Monkey – Journey to the West
– Chapter 7
Chapter 7
From the Brazier of Eight
Trigrams the Great Sage escapes; Beneath the Five Phases Mountain the Monkey of
the Mind is stilled.
Fame
and fortune,
All
predestined;
One
must ever shun a guileful heart.
Rectitude
ad truth,
The
fruits of virtue grow both long and deep.
A
little presumption brings on Heaven's wrath;
Though
yet unseen, it will surely come in time.
If
we ask the Lord of the East for reasons why
Such
pains and perils now appear
It's
because pride has sought to scale the limits,
Confounding
the world's order and perverting the law.
We were telling you about the
Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, who was taken by the celestial guardians to the
monster execution block, where he was bound to the monster-subguing
pillar. They then slashed him with a scimitar, hewed him with an ax, stabbed
him with a spear, and hacked him with a sword, but they could not hurt his body
in any way. Next, the Star Spirit of South Pole ordered the various deities of
the Fire Department to burn him with fire, but that, to, had little effect. The
gods of the Thunder Department were then ordered to strike him with
thunderbolts, but not a single one of his hairs were destroyed. The demon king Mahabali and the others therefore went back to report to
the Throne, saying, "Your majesty, we don't know where this Great Sage has
acquired such power to protect hid body. Your subjects slashed him with thunder
and burned him with fire. Not a single one of his hairs was destroyed. What
shall we do?" When the Jade Emperor heard these words, he said, " What indeed can we do to a fellow like that, a
creature of the sort?" Lao Tzu then came forward and said, "That
monkey ate the immortal peaches and drank the imperial wine. Moreover, he stole
the divine elixir and ate five gourdfuls of it, both
raw and cooked. All this was, probably refined in his stomach by the Samadhi
fire to form a single solid mass. The union with his constitution gave him a
diamond body which cannot be quickly destroyed. It would be better, therefore,
if this Taoist takes him away and the places him in the Brazier of Eight
Trigrams, where he will be smelted by high and low heat. When he is finally
separated from my elixir, his body will certainly be reduced to ashes."
When the Jade Emperor heard these words, he told the Six Guardians of Darkness
and the Six Guardians of Light to release the prisoner and hand him over to Lao
Tzu, who left in obedience to the divine decree. Meanwhile, the illustrious
Sage Erh-lang was rewarded with a hundred gold
blossoms, a hundred bottles of imperial wine, a
hundred pellets of elixir, together with rare treasures, lustrous pearls, and
brocades, which he was told to share with his brothers. After expressing his
gratitude, the Immortal Master returned to the mouth of the
Arriving at the
Truly time passed by swiftly,
and the forty-ninth day arrived imperceptibly. The alchemical process of Lao
Tzu was perfected, and on that day he came to open the brazier to take out his
elixir. The Great Sage at the time was covering his eyes with both hands, rubbing his face and shedding tears. He heard
noises on top of the brazier and, opening his eyes, suddenly saw light. Unable
to restrain himself, he leaped out of the brazier and kicked it over with a
loud crash. He began to walk straight out of the room, while a group of
startled fire tenders and guardians tried desperately to grab hold of him.
Every one of them was overthrown; he was as wild as a white brow tiger in a
fit, a one-horn dragon with a fever. Lao Tzu rushed up to clutch at him, only
to be greeted by such a violent shove that he fell head over heels while the
Great Sage escaped. Whipping the complaint rod out from his ear, he waved it once
in the wind and it had the thickness of a rice bowl. Holding it in his hands,
without regard for good or ill, he once more careened through the
This
cosmic being perfectly fused with nature's gifts
Passes with ease through ten thousand toils and tests.
Vast
and motionless like the One Great Void,
Perfect
and quiescent, he names The Primal Depth.
Refined
a long while in the brazier, though not of mercurial stuff,
He's
the very immortal, living ever above all things.
Knowing
boundless transformations, he changes still;
The
three refuges and five commandments he all rejects,
Here
is another poem:
Just
as light supernal fills the boundless space,
So
does that cudgel serve his master's hand
It
lengthens or shortens according to the wish of man;
Upright
or recumbent, grows or shrinks at will.
And another:
A
monkey's transformed body weds the human mind.
Mind
is a monkey-this, the truth profound.
The
Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, is no idle thought.
For
how could the post of pi-ma justly show his gifts?
The
Horse works with the Monkey-this means both Mind and Will
Must
firmly be harnessed ands not be ruled without.
All
things return to Nirvana, taking this one course:
In union with Tathagata to
live beneath twin trees.
This time our Monkey King had
no respect for persons great or small; he lashed out this way and that with hi
iron rod, and not a single deity could withstand him.
