Journey to the West (vol. 3)

by Wu Cheng-En

  Rivers and mountains shook for three thousand miles.

  Inside and outside the city of Fengxian nobody, whether an official high or how, a soldier or a civilian had heard thunder or seen lightning for three whole years; and now that the thunder was booming and the lightning flashing they all fell to their knees, put incense burners on their heads, held sprigs of willow in their hands and said, “We submit to Amitabha Buddha. We submit to Amitabha Buddha.” These good thoughts had indeed moved Heaven, as is proved by an old-style poem:

  When thoughts have been born in human minds

  Heaven and earth will both be aware.

  If evil and good do not get their due

  Sides have been taken by powers up there.

  We will for the moment leave the Great Sage Monkey directing the thunder generals as they unleashed thunder and lightning over Fengxian Prefecture, where everyone had turned back to goodness, and tell how the Straight Spell Messenger took the Taoist and Buddhist documents straight to the Hall of Universal Brightness, where the four heavenly teachers submitted them to the Jade Emperor in the Hall of Miraculous Mist.

  When the Jade Emperor had seen them he said, “As that wretch has had some virtuous thoughts, see what has happened to the three things.” Just as he was speaking the official in charge of the Hall of Fragrance came in to report, “The rice and flour mountains have collapsed: the rice and flour all disappeared in an instant. The bar of the lock has also been broken.”

  Before he could finish submitting this memorial the heavenly official in attendance led in the local deity, the city god and the gods of the altars from Fengxian, who all bowed and reported, “The lord of our prefecture and every member of every household, high and low, of the people have been converted to the true achievement and are worshipping the Buddha and Heaven. We now beg you in your compassion to send a widespread fall of timely rain to deliver the common people.”

  When the Jade Emperor heard this he was very pleased, so he issued an edict: “Let the departments of wind, cloud and rain go to the lower world in accordance with orders. At this hour on this day the clouds are to be spread, the thunder shall roar, and three feet and forty-two drops of rain shall fall.” At once the four heavenly teachers transmitted the edict to the weather departments, who were all to go to the lower world, show their powers and act together.

  Monkey was enjoying himself up in the sky with Deng, Xin, Zhang and Tao, who were ordering Mother Lightning about, when the arrival of all other gods filled the sky with their assembly. As the wind and the clouds met, the timely rain began to pour down.

  Thick, heavy clouds,

  Lowering black mists,

  The rumbling of the thunder cart,

  The searing flash of lightning,

  A roaring gale,

  A torrential downpour.

  Indeed, when one thought goes up to Heaven

  Ten thousand hopes are all fulfilled.

  Because the Great Sage has used his powers

  The landscape is darkened for thousands of miles.

  The wonderful rain falls like rivers and seas,

  Hiding the country and heavens from sight.

  Water comes pouring down the eaves,

  Noisily pounding outside the windows.

  While every household invokes the Buddha

  All of the streets and markets are flooded.

  To East and West every channel is filled;

  Winding streams meander to North and to South.

  Dried-up shoots receive moisture,

  Withered trees revive.

  The hemp and wheat now flourish in the fields;

  Beans and other grains grow in the countryside.

  Traders happily travel to sell their wares;

  Cheerful peasants get ready to work.

  After this the millet will do well,

  And the crops are bound to yield a bumper harvest.

  When wind and rain are timely the people know content;

  When rivers and seas are calm the world is at peace.

  That day three feet and forty-two drops of rain fell, after which all the gods began to tidy up and go away. “Gods of the four departments,” yelled the Great Sage at the top of his voice, “stay there for a moment with your cloud followers while I tell the marquis to bow to you all and express his thanks. You may part the clouds and appear in your true forms to let this mortal see you with his own eyes. That's the only way he'll believe and make offerings.” When the gods heard this they all stayed where they were up in the clouds.

  Monkey then brought his cloud down to land and went straight into the prefectural palace, where Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand all greeted him. The marquis kowtowed to him in thanks at every pace he took.

  “Stop thanking me,” said Monkey. “I've asked the gods of the four departments to stay. Could you tell everyone to come here to kowtow and thank them so that they'll make it rain properly in future?” The marquis issued urgent orders summoning everyone to give thanks, and they all kowtowed with incense-sticks in their hands. The gods of the four departments-rain, thunder, cloud and wind-then parted the clouds and revealed themselves in their true form.

  The dragon king appeared,

  The thunder generals were revealed,

  The clouds boys were seen,

  The lords of the wind came down.

  The dragon king appeared:

  With silver whiskers and an azure face he was really peerless.

  The thunder generals were revealed

  With their countenances of matchless might and crooked mouths.

  The cloud boys were seen

  Wearing gold crowns over faces like jade.

  The lords of the wind came down

  With flustered brows and bulging eyes.

  All were displayed on the azure clouds

  Drawn up in ranks with their holy countenances.

  Only then were the people of Fengxian convinced

  As they kowtowed, burned incense and rejected evil.

  Today they gazed up at the heavenly generals,

  Washing their hearts as they all turned to goodness.

