The form of forms was first formless;
The void of void, too, was not void.
Hush, noise, speech, and silence the same we deem:
Why speak of dream within a dream?1
The useful is in use useless;
No power empowers power,
Like ripened fruits that redden on their own.
Ask not how they are trimm'd and grown!
We were telling you about the disciple of the Tang Monk, who used his magic power to stop those priests from the Gold-Spreading Monastery. After the dark wind subsided, the priests, no longer able to see the master pilgrim and his disciples, thought that they had witnessed the descent of living buddhas. They therefore kowtowed and returned to their own monastery, and we shall speak no more of them.
Master and disciples proceeded toward the West, and once more it was the time oflate spring and early summer.
The weather is pleasant and bright
With pond-lotus coming in sight.
Plums ripen after the rains;
Wheat in the wind its height attains.
With theiryoung river swallows fly;
To feed their o.ffspring pheasants cry.
The Dipper's south, the day's at its longest;
Fair and gay all things seem strongest.
Countless times they rested at night and dined at dawn, fording the streams and climbing the slopes. On a peaceful road they journeyed for half a month, and then they saw again a city ahead of them.
"Disciples," asked Tripi taka, "what sort of place is this again?"
"I don't know! I don't know!" replied Pilgrim.
"You have taken this road before," said Eight Rules, giggling. "How could you say you don't know? There must be something uncanny about this place. You're deliberately pretending to be ignorant just to play a trick on us."
"This Idiot is completely unreasonable!" said Pilgrim. "Though I have traveled several times on this road, I did it in the air. I mounted the clouds to go back and forth. Since when did I ever make a stop on the ground? There was no reason for me to investigate what was of no concern to me. That's why I am ignorant. There's nothing uncanny here. Who wants to play a trick on you?"
As they talked, they came up to the edge of the city. Tripitaka dismounted to walk over the drawbridge and enter the gate. In a corridor by a long street, two old men were seated and conversing. "Disciples:' said Tripitaka, "stand out in the middle of the road. Lower your heads and behave yourselves. Let me go up to the corridor to ask what place this is:' Pilgrim and the rest indeed obeyed him and stood still.
The elder drew near, pressed his palms together, and called out, "Old patrons, this humble cleric salutes you."
Those two old men were just having a leisurely discussion-about the rise and fall, the gains and losses of past dynasties, about who were the sages and worthies, and about the great, lamentable fact that what had once been a heroic enterprise was now reduced to nothing-when they suddenly heard this salutation. They at once returned the greeting and said, "What does the elder wish to say?"
"This humble cleric came from afar to worship Buddha:' said Tripitaka. "Having just reached your treasure region, I do not know its name. I would like to know also where I might find a family inclined to charity, so that I might beg a meal there."
One of the old men said, "This is the Bronze Estrade Prefecture, behind which is the Numinous Earth District. If the elder wishes to have vegetarian meal, there is no need for you to beg. Go past this archway, and on the street running north and south, you'll come to a towered-gate facing east guarded by figures of sitting tigers. This is the home of Squire Kou; before his door there's also a plaque with the inscription, Ten Thousand Monks Will Not Be Barred. A distant traveler like you can enjoy all you want. Go! Go! Go! And don't interrupt our conversation!"
Having thanked them, Tripitaka turned and said to Pilgrim, "This is the Numinous Earth District of the Bronze Estrade Prefecture. The two old men told me that beyond the archway on the street running north and south, there is a tiger-guarded towered gate facing east. That's the home of Squire Kou, where before the door there is a plaque bearing the inscription, Ten Thousand Monks Will Not Be Barred. They told us to go to that household to have a meal."
"The region of the West:' said Sha Monk, "is the land of Buddha, so there
must be people who wish to feed the monks. If this is only a district or a prefecture, there's no need for us to have our rescript certified. Let's go beg some food, and we can leave after the meal:'
As the elder walked slowly through the long street with his three followers, they aroused again such alarm and suspicion of those people in the markets that they all crowded around the pilgrims to stare at their features. Telling his disciples to remain silent, the elder kept saying, "Behave yourselves! Behave yourselves!" The three of them indeed lowered their heads and dared not look up. After they turned a comer, they came upon a broad street running north and south.
