Journey to the West (vol. 3) Read online

  The shimmering clouds of blessing parted for Lord Buddha

  As in his great compassion he came down from his shrine.

  He taught the truth about all beings since creation,

  Explaining how everything had been transformed in time.

  Before him went five hundred holy arhats;

  Behind him were three thousand guardians of the faith.

  Ananda and Kasyapa were both in close attendance;

  Samantabhadra and Manjusri came to conquer monsters.

  The Great Sage had been granted this favour and succeeded in bringing the Lord Buddha and his host with him. It was not long before the city was in sight. “Tathagata,” said Monkey, “that's Leonia, where the black vapors are coming from.”

  “You go down into the city first,” said the Tathagata, “and start a fight with the evil spirits. Do not win. You must lose and come back up. Leave it to us to recapture them.”

  The Great Sage then brought his cloud straight down to land on the city wall, where he stood on the battlements and shouted abusively, “Evil beasts! Come out and fight me at once!” This caused such consternation among the junior demons in the towers on the wall that they jumped straight down into the city to report, “Your Majesties, Sun the Novice is on the wall, challenging us to battle.”

  “That ape hasn't been here for two or three days,” the senior demon replied. “Now he's back challenging us to battle. Can he have fetched some reinforcements?”

  “He's nothing to be scared of,” said the third demon chief. “Let's all go and have a look.” The three chieftains, all carrying their weapons, hurried up on the wall where they saw Monkey. Without a word they raised their weapons and thrust at him. Monkey held them off by swinging his iron cudgel. When they had fought seven or eight rounds Monkey feigned defeat and fled.

  “Where do you think you're going?” the demon king asked with a mighty shout, and with a somersault Monkey sprang up into mid-air. The three spirits went after him on clouds, but Monkey slipped aside and disappeared completely in the Lord Buddha's golden aura.

  All that could be seen were the images of the Three Buddhas of Past, Future and Present, the five hundred arhats and the three thousand Protectors of the Faith who spread all around, encircling the three demon kings so closely that not even a drop of water could leak through.

  “This is terrible, my brother,” said the senior demon chief, lashing out wildly, “that ape is a really sharp operator. How did he manage to bring my master here?”

  “Don't be afraid, elder brother,” said the third demon. “If we all charge together we can cut down the Tathagata with our swords and spears and seize his Thunder Monastery.” The demons, who had no sense of proper behavior, really did raise their swords to charge forward, hacking wildly.

  Manjusri and Samantabhadra recited the words of a spell and shouted, “Won't you repent now, evil beasts? What else do you hope for?” The senior and the second demon chiefs gave up the struggle, threw down their weapons, rolled and reverted to their true images. The two Bodhisattvas threw their lotus thrones on the demons' backs and flew over to sit on them. The two demons then gave up and submitted.

  Now that the blue lion and the white elephant had been captured only the third evil monster was still unsubdued. Spreading its wings it dropped its heaven-square halberd and rose straight up to try to catch the Monkey King with a swing of its sharp talons, but as the Great Sage was biding in the golden aura the demon dared get nowhere near him. When the Tathagata realized what it was trying to do he made his golden aura flash and shook his head, the supreme meditator in the wind, to turn the creature into a bright red lump of bloody meat. The evil spirit seized it with a flourish of its sharp talons, whereupon the Lord Buddha pointed upwards with his hand, destroying the muscles in the monster's wings. It could not fly or get away from the top of the Buddha's head, and it reverted to its true appearance as a golden-winged vulture.

  Opening its beak it said to the Buddha, “Tathagata, why did you use your great dharma powers to catch me like this?”

  “You have been doing much evil here,” the Tathagata replied. “Come with me and you will win credit for a good deed.”

  “You eat vegetarian food in great poverty and suffering at your place,” the evil spirit replied, “but here I can eat human flesh and live in no end of luxury. If you kill me by starvation you'll be guilty of a sin.”

  “In the four continents I control countless living beings who worship me,” the Buddha replied, “and whenever they are going to perform a service to me I shall tell them to make a sacrifice to you first.” The Great Roc would have escaped and got away if it could. As it was he had no choice but to accept conversion.

  Only then did Monkey emerge to kowtow to the Tathagata and say, “Lord Buddha, today you have captured the evil spirits and removed a great bane, but my master is dead.”

  At this the Great Roc said bitterly as it ground its teeth, “Damned ape! Why did you have to bring these ferocious men here to persecute me? I never ate that old monk of yours. He's in the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion now, isn't he?” When Monkey heard this he quickly kowtowed to thank the Lord Buddha. Not daring to release the Great Roc, the Buddha made him into a guardian of the dharma in his brilliant halo then led his host back to his monastery on their clouds. Monkey landed his cloud and went straight into the city, where there was not a single junior demon left. Indeed:

  A snake cannot move without its head;

  A bird cannot fly without its wings.

  They had all fled for their lives when they saw the Buddha capturing their evil kings.

