The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 3

by Unknown

  They walked before the gate of the court, and there were endless scenes of scarlet birds and yellow dragons, of divine capitals and celestial arches. Approaching the East Flower Gate, Tripitaka saluted the grand official of the gate and said, “I beg Your Honor to make this announcement for us: this humble cleric has been sent by the Great Tang in the Land of the East to go acquire scriptures in the Western Heaven. We seek an audience with your ruler in order to have our travel rescript certified.” Willing, indeed, to grant this request, the Custodian of the Yellow Gate went before the steps to memorialize: “There are two monks of strange features and attire outside who claim to have been sent by the Tang court in the Land of the East of the South Jambūdvīpa Continent to go seek scriptures from Buddha in the West. They wish to have an audience with our king in order to have their travel rescript certified.”

  On hearing this, the king gave the order to have the visitors summoned, and the elder thus led Pilgrim to walk into court. When the civil and military officials caught sight of Pilgrim, they all became frightened, some saying that this was a monkey priest while others observing that he was a monk with a thunder-god beak. All of them were so alarmed that they dared not stare at him for long. While the elder went through elaborate ritual before the steps to salute the throne, Pilgrim stood with hands folded before him and remained unmoved. Then the elder spoke: “Your priestly subject has been sent as a scripture pilgrim by the Great Tang nation in the Land of the East of the South Jambūdvīpa Continent to worship Buddha at the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the India of the West. Our journey takes us to your noble region, and we dare not pass through without permission. We have with us a travel rescript, which we beg you to certify before we leave.”

  Greatly pleased by what he heard, the king gave the order for the sage monk of the Tang court to ascend the Hall of Golden Chimes. A cushion of embroidered silk was granted him as his seat. Going up the hall by himself, the elder first presented the rescript before he took the seat. After the king had read carefully the rescript from beginning to end, he was delighted. He said to Tripitaka, “Though the Great Tang Emperor was indisposed, he was fortunate to have been able to select a noble priest who was willing to seek scriptures from Buddha without any fear of the lengthy distance. But the priests of our region are good only for stealing, for bringing ruin upon our nation and ruler.” When he heard this, Tripitaka folded his hands before his chest and said, “In what way do they bring ruin upon your nation and ruler?”

  “This kingdom of ours,” said the king, “is a superior state of the Western Territories. In the past, the four barbaric tribes frequently came to us to pay tribute, all on account of the Golden Light Monastery within our kingdom. In that monastery was a treasure pagoda of yellow gold, the luster and brilliance of which filled the sky. Recently, however, the larcenous monks of the monastery secretly have stolen the treasure, and for the last three years, there was no brilliance at all. The foreign nations during this time also stopped their tributes, and this matter has aroused our deepest hatred.”

  “Your Majesty,” said Tripitaka with a smile, his hands still folded,

  “To err by a hair’s breadth

  Is to miss by a thousand miles!

  When this humble priest arrived at your Heavenly domain last evening, I caught sight of some ten priests, all carrying cangues and wearing locks, the moment I entered the city gate. I questioned them on their crime, and they told me that they were innocent victims from the Golden Light Monastery. An even more thorough investigation I made after my arrival at their monastery disclosed that the priests there had nothing to do with this, for when I swept the pagoda at night, I caught the fiendish thieves who stole the treasure.” “Where are these fiendish thieves?” asked the king, highly pleased. Tripitaka said, “They have been locked up by my humble disciple in the Golden Light Monastery.”

  Hurriedly issuing a golden tablet, the king gave this decree: “Let the Embroidered-Uniform Guard11 bring back the fiendish thieves from the Golden Light Monastery. We ourselves will then interrogate them.” “Your Majesty,” said Tripitaka, “though you may want to send the Imperial Guard, it is better that my humble disciple accompany him.” “Where is your noble disciple?” asked the king.

  Pointing with his finger, Tripitaka said, “He’s the one standing by the jade steps.” When the king saw Pilgrim, he was astounded, saying, “The sage monk has such elegant features! How is it that your noble disciple has that sort of appearance?” When the Great Sage Sun heard this, he spoke up in a loud voice, “Your Majesty,

  Do not judge a man by his face,

  Nor measure the sea by a vase.