He fought all the way into the Hall of Perfect Light and was approaching the
Hall of Divine Mists, where fortunately Wang Ling-kuan,
aide to the Immortal Master of Adjuvant Holiness, was on duty. He saw the Great
Sage advancing recklessly and went forward to bar his way, holding high his
golden hip. "Walton monkey," he cried, "where are you going? I
am here, so don't you dare be insolent!" The Great Sage did not wait for further
utterance; he raised his rod and struck at once, while the Ling-kuan met him also with brandished whip. The two of them
charged into each other in front of the Hall of Divine Mists. What a fight that
was between
A
red-blooded patriot with reputation great,
And
a defier of Heaven with notorious name!
The
saint and the sinner gladly do this fight,
To test the skills of two warriors brave.
Though
the rod is brutal
And
the whip is fleet,
How
can the hero, upright and just, forbear?
This
one is a supreme god of vengeance with thunderous voice;
The other, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, a
monstrous ape.
The
golden whip and the iron rod used by the two
Are
both weapons divine from the House of God.
At
the Treasure Hall of Divine Mists this day they show their might,
Displaying each his prowess most admirably.
This
one brashly seeks to take the Big Dipper Palace.
The
other with all his strength defends the sacred realm.
In
bitter strife relentless they show their power;
Moving
back and forth, whip or rod had yet to score.
The two of them fought for
some time, and neither victory nor defeat could yet be determined. The Immortal
Master of Adjuvant Holiness, however, had already sent word to the Thunder
Department, and thirty-six thunder deities were summoned to the scene. They
surrounded the Great Sage and plunged into a fierce battle. The Great Sage was
not in the least intimidated; wielding his compliant rod, he parried left and
right and met his attackers to the front and to the rear. In a moment he saw
that the scimitars, lances, swords, halberds, whips, maces, hammers, axes, gilt
bludgeons, sickles, and spades of the thunder deities were coming thick and
fast. So with one shake of his body he changed into a creature with six arms
and three heads. One wave of the compliant rod and it turned into three; his
six arms wielded the three rods like a spinning wheel, whirling and dancing in
their midst. The various thunder deities could not approach him at all. Truly
his form was
Trumbling
round and round,
Bright
and luminous;
A form everlasting, how imitated by men?
He
cannot be burned in water?
A
lustrous pearl of mani he is
indeed,
Immune to all the spears and the swords.
He
could be good;
He
could be bad;
Present
good and evil he could do at will.
Immortal
he'll be in goodness or a Buddha,
But
working ill, he's covered by hair and horn.
Endlessly
changing he runs amok in Heaven,
Not
to be seized by fighting lords or thunder gods.
At the time the carious
deities has the Great Sage surrounded, but they could not close in on him. All
the hustle and bustle soon disturbed the Hade Emperor, who at once sent the
Wandering Minister of Inspection and the Immortal Master of Blessed Wings to go
to the Western Region and invite the aged Buddha to come and subdue the
monster.
The two sages received the
decree and went straight to the
The two sages explained as
follows: "Some time ago there was born on the
When Tathagata
heard this, he said to the various bodhisattvas, "All of you remain steadfast
here in the chief temple, and let no one relax his meditative posture. I have
to go exorcise a demon and defend the Throne."
Tathagata then called Anada and Kasyapa, his two venerable disciples, to follow him. They
left the
The
Great Sage said." I was
Born
of Earth and Heaven, immortal magically fused.
An old monkey hailing from the Flower-Fruit Mount.
I
made my home in the
I
sought friend and teacher to gain the Mystery Great.
Perfected
in the many arts of ageless like,
I
learned to change in ways boundless and vast.
Too
narrow the space I found on that mortal earth;
I
set my mind to live in the Green Jade Sky.
In
Divine Mists Hall none should long reside.
For
king may follow king in reign of man.
If
might is honor, let them yield to me.
Only
he is hero who dares to fight and win!
When the Buddhist Patriarch
heard these words, he laughed aloud in scorn. "A fellow like you," he
said. "is only a monkey who happens to become a
spirit. How dare you be so presumptuous as to want to seize the honored throne
of the Exalted Jade Emperor? He began practicing religion when he was very
young, and he was gone through the bitter experience of one thousand, seven
hundred and fifty kalpas, with each kalpa lasting a hundred and twenty-nine thousand, six
hundred years. Figure out yourself how many years it took him to rise to the
enjoyment of his great and limitless position! You are merely a beast who has
just attained human form in this incarnation. How dare you make such a boast?
Blasphemy! This is sheer blasphemy, and it will surely shorten your allotted
age. Repent while there's still time and cease your idle talk! Be worry that
you don't encounter such peril that you will be cut down in and instant, and all your original will be waster."
