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Journey to the West

Participate in the legendary long pilgrimage of Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Tang Shen, who traveled to the western regions of Central Asia and India to obtain sacred Buddhist texts. Participate in the legendary long pilgrimage of Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Tang Shen, who traveled to the western regions of Central Asia and India to obtain sacred Buddhist texts. Participate in the legendary long pilgrimage of Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Tang Shen, who traveled to the western regions of Central Asia and India to obtain sacred Buddhist texts.

• Liu Xiao Ling Tong
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Episodes 41

Top cast 99+

• Sun Wukong …
• Zhu Bajie …

• Tang Seng …
• Goddess of Mercy
• God of Land …
• Duo Mu Guai …
• Ben Bo'er Ba …
• The Jade Emperor
• Taibai Jinxing
• The Jade Emperor …
• Tai Shang Lao Jun
• Tuota Li Tian Wang
• Bodhisattva Manjusri …
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• Apr 15, 2020
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• 1986 (China)
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Journey to the West

Journey to the West (西遊記) is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en . It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

The novel is an extended account of the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang along the ancient Silk Road from China to India and back. Xuanzang traveled to the " Western Regions ", that is, Central Asia and India, to obtain Buddhist sacred texts ( sūtras ) and returned after many trials and much suffering. It retains the broad outline of Xuanzang's own account, Great Tang Records on the Western Regions , but the Ming dynasty novel adds elements from folk tales and the author's invention, for example, that Gautama Buddha gave this task to the monk and provided him with three protectors who agree to help him as an atonement for their sins. These disciples are Sun Wukong , Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing , together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang's steed, a white horse.

Journey to the West has strong roots in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology, Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, and the pantheon of Daoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas are still reflective of some Chinese religious attitudes today. Enduringly popular, the tale is at once a comic adventure story, an epic odyssey, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeys towards enlightenment by the power and virtue of cooperation.

• 1 Publication and translations
• 2 Authorship
• 3 Historical context
• 5.1 Tripitaka or Xuanzang
• 5.2 Monkey King or Sun Wukong
• 5.3 Zhu Bajie
• 5.4 Sha Wujing
• 7 Notable English-language translations
• 8 Media adaptations
• 9 External links

Publication and translations [ ]

• It was published around 1592
• It is on wikisource 西游记 (Chinese)
• Translations: " Monkey " is an abridged English translation by Arthur Waley

Authorship [ ]

The four protagonists, from left to right: Sun Wukong , Tang Sanzang (on the White Dragon Horse ), Zhu Bajie , and Sha Wujing .

Journey to the West was thought to have been written and published anonymously by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. Hu Shih, literary scholar and then Ambassador to the United States, wrote that the people of Wu's hometown attributed it early on to Wu, and kept records as early as 1625, making Journey to the West one of the earliest Chinese novels for which the authorship is officially documented.

Although Wu had knowledge of Chinese bureaucracy and politics, the novel does not obviously write much about it.

Anthony C. Yu states that the identity of the author, as with so many other major works of Chinese fiction, "remains unclear" but that Wu remains "the most likely" author. The question of authorship is further complicated by the preexistence of much of the novel's material in the form of folk tales.

Regardless of the origins and authorship, Journey to the West has become the authoritative version of these folk stories, and Wu's name has become inextricably linked with the book.

Historical context [ ]

The novel Journey to the West was based on historical events. Xuanzang (602 - 664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late-Sui Dynasty and early-Tang Dynasty Chang'an. Motivated by seeking better translations of Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, in defiance of Emperor Tang Taizong 's ban on travel. Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he traveled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tianshan mountains to Turpan. He then crossed what are today Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, into Gandhara, reaching India in 630. Xuanzang traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, studying at the ancient university at Nalanda, and debating the rivals of Buddhism.

Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646. Although he had defied the imperial travel ban when he left, Xuanzang received a warm welcome from Emperor Taizong upon his return. The emperor provided money and support for Xuanzang's projects. He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to store the scriptures and icons he had brought back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Great Tang Records on the Western Regions. With the support of the emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Palace of the Lustre of Jade) monastery dedicated to translating the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on March 7, 664. The Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.

Popular and story-teller versions of Xuanzang's journey dating as far back as the Southern Song Dynasty include a monkey character as a protagonist.

Synopsis [ ]

The novel has 100 chapters that can be divided into four unequal parts.

• The first part, which includes chapters 1–7, is a self-contained introduction to the main story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Dao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat, and secrets of immortality, and through guile and force makes a name for himself, Qitian Dasheng . His powers grow to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Daoist) deities, and the prologue culminates in Sun's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy. Hubris proves his downfall when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain, sealing it with a talisman for five hundred years.
• The second part (chapters 8–12) introduces the nominal main character, Xuanzang (Tang Sanzang), through his early biography and the background to his great journey. Dismayed that "the land of the South knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins", the Buddha instructs the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara ( Guanyin ) to search Tang China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of "transcendence and persuasion for good will" back to the East. Part of the story here also relates to how Xuanzang becomes a monk (as well as revealing his past life as a disciple of the Buddha named " Golden Cicada " (金蟬子) and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by Emperor Taizong, who previously escaped death with the help of an official in the Underworld).
• The third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story in which Xuanzang sets out to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Leiyin Temple on Vulture Peak in India, but encounters various evils along the way. The section is set in the sparsely populated lands along the Silk Road between China and India, including Xinjiang, Turkestan, and Afghanistan. The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely fantasy; once Xuanzang departs Chang'an , the Tang capital, and crosses the frontier (somewhere in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, inhabited by demons and animal spirits, who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give immortality to whomever ate it), with the occasional hidden monastery or royal city-state amidst the harsh setting.

Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters and usually involve Xuanzang being captured and having his life threatened while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although some of Xuanzang's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various demons, many of whom turn out to be earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Xuanzang) or animal-spirits with enough Daoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.

Chapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Xuanzang's disciples, who, inspired or goaded by Guanyin, meet and agree to serve him along the way in order to atone for their sins in their past lives.

The first is Sun Wukong, or Monkey, whose given name loosely means "awakened to emptiness", trapped by the Buddha for defying Heaven. He appears right away in chapter 13 . The most intelligent and violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Xuanzang. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold ring that Guanyin has placed around his head, which causes him unbearable headaches when Xuanzang chants the Ring Tightening Mantra.

The second, appearing in chapter 19 , is Zhu Bajie, literally "Eight Precepts Pig", sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy, a commander of Heaven's naval forces, and was banished to the mortal realm for flirting with the moon goddess Chang'e. A reliable fighter, he is characterised by his insatiable appetites for food and sex, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, which causes significant conflict with Sun Wukong.

The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river ogre Sha Wujing , also translated as Friar Sand or Sandy. He was previously the celestial Curtain Lifting General, and was banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Queen Mother of the West. He is a quiet but generally dependable character, who serves as the straight foil to the comic relief of Sun and Zhu.

The fourth is Yulong , the third son of the Dragon King of the West Sea, who was sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl. He was saved by Guanyin from execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He appears first in chapter 15, but has almost no speaking role, as throughout the story he mainly appears as a horse that Xuanzang rides on.

Chapter 22 , where Sha Wujing is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river that the travelers cross brings them into a new "continent". Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterised by a different magical monster or evil magician. There are impassably wide rivers, flaming mountains, a kingdom with an all-female population, a lair of seductive spider spirits, and many other fantastic scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four brave disciples have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Xuanzang from various monsters and calamities.

It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha , as, while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped celestial beasts belonging to bodhisattvas or Daoist sages and deities. Towards the end of the book there is a scene where the Buddha literally commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Xuanzang is one short of the 81 tribulations he needs to face before attaining Buddhahood.

In Chapter 87, Xuanzang finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane (though still exotic) setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of Vulture Peak, where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Xuanzang receives the scriptures from the living Buddha.

Chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Tang Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveler receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sun Wukong (Monkey) and Xuanzang (monk) achieve Buddhahood, Sha Wujing (Sandy) becomes an arhat, the dragon horse is made a nāga, and Zhu Bajie (Pig), whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

Main characters [ ]

Tripitaka or xuanzang [ ].

The monk Xuanzang (also referred to in the story as Tang Sanzang, meaning "Tang Tripitaka Master", with Tang referring to the Tang Dynasty and Sanzang referring to the Tripitaka, the main categories of texts in the Buddhist canon which is also used as an honorific for some Buddhist monks) is a Buddhist monk who had renounced his family to become a monk from childhood. He is just called Tripitaka in many English versions of the story. He set off for Dahila kingdom (天竺国, an appellation for India in ancient China) to retrieve original Buddhist scriptures for China. Although he is helpless in defending himself, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) helps by finding him powerful disciples who aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the local inhabitants by defeating various monsters and demons who try to obtain immortality by eating Xuanzang's flesh.

