Journey to the West 1

8/8/2019 Journey to the West 1

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Journey To The West 1The Four Great Chinese ClassicsTorrentChapter 1The Divine Root Conceives and the Spring

Breaks ForthAs the Heart's Nature Is Cultivated, the GreatWay ArisesBefore Chaos was divided, Heaven and Earthwere one;All was a shapeless blur, and no men hadappeared.Once Pan Gu destroyed the EnormousVaguenessThe separation of clear and impure began.Living things have always tended towardshumanity;From their creation all beings improve.If you want to know about Creation and Time,Read Difficulties Resolved on the Journey to theWest.In the arithmetic of the universe, 129,600 yearsmake one cycle. Each cycle can be divided intotwelve phases:I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and XII, thetwelve branches. Each phase lasts 10,800 years.Now within a single day, the positive begins atthe time I; at II the cock crows; at III it is not

quite light; at IVthe sun rises; V is after breakfast; and at VI onedoes business. VII is when the sun reachesnoon; at VIII it is


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slipping towards the West; IX is late afternoon;the sun sets at X; XI is dusk; and at XII peoplesettle down forthe night.

If you compare this with the big numbers, thenat the end of Phase XI Heaven and Earth werestill one, and no beings had appeared. 5,400years later came the beginning of Phase XII,when all was darkness and therewere still no people or other creatures; for thisreason it was called Chaos. Another 5,400 yearslater Phase XIIwas drawing to a close and a new cycle wasabout to begin. As Phase I of the new eraapproached, gradually there was light. As Shao

Yong said,"When winter reaches the midpoint of Phase IThe heart of Heaven does not move.Where the Positive first appearsNothing has yet come to life."At this time, Heaven first had a foundation.5,400 years later, in the middle of Phase I, thelight and pure roseupwards, and sun, moon, stars, andconstellations were created. These were calledthe Four Images. Hence thesaying that heaven began in I.

Another 5,400 years later, when Phase I wasnearing its end and Phase II was imminent,things graduallysolidified. As the Book of Changes says, "Greatis the Positive; farreaching is the Negative! Allthings are


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endowed and born in accordance with Heaven."This was when the earth began to congeal. After5,400 moreyears came the height of Phase II, when the

heavy and impure solidified, and water, fire,mountains, stone,and Earth came into being. These five werecalled the Five Movers. Therefore it is said thatthe Earth wascreated in Phase II.After a further 5,400 years, at the end of Phase IIand the beginning of the Phase III, living beingswerecreated. In the words of the Book of theCalendar, "The essence of the sky came downand the essence ofearth went up. Heaven and Earth intermingled,and all creatures were born." Then Heaven wasbright andEarth was fresh, and the Positive intermingledwith the Negative. 5,400 years later, when PhaseIII was at itsheight, men, birds and beasts were created.Thus the Three PowersHeaven, Earth andMannow had theirset places. Therefore it is said that man wascreated in Phase III.

Moved by Pan Gu's creation, the ThreeEmperors put the world in order and the FiveRulers laid down themoral code. The world was then divided intofour great continents: The Eastern Continent ofSuperior Body,


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the Western Continent of Cattlegift, theSouthern Continent of Jambu and the NorthernContinent of Kuru.This book deals only with the Eastern Continent

of Superior Body. Beyond the seas there is acountry calledAolai. This country is next to an ocean, and inthe middle of the ocean is a famous islandcalled the Mountainof Flowers and Fruit. This mountain is theancestral artery of the Ten Continents, theorigin of the ThreeIslands; it was formed when the clear andimpure were separated and the EnormousVagueness was divided. Itis a really splendid mountain and there aresome verses to prove it:It stills the ocean with its might,It awes the jade sea into calm.It stills the ocean with its might:Tides wash its silver slopes and fish swim intoits caves.Journey to the WestChapter 1 4It awes the jade sea into calm:Amid the snowy breakers the seaserpent risesfrom the deep.

