ENG
Renowned as the mighty king, his life was far from plain,
His spirit spanned the three realms, his fame touched four domains.
Among the guais, a hero grand, wild and untamed,
The sudden arrival of dharma left his homeland forever changed.
With shadow as his companion, true enlightenment within him lay.
In days of yore, the Bull King converted to Buddhism and, within a century, completed his practice and returned to the Flaming Mountains.
Overjoyed, Rakshasi and Pingping loudly celebrated his return and hosted a grand banquet in his honor.
During the banquet, the Keeper of the Flaming Mountains asked, "My king, why did you return so hastily?"
The Bull King replied, "An old friend, with whom I had some misunderstandings in the past, helped me achieve a great merit. The Bodhisattva then pleaded with the Buddha on my behalf, granting me the grace to return. From now on, I will stay in the mountain and go nowhere else."
From that day on, the Bull King's temperament changed drastically. His former wild and unrestrained nature was no longer seen. He declined all invitations, ceased his travels, and instead stayed in Flaming Mountains, helping Rakshasi with household affairs and training the bull soldiers, living a very peaceful life.
Several decades later, Red Boy received instructions from the Bodhisattva and returned to Flaming Mountains to serve his parents. The family of four enjoyed a period of peace.
However, Rakshasi gradually noticed something unusual about the Bull King. He became increasingly thin, his face showing signs of aging, and he ate less, as if weighed down by heavy worries. More strangely, the Bull King sometimes transformed into his original form, retreating to the mountain peaks, retching.
The furry celestial maidens serving Rakshasi said, "The King might be suffering from a rare bovine illness."
The fox maidens serving Pingping said, "The King, aware of his past sins, might have learned an ascetic practice in Mount Lingshan and is now undergoing it."
The Keeper of Flaming Mountains said, "The King's mind is trapped in the past intertwines with his old friend, unable to break free. Those past events have become an invisible shackles, and from which, he never escape."
This story is about the Bull King, a famous and powerful figure whose reputation reached many places. He was known as a wild, heroic guai, and when Buddhism (dharma) came to his homeland it changed things there. The text says he carried a shadow with him and that real enlightenment lived inside him, which sets up that he both changed inwardly and still had a darker side.
At some point the Bull King converted to Buddhism and spent up to a century practicing. When he finished, he returned to the Flaming Mountains. Rakshasi and Pingping welcomed him with a loud, joyful banquet. The Keeper of the Flaming Mountains asked why he came back so quickly, and the Bull King explained that an old friend had helped him earn great merit, and a Bodhisattva had pleaded with the Buddha to allow his return. After that grace, he vowed to remain in the mountain and go nowhere else.
After his return the Bull King’s outward behavior shifted completely. He stopped being wild and refused invitations and travels. He stayed in the Flaming Mountains, helped Rakshasi with household matters, trained the bull soldiers, and lived a calm, domestic life. His temperament had changed and he tried to settle into that peaceful role.
Decades later a character called Red Boy, following instructions from the Bodhisattva, returned to the Flaming Mountains to serve his parents. The household—described as a family of four—enjoyed a period of peace after his arrival.
That peace didn’t last without worry. Rakshasi noticed the Bull King growing thin, looking older, and eating less, as if weighed down by worry. Sometimes he reverted to his original form and climbed the mountain peaks to retch. The servants offered different explanations: the furry celestial maidens suggested a rare bovine illness, the fox maidens said he might be practicing a harsh ascetic discipline learned on Mount Lingshan, and the Keeper argued the real problem was psychological—that the Bull King’s mind was trapped by past events and an old friend, invisible shackles he could not escape. The story ends on that uneasy note: his outward peace is real but something from his past still seems to be harming him.