Nature revealed and mind made clear, they visited the Buddha;
Actions complete and all achieved, they flew aloft.
If you do not know how they passed on the scriptures after returning to the East, listen to the explanation in the next installment.
Chapter 99
When the Nine Nines Are Complete the Demons Are All Destroyed
After the Triple Threes Are Fulfilled the Way Returns to Its Roots
The story goes on to tell how the Eight Vajrapanis escorted the Tang Priest back to their country, but we will not go into that now.
Outside the gates the Protectors of the Four Quarters and the Centre, the Four Duty Gods, the Six Dings, the Six Jias and the Guardians of the Faith went up to the Bodhisattva Guanyin and said, “We, your disciples, have given secret help to the holy monk in obedience to your dharma command, Bodhisattva. Now that they have fulfilled their deeds and you have reported your mission accomplished to the Lord Buddha, we would like to report the completion of our mission.”
“Permission granted.” The Bodhisattva replied with delight, “permission granted.” The Bodhisattva then went on to ask, “What were the thoughts and actions of the Tang Priest and his three disciples on their journey?”
“They really were pious and determined,” the deities all replied, “as we are sure will not have escaped your profound perception. But the Tang Priest's sufferings truly beggar description. Your disciples have made a careful record of the disasters and hardships that he has endured on his journey. This is the account of his ordeals.” The Bodhisattva read it through from the beginning, and this is what was written in it:
“We Protectors were sent at the Bodhisattva's command,
To keep a close record of the Tang Priest's ordeals.
The Golden Cicada's exile was the first ordeal;
Being born and almost killed was the second ordeal;
Abandonment in the river under the full moon was the third ordeal;
Finding his mother and getting revenge was the fourth ordeal;
The tigers he met after leaving the city were the fifth ordeal;
Falling into the pit was the sixth ordeal;
The Double Forked Peak was the seventh ordeal;
The Double Boundary Mountain was the eighth ordeal;
Exchanging horses at the ravine was the ninth ordeal;
The fire at night was the tenth ordeal;
The loss of the cassock was the eleventh ordeal;
Subduing Pig was the twelfth ordeal;
The obstacles created by the Yellow Wind Monster were the thirteenth ordeal;
Asking the help of Lingji was the fourteenth ordeal;
The hard crossing of the Flowing Sands River was the fifteenth ordeal;
Winning over Friar Sand was the sixteenth ordeal;
The appearance of the four holy ones was the seventeenth ordeal;
In the Wuzhuang Temple was the eighteenth ordeal;
The difficulty of reviving the manfruit was the nineteenth ordeal;
The dismissal of the Mind-ape was the twentieth ordeal;
Getting lost in Black Pine Forest was the twenty-first ordeal;
Delivering the letter to Elephantia was the twenty-second ordeal;
To be turned into a tiger in the palace hall was the twenty-third ordeal;
Meeting the monsters on Flat-top Mountain was the twenty-fourth ordeal;
To hang in the Lotus Flower Cave was the twenty-fifth ordeal;
The rescue of the king of Wuji was the twenty-sixth ordeal;
The transformation by the demons was the twenty-seventh ordeal;
The encounter with the monster of Mount Hao was the twenty-eighth ordeal;
The holy monk being carried off by the wind was the twenty-ninth ordeal;
The attack on the Mind-ape was the thirtieth ordeal;
Inviting the holy one to subdue the fiend was the thirty-first ordeal;
Sinking in the Black River was the thirty-second ordeal;
The moving in Tarrycart was the thirty-third ordeal;
The enormous wager was the thirty-fourth ordeal;
Casting out the Taoists and promoting the Buddhists was the thirty-fifth ordeal;
The great river met on the way was the thirty-sixth ordeal;
Falling into the River of Heaven was the thirty-seventh ordeal;
The appearance with the fish basket was the thirty-eighth ordeal;
Meeting the monster on Mount Jindou was the thirty-ninth ordeal;
All the gods of heaven being unable to subdue him was the fortieth ordeal;
Asking the Buddha about his origins was the forty-first ordeal;
To be poisoned by drinking the water was the forty-second ordeal;
Being kept in Womanland of Western Liang for the wedding was the forty-third ordeal;
The agonies of the Pipa Cave were the forty-fourth ordeal;
The Mind-ape's second dismissal was the forty-fifth ordeal;
Telling the macaques apart was the forty-sixth ordeal;
Being held up by the Fiery Mountains was the forty-seventh ordeal;
Obtaining the plantain-leaf fan was the forty-eighth ordeal;
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,