  Monkey then freed Pig and Friar Sand, found the luggage and the horse, and said to his fellow-disciples, “The master hasn't been eaten. Come with me.” He took the two of them straight into the inner compound where they found the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion. Opening the door and looking inside they saw an iron trunk from which could be heard the sound of Sanzang weeping.

  Friar Sand used his demon-quelling staff to open the iron cage over the chest and raise its lid. “Master,” he called.

  At the sight of them Sanzang wept aloud and said, “Disciples, how were the demons beaten? How did you manage to find me here?” Monkey told him all the details of what had happened from beginning to end and Sanzang expressed boundless gratitude. Then master and disciples found some rice in the palace and ate their fill of it before packing their things and leaving the city along the main road West. Indeed:

  Only a true man can find the true scriptures;

  The will's shouts and the heart's labors are in vain.

  If you don't know when on this journey they were to see the Tathagata listen to the explanation in the next installment.

  Chapter 78

  In Bhiksuland the Hidden Gods Are Sent on an Errand of Mercy

  In the Palace the Monster Is Revealed and the Way Discussed

  A single thought at once disturbs a hundred monsters;

  The hardest efforts are all to no avail.

  One can only wash away each speck of dust,

  Tidy everything and polish well.

  Sweep all causation away and come to nirvana;

  Waste no time and destroy the thousand demons.

  You surely will be free from obstructions,

  And rise to the Daluo Heaven when your deeds are done.

  The story tells how the Great Sage Sun used all his ingenuity to fetch the Tathagata to subdue the demons and rescue Sanzang and the other two disciples, after which they left the city of Leonia and headed West. When they had been travelling for several more months it was winter, and this is what could be seen:

  The plum on the ridge was like broken jade

  As the water in the pond slowly turned to ice.

  All the red autumn leaves had fallen,

  And the green of the pine looked fresher than ever.

  The pale and scudding clouds were on the point of snowing;

  Flat lay the withered grass upon the hills.

&nb
sp; As far as the eye could see was chilly brightness

  As the unseen cold went right into the bone.

  Master and disciples braved the cold, sleeping out in the rain and dining off the wind, until as they were walking along another walled and moated city came into sight. “What sort of place is that over there, Wukong?” Sanzang asked Monkey, who replied, “We'll know when we get there. If it's the capital of a Western kingdom we'll have to present our passport to be inspected and returned. If it's a prefecture or county town we'll go straight through.” Before master and disciples could finish their conversation they had arrived at the city gates.

  Sanzang dismounted and the four of them went in through the curtain wall outside the gates. Noticing an old soldier sleeping shielded from the wind under the South-facing wall, Brother Monkey went up to him, shook him and said, “Sir!”

  When the old soldier awoke with a start to open his bleary eyes and see Monkey he fell to his knees to kowtow and say, “My Lord!”

  “There's no need for such alarm,” said Monkey. “I'm no evil god, so why call me your lord?”

  “Aren't you Lord Thunder God?” the old soldier asked, kowtowing again.

  “What a thing to say,” Monkey replied. “We're monks from the East on our way to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. We've just arrived here. Could I ask what this place is called?” This answer finally eased the old soldier's mind.

  With a yawn he got back on his feet, stretched and said, “Please forgive me, reverend gentlemen. This country used to be called Bhiksuland but its name has been changed to Boytown.”

  “Do you have a king?” Monkey asked.

  “Yes, yes,” the old soldier replied.

  Monkey then turned to report to the Tang Priest, “This country used to be called Bhiksuland but the name's been altered to Boytown, though I don't know what the change signifies.”

  “If it was Bhiksuland before why is it Boytown now?” the Tang Priest wondered.

  “I expect there was a King Bhiksu who died,” said Pig, “and they changed the name to Boytown when a boy succeeded him.”

  “Impossible,” said the Tang Priest, “impossible. Let's go in and make some enquiries in the street.”

  “That's right,” said Friar Sand. “The old soldier wouldn't have known anyhow, and on top of that elder brother gave him such a fright that he talked nonsense. We'll ask some more questions in the city.”

  When they had gone through the third pair of gates they came to a great market on a main street. The people were well-dressed and their bearing distinguished.

  A hubbub of voices came from bar and music hall;

  High hung the curtains outside splendid shop and teahouse.

  Business was good in firms by the thousand;

  Wealth flowed free in shopping street and market.

  The dealers in metal and silk were swarming like ants,

  Caring only for money while struggling for fame and wealth.

  With these noble manners, magnificent scenery

  And peaceful waters it was a time of prosperity.

  The master and his three disciples, who were leading the horse and carrying the baggage, spent some time walking around the streets as they admired the general air of prosperity. In the entrance to every house there was a basketwork coop of the sort geese are kept in. “Disciples,” said Sanzang, “why do all the people here put coops in their gateways?” Pig's response to this was to look around and see that there were indeed lines of coops hung with satin curtains of many colours. “Master,” said the idiot with a smile, “today must be a lucky one for weddings and celebrations. Everybody's having a wedding.”

  “Nonsense,” said Monkey. “How could every single family possibly be having a wedding? There must be some other reason for this. I'm going over to take a look.”

  “You're not to go,” said Sanzang, grabbing hold of him. “You look so ugly that people might take offence.”