It rises high in the corner of the world whereFire and Wood meet;Its summit towers above the Eastern Sea.Red cliffs and strange rocks;Beetling crags and jagged peaks.On the red cliffs phoenixes sing in pairs;


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Lone unicorns lie before the beetling crags.The cry of pheasants is heard upon the peaks;In caves the dragons come and go.There are deer of long life and magic foxes in

the woods;Miraculous birds and black cranes in the trees.There are flowers of jade and strange plants thatwither not;Green pine and bluish cypress ever in leaf,Magic peaches always in fruit.Clouds gather round the tall bamboo.The wisteria grows thick around the mountainbrookAnd the banks around are newlycoloured withflowers.It is the Heavensupporting pillar where all therivers meet,The Earth's root, unchanged through a myriadaeons.There was once a magic stone on the top of thismountain which was thirtysix feet five incheshigh andtwentyfour feet round. It was thirtysix feet fiveinches high to correspond with the 365 degreesof theheavens, and twentyfour feet round to matchthe twentyfour divisions of the solar calendar.

On top of itwere nine apertures and eight holes, for theNine Palaces and the Eight Trigrams. Therewere no trees around


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it to give shade, but magic fungus and orchidsclung to its sides. Ever since Creation began ithad beenreceiving the truth of Heaven, the beauty of

Earth, the essence of the Sun and the splendourof the Moon; andas it had been influenced by them for so long ithad miraculous powers. It developed a magicwomb, whichburst open one day to produce a stone eggabout the size of a ball.When the wind blew on this egg it turned into astone monkey, complete with the five sensesand four limbs.When the stone monkey had learned to crawland walk, he bowed to each of the four quarters.As his eyesmoved, two beams of golden light shot towardsthe Pole Star palace and startled the SupremeHeavenly Sage,the Greatly Compassionate Jade Emperor of theAzure Vault of Heaven, who was sittingsurrounded by hisimmortal ministers on his throne in the Hall ofMiraculous Mist in the Goldengated CloudPalace. When hesaw the dazzling golden light he ordered

Thousandmile Eye and WindaccompanyingEar to open theSouthern Gate of Heaven and take a look. Thetwo officers went out through the gate inobedience to the


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imperial command, and while one observedwhat was going on the other listened carefully.Soon afterwardsthey reported back:

"In obedience to the Imperial Mandate yoursubjects observed and listened to the source ofthe golden light.We found that at the edge of the country ofAolai, which is East of the ocean belonging tothe EasternContinent of Superior Body, there is an islandcalled the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Amagic stone on thetop of this mountain produced a magic egg, andwhen the wind blew on this egg it turned into astone monkeywhich bowed to each of the four quarters. Whenhe moved his eyes, golden light shot towardsthe Pole StarPalace; but now that he is eating and drinking,the golden light is gradually dying."In his benevolence and mercy the Jade Emperorsaid, "Creatures down below are born of theessence ofheaven and earth: there is nothing remarkableabout him."On his mountain the monkey was soon able to

run and jump, feed from plants and trees, drinkfrom brooksand springs, pick mountain flowers and look forfruit. He made friends with the wolves, wentaround with the


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tigers and leopards, was on good terms with thedeer, and had the other monkeys and apes forrelations. Atnight he slept under the rockfaces, and he

roamed around the peaks and caves by day. Asthe saying so rightlygoes, "There is no calendar in the mountains,and when winter's over you don't know the timeof year." On hotmornings he and all the other monkeys wouldplay under the shade of some pines to avoid theheat. Just lookat them all:Climbing trees, picking flowers, looking for fruit;Throwing pellets, playing knucklebones;Running round sandy hollows, building stonepagodas;Chasing dragonflies and catching locusts;Worshipping the sky and visiting Bodhisattvas;Tearing off creepers and weaving straw hats;Catching fleas then popping them with theirteeth and fingers;Grooming their coats and sharpening theirnails;Beating, scratching, pushing, squashing,tearing and tugging;Playing all over the place under the pine trees;

Washing themselves beside the green stream.After playing, the monkeys would go and bathein the stream, a mountain torrent that tumbledalong like