  If you only cared for men of good appearance, how could you seize the fiendish thieves?” These words of Pilgrim turned the king’s astonishment to delight, and he said, “What the sage monk says is true indeed. We shall not select talents according to their appearances. All we want is to catch the thieves and return the treasure back to the pagoda.” He then gave the order for the court attendant to prepare a canopied carriage, and for the Imperial Guard to wait on the sage monk in all diligence when he went to fetch the fiendish thieves.

  The court attendant at once sent for a huge carriage and a yellow umbrella. The Embroidered-Uniform Guard also summoned the guardsmen; Pilgrim was placed in the carriage that was borne by four people in front and four behind, while four outriders shouted to clear the way as they headed toward the Golden Light Monastery. This entourage soon disturbed the populace of the whole city, and not one failed to show up to try to see the sage monk and the fiendish thieves.

  When Eight Rules and Sha Monk heard the shouts for clearing the way, they thought that some official sent by the king had arrived, and they hurried out of the monastery to receive him. Pilgrim, they discovered, was the one sitting in the carriage. Facing him, our Idiot said, giggling, “Elder Brother, you’ve acquired your true form!” Pilgrim descended from the carriage and took hold of Eight Rules, asking, “What do you mean?” Eight Rules replied, “You have a yellow umbrella above you, and your carriage is borne by eight carriers. Don’t these betoken the office of Monkey King? That’s why I said you’ve acquired your true form.” “Don’t make fun of me!” said Pilgrim. He untied the two fiendish creatures so that they could be taken to see the king. “Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, “please take us along.” “But you should stay here to guard the luggage and the horse,” said Pilgrim. One of the priests who were still cangued and locked said, “Let the fathers go to enjoy imperial favor. We will remain here to watch your things.” “In that case,” said Pilgrim, “let us go report to the king first. Then we’ll come to free you.” Eight Rules grabbed one of the fiendish thieves, while Sha Monk took hold of the other; the Great Sage Sun climbed into the carriage as before. The entire entourage returned to court with the fiendish thieves in custody.

  In a moment, they arrived before the white jade steps to address the king: “We’ve brought the fiendish thieves here.” Coming down from his dragon couch, the king led the Tang Monk and the various officials, both civil and military, to look at the fiends: one had pouchy jowls and black scales, a pointed mouth and sharp teeth, while the other had smooth skin and a huge belly, a large mouth and long whiskers. Though they had legs that could walk, they barely looked human. “Where are you from, monster-spirits,” asked the king, “and in what year did you invade our domain to steal our treasure? How many thieves are there altogether, and what are their names? Make your confession, in truth and in detail.”

  The two fiends went to their knees before him (though their necks were dripping with blood, they did not seem to mind the pain), and made this confession:

  Three years ago,

  On the first of the seventh month,

  There was one All Saints Dragon King,

  Who led many of his kindred

  To settle southeast of this state

  From here miles some one hundred.

  His lagoon’s called Green Wave;

  His mountain,
Scattered-Rock.

  To him was born a daughter

  Most pretty and seductive,

  Who took a husband named Nine-Heads

  Of magic powers matchless.

  Learning of your pagoda’s treasure,

  He joined the Dragon King as bandits.

  First they sent down a bloody rainstorm;

  Then the pagoda’s śāri they lifted.

  Now it lights up the dragon palace,

  Making bright days out of darkness.

  As well the princess plotted

  In deep and silent secret;

  She stole the Queen Mother’s agaric,

  With which the lagoon’s treasure she nourished.

  We two are no bandit leaders:

  The Dragon King sent only privates.

  Tonight we’ve been captured;

  Our confession’s most honest.

  “If you have made your confession,” said the king, “why don’t you reveal your names?” One of the fiends said, “I’m called Busy Bubble, and he’s called Bubble Busy. I’m a sheat fish spirit, and he’s a black fish spirit.” The king instructed the Embroidered-Uniform Guard to jail them, after which he issued this decree: “The monks of the Golden Light Monastery will be freed at once from their cangues and locks. Let the Court of Imperial Entertainments prepare a banquet quickly, and we will thank the sage monks in the Unicorn Hall for capturing these thieves. We will also discuss the matter of asking the sage monks to arrest the bandit chief.”

