第八回
第八回 我佛造经传极乐 观音奉旨上长安
试问禅关，参求无数，往往到头虚老。磨砖作镜，积雪为粮，迷了几多年少？毛吞大海，芥纳须弥[1]，金色头陀微笑。悟时超十地[2]三乘，凝滞了四生[3]六道[4]。 谁听得绝想崖前，无阴树下，杜宇一声春晓？曹溪[5]路险，鹫岭[6]云深，此处故人音杳。千丈冰崖，五叶莲开，古殿帘垂香袅。那时节，识破源流，便见龙王三宝[7]。
这一篇词，名《苏武慢》。话表我佛如来，辞别了玉帝，回至雷音宝刹，但见那三千诸佛、五百阿罗、八大金刚、无边菩萨，一个个都执着幢幡宝盖，异宝仙花，摆列在灵山仙境，娑罗双林之下接迎。如来驾住祥云，对众道：“我以
甚深般若，遍观三界。根本性原，毕竟寂灭。同虚空相，一无所有。殄伏乖猴，是事莫识，名生死始，法相如是。”
说罢，放舍利之光，满空有白虹四十二道，南北通连。大众见了，皈身礼拜。少顷间，聚庆云彩雾，登上品莲台，端然坐下。那三千诸佛、五百罗汉、八金刚、四菩萨，合掌近前礼毕，问曰：“闹天宫搅乱蟠桃者，何也？”如来道：“那厮乃花果山产的一妖猴，罪恶滔天，不可名状。概天[8]神将，俱莫能降伏；虽二郎捉获，老君用火煅炼，亦莫能伤损。我去时，正在雷将中间，扬威耀武，卖弄精神；被我止住兵戈，问他来历。他言有神通，会变化，又驾筋斗云，一去十万八千里。我与他打了个赌赛，他出不得我手，却将他一把抓住，指化五行山，封压他在那里。玉帝大开金阙瑶宫，请我坐了首席，立‘安天大会’谢我，却方辞驾而回。”大众听言喜悦，极口称扬。谢罢，各分班而退，各执乃事，共乐天真。果然是：
瑞霭漫天竺，虹光拥世尊。西方称第一，无相法王门。常见玄猿献果，麋鹿衔花；青鸾舞，彩凤鸣；灵龟捧寿，仙鹤噙芝。安享净土祇园[9]，受用龙宫沙界。日日花开，时时果熟。习静归真，参禅果正。不灭不生，不增不减。烟霞缥缈随来往，寒暑无侵不记年。
诗曰：
去来自在任优游，也无恐怖也无愁。
极乐场中俱坦荡，大千之处没春秋。
佛祖居于灵山大雷音宝刹之间，一日，唤聚诸佛、阿罗、揭谛、菩萨、金刚、比丘僧尼等众，曰：“自伏乖猿安天之后，我处不知年月，料凡间有半千年矣。今值孟秋望日[10]，我有一宝盆，盆中具设百样奇花、千般异果等物，与汝等享此‘盂兰盆会’，如何？”概众一个个合掌，礼佛三匝领会。如来却将宝盆中花果品物，着阿傩捧定，着迦叶布散。大众感激，各献诗伸谢。
福诗曰：
福星光耀世尊前，福纳弥深远更绵。
福德无疆同地久，福缘有庆与天连。
福田广种年年盛，福海洪深岁岁坚。
福满乾坤多福荫，福增无量永周全。
禄诗曰：
禄重如山彩凤鸣，禄随时泰祝长庚。
禄添万斛身康健，禄享千钟世太平。
禄俸齐天还永固，禄名似海更澄清。
禄恩远继多瞻仰，禄爵无边万国荣。
寿诗曰：
寿星献彩对如来，寿域光华自此开。
寿果满盘生瑞霭，寿花新采插莲台。
寿诗清雅多奇妙，寿曲调音按美才。
寿命延长同日月，寿如山海更悠哉。
众菩萨献毕。因请如来明示根本，指解源流。那如来微开善口，敷演大法，宣扬正果，讲的是三乘妙典，五蕴《楞严》[11]。但见那天龙围绕，花雨缤纷。正是：禅心朗照千江月，真性清涵万里天。
如来讲罢，对众言曰：“我观四大部洲，众生善恶，各方不一：东胜神洲者，敬天礼地，心爽气平；北俱芦洲者，虽好杀生，只因糊口，性拙情疏，无多作践；我西牛贺洲者，不贪不杀，养气潜灵，虽无上真，人人固寿；但那南赡部洲者，贪淫乐祸，多杀多争，正所谓口舌凶场，是非恶海。我今有三藏真经，可以劝人为善。”诸菩萨闻言，合掌皈依，向佛前问曰：“如来有那三藏真经？”如来曰：“我有《法》一藏，谈天；《论》一藏，说地；《经》一藏，度鬼。三藏共计三十五部，该一万五千一百四十四卷，乃是修真之经，正善之门。我待要送上东土，叵耐那方众生愚蠢，毁谤真言，不识我法门之旨要，怠慢了瑜迦之正宗[12]。怎么得一个有法力的，去东土寻一个善信，教他苦历千山，询经万水，到我处求取真经，永传东土，劝化众生，却乃是个山大的福缘，海深的善庆。谁肯去走一遭来？”当有观音菩萨，行近莲台，礼佛三匝道：“弟子不才，愿上东土寻一个取经人来也。”诸众抬头观看，那菩萨：
理圆四德[13]，智满金身。缨络垂珠翠，香环结宝明。乌云巧叠盘龙髻，绣带轻飘彩凤翎。碧玉纽，素罗袍，祥光笼罩；锦绒裙，金落索，瑞气遮迎。眉如小月，眼似双星。玉面天生喜，朱唇一点红。净瓶甘露年年盛，斜插垂杨岁岁青。解八难[14]，度群生，大慈悯：故镇太山，居南海，救苦寻声，万称万应，千圣千灵。兰心欣紫竹，蕙性爱香藤。他是落伽山上慈悲主，潮音洞里活观音。
如来见了，心中大喜道：“别个是也去不得，须是观音尊者，神通广大，方可去得。”菩萨道：“弟子此去东土，有甚言语分付？”如来道：“这一去，要踏看路道，不许在霄汉中行，须是要半云半雾；目过山水，谨记程途远近之数，叮咛那取经人。但恐善信难行，我与你五件宝贝。”即命阿傩、迦叶，取出锦襕袈裟一领，九环锡杖一根，对菩萨言曰：“这袈裟、锡杖，可与那取经人亲用。若肯坚心来此，穿我的袈裟，免堕轮回；持我的锡杖，不遭毒害。”这菩萨皈依拜领。如来又取出三个箍儿，递与菩萨道：“此宝唤做‘紧箍儿’；虽是一样三个，但只用各不同。我有‘金紧禁’的咒语三篇。假若路上撞见神通广大的妖魔，你须是劝他学好，跟那取经人做个徒弟。他若不伏使唤，可将此箍儿与他戴在头上，自然见肉生根。各依所用的咒语念一念，眼胀头疼，脑门皆裂，管教他入我门来。”
那菩萨闻言，踊跃作礼而退，即唤惠岸行者随行。那惠岸使一条浑铁棍，重有千斤，只在菩萨左右，作一个降魔的大力士。菩萨遂将锦襕袈裟，作一个包裹，令他背了。菩萨将金箍藏了，执了锡杖，径下灵山。这一去，有分教：佛子还来归本愿，金蝉长老裹栴檀。
那菩萨到山脚下，有玉真观金顶大仙在观门首接住，请菩萨献茶。菩萨不敢久停，曰：“今领如来法旨，上东土寻取经人去。”大仙道：“取经人几时方到？”菩萨道：“未定，约摸二三年间，或可至此。”遂辞了大仙，半云半雾，约记程途。有诗为证。诗曰：
万里相寻自不言，却云谁得意难全？
求人忽若浑如此，是我平生岂偶然？
传道有方成妄语，说明无信也虚传。
愿倾肝胆寻相识，料想前头必有缘。
师徒二人正走间，忽然见弱水[15]三千，乃是流沙河界。菩萨道：“徒弟呀，此处却是难行。取经人浊骨凡胎，如何得渡？”惠岸道：“师父，你看河有多远？”那菩萨停立云步看时，只见：
东连沙碛，西抵诸番；南达乌戈，北通鞑靼。径过有八百里遥，上下有千万里远。水流一似地翻身，浪滚却如山耸背。洋洋浩浩，漠漠茫茫，十里遥闻万丈洪。仙槎难到此，莲叶莫能浮。衰草斜阳流曲浦，黄云影日暗长堤。那里得客商来往？何曾有渔叟依栖？平沙无雁落，远岸有猿啼。只是红蓼花蘩知景色，白香细任依依。
菩萨正然点看，只见那河中泼剌一声响亮，水波里跳出一个妖魔来，十分丑恶。他生得：
青不青，黑不黑，晦气色脸；长不长，短不短，赤脚筋躯。眼光闪烁，好似灶底双灯；口角丫叉，就如屠家火钵[16]。獠牙撑剑刃，红发乱蓬松。一声叱咤如雷吼，两脚奔波似滚风。
那怪物手执一根宝杖，走上岸就捉菩萨，却被惠岸掣浑铁棒挡住，喝声：“休走！”那怪物就持宝杖来迎。两个在流沙河边，这一场恶杀，真个惊人：
