Monkey (4 page)

That is all that can be learnt, and all that can be taught.

I would have you mark the tortoise and snake, locked in tight

embrace.

hocked in tight embrace, the vital powers are strong;

Even in the midst of fierce flames the Golden Lotus may be planted,

The Five Elements compounded and transposed, and put to new use.

When that is done, be which you please, Buddha or Immortal.

By these words Monkey’s whole nature was shaken to the foundations. He carefully committed them to memory; then humbly thanked the Patriarch, and went out again by the back door.

A pale light was just coming into the eastern sky. He retraced his steps, softly opened the front door and returned to his sleeping place, purposely making a rustling noise with his bed-clothes. ‘Get up!’ he cried. “There is light in the sky.’ His fellow pupils were fast asleep, and had no idea that Monkey had received Illumination.

Time passed swiftly, and three years later the Patriarch again mounted his jewelled seat and preached to his assembled followers. His subject was the parables and scholastic problems of the Zen Sect, and his theme, the tegument of outer appearances. Suddenly he broke off and asked, ‘Where is the disciple A ware-of-Vacuity ?’

Monkey knelt down before him and answered ‘Here!’

‘What have you been studying all this time?’ asked the Patriarch.

‘Recently,’ said Monkey, ‘my spiritual nature has been very much in the ascendant, and my fundamental sources of power are gradually strengthening.’

‘In that case,’ said the Patriarch, ‘all you need learn is how to ward off the Three Calamities.’

‘There must be some mistake,’ said Monkey in dismay. ‘I understood that the secrets I have learnt would make me live forever and protect me from fire, water and every kind of disease. What is this about three calamities ?’

‘What you have learnt,’ said the Patriarch, ‘will preserve your youthful appearance and increase the length of your life; but after five hundred years Heaven will send down lightning which will finish you off, unless you have the sagacity to avoid it. After another five hundred years Heaven will send down a fire that will devour you. This fire is of a peculiar kind. It is neither common fire, nor celestial fire, but springs up from within and consumes the vitals, reducing the
whole frame to ashes, and making a vanity of all your thousand years of self-perfection. But even should you escape this, in another five hundred years, a wind will come and blow upon you. Not the east wind, the south wind, the west wind or the north wind; not flower wind or willow wind, pine wind or bamboo wind. It blows from below, enters the bowels, passes the midriff and issues at the Nine Apertures. It melts bone and flesh, so that the whole body dissolves. These three calamities you must be able to avoid.’

When Monkey heard this, his hair stood on end, and prostrating himself he said, ‘1 beseech you, have pity upon me, and teach me how to avoid these calamities. I shall never forget your kindness.’

“There would be no difficulty about that,’ said the Patriarch, ‘if it were not for your peculiarities.’

‘I have a round head sticking up to Heaven and square feet treading Earth,’ said Monkey. ‘I have nine apertures, four limbs, five upper and six lower internal organs, just like other people.’

‘You are like other men in most respects,’ said the Patriarch, ‘but you have much less jowl.’ For monkeys have hollow cheeks and pointed nozzles.

Monkey felt his face with his hand and laughed saying, ‘Master, I have my debits, but don’t forget my assets. I have my pouch, and that must be credited to my account, as something that ordinary humans haven’t got.’

‘True enough,’ said the Patriarch. ‘There are two methods of escape. Which would you like to learn? There is the trick of the Heavenly Ladle, which involves thirty-six kinds of transformation, and the trick of the Earthly Conclusion, which involves seventy-two kinds of transformation.’

‘Seventy-two sounds better value,’ said Monkey.

‘Come here then,’ said the Patriarch, ‘and I will teach you the formula.’ He then whispered a magic formula into Monkey’s ear. That Monkey King was uncommonly quick at taking things in. He at once began practising the fonnula, and after a little self-discipline he mastered all the seventy-two transformations, whole and complete. One day when master and disciples were in front of the cave, admiring the evening
view, the Patriarch said, ‘Monkey, how is that business going?’

