Journey 009: Origin Story

The Buddha shows how far he would go (or make someone else go) to avoid paying to ship some scriptures to the East.

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Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 9 of Journey to the West.

Last time, heaven was so helpless against the powers of Sun Wukong that the Jade Emperor had to step out of his Daoist cocoon and ask the Buddha for help. The Buddha humored Wukong for a while before dropping a mountain on him. Assuming that their nemesis had been brought to heel, the gods in heaven threw a big party to celebrate. But as the party was winding down, word came that Sun Wukong was starting to work his way out from under the mountain.

But just as everyone was about to panic, the Buddha told them to chill and he took out a piece of paper with six golden characters. This was a six-syllable Sanskrit mantra that has been translated to English as “praise to the jewel in the lotus.” The utterance of this phrase is a common Buddhist practice. So think of this piece of paper as a magic scroll.

Buddha handed the piece of paper to one of his senior disciples and told him to go attach it to the mountain. The disciple left heaven, landed on top of the Five Elements Mountain, and securely attached the paper to a square rock. Immediately, the mountain seemed to grow roots and come together at the seams. There was just enough space left for Wukong to breathe, put his hands out, and move them around a smidge. Aside from that, however, he was trapped again, even more securely this time.

Once the disciple reported back that the deed was done, Buddha took his leave of the Jade Emperor and left. But as he and his disciples were about to head home, a thought came to his mind. He uttered an incantation and summoned an earth spirit and some divine guards to stand watch over Five Elements Mountain and its prisoner. They were instructed that when Sun Wukong grew hungry, they were to feed him iron pellets. And when he was thirsty, they were to give him melted copper to drink. Now this just sounded like cruel and unusual punishment, but it was apparently all part of the plan as an act of compassion from the Buddha. 

Anyway, the Buddha now returned to his home in the West, the Thunderclap Temple. He was greeted by his 3,000 bodhisattvas, 500 arhats, and various other disciples. He told them: 

I have, with deepest wisdom,
Looked through the three realms.
All fundamental nature
Will end in extinction
Like empty phenomena
Existing as nothing.
The wily ape’s extirpation,
This, none can comprehend.
Name, birth, death, and origin
Of all forms appear thus.

He then glowed with a sacred light, filling the air with 42 white rainbows that spanned the heavens from North to South. Everyone kneeled and paid their respects. He then descended, sat down on his dais of lotus, and recounted to his disciples how he tamed Sun Wukong. They all praised him and then went back to their business.

In the blink of an eye, centuries had passed. One day, the Buddha assembled his disciples and said, “We don’t keep track of the passage of time here, but I estimate that it’s been about 500 years in the mortal realm since I tamed that wild monkey. Today is the 15th day of the first month of autumn, so I have prepared a treasure bowl filled with all sorts of exotice flowers and fruits. I would like to share them with all of you in celebration of the Feast of the Ullambana Bowl.”

So first, the Ullambana Bowl is a bowl for making offerings to the Buddha during a festival to honor the dead. This festival is held on the 15th day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar. And second, for someone who doesn’t track the passage of time, the Buddha has a pretty handle on the exact date.

Anyway, who was gonna say no to the Buddha? In fact, all the disciples were so thankful that they presented poems to express their gratitude. Bunch of bootlickers. After they’ve presented their poems, they invited the Buddha to drop some wisdom on them. And so he did, lecturing on the doctrines of the various sacred scriptures. 

Once he was done, he told everyone, “The morality of the four great continents differ from place to place. On the Eastern Continent, the people respect heaven and earth, and they are straightforward and peaceful. On the Northern Continent, even though they are apt to kill, they do so in order to make a living. They’re also dull of mind and lethargic in spirit, so they aren’t likely to do much harm. In our own Western Continent, the people do not covet and do not kill. They control their humor and temper their spirit. While there are no top-tier sages among them, everyone is sure to attain longevity. But the people of the Southern Continent are prone to lechery and wickedness. They indulge in killing and strife. They are all indeed caught in the treacherous field of tongue and mouth, in the wicked sea of slander and malice. However, I have three collections of sacred scriptures that can persuade men to do good.”

His disciples asked which three collections he was referring to, and he told them, “I have a collection of vinaya, which discusses heaven; a collection of shastras, which discusses the earth; and a collection of sutras, which redeems the damned.”

So vinaya are rules and precepts for ordained Buddhist monks and nuns. Sastras are treatises or texts on specific fields of knowledge. And sutras are canonical scriptures that are considered oral teachings of the Buddha. 

