Journey to the West

Author: Wu Cheng'en (Ming) / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
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Wukong heard this and was terrified, kowtowing and saying, "I beg Your Venerable to pity me and teach me the method to avoid the three calamities. I dare not forget Your Venerable's kindness." The Master said, "This is not difficult, but you are different from others, so I cannot teach it to you." Wukong said, "I am round-headed and sky-capped, with square feet that tread the earth. I have the same nine orifices, four limbs, five viscera, and six bowels as others. How am I different?" The Master said, "Although you resemble humans, you lack cheeks." In fact, that monkey had a crooked face and a pointed mouth. Wukong reached out and touched his cheeks, laughing and saying, "Master, you miscalculated! Though I lack cheeks, I have more of these pouches, which can make up for it." The Master said, "Very well, do you want to learn the celestial or the terrestrial? The celestial has thirty-six transformations, while the terrestrial has seventy-two." Wukong said, "I wish to explore them all. I will learn the seventy-two transformations." The Master said, "Then come forward, and I will teach you the incantation." He whispered in Wukong's ear, but Wukong did not know what magical method he was speaking. This monkey, when one was open, all were open. He quickly learned the incantation and practiced it diligently, mastering all seventy-two transformations.
One day, the Master and his disciples were playing in the Three Stars Cave, enjoying the evening scenery. The Master said, "Wukong, have you succeeded?" Wukong said, "Thanks to Your Venerable's great kindness, I have completed my cultivation and can now soar on clouds and ascend to the heavens." The Master said, "Try flying for me." Wukong demonstrated his skill, leaping into the air with a single somersault, rising about five or six zhang (about 16-19 meters) into the sky. He soared on the clouds for a moment that lasted about a mealtime, but only traveled less than three li (about 1.5 kilometers) before returning to the ground. He bowed his hands and said, "Master, this is flying on clouds." The Master laughed and said, "This is not flying on clouds, but merely crawling on clouds. As the saying goes, 'Immortals roam the North Sea in the morning and the South China in the evening.' In your case, even in half a day, you travel less than three li—this barely counts as crawling on clouds!" Wukong said, "How is 'roaming the North Sea in the morning and the South China in the evening'?" The Master said, "Those who fly on clouds rise early in the morning from the North Sea, travel across the East, West, and South Seas, and then return to the South China. The South China is merely the Lingling dialect for the North Sea. Only by traveling through all the seas in one day can one truly be said to fly on clouds." Wukong said, "This is difficult, truly difficult!" The Master said, "‘There is nothing in the world that is truly difficult, only those who lack determination.’" Hearing this, Wukong kowtowed and said, "Master, 'One must be thorough in their actions.' Please show great mercy and teach me this method of flying on clouds, for I dare not forget Your Venerable's kindness." The Master said, "All immortals who fly on clouds rise by stamping their feet. But you are not like that. When I saw you just now, you leaped into the air with a single somersault. I will now teach you the 'Somersault Cloud.'" Wukong kowtowed again and begged, and the Master taught him another incantation: "This cloud, when you grasp the incantation, chant the true words, clench your fists tightly, and shake your body, you will leap into the air with a single somersault, covering ten thousand and eight hundred li (about 5,000 kilometers) in one go!" The disciples heard this and laughed, saying, "Wukong is lucky! If he masters this method, he can find work as a courier, delivering documents and notices, no matter where he goes." The master and disciple returned to their caves as dusk fell. That night, Wukong practiced the Somersault Cloud and mastered it. He lived freely and unrestrainedly every day, which was also a form of immortality.
One day, spring turned to summer, and the disciples gathered under the pine trees to discuss for a long time. They said, "Wukong, what kind of destiny did you come from in your past life? Yesterday, Master whispered in your ear and taught you the method to avoid the three calamities. Have you mastered it all?" Wukong smiled and said, "I dare not hide it from you all: first, it was Master's teaching, and second, I practiced day and night, and I have mastered all of them." The disciples said, "Take this good opportunity to demonstrate it for us so we can see." Wukong said, "Please set a challenge for me. What should I transform into?" The disciples said, "Transform into a pine tree." Wukong grasped the incantation, chanted the spell, and transformed into a pine tree. Truly, it was:
Dark green and smoky, embracing all seasons,
Reaching high into the sky, graceful and noble.
No trace of a monkey remained,
Only branches that withstood frost and snow.
The disciples saw this and clapped their hands, laughing loudly. They said, "Good monkey, good monkey!" Unaware of the commotion, they the Master. The Master quickly grabbed his staff and came out, asking, "Who is causing this commotion here?" The disciples hurriedly tidied themselves and stepped forward. Wukong revealed his true form and blended into the crowd, saying, "Your Venerable, we are here discussing, and there are no outsiders causing trouble." The Master roared in anger, "You all shout and make noise, not like those who practice cultivation! Those who practice cultivation must not open their mouths, lest their divine energy scatter, and must not speak, lest disputes arise. How can you be making such a racket here?" The disciples said, "We dare not hide it from Your Venerable. Just now, Wukong was playing with transformations. He transformed into a pine tree, and indeed it was a pine tree. We all praised and admired him, which startled Your Venerable. We beg for Your Venerable's forgiveness." The Master said, "You may all go." He called, "Wukong, come here! I ask you, what spirit were you showing, transforming into a pine tree? How can you show off this skill in front of others? If you see others have it, you do not ask for it? If others see you have it, they will surely ask for it. If you fear trouble, you must teach them; if you do not, they will surely harm you: your life will be in danger." Wukong kowtowed and said, "I beg Your Venerable for forgiveness!" The Master said, "I will not punish you, but just go." Wukong's eyes filled with tears and said, "Master, where should I go?" The Master said, "Go back the way you came." Wukong suddenly realized, "I came from Dongsheng Shenzhou, Flower Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave." The Master said, "Go back quickly and save your life. If you stay here, you will surely die!" Wukong, repenting, said, "I beg Your Venerable, I have been away from home for twenty years. Although I look back at my old disciples, I cannot repay Your Venerable's great kindness, so I dare not go." The Master said, "What kindness? You just don’t cause trouble or drag me into it!" Wukong, seeing no other option, had to bid farewell and part with the disciples. The Master said, "You will surely cause trouble when you go. No matter how you cause trouble or commit crimes, you are not allowed to say that I am your disciple. If you utter even a single word, I will know, and I will skin you, bone you, and send your soul to the depths of the underworld, where you will suffer eternal torment!" Wukong said, "I swear I will not mention Your Venerable even in the slightest. Just say that I learned it myself."
P13