Monkey King or Sun Wukong [ ]

Sun Wukong is the name given to this character by his teacher, Subhuti, the latter part of which means "Awakened to Emptiness" (in the Waley translation, Aware-of-Vacuity); he is called Monkey King. He is born on Flower Fruit Mountain from a stone egg that forms from an ancient rock created by the coupling of Heaven and Earth. He first distinguishes himself by bravely entering the Water Curtain Cave on the mountain; for this feat, his monkey tribe gives him the title of "Handsome Monkey King". After angering several gods and coming to the attention of the Jade Emperor, he is given a minor position in heaven as the Keeper of Horses (弼马温) so they can keep an eye on him. This job is a very low position, and when he realises that he was given a low position and not considered a full-fledged god, he becomes very angry. Upon returning to his mountain, he puts up a flag and declares himself the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." Then the Jade Emperor dispatches celestial soldiers to arrest Sun Wukong, but no one succeeds. The Jade Emperor has no choice but to appoint him to be the guardian of the heavenly peach garden. The peaches in the garden bear fruit every 3,000 years, and eating its flesh will bestow immortality, so Sun Wukong eats one and becomes more powerful and near-matchless. Later, after fairies who come to collect peaches for the heavenly peach banquet inform Sun Wukong he is not invited and make fun of him, he starts causing trouble in Heaven and defeats an army of 100,000 celestial troops, led by the Four Heavenly Kings, Erlang Shen, and Nezha. Eventually, the Jade Emperor appeals to the Buddha, who detains Wukong under a mountain called Five Elements Mountain. Sun Wukong is kept under the mountain for 500 years, and cannot escape because of a spell that was put on the mountain. He is later set free when Xuanzang comes upon him during his pilgrimage and accepts him as a disciple.

His primary weapon is his staff, the "Ruyi Jingu Bang", which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep in his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions. The rod, which weighs 17,550 pounds, was originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea, but he was able to pull it out of its support and can swing it with ease. The Dragon King had told Sun Wukong he could have the staff if he could lift it, but was angry when the monkey was actually able to pull it out and accused him of being a thief; hence Sun Wukong was insulted, so he demanded a suit of armour and refused to leave until he received one. The Dragon King, unwilling to see a monkey making troubles in his favourite place, also gave him a suit of golden armour. These gifts, combined with his devouring of the peaches of immortality, three jars of elixir, and his time being tempered in Laozi's Eight-Trigram Furnace (he gained a steel-hard body and fiery golden eyes that could see very far into the distance and through any disguise. He is therefore always able to recognise a demon in disguise while the rest of the pilgrimage cannot. However, his eyes become weak to smoke), makes Sun Wukong the strongest member of the pilgrimage by far. Besides these abilities, he can also pluck hairs from his body and blow on them to convert them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle). Although he is a master of the 72 methods of transformation (七十二变), and can transform into a bird (giving him the ability to fly), he can use his "somersault cloud" enabling him to travel vast distances in a single leap. The monkey, nimble and quick-witted, uses these skills to defeat all but the most powerful of demons on the journey.

Sun's behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guanyin, which cannot be removed by Sun Wukong himself until the journey's end. Xuanzang can tighten this band by chanting the "Ring Tightening Mantra" (taught to him by Guanyin) whenever he needs to chastise him. The spell is referred to by Xuanzang's disciples as the "Headache Sutra", which is the Buddhist mantra "oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ". Xuanzang speaks this mantra quickly in repetition.

Sun Wukong's childlike playfulness is a huge contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his great power, makes him a trickster hero. His antics present a lighter side in what proposes to be a long and dangerous trip into the unknown.

Zhu Bajie [ ]

Zhu Bajie (literally "Pig of the Eight Prohibitions") is also known as Zhu Wuneng ("Pig Awakened to Ability"), and given the name Pigsy, Monk Pig or just simply Pig in English.

Once an immortal who was the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy commanding 100,000 naval soldiers of the Milky Way, he drank too much during a celebration of gods and attempted to flirt with the moon goddess Chang'e, resulting in his banishment into the mortal world. He was supposed to be reborn as a human, but ends up in the womb of a sow due to an error at the Reincarnation Wheel, which turns him into a half-man half-pig monster. Zhu Bajie was very greedy, and could not survive without eating ravenously. Staying within the Yunzhan Dong ("cloud-pathway cave"), he was commissioned by Guanyin to accompany Xuanzang to India and given the new name Zhu Wuneng.

However, Zhu Bajie's indulgence in women led him to the Gao Family Village, where he posed as a normal being and wedded a maiden. Later, when the villagers discovered that he was a monster, Zhu Bajie hid the girl away, and the girl wailed bitterly every night. At this point, Xuanzang and Sun Wukong arrived at the Gao Family Village and helped defeat him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Xuanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is the jiuchidingpa ("nine-tooth iron rake"). He is also capable of 36 transformations (as compared to Sun Wukong's 72), and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Sun. However, Zhu is noted for his fighting skills in water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey. He is the second strongest member of the team.

Sha Wujing [ ]

Shā Wùjìng (literally meaning "Sand Awakened to Purity"), given the name Friar Sand or Sandy in English, was once a celestial Curtain Lifting General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a monster because he accidentally smashed a crystal goblet belonging to the Queen Mother of the West during a Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up residence in the Flowing Sands River, terrorising surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie when Xuanzang's party came across him. They consequently took him in, as part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Sha's weapon is the yueyachan ("Crescent-Moon-Shovel" or "Monk's Spade"). He also knows eighteen transformation methods and is highly effective in water combat. He is about as strong as Zhu Bajie, and is much stronger than Sun Wukong in water. However, Zhu can defeat Sha in a test of endurance, and Sun can almost certainly defeat him both on land and in the air.

Sha is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickering of his fellow disciples. He has no major faults nor any extraordinary characteristics. Perhaps this is why he is sometimes seen as a minor character. He does however serve as the peacekeeper of the group mediating between Sun and Zhu and even Xuanzang and the others. He is also the person whom Xuanzang consults when faced with difficult decisions.

Sha eventually becomes an arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than Zhu Bajie, who is relegated to cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for eternity, but lower spiritually than Sun Wukong or Xuanzang, who are granted Buddhahood.

Sequels [ ]

The brief satirical novel Xiyoubu (西游补, "A Supplement to the Journey to the West", c. 1640) follows Sun Wukong as he is trapped in a magical dream world created by the Qing Fish Demon, the embodiment of desire (情, qing). Sun travels back and forth through time, during which he serves as the adjunct King of Hell and judges the soul of the recently dead traitor Qin Hui during the Song dynasty, takes on the appearance of a beautiful concubine and causes the downfall of the Qin dynasty, and even faces Pāramitā, one of his five sons born to the rakshasa Princess Iron Fan, on the battlefield during the Tang dynasty. The events of Xiyoubu take place between the end of chapter 61 and the beginning of chapter 62 of Journey to the West. The author, Dong Yue (董說), wrote the book because he wanted to create an opponent—in this case desire—that Sun could not defeat with his great strength and martial skill.

Notable English-language translations [ ]

• Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley. For many years, the most well-known translation available in English. The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God, Monkey to the West, Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China, and The Adventures of Monkey, and in a further abridged version for children, Dear Monkey. Waley noted in his preface that the method adopted in earlier abridgements was "to leave the original number of separate episodes, but drastically reduce them in length, particularly by cutting out dialogue. I have for the most part adopted the opposite principle, omitting many episodes, but translating those that are retained almost in full, leaving out, however, most of the incidental passages in verse, which go very badly into English." The degree of abridgement, 30 out of the 100 chapters (which corresponds to roughly 1/6 of the whole text), and excising most of the verse, has led to a recent critic awarding it the lesser place, as a good retelling of the story. On the other hand, it has been praised as "remarkably faithful to the original spirit of the work."
• The literary scholar Andrew H. Plaks points out that Waley's abridgement reflected his interpretation of the novel. This "brilliant translation... through its selection of episodes gave rise to the misleading impression that that this is essentially a compendium of popular materials marked by folk wit and humor." Waley consciously followed Hu Shih's lead, as shown in Hu's introduction to the 1943 edition. Hu scorned the allegorical interpretations of the novel as old-fashioned and instead insisted that the stories were simply comic. Hu Shih's interpretation reflected the popular reading of the novel, but does not account for the levels of meaning and the allegorical framework which scholars in China and the west have shown to be an important part of the late Ming text.
• Journey to the West (1982–1984), a complete translation in three volumes by William John Francis Jenner. Readable translation without scholarly apparatus.
• The Journey to the West (1977–1983), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu, the first to translate the poems and songs which Yu argues are essential in understanding the author's meanings. Yu also supplied an extensive scholarly introduction and notes. In 2006, an abridged version of this translation was published by University of Chicago Press under the title The Monkey and the Monk. In 2012, University of Chicago Press issued a revised edition of Yu's translation in four volumes. In addition to correcting or amending the translation and converting romanization to pinyin, the new edition updates and augment the annotations, revises and expands the introduction in respect to new scholarship and modes of interpretation.