The Buddha now continued, “These three collections total 35 volumes and 15,144 scrolls in all. They are scriptures for cultivating immortality and the gate to ultimate virtue. I want to deliver them to the East, but the people there are foolish and scornful of the truth. They won’t understand our sect’s purpose and would ignore our teachings. We must send someone powerful to go East and find a virtuous believer, and have that person traverse great distances and overcome many obstacles to come here to request the sacred texts so that they may spread those teachings across the East and set the people on the right path. That would be a huge blessing. Who is willing to undertake this task?”

As soon as that question went out, someone volunteered. It was the Bodhisattva Guanyin, whom we’ve previously introduced as she was the one who recommended the god Erlang (4,2) to capture Sun Wukong. 

The Buddha was delighted. “No one else would do,” he told her. “Only you, with your immense powers, can undertake this task.”

“What instructions do you have for me for this trip to the East?” Guanyin asked.

“On your way there, you must scout the route,” the Buddha said. “You must not travel high in the clouds. You must fly low, observe the geography, and memorize the distances, so that you may tell the chosen scripture pilgrim. But I also worry that the pilgrim will have a difficult journey, so I’m giving you five talismans.”

So the first two talismans were an embroidered cassock and a nine-ring Buddhist staff. The Buddha told Guanyin to give these to the person she chooses as the scripture pilgrim, and they would keep him safe from harm. The other three talismans were three metal hoops. These were for a very specific purpose, but we’ll get to that in time. 

Guanyin thanked the Buddha and took her leave. She departed with her disciple Muzha. He doubled as her bodyguard, wielding a steel staff that weighed 1,000 catties. He also carried the cassock and the Buddhist staff in a bundle on his back, while she stashed away the metal hoops. The two now set off, flying low as the Buddha instructed.

Now, Guanyin made several pit stops on her way East to take care of some business and set the stage for things to come, but we’ll skip those for now, because it’s more fun to reveal them in time. Anyway, on her last stop before reaching her destination, she passed by a mountain that emitted a golden glow. 

“Master,” Muzha said to Guanyin, “that’s Five Elements Mountain. You can see the piece of paper that the Buddha left to keep the mountain immovable.”

“So that’s where the Great Sage Equal to Heaven is trapped?” she asked.

“Exactly.”

The two of them now landed atop the mountain, where they saw the piece of paper with the Buddha’s mantra on it. Guanyin sighed and composed a poem that said:

Pity the impish ape who flaunted the Law,
Who let loose wild heroics in bygone years.
His mind puffed up, he wrecked the Peach Banquet
And boldly stole in the Lao Zi’s Palace.
He found no worthy match in ten thousand troops;
Through Ninefold Heaven he displayed his power.
Imprisoned now by our Buddha,When will he be free to show once more his might?

Those words did not escape the notice of Sun Wukong. He shouted from under the foot of the mountain, “Who’s up there reciting poems and recounting my shortcomings?”

Guanyin now descended the mountain. At the foot of a cliff, she saw the local earth and mountain spirits and the divine guards standing watch over their prisoner. They all bowed to pay their respects to her and brought her to see Sun Wukong. 

“Do you know me?” Guanyin asked Wukong.

Wukong opened his eyes, looked at her, and nodded. “How can I not recognize you? You’re the compassion bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea. Thank you for visiting me! In all the time I’ve been here, none of my acquaintances have come to see me. Where are you going?”

“On the Buddha’s command, I’m heading East to find a scripture pilgrim. I was passing by and decided to drop in.”

“That Buddha tricked me and pinned me under this mountain,” Wukong lamented. “I haven’t been able to move for 500-some years. Please do me a favor and save me!”

“You’ve committed great offenses!” Guanyin said. “If I release you, I worry you will do more wicked deeds.”

“I regret my mistakes,” Wukong pleaded. “Please point me toward the right path. I’m willing to change my ways.”

Guanyin was delighted to hear that and told Wukong, “As the scriptures say, ‘When a good word is spoken, an answer will come from beyond a thousand miles. When an evil word is spoken, opposition will hail from beyond a thousand miles.’ Since you are willing to change your ways, then let me go to the kingdom of Tang (2) in the East and find a scripture pilgrim. They will rescue you, and you can be their disciple, join the Buddhist sect, and cultivate the fruits of righteousness. What do you think?”

