SEVENTY-SEVEN

A horde of demons affront native Nature;

The One Body bows to True Suchness.¹

We shall not tell you for the moment about the affliction of the Elder Tang. Instead, we shall speak of those three demon chiefs, all united in their minds and efforts, who were engaged in a strenuous conflict with the Great Sage and his brothers halfway up the mountain east of the city, a battle that was something like

An iron brush scrubbing a copper pan:

Each party’s tough and hard.

What a fight!

Six substances and forms,² six weapons;

Six body features and six sentiments;

Six evils of six organs from six desires;³

A contest waged on six paths—six forms of birth.⁴

In the comforts of spring of Thirty-six Halls,⁵

Each of six forms or features⁶ had a name.

This one’s golden-hooped rod

Had thousands of styles;

That one’s square-sky halberd

Was fierce in a hundred ways.

Eight Rules’s muckrake was savage and strong;

The second fiend’s lance, able and in good form.

Young Sha Monk’s treasure staff, no common thing,

Had intent to kill;

Old demon chief’s steel scimitar, fine and sharp,

Would spare none, once upraised.

These three were a true monk’s guardians whom none could face;

Those three were brazen wild spirits who mocked both lord and law.

At first it was so-so,

Then the battle turned fierce;

When six persons all used the magic of flight,

They each tumbled and turned on the edge of clouds.

In a moment the belched out mist and fog darkened Heaven and Earth,

And all you heard were the growls and roars.

The six of them fought for a long time until gradually dusk sett led in; since the sky was already misty and a strong gust was blowing, it became completely dark in no time at all.

Now Eight Rules already had huge ears that hovered over his eyes, making the world seem more opaque than ever to him. His arms and legs slackened, and he no longer was able to parry the blows. As he turned to flee in defeat, his muckrake trailing behind him, the old demon gave him a blow with the scimitar that almost took his life. It was fortunate that he missed Eight Rules’s head, but a few bristles on his neck were shaved off. He was, however, chased down by the old demon, who opened wide his mouth and caught Eight Rules by the collar. The demon took his prisoner into the city, threw him to the little fiends to have him bound in the Hall of Golden Chimes, and then mounted the clouds once more to join in the battle.

When Sha Monk saw that things were going badly, he turned to flee after one last halfhearted blow with his treasure staff. The second fiend flung out his trunk with a snort and wrapped him up, hands and all. He was brought into the city, where the little fiends were instructed to have him bound beneath the steps of the hall also. Then the second fiend rose into the air to try to capture Pilgrim.

When Pilgrim saw that his two brothers had fallen into captivity, he realized he was unable to oppose three adversaries. As the saying goes,

Even a good hand can’t withstand two fists;

And two fists can’t oppose four hands.

With a cry, he broke through the weapons of those three fiendish demons and fled by mounting the cloud somersault. When the third fiend saw Pilgrim somersaulting away, he shook himself and revealed his original form. Flapping both his wings, he immediately caught up with the Great Sage.

How could he do this so readily, you ask? When Pilgrim caused great disturbance in the Celestial Palace, even one hundred thousand warriors from Heaven could not catch hold of him, for a single cloud somersault of his would traverse the distance of one hundred and eight thousand miles. But one flap of this monster-spirit’s wing, however, could cover ninety thousand miles, and thus two flaps, in fact, would send him past the Great Sage. That was how the Great Sage fell into his clutches. The grip of the fiend was so firm that he could not move left or right at all, nor could he even exercise his magic power to escape; for when he enlarged himself, the fiend’s clutch would loosen somewhat, and when he reduced his size, the fiend tightened his grip accordingly. He was thus taken back to the city, dropped to the ground, and he too was bound and placed together with Eight Rules and Sha Monk. As the old demon and the second demon came forward to meet him, the third demon joined them to ascend the treasure hall. Ah! Little did they realize that they had not bound Pilgrim; it was more like sending him off!

It was about the hour of the second watch, when all those fiends, after they had greeted each other, pushed the Tang Monk down the steps of the hall. When the lamplight revealed to the elder his three disciples all bound up and lying on the ground, he fell down at Pilgrim’s side. “O disciple!” he sobbed. “When we met with an ordeal, it was customary for you to exercise your magic powers outside so that you could seek assistance, when necessary, to subdue the demons. This time even you have been taken. How could this poor monk lay claim to his life?”

When Eight Rules and Sha Monk heard these words of anguish from their master, they, too, began to wail. Pilgrim, however, replied with a smile, “Master, relax! And stop crying, brothers! Let them do what they will, but you will not be harmed. Let the old demons quiet down first, and we’ll be on our way.”

