Cranes call among the pines.
As the wind howls mountain sprites appear in the gullies,
Playing tricks on the wood-cutters;
Crafty foxes sit on the edge of rock-faces,
To the terror of hunters.
A splendid mountain,
Its every face towering and sheer.
Strange-shaped pines spread their bright green canopies;
From withered old trees hang vines of wisteria.
As spring waters fly through the air
The cold breeze cuts through and chills.
Where the crag towers aloft
A pure wind strikes the eye and startles the dreaming soul.
Sometimes the roar of the tiger is heard,
And often the songs of the mountain birds.
Herds of deer and muntjac make their way through the brambles,
Leaping and jumping;
River-deer and roebucks look for their food,
Rushing and scurrying.
Standing on the grassy slope,
No traveler can one see;
Walking deep in the hollows,
All around are jackals and wolves.
This is no place for a Buddha's self-cultivation,
But a haunt of birds and beasts.
The master trembled as he advanced deep into these mountains, his heart gripped with terror. Reining in his horse, he called out,
“After I grew in wisdom and took my vows,
His Majesty escorted me from the capital.
On my journey I met three wayward ones
To help me along as I rode in the saddle.
Over Hillside and gully I seek the scriptures,
Climbing many mountains to worship the Buddha.
Guarding myself as if behind a fence,
When will I return to visit the royal palace?”
Monkey's reaction to hearing this was to say with a mocking laugh, “Don't worry, Master, and don't be so anxious. Just take it easy and carry on. Besides, you're bound to succeed because you're such a trier.” Master and disciples strode forward, enjoying the mountain scenery. Before they realized it the sun had sunk in the West. Indeed:
From the ten-mile pavilion no travelers leave,
In the ninefold heavens the stars appear,
On the eight streams the boats are all in harbor,
In seven thousand cities the gates have been shut.
From the six palaces and five departments the officials have gone;
On the four seas and three rivers the fishing lines rest.
In the two towers the drum and bell sound;
One bright moon fills the earth and sky.
Looking into the distance the venerable elder saw many lines of towers and great halls, one behind another. “Disciples,” said Sanzang, “it's getting late now. Luckily there are those towers and halls nearby. I think they must belong to a Buddhist or Taoist monastery or convent. Let's spend the night there and be on our way again in the morning.”
“You're right, Master,” said Monkey, “but be patient. Wait till I've had a look to see whether it's a good or an evil place.” The Great Sage leapt up into the air and examined it very closely. It was indeed a Buddhist monastery. He could see
A tiled wall plastered with red,
Golden studs on both the gates.
Line behind line of towers, amid the hills,
Hall upon hall concealed within the mountains.
The Building of Ten Thousand Buddhas faces the Tathagata Hall,
The Sunshine Terrace opposite the Hero Gate.
The seven-storied pagoda gathers night mists,
The three Buddha statues show their glory.
The Manjusri Tower next to the monks' dormitory,
The Maitreya Pavilion beside the Hall of Mercy.
Outside the Mountain Tower the green lights dance,
Purple clouds rise from the Void-pacing Hall.
The green of the pines joins the green of the bamboo,
All is purity in the abbot's meditation hall.
In quiet elegance the music is performed,
And all the streams rejoice as they return.
In the place of meditation dhyana monks teach;
Many instruments play in the music room.
On the Terrace of Wonder the epiphyllum flower falls,
Before the preaching hall the palm of scripture grows.
The place of the Three Treasures is shaded by the woods;
The mountains guard the Indian prince's palace.
Along the walls the burning lamps shine bright;
The air is thick with smoke from incense sticks.
Bringing his cloud down to land, Sun the Great Sage reported to Sanzang, “Master, it's a Buddhist monastery, and it will be a good place to spend the night. Let's go there.” The venerable elder let his horse go forward again, and they went straight on till they were outside the monastery gate. “Master,” asked Monkey, “what monastery is this?”
“It's most unreasonable to ask that,” Sanzang replied, “when my horse has only this moment stopped and I haven't even had the time to take my foot out of the stirrup.”
“But you've been a monk since childhood, venerable sir,” said Monkey. “You were taught Confucian books before you studied the sutras and the dharma. You're very widely educated and on top of that you've been shown great kindness by the Tang Emperor. So how come you can't read those great big letters over the gate?”
“You stupid macaque,” cursed the venerable elder, “you don't know what you're talking about. I was urging my horse Westwards and had the sun in my eyes. Besides, the letters are hidden by the dust. That's why I didn't see them.” At this Monkey bowed, made himself over twenty feet tall, wiped the dust away with his hand, and invited his master to read them. There were five words written large: IMPERIALLY FOUNDED PRECIOUS WOOD MONASTERY. Monkey resumed his normal size and asked the master which of them was to go into the monastery to ask for lodging.
“I will,” said Sanzang. “You are all so ugly, coarsely spoken, abrasive and overbearing that you might give the monks here such a fright that they refused to shelter us. That would be no good.”
“In that case, Master,” replied Monkey, “enough said. Please go in.”
Sanzang laid down his monastic staff, removed his cape, neatened up his clothes, put his hands together and went in through the monastery gates. Behind red lacquered railings on either side two vajrapani guardian gods sat on high. These statues were both majestic and hideous:
One's iron face and steel whiskers seemed to be alive,
The other's scorched brow and bulging eyes were exquisitely carved.
On the left were fists knobbly like pig iron,
To the right were hands as rough as copper ore.
Their golden chainmail gleamed in the light,
Helmet and embroidered sash floated in the breeze.
Many worship the Buddha in the West;
Red glows the incense in stone tripods.
When Sanzang saw these statues he nodded, sighed and said, “If we had people in the East who could make big statues like these to burn incense to and worship I'd never have needed to go to the Western Heaven.” With more sighs he went through the inner gates of the monastery, where could be seen statues of Four Heavenly Kings, Dhrtarastra, Vaisravana, Virudhaka and Yirupaksa, set to the East, North, South and West to ensure the proper amounts of wind and rain. Once inside the inner gates he saw four lofty pines, each with a spreading canopy shaped like a parasol. He suddenly looked up to see the main Buddha hall. Placing his hands together in homage he prostrated himself before the images, then rose, walked round the platform on which the Buddha statues sat, and went out by the back door. He saw that at the back of the Buddha statues was one of the Bodhisattva Guanyin saving all beings in the Southern Sea. The craftsmanship was superb: there were figures of shrimps, fish, crabs, and turtles with heads and tails emerging from the composition as they leapt and played in the ocean waves.