  The Court of Imperial Entertainments at once prepared a banquet composed of both vegetarian and meat dishes. After the king invited the Tang Monk and his three disciples to take their seats in the Unicorn Hall, he asked, “Sage Monk, what is your honored style?” “The secular family of this humble cleric,” replied the Tang Monk with folded hands, “goes by the name of Chen, and my religious name is Xuanzang. I also had bestowed on me the surname of Tang by my emperor, and my humble style is Tripitaka.” “And what are the honored styles of your noble disciples?” asked the king.

  “My disciples are without styles,” said Tripitaka. “The first one is called Sun Wukong; the second, Zhu Wuneng; and the third, Sha Wujing. These names were given by the Bodhisattva Guanshiyin of the South Sea. Since they made submission to this humble cleric and addressed me as master, I have also named Wukong Pilgrim. Wuneng I have named Eight Rules, and Wujing is now called Monk.” When he finished speaking, the king asked Tripitaka to take the head table, Pilgrim Sun to take the side table to his left, and Zhu Eight Rules with Sha Monk to take the side table to his right. Spread upon the tables were all vegetarian foods, fruits, teas, and rice. Facing them, the king took the table that had on it meat dishes, while the rest of the civil and military officials occupied over a hundred tables down below, all with meat dishes. After the officials thanked the king and the disciples excused themselves to their master, they were all seated. The king lifted his cup, but Tripitaka dared not drink; only the three disciples accepted the seat-taking toast. From down below came the harmonious strains of pipes and strings provided by the Office of Music. Look at the appetite of Eight Rules! It did not matter whether fruits or vegetables were set on the table; he wolfed them down and finished them all. A little while later, additional soup and rice were brought to him, and these he also cleaned up completely. When the wine stewards came by, he never once refused the cup. And so, this banquet lasted well past the hour of noon before it ended.

  As Tripitaka gave thanks for this lavish banquet, the king tugged at him to say, “This is merely to thank you for capturing the fiends. Let’s change the banquet quickly to Jianzhang Palace,12 where we shall ask the sage monk for the plan to arrest the bandit chief and return the treasure to the pagoda.” “If you want us to do that,” said Tripitaka, “there is no need for another banquet. All of us humble clerics will take leave of you, Your Majesty, and we shall go to capture the fiends.”

  The king, however, would have none of it, and he insisted that they proceed to the Jianzhang Palace, where they were fêted once more. Raising a cup of wine, the king said, “Which one of you sage monks will lead the troops to go arrest the fiends?” “We’ll send Sun Wukong our eldest disciple,” said Tripitaka, and the Great Sage saluted him with folded hands to signify his obedience. “If Elder Sun is willing to go,” said the king, “how many men and horses do you need? When do you want to leave the city?”

  No longer able to restrain himself, Eight Rules said in a loud voice, “Who needs men and horses! Who cares what time it is! While we are still full of wine and rice, let me go with Elder Brother. We’ll just stretch our hands and bring them back at once.”

  Highly pleased, Tripitaka said, “You’re quite diligent nowadays, Eight Rules!” “In that case,” said Pilgrim, “let Brother Sha Monk protect Master. We two will go.” “If the two elders do not need men or horses,” said the king, “do you want any weapons?” “The weapons that you have,” said Eight Rules, chuckling, “are of no use to us. We brothers have our own weapons that accompany us wherever we go.” On hearing this, the king asked for a large goblet of wine with which he wanted to send them off. “We won’t drink wine now,” said the Great Sage Sun, “but ask the Embroidered-Uniform Guard to bring out the two little fiends. We’ll take them along as informants.” The king ordered them brought out at once; taking hold of the two fiends and mounting the wind, the two disciples employed the magic of traction to head for the southeast. Lo!

  When Ruler and subjects saw them mounting wind and fog,

  They knew master and disciples to be sage monks.

  We do not know how they will capture the other monsters; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

  SIXTY-THREE

  Two monks, quelling fiends, disturb the dragon palace;

  The sages, destroying deviates, acquire the treasures.

