Buddhas” refer to three Buddhas across time: Dipankara, the Buddha of the Past; Shakyamuni, the Buddha of the Present (also known as the Tathagata); and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future.

The concepts of past, present, and future in this context differ slightly from our usual understanding. Although there is a lineage connecting the Vertical Three Buddhas, they actually coexist simultaneously in Buddhist teachings.

Buddhist prophecy foretells that one day, the Future Buddha Maitreya will replace the Present Buddha Tathagata.

The story of Chapter 3 in Black Myth: Wukong primarily revolves around the disciples of the Present Buddha, Jin Chanzi, and the Future Buddha, Maitreya’s disciple, Yellow Eyebrows.

At the Ullambana Assembly held once every 500 years at Lingshan in the Western Heaven, there was a public debate on the meaning of life between the newly-trained Yellow Eyebrows and Jin Chanzi.

Yellow Eyebrows argued that life is about indulgence, regardless of consequences, as human nature itself drives such actions. True happiness lies in following one’s nature—just as a flower, in its desire to reproduce, bursts forth its essence to enjoy that moment of bliss. Similarly, humans should eat when they want to eat, play when they want to play, and endlessly pursue desires. This perpetual desire is the root of the world’s prosperity and the true meaning of life.

Jin Chanzi, on the other hand, took a different stance: Endless desires lead to endless cycles of reincarnation. The more you satisfy desires, the more insatiable they become, which is the root of suffering. What sets humans apart from beasts is the ability to restrain desires. Following physiological impulses blindly is something beasts do, not humans.

In the end, Yellow Eyebrows won the debate.

Jin Chanzi was unfazed by the result, as his goal was to save all beings from suffering by spreading Buddhist philosophy far and wide.

However, Yellow Eyebrows held a grudge. Some people win, but even they don’t understand why. To prove his victory, Yellow Eyebrows repeatedly descended to the mortal realm to demonstrate that his views were right.

On one occasion, Yellow Eyebrows transformed into a giant turtle and floated to a poor fishing village. The kind villagers saved him, and he began his performance.

First, he casually revealed that his belly was filled with treasures, and then, using his saliva, he healed the villagers’ illnesses. The villagers, believing the giant turtle to be a deity, began to worship him.

The villagers offered sacrifices, and in return, the turtle demon would tear off parts of his body to give them treasures. Officials maintained order, and everything went smoothly.

One day, among the crowd of worshipers, a villager carrying a knife was present. The turtle demon, noticing him, deliberately flaunted his treasures even more. Using his powers, he pulled the villager closer.

The villager, overcome by greed, could no longer hold back and used his knife to cut open the turtle demon’s body, hoping to extract more treasures. At first, the officials tried to maintain order, but as more people joined in, chaos erupted.

In the end, the turtle demon’s body was emptied.

The next day, Yellow Eyebrows waited on Jin Chanzi’s path, declaring his victory. His expression seemed to say, “See? Didn’t I tell you that desire is fundamental to humans? I won again.”

Jin Chanzi didn’t bother to argue. “Fine, fine, you win. Whatever you say.”

This left Yellow Eyebrows feeling empty. Although he won, he felt unsatisfied because, deep down, he knew he had never truly won.

You didn’t say anything when the villagers saved you, nor when they worshipped you, nor when the officials maintained order. But once you manipulated them into a moral collapse, you stepped forward and claimed that humans are driven by desire. If people don’t fall into temptation, you just keep pushing them until they do. Isn’t that simply stacking the deck in your favor?

Jin Chanzi’s path wasn’t easy either. He descended to the mortal realm nine times but failed to save anyone because even most of the celestial Buddhas didn’t fully agree with him. Who could guarantee that these seemingly dignified Buddhas were without desire?

Jin Chanzi knew that seeking the truth was no easy task, so he accepted a new mission from the Buddhas of the Western Heaven: to reincarnate for the tenth time into the Eastern World and undertake the pilgrimage for scriptures. By completing this mission, Jin Chanzi hoped to use the philosophical wisdom of these scriptures to save the world from suffering.

The Buddhas entrusted this important task to Jin Chanzi, which deeply irritated Yellow Eyebrows. So, he stole three of his master Maitreya Buddha’s treasures: the Golden Cymbals, the Houtian Bag (also known as the Human Seed Bag), and the Short Soft Spiked Club. With these, he secretly descended again and established a false Leiyin Temple.

Yellow Eyebrows, driven by jealousy, was determined to compete with Jin Chanzi once again. After capturing Tang Sanzang, instead of eating his flesh like other demons, Yellow Eyebrows intended to replace him in retrieving the scriptures.

This time, Sun Wukong called upon many deities for help, including two generals under Zhenwu the Great Emperor, the young Prince Zhang and the Four Heavenly Kings under Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the 28 Constellations, yet none could defeat Yellow Eyebrows.

Sun Wukong was trapped in the Golden Cymbals until the Kàngjīnlóng (Golden-Horned Dragon), one of the 28 Constellations, used its horn to open a hole in the cymbals. Sun Wukong shrank down and slipped through the hole to escape.

Yellow Eyebrows, being the disciple of the Future Buddha Maitreya, left Wukong helpless until Maitreya himself intervened, saving the quest for the scriptures.

(Incidentally, this part of Journey to the West is full of sexual innuendos. While playing Black Myth: Wukong, I also discovered many hidden references by the developers, such as the Kàngjīnlóng and the Ten-Tailed Golden Fish.)