  “I'll go as something else,” Brother Monkey replied.

  Making a spell with his hands the splendid Great Sage said the words of a spell, shook himself, turned into a bee, spread his wings, flew to one of the coops and slipped in through the curtains to take a look. A little boy was sitting inside. Monkey looked inside another family's coop and there was a child in that too. He inspected eight or nine households and all of them had a child. All were boys: there was not a single girl. Some were sitting up in their coops and playing and some were crying; some were eating fruit and some were snoozing.

  His inspection over, Monkey turned back into his normal self and reported to the Tang Priest, “There are little boys in the coops. The oldest is under six and the youngest only four. I don't know why they're here.” Sanzang wondered what the explanation could be.

  Turning a comer they saw the gateway to an official building. It was a government hostel with golden pavilions. The venerable elder was delighted.

  “Disciples,” he said, “we will go into this hostel. We can find out where we are, give the horse a rest and put up for the night.”

  “Yes, that's right,” said Friar Sand. “Let's go straight in.” This the four of them happily did, a fact that the officials there reported to the hostel's superintendent.

  When the superintendent had led them inside greetings had been exchanged and they had all sat down, the superintendent asked, “Where have you come from, reverend sir?”

  “I am a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Sanzang replied. “Now that we have arrived at this excellent establishment I will of course present my passport for inspection. Could we, I wonder, impose on your hospitality for the night?”

  The superintendent ordered tea, and when it had been drank he saw to their entertainment and told the staff who were on duty to look after the pilgrims. After thanking him for this Sanzang went on to ask, “Could we go to the palace today to see His Majesty and have our passport inspected?”

  “That will not be possible this evening,” the superintendent replied. “It will have to wait until tomorrow morning. I hope that you will spend a comfortable night in this humble hostel.”

  A little later, when all had been prepared, the superintendent of the hostel invited the four travelers to take a vegetarian meal with him. He also told his staff to sweep out the guest rooms for them to spend the night in. Sanzang expressed endless gratitude. When they were all seated the venerable elder said, “I wonder if I could trouble you for information on something that I cannot understand. How do you raise children in your country?”

  “People are the same the whole world over, just as there are never two suns in the sky,” the superintendent replied. “Children are born when their time comes after the father's seed has joined with the mother's blood and they have been in the womb for ten lunar months. After they are born they are suckled for three years and their bodies gradually grow. Everybody knows that.”

  “What you tell me is no different from how they grow in my humble country,” Sanzang replied. “But when we came into the city we saw a goose coop with a little boy inside in front of every house in the street. This is something I cannot understand, which is why I ventured to raise the question.”

  “Ignore that, reverend sir,” whispered the hostel superintendent into Sanzang's ear. “Don't ask about it. Put it out of your mind. Don't even mention it. Would you like to settle down for the night before starting your journey again tomorrow morning?” Sanzang's response was to seize hold of the superintendent and demand an explanation.

  “Watch your words,” the superintendent replied, shaking his head and wagging his finger, but Sanzang was not going to drop the matter. He insisted on being told all the details. The superintendent had no choice but to dismiss all the staff on duty.

  When they were alone under the lamplight he whispered to Sanzang, “The goose coops you asked about are there because our king is a bad ruler. Why ever do you have to keep asking about it?”

  “How is he a bad
ruler?” Sanzang asked. “I will not be able to set my mind at ease until you give me an explanation.”

  “This country is really called Bhiksuland,” the superintendent replied. “Boytown is only what the people have started calling it. Three years ago an old man dressed as a Taoist came here with a girl just fifteen years old. She was a ravishing beauty, just like a Bodhisattva Guanyin. He presented her to our present king, who was so smitten by her charms that she became the favorite of all his women. She was given the title Queen Beauty. For some time now he's had no eyes for any of his other queens or consorts. He's so insatiable that he's been at it day and night. The result is nervous exhaustion and physical collapse. He's eating and drinking next to nothing. He might die at any moment. The Royal College of Physicians has tried every possible medicine without any success. The Taoist who presented the girl to the king was rewarded with the title of Elder of the Nation. He has a secret foreign formula for making people live a great deal longer. He's been to ten continents and the three magic islands to collect the ingredients. Everything is ready. The only problem is that it needs a terrible adjuvant to help it-a potion made from the hearts of 1,111 little boys. When he's taken it he'll have a thousand years of vigorous life ahead of him. All the little boys being kept in the coops are the ones that have been chosen. Their parents are so afraid of the king that none of them dares weep. That's why they've put out the story that this place is now called Boytown. When you go to the palace tomorrow morning, reverend sir, you must only present your passport to be inspected and returned. Say nothing about any of this.” When he had said all this he left them.

  Sanzang was so horrified by what he had heard that his bones turned soft and his muscles went numb. He could not help the tears that streamed down his face as he started sobbing aloud. “Foolish king,” he exclaimed, “foolish king. Your lechery has ruined your health, and now you are planning to destroy all those young lives. How could you? What misery! The pain of it all is killing me.” There is a poem about it that goes: