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40 The True Scriptures

Seeing the Tang Monk borne away westward in Buddhahood, the emperor and all his officers knelt where they stood and bowed toward the empty sky. On the blessed clouds the eight vajra guardians brought them swiftly to the Spirit Mountain, where they came before the throne of the Buddha and gave back his command. When they had worshipped, Tathagata said in a great voice, "Tang Xuanzang, you were once my second disciple, the Golden Cicada, cast down to be born again because you would not hear the Law and made light of my teaching. Now your merit is complete, and I appoint you the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit." The Tang Monk bowed his head in thanks. To Wukong he said, "Because you wrought havoc in the heavenly palace, I was constrained to pin you beneath the Five Elements Mountain; but your term of suffering is ended. You have punished the wicked and upheld the good, from first to last, and I appoint you the Buddha Victorious in Strife." Wukong folded his hands and said, "Old Sun asks neither fame nor gain, only that the golden circlet be taken from my head, so that I may be unbound at last!" The Buddha smiled, "Being a Buddha now, the band has fallen away of itself." Wukong raised his hand and felt his head, and the circlet was indeed gone. He leapt for joy and gave thanks again and again. Then the Buddha said to Bajie, "Zhu Wuneng, though you entered my order, your heart still clings to coarse appetites; yet you have won the true fruit, and I appoint you the Altar-Cleansing Envoy." Bajie was put out, and grumbled, "Master and brother are both made Buddhas; why am I given only the rank of envoy?" The Buddha said gently, "You are hearty of mouth and wide of belly, and there are many under heaven who revere my teaching; at every offering made to the faith you shall have your share. It is a rank of good things." Bajie bowed and gave thanks. Afterwards the Buddha made Sandy the Golden-Bodied Arhat, and the white dragon horse the Heavenly Dragon Horse of the Eight Divisions, and bade the guardians of the five quarters lead the horse away to take again his true form. The guardians brought him to the Dragon-Transforming Pool behind the cliffs of the Spirit Mountain. He leapt into it, and in an instant shed his coat of hair and put on scales of gold and whiskers of silver; then he rose upon the blessed cloud and coiled about the great sky-propping pillar before the Hall of the Great Hero. Then bells and chimes rang out together and phoenixes sang in harmony; all the gods and Buddhas of the heavens gathered on the Spirit Mountain, master and disciples took each his appointed place, and the Buddha sat upon his lotus and preached the Law. Here the journey to the west and the deliverance from affliction are brought to their close. (The End of the "Journey to the West" picture-book series.) Bold and wonderfully alive, these pictures are dearly loved by all who care for fine drawing, and by collectors of the picture-book art.

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