Wukong’s hair stood on end, he quickly bowed, saying, “Master, in your infinite compassion, please tell me how to avoid these catastrophes. I will never cease to be grateful.” The patriarch said, “It is not difficult, but you are different from others. I cannot teach this to you.” Wukong said, “My head points toward the heavens and my feet point toward the earth. I have nine orifices and four limbs, five viscera and six bowels, as others do. How am I different from others?” The patriarch said, “Although you resemble a human, you do not have cheeks.” As it happens, monkeys’ faces are concave, with pointed mouths. Wukong touched his face with one hand and laughed, saying, “Master has not considered that, although I lack cheeks, I do have cheek pouches.” The patriarch said “That is so. Which form would you like to learn? There is the method of the North Star, with 36 transformations. Then there is the method of the Earth Demon, with 72 transformations.” Wukong said, “This pupil would rather learn more. I will learn the Earth Demon transformations.” The patriarch said, “In that case, come forward, and I will transmit to you the incantation.”
He spoke closely and quietly, and we do not know what manner of magic Master Puti spoke to Wukong. The monkey king learned a hundred tricks as easily as one. In time he memorized the incantations, studied and practiced on his own, and mastered all 72 transformations.
One day, the patriarch and his disciples were enjoying the evening outside Three Star Cave when the patriarch said, “Wukong, have you mastered your studies?”1 Wukong said, “Thanks to Master’s graciousness, your pupil has already perfected his skills. I am now able to fly.” The patriarch said “Show me how you fly.” Wukong shook himself, and with a somersault, he rose up 50 or 60 feet and flew on a cloud for about the amount of time it takes to eat a meal. There and back he traveled not more than 3 li.2 He landed in front of Master Puti and, crossing his arms, said: “Master, this is how one soars on clouds.” The patriarch laughed. “Soaring, you are not. Perhaps this can be called crawling on clouds. As the ancients say: ‘Immortals visit the North Sea in the morning and tour Cangwu in the evening.’ You cannot even cover 3 li in half a day. Crawling on clouds is even an overstatement.”
Wukong said, “What does it mean to ‘visit the North Sea in the morning and tour Cangwu in the evening’?” The patriarch said, “Those who soar on clouds can leave the North Sea in morning, travel the East Sea, West Sea, and South Sea, and return to Cangwu, which is by the North Sea3 If, in one day, you are able to see everything within the four seas – that would be soaring on clouds.” Wukong said, “That is difficult. Difficult indeed.” The patriarch said, “There are no difficult things in this world, but for lack of ambition.” Hearing this, Wukong bowed again and again, saying “Master, ‘assistance must be lent to the end,’4 so be merciful on this pupil and teach me the skill of soaring on clouds. I shall never cease to be grateful.” The patriarch said, “Immortals that soar on clouds usually rise by stamping their feet. However, you are not of this type. Just now when I watched you go, you jumped up in a ridiculous way. I will teach you a different method, will transmit to you the Somersault Cloud.” Wukong knelt at the patriarch’s feet, bowing in thanks. The patriarch transmitted to him the incantation. “Now that you know the method, say the incantation, hold tight your fist, shake yourself, and jump up. One somersault, and this cloud will take you 108,000 li.5
When the others heard this, they all laughed and said “Fortune shines upon Wukong. Now he can become a messenger, bringing documents and proclamations. He’ll make a living wherever he goes!” The master and disciples returned to the cave as the sun set. All night long, Wukong studied the magic and mastered the Somersault Cloud. From them on he lived without worry, free to enjoy the immortality stretching out ahead of him.
一个个: each and every one
A doubling of a measure word means each and every. 大众听说，一个个嘻嘻笑 here means When everyone heard this, each and every one laughed (heehee).
One day, at the beginning of summer, the disciples were talking under the pine trees. The disciples said “Wukong, how much karma did you earn in your past life? The secrets the master whispered to you the other day, the transformations for avoiding the three calamities, have you mastered them all?” Wukong laughed and said “I won’t keep a secret from my senpais. With Master teaching me the magic and my constant practice, I have mastered them all.” The crowd said, “Let’s take advantage of this opportunity. Why don’t you give us a demonstration?” Wukong heard this, straightened up, and said “I’ll let my senpais pick a subject. What shall I turn into?” The crowd said “Why don’t you turn into a pine tree?”
Wukong muttered the incantation, shook himself, and turned into a pine tree. The tree stood tall and straight, piercing the mist with its dense needles, its branches stong enough to withstand the winter’s frost and snow. Not a mite of a monkey yao’s6 appearance remained.
The crowd applauded and laughed, saying, “What a monkey!” They did not realize that the noise they made had startled Master Puti. The patriarch came hurrying out of the cave, asking, “Who is out here making such noise?” The disciples immediately hushed and straightened their clothes. Wukong reverted to his original form and mixed with the crowd, saying, “Greetings, Master. We were all just having a discussion. There is no one else here causing a commotion.” The patriarch rebuked them, saying, “Look at you all whooping and hollering, not at all conducting yourselves as disciples of the Way. A true disciple knows the spirit escapes an open mouth and the exercise of the tongue invites death. What is this laughing and shouting?” The disciples said, “We dare not hide anything from Master. Just now Wukong performed a transformation on a lark. We told him to turn into a pine tree, and he really turned into a pine tree. We were cheering and applauding and the noise startled you, Master. Forgive us.” The patriarch said, “Leave us, all of you.”
Disciples of the Way
Master Puti complains that his students are not behaving like 修行的人. 修行 is a verb meaning to leave one’s life behind and devote oneself to spiritual development, especially in Buddhism or Daoism. In the Christian-centric western world, a reference to one of the twelve apostles leaving his family to become a disciple of Jesus elicits a similar feeling.
He turned to Wukong. “Wukong, come here. Let me ask, what were you thinking, turning into a pine tree? This magic, is it for showing off? If someone showed you this trick, wouldn’t you beg them to teach you? When other people see you, they will beg you to teach them. To save yourself, you would have to teach them. If you don’t teach them, you court disaster and risk your life.
Wukong said, “Master, I did wrong! Forgive me!” The patriarch said: “I do not fault you. But, you should go.” Wukong’s eyes filled with tears. “Where is Master telling me to go?” The patriarch said, “From whencever you came, go.” Wukong suddenly said, as if waking up from a dream, “I come from the Eastern Continent, the kingdom of Aolai, from Huaguo Mountain, from Shuilian Cave.” The patriarch said, “Go home, and you will live. Staying here, I cannot promise it.” Wukong was contrite. “Master,” he said, “I have been away from home 20 years. Although I miss the old days with my kin7, I have not repaid my master for his generosity. I cannot go.” The patriarch said, “There is nothing to repay. Just don’t involve me in your troublemaking!” There was nothing Wukong could do. He could only bid the others farewell.
1 He actually says, “Wukong, have you done the thing?” ↩
2 A little more than a mile ↩
3 These four seas are mostly mythological places, but now have real-life equivalents. The North Sea is Lake Baikal in Russia, the East Sea is the East China Sea, the West Sea is Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, and the South Sea is the South China Sea. If the Cangwu mentioned here is supposed to correspond with a real life location, I’m not sure where it is, as it doesn’t seem to be the one in Guangxi Province. ↩
4 This is a saying that means “once you start helping someone, you should see it through.” As usual, it’s much shorter in Chinese. ↩
5 Around 54000 km. This will be important later. ↩
6 There is no English equivalent for the concept of “yao”, an animal or human that, through religious study and practice, gains magical powers, shapeshifting ability, and sometimes immortality. It’s a noun – think “monkey demon” – except that a yao is a specific type of demon. They are not evil exactly, more like chaotic neutral. ↩
7 Wukong calls his kin “children and grandchildren” presumably because he is hundreds of years old and the other monkeys are all generations younger than he is. It does not seem to imply that Wukong had biological offspring at any point. ↩
Etymology Adventures 