The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 1

by Unknown

  Firm as a hill is his Lotus Platform of Seven Treasures;

  Brocadelike is his Flower Seat of Thousand Gold adorned.

  No false speech is this—his age equals Heaven and Earth;

  Nor is this a lie—his luck is great as the sea.

  Blessing and long life reach in him their fullest scope,

  Dwelling in that Western Region of calm, eternal bliss.

  Tathāgata again thanked him and asked Ānanda and Kāśyapa to put away the gifts one by one before approaching the Jade Emperor to express his gratitude for the banquet. By now, everyone was somewhat tipsy. A Spirit Minister of Inspection then arrived to make the report, “The Great Sage is sticking out his head!” “No need to worry,” said the Buddhist Patriarch. He took from his sleeve a tag on which were written in gold letters the words Oṁ maṇi padme hūṁ. Handing it over to Ānanda, he told him to stick it on the top of the mountain. This deva received the tag, took it out of the Heaven Gate, and stuck it tightly on a square piece of rock at the top of the Mountain of Five Phases. The mountain immediately struck root and grew together at the seams, though there was enough space for breathing and for the prisoner’s hands to crawl out and move around a bit. Ānanda then returned to report, “The tag is tightly attached.”

  Tathāgata then took leave of the Jade Emperor and the deities, and went with the two devas out of the Heaven Gate. Moved by compassion, he recited a divine spell and called together a local spirit and the Fearless Guards of Five Quarters to stand watch over the Five-Phases Mountain. They were told to feed the prisoner with iron pellets when he was hungry and to give him melted copper to drink when he was thirsty. When the time of his chastisement was fulfilled, they were told, someone would be coming to deliver him. So it is that

  The brash, baneful monkey in revolt against Heaven

  Is brought to submission by Tathāgata.

  He drinks melted copper to endure the seasons,

  And feeds on iron pellets to pass the time.

  Tried by this bitter misfortune sent from the Sky,

  He’s glad to be living, though in a piteous lot.

  If this hero is allowed to struggle anew,

  He’ll serve Buddha in future and go to the West.

  Another poem says:

  Prideful of his power once the time was ripe,

  He tamed dragon and tiger, flaunting wily might.

  Stealing peaches and wine, he roamed Heaven’s House.

  He found trust and grace in the City of Jade.

  He’s now bound, for his evil’s full to the brim.

  By good stock23 unfailing his breath will rise again.

  If he’s indeed to flee Tathāgata’s hands,

  He must await from Tang court the holy monk.

  We do not know in what month or year hereafter the days of his penance will be fulfilled; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

  EIGHT

  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;

&n
bsp; 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 p
ilgrim. 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.