by Unknown
Pilgrim swiftly mounted the clouds and went north to beg a bowl of vegetarian food from a family to present to his master. When the master saw him return so soon, he said, “Wukong, let us go to that household which gave us the food and ask them how we may cross this river. Isn’t this better than fighting the monster?” With a laugh, Pilgrim said, “That household is quite far from here, about six or seven thousand miles, no less! How could the people there know about the water? What’s the use of asking them?” “You are fibbing again, Elder Brother!” said Eight Rules. “Six or seven thousand miles, how could you cover that distance so quickly?” “You have no idea,” said Pilgrim, “about the capacity of my cloud somersault, which with one leap can cover one hundred and eight thousand miles. For the six or seven thousand here, all I have to do is to nod my head and stretch my waist, and that’s a round trip already! What’s so hard about that?”
“Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “if it’s so easy, all you need to do is to carry Master on your back: nod your head, stretch your waist, and jump across. Why continue to fight this monster?” “Don’t you know how to ride the clouds?” asked Pilgrim. “Can’t you carry him across the river?”
“The mortal nature and worldly bones of Master are as heavy as the Tai Mountain,” Eight Rules said. “How could my cloud soaring bear him up? It has to be your cloud somersault.” “My cloud somersault is essentially like cloud soaring,” said Pilgrim, “the only difference being that I can cover greater distances more rapidly. If you can’t carry him, what makes you think I can? There’s an old proverb that says:
Move Mount Tai: it’s light as mustard seeds.
Lift a man and you won’t leave the red dust!
Take this monster here: he can use spells and call upon the wind, pushing and pulling a little, but he can’t carry a human into the air. And if it’s this kind of magic, old Monkey knows every trick well, including becoming invisible and making distances shorter. But it is required of Master to go through all these strange territories before he finds deliverance from the sea of sorrows; hence even one step turns out to be difficult. You and I are only his protective companions, guarding his body and life, but we cannot exempt him from these woes, nor can we obtain the scriptures all by ourselves. Even if we had the ability to go and see Buddha first, he would not bestow the scriptures on you and me. Remember the adage:
What’s easily gotten
Is soon forgotten.”
When Idiot heard these words, he accepted them amiably as instruction. Master and disciples ate some of the simply prepared vegetarian food before resting on the eastern shore of the Flowing-Sand River.
The next morning, Tripitaka said, “Wukong, what are we going to do today?” “Not much,” said Pilgrim, “except that Eight Rules must go into the water again.” “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “you only want to stay clean, but you have no hesitation making me go into the water.” “Worthy Brother,” said Pilgrim, “this time I’ll try not to be impulsive. I’ll let you trick him into coming up here, and then I’ll block his retreat along the river bank. We must capture him.” Dear Eight Rules! Wiping his face, he pulled himself together. Holding the rake in both hands, he walked to the edge of the river, opened up a path in the water, and went to the monster’s home as before. The monster had just wakened from his sleep when he heard the sound of water. Turning quickly to look, he saw Eight Rules approaching with the rake. He leaped out at once and barred the way, shouting, “Slow down! Watch out for my staff!” Eight Rules lifted his rake to parry the blow, saying, “What sort of mourning staff do you have there that you dare ask your ancestor to watch out for it?” “A fellow like you,” said the monster, “wouldn’t recognize this!
For years my staff has enjoyed great fame,
At first an evergreen tree in the moon.
Wu Gang7 cut down from it one huge limb:
Lu Ban then made it, using all his skills.
Within the hub’s one solid piece of gold:
Outside it’s wrapped by countless pearly threads.
It’s called the treasure staff for crushing fiends,
E’er placed in Divine Mists to quell the ogres.
Since I had made a mighty general’s rank,
Jade Emperor put it always by my side.
It lengthens or shortens after my desire;
It grows thick or thin with my command.
It went to guard the Throne at the Peaches Feast:
It served at court in Heaven’s world above.
On duty it saw the many sages bowed,
And immortals, too, when the screen rolled up.
Of numinous power one arm divine,
It’s no worldly weapon of humankind.
Since I was banished from the gate of Heav’n,
It roamed with me at will beyond the seas.
Perhaps it is not right for me to boast,
But swords and spears of man can’t match this staff.