“I’m willing! I’m willing!” Wukong shouted.

“In that case, let me give you a Budhist name,” Guanyin said.

“But I already have a name; I’m Sun Wukong!”

“Well, that works. You can keep it. I’m off.”

So Guanyin and Muzha took off again, and they headed East until they arrived in the city of Changan (2,1), the capital of the kingdom of Tang. Now, the Tang Dynasty lasted from the year 618 to 907. It’s considered one of the greatest golden ages in Chinese history. And at this particular time, it was just getting started. We’re in the 14th year of the reign of its second ruler, Li (3) Shimin (4,2), who is widely considered one of the top emperors, if not THE best emperor, in Chinese history. So this would put us at about the year 639, if we were to try to map this to an actual historical timeline.

Upon arriving in the capital, Guanyin and Muzha entered a temple to a local earth spirit that was right off one of the main thoroughfares of the city. The local earth spirit and his bodyguards were quite startled to receive this VIP. They kneeled to welcome her, and then the earth spirit dashed off to tell all the other minor local deities in the city, who all came to pay their respects as well. Guanyin told them the purpose of her trip, told them that she needed to crash at their temple for a few days, and swore them all to secrecy.

As it just so happens, the Tang emperor was holding a Grand Mass of Land and Water. This was basically a huge gathering of Buddhist monks to help orphaned souls of the dead find salvation. Now, the novel goes into a multi-chapter digression to explain why this event was happening. It has seemingly nothing to do with the rest of the narrative and really brings things to a screeching halt. So for the purpose of our podcast, I’m going to carve out that whole digression and put it into a supplemental episode. For the purposes of the main narrative, the part that we care about is that there’s a big gathering of the most renowned monks from across the kingdom, and it coincides with Guanyin being in the city to find a worthy Buddhist to go West to fetch the sacred scriptures. Well that’s convenient.

A month after the notices went out about the Grand Mass, Buddhist monks from across the kingdom had gathered in the capital. The emperor then issued a decree, commanding one of his officials to select some particularly venerable monks to perform Buddhist ceremonies. But this official was apparently no fan of Buddhism, and he submitted a petition to the emperor. This petition suggested that the emperor should ban the building of Buddhist pagodas, and it claimed that there was no Buddha. Here’s what the petition said:

“By the law of the West, there are no distinctions between ruler and subject or between father and son. The Buddhist teachings are used to deceive the foolish. Past sins are chased away to filch future blessings, and Sanskrit prayers are recited in attempts to avoid retribution. But birth, death, and the length of one’s life are decided by nature. Punishments, virtue, power, and blessings come from the lord of men. These days, vulgar believers distort the truth and say that they all come from Buddha. In the time of the ancient sage kings, this Buddha did not exist, and yet those rulers were wise and their officials were loyal. And prosperity endured for many a year. When foreign gods were first established in the time of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, ascetics from the West began to propagate their religion. This is a foreign encroachment on our Central Kingdom, and one should not give it any credibility.”

After reading this screed, the emperor decided to take up the issue with his court. One of his top ministers now came forth and said, “Buddhism has thrived across multiple dynasties. It spreads good and prevents evil, thus giving unseen help to the country. There’s no reason to abolish it. The Buddha was a sage. Such disrespect toward a sage should be punished.”

Well, that got the other official hot and bothered, and they bickered. The emperor then pulled in a couple other officials to ask for their opinion. To make a long story short, the emperor came down on the side of the pro-Buddism voices, and asked them to select a Buddist monk possessing great virtue to serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Oh, and also, anyone who dares to speak another ill word about the Buddha would have their arm cut off. 

The next day, the three pro-Buddhist officials reported back with the chosen Master of Ceremonies. It was a monk named Chen (2) Xuanzang (2,4). The emperor pondered for a bit and then asked, “Are you the son of the scholar Chen (2) Guangrui (1,2)?”

“Indeed I am,” Xuanzang kneeled and replied. 

“What a great choice!” the emperor rejoiced. “You’re a truly virtuous and devoted monk. I will bestow upon you the titles of the Left and Right Controller of the Clergy, and Hierarch of the Empire.”

