The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 1 Read online

  The next day the three court officials began the process of selection at the Mountain-River Altar, and from among the priests gathered there they chose an illustrious monk of great merit. “Who is this person?” you ask.

  Gold Cicada was his former divine name.

  As heedless he was of the Buddha’s talk,

  He had to suffer in this world of dust,

  To fall in the net by being born a man.

  He met misfortune as he came to Earth,

  And evildoers even before his birth.

  His father: Chen, a zhuangyuan from Haizhou.

  His mother’s sire: chief of this dynasty’s court.

  Fated by his natal star to fall in the stream,

  He followed tide and current, chased by mighty waves.

  At Gold Mountain, the island, he had great luck,

  For the abbot, Qian’an,8 raised him up.

  He met his true mother at age eighteen,

  And called on her father at the capital.

  A great army was sent by Chief Kaishan

  To stamp out at Hongzhou the vivious crew.

  The zhuangyuan Guangrui escaped his doom:

  Son rejoined sire—how worthy of praise!

  They saw the emperor to receive his grace;

  Their names resounded in Lingyan Tower.9

  Declining office, he chose a monk’s life

  At Hongfu Temple to seek the true Way,

  This old Buddha-child, nicknamed River Float,

  With a religious name of Chen Xuanzang.

  So that very day the multitude selected the priest Xuanzang, a man who had been a monk since childhood, who maintained a vegetarian diet, and who had received the commandments the moment he left his mother’s womb. His maternal grandfather was Yin Kaishan, one of the chief army commanders of the present dynasty. His father, Chen Guangrui, had taken the prize of zhuangyuan and was appointed Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Chamber. Xuanzang, however, had no love for glory or wealth, being dedicated wholly to the pursuit of Nirvāṇa. Their investigations revealed that he had an excellent family background and the highest moral character. Not one of the thousands of classics and sūtras had he failed to master; none of the Buddhist chants and hymns was unknown to him. The three officials led Xuanzang before the throne. After going through elaborate court ritual, they bowed to report, “Your subjects, in obedience to your holy decree, have selected an illustrious monk by the name of Chen Xuanzang.”

  Hearing the name, Taizong thought silently for a long time and said, “Can Xuanzang be the son of Grand Secretary Chen Guangrui?” Child River Float kowtowed and replied, “That is indeed your subject.” “This is a most appropriate choice,” said Taizong, delighted. “You are truly a monk of great virtue and possessing the mind of Chan. We therefore appoint you the Grand Expositor of the Faith, Supreme Vicar of Priests.” Xuanzang touched his forehead to the ground to express his gratitude and to receive his appointment. He was given, furthermore, a cassock of knitted gold and five colors, a Vairocana hat,10 and the instruction diligently to seek out all worthy monks and to rank all these ācāryas11 in order. They were to follow the imperial decree and proceed to the Temple of Transformation,12 where they would begin the ritual after selecting a propitious day and hour.

  Xuanzang bowed again to receive the decree and left. He went to the Temple of Transformation and gathered many monks together; they made ready the beds, built the platforms, and rehearsed the music. A total of one thousand two hundred worthy monks, young and old, were chosen, who were then further separated into three divisions occupying the rear, middle, and front portions of the hall. All the preparations were completed and everything was put in order before the Buddhas. The third day of the ninth month of that same year was selected as the lucky day, when a Grand Mass of Land and Water lasting forty-nine days (in accordance with the number seven times seven) would begin. A memorial was presented to Taizong, who went with all his relatives and officials, both civil and military, to the Mass on that day to burn incense and listen to the lecture. We have a poem as testimony. The poem says:

  When the year-star of Zhenguan reached thirteen,

  The king called his people to hear the Sacred Books.

  The boundless Law was performed at a plot of truth;

  Cloud, fog, and light filled the Great Promise Hall.

  By grace the king decreed this grand temple’s rite;

  Shell-shed Gold Cicada sought wealth of the West.

  He spread wide the good works to save the damned

  And held his faith to preach the Three Modes of Life.13

  In the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan period, when the year stood at jisi and the ninth month at jiaxu, on the third day and at the auspicious hour of gueimao, Chen Xuanzang, the Great Expositor-Priest, gathered together one thousand two hundred illustrious monks. They met at the Temple of Transformation in the city of Chang’an to expound the various holy sūtras. After holding court early that morning, the emperor led many officials both military and civil and left the Treasure Hall of Golden Chimes by phoenix carriages and dragon chariots. They came to the temple to listen to the lectures and raise incense. How does the imperial cortege appear? Truly it comes with

  A sky full of blessed air,

  Countless shafts of hallowed light.

  The favorable wind blows gently;

  The omnific sun shines brightly.

  A thousand lords with girdle-jade walk in front and rear.

  The many flags of guardsmen stand both left and right.

  Those holding gilt bludgeons,

  And halberds and axes,

  March in pairs and pairs;

  The red silk lanterns,

  The royal incense urn,

  Move in solemnity.