As they walked along, they saw a tiger-guarded towered-gate, on the other side of which there was hung on the wall a huge plaque with the inscription, Ten Thousand Monks Will Not Be Barred. "In this Buddha land
of the West:' said Tripitaka, "there's no deception in either the foolish or
the wise. I was not prepared to believe what the two aged men told me, but what I see here confirms their story:'
Always rude and impulsive, Eight Rules wanted to go in at once. Pilgrim said, "Idiot, let's stop a moment. Wait till someone comes out. When we have obtained permission, then you may enter."
"What Big Brother says is quite right;' said Sha Monk. "If we do not observe proper etiquette, we may offend the patron." They rested the horse and the luggage before the gate. In a little while, an old retainer appeared, carrying in his hands a scale and a basket. When he suddenly caught sight of the four, he was so startled that he abandoned his possessions and ran inside to report, "My lord, there are four strange-looking priests outside!"
The squire, leaning on his staff, was just taking a leisurely stroll in the courtyard, chanting repeatedly the name of Buddha. The moment he heard this report, he threw away his staff and hurried out to receive his visitors. When he saw the four pilgrims, he was not intimidated by their ugliness. All he said was, "Please come in! Please come in!"
With modesty Tripitaka entered with his disciples. After going through a little alley, the squire led them to a building and said, "This building houses the Buddha hall, the sūtra hall, and the dining hall, which will entertain the Venerable Fathers. The building to the left is where this disciple and his family live:' Tripi taka was full of compliments as he put on his cassock to worship Buddha. They ascended the hall to look around, and they saw
Fragrant clouds of incense,
And bright flames of candles;
A hall filled with bundles of silk and flowers,
Four corners festooned with gilt and colors.
On a vermilion prop
A bell of purple gold hangs high;
On colored lacquered frames
A pair of patterned drums are mounted.
A few pairs ofbanners
All embroidered with the eight jewels;
A thousand Buddhas
All gilded in gold.
An old bronze censer,
And an old bronze vase;
A carved lacquered table,
And a carved lacquered box.
From the old bronze censer
Arise unending curls of smoky fragrance;
Within the old bronze vase
Now and then the lotus displays its colors.
Five-colored clouds2 fresh on the carved lacquered table;
Mounds of scented petals in the carved lacquered box.
In a crystal chalice,
The holy water's clear and clean;
In a lamp of glass,
The fragrant oil bums brightly.
The gold stone-chime's one note
Lingers and resonates.
Truly unsoiled by red dust in this predous tower,
A household Buddha-hall nobler than a temple.
Having purified his hands, the elder took up incense to kowtow and worship. Then he turned to go through the proper ceremony of greeting the squire, who said, however, "Just a moment! We shall do that in the sutra room." There they saw
Square and erect cases-
Jade and gold boxes-
In square and erect cases
Countless volumes of sutra pile up;
In jade and gold boxes
Many notes and letters are collected.
On the colored lacquered table
Are paper, ink, brush, and inkstone-
All exquisite items of the study.
Before the pepper-dusted screens
Are books, paintings, a psaltery, and chess-
All marvelous objects of real pleasure.
A divine stone-chime ofjade o'erlaid with gold is placed there;
A grapevine mat that shields the moon and wind is hung there.
The pure air makes one don a cheerful air;
A chaste mind sets free the mind of Dao.
Having reached the place, the elder was about to go through the ceremony when he was stopped again by the squire, saying, "Please take off your Buddha robe." Tripitaka doffed his cassock, and only then was he allowed to give his host the proper greeting. Then the squire also exchanged greetings with Pilgrim and his two brothers. He asked his servants to feed the horse and to place the luggage in the corridor. Only then did he inquire about the pilgrims' origin.