So who was this Xuanzang? How did the emperor know who he was, and why was the emperor so high on him? His backstory actually predates the publication of the novel. As early as the Song and Yuan dynasties, which spanned the 400-some years before the Ming Dynasty in which the novel was published, there were scripts for stage performances that reference his origin story. As far as its place in the Journey to the West, Xuanzang’s backstory was only touched on very briefly in the earlier, 100-chapter version of the novel that was published in the Ming dynasty, around the year 1592. There were a couple verses of poetry at this point in the novel that make oblique references to some of the major elements of that story, but nothing else. But in 1663, a later iteration of the novel was published, and this version added a whole chapter that gave a much more substantial accounting of that story. I’m guessing most of you have not been exposed to that backstory via a show in a Song dynasty entertainment house, so I’m going to go with the more substantive accounting here. 

Some years earlier during the reign of this Tang emperor, he decided it was time for a recruitment drive to find more talent for the civil service. And the traditional Chinese way to do this was to hold examinations where scholars from all over come together and try to demonstrate their knowledge of the classics. So notices were posted all through the kingdom, informing the people that there was to be a big exam in the capital.

In the Haizhou (3,1) Prefecture, there was a man named Chen Guangrui (1,2). When he saw the notice, he went home and told his mother, a Madam Zhang, “The court has issued an imperial edict, announcing an exam to find talent. I would like to go participate and try to earn some minor position so as to bring honor to our house.”

“My son, you’re a scholar, and as the saying goes, “Study when you’re young, go when you’re grown.’ That is as it should be. But you must be careful on your trip. Once you’ve earned your position, hurry home.”

So Chen Guangrui told the family’s attendant to pack up his things, and he set out for the capital. When all the exams were graded, he placed first, which meant he was pretty much set for life. The emperor personally bestowed the honor upon him, and he was given a three-day parade around the capital. 

One of those parades happened to take him past the front door of the prime minister. The prime minister had a daughter, Lady Yin (1). She was of the marrying age but had not found a match yet. And on that day, they had erected a tower in front of the prime minister’s residence. Lady Yin ascended the tower, and all who wanted a shot at becoming her beau would gather, and she would choose one of them by throwing a ball in his direction. Now, this seemed like an awfully risky way for the daughter of a great house to choose a future husband. I mean, you’re at the mercy of a bouncing ball. But hey, tradition.

Anyway, while Lady Yin was surveying the crowd, she spotted Chen Guangrui. She knew he was the top scorer in the just-concluded national exams, so she figured he was a learned man. And she was taken with his handsome appearance as well. So she chucked the ball in his direction, and fortunately for her, it struck him on the head and knocked off his official’s hat.

The next thing you know, happy music was blaring, and a dozen or so maids hurried down from the tower and bum-rushed Chen Guangrui, escorting him into the prime minister’s residence. The prime minister and his wife welcomed him and they granted him their daughter’s hand in marriage. So this was turning out to be one helluva of a trip for Chen Guangrui. He married Lady Yin (1) that day, and they celebrated deep into the night.

The next morning, Chen Guangrui got up at 5 a.m. and went to court. The emperor  appointed him to be the prefect in Jiangzhou (1,1) Prefecture, which was a pretty good gig. Chen Guangrui thanked the emperor, went back to the prime minister’s residence to pick up his new wife, bid her parents goodbye, and set out for his new post.

Before going to Jiangzhou Prefecture to assume his post, Chen Guangrui first went back to his home to give his mother the bounty of happy news and to bring her along to Jiangzhou so she too could enjoy the high life. His mother, Madam Zhang, was delighted and they all set out together. After a few days on the road, however, Madam Zhang fell ill at an inn. She told her son that she needed to stay there for a few days to recuperate before they could hit the road again, and he dutifully obliged her. 

The next morning, a fisherman was outside the inn, selling a golden carp. Chen Guangrui bought it for a string of coins so that he could cook it for his mother to help her get better. But then he took a closer look at the carp and saw that it kept blinking. 

“I’ve heard it said that fish or snakes that blink are uncommon creatures,” he said to himself. He then asked the fisherman where he caught the carp, and the fisherman told him it was from the river 3 miles from the inn. So Chen Guangrui took the fish there and released it back into the water.

When he informed his mother of this, she told him, “You did a good thing; it makes me happy.”

“Mother, we’ve been at this inn for three days,” Chen Guangrui said. “The deadline for me to assume my position is coming up fast. I was thinking of hitting the road tomorrow, but are you well enough to travel?”

“My body is frail,” Madam Zhang said. “And the weather is so hot right now, I worry that I would get sick again. You can rent this room for me and leave me a bit of spending money. Then you and your wife can go on ahead to your posting. Once autumn comes and the weather is cooler, then you can come get me.”