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rolling melons. There is an old saying, "Birdshave bird language and, animals have animaltalk."All the monkeys said to each other, "I wonder

where that water comes from. We've got nothingelse to dotoday, so wouldn't it be fun to go upstream andfind its source?" With a shout they all ran off,leading theirchildren and calling to their brothers. Theyclimbed up the mountain beside the stream untilthey reached itssource, where a waterfall cascaded from aspring. They sawOne white rainbow arching,A thousand strands of flying snow,Unbroken by the sea winds,Still there under the moon.Cold air divides the greeny crags,Splashes moisten the mountainside;A noble waterfall cascades,Hanging suspended like a curtain.The monkeys clapped their hands and explainedwith delight, "What lovely water. It must go allthe way tothe bottom of the mountain and join the wavesof the sea."

Then one monkey made a suggestion: "Ifanyone is clever enough to go through the fall,find the source, andcome out in one piece, let's make him our king."When this challenge had been shouted threetimes, the stone


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monkey leapt out from the crowd and answeredat the top of his voice, "I'll go, I'll go." Splendidmonkey!Indeed:

Today he will make his name;Tomorrow his destiny shall triumph.He is fated to live here;As a King he will enter the Immortals' palace.Watch him as he shuts his eyes, crouches, andsprings, leaping straight into the waterfall.When he opened hiseyes and raised his head to look round, he sawneither water nor waves. A bridge stood in frontof him, aslarge as life. He stopped, calmed himself, took acloser look, and saw that the bridge was madeof iron. Thewater that rushed under it poured out through afissure in the rocks, screening the gateway tothe bridge. Hestarted walking towards the bridge, and as helooked he made out what seemed to be a house.It was a reallygood place. He saw:Emerald moss piled up in heaps of blue,White clouds like drifting jade,While the light flickered among wisps of

coloured mist.A quiet house with peaceful windows,Flowers growing on the smooth bench;Dragon pearls hanging in niches,Exotic blooms all around.Traces of fire beside the stove,


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Scraps of food in the vessels by the table.Adorable stone chairs and beds,Even better stone plates and bowls.One or two tall bamboos,

Three or four sprigs of plum blossom,A few pines that always attract rain,All just like a real home.He took a good, long look and then scamperedto the middle of the bridge, from where henoticed a stonetablet. On the tablet had been carved in bigsquare letters: HAPPY LAND OF THEMOUNTAIN OFFLOWERS AND FRUIT, CAVE HEAVEN OF THEWATER CURTAIN. The stone monkey wasbesidehimself with glee. He rushed away, shut hiseyes, crouched, and leapt back through thewaterfall."We're in luck, we're in luck," he said with achuckle. All the other monkeys crowded roundhim asking,"What's it like in there? How deep is the water?""There's no water, none at all," replied the stonemonkey. "There's an iron bridge, and on theother side of thebridge there's a house that must have been

made by Heaven and Earth.""How ever could you see a house there?" theother monkeys asked. The stone monkeychuckled again.


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"The water here comes under the bridge andthrough the rocks, and it hides the gateway tothe bridge fromview. There are flowers and trees by the bridge,

and a stone house too. Inside the house arestone rooms, astone stove, stone bowls, stone plates, stonebeds, and even stone benches. In the middle ofit all is a tabletwhich says 'Happy Land of the Mountain ofFlowers and Fruit, Cave Heaven of the WaterCurtain'. It's justthe place for us to settle down inthere's roomthere for thousands. Let's all move in, then wewon't have toput up with any more nonsense from heaven. InthereWe can hide there from the wind,And shelter from the rain,With nothing to fear from frost and snow,And never a rumble of thunder.The coloured mists glow brightAnd the place smells lucky.The pine and bamboo will always be beautiful,And rare flowers blossom every day."The other monkeys were all so delighted to hearthis that they said, "You go first and take us

with you."The stone monkey shut his eyes, crouched, andleapt in again, shouting, "Follow me in, followme in." The