Tripitaka said, "Your humble cleric has been sent by royal decree of the Great Tang in the Land of the East to visit the Spirit Mountain of your treasure region in order to seek true scriptures from the Buddhist Patriarch. I heard that your honored household reveres the monks, and that's why I came bowing. I would like to beg for a meal, and then we shall leave." His face beaming with pleasure, the squire smiled broadly and said, "Your disciple's surname is Kou. My given name is Hong (Great), and my style is Dakuan (Liberality). I'm sixty-four years old. At the age of forty, I made a vow which would not be fulfilled until I had fed ten thousand monks. This has been going on for twenty-four years. I have kept a record of all those I have fed. Recently in my leisure hours, I went through the names of the monks and discovered that I have fed nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-six persons. Only four more remain before I reach the number of perfection. It is indeed my good fortune that Heaven has sent me today you four old masters to complete this number. Please leave me your honored titles, and you must stay here for a month also. Please wait until we have performed the ceremony of the completion of a vow. Your disciple will then escort you all to the mountain with horses and carriages. Our region is only some eight hundred miles from the Spirit Mountain. It's not very far." Exceedingly pleased by what he heard, Tripi taka agreed to what he proposed, and we shall leave them for the moment.
Several houseboys, old and young, went into the squire's residence to haul firewood and bail water. They also took out rice, noodles, and vegetables in order to prepare the dietary meal. All these activities led the aged wife of the squire to ask, "Where do these monks come from, that they have to receive such special treatment?"
"When our master asked these four noble priests about their origin," replied the houseboys, "one of them said that they were sent by the Great Tang emperor to worship our Holy Father Buddha in the Spirit Mountain. Who knows how great a distance they have covered to reach our place, but our master said that they came from Heaven. He told us to prepare a vegetarian meal quickly to entertain them."
Delighted also by what she heard, the old woman said to her maid, "Get me some clothes. I want to go meet them also:'
"Madam:' said one of the houseboys, "you want to meet only one of them, not the other three. Their features are extremely ugly!"
"You people are just ignorant;' said the old woman. "When the features are ugly, strange, or extraordinary, they must belong to celestial beings descending to the Region Below. Run along now and announce my presence to your master:'
The houseboys dashed out to the sutra hall to say to the squire, "Madam is here. She wishes to meet the venerable fathers of the Land of the East." On hearing this, Tripitaka rose from his seat as the old woman arrived at the hall. She raised her eyes and scrutinized the dignified and handsome features of the Tang Monk. Then she turned to look at Pilgrim and his two companions, whose appearances were extraordinary indeed! Though she thought that they were celestial beings descended to Earth, she did feel a little nervous as she went to her knees to bow to them.
Hurriedly returning her salutation, Tripitaka said, "The Lady Bodhisattva has erroneously paid us great homage:'
The old woman asked the squire, "Why aren't these four masters sitting together?" Sticking out his snout, Eight Rules said, "We three are only disciples!" Eeeee! That one declaration ofhis seemed like a tiger's roar deep in the mountain! The old woman became more frightened than ever.
As they spoke, another houseboy came to say, "The two uncles have arrived." 1\uning quickly to look, Tripitaka found two young scholars3 who walked up the sutra hall and bent low toward the elder. Tripi taka hastily returned their greetings, while the squire tugged at him and said, "These are my two sons, named Kou Liang (Beam) and Kou Dong (Pillar). They have just returned from school and haven't had their lunch yet. Learning of the master's arrival, they have come to bow to you:' Delighted, Tripitaka said, "Excellent! Excellent! Truly
To exalt your house doing good's the rule.
To have 900d sons you must send them to school."
"Where did this Venerable Father come from?" the two young men asked their father.
"From a great distance," replied the squire, laughing. "He is someone sent by the Great Tang emperor in the Land of the East, at the South Jambudvipa Continent, to go see the Holy Father Buddha at Spirit Mountain and acquire scriptures:'
One scholar said, "I read in A Guide through the Forest of Ajfairs4 that the
world is divided into four continents. Our region here belongs to the West Aparagodaniya Continent, and there is also an East PUrvavideha Continent. I wonder how many years it took him to travel from South Jambūdvipa to this place?''