  The gods stood there for two hours as the people kowtowed to them endlessly. Monkey rose up into the clouds again to bow to all the gods and say, “I've put you to great trouble. All you gentlemen may now return. I'll make everyone in this prefecture give pure and lofty offerings to thank you at the due season. From now on you gentlemen must send wind every five days and rain every ten days to help them out.” The gods all consented as he told them and returned to their own departments.

  Bringing his cloud down to land, Monkey said to Sanzang, “Now that the job's been done and the people given peace we can pack our things and be on our way again.”

  When the marquis heard this he hastened to bow and say, “How can you say such a thing, Lord Sun? What has happened today has been an infinitely great act of kindness. I have sent people to prepare a humble banquet to thank you for your great kindness. Then I will buy some land from the people to build a monastery for you, my lords, with a shrine to you with inscribed tablets where offerings can be made in all four seasons. Even if I were to carve my own bones and heart it would be hard to repay a ten thousandth part of what I owe you. You can't possibly leave.”

  “What Your Excellency says is very fine,” Sanzang replied, “but we are pilgrim monks who can only put up for the night on our journey West. We cannot stay here long. We definitely must leave in a day or two.” The marquis refused to let them go, and he ordered many people to prepare a banquet and start building a monastery that very night.

  The next day there was a magnificent banquet at which the Tang Priest took the place of honour while the Great Sage Monkey sat beside him with Pig and Friar Sand. The marquis and his officials high and low passed them cups of wine and dishes of food while fine music was played, and so they were entertained all day. It was a most happy occasion, and there is a poem to prove it:

  After long drought the fields received sweet rain;
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  Merchants were travelling along all watercourses.

  They were deeply moved by the monks who had come to the city,

  And by the Great Sage who had gone up to Heaven.

  The three things had now been accomplished;

  One thought had brought all back to the good.

  From now on all longed for a new golden age

  With ideal weather and good harvests for ever.

  The banquets went on for days, as did the giving of thanks, until they had been kept there for almost half a month. All that remained to do was complete the monastery and the shrine. One day the marquis invited the four monks to go to inspect them.

  “How did you complete so enormous a project so quickly?” asked the Tang Priest in astonishment.

  “I pressed the laborers to work night and day without stopping and insisted most urgently that they finish quickly,” the marquis replied. “Now I would like you gentlemen to come and inspect it.”

  “You certainly are a most good and able marquis,” said Monkey with a smile. By now they had all reached the new monastery, where they were full of admiration for the towering halls and the majestic entrance. Monkey asked Sanzang to name the monastery.

  “Very well,” Sanzang said, “I name it the Monastery of Salvation by Timely Rain.”

  “Splendid,” said the marquis, “splendid.” He then issued a golden invitation to monks from far and wide to come to burn incense there. To the left of the Buddha hall was a shrine to the four pilgrims at which offerings were to be made in each of the four seasons every year. Temples had also been built for the thunder gods and dragon gods to thank them for their divine efforts. When the visit was over Sanzang ordered an early departure.

  When the local people realized that the monks could be persuaded to stay no longer they all prepared parting gifts, none of which the travelers would accept. Then all the officials in the prefecture escorted them on their way for ten miles with a band playing and a great display of flags and canopies. Still loath to let the travelers go, the officials watched with tears in their eyes till they had disappeared from sight. Only then did the officials return to the city. Indeed:

  The virtuous and holy monk left behind the Salvation Monastery;

  The Great Sage Equaling Heaven dispensed great kindness.

  If you don't know how many more days after this departure it was that they finally saw the Tathagata Buddha, listen to the explanation in the next installment.

  Chapter 88

  When the Dhyana Reaches Yuhua a Display of Magic Is Given

  The Mind-Ape and the Mother of Wood Take Their Own Disciples

  The story tells how after happily taking their leave of the marquis the Tang Priest turned to Monkey as he rode and said, “Worthy disciple, this good result was even better than rescuing the babies in Bhiksuland, and it was all your achievement.”

  “In Bhiksuland you only saved 1,111 little boys,” said Friar Sand. “That's no comparison with this heavy, soaking rain that's saved tens of thousands of lives. I've been quietly admiring my big brother's magical powers that extend right up to the heavens, as well as his mercy that covers the whole earth.”

  “Merciful and good our big brother may be,” said Pig with a laugh, “but it's just a show of being kind. Inside he's a troublemaker. When he's with me he treats me like dirt.”

  “When have I ever treated you like dirt?” Monkey protested. “Often enough,” replied Pig. “You're always seeing to it that I get tied up, hung up, boiled and steamed. After being so kind to all those tens of thousands of people in Fengxian you should have stayed there for half a year and let me have a few more good filling meals. Why did you have to be sending us on our way?”

  When the venerable elder heard this he shouted, “You idiot! Can you think of nothing but your greed? Stop quarrelling and be on your way.” Daring say no more, Pig thrust out his snout, shouldered the luggage, and followed the master and his fellow disciples along the road, laughing loudly.

  Time moved as fast as a shuttle, and soon it was late autumn. What could be seen was,

  The end of ripples on the waters,

  The mountains' bones looking lean.