Media adaptations [ ]

In 1986, the novel was made into a TV series by Yang Jie and soon became popular with highly regarded performances by actors such as Liu Xiao Ling Tong, Ma Dehua and others. It follows the original novel faithfully and is widely regarded as a classic. This TV series was first aired in 1986 and still airs in many countries, enjoying wide popularity.

Aside from this, the 2010 video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was loosely based on the story, featuring a man named "Monkey" accompanying a female engineer named Trip on a journey across a post-apocalypse North America.

The manga series Dragon Ball and its main character, Son Goku, were originally loosely based on the story.

The Genesis Unit from the Wily Tower game mode in Mega Man: The Wily Wars are loosely based on the main characters from Journey to the West. Buster Rod G is based on Sun Wukong, Hyper Storm H is based on Zhu Wuneng, and Mega Water S is based on Sha Wining.

External links [ ]

• Wikipedia article
• 1 Sun Wukong
• 2 Erlang Shen
• 3 Tang Sanzang

Journey to the West

From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Journey to the West ( traditional Chinese : 西 遊 記 ; simplified Chinese : 西 游 记 ; pinyin : Xī yóu jì ; Wade-Giles : Hsiyu-chi) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature . Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty , and even though no direct evidence of its authorship survives, it has been ascribed to the scholar Wu Cheng'en since the 20th century.

In western countries , the tale is also often known simply as Monkey . This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley . The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God ; and Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China ; and The Adventures of Monkey .

The novel is a fictionalised account of the legends around the Buddhist monk Xuánzàng 's pilgrimage to India during the Táng dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist religious texts called sutras . The Bodhisattva Guānyīn , on instruction from the Buddha , gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples — namely Sūn Wùkōng , Zhū Bājiè and Shā Wùjìng — together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuánzàng's horse mount. These four characters have agreed to help Xuánzàng as an atonement for past sins.

Some scholars propose that the book satirises the effete Chinese government at the time. Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion , Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of Chinese folk religious beliefs today.

Part of the novel's enduring popularity comes from the fact that it works on multiple levels: it is an adventure story, a dispenser of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward enlightenment .

[ edit ] Authorship

Journey to the West is thought to have been written and published anonymously by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. [ 1 ] At the time, the trend in writing was to write in Classical Chinese and imitate the literature of the Tang Dynasty and Han Dynasty ; Wu, influenced heavily by popular stories and folk tales ever since his childhood, chose instead to write this novel in vernacular Chinese, the "vulgar" language used in everyday life among the common people, and published it anonymously because of the ill repute such works had at the time. [ 1 ] For at least three centuries, most of China believed the novel had been written by another man, a Taoist priest named Qiu Chuji ( Wade-Giles : Chiu Ch'u-ki). The people of Wu's hometown, however, attributed it early on to Wu, and kept records to such effect as early as 1625; thus, Journey to the West is the earliest Chinese novel for which the authorship is officially documented. [ 1 ]

Nevertheless, some scholars still have doubts about the novel's authorship. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Translator W.F.J. Jenner, for example, points out that the although Wu had knowledge of Chinese bureaucracy and politics, the novel itself doesn't include any political details that "a fairly well-read commoner could not have known." [ 2 ] Furthermore, it is unknown how much of the novel Wu or whomever the true author was actually created , and how much he simply compiled and edited, since much of the legend behind Journey to the West already existed in folk tales. [ 2 ] Nevertheless, the Journey to the West is the most authoritative version of these stories, as no competing story has appeared since they were compiled in this novel, [ 2 ] and Wu has become inextricably linked with the book and is seen as the generally accepted author, even if some doubts remain. [ 3 ]

[ edit ] Synopsis

The novel comprises 100 chapters. These can be divided into four very unequal parts. The first, which includes chapters 1–7, is really a self-contained prequel to the main body of the story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sūn Wùkōng, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat, and secrets of immortality, and through guile and force makes a name for himself as the Qítiān Dàshèng ( simplified Chinese : 齐天大圣 ; traditional Chinese : 齊天大聖 ), or "Great Sage Equal to Heaven". His powers grow to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Taoist) deities, and the prologue culminates in Sūn's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy. Hubris proves his downfall when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain for five hundred years.

Only following this introductory story is the nominal main character, Xuánzàng, introduced. Chapters 8–12 provide his early biography and the background to his great journey. Dismayed that "the land of the South knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins", the Buddha instructs the Bodhisattva Guānyīn to search Táng China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of "transcendence and persuasion for good will" back to the East. Part of the story here also relates to how Xuánzàng becomes a monk (as well as revealing his past life as the "Golden Cicada " and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by the Emperor Táng Tàizōng , who previously escaped death with the help of an underworld official).

The third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story which combines elements of the quest as well as the picaresque . The skeleton of the story is Xuánzàng's quest to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Vulture Peak in India, but the flesh is provided by the conflict between Xuánzàng's disciples and the various evils that beset him on the way.

The scenery of this section is, nominally, the sparsely populated lands along the Silk Road between China and India, including Xinjiang , Turkestan , and Afghanistan . The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely fantastic; once Xuánzàng departs Cháng'ān , the Táng capital, and crosses the frontier (somewhere in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, all inhabited by flesh-eating demons who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give immortality to whoever ate it), with here and there a hidden monastery or royal city-state amid the wilds.

The episodic structure of this section is to some extent formulaic. Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters and usually involve Xuánzàng being captured and having his life threatened while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although some of Xuánzàng's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various goblins and ogres, many of whom turn out to be the earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Xuánzàng) or animal-spirits with enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.

Chapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Xuánzàng's disciples, who, inspired or goaded by Guānyīn , meet and agree to serve him along the way in order to atone for their sins in their past lives.

• The first is Sun Wukong ( simplified Chinese : 孙悟空 ; traditional Chinese : 孫悟空 ), or Monkey, previously "Great Sage Equal to Heaven", trapped by Buddha for rebelling against Heaven. He appears right away in Chapter 13. The most intelligent and violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Xuánzàng. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold band that the Bodhisattva has placed around his head, which causes him excruciating pain when Xuánzàng chants certain magic words.
• The second, appearing in chapter 19, is Zhu Bajie ( simplified Chinese : 猪八戒 ; traditional Chinese : 豬八戒 ), literally Eight-precepts Pig, sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously Marshal Tīan Péng ( simplified Chinese : 天蓬元帅 ; traditional Chinese : 天蓬元帥 ), commander of the Heavenly Naval forces, banished to the mortal realm for flirting with the Princess of the Moon Chang'e . He is characterized by his insatiable appetites for food and sex, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, but is always kept in line by Sūn Wùkōng.
• The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river-ogre Sha Wujing ( simplified Chinese : 沙悟净 ; traditional Chinese : 沙悟淨 ), also translated as Friar Sand or Sandy. He was previously Great General who Folds the Curtain ( simplified Chinese : 卷帘大将 ; traditional Chinese : 捲簾大將 ), banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Heavenly Queen Mother. He is a quiet but generally dependable character, who serves as the straight foil to the comic relief of Sūn and Zhū.
• The fourth disciple is the third prince of the Dragon-King, Yùlóng Sāntàizǐ ( simplified Chinese : 玉龙三太子 ; traditional Chinese : 玉龍三太子 ), who was sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl. He was saved by Guānyīn from execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He appears first in chapter 15, but has almost no speaking role, as throughout most of the story he appears in the transformed shape of a horse that Xuánzàng rides on.

