> Buddha dwells in heart, heart dwells in Buddha's light,

> Interwoven, they've been since sight.

> Yet grasp this truth, where emptiness is found,

> The essence of Buddha, your heart shall unbound.

>

> Dharma body, Buddha's formless dress,

> A radiant core, existence's caress.

> In non-being lies true being's core,

> In formless form, realities pour.

>

> Neither color nor void, neither void nor voidless,

> No coming nor going, no turning distress.

> Neither different nor same, neither presence nor absence,

> Unseen, untaken, untasted essence.

>

> Inner and outer, light's unity spun,

> A Buddha's realm contained in a grain's sum.

> Within a grain, a world complete,

> In one mind and body, myriad truths meet.

>

> To know this, grasp the art of non-being,

> Untainted, unstuck, actions freeing.

> Beyond good and evil's endless seas,

> Namo Shakyamuni, bow with ease.

In our story, Liu Boqin and Tang Sanzang were startled and alarmed when they heard the cry of, "Master is coming!"

The household servants said, "That must be the old monkey in the stone box at the foot of the mountain."

Tai Bao said, "It's him, it's him."

Sanzang asked, "Who is this old monkey?"

Tai Bao explained, "This mountain was once known as Five Elements Mountain, but when our Great Tang King ventured west to establish the nation, it was renamed Two Realms Mountain. In the past, there were tales passed down that during the time of Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty, this mountain descended from the heavens, pressing down a divine monkey. It wasn't affected by the cold or heat, didn't need food or drink. There's a local earth deity watching over him, making him dine on iron pellets and drink copper liquid. He's survived without perishing from hunger or cold from ancient times to now. This cry must surely be from him. Master, don't be afraid. Let's go down the mountain and take a look."

The monk had no choice but to follow along, leading the horse down the mountain. After walking just a few miles, he saw a monkey peeking out from between the rocks.

The monkey had its head exposed and was waving its hand excitedly, saying, "Master, why did you only come now? It's great that you're here, it's great! Help me get out of here, and I'll make sure you reach the Western Heaven."

The monk stepped closer to take a good look at him.

Its mouth was sharp, and its cheeks were drawn in; its eyes were like blazing fire. Moss was growing on its head, and vines were sprouting from its ears. There was little hair but plenty of grass on its temples, and its chin lacked a beard but had green shoots. Dirt covered its forehead, while its nose was sunken and muddy, looking really disheveled. Its fingers were thick, and its palms were rough, with plenty of dirt and grime. Fortunately, its eyes were lively, and its voice was clear. Although its speech was smooth, its body couldn't quite match up.

This was none other than the Monkey King, who caused a stir five hundred years ago, now trapped in a heavenly restraint today.

Liu, the daring guard, stepped forward with confidence. He pulled away the grass from the monkey's temples and the foliage from its chin, then asked, "Do you have something to say?"

The monkey replied, "I don't have much to say. Let your master come up here, and I'll ask him something."

The monk asked, "What do you want to ask me?"

The monkey said, "Are you the one sent by the Eastern Kingdom's ruler to the Western Heaven for the scriptures?"

The monk responded, "Yes, that's me. How do you know?"

The monkey explained, "I'm the Great Sage Equal To Heaven who wreaked havoc in the heavenly palace five hundred years ago. So, I kind of did this tricky thing, and Buddha wasn't too thrilled, so here I am, locked up and all. Just the other day, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva showed up with a message from Buddha, on the hunt in the Eastern Kingdom for someone to grab those scriptures. So I ask Avalokiteshvara to help me out. Her response? Cut the mischief, adopt the Buddha's teachings, and make sure the scripture retriever is secure. After achieving success, I should bow to the Buddha, and then I will rake in my very own batch of rewards. So, day and night, I've been anxious, waiting for you to come and rescue me. I'm willing to help you on your scripture journey and become your disciple."

When Tripitaka heard this, his heart brimmed with joy. He said, "Even though you have such good intentions and have received teachings from the Bodhisattva if you're willing to become a monk, the issue remains that I don't have any tools. How can I rescue you?"