木叉浑铁棒，护法显神通；怪物降妖杖，努力逞英雄。双条银蟒河边舞，一对神僧岸上冲。那一个威镇流沙施本事，这一个力保观音建大功。那一个翻波跃浪，这一个吐雾喷风。翻波跃浪乾坤暗，吐雾喷风日月昏。那个降妖杖，好便似出山的白虎；这个浑铁棒，却就如卧道的黄龙。那个使将来，寻蛇拨草；这个丢开去，扑鹞分松。只杀得昏漠漠，星辰灿烂；雾腾腾，天地朦胧。那个久住弱水惟他狠，这个初出灵山第一功。
他两个来来往往，战上数十合，不分胜负。那怪物架住了铁棒道：“你是那里和尚，敢来与我抵敌？”木叉道：“我是托塔天王二太子木叉惠岸行者，今保我师父往东土寻取经人去。你是何怪，敢大胆阻路？”那怪方才醒悟道：“我记得你跟南海观音在紫竹林中修行，你为何来此？”木叉道：“那岸上不是我师父？”
怪物闻言，连声喏喏；收了宝杖，让木叉揪了去，见观音纳头下拜，告道：“菩萨，恕我之罪，待我诉告。我不是妖邪，我是灵霄殿下侍銮舆的卷帘大将。只因在蟠桃会上，失手打碎了玻璃盏，玉帝把我打了八百，贬下界来，变得这般模样。又叫七日一次，将飞剑来穿我胸胁百馀下方回，故此这般苦恼。没奈何，饥寒难忍，三二日间，出波涛寻一个行人食用；不期今日无知，冲撞了大慈菩萨。”菩萨道：“你在天有罪，既贬下来，今又这等伤生，正所谓罪上加罪。我今领了佛旨，上东土寻取经人。你何不入我门来，皈依善果，跟那取经人做个徒弟，上西天拜佛求经？我叫飞剑不来穿你。那时节功成免罪，复你本职，心下如何？”那怪道：“我愿皈正果。”又向前道：“菩萨，我在此间吃人无数，向来有几次取经人来，都被我吃了。凡吃的人头，抛落流沙，竟沉水底。这个水，鹅毛也不能浮。惟有九个取经人的骷髅，浮在水面，再不能沉。我以为异物，将索儿穿在一处，闲时拿来顽耍。这去，但恐取经人不得到此，却不是反误了我的前程也？”菩萨曰：“岂有不到之理？你可将骷髅儿挂在头项下，等候取经人，自有用处。”怪物道：“既然如此，愿领教诲。”菩萨方与他摩顶受戒，指沙为姓，就姓了沙；起个法名，叫做个沙悟净。当时入了沙门，送菩萨过了河，他洗心涤虑，再不伤生，专等菩萨。
菩萨与他别了，同木叉径奔东土。行了多时，又见一座高山，山上有恶气遮漫，不能步上。正欲驾云过山，不觉狂风起处，又闪上一个妖魔。他生得又甚凶险。但见他：
卷脏莲蓬吊搭嘴，耳如蒲扇显金睛。
獠牙锋利如钢锉，长嘴张开似火盆。
金盔紧系腮边带，勒甲丝绦蟒退鳞。
手执钉钯龙探爪，腰挎弯弓月半轮。
纠纠威风欺太岁，昂昂志气压天神。
他撞上来，不分好歹，望菩萨举钯就筑。被木叉行者挡住，大喝一声道：“那泼怪，休得无礼！看棒！”妖魔道：“这和尚不知死活！看钯！”两个在山底下，一冲一撞，赌斗输赢。真个好杀：
妖魔凶猛，惠岸威能。铁棒分心捣，钉钯劈面迎。播土扬尘天地暗，飞砂走石鬼神惊。九齿钯，光耀耀，双环响亮；一条棒，黑悠悠，两手飞腾。这个是天王太子，那个是元帅精灵。一个在普陀为护法，一个在山洞作妖精。这场相遇争高下，不知那个亏输那个赢。
他两个正杀到好处，观世音在半空中抛下莲花，隔开钯杖。怪物见了心惊，便问：“你是那里和尚，敢弄甚么眼前花儿哄我？”木叉道：“我把你个肉眼凡胎的泼物！我是南海菩萨的徒弟。这是我师父抛来的莲花，你也不认得哩！”那怪道：“南海菩萨，可是扫三灾[17]救八难的观世音么？”木叉道：“不是他是谁？”怪物撇了钉钯，纳头下礼道：“老兄，菩萨在那里？累烦你引见一引见。”木叉仰面指道：“那不是？”怪物朝上磕头，厉声高叫道：“菩萨，恕罪！恕罪！”观音按下云头，前来问道：“你是那里成精的野豕，何方作怪的老彘，敢在此间挡我？”那怪道：“我不是野豕，亦不是老彘，我本是天河里天蓬元帅。只因带酒戏弄嫦娥，玉帝把我打了二千锤，贬下尘凡。一灵真性，径来夺舍投胎，不期错了道路，投在个母猪胎里，变得这般模样。是我咬杀猪母，可[18]死群彘，在此处占了山场，吃人度日。不期撞着菩萨，万望拔救拔救。”菩萨道：“此山叫做甚么山？”怪物道：“叫做福陵山。山中有一洞，叫做云栈洞。洞里原有个卯二姐。他见我有些武艺，招我做了家长，又唤做‘倒蹅门’[19]。不上一年，他死了，将一洞的家当，尽归我受用。在此日久年深，没有赡身的勾当[20]，只是依本等吃人度日。万望菩萨恕罪。”菩萨道：“古人云：‘若要有前程，莫做没前程。’你既上界违法，今又不改凶心，伤生造孽，却不是二罪俱罚？”那怪道：“前程！前程！若依你，教我嗑风！常言道：‘依着官法打杀，依着佛法饿杀。’去也！去也！还不如捉个行人，肥腻腻的吃他家娘！管甚么二罪三罪，千罪万罪！”菩萨道：“‘人有善愿，天必从之。’汝若肯归依正果，自有养身之处。世有五谷，可以济饥，为何吃人度日？”怪物闻言，似梦方觉，向菩萨施礼道：“我欲从正，奈何‘获罪于天，无所祷也’！”菩萨道：“我领了佛旨，上东土寻取经人。你可跟他做个徒弟，往西天走一遭来，将功折罪，管教你脱离灾瘴。”那怪满口道：“愿随！愿随！”菩萨才与他摩顶受戒，指身为姓，就姓了猪；替他起个法名，就叫做猪悟能。遂此领命归真，持斋把素，断绝了五荤[21]三厌[22]，专候那取经人。
菩萨却与木叉辞了悟能，半兴云雾前来。正走处，只见空中有一条玉龙叫唤。菩萨近前问曰：“你是何龙，在此受罪？”那龙道：“我是西海龙王敖闰之子。因纵火烧了殿上明珠，我父王表奏天庭，告了忤逆。玉帝把我吊在空中，打了三百，不日遭诛。望菩萨搭救搭救。”
观音闻言，即与木叉撞上南天门里。早有丘、张二天师接着，问道：“何往？”菩萨道：“贫僧要见玉帝一面。”二天师即忙上奏。玉帝遂下殿迎接。菩萨上前礼毕，道：“贫僧领佛旨上东土寻取经人，路遇孽龙悬吊，特来启奏，饶他性命，赐与贫僧，教他与取经人做个脚力。”玉帝闻言，即传旨赦宥[23]，差天将解放，送与菩萨。菩萨谢恩而出。这小龙叩头谢活命之恩，听从菩萨使唤。菩萨把他送在深涧之中，只等取经人来，变做白马，上西方立功。小龙领命潜身不题。
菩萨带引木叉行者过了此山，又奔东土。行不多时，忽见金光万道，瑞气千条。木叉道：“师父，那放光之处，乃是五行山了，见有如来的压帖在那里。”菩萨道：“此却是那搅乱蟠桃会大闹天宫的齐天大圣，今乃压在此也。”木叉道：“正是，正是。”师徒俱上山来，观看帖子，乃是“唵、嘛、呢、叭、、吽”六字真言。菩萨看罢，叹惜不已，作诗一首。诗曰：
堪叹妖猴不奉公，当年狂妄逞英雄。
欺心搅乱蟠桃会，大胆私行兜率宫。
十万军中无敌手，九重天上有威风。
自遭我佛如来困，何日舒伸再显功！
师徒们正说话处，早惊动了那大圣。大圣在山根下，高叫道：“是那个在山上吟诗，揭我的短哩？”菩萨闻言，径下山来寻看。只见那石崖之下，有土地、山神、监押大圣的天将，都来拜接了菩萨，引至那大圣面前。看时，他原来压于石匣之中，口能言，身不能动。菩萨道：“姓孙的，你认得我么？”大圣睁开火眼金睛，点着头儿高叫道：“我怎么不认得你？你好的是那南海普陀落伽山救苦救难大慈大悲南无观世音菩萨。承看顾！承看顾！我在此度日如年，更无一个相知的来看我一看。你从那里来也？”菩萨道：“我奉佛旨，上东土寻取经人去，从此经过，特留残步看你。”大圣道，“如来哄了我，把我压在此山，五百馀年了，不能展挣。万望菩萨方便一二，救我老孙一救！”菩萨道：“你这厮罪业弥深，救你出来，恐你又生祸害，反为不美。”大圣道：“我已知悔了。但愿大慈悲指条门路，情愿修行。”这才是：
人心生一念，天地尽皆知。
善恶若无报，乾坤必有私。