  The dragons fly and the phoenixes dance;

  The falcons soar and the eagles take wing.

  This Son of Heaven’s an upright sage;

  The righteous ministers are good.

  They increase our bliss by a thousand years, surpassing Yu and Shun;

  They secure peace of ten thousand ages, rivaling Yao and Tang.

  We also see the curve-handled umbrella,

  And robes with rolling dragons—

  Their glare lighting up each other;

  The jade joined-rings,

  The phoenix fans,

  Waving through holy mist.

  Those caps of pearls and belts of jade;

  The purple sashes and medals of gold.

  A thousand rows of soldiers protect the Throne;

  Two lines of marshals uphold the carriage.

  This emperor, cleansed and sincere, bows to the Buddha,

  Glad to raise incense and seek virtue’s fruit.

  The grand cortege of the Tang emperor soon arrived in front of the temple. The emperor ordered a halt to the music, left the carriages, and led many officials in the worship of Buddha by taking up burning incense sticks in their hands. After bowing three times holding the incense, they raised their heads and looked around them. This was indeed a splendid religious hall. You see

  Dancing flags and banners;

  Bright, gleaming sunshades.

  Dancing flags and banners

  Fill the air with strands of flashing colored mists.

  Bright, gleaming sunshades

  Glow in the sun as fiery bolts.

  Imposing, the gold image of Lokājyeṣṭha;14

  Most awesome, the jade features of the arhats.

  Divine flowers fill the vases.

  Sandalwood incense burn in the urns.

  The divine flowers filling the vases

  Adorn the temple with a brilliant forest of brocade.

  The sandalwood incense burning in the urns

  Covers the clear sky with waves of fragrant clouds.

  Piled high on red trays are fruits in season.

  On colored counters, mounds of cakes and sweets rest.

  Rows of noble priests chant the holy sūtras

  To save from th
eir travails those orphaned souls.

  Taizong and his officials each lifted the incense; they also worshipped the golden body of the Buddha and paid homage to the arhats. Thereafter, the Master of the Law, Chen Xuanzang, the Grand Expositor of the Faith, led the various monks to greet the Tang emperor. After the ceremony, they went back to their seats according to their rank and station. The priest then presented Taizong with the proclamation for the deliverance of the orphaned souls. It read:

  The supreme virtue is vast and endless, for Buddhism is founded upon Nirvāṇa. The spirit of the pure and the clean circulates freely and flows everywhere in the Three Regions. There are a thousand changes and ten thousand transformations, all regulated by the forces of yin and yang. Boundless and vast indeed are the substance, the function, the true nature, and the permanence of such phenomena. But look at those orphaned souls, how worthy they are of our pity and commiseration! Now by the holy command of Taizong, we have selected and assembled various priests, who will engage in meditation and in the proclamation of the Law. Flinging wide the gates of salvation and setting in motion many vessels of mercy, we would deliver you, the multitudes, from the Sea of Woe and save you from perdition and from the Sixfold Path. You will be led to return to the way of truth and to enjoy the bliss of Heaven. Whether it be by motion, rest, or nonactivity, you will be united with, and become, pure essences. Therefore make use of this noble occasion, for you are invited to the pleasures of the celestial city. Take advantage of our Grand Mass so that you may find release from Hell’s confinement, ascend quickly and freely to ultimate bliss, and travel without restraint in the Region of the West.15

  The poem says:

  An urn of immortal incense.

  Some scrolls of salvific power.

  As we proclaim this boundless Law,

  Receive now Heaven’s endless grace.

  All your guilt and crime abolished,

  You lost souls may leave your prison.

  May our nation be firmly blessed

  With peace long and all-embracing.

  Highly pleased by what he read, Taizong said to the monks, “Be firm, all of you, in your devotion, and do not slack in your service to Buddha. After the achievement of merit and after each has received his blessing, we shall reward you handsomely. Be assured that you will not have labored in vain.” The twelve hundred monks all touched their foreheads to the ground to express their gratitude. After the three vegetarian meals of the day, the Tang emperor returned to the palace to wait for the formal celebration of the mass seven days hence, when he would again be invited to raise incense. As dusk was about to fall, the various officials all retired. What sort of evening was this? Look at

  The long stretch of clear sky as twilight dims,

  As specks of jackdaw drop to their perch late.

  People grow quiet, the city full of lights:

  Now’s the time for Chan monks to meditate.

  We have told you about the scenery of the night. The next morning the Master of the Law again ascended his seat and gathered the monks to recite their sūtras, but we shall say no more about that.