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braver monkeys all jumped through. The moretimid ones peered forward, shrank back, rubbedtheir ears,scratched their cheeks, shouted, and yelled at

the top of their voices, before going in, allclinging to eachother. After rushing across the bridge they allgrabbed plates and snatched bowls, baggedstoves and foughtover beds, and moved everything around.Monkeys are born naughty and they could notkeep quiet for asingle moment until they had worn themselvesout moving things around.The stone monkey sat himself in the main seatand said, "Gentlemen, A man who breaks hisword isworthless. Just now you said that if anyone wasclever enough to come in here and get out againin one piece,you'd make him king. Well, then. I've come inand gone out, and gone out and come in. I'vefound yougentlemen a cave heaven where you can sleepin peace and all settle down to live in bliss. Whyhaven't youmade me king?" On hearing this all the

monkeys bowed and prostrated themselves, notdaring to disobey.They lined up in groups in order of age and paidtheir homage as at court, all acclaiming him asthe "Great


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King of a Thousand Years." The stone monkeythen took the throne, made the word "stone"taboo, and calledhimself Handsome Monkey King. There is a

poem to prove it that goes:All things are born from the Three positives;The magic stone was quick with the essence ofsun and moon.An egg was turned into a monkey to completethe Great Way;He was lent a name so that the elixir would becomplete.Looking inside he perceives nothing because ithas no form,Outside he uses his intelligence to create visiblethings.Men have always been like this:Those who are called kings and sages do justas they wish.Taking control of his host of monkeys, apes,gibbons and others, the Handsome MonkeyKing divided theminto rulers and subjects, assistants and officers.In the morning they roamed the Mountain ofFlowers and Fruitand in the evening they settled down for thenight in the Water Curtain Cave. They made a

compact that theywould not join the ranks of the birds or go withthe running beasts. They had their own king,and theythoroughly enjoyed themselves.In spring they picked flowers for food and drink,


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In summer they lived off fruit.In autumn they gathered tares and chestnuts,They got through the winter on Solomon'sseal.The Handsome Monkey King's innocent high

spirits could not, of course, last three or fourhundred years.One day he suddenly felt depressed during abanquet with his monkey host, and he started toweep. Thestartled monkeys crowded round, bowed to himand asked, "What's the matter, Your Majesty?""Although I'm happy now," the Monkey Kingreplied, "I'm worried about the future. That'swhat's getting medown."The other monkeys laughed and said, "YourMajesty is being greedy. We have parties everyday; we live in amountain paradise, in an ancient cave in adivine continent. We are spared the rule ofunicorns, the domination of phoenixes, and therestraints of human kings. We are free to do justas we likewe areinfinitely lucky. Why make yourself miserableworrying about the future?"To this the Monkey King replied, "Yes, we don'thave to submit to the laws and regulations of

human kings,and we don't live in terror of the power of birdsand beasts. But the time will come when we areold and weak,


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and the underworld is controlled by the King ofHell. When the time comes for us to die, wewon't be able togo on living among the Blessed, and our lives

will have been in vain." All the monkeys coveredtheir facesand wept as everyone of them thought aboutdeath.Suddenly a gibbon jumped out from their ranksand shrieked in a piercing voice, "If YourMajesty is thinkingso far ahead, this is the beginning ofenlightenment. Now of the Five Creatures, thereare only three that donot come under the jurisdiction of the King ofHell.""Do you know which they are?" asked theMonkey King."Yes," the ape replied. "They are the Buddhas,the Immortals and the Sages. They are free fromthe Wheel ofReincarnation. They are not born and they donot die. They are as eternal as Heaven andEarth, as themountains and the rivers.""Where do they live?" the Monkey King asked."Only in the human world," the ape replied, "in

ancient caves on magic mountains." TheMonkey King wasdelighted to hear this."I shall leave you all tomorrow," he said, "andgo down the mountain. If I have to, I'll roam thecorners of the


