“Where are you from, venerable monk,” the old woman asked, “travelling all alone and by yourself?”
“I have been sent by the great King of the East to go to the West to visit the Buddha and ask him for the True Scriptures,” he replied.
“The Buddha of the West lives in the Great Thunder Monastery in the land of India, thirty-six thousand miles away from here. You'll never get there, just you and your horse, without a companion or disciple.”
“I did have a disciple, but his nature was so evil that he would not accept a little reproof I administered to him and disappeared into the blue,” said Sanzang.
“I have here an embroidered tunic and a hat inset with golden patterns that used to be my son's,” the woman said, “but he died after being a monk for only three days. I've just been to his monastery to mourn him and say farewell to his master, and I was taking this tunic and this hat home to remember the boy by. But as you have a disciple, venerable monk, I'll give them to you.”
“Thank you very much for your great generosity, but as my disciple has already gone, I couldn't accept them.”
“Where has he gone?”
“All I heard was a whistling sound as he went back to the East.”
“My home isn't far to the East from here,” she said, “so I expect he's gone there. I've also got a spell called True Words to Calm the Mind, or the Band-tightening Spell. You must learn it in secret, and be sure to keep it to yourself. Never leak it to anyone. I'll go and catch up with him and send him back to you, and you can give him that tunic and hat to wear. If he's disobedient again, all you have to do is recite the spell quietly. That will stop him committing any more murders or running away again.”
Sanzang bowed low to thank her, at which she changed into a beam of golden light and returned to the East. He realized in his heart that it must have been the Bodhisattva Guanyin who had given him the spell, so he took a pinch of earth as if he were burning incense and bowed in worship to the East most reverently. Then he put the tunic and hat in his pack, sat down beside the path, and recited the True Words to Calm the Mind over and over again until he knew them thoroughly, and had committed them to his memory.
Let us turn to Sun Wukong, who after leaving his master went straight back to the Eastern Ocean on his somersault cloud. Putting his cloud away, he parted the waters and went straight to the undersea palace of crystal. His approach had alarmed the dragon king, who came out to welcome him and took him into the palace, where they sat down.
When they had exchanged courtesies the dragon king said, “I'm sorry that I failed to come and congratulate you on the end of your sufferings, Great Sage. I take it that you are returning to your old cave to put your immortal mountain back in order.”
“That's what I wanted to do,” Monkey replied. “But I've become a monk instead.”
“A monk? How?” the dragon king asked.
“The Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea converted me. She taught me to work for a good reward later by going to the West with the Tang Priest from the East, visiting the Buddha, and becoming a monk. And my name has been changed to Brother Monkey.”
“Congratulations, congratulations,” said the dragon king. “You've turned over a new leaf and decided to be good. But in that case why have you come back to the East instead of going West?” Monkey laughed.
“Because that Tang Priest doesn't understand human nature. He started nagging away at me about a few small-time highwaymen I killed, and said that everything about me was wrong. You know how I can't stand people going on at me, so I left him to come home to my mountain. I looked in on you first to ask for a cup of tea.”
“Delighted to oblige,” said the dragon king, and his dragon sons and grandsons came in with some fragrant tea which they presented to Monkey.
When he had drunk his tea, Monkey looked round and saw a picture called, “Presenting the Shoe at the Yi Bridge” hanging on the wall behind him.
“What's that a view of?” asked Monkey.
“You wouldn't know about it because it happened after your time,” the dragon king replied. “It's called 'Presenting the Shoe Three Times at the Yi Bridge.'”
“What's all that about?” Monkey asked.
“The Immortal is Lord Yellow Stone, and the boy is Zhang Liang, who lived in Han times,” the dragon king replied. “Lord Yellow Stone was sitting on the bridge when suddenly he dropped one of his shoes under it and told Zhang Liang to fetch it for him. The boy Zhang Liang did so at once, and knelt down to present it to him. Lord Yellow Stone did this three times, and because Zhang Liang never showed a trace of arrogance or disrespect, Lord Yellow Stone was touched by his diligence. One night he gave Zhang Liang some heavenly books and told him to support the Han cause. Later he won victories hundreds of miles away through his calculations within the walls of his tent. When peace came he resigned his office and went back to roam on his mountain with Master Red Pine and achieve the Way of Immortality through enlightenment. Great Sage, if you don't protect the Tang Priest with all your might, and if you reject his instruction, then you might as well stop trying to win yourself a good later reward, because it will mean you're only an evil Immoral after all.” Monkey hummed and hawed, but said nothing.
“Great Sage,” said the dragon king, “you must make your mind up. Don't ruin your future for the sake of any easy life now.”
“Enough said. I'll go back and look after him,” replied Sun Wukong. The dragon king was delighted.
“In that case I shan't keep you. I ask you in your mercy not to leave your master waiting for long.” Being thus pressed to go, Monkey left the sea palace, mounted his cloud, and took leave of the dragon king.
On his way he met the Bodhisattva Guanyin. “What are you doing here, Sun Wukong?” she asked. “Why did you reject the Tang Priest's teaching and stop protecting him?” Brother Monkey frantically bowed to her from his cloud and replied, “As you had predicted, Bodhisattva, a monk came from the Tang Empire who took off the seal, rescued me, and made me his disciple. I ran away from him because he thought I was wicked and incorrigible, but now I'm going back to protect him.”
“Hurry up then, and don't have any more wicked thoughts.” With that they each went their separate ways.
A moment later Monkey saw the Tang Priest sitting gloomily beside the path. He went up to him and said, “Why aren't you travelling, master? What are you still here for?” Sanzang looked up.
“Where have you been?” he asked. “I couldn't move without you, so I had to sit here and wait till you came back.”
“I went to visit the Old Dragon King of the Eastern Sea to ask him for some tea,” Monkey replied.
“Disciple, a religious man shouldn't tell lies. How can you say that you went to drink tea at the dragon king's place when you haven't been gone two hours?”
“I can tell you quite truthfully,” replied Monkey with a smile, “that with my somersault cloud I can cover thirty-six thousand miles in a single bound. That's how I got there and back.”
“When I spoke to you a little severely you resented it and went off in a huff,” said Sanzang. “It was all right for a clever person like you-you begged yourself some tea. But I couldn't go, and had to stay here hungry. You ought to be sorry for me.”
“If you're hungry, master, I'll go and beg you some food,” suggested Monkey.
“No need,” his master replied, “there are still some dry provisions in my bundle that the high warden's mother gave me. Take that bowl and fetch some water. When we've eaten some of it we can be on our way.”