“Thanks to your kindness,’ said Monkey, ‘I have been extremely successful. In addition to the transformations I can already fly.’

‘Let’s see you do it,’ said the Patriarch. Monkey put his feet together, leapt about sixty feet into the air, and riding the clouds for a few minutes dropped in front of the Patriarch. He did not get more than three leagues in the whole of his flight.

‘Master,’ he said,’ that surely is cloud-soaring ?’

‘I should be more inclined to call it cloud-crawling,’ said the Patriarch laughing. “The old saying runs, “An Immortal wanders in the morning to the Northern Sea and the same evening he is in Ts’ang-wu.” To take as long as you did to go a mere league or two hardly counts even as cloud-crawling.’

‘What is meant by that saying about the Northern Sea and Ts’ang-wu ?’ asked Monkey.

‘A real cloud-soarer,’ said the Patriarch, ‘can start early in the morning from the Northern Sea, cross the Eastern Sea, the Western Sea, and the Southern Sea, and land again at Ts’ang-wu. Ts’ang-wu means Ling-ling, in the Northern Sea. To do the round of all four seas in one day is true cloud-soaring.’

‘It sounds very difficult,’ said Monkey.

‘Nothing in the world is difficult,’ said the Patriarch, ‘it is only our own thoughts that make things seem so.’

‘Master,’ said Monkey, prostrating himself, ‘you may as well make a good job of me. While you’re about it, do me a real kindness and teach me the art of cloud-soaring. I shall never forget how much I owe to you.’

‘When the Immortals go cloud-soaring,’ said the Patriarch, ‘they sit cross-legged and rise straight from that position. You do nothing of the kind. I saw you just now put your feet together and jump. I must really take this, opportunity of teaching you how to do it properly. You shall learn the Cloud Trapeze.’ He then taught him the magic formula, saying, ‘Make the pass, recite the spell, clench your fists, and one leap will carry you head over heels a hundred and eight thousand leagues.’

When the other pupils heard this, they all tittered, saying,
‘Monkey is in luck. If he learns this trick, he will be able to carry dispatches, deliver letters, take round circulars – one way or another he will always be able to pick up a living!’

It was now late. Master and pupils all went to their quarters; but Monkey spent all night practising the Cloud Trapeze, and by the time day came he had completely mastered it, and could wander through space where he would.

One summer day when the disciples had for some time been studying their tasks under a pine-tree, one of them said, ‘Monkey, what can you have done in a former incarnation to merit that the Master should the other day have whispered in your ear the secret formula for avoiding the three calamities? Have you mastered all those transformations ?’

‘To tell you the truth,’ said Monkey, ‘although of course I am much indebted to the Master for his instruction, I have also been working very hard day and night on my own, and I can now do them all.’

‘Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity,’ said one of the pupils,’ to give us a little demonstration ?’

When Monkey heard this, he was all on his mettle to display his powers. ‘Give me my subject,’ he said. ‘What am I to change into?’

‘How about a pine-tree ?’ they said.

He made a magic pass, recited a spell, shook himself, and changed into a pine-tree.

The disciples clapped and burst into loud applause. ‘Bravo, Monkey, bravo,’ they cried. There was such a din that the Patriarch came running out with his staff trailing after him.

‘Who’s making all this noise ?’ he asked.

The disciples at once controlled themselves, smoothed down their dresses, and came meekly forward. Monkey changed himself back into his true form and slipped in among the crowd, saying, ‘Reverend Master, we are doing our lessons out here. I assure you there was no noise in particular.’

‘You were all bawling,’ said the Patriarch angrily. ‘It didn’t sound in the least like people studying. I want to know what you were doing here, shouting and laughing.’

‘To tell the truth,’ said someone,’ Monkey was showing us a transformation just for fun. We told him to change into a
pine-tree, and he did it so well that we were all applauding him. That was the noise you heard. I hope you will forgive us.’