With a smile, Tripitaka said, "This humble cleric on his journey has spent more days in being delayed than in traveling. Frequently I fell to poisonous demons and savage fiends, to thousands of bitter ordeals. I am fortunate to have the protection of my three disciples. Altogether I have experienced fourteen summers and winters before arriving at your treasure region."
When they heard this, the two scholars paid him effusive compliments, saying, "Truly a divine monk! Truly a divine monk!" Hardly had they finished speaking when a young boy came to say, "The maigre has been spread out. We invite the Venerable Fathers to partake." The squire asked his wife to return to their residence with his sons. He himself accompanied the four pilgrims to the dining hall for the meal.
The appointments in the hall were arranged in a most orderly manner, with gilded lacquered tabletops and black-lacquered armchairs. The front row of food consisted of a crouque-en-bouche of five colors, created in the latest fashion by the most skillful and artistic hands. In the second row there were five platters of little dishes, while the third row had five plates of fruits. The fourth row had five big platters of snacks, every item delicious and fragrant. The vegetarian soups, the rice, the steamed dumplings and buns were all steaming hot and most appetizing. Seven or eight houseboys dashed back and forth to serve them, and four or five chefs never stopped working. Look at them! Some brought in soup while others added rice; coming and going, they were like meteors chasing the moon. Our Zhu Eight Rules swallowed a bowlful with one gulp, and he went after the food like wind sweeping away the clouds. Master and disciples thus enjoyed a full meal.
The elder rose and, having thanked the squire for the maigre, was about to leave immediately. Stopping him, the squire said, "Old teacher, please relax and stay for a few days. As the proverb says, 'Beginning is easy but the end is hard: Please wait till I have performed the rite of completion. Only then would I dare escort you on your way." When Tripi taka saw how sincere and earnest he was, he had no choice but to remain.
Not until six or seven days had gone by did the squire invite some twenty-four local Buddhist priests to conduct a service of the completion of a vow. The priests spent three or four days to compose the service, and, having selected an auspicious date, they began the sacrifice. Their manner, of course, was no different from that of the Great Tang. They, too,
Unfurled the huge banners
And set up the gilded images;
Lifted high the tall candles
And burned incense to worship.
They rolled drums and tapped cymbals;
They blew on reeds and kneaded pipes.
The little 90ngs
And the flute's pure tones
All followed the gongche notations.5
They struck up the music
And played for a while
Before beginning to chant the sutras aloud.
First they pacified the local spirits;
Next they called on divine warriors.
They burned and sent off the documents,
And they bowed to Buddha's images.
They recited the Peacock Sutra,
Each sentence woe-dispelling;
They lighted the Bhaiṣajya Lamp,
Its flame both bright and blazing.
They did the Water Penitential
To dissolve guilt and enmity;
They proclaimed the Garland Sutra
To remove slander and strife.
Triyana's wondrous law had the finest aim;
One or two Srama1.1a were all the same.
For three days and nights it went on like that, and at last the service was over. Thinking of Thunderclap, the Tang Monk wanted to leave. As he tried to thank his host, the squire said, "The old teacher is so eager to leave! It must be that my preoccupation with the service these last few days has caused me to slight you in some manner, and you are offended."
"I have greatly disturbed your noble residence:' replied Tripi taka, "and I do not know how I can repay you. Dare I even speak of offense? It's just that when my sage ruler escorted me out of the imperial pass, he asked me when I would return. By mistake I replied that I should be back in three years. Little did I expect that I would be on the road for fourteen years! And I still don't know whether I'd be able to acquire the scriptures! By the time I have taken them back, it will probably be another twelve or thirteen years. Would I not have violated the sage decree? What unbearable crime would that be? I beg the old squire to let this humble cleric proceed. Wait till I have acquired the scriptures; then I'll come back to stay a little longer at your mansion. That should be permissible."
Unable to contain himself, Eight Rules shouted, "Master, you're too insensitive to human wishes! You've no regard for human sentiments! The old squire must be a very rich man if he has been able to make such a vow to feed priests. Now that it is completed, and now that he is urging us so earnestly to stay, there's no harm in our remaining a year or so. Why must you insist on leaving? Why should we abandon such ready-made provisions and resume begging from someone else? What old father or mother's family do you have ahead of you?"
"You coolie!" snapped the elder. 'i\11 you know is eating! You never have a thought for returning to your origin. Truly you're a beast who cares only for
Eating in the trough
To ease your belly's itch!
Since you crave so much to indulge in this deluded passion, I'll leave tomorrow by myself"
When Pilgrim saw that even the color of his master's face had changed, he grabbed Eight Rules and pounded him with his fists. "This Idiot," he cried, "without knowing any better, has caused Master to blame even us!"
"That's a good beating! That's a good beating!" said Sha Monk, chuckling. "Even when he's silent, as he is now, he annoys people! Wait till he butts in again with his mouth!" In a huff, our Idiot stood to one side and dared not utter another word. When the squire saw that master and disciples had become agitated, he tried to placate them with a broad smile, saying, "Please calm yourself, old teacher, and bear with us for one more day. Tomorrow I shall prepare some banners and drums and invite a few relatives and neigh-
bors to see you off:'
As they conversed, the old woman appeared and said, "Old Master, if you have come to our house, there is no need for you to rush off so eagerly. How many days have you been staying, anyway?"
''Already half a month," replied Tripitaka.
"Let that half-month be counted as the meritorious service of the squire;' said the old woman. "I too have accumulated a little cash from sewing, and I have hopes also of feeding the old master for half a month:'
She had barely finished speaking when Kou Dong and his brother also came out and said, "Please hear us, you four Venerable Masters. Our father fed the monks for over twenty years, but he had never come upon a good person. Now he is lucky enough to reach the number of perfection only because of your arrival, which has, as it were, brought radiance to a thatched hut. Your students are too young to know much about karma, but we do know the proverb:
What pa sows pa reaps;
What ma sows ma reaps;
One who sows not, reaps not.
The reason our father and mother wish to extend their hospitality is just so that they may each attain certain karmic reward. Why must you refuse them so bitterly? Even we foolish brothers have saved up a small sum from our school allowances, with which we, too, would like to entertain the Venerable Masters for half a month before we see you off'
''Already I dare not accept the great kindness of your mother, the old Bodhisattva," said Tripitaka. "How could I presume upon the affection of you worthy brothers? I truly dare not. I must leave this day, and I implore all of you to pardon me. If I remained, I would have exceeded the imperial limit, and my crime would be even greater than one punishable by execution:'
When the old woman and her two sons saw that he was adamant, they grew angry and said, "Out of good intentions we wanted him to stay, but he's bent on leaving. All right! He wants to go, let him go! No need to chatter any more!" Mother and sons thereupon got up and went inside.
Unable to restrain himself, Eight Rules spoke again to the Tang Monk, "Master, don't overdo your playacting! As the proverb says,
To stay's appropriate.
Loitering irritates!
Let us stay here for one more month, just to satisfy the wishes of mother and sons. What's the hurry?"
"Oh?" snapped the Tang Monk, and immediately our Idiot gave his own mouth a couple of slaps, saying, "Shhhhh! Shhhhh! Don't talk! You're making noises again!" On one side Pilgrim and Sha Monk began to giggle uncontrollably.
"What are you laughing at?" said the Tang Monk to Pilgrim, sorely annoyed. Making the magic sign with his fingers, he was about to recite the Tight-Fillet Spell. So horrified was Pilgrim that he at once went to his knees to say, "Master, I wasn't laughing! I wasn't laughing! Don't recite that spell, Ibegyou!"
