Acts 20, 21, Journey to the West told that the path of the three teachers and students Tang Tang, Wukong, and Bat Gioi (at this time Sa Sang had not joined the group to ask for sutras) was blocked by the demon Hoang Phong. Seeing that his subordinate was a pioneer tiger because he was beaten to death by Sun Wukong because he captured Tang Tang, Hoang Phong was angry and went out to fight. Unable to beat hundreds of monkeys transformed by Old Ton, he opened his mouth to blow a strong wind, causing the fake Wukong series to fly away, while the real Wukong closed his eyes and ran away.
Lao Ton was afraid to describe the wind when he met the Bat Gioi again: “I also know how to chant wind and martial arts, but I have never encountered such a poisonous wind, I can’t stand, so I have to run”.
The wind made Sun Wukong’s eyes sting, tears flowed endlessly, so he couldn’t open them, so he had to rush to find someone to heal. Without the help of Bodhisattva Linh Cat, the great disciple of Tang Sang was in danger of going blind. This Bodhisattva also subdued the demon Hoang Phong, it turned out to be a golden rat who practiced at the foot of Linh Son mountain of the Buddha, because drinking lapis lazuli oil in front of the Buddha’s table made the lights dim. .
It’s just a rat, why is the wind it blows out so scary, even making Sun Wukong’s golden eyes, which was stable when burned in the bagua furnace, only met a breath of wind? tolerable?
In Journey to the West, the old man that Ton Ngo Khong met on the road (actually the incarnation of Dharma Protector Gia Lam) revealed this type of wind: “Hoang Phong great king blows poisonous wind. Not east or west wind, south, north, not the spring, summer, autumn, winter winds. It’s the divine wind that flies out of the nostrils, mouth and eyes, so poisonous!”
According to the old man, that wind:
“He made the sky and earth dark
More nervous demons
Even if the mountain falls,
In order for people to leave themselves.”
In short, having been blown by that wind, no one could live except for the holy gods and buddhas.
Regarding the Buddhist message hidden behind this story, Venerable Thich Tinh Thien explained in an article on the Web Portal of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha that the type of wind that the demon Hoang Phong blows out is “eight wind”. – eight types of wind represent obstacles that prevent a practitioner’s progress on the journey to enlightenment and liberation.
The eight types of wind include: Benefit (benefit for oneself), failure (loss, damage, loss); destroy (to be insulted or despised), to appreciate (to exalt or praise one’s honor or status), to confess (to praise, to praise), to suffer (to be criticized, to have bad things revealed), to suffer meet unhappiness, cause suffering in body and mind), happiness (joy).
“It can be said that we are all entangled in more or less some of those 8 winds. If we make a profit of a large amount of money or win the lottery, for example, then the mind will have the same calm as usual. when we don’t, or are we confused and insecure because we calculate what we will do with the benefits we already have? Or if there is something that no one else can do that we can do, people praise and praise, are we proud or still That is to say the benefits, but the things that fail, lose or suffer humiliation and suffering are inevitable,” wrote Venerable Thich Tinh Thien.
Encountering the above eight types of wind, people without wisdom will have to suffer a lot, even a wise person like Sun Practitioner will be blown blind, because it does not know its origin. It is necessary to know where the winds that hinder that practice come from to be able to neutralize it, that’s why the need for Bodhisattva Linh Cat – symbolizes wisdom, that is, a clear mind even when facing adversity. .
In Journey to the West, Linh Cat Bodhisattva recites the mantra of concentration to help Wukong conquer the demon Hoang Phong, implying that it takes concentration and wisdom to realize what the obstacles are and where they come from. This demon originally came from the foot of Linh Son mountain of the Buddha, that is, the poisonous wind originates from the true mind, it appears because of the impurity of the mind.
Why is the demon blowing that terrifying wind depicted as a rat? Venerable Thich Tinh Thien explained, because the mouse is a sneaky animal that lives in the dark and is very afraid of light. “And Linh Son mountain is the place where Buddha resides, showing the true mind. Saying the goblin is at the foot of the mountain to imply that the eight winds are caused by the heart. When the mind is unconsciously confused or sneaky, it flees to the outside world and is exposed. The enchanting scene, leaving the origin of wandering everywhere, is symbolized by the image of a rat, so in the Dhammapada, it says: ‘The mind of ordinary people goes far, far away, invisible and invisible, like If you hide in a deep cave, if you can tame your mind, you will be freed from the shackles of bondage.”
Thus, the kind of poisonous wind that the demon Hoang Phong blows out is an obstacle that comes from the heart of Tang Tang’s teachers and students. They must concentrate and become wise to overcome it in order to shorten the arduous journey of asking for sutras that lie ahead.