The monkey replied, "No need for tools. If you're willing to save me, I'll manage to get out on my own."

Tripitaka asked, "If I save you myself, how will you manage to get out?"

The monkey explained, "You won't believe this, but right at the top of that mountain, there's a flashy golden plaque with the Buddha's name on it. All you have to do is hike up, snag it, and I'll be able to come out."

Tripitaka turned to Liu. "Guard, let's make a trip up the mountain."

Liu hesitated. "How can we be sure it's true?"

The monkey shouted emphatically, "It's true! I absolutely wouldn't deceive you."

Lui Boqin could only call for his servants and secure the horses. He supported Tripitaka as they scaled the steep mountain together. Climbing vines and gripping onto branches, they made their way to the mountain's peak.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As they reached the summit, they saw myriad streams of golden light forming auspicious signs.

There was a large stone with four sides, and on it was affixed a piece of leather with six golden characters that read "Om Mani Padme Hum."

Tripitaka approached, knelt down, gazed at the golden characters on the stone, performed a few bows, and facing the west, he prayed, "I, disciple Chen Xuanzang, bear the decree to seek the scriptures. If there is a destined disciple, may I lift these golden characters to free the divine monkey, and we will move on together. But if no disciple is here, this monkey is a ferocious and obstinate creature, deceiving and luring me. In that case, don't let me be able to lift the placard."

After the prayer, he bowed again. Then, he stepped forward and gently lifted off the six golden characters. Suddenly, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and with a swift motion, the placard was sent soaring through the air. A voice declared, "I am the guardian of the Great Sage. Today, his trial is over. We shall return to see the Tathagata and present this seal."

Amazed, Tripitaka, Boqin, and the others bowed toward the sky. They descended the mountain and reached the stone box once more.

Facing the monkey, Tripitaka said, "I've removed the seal. You can come out now."

The monkey shouted, overjoyed, "Master, please step back a bit, so I can come out without startling you."

Upon hearing this, Boqin led Tripitaka and the group back east without delay.

After walking for about five or seven miles, they heard the monkey's voice again, crying out, "Keep going, keep going!"

Following the monkey's guidance, Tripitaka went on for a considerable distance and descended the mountain. Suddenly, there was a tremendous roar, as if the earth was splitting and the mountain was collapsing.

Everyone was filled with fear. To their surprise, the monkey had already reached Tripitaka's horse, kneeling there without a stitch of clothing.

"Master, I'm out now." The Monkey King performed four bows before Tripitaka, then quickly stood up and greeted Boqin with a grand salute, saying, "Big brother, thanks for escorting my master and helping me with the grass on my face." After expressing his gratitude, he began to pack their belongings and secure the horses.

But the moment the horses saw him, their legs trembled, and they fidgeted, unable to keep their composure. This was because the monkey had originally been a heavenly horse attendant, knowledgeable about the care of dragon horses, which made ordinary horses instinctively afraid of him.

Tripitaka saw that he meant well, appearing like someone from the monkhood, and he asked, "Disciple, what's your surname?"

The Monkey King replied, "My surname is Sun."

Tripitaka suggested, "Let's give you a Dharma name so we can call you more appropriately."

The Monkey King responded, "No need to trouble you, Master. I already have a Dharma name: Sun Wukong."

Tripitaka was delighted and said, "That fits right in with our tradition. Your appearance is indeed similar to that of a novice monk. Let's come up with a casual name for you, something like 'Pilgrim.' How does that sound?"

Wukong agreed enthusiastically, saying, "Sounds good, sounds good, sounds good."

And from that moment, he was also known as Sun Wukong, but casually called the "Monkey Pilgrim."

Boqin saw that Monkey Pilgrim was all set and ready to leave. He turned to Tripitaka and gave a nod, saying, "Elder, it's fortunate that you've found a good disciple here. Very very good. This person is indeed determined to go. I'll take my leave now."

Tripitaka bowed respectfully and thanked him, saying, "You've gone out of your way, and I'm truly grateful. Please convey my regards to your esteemed mother and Lady Jing. I've troubled you during my stay at your home, and I'll definitely come back to express my gratitude later."

Boqin returned the gesture, and they bid farewell and parted ways.

Monkey Pilgrim helped Tripitaka onto the horse while carrying their luggage himself. He walked ahead, stark naked and with a lively gait.

Before long, they passed through Two Realms Mountain.

Suddenly, a fierce tiger roared. Its tail swished as it charged toward them.

Tripitaka's heart raced as he sat on the horse, alarmed.

However, Monkey Pilgrim grinned by the roadside and said, "Master, don't be afraid. He's actually bringing me some clothes." He set down the luggage, pulled a needle from his ear, held it against the wind, and gave it a flick.

To the surprise of his audience, it transformed into an iron staff about as thick as a rice bowl and changed in length. He held it in his hand and chuckled, "I haven't used this little treasure in over five hundred years. Today, I'll take it out to find myself something to wear."

Sauntering forward, he faced the fierce tiger. "You beast! Where do you think you're going?"

The tiger crouched down, flattened against the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

Sun Wukong smacked it on the head with a stick, smashing its brain into a burst of pink pulp interspersed with white teeth. It looked like jewels and bits of jade spilled on a king's purple cloak.

This frightened Chen Xuanzang so much that he tumbled off his horse. Biting his finger, he exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! The other day, the Warden fought with a striped tiger for half a day. But today, Sun Wukong didn't even need to struggle. He smashed this tiger to pieces with one strike. Truly, the strong keep getting stronger!"

The Monkey Pilgrim dragged the tiger over and said, "Master, just sit for a moment. I'll take off its skin and use it as clothes to wear while walking."

Tripitaka asked, "Does it even have any clothes?"

The Monkey Pilgrim replied, "Master, please don't worry about it. I'll handle it myself." The clever Monkey King plucked a single hair, blew a breath of magic, and exclaimed, "Transform!" It changed into a sharp-pointed cow ear knife. He used it to cut open the tiger's belly, then peeled off its skin and removed the claws. He sliced off the head, then cut it into a square piece of tiger skin. He lifted it and measured, saying, "It's wide enough; one piece can be turned into two." He took the knife and cut it into two pieces. After putting one piece away, he wrapped the other around his waist. He plucked a vine from the roadside and tightly secured it to cover his lower body.

"Master, let's go for now. Once we reach a house, we can borrow some needles and thread to sew it properly." Monkey Pilgrim twisted his iron staff again, turning it back into a needle, which he tucked behind his ear. Carrying the luggage, he invited Tripitaka to get on the horse.

The two moved forward, and Tripitaka asked from atop his horse, "Wukong, how come I don't see the iron staff you used to fight the tiger?" Sun Wukong chuckled and replied, "Master, you might not know. This staff of mine was originally obtained from the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace. It's called the Celestial River Subduing Divine Staff, also known as the Compliant Gold-Banded Rod. Back when I rebelled against the heavens, this staff played a crucial role. It can change size at will, becoming big or small as needed. Just now, I transformed it into the shape of a needle and tucked it behind my ear. I'll retrieve it whenever I need to use it."

Tripitaka was secretly delighted by this revelation. He then asked, "Why didn't the tiger move when it saw you earlier? It let you attack without resisting. What's the reason behind that?"

"Just so you know, Master, I'm not keeping this a secret. It's not just tigers – even if it's a dragon, it won't dare to be rude when I'm around. I, old Sun, have the skills to take down dragons and tigers, and I have supernatural powers that can stir rivers and seas. I can judge by looks and discern through sounds, whether it's something big like the universe or something tiny like a hair. My transformations are limitless. My hiding and revealing magics are so good that nobody can figure them out. Stripping this tiger off his skin is nothing special. If we encounter any difficulties, you'll witness my true abilities."

Hearing these words, Tripitaka felt more at ease than ever before, and he spurred the horse forward without worry.