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09 Old Gao's Village

The Tang Monk's grounding in the Buddha's teaching was deep, and one recital was enough to fix the sutra in his memory. He handed it down to later ages, and it became "the scripture that sums up all the cultivation of the truth, and the gate of entry to Buddhahood." The sutra given, the Chan Master trod the cloudy light to climb back to his nest — but Tripitaka caught hold of him and begged to know how the road westward lay. The Chan Master laughed and gave him directions. "There is no need to ask him," said Wukong with a cold laugh. "Ask me." The Tang Monk did not understand him. The Crow-Nest Chan Master smiled, turned into a shaft of golden light, and went straight up to his nest. The Tang Monk was still bowing his thanks upward when Wukong flew into a rage and began to beat at the nest with his rod. But the nest was ringed about with ten thousand lotus blossoms and a thousand folds of auspicious mist; though Wukong had the strength to overturn rivers and churn the sea, he could do nothing against it. "Why are you beating at the Bodhisattva's nest?" asked the Tang Monk. "He insulted us both for no reason, calling me 'the old stone monkey of many years' and him 'the wild pig with the carrying-pole'." "Brother, calm yourself," said Bajie. "This Chan master knows the past and the future. Who can say whether his words about 'a water monster met with ahead' will come true. Let him be." Seeing the lotus blossoms and the auspicious mist drawing close about the nest, and knowing he could not prevail against them, Wukong gave up. Bajie helped his master onto the horse, took up the carrying-pole, and the three went down the mountain and westward along the road.

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