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

Tying up the demon king was the forty-ninth ordeal;

Sweeping the pagoda in Jisai city was the fiftieth ordeal;

The recovery of the treasures and the rescue of the monks were the fifty-first ordeal;

Reciting poems in the Thorn Forest was the fifty-second ordeal;

Trouble in the Lesser Thunder Monastery was the fifty-third ordeal;

The capture of the heavenly gods was the fifty-fourth ordeal;

Being stopped by the filthy Runny Persimmon Lane was the fifty-fifth ordeal;

Healing in Purpuria was the fifty-sixth ordeal;

Saving from debility was the fifty-seventh ordeal;

Subduing fiends and rescuing the queen was the fifty-eighth ordeal;

Delusion by the seven passions was the fifty-ninth ordeal;

The wounding of the Many-eyed Monster was the sixtieth ordeal;

Being held up by the Lion was the sixty-first ordeal;

Dividing demons into three categories was the sixty-second ordeal;

Meeting disaster in the city was the sixty-third ordeal;

Asking the Buddha to subdue the demon was the sixty-fourth ordeal;

The rescue of the boys in Bhiksuland was the sixty-fifth ordeal;

Telling the true from the evil was the sixty-sixth ordeal;

Saving the monster in the pine forest was the sixty-seventh ordeal;

Lying sick in the monastic cell was the sixty-eighth ordeal;

Capture in the Bottomless Cave was the sixty-ninth ordeal;

Delays in Dharmadestructia were the seventieth ordeal;

Meeting the monster on Hidden Clouds Mountain was the seventy-first ordeal;

Begging for rain in Fengxian was the seventy-second ordeal;

The loss of the weapons was the seventy-third ordeal;

The rake banquet was the seventy-fourth ordeal;

Troubles on Bamboo Mountain were the seventy-fifth ordeal;

Suffering in Dark Essence Cave was the seventy-sixth ordeal;

Catching Rhinoceros was the seventy-seventh ordeal;

Being required to marry in India was the seventy-eighth ordeal;

Imprisonment in Brazentower was the seventy-ninth ordeal;

Casting of the body at the Lingyun Crossing was the eightieth ordeal;

The journey was one of 36,000 miles,

And the ordeals of the holy monk are all clearly recorded.”

Casting her eyes over the record, the Bodhisattva quickly said, “In the Buddha's school 'nine nines' are needed before one can come to the truth. The eighty ordeals that the holy monk has endured are one short of the full number. “Go after the vajrapanis,” she ordered a protector, “and tell them to create another ordeal.” The protector headed East by cloud as soon as he was given this order, and after a day and a night he caught up with the Eight Vajrapanis. “It's like this, you see,” he said, whispering in their ears in explanation, adding, “so you must do as the Bodhisattva commands and not disobey.” When the Eight Vajrapanis heard this they stopped the wind with a swishing sound and dropped the four of them to the ground, horse, scriptures and all. Oh dear! It was a case of

The Way of reaching the truth through the nine nines is hard;

Hold fast to your determination to stand at the mysterious pass.

Only through rigorous effort can the demons be repelled;

Perseverance is essential to the true Dharma's return.

Do not mistake the scriptures for something easily won;

Of many a kind were the hardships endured by the holy monk.

The marvellous union has always been hard to achieve:

The slightest mistake and the elixir will not be made.

As his feet touched common ground Sanzang felt alarmed. “Marvellous,” said Pig, roaring with laughter, “just marvellous! It's a case of more haste less speed.”

“It really is marvellous,” said Friar Sand. “They're giving us a rest here after going so fast.”

“As the saying goes,” remarked the Great Sage, “'Wait ten days on a sandbank, then cross nine in a single day.'”

“Stop arguing, you three,” said Sanzang. “Find out which way we have come and where we are.”

“We're here!” said Friar Sand after looking all around, “We're here! Listen to the water, Master.”

“From the sound of the water I suppose it must be your family home,” observed Brother Monkey.

“His home is the River of Flowing Sands,” said Pig.

“No, it's not that,” replied Friar Sand. “It's the River of Heaven.”

“Take a careful look at the other side, disciple,” said Sanzang, at which Monkey sprang into the air, shaded his eyes with his hand, and took a careful look around. “Master,” he said after coming down again, “this is the West bank of the River of Heaven.”

“I remember now,” said Sanzang. “On the East bank there is Chen Family Village. When we came here the other year they were so grateful to us for rescuing their son and daughter that they wanted to build a boat to take us across, but the White Soft-shelled Turtle carried us over. As I recall, there was no sign of human life anywhere on the West bank. Whatever are we to do now?”

“They say that common mortals can be sinners,” said Pig, “but the vajrapanis who serve the Buddha in person are too. The Buddha ordered them to bring us back East, so why have they dropped us half way home? We're stuck here now. How ever are we going to get over?”

“Stop complaining, brother,” said Friar Sand. “Our master has found the Way. He cast off his mortal body at the Cloud-touching Crossing, so he won't possibly fall into the water now. Our big brother and we two can all do levitation magic, so we can carry the master across.”

Monkey laughed to himself under his breath as he replied, “We can't do it, we can't do it.” Why do you think he said that they couldn't do it? If he had been prepared to use his divine powers and give away the secret of flying then master and disciples would have been able to cross a thousand rivers. But he understood that as the Tang Priest had not yet completed the nine nines he was fated to undergo another ordeal, which was why he had been held up here.

Talking as they walked slowly along, master and disciples headed straight to the river-bank, where all of a sudden they heard someone calling, “This way, Tang Priest, this way!” They were all surprised, and when they looked up there was no sign of anyone around, and no boat either.

There was only a big, white, scabby-headed soft-shelled turtle raising its head by the bank and calling, “Master, I have been waiting for you all these years. Why have you only just come back?”

“We troubled you in the past, old turtle,” said Monkey with a smile, “and this year we meet again.” Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand were all delighted.

“If you really do want to look after us, come ashore,” Monkey said, at which the turtle climbed out of the river with a bound. Monkey had the horse tied to the turtle with Pig squatting behind the horse's tail. The Tang Priest stood to the left of the horse's neck and Friar Sand to its right, while Monkey stood with one foot on the turtle's neck and the other on his head.

“Take it easy and take it steady,” he said. The turtle strode across the water just as if his four feet were walking on flat land, carrying the master and his three disciples, five of them altogether including the horse, straight back to the Eastern bank. This was Indeed:

The mystery of the Dharma within the unique sect:

When the demons are all defeated man and heaven are made known.

Only now can the original face be seen,

And the causes of the one body all be complete.

Hold to the Three Vehicles to come and go at will;

After the elixir's nine transformations you may do what you like.

Carry your bundle, let your staff fly, and understand the inexpressible;

Lucky they were on their return to meet the Ancient Turtle.