Look at that old, rusted muckrake of yours:
Fit only for hoeing fields and raking herbs!”
“You unchastened brazen thing!” said Eight Rules, laughing. “Never mind whether it’s fit for hoeing fields! One little touch and you won’t even know how to begin putting bandages or ointment on nine bleeding holes! Even if you are not killed, you will grow old with chronic infection!” The monster raised his hands and again fought with Eight Rules from the bottom of the river up to the surface of the water. This battle was even more different from the first one. Look at them
Wielding the treasure staff.
Striking with muckrake;
They would not speak as if they were estranged.
Since Wood Mother constrained the Spatula,8
That caused the two to fight most fiercely.
No win or loss;
With no regret.
They churned up waves and billows with no peace.
How could this one control his bitter rage;
That one found unbearable his pain.
Rake and staff went back and forth to show their might;
The water rotted like poison in Flowing-Sand.
They huffed and puffed!
They worked and toiled!
All because Tripitaka would face the West.
The muckrake so ferocious!
The staff so nimbly used!
This one made a grab to pull him up the shore;
That one sought to seize and drown him in the stream.
They roared like thunder, stirring dragon and fish.
Gods and ghosts cowered as the Heavens grew dim.
This time they fought back and forth for thirty rounds, and neither one proved to be the stronger. Again Eight Rules pretended to be defeated and fled, dragging his rake. Kicking up the waves, the monster gave chase and they reached the edge of the river. “Wretch!” cried Eight Rules. “Come up here! We can fight better on solid ground up here.” “You are just trying to trick me into going up there,” scolded the monster, “so that you can bring out your assistant. You come down here, and we can fight in the water.” The monster, you see, had become wise; he refused to go up to the bank and remained near the edge of the water to argue with Eight Rules.
When Pilgrim saw that the monster refused to leave the water, he became highly irritated, and all he could think of was to catch him at once. “Master,” he said, “you sit here. Let me give him a taste of the ‘ravenous eagle seizing his prey.’” He somersaulted into the air and then swooped down onto the monster, who was still bickering with Eight Rules. When he heard the sound of the wind, he turned quickly and discovered Pilgrim hurtling down from the clouds. Putting away his staff, he dove into the water and disappeared. Pilgrim stood on the shore and said to Eight Rules, “Brother, that monster is catching on! He refuses to come up now. What shall we do?” “It’s hard, terribly hard!” said Eight Rules. “I just can’t beat him—even when I summoned up the strength of my milk-drinking days! We are evenly matched!” “Let’s go talk to Master,” said Pil
grim.
The two of them went up again to high ground and told the Tang Monk everything. “If it’s so difficult,” said the Elder, tears welling up in his eyes, “how can we ever get across?” “Master, please don’t worry,” said Pilgrim. “It is hard for us to cross with this monster hiding deep in the river. So, don’t fight with him any more, Eight Rules; just stay here and protect Master. I’m going to make a trip up to South Sea.” “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “what do you want to do at South Sea?” Pilgrim said, “This business of seeking scriptures originated from the Bodhisattva Guanyin; the one who delivered us from our ordeals was also the Bodhisattva Guanyin. Today our path is blocked at this Flowing-Sand River and we can’t proceed. Without her, how can we ever solve our problem? Let me go ask her to help us: it’s much better than doing battle with this monster.” “You have a point there, Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules. “When you get there, please convey my gratitude to her for her kindly instructions in the past.” “Wukong,” said Tripitaka, “if you want to go see the Bodhisattva, you needn’t delay. Go, and hurry back.”
Pilgrim catapulted into the air with his cloud somersault and headed for the South Sea. Ah! It did not even take him half an hour before he saw the scenery of the Potalaka Mountain. In a moment, he dropped down from his somersault and arrived at the edge of the purple bamboo grove, where he was met by the Spirits of the Twenty-Four Ways. They said to him, “Great Sage, what brings you here?” “My master faces an ordeal,” said Pilgrim, “which brings me here specially to see the Bodhisattva.” “Please take a seat,” said the spirits, “and allow us to make the announcement.” One of the spirits who was on duty went to the entrance of the Tidal-Sound Cave, announcing, “Sun Wukong wishes to have an audience with you.” The Bodhisattva was leaning on the rails by the Treasure Lotus Pool, looking at the flowers with the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Princess. When she heard the announcement, she went back to the cave, opened the door, and asked that he be shown in. With great solemnity, the Great Sage prostrated himself before her.
