by Unknown
When Taizong and his officials saw them, they all descended the tower to receive them. “Has the royal brother returned?” asked the emperor. The Tang Monk immediately prostrated himself, but he was raised by the emperor’s own hands. “Who are these three persons?” asked the emperor once more.
“They are my disciples made during our journey,” replied the Tang Monk. Highly pleased, Taizong at once ordered his attendants, “Saddle one of our chariot horses for our royal brother to ride. We’ll go back to the court together.” The Tang Monk thanked him and mounted the horse, closely followed by the Great Sage wielding his golden-hooped rod and by Eight Rules and Sha Monk toting the luggage and supporting the other horse. The entire entourage thus entered together the city of Chang’an. Truly
A banquet of peace was held years ago.
When lords, civil and martial, made a grand show.
A priest preached the law in a great event;1
From Golden Chimes the king his subject sent.
Tripitaka was given a royal rescript,
For Five Phases matched the cause of holy script.
Through bitter smelting all demons were purged.
Merit done, they now on the court converged.
The Tang Monk and his three disciples followed the throne into the court, and soon there was not a single person in the city of Chang’an who had not learned of the scripture seekers’ return.
We tell you now about those priests, young and old, of the Temple of Great Blessing, which was also the old residence of the Tang Monk in Chang’an. That day they suddenly discovered that the branches of a few pine trees within the temple gate were pointing eastward. Astonished, they cried, “Strange! Strange! There was no strong wind to speak of last night. Why are all the tops of these trees twisted in this manner?”
One of the former disciples of Tripitaka said, “Quickly, let’s get our proper clerical garb. The old master who went away to acquire scriptures must have returned.”
“How do you know that?” asked the other priests.
“At the time of his departure,” the old disciple said, “he made the remark that he might be away for two or three years, or for six or seven years. Whenever we noticed that these pine-tree tops were pointing to the east, it would mean that he has returned. Since my master spoke the holy words of a true Buddha, I know that the truth has been confirmed this day.”
They put on their clothing hurriedly and left; by the time they reached the street to the west, people were already saying that the scripture seeker had just arrived and been received into the city by His Majesty. When they heard the news, the various monks dashed forward and ran right into the imperial chariot. Not daring to approach the emperor, they followed the entourage instead to the gate of the court. The Tang Monk dismounted and entered the court with the emperor. The dragon horse, the scripture packs, Pilgrim, Eight Rules, and Sha Monk were all placed beneath the steps of jade, while Taizong commanded the royal brother to ascend the hall and take a seat.
After thanking the emperor and taking his seat, the Tang Monk asked that the scripture scrolls be brought up. Pilgrim and his companions handed them over to the imperial attendants, who presented them in turn to the emperor for inspection. “How many scrolls of scriptures are there,” asked Taizong, “and how did you acquire them?”
“When your subject arrived at the Spirit Mountain and bowed to the Buddhist Patriarch,” replied Tripitaka, “he was kind enough to ask Ānanda and Kāśyapa, the two Honored Ones, to lead us to the precious tower first for a meal. Then we were brought to the treasure loft, where the scriptures were bestowed on us. Those Honored Ones asked for a gift, but we were not prepared and did not give them any. They gave us some scriptures anyway, and after thanking the Buddhist Patriarch, we headed east, but a monstrous wind snatched away the scriptures. My humble disciple fortunately had a little magic power; he gave chase at once, and the scriptures were thrown and scattered all over. When we unrolled the scrolls, we saw that they were all wordless, blank texts. Your subjects in great fear went again to bow and plead before Buddha. The Buddhist Patriarch said, ‘When these scriptures were created, some Bhikṣu sage monks left the monastery and recited some scrolls for one Elder Zhao in the Śrāvastī Kingdom. As a result, the living members of that family were granted safety and protection, while the deceased attained redemption. For such great service they only managed to ask the elder for three pecks and three pints of rice and a little gold. I told them that it was too cheap a sale, and that their descendants would have no money to spend.’ Since we learned that even the Buddhist Patriarch anticipated that the two Honored Ones would demand a gift, we had little choice but to offer them that almsbowl of purple gold that Your Majesty had bestowed on me. Only then did they willingly turn over the true scriptures with writing to us. There are thirty-five titles of these scriptures, and several scrolls were selected from each title. Altogether, there are now five thousand and forty-eight scrolls, the number of which makes up one canonical sum.”
