Journey to the West: Illustrated Edition

Author: Wu Cheng'en (Ming Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The Origin of Returning Spiritual Roots, Nurturing the Source of Cultivation, and the Great Way of Self-Cultivation
Poem:
In the chaos before the separation of heaven and earth, no one could see the boundless wilderness.
Since Pan Gu broke the primordial chaos, the world has been divided into clear and turbid.
All living beings look up to the benevolence of heaven, and all things are created with goodness.
To know the mystery of creation, one must read Journey to the West.
It is said that the cycle of heaven is twelve hundred and ninety-six years, known as one yuan.
This yuan is divided into twelve hui, corresponding to the twelve earthly branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai.
Each hui lasts one hundred and eighty thousand years.
Taking a day as an example:
At the Zi hour, the yang qi arises; at the Chou hour, the rooster crows;
At the Yin hour, no light shines, but at the Mao hour, the sun rises;
At the Chen hour, after eating, at the Si hour, things are arranged;
At the Wu hour, at the height of the day, at the Wei hour, the sun sets to the west;
At the Shen hour, the evening light fades, and at the You hour, people settle down at the Hai hour.
Like the great cycle, when the You hui ends, heaven and earth grow dim, and all things decline.
After another five thousand four hundred years, at the beginning of the Hai hui, it becomes dark, and both heaven and earth are empty—hence, chaos.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, as the Hai hui nears its end, the virtue of the lower reaches gives rise to the beginning of the Zi hui, and gradually, light returns.
Shao Kang said:
"At the half of the Zi month in winter, the heart of heaven remains unchanged.
When the first yang qi moves, all things have not yet been born."
At this point, heaven begins to have roots.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, in the Zi hui, the light and clear rise upward, with sun, moon, stars, and constellations.
Sun, moon, stars, and constellations are called the "Four Symbols," hence, heaven opens in the Zi hui.
After another five thousand four hundred years, as the Zi hui nears its end and the Chou hui begins, it gradually becomes solid.
The I Ching says:
"Great is the origin of the yang!
Great is the origin of the yin!
All things are nourished, and they follow the heavens in harmony."
At this point, the earth begins to condense.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, in the Chou hui, the heavy and turbid sink downward, with water, fire, mountains, stones, and earth.
Water, fire, mountains, stones, and earth are called the "Five Forms," hence, the earth opens in the Chou hui.
After another five thousand four hundred years, as the Chou hui ends and the Yin hui begins, all things grow.
It is said:
"The qi of heaven descends, and the qi of the earth rises;
When heaven and earth meet, all things are born."
At this point, heaven is clear, the earth is fresh, and yin and yang combine.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, in the Yin hui, humans, beasts, and birds are born.
This is called the "Three Talents" of heaven, earth, and humans being established, hence, humans are born in the Yin hui.
Moved by Pan Gu's creation and the governance of the Three Emperors and Five Kings, the world is divided into four great continents:
The East (Dongsheng Shenzhou), the West (Xiniu Heshou), the South (Nanshanbu Zhou), and the North (Beijuluzhou).
This book focuses on the East (Dongsheng Shenzhou).
There is a land overseas called Aolai.
Near the sea stands a mountain named Huaguo Mountain.
This mountain is the root of the Ten Continents and the dragon of the Three Islands.
It was formed after the separation of chaos and the primordial chaos.
How beautiful the mountain is!
A poem testifies to its grandeur.
The poem goes:
Its might controls the vast ocean,
And its (Wenning Yaohai) calms the jade sea.
Its might controls the vast ocean,
Tidal waves surge like silver mountains, fish dive into holes;
Its (Wenning Yaohai) calms the jade sea,
Waves churn like snow, and sea dragons leave their depths.
High in the corners of water and fire, the land rises,
And at the eastern sea, peaks stand tall.
Red cliffs and strange rocks,
Steep cliffs and rare peaks.
On the red cliffs, pairs of colorful phoenixes sing;
Before the steep cliffs, a qilin lies alone.
At the peak, one hears the call of the golden pheasant;
In the caves, one sees dragons enter and exit.
In the forest, there are immortal deer and foxes;
On the trees, there are spiritual birds and black-crowned cranes.
The rare grass and flowers never wither,
And the green pines and cypresses remain evergreen.
Immortal peaches bear fruit year after year,
And bamboo groves are often wreathed in clouds.
A gully is dense with vines,
And the slopes are fresh with grass on all sides.
Truly:
Where all rivers converge stands a sky-supporting pillar,
And the earth's root remains unshaken through countless calamities.
At the very top of the mountain, there is a piece of immortal stone.
It is three zhang six chi five cun high,
And two zhang four chi around.
Three zhang six chi five cun high,
Corresponding to the three hundred and sixty-five degrees of the celestial sphere;
Two zhang four chi around,
Corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms of the calendar.
It has nine holes and eight openings,
Corresponding to the nine palaces and eight trigrams.
No trees shade its sides,
But orchids and bamboo grow around it.
Since the world's beginning, it has absorbed the true qi of heaven and earth,
The essence of the sun and moon,
And over time, it has gained spiritual awareness.
Within it, an immortal embryo grew,
And one day, it cracked open,
Giving birth to a stone egg, round as a ball.
When the wind blew, it turned into a stone monkey,
With all five senses and four limbs complete.
It began to crawl and walk,
And bow toward the four directions.
Two golden rays of light shot upward,
Shocking the High Heaven, the Great Compassionate, Merciful Jade Emperor,
The Sovereign of the Universe, the Lord of the Golden Gate Cloud Palace,
The Hall of Spiritual Rain and Treasure.
He gathered the immortal officials and saw the blazing golden light.
He ordered the (Qianli Yan) and (Shunfeng Er) to open the Southern Heaven Gate to observe.
The two generals obeyed and reported:
"We have been commanded to observe the golden light.
It is in the East (Dongsheng Shenzhou), at the border of Aolai in the east, on Huaguo Mountain.
There is an immortal stone that gave birth to an egg, which turned into a stone monkey.
It is bowing toward the four directions, shooting golden light toward the heavens.
Now, it is nourished by water and food, and the golden light is fading."
The Jade Emperor, with great compassion, said:
"These creatures below are born of the essence of heaven and earth and are nothing extraordinary."
The monkey in the mountain could walk, jump, eat grass, drink spring water,
Pick flowers, and gather fruits.
It roamed with wolves and insects,
Gathered with tigers and leopards,
Was friends with deer and monkeys,
And was close to apes.
It slept under cliffs at night,
And roamed in peaks during the day.
Truly, in the mountains, there is no concept of time,
And winter passes without notice.
One day, the weather grew hot,
And the monkeys sought shade under the pines to cool off.
Look at them:
Jumping on trees and branches,
Picking flowers and fruits;
Throwing pebbles, playing with marbles;
Running in the sand, building towers;
Chasing dragonflies, catching bees;
Praying to heaven, bowing to Buddha;
Pulling vines, weaving grass huts;
Picking lice, biting and scratching;
Combing fur, picking nails;
Pushing, shoving, rubbing, pressing;
Tugging, pulling, stretching.
In the pine groves, they played at will,
And by the green streams, they washed and splashed.