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oceans and go to the edge of the sky to findthese three kinds of beings and discover thesecret of eternal youththat will keep us out of the clutches of the King

of Hell for ever." Goodness! Because of thesewords he wasto learn how to be free from the Wheel ofReincarnation and become the Great SageEqualing Heaven.All the monkeys clapped with approval and said,"Great! Great! Tomorrow we'll climb all over themountainand get lots of fruit to give Your Majesty a reallybig banquet to send you off."The next day the monkeys set out to pick magicpeaches, gather rare fruits, dig out yams, andcutSolomon'sseal. Magic fungus and fragrantorchid were collected, and everything was seton the stonebenches and the stone tables, with fairy wineand dishes. You could seeGolden pills and pearl pellets,Bursting red and plump yellow.The golden pills and pearl pellets were wintercherries, beautiful and sweet;The bursting red and plump yellow were ripe

plums, tasty and sharp.Fresh, sweetfleshed longans with thin skins.Fiery lichees with tiny stones in a red sack.Branch after branch of crabapples,

Yellowskinned loquats with their leaves on.Rabbithead pears and chickenheart jujubes


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To quench your thirst, remove your cares, andsober you up.Fragrant peaches and tender apricots,As sweet and luscious as jade wine.

Crisp plums and arbutus,As sharp as glistening yogurt.Ripe melons with red coats and black seeds,Big, foursectioned persimmons with yellowskins.Bursting pomegranates:Cinnabar pips shining like firecrystal pearls.Opened waterchestnutsWith firm round flesh like golden agate.Walnuts and gingko fruits to eat with tea;Coconuts and grapes to make into wine.Dishes loaded with pine cones, yewnuts,filberts, and crabapples;Tangerines, sugarcane and oranges coveringthe table.Hot roast yams,Tender boiled Solomon'sseal.Pounded chinaroot and Job's tears.Simmered in soup in a stonepot.Although we humans have rare delicacies toeat,We are no happier than those monkeys in themountains.

The host of monkeys ushered the HandsomeMonkey King to the seat of honour and satdown below himaccording to age. Each of them took it in turnsto bring him wine, flowers, and fruit, and theydrank hard for a


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whole day. The next morning the HandsomeMonkey King got up early and ordered,"Children, tear downsome old pines and make me a raft. Find a

bamboo pole to punt with and load it up withfruit. I'm going." Hewent aboard the raft all by himself, pushed offwith all his might, and floated off towards thewaves of theocean. He intended to sail with the wind andcross over to the Southern Jambu Continent.The heavenborn monkey, whose conduct wasso noble,Left his island to drift with heaven's winds.He sailed oceans and seas to find the Way ofImmortality,Deeply determined to do a great deed.The predestined one should not have vulgarlongings;He can attain the primal truth without care orworry.He is bound to find a kindred spirit,To explain the origins and the laws of nature.He had chosen just the right time for his

journey. After he boarded his raft theSoutheasterly wind blew hardfor days on end and bore him to the

Northwestern shore of the Southern Continent.Testing the depth of thewater with his pole he found that it was shallow,so he abandoned the raft and jumped ashore.He saw humans


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by the coast, fishing, hunting geese, gatheringclams, and extracting salt. He went up to them,leaping aroundand making faces, which so scared them that

they dropped their baskets and nets and fled inall directions asfast as they could. The Monkey King grabbedone of them who was a poor runner, strippedhim of his clothes,and dressed himself in them like a human. Heswaggered through the provinces andprefectures, learninghuman behavior and human speech in themarket places. Whether he was eating hisbreakfast or going to bedat nigh he was always asking about Buddhas,Immortals and Sages, and seeking the secret ofeternal youth.He observed that the people of the world weretoo concerned with fame and fortune to beinterested in theirfates.When will the struggle for fame and fortuneend?Toiling from morning till night, never pleasingyourself.Those who ride donkeys long for stallions,

The Prime Minister always wants to be a prince.They only worry about having to stop work toeat or dress;They never fear that the King of Hell will cometo get them.