When the squire saw that master and disciples were becoming more and more rancorous, he dared not insist on their staying any longer. All he said was, "The Venerable Masters need not quarrel. I promise you that I shall escort you on your way tomorrow." He went out of the sūtra hall and told his secretary to send over a hundred invitations to his relatives and neighbors to join him in sending off in the morning the old master from the Tang court in his westward journey. In the meantime, he ordered the chefs to prepare a farewell banquet, and his steward to have twenty pairs of colored banners made up and to find a band of musicians and drummers. A group of monks from the South Advent Monastery and a group of Daoists from the East Summit Abbey were to be ready to join the party by the hour of the Serpent in the morning. His domestic staff obeyed and left. In a little while, it was nightfall. After the evening meal, they all retired. You see
A few crows to the village homeward fly.
Drums and bells toll .from distant towers high.
Human traffic ceases in the street and mart;
From all households lights and .fires now depart.
In moonlight and wind blossoms show their shade;
The stars the obscure silver stream pervade.
The night has deepened for the nightjars weep;
The heavens grow silent when the earth's asleep.
At the time it was no more than the hour between the third and fourth watch when those houseboys in charge of various affairs all rose early in order to complete their tasks. Look at them!
Those preparing the banquet
Rushed about in the kitchen;
Those making the colored banners
Clamored before the hall;
Those beckoning monks and priests
Sprinted on their two legs;
Those calling for musicians
Hurled themselves forward;
Those sending out invitations
Darted east and west;
Those readying horse and carriage
Shouted back and forth.
From the hour of midnight, the tumult lasted till dawn. By about the hour of the Serpent, every business was concluded -with money, of course!
We tell you now about the Tang Monk and his disciples, who also rose early, attended by all those people. The elder at once gave the instruction to pack and to hitch up the horse. When our Idiot heard that they were truly about to leave, he pouted his fat lips some more and grumbled incessantly, but he had no choice other than to pack up the cassock and alms bowl and pick up the pole and its load. Having brushed and scrubbed down the horse, Sha Monk saddled it and waited. Pilgrim handed the nine-ringed priestly staff to his master and hung the satchel containing his travel rescript on his own chest. They were about to walk out together when the squire came to invite them to a large sitting room in the rear, where a huge banquet was spread out. The hospitality they encountered here was quite different from what they received in the dining hall in front. They saw
Curtains loftily hung
And screens on all four sides.
Hung in the center
Was a painting with the aged mountain and blessed sea motif;
Displayed on two walls
Were the scenes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
From dragon-veined tripods rose incense smoke;
Auspicious air grew in crow-tortoise urns.
The display-plates' many colors
Showed vivid bejeweled floral patterns;
The side tables' mounds of gold
Held orderly rows of !ion-god candies.
Drums and dances followed the graceful notes;
Brocade !ike food and fruits were placed in the hall.
Such refined vegetarian soup and rice!
Such attractive fragrant tea and wine!
Though this was a home of a commoner,
It was not different from a noble's house.
You could hear only a joyous hubbub
That truly disturbed Heaven and Earth.
The elder was just greeting the squire when a houseboy appeared and said, "The guests have all arrived:' These were all neighbors left and right, the wife's brothers, the cousins, and the sisters' husbands. There were also squires who had jointly pledged to keep a diet, and Buddhist believers. After all of them bowed ceremoniously to the elder, they took their proper seats as pipes and strings played below the steps and the feasting went on inside the hall.
This sumptuous spread had the undivided attention of Eight Rules, who said to Sha Monk, "Brother, let yourself go and eat! When we leave the Kou home, there'll be no more rich fare like this!"
"What are you saying, Second Elder Brother!" said Sha Monk, chuckling. "As the proverb puts the matter
The hundred flavors of rare dainties
Are no more once you've eaten your fill.
You may accumulate private savings
But not in your stomach private hoardings!"
"You're much too feeble! Too feeble!" replied Eight Rules. "When I have eaten to the limits in one meal, I won't be hungry again even after three days!"
Hearing him, Pilgrim said, "Idiot, don't puncture your belly! We have to be on the road!"
Hardly had they finished speaking when it was almost noon. The elder, in his seat of honor, lifted his chopsticks to recite the Sūtra for the End of Maigre. So alarmed was Eight Rules that he took up the rice, downed one bowl with a gulp, and put away five or six more bowls. Next he picked up those buns, rolls, cakes, and baked goods and stuffed both his sleeves full of them, regardless of whether they were good or bad. Only then did he leave the table, following his master. Having thanked the squire and the other guests, the elder walked out of the door, encountering many colorful banners and treasure canopies, drummers and musicians, on the other side. The two bands of Daoist priests and Buddhist monks were just arriving.