  We were telling you about the king of the Sacrifice Kingdom and the various officials, both great and small. When they saw how the Great Sage Sun and Eight Rules mounted the wind and fog and glided away, each holding one of the little fiends, all those dukes and marquises bowed toward the sky, saying, “It’s indeed the truth! Not until today did we realize that there are such immortals, such living Buddhas!” When the two disciples vanished from sight, the king then turned to thank Tripitaka and Sha Monk, saying, “This Solitary One is of fleshly eyes and mortal stock. We only thought that your worthy disciples had sufficient power to capture the fiendish thieves. Little did we realize that they are actually superior immortals who can ride the fog and mount the clouds!”

  “This humble cleric,” said Tripitaka, “has hardly any magic power, and he’s dependent on these three lowly disciples throughout the journey.” Sha Monk said, “To tell you the truth, Your Majesty, my Big Brother happens to be the converted Great Sage, Equal to Heaven. Once he caused great havoc in Heaven, using a golden-hooped rod, and among one hundred celestial warriors there was none who could withstand him. Even the Jade Emperor and Laozi were intimidated by him. My Second Elder Brother is none other than the Marshal of Heavenly Reeds who has embraced the right fruit. He used to command a mighty force of eighty thousand marines of the Celestial River. Compared with them, this disciple has very little magic power, but I, too, happen to be the Curtain-Raising Captain who has received the commandments. We brothers may not be very good at doing other things, but if you want something like catching fiends and binding monsters, seizing thieves and arresting fugitives, taming tigers and subduing dragons, kicking down Heaven and pulling up wells—including even stirring up seas and overturning rivers—we know a little of these. As for activities such as mounting the cloud and riding the fog, calling up rain and summoning wind, moving the stars and changing the dipper, poling the mountains to chase after the moon, they are simple matters, hardly worth mentioning.”

  When the king heard this, he became even more respectful toward them; asking the Tang Monk to take the honored seat, he addressed him as “Venerable Buddha,” while Sha Monk and his com
panions were given the title, “Bodhisattva.” The civil and military officials of the entire court were all delighted, while the people of the whole kingdom paid them homage, and we shall leave them for the moment.

  We now tell you about the Great Sage Sun and Eight Rules who, astride the violent wind, brought the two young fiends to the Green Wave Lagoon at the Scattered-Rock Mountain. After they stopped their clouds, the Great Sage blew a mouthful of divine breath onto his golden-hooped rod, crying, “Change!” It changed at once into a ritual razor, with which he cut off the ears of the black fish spirit and the lower lip of the sheat fish spirit. After casting the fiends into the water, Pilgrim shouted to them, “Go quickly and make a report to that All Saints Dragon King. Tell him that his Venerable Father Sun the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, has arrived. Tell him to bring out immediately the original treasure taken from the top of the Golden Light Monastery in the Sacrifice Kingdom, and the lives of his whole family will be spared. If he but utters half a no, I’ll clean out this lagoon, and everyone in his household, both old and young, will be executed!”

  Those two little fiends were only too glad to have their lives back. Enduring their pain and dragging along their iron chains, they fled by darting into the water. The spirits of fishes, shrimps, crabs, sea turtles, iguanas, and huge tortoises were so startled that they swarmed around them and asked, “Why are you two draped with ropes and chains?” One of the two, hands still hugging the sides of his head, kept wagging his tail and shaking his head; the other one, holding his mouth, stamped his feet and beat his breast. In a noisy throng, they went up to the palace of the Dragon King and the two made this report: “Great King, disaster!”

  The All Saints Dragon King was just drinking wine with Nine-Heads, his son-in-law. When he saw them dashing in, he put down his glass and inquired about the disaster. “We were on patrol last night,” said one of the two fiends, “when we were caught by the Tang Monk and Pilgrim Sun, who happened to be sweeping the pagoda. We were, in fact, bound by iron chains. This morning we were taken to see the king, after which that Pilgrim and Zhu Eight Rules hauled the two of us back here; one of us had his ears cut off and the other, his lower lip. They then threw us into the water and told us to make this report. They are demanding from us the treasure taken from the pagoda top.” When they gave a thorough account of what had happened, and when the old dragon heard the name Pilgrim Sun, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, he was so terrified that his spirit fled his body and his soul floated up to the Ninefold Heaven. Shaking all over, he said to Nine-Heads, “Oh, worthy son-in-law! It may be all right if another person shows up, but if it’s he, then we’re in a bad situation!”