那菩萨闻得此言，满心欢喜，对大圣道：“圣经云：‘出其言善，则千里之外应之；出其言不善，则千里之外违之。’你既有此心，待我到了东土大唐国寻一个取经的人来，教他救你。你可跟他做个徒弟，秉教迦持，入我佛门，再修正果，如何？”大圣声声道：“愿去！愿去！”菩萨道：“既有善果，我与你起个法名。”大圣道：“我已有名了，叫做孙悟空。”菩萨又喜道：“我前面也有二人归降，正是‘悟’字排行。你今也是‘悟’字，却与他相合，甚好，甚好！这等也不消叮嘱，我去也。”那大圣见性明心归佛教，这菩萨留情在意访神僧。
他与木叉离了此处，一直东来，不一日就到了长安大唐国。敛雾收云，师徒们变作两个疥癞游僧，入长安城里，早不觉天晚。行至大市街旁，见一座土地神祠，二人径入。唬得那土地心慌，鬼兵胆战，知是菩萨，叩头接入。那土地又急跑报与城隍、社令，及满长安各庙神祇，都知是菩萨，参见告道：“菩萨，恕众神接迟之罪。”菩萨道：“汝等切不可走漏一毫消息。我奉佛旨，特来此处寻访取经人。借你庙宇，权住几日，待访着真僧即回。”众神各归本处，把个土地赶在城隍庙里暂住，他师徒们隐遁真形。毕竟不知寻出那个取经人来，且听下回分解。
[1] 芥纳须弥：芥，芥菜籽。颗粒很小。须弥，佛教传说高达三百三十六万里的大山。此喻小事物中蕴含着大道理。
[2] 十地：佛教术语，指菩萨修行所经历的十种境界，叫做：欢喜地、离垢地、发光地、焰慧地、极难胜地、现前地、远行地、不动地、善慧地、法震地。
[3] 四生：佛教的说法，指胎生、卵生、湿生和化生。
[4] 六道：佛教以地狱、饿鬼、畜生、阿修罗、人间、天上为六道。认为行善入天道，作恶下地狱，报应循环，始终轮回、升沉在这六道之中。
[5] 曹溪：水名，源出广东省曲江县。溪的上流有宝林寺，是佛教禅宗六祖慧能宣传佛法的地方。
[6] 鹫（jiù）岭：也称灵山。地在中印度。相传如来佛在这里讲过《法华经》。
[7] 龙王三宝：当为“龙王三宝阶”的简称。相传龙王在海边化作金、银、琉璃三宝阶，引导佛在中阶、诸菩萨在右阶、诸声闻弟子在左阶进入龙宫。
[8] 概天：即诸天。概，大凡、所有。后文概众，即大众。第十二回又作盖众，与此义同。
[9] 祇园：祇树给孤独园的简称。传说佛在此讲过经。
[10] 孟秋望日：七月十五日。孟，四季中每季的第一个月。望日，每月十五月圆之日。
[11] 五蕴《楞严》：佛教术语，就是色（形色）、受（嗜欲）、想（意念）、行（业缘）、识（心灵）等五种蕴聚，认为一切众生都要为这五蕴所支配。《楞严》，佛经名。
[12] 瑜迦之正宗：瑜迦宗，佛教中密教的总名。这里泛指佛门、佛法而言。
[13] 四德：佛教术语。指常（没有变革生灭）、乐（寂灭永安、自在随心）、我（体真实而用实在）、净（解脱一切垢染）。
[14] 八难：佛教《椤严经》以苦恼难、大火难、大水难、罗刹难、刀兵难、诸鬼难、枷锁难、劫贼难为八难，称观音菩萨可使众生“八难无畏”。
[15] 弱水：险恶难渡的河海。
[16] 火钵：同“血钵”。屠户盛血的盆子。
[17] 三灾：佛教以刀兵、疾疫、饥馑为三灾。
[18] 可：方言。这里用作“嗑”字。咬、噬。
[19] 倒蹅门：即倒插门。指男人在女家就亲。亦称入赘。
[20] 赡身的勾当：养身的营生。
[21] 五荤：佛教称大蒜、小蒜、洋葱、葱、薤是五荤，列入戒条，不准食用。
[22] 三厌：道教认为天上的雁，有夫妇的伦常；地上的狗，有保卫家的好处；水中的乌鱼，有忠敬之心。把不吃这三种东西列为教条，叫三厌。厌，不忍食的意思。
[23] 赦宥（yòu）：宽恕，赦免。宥，饶恕。
CHAPTER 8. Our Buddha makes scriptures to impart ultimate bliss; Guanyin receives the decree to go up to Chang’an.1
Ask at meditation-pass
Why even countless queries
Would lead just to empty old age!
Shine bricks to make mirrors?
Hoard snow for foodstuff?2
How many youths are thus deceived;
A feather swallows the great ocean?
A mustard seed holds the Sumeru?3
Golden Dhūta is gently smiling.4
The enlightened transcends the ten stops5 and three wains6
Sluggards must join the four beasts and six ways.7
Who can hear below the Thoughtless Cliff,
Beneath the Shadowless Tree,
The cuckoo’s one call for the dawn of spring?
Roads at Caoxi, perilous;8
Clouds on Vulture’s Peak, dense;9
Here an old friend’s voice turns mute.
At a ten thousand-foot waterfall
Where a five-petal lotus unfolds,
Incense wraps an old temple’s drapes.
In that hour,
Once you break through to the source,
The Dragon King’s three jewels you’ll see.10
The tune of this lyric is named “Su Wu at Slow Pace.”11
We shall now tell you about our Sovereign Buddha Tathāgata, who took leave of the Jade Emperor and returned to the Treasure Monastery of Thunderclap. All the three thousand buddhas, the five hundred arhats, the eight diamond kings, and the countless bodhisattvas held temple pennants, embroidered canopies, rare treasures, and immortal flowers, forming an orderly array before the Spirit Mountain and beneath the two Śāla Trees to welcome him. Tathāgata stopped his hallowed cloud and said to them:
I have
With deepest prajñā12
Looked through the three realms.13
All fundamental nature
Will end in extinction