“O Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “you’re fibbing again! Look at the way I’m tied up! When the ropes are just the least bit loosened, they immediately spit some water on them to make them tighter. A skinny fellow like you probably doesn’t feel a thing, but that’s a plague on a fatso like me! If you don’t believe me, just look at my shoulders. The ropes have cut at least two inches into my flesh. How could we escape?”

“Not to mention the fact that we’re bound by hemp ropes,” said Pilgrim with a laugh. “Even if they use coir cables as thick as a rice bowl, I’ll treat the matter as lightly as an autumn breeze blowing past my ears! You needn’t wonder about that!”

As the three brothers were conversing, they also heard the old demon say, “Our Third Worthy Brother is most capable and most intelligent! His marvelous plan did indeed succeed in capturing the Tang Monk! Little ones, five of you will go bail water; seven of you will scrub the pots; ten of you will start the fire; and twenty of you will go fetch the iron steamer. Let’s have those four monks steamed for us brothers to enjoy. We’ll give each of you a small piece of their flesh so that you can all attain long life too.”

On hearing this, Eight Rules shook all over and said, “Elder Brother, listen to that! That monster-spirit’s planning to have us steamed and eaten!” “Don’t be afraid,” said Pilgrim. “Let me see if he’s a rookie or an old pro of a monster-spirit.”

“O Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, “stop this idle chitchat! We’re about to become neighbors of King Yama, and you’re still talking about rookie or old pro!” He had barely finished speaking when they heard the second fiend say, “It’s not easy to steam Zhu Eight Rules.”

Delighted, Eight Rules said, “Amitābha! Who’s accumulating secret merit by saying it’s not easy to steam me?” “If it isn’t,” said the third fiend, “let’s skin him first before we steam him.” Horrified, Eight Rules yelled, “Don’t skin me! I may be coarse, but the moment the water gurgles, I’ll turn soft!” The old fiend said, “The one not easily steamed should be placed in the bottom layer.” “Don’t be afraid, Eight Rules,” said Pilgrim, laughing. “He’s a rookie, not an old pro.” “How d’you know?” asked Sha Monk.

Pilgrim said, “Whenever you steam anything, the stuff placed on top always gets done first. That’s why you always put the toughest foodstuff in the top layer of the steamer; build up the fire until the hottest steam gets up there, and everything will be fine. But if it is placed in the bottom layer where the steam doesn’t get through that easily, you can steam the stuff for half a year and it still may not be cooked. He said just now that Eight Rules was not easy to steam, but he still wanted to put him in the bottom layer. Isn’t he a rookie?”

“O Elder Brother!” said Eight Rules. “The way you talk, you sound as if you wanted me to be tortured alive! When they are hard-pressed and see that I’m not fully steamed, they’ll pull off the steamer, flip me over, and build up the fire again. I’ll then be cooked on both sides but still raw inside, won’t I?”

As they were thus conversing, one of the little fiends went up to report: “The water’s boiling.” The old fiend gave the order at once for the various fiends to haul Eight Rules into the bottom layer and Sha Monk into the second. Suspecting that he would be next, Pilgrim decided it was time to leave, saying to himself, “I should be able to do something by this lamplight!” He pulled off a piece of hair and blew his immortal breath onto it, crying, “Change!” It changed at once into a Pilgrim bound by the hemp ropes. His true body rose with his spirit into the air, where he stood still and peered downward. Those fiends, of course, could not tell the true from the false: the moment they came upon the false Pilgrim, they lifted him up and placed him inside the third layer. Only then did they push the Tang Monk to the ground, hog-tie him, and place him in the fourth layer. Fueled by dried wood, a terrific blaze soon flared up.

Perched on the edge of the clouds, the Great Sage sighed to himself, “That Eight Rules and Sha Monk of mine can still manage to withstand perhaps two seconds of boiling. But my master, all it takes is one second and he’ll turn soft! If I don’t use magic to save him, he’ll perish this instant!” Dear Pilgrim! Making the magic sign in midair, he recited:

Let Oṁ and Ram purify the dharma realm;

Key: Primary Reception Beneficial for Determination.⁷

This spell at once caused the Dragon King of North Sea to arrive in the midst of a dark cloud, crying, “Aoshun, the little dragon from North Sea, kowtows to you.” “Please rise! Please rise!” said Pilgrim. “I wouldn’t have bothered you without cause. I came here with Master Tang, who was caught by these vicious demons. He has been placed inside that iron steamer to be steamed. Please go and give him some protection so that he won’t be destroyed.” The dragon king immediately changed himself into a cold gust of wind that blew toward the large pan. As it circled and coiled around the bottom of the pan, the three inside the steamer felt no heat at all, and that was how their lives were preserved.