“Why are you not accompanying the Tang Monk?” asked the Bodhisattva. “For what reason did you want to see me again?” “Bodhisattva,” said Pilgrim, looking up at her, “my master took another disciple at the Gao Village, to whom you had given the religious name of Wuneng. After crossing the Yellow Wind Ridge, we have now arrived at the Flowing-Sand River eight hundred miles wide, a body of weak water, which is difficult for Master to get across. There is, moreover, a monster in the river who is quite accomplished in the martial arts. We are grateful to Wuneng, who fought in the water with him three times but could not beat him. The monster is, in fact, blocking our path and we cannot get across. That is why I have come to see you, hoping you will take pity and grant us deliverance.”
“Monkey,” said the Bodhisattva, “are you still acting so smug and self-sufficient that you refuse to disclose the fact that you are in the service of the Tang Monk?” “All we had intended to do,” said Pilgrim, “was to catch the monster and make him take Master across the river. I am not too good at doing business in the water, so Wuneng went down alone to his lair to look for him, and they had some conversation. I presume the matter of scripture seeking was not mentioned.”
“That monster in the Flowing-Sand River,” said the Bodhisattva, “happens to be the incarnate Curtain-Raising Captain, who was also brought into the faith by my persuasion when I told him to accompany those on their way to acquire scriptures. Had you been willing to mention that you were a scripture pilgrim from the Land of the East, he would not have fought you; he would have yielded instead.” Pilgrim said, “That monster is afraid to fight now; he refuses to come up to the shore and is hiding deep in the water. How can we bring him to submission? How can my master get across this body of weak water?”
The Bodhisattva immediately called for Hui’an. Taking a little red gourd from her sleeves, she handed it over to him, saying, “Take this gourd and go with Sun Wukong to the Flowing-Sand River. Call ‘Wujing,’ and he’ll come out at once. You must first take him to submit to the Tang Monk. Next, string together those nine skulls of his and arrange them according to the position of the Nine Palaces. Put this gourd in the center, and you will have a dharma vessel ready to ferry the Tang Monk across the boundary formed by the Flowing-Sand River.” Obeying the instructions of his master, Hui’an left the Tidal-Sound Cave with the Great Sage carrying the gourd. As they departed the purple bamboo grove in compliance with the holy command, we have a testimonial poem:
The Five Phases well matched as Heaven’s truth,
His former master he can recognize.
Refine the self as base for wondrous use;
Good and bad discerned will reveal the cause.
Metal returns to nature—the same kind are both.
Wood begs for favor: they’ll all be redeemed.
Two-Earths9 completes merit to reach the void:
Water and fire blended, dustless and clean.
In a little while the two of them lowered their clouds and arrived at the Flowing-Sand River. Recognizing the disciple Mokṣa, Zhu Eight Rules led his master to receive him. After bowing to Tripitaka, Mokṣa then greeted Eight Rules, who said, “I was grateful to be instructed by Your Reverence so that I could meet the Bodhisattva. I have indeed obeyed the Law, and I am happy recently to have entered the gate of Buddhism. Since we have been constantly on the road, I have yet to thank you. Please forgive me.” “Let’s forget about these fancy conversations,” said Pilgrim. “We must go and call that fellow.” “Call whom?” asked Tripitaka. Pilgrim replied, “Old Monkey saw the Bodhisattva and gave her an account of what happened. The Bodhisattva told me that this monster in the Flowing-Sand River happened to be the incarnation of the Curtain-Raising Captain. Because he had sinned in Heaven, he was banished to this river and became a monster. But he was converted by the Bodhisattva, who had told him to accompany you to the Western Heaven. Since we did not mention the matter of seeking scriptures, he fought us bitterly. Now the Bodhisattva has sent Mokṣa with this gourd, which that fellow will turn into a dharma vessel to take you across the river.” When Tripitaka heard these words, he bowed repeatedly to Mokṣa, saying, “I beseech Your Reverence to act quickly.” Holding the gourd and treading half on cloud and half on fog, Mokṣa moved directly above the surface of the Flowing-Sand River. He cried with a loud voice, “Wujing! Wujing! The scripture pilgrim has been here for a long time. Why have you not submitted?”
