Wu Cheng-en - Journey to the West (vol. 3)

Putting his hands together in front of his chest, Sanzang replied, “I am very grateful to you for your kindness, Great Immortal, very grateful.” Sanzang and his three disciples led the horse and carried the baggage with them into the Taoist temple, where they were introduced to all the Great Immortals there. Tea and a vegetarian meal were then ordered, and the Taoist boys were told to heat scented water for the holy monks to bathe in before climbing to the Buddha land. Indeed:

When achievements are complete it is right to bathe;

The fundamental nature has been trained into innate truth.

Many thousand troubles and today:

The nine prohibitions and triple surrender lead to renewal.

The monsters all done with, they climb to the Buddha land;

With disasters ended they see the Sramana.

Dirt and filth now washed away, they are wholly pure;

Returning to the fundamental, their bodies are imperishable.

By the time master and disciples had bathed the day was drawing to a close. They spent the night in the Jade Truth Temple.

The next morning the Tang Priest changed into his brocade cassock, put on his Vairocana mitre and grasped his monastic staff in his hand to climb the steps of the main hall and take his leave of the Great Immortal. “Yesterday you were in rags,” the Great Immortal said with a smile, “but today you are dressed in splendor. I can see from your appearance that you are indeed a son of the Buddha.” Sanzang then bowed in farewell.

“Wait a moment,” the Great Immortal said. “I will see you off.”

“There's no need for you to see us off,” Monkey replied. “I know the way.”

“What you know,” said the Great Immortal, “is the way by cloud. The holy monk has never gone by cloud. He must go by the overland way.”

“You're right,” replied Monkey. “Although I've been here several times I've always come and gone by cloud. I've never come here on foot. If there's an overland route I'll trouble you to see us along it. My master is very serious about worshipping the Buddha, so I'd be very grateful if you could hurry up about it.” The Great Immortal chuckled as he took the Tang Priest by hand and led the Incense to the gate of the Dharma. The way led not out by the temple's front entrance but through the main hall and out through the back gate.

Pointing towards Vulture Peak, the Great Immortal said, “Holy monk, do you see the auspicious light of many colours and the richly textured aura in the sky? That is the summit of Vulture Peak, the holy territory of the Lord Buddha.” As soon as he saw it the Tang Priest bowed low.

“Master,” said Brother Monkey with a smile, “we haven't got to the place for bowing yet. As the saying goes, 'The mountain may be in view, but your horse will collapse before you get there.' We're still quite a long way from the place, so why start bowing now? If you bow all the way from here to the top, however many times will you have to hit your head on the ground?”

“Holy monk,” said the Great Immortal, “You, the Great Sage, Marshal Tian Peng, and the Curtain-raising General have now reached the blessed land and seen Vulture Peak. I am going back now.” Sanzang took his leave of the Great Immortal and continued on his way.

The Great Sage led the Tang Priest and the others slowly up Vulture Peak. Within a couple of miles they reached a river of mighty rolling waves some three miles wide. There was no sign of anyone anywhere around.

“Wukong,” said Sanzang with alarm, “we have come the wrong way. I wonder if the Great Immortal misdirected us. This river is so wide and the waves so big, and there are no boats to be seen. How are we to cross it?”

“He didn't send us the wrong way,” replied Monkey with a smile. “Look over there. That's a bridge, isn't it? Once we're over that we'll have completed the true achievement.” When the venerable elder and the others went closer to look they saw a tablet beside it on which were written the words CLOUDTOUCHING CROSSING. Now this bridge was only a single log. Indeed:

From afar it seemed to span the void like a beam of jade;

Seen closer, the bridge was but a withered spar crossing the water.

To bind a river and frame the sea is easier

Than walking along the trunk of a single tree.

The glow of a myriad rainbows spread out all around;

A thousand lengths of fine white silk stretched to the edge of the sky.

It was narrow, slippery and hard to cross,

Unless one was a god who could walk on coloured clouds.

“Wukong,” said Sanzang in fear and trembling, “no mortal man could cross that bridge. Let us look elsewhere to find the way.”

“But this is the way,” replied Monkey with a smile, “this is the way.”

“Nobody's going to dare cross that even if it is the right way,” said Pig with alarm. “The river's so wide, and there are those terrible waves, and all there is is that narrow, slippery tree-trunk. We couldn't take a single step.”

“You all stand there while I go on it to show you,” replied Monkey.

The splendid Great Sage strode forward and sprang on the single-trunk bridge. He quickly ran across to the other side, swaying as he went, and called out, “Come over, come over.” The Tang Priest waved in refusal, while Pig and Friar Sand bit their fingers and said, “It's much too hard.”

Monkey then ran back again from the far side and pulled at Pig. “Come with me, you idiot,” he said, “come with me.”

“It's too slippery, it's too slippery,” said Pig, lying down on the ground. “I could never cross it. Please spare me that and let me cross by wind and mist.”

Monkey held him down as he replied, “This is no place for you to be allowed to go riding wind and mist. You can only become a Buddha by crossing this bridge.”

“Brother,” said Pig, “I'll never make it. Honestly, I can't walk across.”

As the two of them were pulling at each other and fighting, Friar Sand went over to talk them round. Only then did they let go of each other. Sanzang then looked round to see a man poling a boat towards them from downriver and shouting, “Ferry! Come aboard.”

“Stop fooling around, disciples,” said a delighted venerable elder. “There is a ferry-boat coming.” The other three sprang to their feet and all watched together as the boat drew closer. It was a bottomless craft.

Monkey had already spotted with the golden pupils in his fiery eyes that this was the Welcoming Lord Buddha, who is also known as Ratnadhvaja, the Royal Buddha of Brightness, but instead of giving this away he just kept calling, “Over here, punt, over here.”

A moment later the ferryman had punted his boat up to the bank and was again shouting, “Ferry! Come aboard!” Sanzang was once more alarmed at the sight. “Your boat has no bottom,” he said, “so however could you ferry anyone across?”

“This boat of mine,” the Buddha said,

“Has been famous since Chaos was first divided,

And been punted by me without any changes.

It is stable in wind and stable in waves,

Enjoying great peace with no start and no end.

Untouched by the six types of dust, it returns to the One,

Carries on calmly through all kinds of calamity.

Hard it is for a bottomless boat to cross the oceans,

But since ancient times it has ferried all creatures.”

The Great Sage Monkey put his hands together in front of his chest and thanked him with the words, “I am grateful to you for your generosity in coming to welcome my master. Step aboard, Master. That boat of his may have no bottom, but it's stable, and won't capsize even in wind and waves.” The venerable elder was still very doubtful, but Monkey seized him by the arms and pushed him forward. Unable to keep on his feet, the master tumbled into the water, where the ferryman grabbed hold of him at once and stood him on the boat. The master shook his clothes and stamped his feet, complaining about Monkey, who led Friar Sand and Pig to stand on board bringing the luggage and the horse with them.