Like empty phenomena
Existing as nothing.
The wily ape’s extirpation,
This, none can comprehend.
Name, birth, death, and origin
Of all forms appear thus.
When he had finished speaking, he beamed forth the śārī light,14 which filled the air with forty-two white rainbows, connected end to end from north to south. Seeing this, the crowd bowed down and worshipped.
In a little while, Tathāgata gathered together the holy clouds and blessed fog, ascended the lotus platform of the highest rank, and sat down solemnly. Those three thousand buddhas, five hundred arhats, eight diamond kings, and four bodhisattvas folded their hands and drew near. After bowing down, they asked, “The one who caused disturbance in Heaven and ruined the Peach Festival, who was he?” “That fellow,” said Tathāgata, “was a baneful monkey born in the Flower-Fruit Mountain. His wickedness was beyond all bounds and defied description. The divine warriors of the entire Heaven could not bring him to submission. Though Erlang caught him and Laozi tried to refine him with fire, they could not hurt him at all. When I arrived, he was just making an exhibition of his might and prowess in the midst of the thunder deities. When I stopped the fighting and asked about his antecedents, he said that he had magic powers, knowing how to transform himself and how to cloud somersault, which would carry him one hundred and eight thousand miles at a time. I made a wager with him to see whether he could leap clear of my hand. I then grabbed hold of him while my fingers changed into the Mountain of Five Phases, which had him firmly pinned down. The Jade Emperor opened wide the golden doors of the Jade Palace, invited me to sit at the head table, and gave a Banquet for Peace in Heaven to thank me. It was only a short while ago that I took leave of the throne to come back here.” All were delighted by these words. After they had expressed their highest praise for the Buddha, they withdrew according to their ranks; they went back to their several duties and enjoyed the bhūtatathatā.15 Truly it is the scene of
Holy mist encompassing Tianzhu,16
Rainbow light enclosing the Honored One,
Who is called the First in the West,
The King of the Formlessness School.17
Often black apes are seen presenting fruits.
Tailed-deer holding flowers in their mouths,
Blue phoenixes dancing,
Colorful birds singing,
The spirit tortoise boasting of his age,
And the divine crane picking agaric.
They enjoy in peace the Pure Land’s Jetavana,18
The Dragon Palace, and worlds vast as Ganges’ sands.
Every day the flowers bloom;
Every hour the fruits ripen.
They work silence to reach perfection.
They meditate to bear the right fruit.
They do not die nor are they born.
No growth is there, nor any decrease.
Mist and smoke wraithlike may come and go.
No seasons intrude, nor are years recalled.
The poem says:
To go or come is casual and free;
Of fear or sorrow there’s not one degree.
Fields of Ultimate Bliss are flat and wide.
In this great world no four seasons abide.
As the Buddhist Patriarch lived in the Treasure Monastery of the Thunderclap in the Spirit Mountain, he called together one day the various buddhas, arhats, guardians, bodhisattvas, diamond kings, and mendicant monks and nuns and said to them, “We do not know how much time has passed here since I subdued the wily monkey and pacified Heaven, but I suppose at least half a millennium has gone by in the worldly realm. As this is the fifteenth day of the first month of autumn, I have prepared a treasure bowl filled with a hundred varieties of exotic flowers and a thousand kinds of rare fruit. I would like to share them with all of you in celebration of the Feast of the Ullambana Bowl.19 How about it?” Every one of them folded his hands and paid obeisance to the Buddha three times to receive the festival. Tathāgata then ordered Ānanda to take the flowers and fruits from the treasure bowl, and Kāśyapa was asked to distribute them. All were thankful, and they presented poems to express their gratitude.
The poem of blessing says:
The star of blessing shines before Lokajyeṣṭha,20
Who enjoys blessing lasting and immense.
His blessing’s boundless virtue endures as Earth.
His blessing’s source is gladly linked to Heaven.
His blessing’s fields, far planted, prosper each year.
His blessing’s sea, huge and deep, is ever strong.
His blessing fills the world and all will be blessed.
May his blessing increase, endless and complete.
The poem of wealth says:
His wealth weighs a mountain where the phoenix sings.
His wealth trails the seasons to wish him long life.
He gains wealth in huge sums as his body health.
He joys in wealth abundant as the world in peace.
His wealth’s reach equals Heaven is ever safe.
His wealth’s name is sealike but even more pure.
His wealth’s grace far-reaching is sought by all.
His wealth is boundless, enriching countless lands.
The poem of long life says:
The Star of Long Life gives gifts to Tathāgata,
From whom light of long life begins now to shine.
The long life fruits fill the bowls with hues divine.
The long life blooms, newly plucked, deck the lotus throne.
The long life verse, how elegant and finely wrought.
The long life songs are scored by gifted minds.
The long life’s length matches the sun and moon’s.
Long life, like sea and mountain, is twice as long!
After the bodhisattvas had presented their poems, they invited Tathāgata to disclose the origin and elucidate the source. Tathāgata gently opened his benevolent mouth to expound the great dharma and to proclaim the truth. He lectured on the wondrous doctrines of the three vehicles, the five skandhas,21 and the Śūrangamā Sūtra. As he did so, celestial dragons were seen circling above and flowers descended like rain in abundance. It was truly thus:
The Chan mind shines bright like a thousand rivers’ moon;
True nature’s pure and great as an unclouded sky.
When Tathāgata had finished his lecture, he said to the congregation, “I have “watched the Four Great Continents, and the morality of their inhabitants varies from place to place. Those living on the East Pūrvavideha revere Heaven and Earth, and they are straightforward and peaceful. Those on the North Uttarakuru, though they love to destroy life, do so out of the necessity of making a livelihood. Moreover, they are rather dull of mind and lethargic in spirit, and they are not likely to do much harm. Those of our West Aparagodānīya are neither covetous nor prone to kill; they control their humor and temper their spirit. There is, to be sure, no illuminate of the first order, but everyone is certain to attain longevity. Those who reside in the South Jambūdvīpa, however, are prone to practice lechery and delight in evildoing, indulging in much slaughter and strife. Indeed, they are all caught in the treacherous field of tongue and mouth, in the wicked sea of slander and malice. However, I have three baskets of true scriptures which can persuade man to do good.” Upon hearing these words, the various bodhisattvas folded their hands and bowed down. “What are the three baskets of authentic scriptures,” they asked, “that Tathāgata possesses?”
Tathāgata said, “I have one collection of vinaya, which speaks of Heaven; one collection of śāstras, which tells of the Earth; and one collection of sūtras, which redeems the damned. Altogether the three collections of scriptures contain thirty-five divisions written in fifteen thousand one hundred forty-four scrolls. They are the scriptures for the cultivation of immortality; they are the gate to ultimate virtue. I myself would like to send these to the Land of the East; but the creatures in that region are so stupid and so scornful of the truth that they ignore the weighty elements of our Law and mock the true sect of Yoga. Somehow we need a person with power to go to the Land of the East and find a virtuous believer. He will be asked to experience the bitter travail of passing through a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters to come here in quest of the authentic scriptures, so that they may be forever implanted in the east to enlighten the people. This will provide a source of blessings great as a mountain and deep as the sea. Which one of you is willing to make such a trip?”
At that moment, the Bodhisattva Guanyin came near the lotus platform and paid obeisance three times to the Buddha, saying, “Though your disciple is untalented, she is willing to go to the Land of the East to find a scripture pilgrim.” Lifting their heads to look, the various buddhas saw that the Bodhisattva had
A mind perfected in the four virtues,22
A golden body filled with wisdom,
Fringes of dangling pearls and jade,
Scented bracelets set with lustrous treasures,
Dark hair piled smartly in a coiled-dragon bun,
And brocade sashes fluttering as phoenix quills.
Her green jade buttons
And white silk robe
Bathed in holy light;
Her velvet skirt
And golden cords
Wrapped by hallowed air.
With brows of new moon shape
And eyes like two bright stars,
Her jadelike face beams natural joy,
And her ruddy lips seem a flash of red.
Her immaculate vase overflows with nectar from year to year,
Holding sprigs of weeping willow green from age to age.
She disperses the eight woes;
She redeems the multitude;
She has great compassion;
Thus she rules the Tai Mountain
And lives at the South Sea.
She saves the poor, searching for their voices,
Ever heedful and solicitous,
Ever wise and efficacious.
Her orchid heart delights in green bamboos;
Her chaste nature loves the wisteria.
She is the merciful lord of the Potalaka Mountain,
The Living Guanyin from the Cave of Tidal Sound.
When Tathāgata saw her, he was most delighted and said to her, “No other person is qualified to make this journey. It must be the Honorable Guanyin of mighty magic powers—she’s the one to do it!” “As your disciple departs for the east,” said the Bodhisattva, “do you have any instructions?”
“As you travel,” said Tathāgata, “you are to examine the way carefully. Do not journey high in the air, but remain at an altitude halfway between mist and cloud so that you can see the mountains and waters and remember the exact distance. You will then be able to instruct closely the scripture pilgrim. Since he may still find the journey difficult, I shall also give you five talismans.” Ordering Ānanda and Kāśyapa to bring out an embroidered cassock and a nine-ring priestly staff, he said to the Bodhisattva, “You may give this cassock and this staff to the scripture pilgrim. If he is firm in his intention to come here, he may put on the cassock and it will protect him from falling back into the wheel of transmigration. When he holds the staff, it will keep him from meeting poison or harm.” The Bodhisattva bowed low to receive the gifts. Tathāgata then took out also three fillets and handed them to the Bodhisattva, saying, “These treasures are called the tightening fillets, and though they are all alike, their uses are not the same. I have a separate spell for each of them: the Golden, the Constrictive, and the Prohibitive Spell. If you encounter on the way any monster who possesses great magic powers, you must persuade him to learn to be good and to follow the scripture pilgrim as his disciple. If he is disobedient, this fillet may be put on his head, and it will strike root the moment it comes into contact with the flesh. Recite the particular spell which belongs to the fillet and it will cause the head to swell and ache so painfully that he will think his brains are bursting. That will persuade him to come within our fold.”
After the Bodhisattva had bowed to the Buddha and taken her leave, she called Disciple Hui’an to follow her. This Hui’an, you see, carried a huge iron rod that weighed a thousand pounds. He followed the Bodhisattva closely and served her as a powerful bodyguard. The Bodhisattva made the embroidered cassock into a bundle and placed it on his back; she hid the golden fillets, took up the priestly staff, and went down the Spirit Mountain. Lo, this one journey will result in
A Buddha son returning to keep his primal vow.
The Gold Cicada Elder will clasp the candana.23
The Bodhisattva went to the bottom of the hill, where she was received at the door of the Jade Perfection Daoist Abbey by the Great Immortal of Golden Head. The Bodhisattva was presented with tea, but she did not dare linger long, saying, “I have received the dharma-decree of Tathāgata to look for a scripture pilgrim in the Land of the East.” The Great Immortal said, “When do you expect the scripture pilgrim to arrive?” “I’m not sure,” said the Bodhisattva. “Perhaps in two or three years’ time he’ll be able to get here.” So she took leave of the Great Immortal and traveled at an altitude halfway between cloud and mist in order that she might remember the way and the distance. We have a testimonial poem for her that says:
A search through ten thousand miles—no need to say!
To state who will be found is no easy thing.
Has not seeking someone been just like this?
What’s been my whole life, was that a mere chance?
We preach the Dao, our method turns foolish
When saying meets no belief; we preach in vain.
To find some percipient I’d yield liver and gall.
There’s affinity, I think, lying straight ahead.
As the mentor and her disciple journeyed, they suddenly came upon a large body of Weak Water, for this was the region of the Flowing Sand River.24 “My disciple,” said the Bodhisattva, “this place is difficult to cross. The scripture pilgrim will be of temporal bones and mortal stock. How will he be able to get across?” “Teacher,” said Hui’an, “how wide do you suppose this river is?” The Bodhisattva stopped her cloud to take a look, and she saw that
In the east it touches the sandy coast;
In the west it joins the barbaric states;
In the south it reaches even Wuyi;25
In the north it comes near the Tartars.
Its width is eight hundred miles,
And its length must measure many thousand more.
The water flows as if Earth is heaving its frame.
The current rises like a mountain rearing its back.
Outspread and immense;
Vast and interminable.
The sound of its towering billows reaches distant ears.
The raft of a god cannot come here,
Nor can a leaf of the lotus stay afloat.
Lifeless grass in the twilight drifts along the crooked banks.
Yellow clouds conceal the sun to darken the long dikes.
Where can one find the traffic of merchants?
Has there been ever a shelter for fishermen?
On the flat sand no wild geese descend;
From distant shores comes the crying of apes.
Only the red smartweed flowers know this scene,
Basking in the white duckweed’s fragile scent.
The Bodhisattva was looking over the river when suddenly a loud splash was heard, and from the midst of the waves leaped an ugly and ferocious monster. He appeared to have
A green, though not too green,
And black, though not too black,
Face of gloomy complexion;
A long, though not too long,
And short, though not too short,
Sinewy body with naked feet.
His gleaming eyes
Shone like two lights beneath the stove.
His mouth, forked at the corners,
Was like a butcher’s bloody bowl.
With teeth protruding like swords and knives,
And red hair all disheveled,
He bellowed once and it sounded like thunder,
While his legs sprinted like whirling wind.
Holding in his hands a priestly staff, that fiendish creature ran up the bank and tried to seize the Bodhisattva. He was opposed, however, by Hui’an, who wielded his iron rod, crying, “Stop!”, but the fiendish creature raised his staff to meet him. So the two of them engaged in a fierce battle beside the Flowing Sand River, which was truly terrifying.
The iron rod of Mokṣa
Displays its power to defend the Law;
The monster-taming staff of the creature
Labors to show its heroic might.
Two silver pythons dance along the river’s bank.
A pair of godlike monks charge each other on the shore.
This one plies his talents as the forceful lord of Flowing Sand.
That one, to attain great merit, protects Guanyin by strength.
This one churns up foam and stirs up waves.
That one belches fog and spits out wind.
The stirred-up foams and waves darken Heaven and Earth.
The spat-out fog and wind make dim both sun and moon.
The monster-taming staff of this one
Is like a white tiger emerging from the mountain;
The iron rod of that one
Is like a yellow dragon lying on the way.
When used by one,
This weapon spreads open the grass and finds the snake.
When let loose by the other,
That weapon knocks down the kite and splits the pine.
They fight until the darkness thickens
Save for the glittering stars,
And the fog looms up
To obscure both sky and land.
This one, long a dweller in the Weak Water, is uniquely fierce.
That one, newly leaving the Spirit Mountain, seeks his first win.
Back and forth along the river the two of them fought for twenty or thirty rounds without either prevailing, when the fiendish creature stilled the other’s iron rod and asked, “What region do you come from, monk, that you dare oppose me?” “I’m the second son of the Pagoda Bearer Devarāja,” said Mokṣa, “Mokṣa, Disciple Hui’an. I am serving as the guardian of my mentor, who is looking for a scripture pilgrim in the Land of the East. What kind of monster are you that you dare block our way?” “I remember,” said the monster, suddenly recognizing his opponent, “that you used to follow the Guanyin of the South Sea and practice austerities there in the bamboo grove. How did you get to this place?” “Don’t you realize,” said Mokṣa, “that she is my mentor—the one over there on the shore?”
When the monster heard these words, he apologized repeatedly. Putting away his staff, he allowed Mokṣa to grasp him by the collar and lead him away. He lowered his head and bowed low to Guanyin, saying, “Bodhisattva, please forgive me and let me submit my explanation. I am no monster; rather, I am the Curtain-Raising General who waits upon the phoenix chariot of the Jade Emperor at the Divine Mists Hall. Because I carelessly broke a crystal cup at one of the Festivals of Immortal Peaches, the Jade Emperor gave me eight hundred lashes, banished me to the Region Below, and changed me into my present shape. Every seventh day he sends a flying sword to stab my breast and side more than a hundred times before it leaves me. Hence my present wretchedness! Moreover, the hunger and cold are unbearable, and I am driven every few days to come out of the waves and find a traveler for food. I certainly did not expect that my ignorance would today lead me to offend the great, merciful Bodhisattva.”