Chen Guangrui discussed it with his wife, and they agreed on this suggestion. So they paid the innkeeper enough money to rent the room until the fall, and gave his mother some spending money. Then husband and wife, along with their family attendant, resumed their journey.

After some more days on the road, they came upon the crossing at the Hong (2) River. There, they hired a boat to ferry them across. Well, unfortunately, they hired the wrong boat. One of the two boatmen was named Liu (2) Hong (2). As soon as he laid eyes on Lady Yin, he started lusting after her. So he started plotting with the other boatman.

Around midnight, when all was quiet in the middle of the river, Liu Hong and his accomplice first murdered the attendant, and then they beat Chen Guangrui to death. They tossed the bodies into the river, letting the water bury their bloody deed.

When she saw her husband slain and thrown into the river, Lady Yin tried to commit suicide by throwing herself into the water as well, but Liu Hong grabbed hold of her and said, “If you would be mine, then all will be fine. But if you resist, then I will cut you in two!”

Now, frankly, this seemed like it would be a rather empty threat against a woman who was ready to drown herself anyway. But for plot convenience, Lady Yin decided that she had no choice but to submit to her husband’s murderer for the time being. So she consented. Liu Hong then rowed the boat over to the other side. There, he gave the boat to his accomplice, while he put on Liu Guangrui’s clothes, took his identity and his wife, and went to assume his post as prefect of Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Needless to say, Lady Yin was living in hell, forced to maintain a fake marriage to the man who killed her beloved. And yet, she now had another reason to live on. She could feel that she was pregnant, and she knew it was Chen Guangrui’s child. So she endured her situation the best she could. When they arrived in Jiangzhou Prefecture, all the local officials came to pay their respects to the new boss, with no idea that they were welcoming an imposter. After a welcoming feast, Liu Hong assumed his position, and no one suspected a thing.

One day, Liu Hong was away on a business trip. Lady Yin was sitting in her garden alone, lamenting her fate and thinking about her husband and her mother-in-law. Suddenly, she felt pangs of pain shoot through her body, and she collapsed to the ground. The baby was coming.

Moments later, she was holding a newborn boy. Suddenly, she heard someone say, “I am the Star Spirit of the South Pole. On the command of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, I hereby give you this son. His name will become renowned in the future. He will be an uncommon man. But if that criminal Liu Hong comes back and sees him, he will no doubt kill the boy. You must protect him. Remember my words! Now, wake up!”

And with that, Lady Yin startled awake, with those words ringing in her ears and the baby in her arms. As she was trying to figure out how to protect the child, Liu Hong suddenly returned from his trip. As soon as as he saw the baby boy, he wanted to drown the child.

“It’s already late in the day,” Lady Yin said. “We can throw him into the river tomorrow.”

The next morning, Liu Hong was called away early by some sudden urgent business. With him gone, Lady Yin thought to herself, “If I wait until that criminal comes back, this boy’s life would be forfeit! Why don’t I throw him into the river now, and leave his fate in heaven’s hands. If someone rescues him and raises him, then perhaps one day we could be reunited.”

To make sure that the boy would have some clear method of identifying his parents when that day came, she bit her finger and wrote a letter in blood, writing down his parents’ names and explaining his background. And to make sure that she would have some clear method of identifying her child on that day of reunion, she bit off a toe on the infant’s left foot. Which is just … ouch! That poor kid.

Lady Yin now wrapped her nine-toed infant in a cloak and snuck out of her house. Fortunately for her, the house wasn’t far from the river bank. There on the bank, she had a good cry and then prepared to toss her infant into the water. But just then, she saw a wooden plank drifting atop the waves. She prayed to heaven, placed the infant on the plank, secured him with a cord, secured the blood letter to his chest, and pushed the plank into the river. Once the plank drifted out of sight, she went home.

To see how this latter-day Moses story will turn out, tune in to the next episode of the Chinese Lore Podcast. Thanks for listening!

Music in This Episode

• “Luỹ Tre Xanh Ngát Đầu Làng (Guzheng) – Vietnam BGM” by VPRODMUSIC_Asia_BGM
• “St. Francis” by Josh Lippi & The Overtimers (from YouTube audio library)
• “Ancient Wind” by Harumachi Music
• “Dark Toys” by SYBS (from YouTube audio library)
• “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)
• “Watercolor Lillies” by Aaron Kenny (from YouTube audio library)