Toward the end of the hour of the third watch, the old demon was heard saying, “Subordinates, we plotted and strained ourselves in order to catch the Tang Monk and his three companions, but that effort in escorting them cost us four sleepless days and nights. Now that they are bound inside the steamer, I doubt that they will be able to escape. All of you, however, should take good care in guarding them, and ten of you little fiends should take turns in tending the fire. Let us retire to our bedchambers and rest a little. By the fifth watch, when it’s about dawn, they will certainly be soft ened. You may prepare minced garlic, salt, and vinegar and awake us for the feast.” The fiends all obeyed this instruction, while the three demon chiefs went to their bedrooms.

Standing on the edge of the clouds, Pilgrim heard everything clearly. He then lowered the direction of his cloud slightly, but he could hear no voices coming from the steamer. “When the fire is built up,” he thought to himself, “there must be heat. Why aren’t they afraid of it? And there’s not a word from them? Ha, could they be dead already? I’ll go nearer and listen again.” Dear Great Sage! As he trod the clouds, he shook his body and changed immediately into a little black fly to alight on the trellised frame of the steamer.

“What rotten luck! What rotten luck!” he heard Eight Rules mumbling inside. “I wonder if we are being steamed the stuffy or the airy way.”

“What do you mean by that, Second Elder Brother?” asked Sha Monk. “The stuffy way,” replied Eight Rules, “the cover of the steamer will be put on. The airy way, the cover will not be used.”

“Disciples,” answered Tripitaka from the very top layer, “the steamer hasn’t been covered.” “How lucky!” exclaimed Eight Rules. “We’re not going to die yet tonight. This is steaming the airy way.”

When Pilgrim heard them speaking like that, he knew that they had not been harmed. Flying up, he picked up the cover of the iron steamer and gently put it on. “Disciples,” said a horrified Tripitaka, “it’s covered now!”

“We’re finished!” said Eight Rules. “This is steaming the stuffy way. This night we’ll die for sure!” Whereupon Sha Monk and the elder began to weep.

“Let’s not cry just yet,” said Eight Rules. “I think a fresh batch of fiends have come to tend the fire.” “How do you know?” asked Sha Monk. “When we were first placed in the steamer,” said Eight Rules, “it was an ideal situation for me. I’m suffering from a little arthritis, and I want that hot steam. Right now, however, there seems to be cold air coming up from the pan instead. Hey, you officers tending the fire! Why don’t you add some wood? What are you good for?”

“This coolie!” said Pilgrim to himself, unable to restrain a giggle. “Doesn’t he know that he can withstand the chill, but heat will kill him? If he talks any more like that, everything will be revealed. I must hurry and rescue him. But wait! To rescue him I must change back into my true form. When those ten fiends tending the fire see me, they will certainly make a raucous noise and disturb the old fiends. Wouldn’t that be a nuisance? Let me send them a little of my magic; I remember that when I was a Great Sage in Heaven, I once had a game of finger-guessing with Dhṛtarāṣṭra at the North Heaven Gate.⁸ I won some sleep-inducing insects from him, and I still have a few of them here. Let me give them to the fiends.” He felt around his waist and found that he had a dozen of those insects left. “I’m going to send them ten of these,” he said to himself, “and I’ll keep two for breeding.”

He flung the insects on the faces of those little fiends; as soon as they crawled into their nostrils, the fiends began to snore and fell asleep. One of them, however, was in charge of the fire fork and could not be induced to sleep soundly. Rubbing his head and face, this little fiend pinched and tweaked his own nose left and right, sneezing constantly. “This fellow,” said Pilgrim, “seems to know the business! I’ll give him a ‘Double-Handled Lamp.’” He threw one more insect on the fiend’s face, thinking to himself: “With two insects running in and out of his nostrils, at least one should pacify him!” After two or three huge yawns, that little fiend stretched, abandoned his fire tong, and fell fast asleep without moving again.

“This little magic,” said Pilgrim to himself, “is truly both marvelous and efficacious!” He changed back into his original form to walk near the steamer, crying, “Master!”

On hearing this, the Tang Monk said, “Wukong, save me!” “Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, “are you calling from the outside?”

“If I’m not outside,” said Pilgrim, “you think I’m suffering with you inside?” “O Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “it’s always the same! The slippery one will slip away, but we are left behind to suffocate in here!”

“Don’t make so much noise, Idiot,” said Pilgrim, laughing. “I’m here to rescue you.” “If you want to rescue me, Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “you must do a thorough job of it. Don’t let them put me back in the steamer!”

Pilgrim then lifted up the cover and untied his master. After shaking himself to retrieve his hair that had changed into the specious Pilgrim, he went through the other two layers to free Sha Monk and Eight Rules. The moment he was untied, our Idiot wanted to flee. “Don’t be in such a hurry! Don’t be in such a hurry!” said Pilgrim, and recited a spell to dismiss the dragon god. Finally, he said to Eight Rules, “There are still tall mountains and rugged peaks in the rest of our journey to the Western Heaven. Without a beast of burden, Master will find it exceedingly difficult to proceed. I must still go get our horse.”