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When trying to ensure their sons and grandsonsinherit their wealth and power,They have no time to stop and think.Although he asked about the way of the

Immortals, the Monkey King was unable to meetone. He spent eightor nine years in the Southern Jambu Continent,going through its great walls and visiting itslittle counties.When he found that he had reached the GreatWestern Ocean he thought that there must beSages andImmortals on the other side of it, so he madehimself another raft like the last one, and floatedacross theWestern Ocean until he came to the WesternContinent of Cattlegift. He went ashore andmade extensiveand lengthy enquiries until one day he cameupon a high and beautiful mountain, thicklyforested on its lowerslopes. Not fearing wolves, and undaunted bytigers or leopards, he climbed to the summit tosee the view. Itwas indeed a fine mountain:A thousand peaks brandishing halberds,Screens ten thousand measures tall.

In the sunlight the mountain haze is lightlytouched with blue;After the rain the black rocks look coldly green.Withered creepers coil round ancient trees,And the old ford marks the bounds of themysterious.


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Strange flowers and precious plants,Flourishing in all four seasons, rivalingfairyland.The nearby cry of a hidden bird,

The clear running of a spring.Valley upon valley of mushroom and orchid,Lichen grows all over the cliffs.The range rises and dips in dragonlikemajesty.Surely there mush be lofty hermits here.As he was looking at the view the Monkey Kingheard a human voice coming from the depths ofthe forest.He rushed into the trees, and when he cockedhis ear to listen he heard a song:"Watching the chess game I cut through therotten,Felling trees, ding, ding,Strolling at the edge of the cloud and the mouthof the valley,I sell firewood to buy wine,Cackling with laughter and perfectly happy.I pillow myself on a pine root, looking up at themoon.When I wake up it is light.Recognizing the old forestI scale cliffs and cross ridges,

Cutting down withered creepers with my axe.When I've gathered a basketfulI walk down to the market with a song,And trade it for three pints of rice.Nobody else competes with me,So prices are stable.


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I don't speculate or try sharp practice,Couldn't care less what people think of me,Calmly lengthening my days.The people I meet

Are Taoists and Immortals,Sitting quietly and expounding the YellowCourt."The Monkey King was overjoyed to hear this,and he said with glee, "So this is where theImmortals havebeen hiding." He bounded deeper into thewoods for a closer look and saw that the singerwas a woodcuttercutting firewood. He was wearing the mostunusual clothes:On his head he wore a hatWoven from the first skin shed by new bambooshoots.The clothes on his bodyWere made of yam from the wild cottontree.The belt round his waistWas of silk from an old silkworm.The straw sandals under his feetHad straps torn from rotten sago trees.In his hand he held a steel axeOn his back he carried a hempen ropeAt climbing pines and felling dead trees,

Who was a match for this woodcutter?The Monkey King went closer and called to him."Old Immortal, your disciple greets you."The woodcutter dropped his axe inastonishment and turned round to say, "No, no.I don't even have enough


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to eat or drink, so how can I possibly let you callme an Immortal?""If you're not an Immortal," the Monkey Kingsaid, "why do you talk like one?"

"I don't talk like an Immortal," the woodcuttersaid."At the edge of the wood just now," the MonkeyKing replied, "I heard you say, 'The people Imeet areTaoists and Immortals, sitting quietly andexpounding the Mantingfang.' The Mantingfangcontains the truthabout the Way, so if you're not an Immortal,what are you?" The woodcutter laughed."It's quite true that the song is called 'TheFragrance of the Mantingfang,'and an Immortalwho lives near myhut taught me it. He said he saw how hard I hadto work and how I was always worried, so hemade me singthis song when things were getting me down. Itlightens my cares and makes me forget myweariness. I wassinging it just now because I had someproblems on my mind, and I never imagined thatyou would belistening."

"If you've got an Immortal for a neighbour, youought to learn from him how to cultivate yourconduct and gethim to teach you a recipe for eternal youth."


