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

Vynaptimatra-tasiddhi sastra-10 rolls

Abhidharma-kosa sastra-10 rolls

From the thirty-five scriptures in all of the stores we have selected 5,048 rolls to give to the holy monk. These will be kept and handed down in Tang. They have now all been packed neatly and put on the horse or made into carrying-pole loads. The pilgrims are only waiting to express their thanks.”

Sanzang and his three followers then tethered the horse, put down the loads, joined their hands in front of their chests and bowed in worship.

“The achievement of these scriptures is immeasurable,” the Tathagata said to the Tang Priest, “Although they are the source of foreknowledge and reflection for my school they are truly the origin of all Three Schools. If they reach your Southern Continent of Jambudvipa they must not be treated with disrespect when they are shown to all living beings. Nobody who has not bathed, avoided eating meat and observed the prohibitions may open the rolls. Treasure them. Honour them. They include the esoteric mysteries of the way of immortality and wonderful methods for discovering all transformations.” Kowtowing in thanks, Sanzang faith fully accepted these instructions and determined to carry them out, did three more circuits of homage round the Lord Buddha then with dutiful and sincere obedience accepted the scriptures and went out with them through the third of the monastery gates, where he thanked all the holy beings one by one again. Of him we will say no more.

After sending the Tang Priest on his way the Tathagata dissolved the assembly that had been called to pass on the scriptures. The Bodhisattva Guanyin then stepped forward from the side, put her hands together and submitted to the lord Buddha, “It has been fourteen years from the time when your disciple went to the East that year to find the man who would fetch the scriptures to his success today. That makes 5,040 days. May the World-honoured One allow the holy monks to go back East from the West within eight days, so as to complete the number of rolls in one store, and then your disciple may report his mission as completed.”

“What you say is quite right,” replied the Tathagata with delight. “You are permitted to report the completion of your mission.” With that he instructed the Eight Vajrapanis, “You are to use your divine might to escort the holy monks back to the East, where they will hand the true scriptures over to be kept there. After escorting the holy monks back, you may return to the West. This must be done within eight days in order to match the number of rolls in one store. There must be no disobedience or delay.” The vajrapanis caught up with the Tang Priest. “Come with us, scripture-fetchers,” they called; and the Tang Priest and the others became light and strong as they floated up on clouds after the vajrapanis. Indeed:

Nature revealed and mind made clear, they visited the Buddha;

Actions complete and all achieved, they flew aloft.

If you do not know how they passed on the scriptures after returning to the East, listen to the explanation in the next installment.

When the Nine Nines Are Complete the Demons Are All Destroyed

After the Triple Threes Are Fulfilled the Way Returns to Its Roots

The story goes on to tell how the Eight Vajrapanis escorted the Tang Priest back to their country, but we will not go into that now.

Outside the gates the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Four Duty Gods, the Six Dings, the Six Jias and the Guardians of the Faith went up to the Bodhisattva Guanyin and said, “We, your disciples, have given secret help to the holy monk in obedience to your dharma command, Bodhisattva. Now that they have fulfilled their deeds and you have reported your mission accomplished to the Lord Buddha, we would like to report the completion of our mission.”

“Permission granted.” The Bodhisattva replied with delight, “permission granted.” The Bodhisattva then went on to ask, “What were the thoughts and actions of the Tang Priest and his three disciples on their journey?”

“They really were pious and determined,” the deities all replied, “as we are sure will not have escaped your profound perception. But the Tang Priest's sufferings truly beggar description. Your disciples have made a careful record of the disasters and hardships that he has endured on his journey. This is the account of his ordeals.” The Bodhisattva read it through from the beginning, and this is what was written in it:

“We Protectors were sent at the Bodhisattva's command,

To keep a close record of the Tang Priest's ordeals.

The Golden Cicada's exile was the first ordeal;

Being born and almost killed was the second ordeal;

Abandonment in the river under the full moon was the third ordeal;

Finding his mother and getting revenge was the fourth ordeal;

The tigers he met after leaving the city were the fifth ordeal;

Falling into the pit was the sixth ordeal;

The Double Forked Peak was the seventh ordeal;

The Double Boundary Mountain was the eighth ordeal;

Exchanging horses at the ravine was the ninth ordeal;

The fire at night was the tenth ordeal;

The loss of the cassock was the eleventh ordeal;

Subduing Pig was the twelfth ordeal;

The obstacles created by the Yellow Wind Monster were the thirteenth ordeal;

Asking the help of Lingji was the fourteenth ordeal;

The hard crossing of the Flowing Sands River was the fifteenth ordeal;

Winning over Friar Sand was the sixteenth ordeal;

The appearance of the four holy ones was the seventeenth ordeal;

In the Wuzhuang Temple was the eighteenth ordeal;

The difficulty of reviving the manfruit was the nineteenth ordeal;

The dismissal of the Mind-ape was the twentieth ordeal;

Getting lost in Black Pine Forest was the twenty-first ordeal;

Delivering the letter to Elephantia was the twenty-second ordeal;

To be turned into a tiger in the palace hall was the twenty-third ordeal;

Meeting the monsters on Flat-top Mountain was the twenty-fourth ordeal;

To hang in the Lotus Flower Cave was the twenty-fifth ordeal;

The rescue of the king of Wuji was the twenty-sixth ordeal;

The transformation by the demons was the twenty-seventh ordeal;

The encounter with the monster of Mount Hao was the twenty-eighth ordeal;

The holy monk being carried off by the wind was the twenty-ninth ordeal;

The attack on the Mind-ape was the thirtieth ordeal;

Inviting the holy one to subdue the fiend was the thirty-first ordeal;

Sinking in the Black River was the thirty-second ordeal;

The moving in Tarrycart was the thirty-third ordeal;

The enormous wager was the thirty-fourth ordeal;

Casting out the Taoists and promoting the Buddhists was the thirty-fifth ordeal;

The great river met on the way was the thirty-sixth ordeal;

Falling into the River of Heaven was the thirty-seventh ordeal;

The appearance with the fish basket was the thirty-eighth ordeal;

Meeting the monster on Mount Jindou was the thirty-ninth ordeal;

All the gods of heaven being unable to subdue him was the fortieth ordeal;

Asking the Buddha about his origins was the forty-first ordeal;

To be poisoned by drinking the water was the forty-second ordeal;

Being kept in Womanland of Western Liang for the wedding was the forty-third ordeal;

The agonies of the Pipa Cave were the forty-fourth ordeal;

The Mind-ape's second dismissal was the forty-fifth ordeal;

Telling the macaques apart was the forty-sixth ordeal;

Being held up by the Fiery Mountains was the forty-seventh ordeal;

Obtaining the plantain-leaf fan was the forty-eighth ordeal;