Look at him! With nimble hands and feet, he dashed inside the Hall of Golden Chimes, where he saw that the various fiends, old and young, were all asleep. Without disturbing any of them, he managed to untie the reins. Now, that animal was originally a dragon horse; if someone unfamiliar had untied him, he would have let fly both his hind legs and neighed. But Pilgrim, you see, had been a stableman; in fact, he had received the rank of Pi-ma-wên. Moreover, the horse recognized him; so he neither kicked nor neighed. Quietly leading him forward, Pilgrim tightened the girth and fixed up the saddle properly before asking his master to mount. After the elder, still trembling all over, had climbed onto the horse, he too wanted to leave at once.

“Let’s not hurry,” said Pilgrim. “There are kings out there on the road to the west. We must have our travel rescript before we can proceed. Otherwise, what sort of passport do we have? Let me go find the luggage.” “I recall,” the Tang Monk said, “that after we entered the door, these fiends placed our luggage to the left of the main hall. Even the pole is standing there below the steps.” “I know,” replied Pilgrim.

He bounded into the treasure hall to look, and all at once he caught sight of flashes of light, which made him realize that the luggage was there. How did he know, you ask? Because the Tang Monk’s brocaded cassock had on it the luminescent pearl⁹ that glowed at night. As Pilgrim drew near, he saw that both the luggage and the pole were untouched. He brought them out quickly and told Sha Monk to pick up the pole.

With Eight Rules leading the horse and Pilgrim the way, they headed straight for the Central Gate of the Sun in front. Soon, however, the loud rattle of sentinel bells could be heard, and they saw that the door had a lock, and a seal was taped over the lock. “How could we penetrate this kind of defense?” asked Pilgrim. “Let’s go to the back door instead,” said Eight Rules.

Pilgrim led the way toward the back door, only to return with this observation: “I can hear sentinel bells outside the Rear Gate of the Servants as well, and that door too is locked and sealed. What shall we do? In such a situation, if it hadn’t been for the mortal frame of the Tang Monk, the three of us could certainly escape by mounting the clouds and wind, regardless of where we were. But the Tang Monk has yet to transcend the three realms, for he still appears within the world of the five phases. His whole body has nothing but carnal bones bequeathed by his parents. He can’t rise into the air. It’ll be hard for us to escape.”

“Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “there’s no need for further talk. Let’s find some place where there are no sentinel bells or guards. We’ll lift Master up the wall and let him climb over it.”

“That’s not so good,” replied Pilgrim, laughing. “Right now we may be forced to drag him over the wall like that, but when we return with the scriptures, I’m afraid that your loose idiotic mouth will be spreading word everywhere that we’re wall-climbing priests!”¹⁰ “But you can’t worry about behavior now!” said Eight Rules. “We’ve got to flee for our lives!” Pilgrim had little choice but to agree with him; they located a section of the wall that was unguarded and began to scale it.

Alas, this was what had to happen! The star of calamity, as it were, had refused to release Tripitaka. As those three demon chiefs slept in their chambers, they were suddenly awakened by some commotion about the Tang Monk having escaped. Dressing hurriedly, they all ascended to the treasure hall and shouted the question, “How many times has the water boiled?”

Those little fiends tending the fire who had been put out by the sleep-inducing insects were sleeping so soundly that they could not be awakened even when beaten. Several others, who had no particular responsibilities, started up and answered confusedly, “Se- . . . se- . . . se- . . . seven times!” As they ran up to the pan, however, they saw that the several layers of the steamer were all thrown on the ground, while those supposed to tend the fire were still fast asleep. Horrified, the little fiends ran back to report, “Great King, they . . . they . . . they have escaped!”

Hurrying down the hall, the three demon chiefs went forward to take a careful look at the pan: indeed they discovered that the layers of the steamer were strewn on the ground while both water and pan had turned cold because the fire was about to die out. Those tending the fire, however, were still snoring away. So astonished were the various fiends that they all shouted: “Seize the Tang Monk quickly! Seize the Tang Monk quickly!”

All that hubbub immediately aroused the rest of the monster-spirits, old and young. Clutching cutlasses and lances, they swarmed from front and back up to the Central Gate of the Sun, where they found that neither lock nor seal had been touched, and heard the continuous rattle of the sentinel bells. They asked those on night patrol outside the door, “Where did the Tang Monk escape?” The reply was that no one had come through the door. When they then rushed to the Rear Gate of the Servants, again they found that the seal, the lock, and the sentinel bells were like those out in front. The entire throng then spread out with torches and lanterns, lighting up the whole place until it was bright as day, and then they caught clear sight of the four pilgrims attempting to scale the wall.