‘Go away, all of you I’ the Patriarch shouted. ‘And you, Monkey, come here! What were you doing, playing with your spiritual powers, turning into – what was it ? A pine-tree ? Did you think I taught you in order that you might show off in front of other people ? If you saw someone else turn into a tree, wouldn’t you at once ask how it was done ? If others see you doing it, aren’t they certain to ask you ? If you are frightened to refuse, you will give the secret away; and if you refuse, you’re very likely to be roughly handled. You’re putting yourself in grave danger.’

‘I’m terribly sorry,’ said Monkey.

‘I won’t punish you,’ said the Patriarch, ‘but you can’t stay here.’

Monkey burst into tears. ‘Where am I to go to?’ he asked.

‘Back to where you came from, I should suppose,’ said the Patriarch.

‘You don’t mean back to the Cave of the Water Curtain in Ao-lai!’ said Monkey.

‘Yes,’ said the Patriarch, ‘go back as quickly as you can, if you value your life. One thing is certain in any case; you can’t stay here.’

‘May I point out,’ said Monkey, ‘that I have been away from home for twenty years and should be very glad to see my monkey-subjects once more. But I can’t consent to go till I have repaid you for all your kindness.’

‘I have no desire to be repaid,’ said the Patriarch. ‘All I ask is that if you get into trouble, you should keep my name out of it.’

Monkey saw that it was no use arguing. He bowed to the Patriarch, and took leave of his companions.

‘Wherever you go,’ said the Patriarch, ‘I’m convinced you’ll come to no good. So remember, when you get into trouble, I absolutely forbid you to say that you are my disciple. If you give a hint of any such thing I shall flay you alive, break all your bones, and banish your soul to the Place of Ninefold
Darkness, where it will remain for ten thousand aeons.’

‘I certainly won’t venture to say a word about you,’ promised Monkey. ‘I’ll say I found it all out for myself.’

So saying he bade farewell, turned away, and making the magic pass rode off on his cloud trapeze, straight to the Eastern Sea. In a very little while he reached the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, where he lowered his cloud, and was picking his way, when he heard a sound of cranes calling and monkeys crying.

‘Little ones,’ he shouted, ‘I have come back.’

At once from every cranny in the cliff, from bushes and trees, great monkeys and small leapt out with cries of ‘Long live our king I’ Then they all pressed round Monkey, kowtowing and saying, ‘Great King, you’re very absent-minded! Why did you go away for so long, leaving us all in the lurch, panting for your return, as a starving man for food and drink? For some time past a demon has been ill-using us. He has seized our cave, though we fought desperately, and now he has robbed us of all our possessions and carried off many of our children, so that we have to be on the watch all the time and get no sleep day or night. It’s lucky you’ve come now, for if you had waited another year or two, you’d have found us and everything hereabouts in another’s hands.’

‘What demon can dare commit such crimes?’ cried Monkey. ‘Tell me all about it and I will avenge you.’

‘Your majesty,’ they said, ‘he is called the Demon of Havoc, and he lives due north from here.’

‘How far off?’ asked Monkey.

‘He comes like a cloud,’ they said, ‘and goes like a mist, like wind or rain, thunder or lightning. We do not know how far away he lives.’

‘Well, don’t worry,’ said Monkey; ‘just go on playing around, while I go and look for him.’

Dear Monkey King! He sprang into the sky straight northwards and soon saw in front of him a high and very rugged mountain. He was admiring the scenery, when he suddenly heard voices. Going a little way down the hill, he found a cave in front of which several small imps were jumping and dancing. When they saw Monkey, they ran away. ‘Stop!’
he called, ‘I’ve got a message for you to take. Say that the master of the Water Curtain Cave is here. The Demon of Havoc, or whatever he is called, who lives here, has been ill-treating my little ones and I have come on purpose to settle natters with him.’

They rushed into the cave and cried out, ‘Great King, a terrible thing has happened!’

‘What’s the matter?’ said the demon.

‘Outside the cave,’ they said, ‘there is a monkey-headed creature who says he is the owner of the Water Curtain Cave. He says you have been ill-using his people and he has come on purpose to settle matters with you.’