Journey to the West -(Illustrated Edition)

Author: Wu Cheng'en
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The Root Returns, Nurturing the Source; Cultivating Mind and Nature, The Great Way Gives Birth to Poetry.
Poem:
In the chaos before heaven and earth were separated,
Mysterious and boundless, no one could see.
Since Pan Gu broke the primordial chaos,
He opened it up, distinguishing clear from turbid.
All living beings looked up to his benevolence,
And all things were created good.
To know the origin of creation,
You must read Journey to the West.
It is said that the cosmic cycle of heaven is 129,600 years long, making up one yuan (cycle). This yuan is divided into twelve hui (periods), corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. Each hui lasts 18,000 years. Taking a day as an example:
- At the Zi hour, yang Qi arises;
- At the Chou hour, the rooster crows;
- At the Yin hour, no light penetrates;
- At the Mao hour, the sun rises;
- At the Chen hour, after meals;
- At the Si hour, things are arranged;
- At the Wu hour, at the height of noon;
- At the Wei hour, the sun sets toward the west;
- At the Shen hour, dusk falls;
- At the You hour, people settle down;
- At the Xu hour, night begins.
Like the great cycle, when the You hui ends, heaven and earth grow dim, and all things decline. Five thousand four hundred years later, the Xu hui begins, and darkness covers all, with no living beings left—hence, chaos. Another five thousand four hundred years later, as the Xu hui ends and the Zi hui begins, the first signs of light emerge. Shao Kang said:
"At the mid-Zi of the winter solstice, the heart of heaven remains unchanged.
When the first yang Qi moves, all things have not yet been born."
At this point, heaven gains its root.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, during the Zi hui, light ascends, and there are sun, moon, stars, and constellations. The sun, moon, stars, and constellations are called the Four Symbols, so it is said that heaven opens in Zi.
After another five thousand four hundred years, as the Zi hui ends and the Chou hui begins, things gradually solidify. The Book of Changes says:
"Great is the primal yang of Heaven!
Great is the primal yin of Earth!
All things are nourished,
And follow the way of Heaven."
At this point, the earth begins to condense.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, during the Chou hui, heavy turbidity descends, and there are water, fire, mountains, stones, and earth. Water, fire, mountains, stones, and earth are called the Five Forms, so it is said that the earth opens in Chou.
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,
The qi of earth rises;
Heaven and earth unite,
And all creatures are born."
At this point, heaven is clear, the earth is fresh, and yin and yang combine.
Another five thousand four hundred years later, during the Yin hui, humans, beasts, and birds are born. It is called the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity being established, so it is said that humans are born in Yin.
Inspired by Pan Gu’s creation and the governance of the Three Emperors and Five Kings, the world is divided into four great continents:
- East Continent of Supreme Treasure;
- West Continent of Happy Abundance;
- South Continent of Feeding;
- North Continent of Joyful Abode.
This book focuses on the East Continent of Supreme Treasure. Offshore lies the Kingdom of Aolai. Near the sea stands a mountain called Flower-Fruit Mountain. This mountain is the root of the Ten Continents and the source of the Three Islands. It was formed after the separation of chaos and the division of clear and turbid.
How splendid this mountain is! A poem testifies to it:
"Its might controls the vast ocean,
And its prestige calms the jade sea.
Its might controls the vast ocean,
Where tides surge like silver mountains,
And fish dive into holes.
Its prestige calms the jade sea,
Where waves churn like snow,
And sea dragons leave their depths.
High in the corners of water and fire,
The eastern sea rises with towering peaks.
Red cliffs and strange rocks,
Steep cliffs and rare peaks.
On red cliffs, pairs of phoenixes sing;
Before steep cliffs, a qilin lies alone.
At the peaks, one hears the calls of golden pheasants;
In caves, one sees dragons enter and exit.
In the forest, there are immortal deer and foxes;
On the trees, there are divine birds and black-crowned cranes.
Jade grass and strange flowers never wither;
Green pines and emerald cypresses last forever.
Immortal peaches bear fruit often;
Exquisite bamboos hang in clouds.
A gully is dense with vines;
On all sides, grass is fresh.
"At the meeting of a hundred rivers,
A pillar supports the sky.
Through countless trials,
It remains the root of the earth."
At the very top of the mountain stands a piece of immortal stone. It is three zhang six chi five cun tall, with a circumference of two zhang four chi. Three zhang six chi five cun tall corresponds to the 365 degrees of the celestial sphere; two zhang four chi in circumference corresponds to the 24 solar terms. It has nine apertures and eight holes, arranged according to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. No trees shade it on all sides, but orchids and bamboo flank it. Since its creation, it has absorbed the true essence of heaven and earth, the brilliance of the sun and moon, and over time, it gained spiritual awareness.
Inside, it nurtured an immortal embryo, which one day cracked open, giving birth to a stone egg, round like a ball. When the wind blew, it transformed into a stone monkey, complete with five senses and four limbs. It began to crawl and walk, bowing to the four directions. Two golden rays of light shot up to the heavens, startling the High Heavens’ Holy One, the Great Compassionate Jade Emperor, Lord of the Universe. Seated in the Golden Gate Palace, the Hall of Spiritual Treasure, he gathered the immortal officials and saw the blazing golden light. He ordered the (Thousand-Mile Eye) and (Wind-Riding Ear) to open the Southern Heaven Gate to observe.
The two generals immediately left, reporting:
"We have been ordered to observe the golden light.
It is in the East Continent of Supreme Treasure, at the border of the Aolai Kingdom, on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
There, an immortal stone gave birth to an egg, which transformed into a stone monkey.
It is bowing to the four directions, its eyes shooting golden light toward the heavens.
Now, it drinks water and eats 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.
There is nothing unusual about them."
The monkey in the mountain could walk, leap, eat grass, drink spring water, pick flowers, and gather fruits. It lived with wolves and insects, roamed with tigers and leopards, and made friends with deer and macaques. At night, it slept under cliffs; during the day, it played in caves. Truly, in the mountains, there is no concept of time; winter ends without notice. One day, the weather grew hot, and the monkeys sought shade under the pines.
Look at them:
Jumping on trees and branches,
Picking flowers and fruits;
Throwing pebbles, playing di;
Running in the sand, building towers;
Chasing dragonflies, catching bees;
Praying to heaven, bowing to Buddha;
Pulling vines, weaving grass;
Picking lice, biting and scratching;
Combing fur, picking nails;
Pushing, shoving, rubbing, pressing;
Tugging, pulling.
In the green pines, they frolic freely;
By the clear streams, they bathe.