With a smile the squire said to them, 'M of you are late, and the old master is eager to leave. There is no time for me to present you with the maigre. Allow me to thank you when we come back." Those pulling the carriages, riding horses, or walking all stepped aside for the four pilgrims to proceed. As they went forward, loud strains of music and the roll of drums drifted skyward while banners and flags blotted out the sun. The whole place was clogged by people, chariots, and horses, as everyone came to see Squire Kou sending off the Tang Monk. The wealth and riches so displayed
Surpassed the enclosures of pearl and jade,
And rivaled those silken drapes oflove.
Those monks played a Buddhist tune, after which the priests struck up a Taoist melody, as they all escorted the pilgrims out of the prefectural city. When they reached the tenth-mile wayside station, food and drink were served, and they toasted each other once more as they bade farewell. The squire, however, still could not bear to part with his guests.
Blinking back his tears, he said, "When the Venerable Master returns after acquiring the scriptures, he must come to our house to stay for a few days. That'll be the fulfillment of Kou Hong's wish."
Deeply moved, Tripi taka thanked him repeatedly, saying, "If I reach the Spirit Mountain and get to see the Buddhist Patriarch, your great virtue will be the first to be told. On my return, I shall surely stop at your door to express my thanks!" Speaking in this manner, they went on for two or three more miles. The elder earnestly bowed to take leave of his host, and the squire had to turn back, wailing loudly. Truly
Vowing to feed monks, he'd return to wondrous knowledge;
But with no affinity he could not see Tathāgata.
We shall speak no more of Squire Kou, who escorted the pilgrims to the tenth-mile wayside station and then returned with his other companions to his house. We tell you instead about the master and his three disciples, who journeyed for some forty or fifty miles, when the sky darkened. "It's getting late;' said the elder. "Where shall we ask for lodging?"
Toting the luggage, Eight Rules pouted and said, "There's ready-made rice, but you won't eat it! There's a house built with cool tiles but you won't live in it! All you want is to hurry on some journey, like a lost soul going to a funeral! Now it's getting late. If it rains, what are we going to do then?"
"You brazen cursed beast!" scolded the Tang Monk "You're complaining again! As the proverb says,
Chang' an may be fine,
But it's no place to linger in.
Wait till we reach the affinity of seeing the Buddhist Patriarch and acquire the true scriptures. When we return to the Great Tang and report to our lord, we will let you eat the rice from the imperial kitchen for several years. I hope, you cursed beast, you'll become so bloated that you'll die and become an overstuffed ghost!" Our Idiot giggled silently and dared not utter another word.
Pilgrim peered into the distance and discovered several buildings by the main road. He said quickly to his master, "Let's rest over there! Let's rest over there!" The elder drew near and saw that it was a shrine which had collapsed. On top of the shrine was an old plaque, on which there was an inscription written in four dust-covered, faded words: Bright Light Travel Court.
Dismounting, the elder said, "The Bodhisattva Bright Light was the disciple of the Buddha of Flames and Five Lights. Because of his expedition against the Demon King of Poisonous Fire, he was demoted and changed into the Spirit Officer of Five Manifestations. They must have a shrine keeper here:' They all went inside, but they discovered that both rooms and corridors had toppled and there was no sign of any human person. They would have turned and gone back out were it not for the fact that dark clouds suddenly had gathered above and a torrential rain descended. They had little choice but to find whatever shelter they could in that dilapidated building and remain there in stealthy silence, fearing that they might otherwise disturb some monstrous deviates. Either sitting or standing, they endured a sleepless night. Ah! Truly
Prosperity's end breeds negativity;
In pleasure you'd meet, too, calamity.
We do not know what was their condition when they proceeded in the morning; let's listen to the explanation in the next chapter.