“Because of your sin in Heaven,” said the Bodhisattva, “you were banished. Yet the taking of life in your present manner surely is adding sin to sin. By the decree of Buddha, I am on my way to the Land of the East to find a scripture pilgrim. Why don’t you come into my fold, take refuge in good works, and follow the scripture pilgrim as his disciple when he goes to the Western Heaven to ask Buddha for the scriptures? I’ll order the flying sword to stop piercing you. At the time when you achieve merit, your sin will be expiated and you will be restored to your former position. How do you feel about that?” “I’m willing,” said the monster, “to seek refuge in right action.” He said also, “Bodhisattva, I have devoured countless human beings at this place. There have even been a number of scripture pilgrims here, and I ate all of them. The heads of those I devoured I threw into the Flowing Sand, and they sank to the bottom, for such is the nature of this water that not even goose down can float on it. But the skulls of the nine pilgrims floated on the water and would not sink. Regarding them as something unusual, I chained them together with a rope and played with them at my leisure. If this becomes known, I fear that no other scripture pilgrim will want to come this way. Won’t it jeopardize my future?”
“Not come this way? How absurd!” said the Bodhisattva. “You may take the skulls and hang them round your neck. When the scripture pilgrim arrives, there will be a use for them.” “If that’s the case,” said the monster, “I’m now willing to receive your instructions.” The Bodhisattva then touched the top of his head and gave him the commandments.26 The sand was taken to be a sign, and he was given the surname “Sha” and the religious name “Wujing,”27 and that was how he entered the Gate of Sand.28 After he had seen the Bodhisattva on her way, he washed his heart and purified himself; he never took life again but waited attentively for the arrival of the scripture pilgrim.
So the Bodhisattva parted with him and went with Mokṣa toward the Land of the East. They traveled for a long time and came upon a high mountain, which was covered by miasma so foul that they could not ascend it on foot. They were just about to mount the clouds and pass over it when a sudden blast of violent wind brought into view another monster of most ferocious appearance. Look at his
Lips curled and twisted like dried lotus leaves;
Ears like rush-leaf fans and hard, gleaming eyes;
Gaping teeth as sharp as a fine steel file’s;
A long mouth wide open like a fire pot.
A gold cap is fastened with bands by the cheek.
Straps on his armor seem like scaleless snakes.
He holds a rake—a dragon’s outstretched claws;
From his waist hangs a bow of half-moon shape.
His awesome presence and his prideful mien
Defy the deities and daunt the gods.
He rushed up toward the two travelers and, without regard for good or ill, lifted the rake and brought it down hard on the Bodhisattva. But he was met by Disciple Hui’an, who cried with a loud voice, “Reckless monster! Desist from this insolence! Look out for my rod!” “This monk,” said the monster, “doesn’t know any better! Look out for my rake!” The two of them clashed together at the foot of the mountain to discover who was to be the victor. It was a magnificent battle!
The monster is fierce.
Hui’an is powerful.
The iron rod jabs at the heart;
The muckrake swipes at the face.
Spraying mud and splattering dust darken Heaven and Earth;
Flying sand and hurling rocks scare demons and gods.
The nine-teeth rake,
All burnished,
Loudly jingles with double rings;
The single rod,
Black throughout,
Leaps and flies in both hands.
This one is the prince of a Devarāja;
That one is the spirit of a grand marshal.
This one defends the faith at Potalaka;
That one lives in a cave as a monster.
Meeting this time they rush to fight,
Not knowing who shall lose and who shall win.
At the very height of their battle, Guanyin threw down some lotus flowers from midair, separating the rod from the rake. Alarmed by what he saw, the fiendish creature asked, “What region are you from, monk, that you dare to play this ‘flower-in-the-eye’ trick on me?” “Cursed beast of fleshly eyes and mortal stock!” said Mokṣa. “I am the disciple of the Bodhisattva from South Sea, and these are lotus flowers thrown down by my mentor. Don’t you recognize them?” “The Bodhisattva from South Sea?” asked the fiend. “Is she Guanyin who sweeps away the three calamities and rescues us from the eight disasters?” “Who else,” said Mokṣa, “if not she?” The fiend threw away his muckrake, lowered his head, and bowed, saying, “Venerable brother! Where is the Bodhisattva? Please be so good as to introduce me to her.” Mokṣa raised his head and pointed upward, saying, “Isn’t she up there?” “Bodhisattva!” the fiend kowtowed toward her and cried with a loud voice, “Pardon my sin! Pardon my sin!”
Guanyin lowered the direction of her cloud and came to ask him, “What region are you from, wild boar who has become a spirit or old sow who has become a fiend, that you dare bar my way?” “I am neither a wild boar,” said the fiend, “nor am I an old sow! I was originally the Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds in the Heavenly River.29 Because I got drunk and dallied with the Goddess of the Moon,30 the Jade Emperor had me beaten with a mallet two thousand times and banished me to the world of dust. My true spirit was seeking the proper home for my next incarnation when I lost my way, passed through the womb of an old sow, and ended up with a shape like this! Having bitten the sow to death and killed the rest of the litter, I took over this mountain ranch and passed my days eating people. Little did I expect to run into the Bodhisattva. Save me, I implore you! Save me!”
“What is the name of this mountain?” asked the Bodhisattva.
“It’s called the Mountain of the Blessed Mound,” said the fiendish creature, “and there is a cave in it by the name of Cloudy Paths. There was a Second Elder Sister Egg originally in the cave. She saw that I knew something of the martial art and therefore asked me to be the head of the family, following the so-called practice of ‘standing backward in the door.’31 After less than a year, she died, leaving me to enjoy the possession of her entire cave. I have spent many days and years at this place, but I know no means of supporting myself and I pass the time eating people. I implore the Bodhisattva to pardon my sin.”
The Bodhisattva said, “There is an old saying:
If you want to have a future,
Don’t act heedless of the future.
You have already transgressed in the Region Above, and yet you have not changed your violent ways but indulge in the taking of life. Don’t you know that both crimes will be punished?”
“The future! The future!” said the fiend. “If I listen to you, I might as well feed on the wind! The proverb says,
If you follow the law of the court, you’ll be beaten to death;
If you follow the law of Buddha, you’ll be starved to death!
Let me go! Let me go! I would much prefer catching a few travelers and munching on the plump and juicy lady of the family. Why should I care about two crimes, three crimes, a thousand crimes, or ten thousand crimes?” “There is a saying,” said the Bodhisattva,
A man with good intent
Will win Heaven’s assent.
If you are willing to return to the fruits of truth, there will be means to sustain your body. There are five kinds of grain in this world and they all can relieve hunger. Why do you need to pass the time by devouring humans?”
When the fiend heard these words, he was like one who woke from a dream, and he said to the Bodhisattva, “I would very much like to follow the truth. But ‘since I have offended Heaven, even my prayers are of little avail.’”32 “I have received the decree from Buddha to go to the Land of the East to find a scripture pilgrim,” said the Bodhisattva. “You can follow him as his disciple and make a trip to the Western Heaven; your merit will cancel out your sins, and you will surely be delivered from your calamities.” “I’m willing. I’m willing,” promised the fiend with enthusiasm. The Bodhisattva then touched his head and gave him the instructions. Pointing to his body as a sign, she gave him the surname “Zhu” and the religious name “Wuneng.”33 From that moment on, he accepted the commandment to return to the real. He fasted and ate only a vegetable diet, abstaining from the five forbidden viands and the three undesirable foods34 so as to wait single-mindedly for the scripture pilgrim.