“Where are you running?” roared the old demon as he dashed up to them. His legs weakened and his tendons numbed by fear, the elder fell down at once from the wall and was caught by the old demon. While the second demon seized Sha Monk and the third demon pinned down Eight Rules, the rest of the fiends took the luggage and the white horse. Only Pilgrim managed to escape. “Damn him! Damn him!” muttered Eight Rules as he was caught. “I told him to do a thorough job of rescuing us. Now it’s back to the steamer for us!”

The various demons took the pilgrims back to the main hall, but they did not want to steam them anymore. Instead, Eight Rules was tied to a pillar in front of the hall, and Sha Monk was taken to be bound to a pillar at the rear of the hall. The old demon, however, held on to the Tang Monk and refused to let go. “Big Brother,” said the third fiend, “why are you holding him like that? Are you going to swallow him alive? But that’ll take all the pleasure out of eating, for this creature can’t be compared with those foolish, common mortals that you can devour as a meal. He’s a rare creature from a superior state. You must take time, when you have the leisure, to prepare him like a gourmet dish. And you eat him to the accompaniment of good game, fine wines, and soft music.”

“What you say is quite right, of course, Worthy Brother,” said the old demon, smiling, “but in the meantime Pilgrim Sun will sneak back in here to steal him.”

“In this palace of mine,” said the third demon, “there is a pavilion of brocade-fragrance,¹¹ inside which there is also an iron chest. Listen to me: hide the Tang Monk in the chest and close up the pavilion. Spread the rumor—so that the little fiends all over our city will be talking about it—that the Tang Monk has been devoured alive by us. Undoubtedly that Pilgrim will come back to snoop around; when he hears the news, he will lose all hope and leave. After four or five days, when he’s stopped coming back to harass us, we can then take out the Tang Monk and enjoy him at our leisure. How about that?”

Highly pleased, both the old and second fiends said, “Yes! Yes! Yes! What our brother said makes perfect sense!” And so they put the poor Tang Monk that very night into the iron chest, after which the pavilion was closed. The rumor that he had been eaten alive soon spread through the entire city, and we shall leave that for the moment.

We tell you instead about Pilgrim, who had to abandon the Tang Monk in the middle of the night and mount the clouds to escape. He went straight to the Lion-Camel Cave instead, attacked persistently with his rod, and succeeded in killing all ten thousand plus of those little fiends. Then he hurried back; when he reached the edge of the city, the sun was just rising in the east. He dared not, however, provoke battle. For

One silk fiber is no thread;

A single hand cannot clap.

As he descended from the clouds, he shook his body once and changed into a little fiend to steal into the city. Through large boulevards and small alleys he tried to learn what was happening, and all he heard was: “The Tang Monk has been devoured live by the great kings during the night.” Wherever he went in the city, that was the news he was told. Becoming more anxious, Pilgrim strode to the Hall of Golden Chimes to look around, and he saw many spirits in front of the hall, all wearing leather caps dusted with gold, and yellow cloth jackets. With red-lacquered wooden staffs in their hands and ivory plaques dangling from their waists, they were marching back and forth. Pilgrim thought to himself, “These must be monster-spirits authorized to work in the palace. I’ll change into one of them to snoop around inside.”

Dear Great Sage! He really did change into an exact version of one of those fiends and sneaked inside. As he walked about, he caught sight of Eight Rules tied to one of the pillars in front of the hall and moaning. Pilgrim drew near and whispered, “Wuneng.” Recognizing his voice, our Idiot said, “Elder Brother, are you here? Please rescue me.” “I will,” replied Pilgrim, “but do you know where Master is?”

“Master’s gone!” said Eight Rules. “Last night he was eaten alive by those monster-spirits.” When he heard these words, Pilgrim let out a sob, and tears poured from his eyes.

“Elder Brother, don’t cry,” said Eight Rules. “I only heard the wild talk of the little fiends, but I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Don’t let yourself be fooled. You should do some more investigating.” Only then did Pilgrim stop weeping and walk further inside to investigate. There he saw Sha Monk tied to one of the pillars in the rear of the hall. He approached him at once, rubbed Sha Monk’s chest with his hand, and said “Wujing.”

Sha Monk, too, recognized his voice and said, “Elder Brother, did you come in through transformation? Please save me! Save me!” “Saving you is easy,” replied Pilgrim. “But do you know where Master is?” As tears dripped from his eyes, Sha Monk said, “O Elder Brother! The monster-spirits couldn’t wait to steam Master. He was eaten alive!”

When the Great Sage heard that the words of both his brothers were the same, he felt as if a knife had run through his heart. Not even bothering to rescue Eight Rules and Sha Monk, he leaped at once into the air and went back to the mountain east of the city. As he dropped down from the clouds, he broke into loud wailing, crying, “O Master!

