Buddhacaritakavya sutra 800 rolls
Pancanaga sutra 32 rolls
Bodhisattva-vinaya sutra 116 rolls
Mahasamnipata sutras 130 rolls
Makara sutra 350 rolls
Saddharma-pundarika sutra 100 rolls
Yoga sutra 100 rolls
Precious Eternity sutra 220 rolls
Sutra on the Western Heaven 130 rolls
Samghika sutra 157 rolls
Samyukta-Buddhadesa sutra 1,950 rolls
Mahayana-sraddhotpadasa sutra 1,000 rolls
Great Wisdom sutra 1,080 rolls
Ratna-prabhava sutra 1,280 rolls
Original Pavilion sutra 850 rolls
Principal vinaya sutra 200 rolls
Ananda and Kasyapa led the Tang Priest to read the titles of all the scriptures.
“You have come here from the East, holy monk,” they said to him. “Have you brought us any presents? Hand them over right now, then we can give you the scriptures.”
When Sanzang heard this he said, “Your disciple Xuanzang has come a very long way, and I did not bring any with me.”
“That's very fine,” the two arhats said with a laugh. “If we hand the scriptures over for nothing, they'll be passed down through the ages and our successors will have to starve to death.” Monkey could not stand hearing them talking tough like this and refusing to hand the scriptures over, so he shouted, “Let's go and report them to the Tathagata, Master. We'll get him to give me the scriptures himself.”
“Shut up!” said Kasyapa. “Where do you think you are, acting up like this? Come here and take the scriptures.” Pig and Friar Sand, who were keeping their own tempers under control, calmed Monkey down. They turned back to accept the scriptures, which were packed one by one into the luggage. Some of it was put on the horse's back, and the rest tied up as two carrying-pole loads that Pig and Friar Sand shouldered. They all then returned to the Buddha's throne, kowtowed, thanked the Tathagata and went straight out. They bowed twice to every Buddha and every Bodhisattva they met. When they reached the main entrance they bowed to the bhiksus, the bhiksunis, the laymen and the laywomen, taking their leave of each one. Then they hurried back down the mountain.
The story tells not of them but of the Ancient Buddha Dipamkara, who had been quietly listening in the library when the scriptures were handed over. He understood perfectly well that Ananda and Kasyapa had handed over wordless scriptures. “Those stupid monks from the East didn't realize that those were wordless scriptures,” he thought with a smile to himself. “The holy monks journey across all those mountains and rivers will be a complete waste. Who is in attendance here?” he called, and the arhat Suklavira stepped forward. “Use your divine might,” Dipamkara instructed him, “and go after the Tang Priest like a shooting star. Take the wordless scriptures from him and tell him to come back to fetch the true scriptures.” The arhat Suklavira then flew off on a storm wind that roared away from the Thunder Monastery as he gave a great display of his divine might. That splendid wind really was
A warrior from the Buddha's presence,
Greater than the two wind gods of the Xun quarter.
The angry roars from his divine orifices
Were more powerful by far than the puffs of a young girl.
This wind made
Fish and dragons lose their dens,
While the waves flowed backwards in rivers and seas.
Black apes could not present the fruit they carried;
Yellow cranes turned back to the clouds as they sought their nests.
Ugly rang the song of the red phoenix;
Raucous were the calls of the multicolored pheasants.
The branches of hoary pines were broken
As the flowers of the udumbara blew away.
Every cane of green bamboo bowed low;
All the blooms of golden lotus swayed.
The sound of the bell was carried a thousand miles
While the chanting of sutras flew lightly up the ravines.
Ruined was the beauty of flowers under the crag;
The tender shoots of plants were laid low by the path
The brilliant phoenixes could hardly spread their wings;
White deer hid beneath the cliffs.
The heavens were heavy with fragrance
As the clear wind blew right through the clouds.
The Tang Priest was walking along when he smelt the fragrant wind, but he paid no attention to it, taking it for an auspicious sign of the Lord Buddha. Then a noise could be heard as a hand reached down from midair to lift the scriptures lightly off the horse's back, which gave Sanzang such a shock that he beat his chest and howled aloud. Pig scrambled along in pursuit, Friar Sand guarded the carrying-poles loaded with scriptures, and Brother Monkey flew after the arhat. Seeing that Monkey had almost caught up with him, and frightened that the merciless cudgel would make no bones about wounding him badly, the arhat tore the bundle of scriptures to shreds and flung it into the dust. When Monkey saw the bundle falling in pieces that were being scattered by the fragrant wind he stopped chasing the arhat and brought his cloud down to look after the scriptures. The arhat Suklavira put the wind and the clouds away, then went back to report to Dipamkara.
When Pig, who was also in pursuit, saw the scriptures falling he helped Monkey to collect them up and carry them back to the Tang Priest. “Disciples,” the Tang Priest exclaimed, tears pouring from his eyes, “even in this world of bliss evil demons cheat people.” After gathering up the scattered scriptures in his arms Friar Sand opened one of them up and saw that it was as white as snow: not a word was written on it.
Quickly he handed it to Sanzang with the remark, “There's nothing in this scroll, Master.” Monkey opened out another scroll to find that it had nothing written in it either. Pig opened another and it too had nothing in it.
“Open them all for us to examine,” said Sanzang. Every single scroll was blank paper.
“We Easterners really do have no luck,” he said, sighing and groaning. “What point is there in fetching wordless scriptures like these? How could I ever face the Tang emperor? I will have no way of avoiding execution for the crime of lying to my sovereign.”
Monkey, who already understood what had happened, then said to the Tang Priest, “Say no more, Master. Ananda and Kasyapa gave us these scrolls of blank paper because we hadn't got any presents to give them when they asked for them. Let's go back, report them to the Tathagata and get them accused of extortion.”
“That's right,” shouted Pig, “that's right. Let's report them.” The four of them then hurried up the mountain again, and after a few steps they were rushing back to the Thunder Monastery.
Before long they were once more outside the gates of the monastery, where everyone raised their clasped hands in greeting. “Have you holy monks come to exchange your scriptures?” they asked with smiles. Sanzang nodded and expressed his thanks. The vajrapanis did not block them, but let them go straight in to the Mahavira Hall.
“Tathagata,” yelled Monkey, “our master and the rest of us have had to put up with endless monsters, demons, troubles and hardships to get here from the East to worship you. You gave the orders for the scriptures to be handed over, but Ananda and Kasyapa didn't do so because they were trying to extort things from us. They conspired and deliberately let us take away blank paper versions without a single word written on them. But what's the point in taking those? I beg you to have them punished, Tathagata.”
“Stop yelling,” replied the Lord Buddha with a smile. “I already know that they asked you for presents. But the scriptures cannot be casually passed on. Nor can they be taken away for nothing. In the past bhiksus and holy monks went down the mountain and recited these scriptures to the family of the elder Zhao in the land of Sravasti. This ensured peace and safety for the living and deliverance for the dead members of the family. All that was asked for was three bushels and three pecks of granular gold. I said they had sold the scriptures too cheap, so I saw to it that Zhao's sons and grandsons would be poor. You were given blank texts because you came here to fetch them empty-handed. The blank texts are true, wordless scriptures, and they really are good. But as you living beings in the East are so deluded and have not achieved enlightenment we'll have to give you these ones instead. Ananda, Kasyapa,” he called, “fetch the true scriptures with words at once. Choose a few rolls from each title to give them, then come back here and tell me how many.”