Chapter 22, where Shā is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river that the travelers cross brings them into a new "continent". Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterized by a different magical monster or evil magician. There are impassably wide rivers, flaming mountains , a kingdom ruled by women, a lair of seductive spider-spirits, and many other fantastic scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four brave disciples have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Xuánzàng from various monsters and calamities.

It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha, as, while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped heavenly animals belonging to bodisattvas or Taoist sages and spirits. Towards the end of the book there is a scene where the Buddha literally commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Xuánzàng is one short of the eighty-one disasters he needs to attain Buddhahood .

In chapter 87, Xuánzàng finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane (though still exotic) setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of Vulture Peak, where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Xuánzàng receives the scriptures from the living Buddha.

Chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Táng Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveler receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sūn Wùkōng and Xuánzàng achieve Buddhahood , Wùjìng becomes an arhat , the dragon is made a nāga , and Bājiè, whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

[ edit ] Historical context

The classic story of the Journey to the West was based on real events. In real life, Xuanzang (born c. 602 - 664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late- Sui Dynasty and early- Tang Dynasty Chang'an . Motivated by the poor quality of Chinese translations of Buddhist scripture at the time, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, despite the border being closed at the time due to war with the Gokturks . Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he travelled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tian Shan mountains to Turfan . He then crossed what are today Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , and Afghanistan , into Gandhara , reaching India in 630. Xuanzang travelled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites and studying at the ancient university at Nalanda .

Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646 to a warm reception by Emperor Taizong of Tang . He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in order to store the scriptures and icons he had brought back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty . With the support of the Emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Palace of the Lustre of Jade) monastery dedicated to translating into Chinese the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on March 7 , 664 . The Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.

Popular stories of Xuánzàng's journey were in existence long before Journey to the West was written. In these versions, dating as far back as Southern Song , a monkey character was already a primary protagonist. Before the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming, elements of the Monkey story were already seen.

[ edit ] Main characters

[ edit ] tripitaka or xuánzàng.

Xuánzàng (玄奘) (or Táng-Sānzàng (唐三藏), meaning "Táng-dynasty monk" — Sānzàng (三藏) or "Three Baskets", referring to the Tripitaka , was a traditional honorific for a Buddhist monk) is the Buddhist monk who set out to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures for China . He is called Tripitaka in many English versions of the story. Although he is helpless when it comes to defending himself, the bodhisattva Guānyīn helps by finding him powerful disciples (Sūn Wùkōng, Zhū Bājiè, and Shā Wùjìng) who aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the local inhabitants by defeating various monsters. The fact that most of the monsters and demons are trying to obtain immortality by eating Xuánzàng's flesh, and are even attracted to him as he is depicted as quite handsome, provides much of the plot in the story.

[ edit ] Monkey King (Emperor of Monkeys) or Sūn Wùkōng

Sūn Wùkōng is the name given to this character by his teacher, Patriarch Subhuti , and means "the one who has Achieved the Perfect Comprehension of the Extinction of both Emptiness and non-Emptiness "; he is called Monkey King in English .

He was born out of a rock that had been dormant for ages in Flower Fruit Mountain that was inhabited/weathered by the sun and moon until a monkey sprang forth. He first distinguished himself by bravely entering the Cave of Water Curtains (pinyin: Shuǐlián-dòng ) at the Mountains of Flowers and Fruits ( Huāguǒ-shān ); for this feat, his monkey tribe gave him the title of Měi-hóuwáng ("handsome monkey-king"). Later, he started making trouble in Heaven and defeated an army of 100,000 celestial soldiers, led by the Four Heavenly Kings , Erlang Shen , and Nezha . Eventually, the Jade Emperor appealed to Buddha , who subdued and trapped Wukong under a mountain. He was only saved when Xuanzang came by him on his pilgrimage and accepted him as a disciple.

His primary weapon is the rúyì-jīngū-bàng ("will-following golden-banded staff"), which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep behind his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions (hence the "will-following" part of the name). The staff, originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the East Sea Dragon King, weighs 13,500 pounds, which he pulled out of its support and swung with ease. The Dragon King, not wanting him to cause any trouble, also gave him a suit of golden armor. These gifts, combined with his devouring of the peaches of immortality and three jars of immortality pills while in Heaven, plus his ordeal in the eight-trigram furnace of Lao Tzu (which gave him a steel-hard body and fiery golden eyes), makes Wukong the strongest member by far of the pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he can also pull hairs from his body and blow on them to transform them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle). Although he has mastered seventy-two methods of transformations, it does not mean that he is restricted to seventy-two different forms. He can also do a jīndǒuyún ("cloud somersault"), enabling him to travel vast distances in a single leap. Wukong uses his talents to fight demons and play pranks. However, his behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guanyin, which cannot be removed by Wukong himself until the journey's end. Xuanzang can tighten this band by chanting the Tightening-Crown spell (taught to him by Guanyin) whenever he needs to chastise him. The spell is referred to by Xuanzang's disciples as the "Headache Sutra", and is as follows:- "Om-munney pud-meyon", ( Om Mani Padme Hum ?) which is spoken quickly and repeatedly.

Wukong's child-like playfulness is a huge contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his acrobatic skills, makes him a likeable hero, though not necessarily a good role model . His antics present a lighter side in what proposes to be a long and dangerous trip into the unknown.

[ edit ] Zhū Bājiè

Zhū Bājiè ("Pig of the Eight Prohibitions") is also known as Zhū Wùnéng ("Pig Awakened to Power"), and given the name Pigsy , Monk Pig or just simply Pig in English .

Once an immortal who was the Tiānpéng-yuánshuǎi ("Field Marshal Tianpeng") of 100,000 soldiers of the Milky Way , during a celebration of gods, he drank too much and attempted to flirt with Cháng'é , the beautiful moon goddess, resulting in his banishment into the mortal world. He was supposed to be reborn as a human, but ended up in the womb of a sow due to an error at the Reincarnation Wheel, which turned him into a half-man half-pig monster. Staying within Yúnzhan-dòng ("cloud-pathway cave"), he was commissioned by Guanyin to accompany Xuanzang to India and given the new name Zhu Wuneng.

However, Wuneng's desire for women led him to Gao Village, where he posed as a normal being and took a wife. Later, when the villagers discovered that he was a monster, Wuneng hid the girl away. At this point, Xuanzang and Wukong arrived at Gao Village and helped subdue him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Xuanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is the jiǔchǐdīngpá (" nine-tooth iron rake "). He is also capable of thirty-six transformations (as compared to Wukong's seventy-two), and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Wukong. However, Bajie is noted for his fighting skills in the water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey. He is the second strongest member of the team.

[ edit ] Shā Wùjìng

Shā Wùjìng (literally meaning "Sand Awakened to Purity"), given the name Friar Sand or Sandy in English , was once the Curtain Raising General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a monster because he accidentally smashed a crystal goblet belonging to the Heavenly Queen Mother during the Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up residence in the Flowing Sands River , terrorizing the surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sūn Wùkōng and Zhū Bājiè when the Xuānzàng party came across him. They consequently took him in, as part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Shā Wùjìng's weapon is the yuèyáchǎn ("Crescent-Moon-Shovel" or " Monk's Spade "). Aside from that, he knows eighteen transformations and is highly effective in water combat. He is about as strong as Bājiè, and is much stronger than Wùkōng in water. However, Bājiè can beat Wujing in a test of endurance, and Wùkōng can beat him out of water.

Shā Wùjìng is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickerings of his fellow-disciples. He has no major faults nor redeeming characteristics. Perhaps this is why he is sometimes seen as a minor character.

Wùjìng eventually becomes an Arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than Bājiè, who is relegated to cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for eternity, but is still lower spiritually than Wùkōng or Xuānzàng who are granted Buddhahood.

[ edit ] List of demons

There are many demons in the story. They are listed below:

[ edit ] Notable English-language translations

• Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley . For many years, the best translation available in English . Often considered the most readable and amusing retelling of the story. [ citation needed ] However, Waley only translated 30 out of the 100 chapters (which corresponds to roughly 1/6 of the whole text) while excising, e.g., most of the verse. (Penguin reprint ISBN 0-14-044111-5 )
• Journey to the West (1982–1984), a complete translation in three volumes by W.J.F. Jenner. Aimed at a general reader with no previous background in Chinese. [ citation needed ] Foreign Languages Press Beijing ( ISBN 0-8351-1003-6 , ISBN 0-8351-1193-8 , ISBN 0-8351-1364-7 ; 1993 edition in four volumes: ISBN 978-7-119-01663-4 )
• The Journey to the West (1977–1983), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu . The most faithful rendering of the original, designed primarily for an academic reader. [ citation needed ] University of Chicago Press: HC ISBN 0-226-97145-7 , ISBN 0-226-97146-5 , ISBN 0-226-97147-3 , ISBN 0-226-97148-1 ; PB ISBN 0-226-97150-3 , ISBN 0-226-97151-1 ; ISBN 0-226-97153-8 ; ISBN 0-226-97154-6 . In 2006, an abridged version of this translation was published under the title The Monkey and the Monk .