When, mocking Heaven, I landed in the snare,

You came to free me from my great despair.

To seek the Buddha we set our heart and mind;

Ourselves we trained and demons we refined.

I did not know this day you’d meet with harm.

Now I can’t take you to the wondrous palm.¹²

It’s not your lot to reach the blessed West.

What can I do when spirit leaves your chest?”

As Pilgrim was grieving in this manner, he thought to himself, questioning mind with mind: “This has to be all the fault of our Buddha Tathāgata! Sitting idly in that region of ultimate bliss, he had nothing better to do than to dream up those three baskets of scriptures! If he truly cared about the proclamation of virtue, he should have sent the scriptures to the Land of the East. Wouldn’t his name then be an everlasting glory? But he wouldn’t part with them so readily, and all he knew was to ask us to go seek them. Who would expect that Master, after the painful experience of a thousand mountains, would lose his life at this miserable place? All right! All right! All right! Let old Monkey mount his cloud somersault to visit Tathāgata and tell him about this. If he’s willing to let me send the scriptures to the Land of the East, it’ll still mean the proclamation of the virtuous fruit in the first place, and the fulfillment of our vow in the second. But if he’s unwilling, I’ll ask him to recite the Loose-Fillet Spell to release me from this band. Old Monkey will hand it back to him, go back to his own cave, and play king once more.”

Dear Great Sage! Leaping up at once, he mounted his cloud somersault to head straight for India. It was hardly an hour before the Spirit Mountain came into view. In a moment, he dropped down from the clouds to land on the Vulture Peak, where he was immediately met by the Four Great Diamond Guardians, crying, “Where are you going?” Bowing to them, Pilgrim said, “I must see Tathāgata on some business.”

“This ape,” snapped the Diamond Guardian Ever Abiding, the indestructible rāja of the Golden Beam Summit on Kunlun Mountain, “has a lot of gall! You have yet to thank us for exerting ourselves on your behalf some time ago when we restrained the Bull Demon.¹³ But there’s hardly even any show of courtesy when you see us today. If you have some business, we must make the report first, and you may enter only when you’re summoned. This isn’t the same as the South Heavenly Gate, where you can rush in and out at will. Bah! Aren’t you going to step aside?” Now the Great Sage was already sorely distressed. When he received this affront, he became so incensed that he thundered forth his protests, which soon reached the ears of Tathāgata.

Our Buddhist Patriarch was sitting solemnly on the lotus throne of nine grades and discussing the sūtras with the Arhats of Eighteen Heavens. He said to them, “Sun Wukong has arrived. All of you go out and usher him in here.” Obeying this decree of Buddha, the arhats with two rows of sacred banners and treasure canopies went outside and intoned: “Great Sage Sun, our Tathāgata has issued a summons for you.” Only then did those Four Great Diamond Guardians step aside to allow Pilgrim to enter the monastery. After being led by the arhats up to the treasure lotus platform, he prostrated himself before Tathāgata as two streams of tears coursed down his cheeks.

“Wukong,” said Tathāgata, “why are you weeping so sadly?” “By the grace of your teachings vouchsafed repeatedly to him,” replied Pilgrim, “this disciple has entered the gate of Holy Father Buddha. Since I returned to the right fruit, I became the protector of the Tang Monk, honoring him as my teacher and sustaining unspeakable hardships on our journey. The moment we arrived at the Lion-Camel City of the Lion-Camel Mountain, three vicious demons—they’re a lion king, an elephant king, and a great roc—had my master captured. Even your disciple became their prisoner, and we were all bound inside a steamer to suffer the affliction of water and fire. Fortunately your disciple managed to escape and call up the dragon king for assistance. That night we stole out with Master, but, unable to shake loose from the star of calamity, we were taken prisoners again. By morning, when I stole into the city to try to get some news, I learned that these vicious demons had devoured my master alive during the night. Not a single piece of his flesh or bone was left behind! I saw only my younger brothers Wuneng and Wujing, who were bound there also. They too will soon lose their lives, I suppose. Your disciple had no choice but to come here to plead with Tathāgata. I beg you in your great compassion to recite the Loose-Fillet Spell and take off this band from my head. It will be returned to Tathāgata, and your disciple will be released once more to frolic on the Flower-Fruit Mountain.” Hardly had he finished speaking when his tears streamed forth, as he sobbed uncontrollably.

“Wukong,” said Tathāgata with a smile, “don’t be so sad. You are hurting because one of those monster-spirits has vast magic powers and you can’t prevail against him.” Kneeling beneath Buddha’s throne and pounding his chest, Pilgrim said, “To tell you the truth, this disciple in years past brought great disturbance to the Celestial Palace and assumed the name of Great Sage. Since I acquired the way of humanity, I have never suffered loss, but this time I’m the victim of this vicious demon!”