More delighted than ever, Taizong gave this command: “Let the Court of Imperial Entertainments prepare a banquet in the East Hall so that we may thank our royal brother.” Then he happened to notice Tripitaka’s three disciples standing beneath the steps, all with extraordinary looks, and he therefore asked, “Are your noble disciples foreigners?”
Prostrating himself, the elder said, “My eldest disciple has the surname of Sun, and his religious name is Wukong. Your subject also addresses him as Pilgrim Sun. He comes from the Water Curtain Cave of the Flower-Fruit Mountain, located in the Aolai Country in the East Pūrvavideha Continent. Because he caused great disturbance in the Celestial Palace, he was imprisoned in a stone box by the Buddhist Patriarch and pressed beneath the Mountain of Two Frontiers in the region of the Western barbarians. Thanks to the admonitions of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, he was converted to Buddhism and became my disciple when I freed him. Throughout my journey I relied heavily on his protection.
“My second disciple has the surname of Zhu, and his religious name is Wuneng. Your subject also addresses him as Zhu Eight Rules. He comes from the Cloudy Paths Cave of Fuling Mountain. He was playing the fiend at the Old Gao Village of Qoco when the admonitions of the Bodhisattva and the power of the Pilgrim caused him to become my disciple. He made his merit on our journey by toting the luggage and helping us to ford the waters.
“My third disciple has the surname of Sha, and his religious name is Wujing. Your subject also addresses him as Sha Monk. Originally he was a fiend at the Flowing-Sand River. Again the admonitions of the Bodhisattva persuaded him to take the vows of Buddhism. By the way, the horse is not the one my Lord bestowed on me.”
Taizong said, “The color and the coat seem all the same. Why isn’t it the same horse?”
“When your subject reached the Eagle Grief Stream in the Serpent Coil Mountain and tried to cross it,” replied Tripitaka, “the original horse was devoured by this horse. Pilgrim managed to learn from the Bodhisattva that this horse was originally the prince of the Dragon King of the Western Ocean. Convicted of a crime, he would have been executed had it not been for the intervention of the Bodhisattva, who ordered him to be the steed of your subject. It was then that he changed into a horse with exactly the same coat as that of my original mount. I am greatly indebted to him for taking me over mountains and summits and through the most treacherous passages. Whether it be carrying me on my way there or bearing the scriptures upon our return, we are much beholden to his strength.”
On hearing these words, Taizong complimented him profusely before asking again, “This long trek to the Western Region, exactly how far is it?”
Tripitaka said, “I recall that the Bodhisattva told us that the distance was a hundred and eight thousand miles. I did not make a careful record on the way. All I know is that we have experienced fourteen seasons of heat and cold. We encountered mountains and ridges daily; the forests we came upon were not small, and the waters we met were wide and swift. We also went through many kingdoms,
whose rulers had affixed their seals and signatures on our document.” Then he called out: “Disciples, bring up the travel rescript and present it to our Lord.”
It was handed over immediately. Taizong took a look and realized that the document had been issued on the third day before the full moon, in the ninth month of the thirteenth year during the Zhenguan reign period. Smiling, Taizong said, “We have caused you the trouble of taking a long journey. This is now the twenty-seventh year of the Zhenguan period!” The travel rescript bore the seals of the Precious Image Kingdom, the Black Rooster Kingdom, the Cart Slow Kingdom, the Kingdom of Women in Western Liang, the Sacrifice Kingdom, the Scarlet-Purple Kingdom, the Bhikṣu Kingdom, the Dharma-Destroying Kingdom. There were also the seals of the Phoenix-Immortal Prefecture, the Jade-Flower County, and the Gold-Level Prefecture. After reading through the document, Taizong put it away.