The Bodhisattva and Mokṣa took leave of Wuneng and proceeded again halfway between cloud and mist. As they were journeying, they saw in midair a young dragon calling for help. The Bodhisattva drew near and asked, “What dragon are you, and why are you suffering here?” The dragon said, “I am the son of Aorun, Dragon King of the Western Ocean. Because I inadvertently set fire to the palace and burned some of the pearls therein, my father the king memorialized to the Court of Heaven and charged me with grave disobedience. The Jade Emperor hung me in the sky and gave me three hundred lashes, and I shall be executed in a few days. I beg the Bodhisattva to save me.”
When Guanyin heard these words, she rushed with Mokṣa up to the South Heaven Gate. She was received by Qiu and Zhang, the two Celestial Masters, who asked her, “Where are you going?” “This humble cleric needs to have an audience with the Jade Emperor,” said the Bodhisattva. The two Celestial Masters promptly made the report, and the Jade Emperor left the hall to receive her. After presenting her greetings, the Bodhisattva said, “By the decree of Buddha, this humble cleric is journeying to the Land of the East to find a scripture pilgrim. On the way I met a mischievous dragon hanging in the sky. I have come specially to beg you to spare his life and grant him to me. He can be a good means of transportation for the scripture pilgrim.” When the Jade Emperor heard these words, he at once gave the decree of pardon, ordering the Heavenly sentinels to release the dragon to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva thanked the Emperor, while the young dragon also kowtowed to the Bodhisattva to thank her for saving his life and pledged obedience to her command. The Bodhisattva then sent him to live in a deep mountain stream with the instruction that when the scripture pilgrim should arrive, he was to change into a white horse and go to the Western Heaven. The young dragon obeyed the order and hid himself, and we shall speak no more of him for the moment.
The Bodhisattva then led Mokṣa past the mountain, and they headed again toward the Land of the East. They had not traveled long before they suddenly came upon ten thousand shafts of golden light and a thousand layers of radiant vapor. “Teacher,” said Mokṣa, “that luminous place must be the Mountain of Five Phases. I can see the tag of Tathāgata imprinted on it.” “So, beneath this place,” said the Bodhisattva, “is where the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, who disturbed Heaven and the Festival of Immortal Peaches, is being imprisoned.” “Yes, indeed,” said Mokṣa. The mentor and her disciple ascended the mountain and looked at the tag, on which was inscribed the divine words Oṁ mani padme hūṁ. When the Bodhisattva saw this, she could not help sighing, and composed the following poem:
I rue the impish ape not heeding the Law,
Who let loose wild heroics in bygone years.
His mind puffed up, he wrecked the Peach Banquet
And boldly stole in Tushita Palace.
He found no worthy match in ten thousand troops;
Through Ninefold Heaven he displayed his power.
Imprisoned now by Sovereign Tathāgata,
When will he be free to show once more his might?
As mentor and disciple were speaking, they disturbed the Great Sage, who shouted from the base of the mountain, “Who is up there on the mountain composing verses to expose my faults?” When the Bodhisattva heard those words, she came down the mountain to take a look. There beneath the rocky ledges were the local spirit, the mountain god, and the Heavenly sentinels guarding the Great Sage. They all came and bowed to receive the Bodhisattva, leading her before the Great Sage. She looked and saw that he was pinned down in a kind of stone box: though he could speak, he could not move his body. “You whose name is Sun,” said the Bodhisattva, “do you recognize me?”
The Great Sage opened wide his fiery eyes and diamond pupils and nodded. “How could I not recognize you?” he cried. “You are the Mighty Deliverer, the Great Compassionate Bodhisattva Guanyin from the Potalaka Mountain of the South Sea. Thank you, thank you for coming to see me! At this place every day is like a year, for not a single acquaintance has ever come to visit me. Where did you come from?”
“I have received the decree from Buddha,” said the Bodhisattva, “to go to the Land of the East to find a scripture pilgrim. Since I was passing through here, I rested my steps briefly to see you.”
“Tathāgata deceived me,” said the Great Sage, “and imprisoned me beneath this mountain. For over five hundred years already I have not been able to move. I implore the Bodhisattva to show a little mercy and rescue old Monkey!” “Your sinful karma is very deep,” said the Bodhisattva. “If I rescue you, I fear that you will again perpetrate violence, and that will be bad indeed.” “Now I know the meaning of penitence,” said the Great Sage. “So I entreat the Great Compassion to show me the proper path, for I am willing to practice cultivation.” Truly it is that
One wish born in the heart of man
Is known throughout Heaven and Earth.
If vice or virtue lacks reward,
Unjust must be the universe.
When the Bodhisattva heard those words from the prisoner, she was filled with pleasure and said to the Great Sage, “The scripture says,
When a good word is spoken,
An answer will come from beyond a thousand miles;
When an evil word is spoken,
Opposition will hail from beyond a thousand miles.
If you have such a purpose, wait until I reach the Great Tang Nation in the Land of the East and find the scripture pilgrim. He will be told to come and rescue you, and you can follow him as a disciple. You shall keep the teachings and hold the rosary to enter our gate of Buddha, so that you may again cultivate the fruits of righteousness. Will you do that?” “I’m willing, I’m willing,” said the Great Sage repeatedly.
“If you are indeed seeking the fruits of virtue,” said the Bodhisattva, “let me give you a religious name.” “I have one already,” said the Great Sage, “and I’m called Sun Wukong.” “There were two persons before you who came into our faith,” said the delighted Bodhisattva, “and their names, too, are built on the word ‘Wu.’ Your name will agree with theirs perfectly, and that is splendid indeed. I need not give you any more instruction, for I must be going.” So our Great Sage, with manifest nature and enlightened mind, returned to the Buddhist faith, while our Bodhisattva, with attention and diligence, sought the divine monk.
She left the place with Mokṣa and proceeded straight to the east; in a few days they reached Chang’an of the Great Tang Nation. Forsaking the mist and abandoning the cloud, mentor and disciple changed themselves into two wandering monks covered with scabby sores35 and went into the city. It was already dusk. As they walked through one of the main streets, they saw a temple of the local spirit. They both went straight in, alarming the spirit and the demon guards, who recognized the Bodhisattva. They kowtowed to receive her, and the local spirit then ran quickly to report to the city’s guardian deity, the god of the soil, and the spirits of various temples of Chang’an. When they learned that it was the Bodhisattva, they all came to pay homage, saying, “Bodhisattva, please pardon us for being tardy in our reception.” “None of you,” said the Bodhisattva, “should let a word of this leak out! I came here by the special decree of Buddha to look for a scripture pilgrim. I would like to stay just for a few days in one of your temples, and I shall depart when the true monk is found.” The various deities went back to their own places, but they sent the local spirit off to the residence of the city’s guardian deity so that the teacher and the disciple could remain incognito in the spirit’s temple. We do not know what sort of scripture pilgrim was found. Let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.