We now tell you about that monster who, fearful of the Monkey King, had gone back to the bottom of the river to rest in his den. When he heard someone call him by his religious name, he knew that it had to be the Bodhisattva Guanyin. And when he heard, moreover, that the scripture pilgrim had arrived, he no longer feared the ax or the halberd. Swiftly he leaped out of the waves and saw that it was the disciple Mokṣa. Look at him! All smiles, he went forward and bowed, saying, “Your Reverence, forgive me for not coming to meet you. Where is the Bodhisattva?” “My teacher did not come,” said Mokṣa, “but she sent me to tell you to become the disciple of the Tang Monk without delay. You are to take the skulls around your neck and this gourd, and to fashion with them a dharma vessel according to the position of the Nine Palaces so that he may be taken across this body of weak water.” “Where is the scripture pilgrim?” asked Wujing. Pointing with his finger, Mokṣa said, “Isn’t he the one sitting on the eastern shore?”
Wujing caught sight of Eight Rules and said, “I don’t know where that lawless creature came from! He fought with me for two whole days, never once saying a word about seeking scriptures.” When he saw Pilgrim, he said again. “That customer is his assistant, and a formidable one, too! I’m not going over there!” “That is Zhu Eight Rules,” said Mokṣa, “and that other one is Pilgrim Sun, both disciples of the Tang Monk and both converted by the Bodhisattva. Why fear them? I’ll escort you to the Tang Monk.” Only then did Wujing put away his precious staff and straighten his yellow silk shirt.
He jumpe
d ashore and knelt before Tripitaka, saying, “Master, your disciple has eyes but no pupils, and he failed to recognize your noble features. I have greatly offended you, and I beg you to pardon me.” “You bum!” said Eight Rules. “Why did you not submit in the first place? Why did you only want to fight with me? What do you have to say for yourself?” “Brother,” said Pilgrim, laughing, “don’t berate him. It’s really our fault for not mentioning that we were seeking scriptures, and we didn’t tell him our names.” “Are you truly willing to embrace our faith?” said the elder. “Your disciple was converted by the Bodhisattva,” said Wujing. “Deriving my surname from the river, she gave me the religious name Sha Wujing. How could I be unwilling to take you as my master?” “In that case,” said Tripitaka, “Wukong may bring over the sacred razor and shave off his hair.” The Great Sage indeed took the razor and shaved Wujing’s head, after which he came again to pay homage to Tripitaka, Pilgrim, and Eight Rules, thus becoming the youngest disciple of the Tang Monk. When Tripitaka saw that he comported himself very much like a monk, he gave him the nickname of Sha Monk. “Since you have embraced the faith,” said Mokṣa, “there’s no need for further delay. You must build the dharma vessel at once.”
Not daring to delay, Wujing took off the skulls around his neck and strung them up with a rope after the design of the Nine Palaces, placing the gourd in the middle. He then asked his master to leave the shore, and our elder thus embarked on the dharma vessel. As he sat in the center, he found it to be as sturdy as a little boat. He was, moreover, supported by Eight Rules on his left and Wujing on his right, while Pilgrim Sun, leading the dragon-horse, followed in the rear, treading half on cloud and half on fog. Above their heads Mokṣa also took up his post to give them added protection. In this way our master of the Law was safely ferried across the boundary of the Flowing-Sand River: with the wind calm and waves quiet he crossed the weak water. It was truly as fast as flying or riding an arrow, for in a little while he reached the other shore, having been delivered from the mighty waves. He did not drag up mud or water, and happily both his hands and feet remained dry. In sum, he was pure and clean without engaging in any activity. When master and disciples reached solid ground again, Mokṣa descended from the auspicious clouds. As he took back his gourd, the nine skulls changed into nine curls of dark wind and vanished. Tripitaka bowed to thank Mokṣa and also gave thanks to the Bodhisattva. So it was that Mokṣa went straight back to the South Sea, while Tripitaka mounted his horse to go to the West. We do not know how long it took them to achieve the right fruit of scripture acquisition; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.