A friend asked, in "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong is a tendon fighting for 108,000 miles, and his skills are strong, so why didn't the Buddha choose him as a sutra reader, but chose a Tang monk who could not do anything?
In "Journey to the West", the core character of the Western Heaven Sutra Collection Team is undoubtedly the "Scripture Collector" Tang Monk. In the words of the Eight Precepts: When the master dies, he will scatter his luggage and go back to his own home.
On this question, we must first understand what conditions the person who takes the sutra needs to have, or in other words, what are the requirements for the sutra taker on the Buddha's side.
In the eighth episode of "Journey to the West", "I Made the Sutra of Bliss, and Guanyin Was Entrusted to Chang'an", the Buddha said: How to get a person with magic power, go to the eastern land to find a good faith, teach him to go through a thousand mountains, inquire about the ten thousand waters, come to me to seek the true scriptures, forever pass on the eastern soil, and educate sentient beings, but it is a blessing of a mountain, a good celebration of the depths of the sea.
For example, the Buddha's meaning is very clear, he needs a believer in the Eastern Lands, who has gone through all kinds of hardships, to come to him to seek the True Scriptures, and then to bring them back to the Eastern Soil to spread and persuade sentient beings.
Sun Wukong does have the ability to fight for 18,000 miles a tendon, but he does not meet the conditions. Moreover, letting him learn the sutras does not conform to the rules of the Buddha.
Why do you say that you don't conform to the rules of the Buddha?
First of all, instead of letting Sun Wukong learn the scriptures, it would be better for Xitian to send someone directly to the Eastern Tang Dynasty, which would not be more convenient.
After all, Sun Wukong was a monster, and at that time, he was still pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, specially released him, and then sent him to learn the scriptures, which could not achieve the purpose of the Buddha, so it was better to send someone to send him over.
For example, the Buddha sent Guanyin Bodhisattva to The Great Tang dynasty to find the scripture taker, and then arranged a few apprentice bodyguards for the sutra taker, and went around in such a big circle, not only to send the sutra to the eastern soil, but more importantly, to the people of the eastern soil to believe.
The most crucial point here is to ask the sentient beings of the Eastern Lands to believe in His Scriptures.
Still in the eighth episode of journey to the West, the Buddha said: I am going to send it to the Eastern Soil, but I am stupid, slandering the mantra, not knowing the essence of my Dharma, and neglecting the true yoga.
Therefore, instead of sending the sutras directly to the Eastern Soils, the Buddha went around in a big circle and sent Guanyin Bodhisattva to the Eastern Tang Dynasty to make a series of things that made the Tang King Li Shimin believe in his scriptures, and then sent the Tang monks to the Western Heavens to get the scriptures.
This is the effective transmission of the Scriptures. For this reason, the Buddha also set two rules for passing on the sutras.
Which two rules are they?
In the ninety-eighth time of the Journey to the West, "The ape is familiar with the horse and the horse is tamed from the shell, and the achievement is full of truth", it is mentioned: The sutra cannot be passed on lightly, nor can it be taken emptyly.
The meaning is simple, it is literal. Scriptures cannot be easily passed on to others, nor can they be passed on to others in vain. Therefore, the tang monks who take the scriptures need to go through ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties, to experience the difficulties of taking the scriptures, and then they have to give money, and they can't take it in vain.
If the Buddha set this rule, the reason is also very simple, in today's words, what is easily obtained, what is taken for free, others often do not cherish, only pay the price, the hard to get the things, will be cherished.
This is the rule of the Buddha's transmission of the sutras, and it is also the method of effective transmission.
Letting Sun Wukong be the person who learns the scriptures obviously does not conform to the rules of Rulai, nor can it be effectively learned.
(Image from the Internet)
I am Huang Laoevil, welcome to pay attention, communicate together!