  Red leaves fly around,

  In the time of yellowing flowers.

  Under the clear and frosty sky the nights seem longer;

  The moon shines white through the windows.

  Many the household fires in the evening light;

  The water gleams cold all over the lake.

  The clover fern is now white,

  While knotweed blooms red.

  Mandarins are green and oranges yellow;

  Willows are withering and the millet is ripe.

  Beside the desolate village wild geese land among the reeds;

  Cocks call by the country inn while the beans are harvested.

  When the four of them had been travelling for a long time they saw the towering shape of a city wall. “Wukong,” said Sanzang, waving his riding-crop, “you can see there's another city there. I wonder where it is.”

  “Neither of us have ever been here before,” Monkey replied, “so how could I know? Let's go ahead and ask.”

  Before the words were out of his mouth an old man appeared from among some trees. He was leaning on a stick, lightly dressed with coconut sandals on his feet and had a sash round his waist. The Tang Priest hastily dismounted and went over to greet the old man.

  Returning his greeting as he leaned on his stick, the old man asked, “Where are you from, reverend sir?”

  “I am a poor monk sent by the Tang court in the East to worship the Buddha in the Thunder Monastery and fetch the scriptures,” the Tang Priest replied, putting his hands together in front of his chest. “Now that I have come to this distinguished place I wonder which city it is that I can see in the distance, and I would ask you, venerable benefactor, to inform me.”

  When the old man heard this he replied, “Enlightened master of the dhyana, this humble place of ours is Yuhua County in one of the prefectures of India. The lord of our city is a member of the king of India 's royal family who has been made prince of Yuhua. He is a very worthy prince who respects both Buddhist and Taoist clergy and cares deeply for the common people. If you go to see him he will certainly treat you with great respect.” Sanzang thanked the old man, who went off through the woods.

  Sanzang then turned back to tell his disciples what had happened. The three of them were happily going to help the master back on his horse when Sanzang said, “It's not far. There is no need to ride.” The four of them then walked to a street beside the city wall to take a look. This was an area where traders lived; it was crowded with people and business was good. The people looked and sounded no different from those of China. “Be careful, disciples,” said Sanzang. “On no account must you act wild.”

  At that Pig bowed his head and Friar Sand covered his face, leaving only Monkey to support the master. On both sides of the road people were crowding in to look at them, shouting, “We only have eminent monks who subdue dragons and tigers here. We've never seen monks who subdue pigs and monkeys before.” This was more than Pig could stand.

  Thrusting his snout at them he said, “Have you ever seen a monk in all your life who subdued the king of the pigs?” This gave all the people in the street so bad a fright that they fell back on both sides of them stumbling and tripping over, trying to get away.

  “Put that snout away at once, you idiot,” said Monkey with a grin, “and don't try to make yourself look pretty. Just pay attention while you're crossing the bridge.” The idiot lowered his head and kept grinning. Once over the drawbridge they entered the city, where the main roads were bustling and prosperous with bars and houses of entertainment. It was indeed a city in a divine region, and there is a poem to prove it that goes,

  An eternally iron-strong city like splendid brocade,

  Full of fresh color, lying next to a river near mountains,

  Connected by boat with lakes for the movement of go
ods.

  A thousand wine-shops await behind curtains.

  Everywhere smoke rises from towering buildings;

  Each morning the lanes are filled with the hubbub of traders.

  The look of the city was much like Chang'an:

  Cock-crows and the barking of dogs were all just the same.

  “I have heard tell of the foreigners in the West,” Sanzang thought with secret delight, “but I have never come here before. On close examination it is no different from our Great Tang. This must be what is meant by paradise.” When he learned that a bushel of hulled rice cost only four tenths of an ounce of silver and a pound of sesame oil only eight thousandths of an ounce of silver he realized that this truly was a place where crops grew in abundance.

  After walking for quite a long time they reached the prince of Yuhua's palace. On either side of the palace gates were the office of the remembrancer, the law courts, the prince's kitchens and the government hostel.

  “Disciples,” said Sanzang, “here is the palace. Wait while I go inside for the prince to inspect our passport and let us on our way.”

  “We can't very well stand at the gates while you go in, Master,” said Pig.

  “Can you not see 'Government Hostel' written over that gateway?” Sanzang asked. “Go and sit there and see if you can buy some fodder for the horse. If the prince offers me a meal when I have my audience with him I will send for you to share it.”

  “Go on in, Master, and don't worry,” said Brother Monkey. “I can cope.” Friar Sand carried the luggage into the hostel, where the staff were so alarmed by their hideous faces that they did not dare ask them any questions or send them away but could only invite them to sit down.

  Meanwhile the master changed his habit and hat and went straight into the prince's palace with the passport in his hands. Soon he was met by a protocol officer who asked, “Where are you from, reverend sir?”

  “I am a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to worship the Lord Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Great Thunder Monastery,” Sanzang replied. “Now that I have reached this distinguished place I would like to have my passport inspected and returned, which is why I have come to seek an audience with His Royal Highness.” The protocol officer passed this on, and as the prince was indeed an enlightened one he sent for Sanzang at once.