[ edit ] Further reading

• Jenner, W.J.F. (1984). "Translator's Afterword." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 4. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 2341–2343.
• Shi Changyu 石昌渝 (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22.
• Yu, Anthony: "Introduction". Journey to the West . Trans. and ed. Anthony Yu. Vol. 1. Chicago - London: University of Chicago Press, 1977. 1–62.

[ edit ] See also

• List of media adaptations of Journey to the West

[ edit ] References

• ^ a b c Hu Shih (1942). Introduction . New York: Grove Press. pp. 1–5.  
• ^ a b c d Jenner, W.J.F. (1984). "Translator's Afterword." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 4. Seventh Edition.
• ^ a b Shi Changyu (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22.

[ edit ] External links

[ edit ] full text, [ edit ] traditional chinese.

• Journey to the West from WikiSource ( UTF-8 encoding)
• Journey to the West from the Gutenberg Project ( UTF-8 encoding)
• Journey to the West from Open Lit ( Big5 encoding)
• Journey to the West from MillionBook.net ( Big5 encoding)

[ edit ] Simplified Chinese

• Journey to the West from Xahlee ( UTF-16 encoding)

[ edit ] English

• Journey to the West - Freeware complete English text version in PDF format (2.56MB)

[ edit ] Other links

• Monkey - Great Sage equal of Heaven - fansite.
• Journey to the West - Comprehensive and detailed website with in-depth information about Journey to the West.
• Story of Sun Wukong and the beginning of Journey to the West with manhua
• Solarguard Monkey Plot summary (one paragraph for each of one hundred in novel) plus summary of book on historical Xuanzang.
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Journey to the West (Chinese Classics, Classic Novel in 4 Volumes) Paperback – Box set, January 1, 2003

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• Print length 2346 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Foreign Languages Press
• Publication date January 1, 2003
• Dimensions 7.09 x 4.45 x 3.74 inches
• ISBN-10 7119016636
• ISBN-13 978-7119016634
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Foreign Languages Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 2346 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 7119016636
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-7119016634
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.06 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.09 x 4.45 x 3.74 inches
• #7 in Asian Literature (Books)

About the authors

W. j. f. jenner.

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Cheng'en Wu

Anthony C. Yu

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Customers find the book excellent and great. They also say it provides fascinating insight into the history and traditional culture of China. However, some find the margins small and hard to read, while others say it contains the complete and unabridged story.

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Customers find the book excellent, quality, and a true classic. They also say it's a great collection to have, whether you're familiar with the story or not.

"...me cos i was thinkin an old old book like tht wldnt b good but its super good (heavy use of deus ex machina tho) its really entertaining like sun..." Read more

"... That was done very well and I'm looking froward to rereading the adventure with quality paper in my hands; that's one of the real luxuries in..." Read more

"The book is very good , it's a fun novel (for 500 year old novel) ... Also keep in mind that this are 4 books, each one of about 500 pages ......" Read more

"...This is a delightful read and a great edition ! Highly recommended." Read more

Customers find the book's content great, lengthy, and complete. They also say it's the most faithful translation of Journey to the West.

"An excellent translation, complete. Very complete . The full tale is very long, so most editions are abridged...." Read more

"...This is an incredibly lengthy story for anyone not prepared for what is inside...." Read more

"...I think that the elements of a TREMENDOUS story are present (indeed, Monkey is a household name among Asian children, even today), but few children..." Read more

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Customers find the historical context fascinating, providing an allegory of enlightenment. They also say the book is educational and has poetic evocations of scenery.

"...so its super entertaining but its also really informative about culture like i get So Many references now its insane like if theres an op monkey in..." Read more

"...It is thus intended as educational . As a guide to thoughts strange and alien to western minds, it is second to none...." Read more

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"...adventure that satires Chinese bureaucracy while also telling an allegory of enlightenment ...." Read more

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Chapter 84: Chapter 84

The Indestructible Proteges of the Buddha Complete Enlightenment The Dharma King Comes to the Truth Through His Own Nature

The story tells how Tang Sanzang kept his masculine essence intact and escaped from the terrible snare of mist and flowers. As he headed Westwards with Brother Monkey he did not notice that it was already summer: warm breezes were beginning to blow, and the early summer rain was falling. It was a beautiful sight:

Dark is the shade under tender green;

In the gentle breeze the swallows lead their young.

New lotus leaves are opening on the ponds;

Elegant bamboo is gradually reviving.

The fragrant plants join their blue to the sky;

Mountain flowers carpet all the ground.

Beside the stream the rushes are like swords;

The fiery pomegranate blossom makes the picture even more magnificent.

As the master and his three disciples traveled along enduring the heat they suddenly noticed two rows of tall willows, from under the shade of which an old woman emerged, leaning on a small boy. "Don't go any further, monk," she called out. "Stop your horse and go back East as soon as you can. The road West leads nowhere."

This gave Sanzang so bad a fright that he sprang off the horse, made a gesture of greeting and said,

"Venerable Bodhisattva, in the words of the ancients,

'The sea's breadth allows the fish to leap;

The sky's emptiness lets birds fly.'

How could there possibly be no way to the West?" To this the old woman replied, pointing Westwar, "If you go that way you will come to the capital of Dharmadestructia in a couple of miles. The king formed a hatred of Buddhism in an earlier existence, and in his present life he is punishing it without just cause. Two years ago he made a monstrous vow to kill ten thousand Buddhist monks. In that time he's killed 9,996

unknown monks in succession. He's just waiting for four famous monks to make up his ten thousand so that he will fulfil the vow. If you go into the city you will be throwing away your lives for nothing."

At the sound of this Sanzang was so terrified that he shivered and shook as he replied, "Venerable Bodhisattva, I am deeply moved by your great kindness and infinitely grateful too. But, tell me, is there a suitable way I could take that does not go into the city?"

"There's no way round," the old woman replied with a laugh, "no way round. The only way you'll get past it is if you can fly."

At this Pig started shooting his mouth off from where he stood beside them: "Don't try to put us off. We can all fly."

Monkey's fiery eyes with their golden pupils really could distinguish good from evil, and he saw that the old woman and the little boy on whom she was leaning were in fact the Bodhisattva Guanyin and the page Sudhana. He hastily flung himself to the ground and began to kowtow, calling out, "Bodhisattva, your disciple failed to welcome you. I'm sorry."

The Bodhisattva then rose slowly on her multicolored cloud, so startling the venerable elder that his legs gave way under him and he kowtowed as he knelt there for all he was worth. Pig and Friar Sand also fell to their knees in alarm and kowtowed to heaven. A moment later she was heading straight back to the Southern Sea amid auspicious clouds.

Monkey then got up and supported his master as he said, "Get up please. The Bodhisattva's already gone back to her island."

"Wukong," Sanzang said, "if you knew she was the Bodhisattva why did you not say so before?"

"You ask too many questions," Monkey replied with a grin. "When I started kowtowing wasn't that early enough?"

"It was lucky the Bodhisattva told us that Dharmadestructia, where they kill monks, is ahead of us," Pig and Friar Sand said to Monkey. "Whatever are we to do?"

"Don't be afraid, idiot," Monkey replied. "We've come to no harm from any of the vicious demons and evil monsters we've met already or in the tigers' dens and dragons' pools we've been in. This is just a country of ordinary people. What's there to be so scared of? The only thing is that we can't stay here. It's getting late in the day and some of the villagers are coming back from market in the town. It will be no good if they see we're monks and raise a hue and cry. We'd better take the master away from the main road to some quiet and secluded spot where we can discuss things." Sanzang accepted Monkey's suggestion and they slipped away from the main road to a hollow in the ground where they sat down.

"Brother," said Monkey, "you two look after the master while I turn myself into something and go into town to take a look around. I'll find a side road that we can get away along tonight."

"Disciple," said Sanzang, "don't take this lightly. The royal law is implacable. You must be careful."

"Don't worry," said Monkey with a smile, "don't worry. I can cope."