On hearing this Tathāgata said, “Cease your anguish. I do recognize that monster-spirit.”

All at once Pilgrim blurted out, “Tathāgata! I have heard people say that that monster-spirit is related to you!”

“This insolent ape!” said Tathāgata. “How could a monster-spirit be related to me?” “If not,” replied Pilgrim with a laugh, “how could you recognize him?”

“By my eyes of wisdom,” said Tathāgata, “that’s how I recognize all three of them. The old fiend and the second fiend both have their proper masters. Ānanda and Kāśyapa, come! The two of you will mount the clouds and go your separate ways to Mount Five-Platforms and Mount E’mei. Summon Mañjuśrī and Viśvabhadra to come for an audience.” The two honored ones departed at once with the decree.

“Mañjuśrī and Viśvabhadra,” said Tathāgata, “are the proper masters of those two fiends. But now that you mention it, the third fiend is indeed somewhat related to me.” “On the paternal party,” asked Pilgrim, “or the maternal one?”

Tathāgata said, “At the time when Chaos parted, Heaven opened at the epoch of Zi, Earth developed at the epoch of Chou, and Man came into existence at the epoch of Yin.

When Heaven and Earth mated,

Then myriad things were born.

The myriad things consisted of beasts and fowl: of the beasts, the unicorn was the head, and the phoenix was the head of the fowl. After having been fertilized by the aura of procreation, the phoenix also gave birth to the peacock and the great roc. When the peacock first came into the world, it was a most savage creature, able to devour humans. In fact, it could suck in a human being with one breath from a distance of some forty miles. I was on top of the Snow Mountain, having just perfected my sixteen-foot diamond body, when the peacock sucked me into his stomach. I could have escaped through his anal passage, but fearing that my body might be defiled, I cut my way out through his back and rode him back to the Spirit Mountain. I was about to take his life, but the various buddhas stopped me with the observation that to hurt the peacock would be like hurting my own mother. That was why I detained him at the mountain instead and appointed him Buddha-Mother, the Bodhisattva Mahārāja Mayūra.¹⁴ Since the great roc had the same parent as the peacock, it could be said that he was somewhat related to me.”

On hearing this, Pilgrim said with a smile, “Tathāgata, according to what you’ve told me, you should be regarded as the nephew of that monster-spirit!” “Only my presence, I fear, will bring that fiend to submission,” said Tathāgata. Touching his head to the ground, Pilgrim said, “I beg you to make this journey at once.”

Tathāgata left the lotus throne and went out of the monastery gate with the rest of the buddhas. There they saw Ānanda and Kāśyapa leading Mañjuśrī and Viśvabhadra on their way to the monastery also. As the two bodhisattvas bowed to him, Tathāgata asked, “How long have your beasts of burden been gone from your mountains?”

“Seven days,” replied Mañjuśrī. “Seven days in the mountain,” said Tathāgata, “are equivalent to several thousand years on earth. I wonder how many lives they have taken down there. You must follow me quickly if we are to retrieve them.” With one bodhisattva standing on each side of him, the Buddha and his followers rose into the air. You see

Auspicious clouds adrift in all the sky,

As Buddha in mercy his wisdom¹⁵ doth ply:

He shows forth Heaven’s law of procreation,

Explaining Earth’s patterned transformation.

Before his face five hundred arhats stand;

Behind three thousand guardians form a band.

Ānanda, Kāśyapa follow left and right;

Mañ and Viśva the monstrous fiends will smite.

It was as a peculiar favor granted him that the Great Sage succeeded in eliciting the assistance of the Buddhist Patriarch and his followers. In a little while, they caught sight of the city. “Tathāgata,” said Pilgrim, “the spot releasing black vapors over there is the Lion-Camel Kingdom.”

“Go down first,” said Tathāgata, “and provoke battle with those monster-spirits. You are permitted to lose but not to win. When you retreat back here, I’ll bring them to submission.”

The Great Sage lowered his cloud and landed on the city wall; his feet planted on the merlons of the battlement, he shouted, “Damned lawless beasts! Come out quickly to fight with old Monkey!” Those little fiends standing on the rampart were so terrified that they dashed down to report: “Great Kings, Pilgrim Sun is provoking battle on the battlement!”

“This ape hasn’t shown himself for about two days,” said the old fiend. “If he returns to provoke battle this morning, could it be that he has succeeded in getting some help?”

“We’re not afraid of whatever help he has gotten, are we?” said the third demon. “Let’s all go and have a look.” Each grasping his weapon, the three demon chiefs rushed up to the battlement. When they saw Pilgrim, they raised their arms without a word and attacked. Pilgrim wielded his iron rod to meet them; after seven or eight rounds, however, he feigned defeat and fled, with the fiend kings all roaring, “Where are you going?”