Soon the officer in attendance to the throne arrived to invite them to the banquet. As the emperor took the hand of Tripitaka and walked down the steps of the hall, he asked once more, “Are your noble disciples familiar with the etiquette of the court?”
“My humble disciples,” replied Tripitaka, “all began their careers as monsters deep in the wilds or a mountain village, and they have never been instructed in the etiquette of China’s sage court. I beg my Lord to pardon them.”
Smiling, Taizong said, “We won’t blame them! We won’t blame them! Let’s all go to the feast set up in the East Hall.” Tripitaka thanked him once more before calling for his three disciples to join them. Upon their arrival at the hall, they saw that the opulence of the great nation of China was indeed different from all ordinary kingdoms. You see
The doorway o’erhung with brocade.
The floor adorned with red carpets,
The whirls of exotic incense,
And fresh victuals most rare.
The amber cups
And crystal goblets
Are gold-trimmed and jade-set;
The gold platters
And white-jade bowls
Are patterned and silver-rimmed.
The tubers thoroughly cooked,
The taros sugar-coated;
Sweet, lovely butt on mushrooms,
Unusual, pure seaweeds.
Bamboo shoots, ginger-spiced, are served a few times;
Malva leafs, honey-drenched, are mixed several ways.
Wheat-glutens fried with xiangchun leaves:2
Wood-ears cooked with bean-curd skins.
Rock ferns and fairy plants;
Fern flour and dried wei-leaves.3
Radishes cooked with Sichuan peppercorns;
Melon strands stirred with mustard powder.
These few vegetarian dishes are so-so,
But the many rare fruits quite steal the show!
Walnuts and persimmons,
Lung-ans and lychees.
The chestnuts of Yizhou and Shandong’s dates;
The South’s ginko fruits and hare-head pears.
Pine-seeds, lotus-seeds, and giant grapes;
Fei-nuts,4 melon seeds, and water chestnuts.
“Chinese olives”5 and wild apples;
Crabapples and Pyrus-pears;
Tender stalks6 and young lotus roots;
Crisp plums and “Chinese strawberries.”
Not one species is missing;
Not one kind is wanting.
There are, moreover, the steamed mille-feuilles, honeyed pastries, and fine viands;
And there are also the lovely wines, fragrant teas, and strange dainties.
An endless spread of one hundred flavors, true noble fare.
Western barbarians with great China can never compare!
Master and three disciples were grouped together with the officials, both civil and military, on both sides of the emperor Taizong, who took the seat in the middle. The dancing and the music proceeded in an orderly and solemn manner, and in this way they enjoyed themselves thoroughly for one whole day. Truly
The royal banquet rivals the sage kings’:
True scriptures acquired bring excess blessings.
Forever these will prosper and remain
As Buddha’s light shines on the king’s domain.
When it became late, the officials thanked the emperor; while Taizong withdrew into his palace, the various officials returned to their residences. The Tang Monk and his disciples, however, went to the Temple of Great Blessing, where they were met by the resident priests kowtowing. As they entered the temple gate, the priests said, “Master, the top of these trees were all suddenly pointing eastward this morning. We remembered your words and hurried out to the city to meet you. Indeed, you did arrive!” The elder could not have been more pleased as they were ushered into the abbot’s quarters. By then, Eight Rules was not clamoring at all for food or tea, nor did he indulge in any mischief. Both Pilgrim and Sha Monk behaved most properly, for they had become naturally quiet and reserved since the Dao in them had come to fruition. They rested that night.
Taizong held court next morning and said to the officials, “We did not sleep the whole night when we reflected on how great and profound has been the merit of our brother, such that no compensation is quite adequate. We finally composed in our head several homely sentences as a mere token of our gratitude, but they have not yet been written down.” Calling for one of the secretaries from the Central Drafting Office, he said, “Come, let us recite our composition for you, and you write it down sentence by sentence.” The composition7 was as follows:
We have heard how the Dyadic Models8 which manifest themselves in Heaven and Earth in the production of life are represented by images, whereas the invisible powers of the four seasons bring about transformation of things through the hidden action of heat and cold. By scanning Heaven and Earth, therefore, even the most ignorant may perceive their rudimentary laws. Even the thorough understanding of yin and yang, however, has seldom enabled the worthy and wise to comprehend fully their ultimate principle. It is easy to recognize that Heaven and Earth do contain yin and yang because there are images. It is difficult to comprehend fully how yin and yang pervade Heaven and Earth because the forces themselves are invisible. That images may manifest the minute is a fact that does not perplex even the foolish, whereas forms hidden in what is invisible are what confuses even the learned.