This said, the Great Sage leapt whistling up into the air. It was very strange: No rope to hold on to above,

No pole to support him below.

Others are all like their parents,

But the weight of his bones was low.

As he stood in the clouds looking down he saw that the city was full of the most happy and auspicious atmosphere. "What a splendid place," Monkey said. "Why are they trying to destroy the Dharma here?" He looked around for a while, and in the gathering dusk he saw:

Bright lights at the crossroads,

Incense and bells in the ninefold hall.

The seven brightest stars shone in the blue heavens,

And the travelers stopped moving in all eight directions.

From the army barracks

The painted bugle could just be heard;

In the drum tower

The copper water−clock began to drip.

All around the evening mists were dense;

Cold fog was thick in the markets.

Two by two the couples went to their beds

As the bright moon's disk was rising in the East.

"If I went down into the streets to look for our way with a face like this," he thought, "anyone I saw would be sure I was a monk. I'd better change." He made a spell with his hands, said the magic words, shook himself and turned into a moth, the sort that flies into the lantern:

A tiny body, a pair of delicate wings,

Who puts out the lamp and flies into the candle when seeking the light.

Formed by changing its own original body,

It makes its magic response in grass that's decaying.

Loving the burning light of the candle's flame,

Endlessly flying around it with never a pause,

The purple−clad moth with its scented wings drives off the fireflies; What it likes best is the windless calm of the night.

Watch him as he flutters and flies straight to the main streets and the markets, keeping close to the eaves and the corners of the buildings he passes. As he was flying along he noticed an angled row of houses on a corner with a lantern hanging above each doorway.

"They must be celebrating the Lantern Festival here," he thought. "Why else is that line of lighted lanterns there?" Stiffening his wings and flying up for a closer look, he saw that on a square lantern outside the middle house was written, "Accommodation for Commercial Travelers," with "Wang the Second's Inn" beneath it.

Only then did Monkey realize that this was an inn. Stretching his head forward for a closer look he saw eight or nine men inside who had all eaten their supper, taken off their clothes and hats, washed their hands and feet and gone to bed.

"The master will get through," Monkey thought with secret delight. How did he know that? Because he was having a wicked idea: he would wait till they were all asleep, then steal their clothes and hats so that he and his companions could go into the city dressed as laymen.

Oh dear! This was one of those things that don't turn out as you want them to. While Monkey was still thinking about his plan Wang the Second went up to the merchants and said, "Please be vigilant, gentlemen.

We have villains here as well as decent people. You must all be careful about your clothes and luggage."

As you can imagine, the travelling merchants were all very vigilant, and the innkeeper's advice made them more cautious than ever. So they all got out of bed and said, "You're quite right, host. We travelers have a hard time. We're always worried that if there's some emergency when we're asleep we may not wake up; and if things go wrong we're in a mess. You'd better take all our clothes, hats and bags and look after them for us inside. Tomorrow morning you can give them back to us when we get up."

Wang the Second then took all the clothes he could find into his own room. Monkey anxiously spread his wings, flew in there and landed on the hat stand, from where he saw Wang the Second take the lantern down from the door, lower the blinds, and shut the door and window. Only then did he go into his bedroom, undress and lie down.

Now Wang the Second had a wife and two children who were crying and making a noise, in no hurry to sleep.

Wang's wife then started mending a torn piece of clothing, so that she too was still awake. "If I have to wait till that woman stops working and goes to sleep," thought Monkey, "I'll be keeping the master waiting too."

He then started worrying that if he left it till much later the city gates would be shut, so he lost patience and flew down into the flame of the lamp. It was indeed a case of

He was ready to die when he dived at the blaze,

And with brows scarred by fire to live out his days.

Having extinguished the lamp he shook himself and turned into a rat who gave a couple of squeaks, jumped down, grabbed hats and clothes and went outside. "Old man," the woman said with alarm, "this is terrible. A rat's turned into a spirit."

When Monkey heard this he used another trick, blocking the doorway and yelling at the top of his voice,

"That woman's talking nonsense, Wang the Second. Ignore her. I'm not a rat turned spirit. As a decent man I don't do underhanded things. I'm the Great Sage Equaling Heaven come down to earth to protect the Tang Priest while he goes to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. I've come to borrow these clothes as a disguise for my master because your king is so wicked. I'll bring them back soon when we're out of the city."

Once Wang the Second heard this he scrambled out of bed and started groping around the floor in the dark.

He was in such a rush that when he got hold of his trousers he thought they were his shirt: there was no way he could put them on no matter how he tried.

By now the Great Sage had used lifting magic to escape on his cloud, which he turned round to go straight back to the hollow by the road. Sanzang was looking out for him fixedly by the bright light of the moon and the stars, and as soon as he saw Monkey approaching he called out, "Can we get through the capital of Dharmadestructia, disciple?"

Coming up and laying the clothes down in front of him, Monkey replied, "Master, you won't get through Dharmadestructia as a monk."

"Brother," said Pig, "who do you think you're making things hard for? It's easy to stop being a monk. All you have to do is stop shaving your head for six months and let your hair grow."

"We can't wait six months," Monkey replied. "We're going to turn into laymen right now."

"But that's a completely ridiculous thing to say," said a shocked Pig. "We're all monks now, and if we turned into laymen straight away we wouldn't be able to wear hats. Even if we could pull them tight enough at the edges we've got no hair to tie the string at the top to."

"Stop fooling about," Sanzang shouted, "and be serious. What do you really have in mind?"

"I've had a good look at this city, Master," Monkey replied, "and although the king is a wicked one who kills monks he is a true son of heaven. There is an auspicious glow and a happy atmosphere above the city. I know my way round the streets now, and I can understand and talk the local language. I've just borrowed these hats and clothes from an inn for us to dress ourselves up as laymen in. We'll go into the city, put up for the night, get up at the fourth watch and ask the innkeeper to fix us some vegetarian food. At the fifth watch we'll go out through the gate and head West along the main road. If we meet anyone who tries to stop us we can talk our way out of it. I'll tell him we were sent by the ruler of their suzerain state. The king of Dharmadestructia won't dare hold us up. He'll let us go on our way."

"Our big brother has arranged things very well," said Friar Sand. "Let's do as he suggests."

The venerable elder did indeed have no option but to take off his monastic tunic and hat and put on a layman's clothing and headwear. Friar Sand changed too, but Pig's head was too big for him to be able to wear a hat.

Monkey fetched needle and thread, tore two hats open and sewed them into a single one. Then he put the hat on Pig's head and found a garment big enough for him to wear. Finally he dressed himself and said,

"Gentlemen, we must ban the words 'master' and 'disciples' on this journey."

"What else can we call each other?" Pig asked. "We must talk like people who address each other as brothers,"

Monkey replied. "The master can call himself Tang the Eldest. You can be Hogg the Third, and Friar Sand can be Sand the Fourth. I'll be Sun the Second. But when we are in the inn none of you must say anything.

Leave all the talking to me. When they ask what line of business we're in I'll say we're horse dealers. I'll pretend that the white horse is a sample and that there are ten of us altogether, of whom we four have come ahead to book rooms at an inn and sell this horse. The innkeeper will be bound to treat us well then. We'll be properly looked after, and before we leave I'll find a piece of broken tile and turn it into silver to pay him with. Then we'll be able to go on our way." Although he was not happy about it the Tang Priest had to go along with this.

The four of them hurried to the city, leading the horse and carrying the luggage. As this was a very peaceful place the city gates were still open although it was already night. They went straight into the city, and as they passed the gateway of Wang the Second's inn they could hear shouting inside.

People were yelling, "My hat's disappeared!" and "My clothes have gone!" Pretending he did not know what this was all about, Monkey took them to an inn further along on the other side of the road. This inn was still showing its lantern, so Monkey went up to the gateway and called, "Do you have a vacant room for us, innkeeper?"

"Yes, yes," a woman answered from inside. "Please come upstairs, gentlemen." Before she had finished speaking a man came out to take the horse. Monkey handed him the horse to take inside. He then led the master into the building in the shadow of the lamp. Upstairs there were tables and chairs conveniently arranged, and when the window was opened they all sat down in the clear moonlight.

When someone came with a lighted lamp Monkey blocked the doorway, blew it out and said, "No need for a lamp on a bright night like this."

No sooner had the man with the lamp gone down than a maid came up with four bowls of tea. Monkey took the bowls from her, only for her to be followed by a woman who looked to be about fifty−six or fifty−seven coming up the stairs.

Standing beside Monkey she asked, "Where are you gentlemen from? What fine goods do you have?"