"Even if the Jade
Emperor has practiced religion from childhood," said the Great Sage
"he should not be allowed to remain here forever. The proverb says, 'Many
are the turns of kingship, and next year the turn will be mine!' Tell him to
move out at once and hand over the
The Buddhist Patriarch said,
"Let me make a wager with you. If you have the ability to somersault clear
of this palm of mine, I shall consider you the winner. You need not raise your
weapon in battle then, for I shall ask the Jade Emperor to go live with me in
the West and let you have the
When the Great Sage heard
this, he said to himself, snickering, "What a fool this Tathagata is! A single somersault of mine can carry old
Monkey a hundred and eight thousand miles, yet his palm is not even one foot
across. How could I possible not jump clear of it?" He asked quickly,
"You're certain that your decision will stand?" "Certainly it
will," said the Tathagata. He stretched out his
right hand, which was about the size of a lotus leaf. Our Great Sage put away
his compliant rod and, summoning his power, leaped up and stood right in the
center of the Patriarch’s hand. He said simply, "I'm off" and he was
gone-all but invisible like a streak of light in the clouds. Training the eye
of wisdom on him, the Buddhist Patriarch saw that the Monkey King was hurtling
along relentlessly like a whirligig.
As the Great Sage advanced,
he suddenly saw five flesh-ink pillars supporting a mass of green air.
"This must be the end of the road," he said. "When I go back
presently, Tathagata will be my witness and I shall
certainly take up residence in the
Dear Great Sage! Quickly he
crouched and was about to jump up again, when the Buddhist Patriarch flipped
his hand over, and tossed the Monkey King out of the West Heavenly Gate. The
five fingers were transformed into Five Rhames of
metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They became, infact,
five connected mountains, named
Wonderful!
Wonderful!
Taught
to be manlike since hatching from an egg that year,
He
set his aim to learn and walk the Way of Truth.
He
lived in a lovely region by ten thousand kalpas
unmoved.
But
one day he changed, dissipating vigor and strength.
Craving
high place, he flouted Heaven's dominion;
Mocking
sages, he stole pills and upset the great relations.
Evil,
full to the brim, now meets it retribution.
We
know not when he may hope to find release.
After the Buddhist Patriarch Tathagata had vanquished the monstrous monkey, he at once
called Anada and Kasyapa to
return with him to the
In a little while, the
Jade-Pure Honorable Divine of the Origin, the Exalted-Pure Honorable Divine of
Spiritual Treasures, the Primal-Pure Honorable Divine of Mortal Virtue, the
Immortal Masters of Five Influences, the Star Spirits of Five Constellations,
the Three Ministers, the Four Stages, the Nine Luminaries, the Left and Right
Assistants, the Devaraja, and Prince Nata all marched in leading a train of flags and canopies
in pairs. They were all holding all holding rare treasures and lustrous pearls,
fruits of longevity and exotic flowers to be presented to the Buddha. As they
bowed before him, they said, "We are most grateful for the unfathomable
power of Tathagata, who has subdued the monstrous
monkey. We are grateful, too, to the Most Honorable Deva,
who is having this banquet and asked us to come here to offer our thanks. May
we beseech Tathagata to give this banquet a
name?" Responding to the petition of the various deities, Tathagata said, "If a name is desired, let this be
called "The Great Banquet for Peace in Heaven. ", "What a
magnificent name!" the various Immortals cried in unison.
"Indeed, it shall be the Great Banquet for Peace in Heaven."
When they finished speaking, they took their seats separately, and there was
the pouring of wine and exchanging of cups, pinning of corsages and playing of
zithers. It was indeed a magnificent banquet, for which we have a testimonial
poem. The poem says:
That
Feast of Peaches Immortal disturbed by the ape
Is now surpassed by this Banquet for Peace in Heaven.
Dragon
flags and phoenix chariots stand glowing in halos bright,
As
stands and blazing banners whirl in hallowed light,
Sweet
are the tunes of immortal airs and songs,
Noble the sounds of panpipes and double flutes of
jade.
Incense
ambrosial surrounds this assembly of saints.
The
world is tranquil. May the
As all of them were feasting
happily, the Lady Queen Mother also led a host of divine maidens and immortal
singing-girls to come before the Buddha, dancing with light feet. They bowed to
him, and she said, "Our festival of Immortal Peaches was ruined by that
monstrous monkey. We are beholden to the mighty power of Tathagata
for the enchainment of this mischievous ape. In the celebration during this
Great Banquet for Peace in Heaven, we have little to offer as a token of our
thanks. Please accept, however, these few immortal peaches plucked from the
large trees by our own hands." They were truly
Half
red, half green, and spouting, aroma sweet,
Of
luscious roots immortal, and ten thousand years old.