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"I've had a hard life," the woodcutter replied."My mother and father brought me up till I wasabout eight, and

just when I was beginning to know about life my

father died. My mother remained a widow, and Ihad nobrothers or sisters. As I was the only child I hadto look after my mother morning and night. Nowshe is oldthat I can't possibly leave her. Our land is soovergrown that I can't grow enough to feed andclothe both of us,so I have to cut a couple of bundles of firewoodto sell in the market for a handful of coppers tobuy the fewpints of rice that I cook for myself and for mymother. That's why I can't cultivate myconduct.""From what you say," the Monkey King replied,"you're a filial son and a gentlemanyou'rebound to berewarded for it one day. But I'd be grateful if youcould show me where that Immortal lives, sothat I can goand pay him my respects."The woodcutter said, "It's not far from here. Thismountain is the Spirit Tower Heart Mountain,

and in it thereis the Cave of the Setting Moon and the ThreeStars. In that cave lives an Immortal called thePatriarch


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Subhuti. I don't know how many disciples hehas trainedthere are thirty or forty of themcultivating theirconduct with him at the moment. If you take that

path South for two or three miles you'll reachhis home."The Monkey King tugged at the woodcutter andsaid, "Take me there, Elder Brother. If I getanything out ofthis, I won't forget your kindness.""You idiot," the woodcutter replied, "didn't youunderstand what I told you just now? If I wentwith you Iwouldn't be able to earn my living, and whowould look after my poor old mother then? I'vegot to get on withmy woodcutting. Go by yourself."After hearing this the Monkey King had to takehis leave. He came out of the forest and foundthe path, whichled up a mountain slope for two or three miles,when he saw the cave. He pulled himself up tohis full heightto take a look, and it was a really magnificentplace:Misty clouds scattered colours,Sun and moon shimmered bright.

A thousand ancient cypresses,Ten thousand lofty bamboos.A thousand ancient cypresses,A soft green drawing the rain from the sky.Ten thousand lofty bamboos,And a misty valley is azure blue.


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Outside the gate rare flowers spread brocade;Beside the bridge wafts the scent of jadeflowers.Rocky crags jut, glossy with green moss;

On overhanging cliffs blue lichen grows.Sometimes the call of the crane is heardAnd often you see the phoenix soar.The call of the craneEchoes beyond the Ninth Heaven and the MilkyWay.When the phoenix soars,The brilliance of its wings colours the clouds.Black apes and white deer can be just made out;Golden lions and jade elephants prefer to keephidden.If you look closely at this happy land,

You will see that it rivals paradise.He saw that the doors of the cave were shutfast, and that everything was still, with no signsof any people. Heturned round and noticed that there was a stonetablet about thirty feet high and eight feet wideat the top ofthe cliff. On it was carved in enormous letters:SPIRITTOWER HEART MOUNTAIN, CAVE OFTHESETTING MOON AND THE THREE STARS. The

Monkey King exclaimed with delight, "Thepeople herereally are honest. The mountain and the cave doexist." He took a good long look, but did notdare to knock on


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the door. He climbed to the and of a pine branchand ate some pine seeds to amuse himself.Before long the doors of the cave opened with acreak, and an immortal boy came out. In the

nobility of hisbearing and the exceptional purity of hisfeatures he was completely different from anordinary boy.His hair was bound with a pair of silken bands,His flowing gown had two capacious sleeves.His face and body were naturally distinguished;His mind and appearance were both empty.For many years a guest beyond the world ofthings,An eternal child amid the mountains,Untouched by any speck of dust,He let the years go tumbling by.When this boy had come out he shouted,"Who's making that row out here?"The Monkey King scampered down the tree,went up to him, and said with a bow, "Immortalchild, I am adisciple who has come to ask about the Wayand study under the Immortal. The last thing I'ddo would be tomake a row here?" The boy laughed."So you've come to ask about the Way, have

you?""Yes," the Monkey King replied."Our master has just got up," the boy said, "andhas now mounted the dais to expound the Way.Before he had


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started to explain about origins he told me toopen the door. He said, 'There is someoneoutside who wants tocultivate his conduct. Go and welcome him.' I

suppose he must have meant you.""Yes, he meant me," the Monkey King said witha smile."Come with me," the boy said.The Monkey King straightened his clothes andfollowed the boy deep into the depths of thecave. He sawmajestic pavilions and towers of red jade, pearlpalaces and gateways of cowry, and countlessrooms ofsilence and secluded cells leading all the way toa jasper dais. He saw the Patriarch Subhutisitting on the daisand thirtysix minor Immortals standing belowit.A golden Immortal of great enlightenment, freefrom filth,Subhuti, the marvel of the Western World.Neither dying nor born, he practices the triplemeditation,His spirit and soul entirely benevolent.In empty detachment he follows the changes;Having found his true nature he lets it run free.