How much more difficult it is, therefore, to understand the way of Buddhism, which exalts the void, uses the dark, and exploits the silent in order to succor the myriad grades of living things and exercise control over the entire world. Its spiritual authority is the highest, and its divine potency has no equal. Its magnitude impregnates the entire cosmos; there is no space so tiny that it does not permeate it. Birthless and deathless, it does not age after a thousand kalpas; half-hidden and half-manifest, it brings one hundred blessings even now. A wondrous way most mysterious, those who follow it cannot know its limit. A law flowing silent and deep, those who draw on it cannot fathom its source. How, therefore, could those benighted ordinary mortals not be perplexed if they tried to plumb its depths?
Now, this great Religion arose in the Land of the West. It soared to the court of the Han period in the form of a radiant dream,9 which flowed with its mercy to enlighten the Eastern territory. In antiquity, during the time when form and abstraction were clearly distinguished, the words of the Buddha, even before spreading, had already established their goodly influence. In a generation when he was both frequently active in and withdrawn from the world, the people beheld his virtue and honored it. But when he returned to Nirvāṇa and generations passed by, the golden images concealed his true form and did not reflect the light of the universe. The beautiful paintings, though unfolding lovely portraits, vainly held up the figure of thirty-two marks.10 Nonetheless his subtle doctrines spread far and wide to save men and beasts from the three unhappy paths, and his traditions were widely proclaimed to lead all creatures through the ten stages toward Buddha-hood.11 Moreover, the Buddha made scriptures, which c
ould be divided into the Great and the Small Vehicles. He also possessed the Law, which could be transmitted either in the correct or in the deviant method.
Our priest Xuanzang, a Master of the Law, is a leader within the Gate of Law. Devoted and intelligent since his youth, he realized early the merit of the three forms of emptiness.12 When grown he comprehended the principles of the spiritual, including first the practice of the four forms of patience.13 Neither the pine in the wind nor the moon mirrored in water can compare with his purity and radiance. Even the dew of Heaven and luminous gems cannot surpass the clarity and refinement of his person. His intelligence encompassed even those elements which seemingly had no relations, and his spirit could perceive that which had yet to take visible forms. Having transcended the lure of the six senses, he was such an outstanding figure that in all the past he had no rival. He concentrated his mind on the internal verities, mourning all the time the mutilation of the correct doctrines. Worrying over the mysteries, he lamented that even the most profound treatises had errors.
He thought of revising the teachings and reviving certain arguments, so as to disseminate what he had received to a wider audience. He would, moreover, strike out the erroneous and preserve the true to enlighten the students. For this reason he longed for the Pure Land and a pilgrimage to the Western Territories. Risking dangers he set out on a long journey, with only his staff for his companion on this solitary expedition. Snow drifts in the morning would blanket his roadway; sand storms at dusk would blot out the horizon. Over ten thousand miles of mountains and streams he proceeded, pushing aside mist and smoke. Through a thousand alternations of heat and cold he advanced amidst frost and rain. As his zeal was great, he considered his task a light one, for he was determined to succeed.
He toured throughout the Western World for fourteen years,14 going to all the foreign nations in quest of the proper doctrines. He led the life of an ascetic beneath twin śāla trees15 and by the eight rivers of India.16 At the Deer Park and on the Vulture Peak he beheld the strange and searched out the different. He received ultimate truths from the senior sages and was taught the true doctrines by the highest worthies. Penetrating into the mysteries, he mastered the most profound lessons. The way of the Triyāna and Six Commandments he learned by heart; a hundred cases of scriptures forming the canon flowed like waves from his lips.