Pity
those fruits planted at the Wu-ling Spring!
How
do they equal the marvels of Heaven's home:
Those
tender ones of purple veins so rare in the "World.
And
those of matchless sweetness with pale yellow pits?
They
lengthen your age and prolong your life by changing your frame,
He
who has the luck to ear them will never be the same.
After the Buddhist Patriarch
had pressed together his hands to thank the Queen Mother, she ordered the
immortal singing-girls and the divine maidens to sing and dance. All the
immortals at the banquet applauded enthusiastically. Truly there were
Whorls
of heavenly, incense filling the seats,
Jade
capital and golden arches in what great splendor!
How
priceless, too, the strange goods and rare treasures!
Every
set increases through ten thousand kalpas.
Mulberry
fields or vast oceans, let them shift and change.
He
who lives here has neither grief nor fear.
The Queen Mother commanded
the immortal maidens to sing and dance, as wine cups and goblets clicked
together steadily.
After
a little while, suddenly
A
wondrous fragrance came to meet the nose,
Rousing Stars and PLanters
in that great hall.
The
god and the Buddha put down their cups.
Raising
his head, each waited with his eyes.
There
in the air appeared an aged man,
Holding a most luxuriant long-life plant.
His
gourd had elixir of ten thousand years.
His
book listed names twelve millennia old.
Sky
and earth in his cave knew no constraint.
Sun
and moon were perfected in this vase.
He
roams the
And made the Ten Islets his tranquil home.
Getting
drunk often at the Peaches Feast
He
woke: the moon shone brightly as of old.
He
had a long head, short frame, and large ears.
His
name: Star of Long Life from South Pole.
After the Star of Long Life
had arrived and had greeted the Jade Emperor, he also went up to thank Tathagata, saying, "When I first heard that the
baneful monkey was being led by Lao Tzu to the
Jade-green
lotus and golden drug are given to Sakya.
Like
the sands of
The
brocade of the three wains is calm, eternal bliss.
The
nine-grade garland is a wholesome, endless life.
In
the School Madhyamika he's the true master,
Whose
home is the Heaven both of form and emptiness.
The
great Earth and cosmos all call him Lord.
His
sixteen-foot diamond body amounts in blessing and life.
Tathagata accepted the thanks cheerfully, and the Star of Long
Life went to his seat. Again there was pouring of wine and exchanging of cups.
The Great Immortal of Naked Feet also arrived. After prostrating himself before
the Jade Emperor, he too went to thanks the Buddhist Patriarch, saying, "I
am profoundly grateful for your dharma which subdued the baneful monkey. I have
no other things to convey my respect but two magic pears and some fire dates,
which I now present to you." The poem says:
Fragrant
are the pears and dates of the Nakes-Feet Immortal,
Presented to Amitabha, whose
count of years is long.
Firm
as a hill is his Lotus Platform of Seven Treasures;
Brocadelike
is his Flower Seat of Thousand Gold adorned.
No
false speech is this -his age equals Heaven and Earth;
Nor
is this a lie-his luck is great as the sea.
Blessing
and long life reach in him their fullest scope,
Dwelling in that Western Region of calm, eternal
bliss.
Tathagata again thanked him and asked Ananda
and Kasyapa to put away the gifts one by one before
approaching the Jade Emperor to express his gratitude for the banquet. By now,
everyone was somewhat tipsy. A spirit Minister of Inspection then arrived to
make the report, " The Great Sage is sticking out
his head!" "No need to worry," said the Buddhist Patriarch. He
took from his sleeve tag on which were written in gold letters the words
Tathagata then took leave of the Jade Emperor and the deities,
and went with the two devas out of the Heavenly Gate.
Moved by compassion, he receipted a divine spell and called together a local
spirit and the Fearless Guards of Five Quarters to stand watch over the
The
brash, baneful monkey in revolt against Heaven
Is brought to submission by Tathagata.
He
drinks melted copper to endure the seasons,
And feeds on iron pellets to pass the time.
Tried
by this bitter misfortune sent from the Sky,
He's
glad to be living, though in a piteous lot.
If
this hero is allowed to struggle anew,
He'll
serve Buddha in future and go to the West.
Another
poem says:
Prideful
of his power once the time was ripe,
He
tamed dragon and tiger, exploiting wily might
Stealing
peaches and wine, he roamed the House of Heaven.
He
found trust and favor in the Capital of Jade.
He's
now imprisoned, for his evil's full to the brim.
By
the good stock unfailing his spirits will rise again.
If he's indeed to escape Tathagata's
hands.
He must
await the holy monk from T'ang Court.
We do not know in what month
or year hereafter the days of his penance will be fulfilled, and you must
listen to the explanation in the next chapter.