As eternal as Heaven, and majestic in body,The great teacher of the Law is enlightenedthrough aeons.As soon as the Handsome Monkey King sawhim he bowed low and knocked his head on theground before


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him many times, saying, "Master, master, yourdisciple pays his deepest respects.""Where are you from?" the Patriarch asked."You must tell me your name and address

before you can becomemy pupil.""I come from the Water Curtain Cave in theFlowers and Fruit Mountain in the land of Aolaiin the EasternContinent of Superior Body," replied theMonkey King."Throw him out," the Patriarch roared. "He's aliar and a cheat, and even if he tried cultivatinghis conduct hewould get nowhere."The Monkey King desperately kept hitting hishead on the ground and said, "Your disciplespoke the truth. Ipromise I wasn't lying."The Patriarch asked, "If you were speaking thetruth, why did you say that you came from theEasternContinent of Superior Body? Between here andthe Eastern Continent there are two seas andthe SouthernJambu Continent, so how could you possiblyhave come here from there?"

The Monkey King, still kowtowing, replied, "Isailed across seas and oceans, crossedfrontiers and wanderedthrough many countries for over ten yearsbefore I arrived here."


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"So you came here by stages," the Patriarchremarked. "What is your surname?""I'm not surly," the Monkey King replied. "Ifpeople call me names it doesn't bother me, and

if they hit me Idon't get angry. I'm just polite to them and that'sthat. I've never been surly.""I didn't ask if you were surly. I wanted to knowthe surname you inherited from your parents.""I didn't have any parents," the Monkey Kingreplied."If you had no parents, did you grow on a tree?""I grew not on a tree but in a stone," the MonkeyKing replied. "All I remember is that there was amagicstone on the top of the Flower and FruitMountain, and that one year the stone split openand I was born."Concealing his delight at hearing this, thePatriarch remarked, "In other words, you wereborn of Heaven andEarth. Walk around for a moment and let mehave a look at you." The Monkey King leapt tohis feet andshambled round a couple of times.The Patriarch smiled and said, "Though youhave rather a base sort of body, you look like

one of the rhesusmonkeys that eat pine seeds, and I ought to giveyou a surname that fits your appearance andcall you Hu


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('Macaque'). The elements that make up thecharacter Hu are 'animal,' 'old' and 'moon'. Whatis old is ancient,and the moon embodies the Negative principle,

and what is ancient and Negative cannot betransformed. But Ithink I would do much better to call you Sun('Monkey'). Apart from the 'animal' element, thecharacter Sunhas one part implying male and one partsuggesting a baby, which fits in with my basictheories aboutchildren. Your surname will be Sun."When the Monkey King heard this he kowtowedwith delight and said, "Great! Great! Now I havea surname.I am eternally grateful to you for your mercy andcompassion, master. I beg you to give me apersonal nameto go with my new surname, then it will be mucheasier to address me.""There are twelve words within my sect," saidthe Patriarch, "which I give as names. Youbelong to the tenthgeneration of my disciples.""What are these twelve words?" asked theMonkey King.

"Broad, great, wisdom, intelligence, true,likeness, nature, sea, bright, awakened,complete and enlightenment.If we work out the generations of disciples, thenyou should have a name with Wu ('Awakened')in it. So we


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can give you the Dharmaname Sun Wukong,which means 'Monkey Awakened to Emptiness'.Will that do?""Marvellous, marvellous," said the smiling

Monkey King. "From now on my name will beSun Wukong."Indeed:When the Great Vagueness was separated therewere no surnames;To smash foolish emptiness he had to beawakened to emptiness.If you want to know what success he had incultivating his conduct, you must listen to theexplanation in thenext installment.

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Journey to the West 1

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