"We're from the North," Monkey replied, "and we've got a few poor horses to sell."

"You're very young to be a horse dealer," the woman said.

"This gentleman is Tang the Eldest," Monkey explained, "this is Hogg the Third, and this is Sand the fourth.

I'm Sun the Second, an apprentice."

"But your surnames are all different," said the woman with a smile. "Yes," Monkey replied, "our surnames are different but we all live together. There are ten of us brothers altogether, and we four have come ahead to fix our board and lodging. The other six have found a place outside the city to stay tonight. It would have been awkward for them to come into the city as they've got a herd of horses. They'll come in tomorrow morning when we've fixed some accommodation. We won't go home till we've sold the horses."

"How many horses are there in your herd?" the woman asked.

"Over a hundred of all ages," Monkey replied. "They're all like that one of ours, except that they come in different colours."

"Mr. Sun," the woman said with a laugh, "you really know how to travel. You should have come straight here: no other inn would be able to put you up. We have a big courtyard well supplied with troughs and tethering posts and plenty of fodder too. We could feed several hundred horses here. There's just one thing I should mention. I've been keeping this inn for many years and it's quite well known. My late husband was called Zhao, but I'm afraid he died long ago, so this is now called Widow Zhao's Inn. We have three classes of entertainment for our guests. Let's get sordid money matters out of the way, then we can be more civilized later. The first thing is to discuss the tariffs and agree on one so that we know where we stand when it's time to settle the accounts."

"Quite right," Monkey replied. "What are your three classes of entertainment? As the saying goes, Your tariffs may be low, your tariffs may be dear,

But treat us all the same, who come from far or near.

What do your tariffs involve? Could you explain them to me?"

"We have first, second and third−class tariffs," the old woman replied. "The first class is a banquet with five kinds of fruit and five different dishes. The tables are set with confectionery lions and immortals fighting.

Two gentlemen share a table, and there are young ladies to sing to them and sleep with them. It costs half an ounce of silver per head, the price of the room included."

"I'd agree to that," Monkey replied. "Where we come from half an ounce wouldn't even pay for a girl."

"For the second−class tariff," the woman continued, "you all eat from the same dishes of food and we provide fruit and warm wine that you help yourselves to in your drinking games. No young ladies are provided and it costs one fifth of an ounce of silver each."

"I'd agree to that too," Monkey replied. "What about the third class?"

"I wouldn't like to discuss it with such distinguished gentlemen as yourselves," she replied.

"No harm in telling us about it," Monkey replied, "so that we can choose what suits us best."

"Nobody waits on you in the third class," she said, "and we provide a big pot of rice for you to eat from as you will. When you're full there's straw for you to spread out on the ground and sleep on where it suits you. At dawn you give us a few coppers for the rice and I can assure you we won't argue about how much."

"We're in luck," said Pig, "we're in luck. That's the sort of deal I like. I'll eat my fill from the cauldron then have a bloody good sleep in front of the stove."

"What nonsense, brother," said Monkey. "We've earned an ounce or two of silver on our travels. Give us the first−class treatment."

"Make some good tea," the woman said with great delight, "and tell the kitchen to get the food ready quickly."

She then went downstairs calling out, "Kill chickens and geese and boil up some pickled meat for them to have with their rice."

Then she shouted, "Kill a pig and a sheep. What can't be eaten today can be served tomorrow. Get some good wine. Use the best white rice, and make some pancakes with white flour."

When Sanzang heard all this from upstairs he said, "Whatever shall we do, Sun the Second? They're going to slaughter chickens, geese, a pig and a sheep. If they bring us all these we won't be able to eat them as we're all vegetarians."

"I've got an idea," said Monkey, and he stamped in the doorway and called out, "Mrs. Zhao, come up here."

"What instructions do you have for me, sir," she asked.

"Don't kill any living creatures today. We're eating vegetarian food today," Monkey replied.

"Are you gentlemen permanent vegetarians, or just vegetarians for this month?" asked the woman in surprise.

"Neither," replied Monkey. "We're vegetarians on gengshen days. Today's one, so we have to eat meatless food. But after the third watch tonight it'll be a xinyou day and the restrictions won't apply. Kill them tomorrow. Lay on some vegetarian food today, and make it first−class."

This made the woman happier than ever. "Don't slaughter anything," she said, hurrying downstairs, "don't slaughter anything. Fetch some tree−ear fungus, Fujian bamboo shoots, beancurd and wheat gluten. Pick some green vegetables in the garden, make vermicelli soup, steam some brad rolls, boil more white rice and make some scented tea."

Now the cooks were experts because they cooked every day, so that everything was ready in an instant to be set out upstairs. They also had some confectioneries of lions and immortals that were already made for the four travelers to eat their fill of.

When the question was asked, "Would you like some mild wine?" Brother Monkey replied, "Eldest Brother Tang won't have any, but the rest of us will have a few cups." The widow then fetched a jug of warm wine.

When drinks had been poured out for the three of them they heard the sound of banging against wooden boards. "Has some furniture fallen over downstairs, missus?" Monkey asked.

"No," the woman replied, "It's some retainers from my farm who arrived late this evening with rent rice. We let them sleep downstairs. As we were short−staffed when you gentlemen arrived I told them to take the sedan−chairs to the brothel to fetch some young ladies to keep you company. They must have hit the underneath of the floorboards with the chair−poles."

"You mentioned that before," Monkey said. "But don't send for them now. Today's a fast day, and besides, our brothers aren't here yet. They'll be here tomorrow for sure. Then we can all send for some call−girls and have a good time in your excellent establishment before we sell our horses and go."

"What good men," the woman said, "what good men. That way you'll all stay friends and you won't waste your energy." Then she ordered that the sedan−chairs be brought back in as the whores were not to be fetched.

The four of them finished their wine and food, the utensils were cleared away, and the meal was over.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Sanzang whispered in Monkey's ear.

"Upstairs," Monkey replied.

"Too dangerous," Sanzang replied. "We have all had so hard a journey that we may well fall fast asleep. If any of the inn people come in to tidy up and our hats have rolled off they will see our bald heads, realize that we are monks, and raise a hue and cry. That would be a disaster."

"You're right," said Monkey, going out to stamp his foot again.

"What instructions do you have this time, Mr. Sun?" the woman asked, coming upstairs once more.

"Where are we to sleep?" Monkey asked.

"Upstairs is best," she replied. "There are no mosquitoes and there's a South wind. Open the windows wide and you'll sleep beautifully."

"We won't be able to," said Monkey. "Our Mr. Hogg the Third has a touch of gout, Mr. Sand the Fourth has some rheumatism in his shoulder, Brother Tang can only sleep in the dark, and I don't like the light myself. So this is no place for us to sleep."

As the woman went downstairs, leaning on the banisters and sighing, her daughter, who was carrying a child in her arms, came up to her and said, "Mother, as the saying goes, 'Be stuck on a sandbank for ten days, then said past nine sandbanks in one.' It's too hot now to be doing much business, but once autumn begins we'll have more than we can handle. What are you sighing like that for?"

"It's not because business is slack, daughter," the older woman replied. "I was just going to close the inn up this evening when four horse dealers came and took a room. They wanted the first−class tariff. I was hoping to make a little silver out of them, and I'm sighing because we won't earn much: they're fasting."

"As they've already eaten they can't very well go to another inn," the daughter replied. "And we'll be able to make money out of them when we serve them meat and wine tomorrow."

"They're all poorly," the older woman replied, "and want somewhere dark to sleep because they don't like drafts or light. All the rooms in the inn have got missing tiles, so where am I going to find somewhere dark for them? It'd be best to write off the cost of the meal and tell them to stay somewhere else."

"But we do have somewhere dark in the house, mother," her daughter replied, "where there's no draft and no light. It'll do splendidly."

"Where?" the older woman asked.

"The big trunk that father had made when he was still alive," the daughter replied. "It's four feet wide, seven feet long and three feet high, and big enough for seven people to sleep in. Tell them to sleep in the trunk."

"I don't know whether it'll do," said the older woman. "I'll ask them. Mr. Sun, if you won't have our poky little room there's nowhere darker here than our big trunk. It'll keep out light and drafts. So why don't you sleep in the trunk?"

"Splendid," Monkey replied. She then told several of the retainers to carry the trunk out and open the lid, while inviting her guests to come downstairs. Monkey led the master and Friar Sand carried the luggage as they went to the trunk, following in the lantern's shadow. The reckless Pig was the first to climb inside. Friar Sand lifted the luggage in then helped the Tang Priest in before getting in himself.