  We shall now tell you about the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Potalaka Mountain in the South Sea, who, since receiving the command of Tathāgata, was searching in the city of Chang’an for a worthy person to be the seeker of scriptures. For a long time, however, she did not encounter anyone truly virtuous. Then she learned that Taizong was extolling merit and virtue and selecting illustrious monks to hold the Grand Mass. When she discovered, moreover, that the chief priest and celebrant was the monk Child River Float, who was a child of Buddha born from paradise and who happened also to be the very elder whom she had sent to this incarnation, the Bodhisattva was exceedingly pleased. She immediately took the treasures bestowed by Buddha and carried them out with Mokṣa to sell them on the main streets of the city. “What were these treasures?” you ask. They were the embroidered cassock with rare jewels and the nine-ring priestly staff. But she kept hidden the Golden, the Constrictive, and the Prohibitive Fillets for use in a later time, putting up for sale only the cassock and the priestly staff.

  Now in the city of Chang’an there was one of those foolish monks who had not been selected to participate in the Grand Mass but who happened to possess a few strands of pelf. Seeing the Bodhisattva, who had changed herself into a monk covered with scabs and sores, barefooted and bareheaded, dressed in rags, and holding up for sale the glowing cassock, he approached and asked, “You filthy monk, how much do you want for your cassock?” “The price of the cassock,” said the Bodhisattva, “is five thousand taels of silver; for the staff, two thousand.” The foolish monk laughed and said, “This filthy monk is mad! A lunatic! You want seven thousand taels of silver for two such common articles? They are not worth that much even if wearing them would make you immortal or turn you into a buddha. Take them away! You’ll never be able to sell them!” The Bodhisattva did not bother to argue with him; she walked away and proceeded on her journey with Mokṣa.

  After a long while, they came to the Eastern Flower Gate and ran right into the chief minister Xiao Yu, who was just returning from court. His outriders were shouting to clear the streets, but the Bodhisattva boldly refused to step aside. She stood on the street holding the cassock and met the chief minister head on. The chief minister pulled in his reins to look at this bright, luminous cassock, and asked his subordinates to inquire about the price of the garment. “I want five thousand taels for the cassock,” said the Bodhisattva, “and two thousand for the staff.” “What is so good about them,” asked Xiao Yu, “that they should be so expensive?” “This cassock,” said the Bodhisattva, “has something good about it, and something bad, too. For some people it may be very expensive, but for others it may cost nothing at all.”

  “What’s good about it,” asked Xiao Yu, “and what’s bad about it?”

  “He who wears my cassock,” replied the Bodhisattva, “will not fall into perdition, will not suffer in Hell, will not encounter violence, and will not meet tigers and wolves. That’s how good it is! But if the person happens to be a foolish monk who relishes pleasures and rejoices in iniquities, or a priest who obeys neither the dietary laws nor the commandments, or a worldly fellow who attacks the sūtras and slanders the Buddha, he will never even get to see my cassock. That’s what’s bad about it!” The chief minister asked again, “What do you mean, it will be expensive for some and not expensive for others?” “He who does not follow the Law of Buddha,” said the Bodhisattva, “or revere the Three Jewels will be required to pay seven thousand taels if he insists on buying my cassock and my staff. That’s how expensive it’ll be! But if he honors the Three Jewels, rejoices in doing good deeds, and obeys our Buddha, he is a person worthy of these things. I shall willingly give him the cassock and the staff to establish an affinity of goodness with him. That’s what I meant when I said that for some it would cost nothing.”

  When Xiao Yu heard these words, his face could not hide his pleasure, for he knew that this was a good person. He dismounted at once and greeted the Bodhisattva ceremoniously, saying, “Your Holy Eminence, please pardon whatever offense Xiao Yu might have caused. Our Great Tang Emperor is a most religious person, and all the officials of his court are like-minded. In fact, we have just begun a Grand Mass of Land and Water, and this cassock will be most appropriate for the use of Chen Xuanzang, the Grand Expositor of the Faith. Let me go with you to have an audience with the Throne.”

  The Bodhisattva was happy to comply with the suggestion. They turned around and went into the Eastern Flower Gate. The Custodian of the Yellow Door went inside to make the report, and they were summoned to the Treasure Hall, where Xiao Yu and the two monks covered with scabs and sores stood below the steps. “What does Xiao Yu want to report to us?” asked the Tang emperor. Prostrating himself before the steps, Xiao Yu said, “Your subject going out of the Eastern Flower Gate met by chance these two monks, selling a cassock and a priestly staff. I thought of the priest, Xuanzang, who
might wear this garment. For this reason, we asked to have an audience with Your Majesty.”

  Highly pleased, Taizong asked for the price of the cassock. The Bodhisattva and Mokṣa stood at the foot of the steps but did not bow at all. When asked the price of the cassock, the Bodhisattva replied, “Five thousand taels for the cassock and two thousand for the priestly staff.” “What’s so good about the cassock,” said Taizong, “that it should cost so much?” The Bodhisattva said:

  “Of this cassock,

  A dragon which wears but one shred

  Will miss the woe of being devoured by the great roc;

  Or a crane on which one thread is hung

  Will transcend this world and reach the place of the gods.

  Sit in it:

  Ten thousand gods will salute you!

  Move with it:

  Seven Buddhas will follow you!16

  This cassock was made of silk drawn from ice silkworm17