The Great Sage shot up to midair with one somersault, but those three spirits all mounted the clouds to give chase. Immediately Pilgrim hurled himself into the golden radiance of Father Buddha and vanished from sight. What did appear were the three images of Buddha—Past, Present, and Future—together with five hundred arhats and three thousand guardians, who fanned out on all sides. They had the three fiend kings surrounded so tightly that not even water could have seeped through!

“Brothers, it’s bad!” cried the old demon, completely unnerved. “This monkey is truly a devil in the earth! How did he manage to bring our masters here?”

“Don’t be frightened, Big Brother,” said the third demon. “We’ll all go forward together and use our weapons to cut down that Tathāgata and take over his Thunderclap Treasure Monastery.”

Not knowing any better, our demon chief accordingly charged forward and tried to attack madly with his scimitar. Mañjuśrī and Viśabhadra, after quickly reciting a magic spell, shouted in unison, “If these cursed beasts do not submit now, are they waiting for another incarnation?” The old fiend and the second fiend were so terror-stricken that they dared not struggle any longer. Dropping their weapons, they rolled over once and changed back into their original forms. The two Bodhisattvas tossed two lotus thrones onto their backs and then leaped up to take their seats on top. In this way, the two fiends lowered their ears and submitted.

Since the two bodhisattvas had thus subdued the green lion and the white elephant, only the third demon refused to surrender. Throwing away his halberd, the fiend spread out his wings and soared into the air, his sharp claws seeking to strike at the Monkey King. The Great Sage was still hiding in the luminosity around the Buddha, and the fiend actually had no way of getting near him, though he would have liked very much to do so. Perceiving the roc’s intentions, Tathāgata faced the wind and gave his head (which had once supported the nests of magpies)¹⁶ a shake. The head changed at once into a piece of meat dripping with fresh blood. Stretching out his claws, the monster-spirit drew near and tried to clutch at the piece of meat. Our Father Buddha pointed at him with his finger and immediately the monster-spirit felt such cramps throughout his huge wings that he could not fly away. All he could do was to hover over the Buddha’s head in his true form: a golden-winged great roc.

“Tathāgata,” he cried, “why did you exercise your mighty dharma power to constrain me?” “Your wickedness,” replied Tathāgata, “has incurred for you a heavy debt of retribution in this place. Follow me, and you may acquire merit beneficial to you.” “But your place allows for only a strict vegetarian diet,” said the monster-spirit. “It’s a condition of extreme poverty and hardship. I can enjoy human flesh here to my endless delight. If you starve and destroy me, you will have sinned, too.”

“In the four great continents of my domain,” said Tathāgata, “there are countless worshippers. I shall ask those who wish to do good to sacrifice first to your mouth.” Since that great roc could neither flee nor escape, though he sorely wished to do so, he had no choice but to make submission.

Only then did Pilgrim step out of the golden radiance to kowtow to Tathāgata, saying, “Father Buddha, you have put away the monster-spirits and eliminated great evils. But my master is gone.”

“Wretched ape!” said the great roc through clenched teeth, “You had to find such a cruel fellow to constrain me! Since when did we devour that old priest of yours? He’s still hidden in an iron chest at the pavilion of brocade-fragrance.” When Pilgrim heard these words, he kowtowed hurriedly to thank the Buddhist Patriarch, who had the roc firmly detained on top of his halo as a guardian. Then the entire entourage left on the clouds to return to the treasure monastery.

Pilgrim lowered himself from the clouds and entered the city, where he could find not a single little fiend. So it was that

A snake without head would not crawl;

A bird without wings could not fly.

When they saw that the fiend kings had made submission to the Buddhist Patriarch, each of them fled for his life. Pilgrim released Eight Rules and Sha Monk and also found the luggage and the horse. “Master has not been eaten,” he said to the two of them. “Follow me!”

He led his two brothers to the interior court and found the pavilion of brocade-fragrance. Opening the door, they located the iron chest, inside of which they could hear the sound of Tripitaka weeping. Wedging open the chest with his fiend-routing staff, Sha Monk called out: “Master!” When he saw them, Tripitaka wailed aloud: “O disciples! How did you manage to subdue the demons? How did you find me here?”

Thereupon Pilgrim gave a thorough rehearsal of what had taken place, from beginning to end, and Tripitaka was filled with gratitude. Master and disciples found some rice and foodstuff in the palace with which they prepared a meal for themselves. After they had eaten their fill, they packed up and set out once more on the main road toward the West. Thus it was that

True scriptures must be by true people sought;

Restless minds and raging wills will come to naught.

We do not know when they will get to face Tathāgata; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.