"Where's our horse?" Monkey asked.

"Tied up eating hay in the stables at the back," replied the servant who was attending them.

"Bring it here," said Monkey, "and bring the trough too. Tether the animal next to the trunk." Only then did he get inside himself and call out, "Shut the lid, Mrs. Zhao, fasten the hasp and padlock it. And look it over for us. Glue paper wherever it lets in the light. Open it again early tomorrow morning."

"You're very particular," the widow said. After that the doors were fastened and everyone went to bed.

The story switches to the four of them in the chest. Poor things! They were wearing hats, the weather was very hot and it was airless and stuffy. They took off their hats and clothes, and fanned themselves with their monastic hats for lack of fans. They were all crowded in next to each other and did not fall asleep till the second watch. Monkey, however, wanted to make trouble, so he stayed awake. He put his hand out and gave Pig a pinch on the leg.

The idiot pulled his leg in and mumbled, "Go to sleep. We've had a hard day. What do you want to fool around pinching people's hands and feet for?"

"We started by laying out five thousand ounces of silver," said Monkey aloud, deliberately making mischief,

"and we sold those horses the other day for three thousand. We've got four thousand in the two bags, and we'll sell this herd of horses for another three thousand. That means we'll have doubled our capital. That's not bad."

Pig, who was sleepy, did not bother to reply.

Now the floor staff, the water−carriers and the kitchen porters were in league with bandits. After hearing Brother Monkey talking about all the money they had, several of them slipped off to fetch twenty or more armed bandits to come with torches to rob the four horse traders. As they charger in through the gates they gave Widow Zhao and her daughter such a fright that shivering and shaking they fastened the doors of their room and let the robbers take whatever they wanted outside. Now the bandits were not after the inn's property but were looking for the guests. When they went upstairs and found no sign of them there, they lit their torches and held them out while they looked all around. All they could see was a large trunk in the courtyard, to the bottom of which was tethered a white horse. The lid was tightly locked and could not be prized open.

"Travelling merchants all know what they're about," the bandits said. "This trunk looks so strong that it's bound to be full of purses, valuables and silk. Let's steal the horse, take the trunk out of town, open it up and share out what's inside. That would be the best thing, wouldn't it?" The bandits then found some rope with which they lifted the box and carried it off, swinging and swaying.

"Brother," said Pig, woken up by this, "go to sleep. Why are you rocking us?"

"Shut up," Monkey replied. "Nobody's rocking us."

Sanzang and Friar Sand had been abruptly awoken too, and they asked, "Who's carrying us?"

"Keep quiet," said Monkey, "keep quiet. Let them carry us. If they carry us to the Western Heaven we'll be saved the trouble of walking."

But the successful bandits were not heading West. Instead they headed towards the East of the city, killing the soldiers on the city gate, opening it and letting themselves out. This caused a sensation in the streets and the markets, where the watchmen of all the shops reported it to the commander−in−chief of the city garrison and the East city commissioner. As this was their responsibility the commander−in−chief and the East city commissioner mustered a force of infantry, cavalry and bowmen that left the city in pursuit of the bandits.

Seeing that resistance to so powerful a government force would have been pointless, the bandits abandoned the trunk and the white horse, scattered into the undergrowth and disappeared. The government troops did not catch even half a robber: all they captured was the trunk and the white horse, with which they returned in triumph. The commander−in−chief examined the horse in the light of the lamps and saw that it was a fine one: Threads of silver grew in his mane;

In his tail hung strands of jade.

Forget about Eight Chargers and dragon steeds;

This was steadier than the great Sushuang;

Its bones alone would have sold for a thousand ounces of silver; It could gallop after the wind for three thousand miles.

When it climbed a mountain it merged into the clouds;

As it neighed at the moon it was as white as snow.

It was truly a dragon from an ocean island,

A unicorn of Jade in the human world.

The commander−in−chief rode the white horse instead of his own steed as he led his men back into the city.

The trunk was carried to his headquarters, where he and the East city commissioner sealed it with strips of paper on which they wrote and set a guard over it till morning, when they would submit a memorial to the king and request a decision on what to do with it. After that the other troops were dismissed.

The story now tells how the venerable Tang Priest was grumbling at Monkey inside the chest. "Ape," he said,

"you've killed me this time. If I had been arrested outside and taken to the king of Dharmadestructia I might well have been able to put up a good argument in my defense. But now I am here, locked in this trunk. I have been carried off by bandits and recaptured by the army. When we are shown to the king tomorrow we will be all ready for him to put to the sword and make up his ten thousand."

"There are people outside!" exclaimed Monkey. "If they open the trunk and take you out you'll either be tied up or hung up. If you don't want to be tied or strung up you'd better show a little patience. When we're taken to see this deluded king tomorrow I'll definitely be able to talk my way out of things. I guarantee that not one hair of yours will be harmed. So stop worrying and go back to sleep."

In the third watch Monkey used one of his magic powers. Slipping his cudgel out he blew on it with a magic breath, called "Change!" and turned it into a triple auger with which he drilled two or three holes near the bottom of the chest, forming a single larger hole. He put the auger away, shook himself, turned into an ant and crawled out. Then he turned back into himself and rode his cloud straight to the palace gates. The king was fast asleep at the time, so Monkey used his Great All powerful Body−dividing Magic.

Plucking all the hairs out of his left arm he blew on them with a magic breath, called "Change!" and turned them into little Monkeys. Then he pulled all the hairs out from his right arm, blew on them with a magic breath, called "Change!" and turned them into sleep−insects. Next he recited the magic word Om and told the local deity of the place to take the little Monkeys to distribute them throughout the palace to all the officials in every office and department of government. Each holder of official rank was given a sleep−insect to ensure that he or she would sleep soundly and not get up. Monkey then took his gold−banded cudgel in his hands, squeezed it, waved it, called, "Change, treasure!" and turned it into over a thousand razors of the sort used for shaving the head. Taking one himself, he told all the little monkeys to take one each and shave the heads of everyone in the inner quarters of the palace and in all the government departments and offices. This was indeed a case of:

When the Dharma king would destroy it the Dharma is infinite;

The Dharma runs through heaven and earth, opening the Great Way.

The origins of ten thousand Dharmas all come down to one;

The features of the Three Vehicles are basically the same.

He bored through the trunk to find out the news,

Distributed his golden hairs to smash delusion,

Determined to bring the Dharma king to the true achievement,

To the eternal emptiness of what is not born and dies not.

That night the head−shaving was completed, so Monkey said another spell to dismiss the local deity, shook himself to bring all the hairs back to his arms, then touched all the razors to turn them back into their true form as the gold−banded cudgel, which he made much smaller and hid in his ear again. Finally he reverted to being an ant, crawled back into the trunk, and went on guarding the Tang Priest in his time of danger.

When the palace ladies in the inner quarters got up to wash and do their hair before dawn the next morning they all found that their hair had gone. The same had happened to all the eunuchs, senior and junior, who moved around the palace. They all crowded to the outside of the royal bedchamber, where they played music to wake the king up, all holding back their tears but not daring to speak. Before long the queen in the palace woke up to find her hair gone too. When she hurried with lanterns to the dragon bed she found a monk sleeping in the brocade quilt, at which she could restrain her tongue no longer, thus awakening the king.

When the king suddenly opened his eyes wide and saw the queen's bald head he got straight out of bed and said, "Why are you like that, my queen?"

"You're the same, Your Majesty," she replied. The king then rubbed his head, which gave him such a fright that the three souls in his body groaned, and his seven spirits flew off into the air.

"What has happened to me?" he exclaimed.

Just when he was in this panicky state the royal consorts, the palace ladies and the eunuchs young and old all fell to their knees, their heads shaved bald, and said, "Lord, we have all been turned into monks."

At the sight of them the king wept. "We think this must be because of all the monks we have killed," he said.

He then gave these orders: "None of you are to say anything about the loss of our hair as, if you do, the civil and military officials may slander our country and say that it has been badly governed. Let us now hold court in the throne hall."

Now all the officials high and low in all the departments and offices of government went to court to pay their respects before dawn. As it turned out, all these men had lost their hair in the night too, and they all submitted memorials reporting the fact. All that could be heard was:

The whip of silence sounding three times at the royal audience; As all report that their heads have now been shaved.

If you do not know what happened to the booty in the trunk that the commander−in−chief had recaptured and whether the Tang Priest and his three disciples were to live or die, listen to the explanation in the next installment.

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